Podcasts about Downtown Oakland

It's Founder Friday! Leaving a legacy and making an impact on the industry is something we all want for our businesses. Few companies get to the place where they can say they have not only achieved this but done so it a way that stays true to their values and traditions, while also artfully evolving with the changing landscape of coffee. Mr. Espresso in Oakland, CA is one such company.  Established in 1978 and now celebrating 45 years in business, Mr. Espresso is a specialty coffee roasting company that has stayed true to the Italian coffee culture and roots of founder Carlo Di Ruocco while embracing innovation to inspire the next generation of coffee drinkers. In keeping with the sensibilities of the modern coffee consumer, Mr. Espresso is committed to responsible sourcing, sustainable production and investment in community. Offering wholesale beans, premium commercial brewing equipment, and service and training support, Mr. Espresso made its mark as one of the first full-service, coffee roasting retailers in the U.S. and has since become a trusted supplier to noteworthy restaurants, cafes, bakeries and coffee houses around the San Francisco Bay Area and nationally. Additionally, Mr. Espresso has expanded its online presence and grown its retail customer base well beyond the Bay Area.  Mr. Espresso uses traditional wood-roasting methods over oakwood. This technique results in high moisture content and an increased retention of natural oils, producing a complex and full-bodied coffee with less acidity. Mr. Espresso has received numerous high-scoring reviews and accolades over its long history, and is a two-time Good Food Awards winner for its organic single-origin coffees. Founder Carlo Di Ruocco was awarded the 2015 Alfred Peet Passionate Cup, one of the Specialty Coffee Association's most prestigious awards. In early 2023, Mr. Espresso will open a cafe in downtown Oakland, not far from its roastery in Jack London Square. Today we are talking with Carlo DiRuocco's sons, John and Luigi DiRuocco, who Co-Own and run Mr. Espresso.    Luigi Di Ruocco is Co-owner and Sales & Marketing Vice President of Mr. Espresso, and Co-owner of The Caffè by Mr. Espresso. An alumnus of Saint Mary's College, Luigi earned a double major in Business Administration and Economics, followed by two years in portfolio accounting. However, in 2001 at age 24, Luigi returned to the family business, drawn by the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the family enterprise. Currently, Luigi is at the helm of the newly opened – The Caffè by Mr. Espresso, in the heart of Downtown Oakland. John Di Ruocco is Co-owner and Vice President of Coffee for Mr. Espresso, and Co-owner of The Caffè by Mr. Espresso. After earning an undergraduate degree in architecture from UC Berkeley. After receiving his degree, he returned to the family business, learning the art of wood-roasting coffee from his father. John went on to become roastmaster in the early ‘90s, and eventually Vice President of Coffee. John has moved the company forward as a leader in both single-origin and blended coffees. John has been instrumental in expanding the offerings to reflect changing coffee preferences, adding distinguished lighter-roasted coffees, most often organic and fair trade in origin. In this conversation we discuss the rich history of this iconic company, their values, traditions, and how they have grown and evolved over the past 45 years! We discuss: The beginning of Mr. Espresso  The importance of tradition and craft Creating an authentic product and brand Why wood roasting is unique in method and outcome How they source coffee and approach QC Evolving with the industry  Knowing what to say no to and trusting your gut Advice for impact and longevity in coffee Offering a product that appeal widely but keeps tradition Links: www.mrespresso.com Instagram: @mrespressooak    @thecaffeoak     Listen to these episodes next! 081 : Founder Friday w/ David Schomer of Espresso Vivace

Just like San Francisco, the East Bay city is facing budget shortfalls and a vacancy crisis caused by the shift to remote work. But as reporters Sarah Ravani and Roland Li tell host Demian Bulwa, Oakland has some advantages over its bigger neighbor — but also its own unique challenges. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The mondays are still on as we build this Night, Downtown Oakland at the famous spot @zanzi....

Pamela Price made history on Monday, being sworn in by Oakland Mayor-Elect Sheng Thao, who herself made history as the first Hmong to be elected mayor of a major US City. Price became the first Black elected DA in Alameda County, birthplace of the Black Panthers. Also speaking during the ceremony in front of at least 200 enthusiastic supporters in Downtown Oakland was Wanda Johnson, mother of Oscar Grant, Aisha Wahab who became the first Muslim and Afghan American to be elected to the California State Senate, and the legendary prison abolitionist and radical professor, Angela Davis. Price following being officially sworn in, said, “This is an exclamation point in the history for Alameda County. I stand before you as our first Black woman District Attorney.” During her speech, Price said, “For the last 10 years, the district attorney's office has stood in the way of the progressive reforms, ushered in by our California legislature and endorsed overwhelmingly by Alameda County voters our message resonated in Alameda County because we know that the criminal justice system is not working for the hardworking people of Alameda County.” Listen to Pamela Price, the legendary Angela Davis, and Wanda Johnson, the mother of Oscar Grant, who was killed more than a decade ago on a BART Train by a police officer has been fighting for justice for her son and so many others like him.

Nenna Joiner owns Feelmore, a queer-friendly sex toy shop with locations in Berkeley and Oakland. Noticing the lack of Black queer spaces beyond the monthly “RnB nights” at many local clubs, they decided to open the Feelmore Social Club in Downtown Oakland, a bar slated to open in 2022. “This energy that they feel in Feelmore is akin to the energy that they're going to feel here,” Joiner assures, “We want to be open a long time.” Joiner speaks about re-imagining the Black queer space, and the role of the Black queer dollar in the community. This series was produced and reported by Corey Antonio Rose. For more information, visit Rightnowish.

#025 - Today we talk with Ariana Mabley, East Oakland native and owner of Esscents of Flowers, a floral design company, which she started as a side hustle pop up business while still working a full time career.  Ariana wears MANY hats -  wife, mother, chauffeur AND entrepreneur.  She credits the tremendous support from friends, family as well as the team at the Uptima Business Bootcamp for helping her business succeed, but she credits her grandfather for planting the gardening seed in her… “It is something I used to do with my grandfather - who has since passed.  But it was because of his love for nurturing the ground, growing things from the ground that even allows me to be where I am today.  He showed me how to garden.  And that was one of our favorite pastimes.”Every other Saturday she would pop up in front of cafes, bike shops, and other small Oakland and San Leandro businesses.  That led to a contract with a wedding venue.  It took off organically so in the summer of 2019 she decided to go full time.  And then the Pandemic happened.“All of my events were canceled.  I had to figure it out really quickly. There goes the art of the pivot - being able to think just super quickly about how you're going to steer this business that you created.  From there I worked with some small farms that are local to the Bay Area and I started offering delivery services throughout the week because what I realized is that people wanted to stay connected to one another but they couldn't physically be with one another. And so I was like I can still provide flowers, it just has to be a different way.”This is truly a family business. Ariana married her high school sweetheart and they have 2 boys. Everyone pitches in when needed.  You can find her E of F Studio at 329 17th St. - Downtown Oakland.Be sure to stick around until the end to hear about Ariana's amazing support system that keeps her thriving.

This week, Chris interviewed the team of SFDFF Co-Produced film I Just Wanna Dance, which has been dancing along the festival circuit this year. The crew of Amanda Beane (director), Kristina Willemse (camera/jib operator) and Zoë Mountain (editor) reflected on how their dance backgrounds translated to the film and how it allowed for a greater creative and collaborative trust amongst the team. I Just Wanna Dance will screen as a part of the Homegrown: Perfect Day program as a part of Frameline at 8:30PM on June 21 at the New Parkway Theater in Downtown Oakland.https://www.frameline.org/films/frameline46/homegrown-perfect-day@sfdancefilmfest@framelinefest@couellette87@deer.in.lights (Amanda Beane)@zoemountain@kristinawillemseThis episode was recorded on the ancestral lands of the Lisjan Ohlone people. Learn more at https://native-land.ca/

KCBS Radio's Sydney Fishman speaks with Dr. Russell Jeung, chair and professor of the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State, and the co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition formed in March 2020, to record incidents of violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Jeung was recently named TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the world for 2021. Fishman also speaks with Carl Chan, the president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, also known as the "mayor" of Oakland's Chinatown, about his experience with assault in Downtown Oakland. To report an incident, or to learn more about the Stop AAPI Hate movement, visit their website. Subscribe to Bay Current on the Audacy app, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and Stitcher. Bay Current is on YouTube, on the KCBS Radio YouTube page.

Ayodele Kinchen is a native and current resident of East Palo Alto (EPA). She grew up in a Pan-African home and community circle, attending independent, k-8th grade African-centered schools in EPA and was immersed in Afro-centric cultural academia, leadership development, and rites of passage programs created and coordinated in part by her mother. She is a graduate of Howard University (Washington, DC) where she received her BA in Business Administration-Management (1999) and graduate of START-Up (2002) – an EPA business incubator and training program for entrepreneurs.Ayodele is an entrepreneur and professional dancer. She began making jewelry and handbags and officially launched her business, Duafe Designs in 2004. She worked her business during off-hours/weekends and managed to perform as a primary dancer for Fua Dia Congo - a Congolese African Dance company where she studied under the renowned Malonga Casquelourde. Her dance career extended to teaching youth Congolese dance, drum, history, and song as a part-time resident artist for and the ALICE program (Arts & Literacy in Children's Education, Oakland- 2004-2008) and VALA (Visual Arts Language Arts, a Tides Program, Oakland, 2008-2013). Her resident artist work introduced her to EnCompass Academy Elementary in Oakland, where she accepted the position as the Director of After School programs (2013-2016).Ayodele worked full-time at EnCompass Academy and part-time as a business entrepreneur until her 3rd child was born. Her growing family needs and increased demand for her products did not function in tandem with a full-time job. Ayodele too long desired to be 100% self-employed. Thus, in 2016, she resigned from her Director post to further invest in her growing business and create a better work-life balance for her and her family.As the gifted visionary, designer, and owner behind DUAFE Designs, Ayodele specializes in one-of-a-kind waist beads, natural shell jewelry, fashion accessories, and eclectic handbags. She is a self-taught artist with a keen eye and talent for design, and finds joy creating wearable art that transforms the everyday woman into a Queen, and young girls into empowered Princesses. She builds awareness of African culture, tradition, and holistic wellness through her services that include waist bead parties, facilitating sister circles, youth/community workshops, a rite of passage program for girls 7-17 (Sisters of Tomorrow Bat Area), and consulting. Ayodele uses her art as a medium towards empowering young girls and women by designing pieces that heal, encourage, honor, and beautify the mind, body, and spirit. Her products can be found on her website www.duafedesigns.com or at her store located in Downtown Oakland, Ca.duafedesigns.com IG @Duafebyayodele TikTok @waistbeadsbyayodele 

In today's episode of the Not Real Art Podcast, guest host and prolific Los Angeles-based muralist Erin Yoshi speaks with Ashara Ekundayo about the power of joy-informed art for resistance and healing. Ashara is a Black feminist, an independent curator, an artist, and an interdisciplinary creative arts leader committed to an intersectional framework of social transformation that expands the influence and impact of arts and culture on racial and gender equity and environmental literacy, and more specifically one that necessitates a practice of recognizing joy in the midst of struggle. Tuning in, you'll learn more about the work that Ashara does through her nonprofit, Artist as First Responder, which acknowledges that artists show up first in crisis and celebration to forge solutions, heal communities, and save lives through design, practice, invitation, and presentation. Ashara shares her mission to hold space for creative labor, to create beautiful narratives about joy and pleasure in a society so focused on the trauma-informed, and her belief in the power of art and education to create change by showing us opportunities for who we are and what we can be. You'll also discover some of the other remarkable projects, platforms, and exhibitions that Ashara has created and contributed to over the years, as well as some of her favorite artists right now, so make sure to tune in today for this insightful and powerful conversation about the intersection between love, art, joy, and rage! Key Points From This Episode: Ashara reflects on her earliest memories as a ‘gatherer' around the arts and crafts table. How her parents introduced her to art and were formative influences on her practice. Hear about Ashara's career trajectory, formal education, and early desire to be a curator. Learn more about Artist as First Responder (AAFR) and how it facilitates joy as a tool of resistance and a mechanism for healing communities. Ashara explains the six-point philanthropic and interactive arts platform of AAFR. The importance of celebrating artist's work and arts labor as first responder work. How Ashara navigates the traditional arts world as a queer, BIPOC arts leader and creative.  Learn about the former Impact Hub Oakland, founded by seven artists, including Ashara. Ashara shares her belief that we are all born creative and her ongoing mission to hold and create space for creative labor. What she looks for in the artists she works with; honesty, curiosity, and enjoyment. What Ashara calls the artist ‘flake out factor' and the importance of authentic commitment. How traveling has influenced her work and the perspective it has offered Ashara. Some of the priorities that have shifted in her personal life following the pandemic. Why she believes having grace and patience with ourselves and each other is the new norm. Discover the self-guided Black Joy StoryWindows exhibition in Downtown Oakland. Hear about BLATANT, a publication of AAFR, and Ashara's ongoing conversation partnership with the Museum of the African Diaspora. Memorable conversations Ashara has had with Black women artists and cultural workers. Ashara on the power art has to create change; witnessing opportunities for what can be. How education goes hand-in-hand with creativity and the legacy of who we are. Artists to watch, including Tongo Eisen-Martin, Tiff Massey, and Zanele Muholi. For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/ashara-ekundayo-and-erin-yoshi

sent $$$ this week to Moments Co-op’s Town Fridge.momentscooperative.com“The City of Oakland is once again threatening to take away Moments’ Town Fridge unless we make expensive electrical changes. We urgently need at least 30 people to donate $30 right now in order to pay the electrician. Moments is 100% volunteer run / not-for-profit and relies entirely on community support. Our high-traffic fridge is emptied out several times DAILY by unhoused folks, workers, and low-income families. Please donate now to keep this vital lifeline in Downtown Oakland! You can donate directly at paypal.me/MomentsCoop (please select "Family + Friends” option). You can also become a volunteer or monthly supporter of our Fridge at the links in our bio!“DOWNLOAD RECORDINGsubscribe to the podcast here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/5432fun(intro by omar)Maraudeur "Scorpio” Maraudeur + MaraudeurJake Tobin “Calming Down” Fifth ThoughtThe Stroppies “Architectural Charades” Maddest Moments/Architectural CharadesClearance “Rumored Sequel” At Your LeisurePorlolo “I Don’t Want to Lose” AwardsNervous Twitch “Promised Me The World” Promised Me The WorldFlesh Narc “Glove” Pillow TalkSmokescreens “Jolly Jane” Used To YesterdayViolet Mice “Scenes from 2010” ChiarobasuraPowPig “Ode to Wiseau” Buzz BuzzTHICK “LYFE” Would You Rather?Saturday Night “Piper” Saturday NightSpeck “Transfat” Psycho Babble EPGlued “Beach Boys” Cool EvilGreg Electric “Hysterical” Greg ElectricHEATHERS “Linear Movement” Midnight Is A PlaceGladie “20:20” everyone is talking but youMommy Long Legs “Call You Out” Try Your BestFuture star “wish u were here” i went home and all i got part 1Symfan “DYWM” Circadian WorkoutF.I.S.T. “Won’t Kill for Donald” FALSE ICON E.P.Warm Thoughts “Precipitation” I Went Swimming AloneHatchie “Sugar & Spice” Sugar & Spice

California's arts institutions are dealing with budget cuts and revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic, and a reckoning with systemic racism in the art world. So what progress have they made in diversifying their staffs, their artwork, and their audiences over the past year? And will any of us ever look at art, and the meaning of it, in the same way again? We talk with two people who present great works of art to the public, but do it in very different ways. GUESTS * Thomas Campbell, CEO and director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and former CEO/director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City (https://deyoung.famsf.org/Becoming-an-Anti-Racist-Institution) * Andre Jones, a.k.a. Natty Rebel, designer, muralist and founder/director of the Bay Area Mural Program (https://bamp.netlify.app) PODCAST PLAY-BY-PLAY * O to 4 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers, and to this episode PART ONE: Thomas Campbell * 4 min - Why Campbell, an Englishman who had a prestigious career in London and New York, decided to make the move to California * 7:40 min - How he views art in California, California art, and how we perceive it * 10:25 min - What Campbell learned about leading two top museums through two tough times in U.S. history * 14:20 min - How George Floyd's murder shaped Campbell's view of the art world, and his decision to create an anti-racist institution * 20:05 min - What should California's arts institutions be doing to create "blockbuster" exhibitions of non-white-male California artists? * 26:35 min - Diversifying museum staff and management - do they all need Masters and Ph.D degrees? * 31:15 min - How to make a museum's board of directors more diverse -- and still have a board that brings in the money needed to run the museum * 35:25 min - Using California's role as a technology hub to revolutionize art * 40:50 min - How the inaugural DeYoung Open brought in a new range of art and artists * 46:10 - What art institutions, and us art lovers, can do to support artists and make the art world more accessible PART TWO: Andre Jones * 51:20 min - What brought Jones from the East Coast to the Bay Area, and how his new home has inspired the way he creates art * 57:20 min - His approach to creating public art * 59:45 min - How the Bay Area Mural Program got started and is now expanding * 1hr, 2:25 min - How the events of 2020 made Jones take action as an artist and activist * 1 hr, 6:55 min - Is the new focus on diversity of art turning into more financial success for artists of color? * 1 hr, 10:15 min - Creating the new generation of artists * 1 hr, 13:40 min - Jones' recommendation for public art that really resonates today * 1:16:10 min - Jones' prediction for the future of public art in California, and how Californians can make that future bright RESOURCE GUIDE * Institutional Blog for the Museums of Fine Arts in San Francisco - https://deyoung.famsf.org/blog/category/1494 * Black Liberation Walking Tour in Oakland - https://www.blwt.org IMAGE CREDIT: "United We Rise" Mural in Downtown Oakland by Divya Bala (https://www.instagram.com/artbydivya/?hl=en)

I'd been to gay discos before, in the old days in San Francisco, but I'd never been to a black disco before. I had an occasion to visit one  in downtown Oakland one Friday night. Talk about laying down a groooooooove. Massive. It was fantastic.

Thanks to our friends at FilmsGoneWild.com, we're at the San Luis Obispo Film Festival with Spencer Wilkinson, the director of the documentary Alice Street. The film centers around a mural created by the Community Rejuvenation Project to be located on an iconic corner of Alice street in Oakland, Ca.  But the film encompasses so much more! We get into gentrification, the cultural melting pot of Oakland, immigration, and creating productive solutions to development and growth in major cities. Big shout out to the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts and the Hotel Oakland which are historic landmarks that play major roles in the documentary. And any film that includes Bay Area journalist (and 2 time Bitch Talk guest) Eric Arnold is already a win in our book.You can follow director Spencer Wilkinson on Instagram & FacebookTo purchase a DVD or Digital Copy of Alice Street, click here. --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Skylab was created to provide a different kind of work and event space: curated, arts-focused, and community-oriented. It is a place where traditional and non-traditional work can be mixed and celebrated. They provide tools and resources that will take your home business or art to the next level. Skylab is a new rooftop coworking and event space in Downtown Oakland offering safe, flexible, and affordable options for people working from home, local artists, and entrepreneurs. Their professional development and art programs, social club, and after-hours events make SkyLab more than just an office. They aim to be a coworking space that will give freelancers, artists, and startup businesses a space to do their work with peace and comfort. Skylab envisions a coworking space that not only provides office equipment and meeting rooms but also offers activities that can nourish the creative soul and inspire members to achieve their dreams.

In Oakland, a city that’s seen school closures and a rapid rise in homelessness in recent years, the police budget takes up around 44% of the general fund. Among those calling to defund the police there are artists in Oakland who have plenty of ideas about what a police-free Oakland would look like if that money were reinvested into the community. Guest: Nastia Voynovskaya, reporter and editor for KQED Arts and Culture See photos of art around Downtown Oakland here.

Award winning adult film director, author, and activist Nenna Joiner is the Owner of Feelmore Adult in Downtown Oakland. Nenna has won two Feminist Porn Awards for the films Hella Brown: real sex in the city and Tight Places: a drop of color, which have screened in countless cities across the globe. Nenna's first book, Never Let the Odds Stop You, was published in 2015. 9 years of owning Feelmore has challenged Nenna - just your normal socioeconomic troublemaker - to become a community advocate and small business champion. In 2016, Nenna ran a successful campaign to become a Democratic National Convention (DNC) Delegate and is currently a member of the DNC LGBT Caucus. In this episode, recorded in the field at Nenna's adult toy store Feelmore Gallery, we talk about representation and distribution in the adult film industry and how pornography helped Nenna discover herself.

We just turned one and wanted to let you all know how much fun we've had putting out quality content for you all over the last year. We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate one year of quality content than by giving you guys some new content on our YouTube channel. Season two of our show features Mistah FAB and his store Dope Era in Downtown Oakland. He and everybody at the shop always show us love when we slide through, and they will show you the same treatment if you drop by the store, right off of 19th Street BART station. Quality Goods Season 2 Premiere: From Getting Hyphy to Writing a Book with Mistah Fab at Dope Era | Quality Goods Shop Dope Era: DopeEra.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/qgpod/support

Rebroadcast May 1, 2019 Show: 1. Aminah Elsters, Family Unity Project Program Coordinator for LSPC, and joins us to talk about "Ain't I a Mother Too?"  May 10, 2019, 6-8 p.m. at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Oakland. Register at this free event: https://www.prisonerswithchildren.org/2019/04/aint-i-a-mother-too/ 2. Lindsey Krumbein, founder, executive director, Gritty City Rep Youth Theatre re: The Taming of the Shrew, May 16-25 at the Flight Deck, 1540 Broadway, Oakland. She is joined by Nijzah Waterman, a junior at Envision Academy - a charter school in Downtown Oakland.  This is her 4th show with GCRep - she has been performing with us for 2 years. She plays Lucentia in this production of Taming. https://www.grittycityrep.org/ 3. Jason Mendez (Playwright) is a content creator, making his debut as a playwright with Supremacy, directed by Amanda Ortmayer at the EXIT Theatre, 156 Eddy St, SF, May 3 - May 18, 2018.  http://www.theexit.org/supremacy/ 4. Lisa Geduldig joins us to talk about the Thursday, May 9th installation of Comedy at Ashkenaz-- a Mother’s Day Comedy Show featuring a line up of Bay Area comedians who are moms (including a mom to a newborn): Diane Amos, Karinda Dobbins, Emily van Dyke, and Brandi Brandes, with de facto Jewish mother, Lisa Geduldig, as the MC.  http://www.ashkenaz.com/eventcalendar/2019/5/9comedy-night-at-ashkenaz While Ashkenaz is an all ages venue, the comedy shows are not recommended for kids under 16.

Rebroadcast May 1, 2019 Show: 1. Aminah Elsters, Family Unity Project Program Coordinator for LSPC, and joins us to talk about "Ain't I a Mother Too?"  May 10, 2019, 6-8 p.m. at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Oakland. Register at this free event: https://www.prisonerswithchildren.org/2019/04/aint-i-a-mother-too/ 2. Lindsey Krumbein, founder, executive director, Gritty City Rep Youth Theatre re: The Taming of the Shrew, May 16-25 at the Flight Deck, 1540 Broadway, Oakland. She is joined by Nijzah Waterman, a junior at Envision Academy - a charter school in Downtown Oakland.  This is her 4th show with GCRep - she has been performing with us for 2 years. She plays Lucentia in this production of Taming. https://www.grittycityrep.org/ 3. Jason Mendez (Playwright) is a content creator, making his debut as a playwright with Supremacy, directed by Amanda Ortmayer at the EXIT Theatre, 156 Eddy St, SF, May 3 - May 18, 2018.  http://www.theexit.org/supremacy/ 4. Lisa Geduldig joins us to talk about the Thursday, May 9th installation of Comedy at Ashkenaz-- a Mother’s Day Comedy Show featuring a line up of Bay Area comedians who are moms (including a mom to a newborn): Diane Amos, Karinda Dobbins, Emily van Dyke, and Brandi Brandes, with de facto Jewish mother, Lisa Geduldig, as the MC.  http://www.ashkenaz.com/eventcalendar/2019/5/9comedy-night-at-ashkenaz While Ashkenaz is an all ages venue, the comedy shows are not recommended for kids under 16.

1. Aminah Elsters, Family Unity Project Program Coordinator for LSPC, and joins us to talk about "Ain't I a Mother Too?"  May 10, 2019, 6-8 p.m. at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Oakland. Register at this free event at eventbrite.  2. Lindsey Krumbein, founder, executive director, Gritty City Rep Youth Theatre re: The Taming of the Shrew, May 16-25 at the Flight Deck, 1540 Broadway, Oakland. She is joined by Nijzah Waterman, a junior at Envision Academy - a charter school in Downtown Oakland.  This is her 4th show with GCRep - she has been performing with us for 2 years. She plays Lucentia in this production of Taming.   3. Jason Mendez (Playwright) is a content creator, making his debut as a writer with The Exit. Jason knows the power of voice, striving to challenge and complicate social narratives by making space for un- and -underrepresented experiences. His written works range from commissioned readings for the San Francisco Olympians Festival to the graphic novels and has previously worked with Netflix on the set of 13 Reasons Why. Jason holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Playwriting from San Francisco State University. Supremacy by Jason Mendez directed by Amanda Ortmayer, EXIT Theatre, 156 Eddy St, SF, May 3 - May 18, 2018 4. Lisa Geduldig joins us to talk about the Thursday, May 9th installation of Comedy at Ashkenaz-- a Mother’s Day Comedy Show featuring a line up of Bay Area comedians who are moms. 

Chef Tanya Holland of Brown Sugar Kitchen has flown the Oakland coop and hatched a new spot at the San Francisco Ferry Building. Open daily from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, her Buttermilk Fried Chicken is without the doubt the BEST you will ever devour. She also has a new spot in Downtown Oakland, an Oakland A's pop-up and an airport location on the way. Tanya is a TOP chef, entrepreneur and a trailblazer. | Each week, the KCBS Radio Foodie Chap, Liam Mayclem introduces us to the culinary stars behind the food & wine loved by so many in the Bay Area.

Dr. Aisha Mays is a passionate advocate for the health and well-being of young people. While she wears many hats as a doctor, researcher, mentor, and advocate, what strikes us most is how she melds her advocacy work and career with her hobbies and strives for balance throughout her life journey. In this episode, Aisha describes her journey into and through medicine, including childhood experiences that affirmed the need for more Black womxn in medicine. In addition, she shares her adamant hopes to challenge and break down silos by blending art and creativity in her work, particularly as the founding Medical Director of Dream Youth Clinic, a youth-led and youth-centered clinic in Downtown Oakland. As she's been able to meld her career with her own hobbies, she is a testament to her own guiding philosophies of being free-spirited, tenacious, and balanced in medicine. Bio: Dr. Aisha Mays is a core faculty member at the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program, clinical researcher at the UCSF Bixby Center for Reproductive Health, and founding Medical Director of Dream Youth Clinic in Oakland. Her current research centers on advocacy for girls who are at risk or engaged in sexual exploitation. Dr. Mays entered the world of research through her clinical practice at the Native American Health Center, where she began to have questions about the clinical care and outcomes of her adolescent patients. She believes in equitable reproductive health care access for all women regardless of age or socioeconomic status. Dr. Mays is a member of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals Clinical Advisory Committee, and faculty in Physicians for Reproductive Health Adolescent and Reproductive Sexual Health Education Program.

Recorded live at The Hatch in Downtown Oakland, Hard NOC Life is back! Joining Keith are Robyn from TARBIS and YOMYOMF's Dominic. Since the show has been on hiatus, the panel takes time to remember Stan Lee and share their favorite cameos from the last two decades of comic book movies (2:30), with a brief detour into an epiphany Robyn had about Joss Whedon (6:00). They also break down the pros and cons of Marvel Studios developing a Shang-Chi movie (12:30) and reflect on the death of Marvel on Netflix (17:30). Then, NOC contributor Julie Kang joins in for a discussion about the Marvel hill they would die on (21:00) before announcing the winner to our Aquaman premiere giveaway (33:30)! What's Nerd Poppin' this week (40:30): the latest season of Doctor Who, The Wicked & the Divine from Image, the new Earl Sweatshirt album, DC TV's "Elseworlds" crossover on The CW. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and now on Spotify! Support us on Patreon! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

This episode of Sup Doc we talk about the documentary The United States of Detroit. We're offering our listeners an exclusive peek at this film that has only been screening at festivals; email us at supdocpodcast AT gmail with the subject line "Detroit" and we'll send you a link. Watching the film will help you follow this conversation, or you may want to see the film after hearing this episode.This panel was recorded live in April 2018 at the New Parkway Theater in Oakland. The film focuses on a few Detroiters, like Pastor Barry, that are making positive street level impacts in a city famous for its negative headlines.Even with it’s heavy subject matter we had a fun, funny and informative panel with the director Tylor Norwood and Oakland comedian Karinda Dobbins. We also end with a Q&A session from the audience.United States of Detroit will be screening in Washington, DC throughout Sept at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, check their website for details.Special thanks to Ben Sinclair and Skydojo for organizing this event and the New Parkway in Downtown Oakland for hosting us.Follow Tylor on:Twitter: @tylornorwoodInstagram: @tylornorwoodFollow Karinda on:Twitter: @karindadobbinsInstagram: @karindadobbinsFollow us on:Twitter: @supdocpodcastInstagram: @supdocpodcastFacebook: @supdocpodcastsign up for our mailing listAnd you can show your support to Sup Doc by donating on Patreon.

We Are Homeless is a podcast that explores the hidden world of housing alternatives in the Bay Area. My name is Adam Garrett Clark. I encounter people every day who are finding creative ways to stay in the Bay Area without handing over their hard earned money to “the market.” These are their stories:  Episode 3: Climbing Out of the Hole My good friend and lot-mate, Greg Smolarz, explore addiction, homelessness and the distinction between treatment and recovery.  Lifelong Medical in Downtown Oakland

We Are Homeless is a podcast that explores the hidden world of housing alternatives in the Bay Area. My name is Adam Garrett Clark. I encounter people every day who are finding creative ways to stay in the Bay Area without handing over their hard earned money to “the market.” These are their stories:  Episode 3: Climbing Out of the Hole My good friend and lot-mate, Greg Smolarz, explore addiction, homelessness and the distinction between treatment and recovery.  Lifelong Medical in Downtown Oakland

When members of white supremacist groups began a campaign to hold rallies in Berkeley and Oakland, California, a group of community leaders came up with a way to make a statement that neo-nazis, their hatred and their ideas were not welcome in the East Bay. For the first episode of our new podcast, Not In Our Town gathered the organizers of the poster project at our office in Downtown Oakland to talk with them about their poster project.

Host Ali Nazar interviews Shaun Tai, Executive Director for Oakland Digital, on the organization's innovative approach to bringing tech and design jobs to underserved populations in the East Bay.Transcript:Ali Nazar:You're listening to KALX Berkeley, 90.7 FM, University of California and listener-supported radio, and this is Method to the Madness, coming at you from the Public Affairs department here at KALX, celebrating the innovative spirit of the Bay Area. I'm your host, Ali Nazar, and today with me I have Shaun Tai on the phone. He's the Executive Director of Oakland Digital. Hey, Shaun, how's it going?Shaun Tai:Hey, what's up, man? How are you doing?Ali Nazar:Pretty good. Really appreciate you joining us today.Shaun Tai:Oh, man. I'm happy to be here, man, and spread the knowledge. Spread that inspiration. I'm ready.Ali Nazar:Okay. Great. I always start this program with the same question, because you are a founder of an organization, and founders usually come to the decision to put so much energy into something like starting an organization, and dedicating their blood, sweat, and tears to it because they see a problem in the world. Tell us, what is the problem statement that Oakland Digital is trying to solve?Shaun Tai:Communities of color, specifically community college students, lack the same opportunities afforded to privileged communities. We focus specifically on artists of color, predominantly women of color, that are looking to break into a design career. Our problem really stems from, honestly, my own story of not quite the community college level, but the state level, of Cal State-East Bay, which I love. The teachers are doing a great job. They're teaching software. But they don't have the resources, and to be honest, the time, to be like, "Yo, check this out. Here's what they do at Twitter. Here's what they do at Facebook. Here's what they do at the local agency level." That's what Oakland Digital does, is we take those students and get their foot in the door, of not just tech, but business, non-profits, and some really cool creative agencies.Ali Nazar:Cool. Okay. You alluded to a little bit about your background and how you got to this. Can you tell us a little bit about you and where you come from?Shaun Tai:Man, well I come from the Bay Area, man. As anyone listening knows, the Bay is super real, authentic, dope, to be honest. It's just real. I've always wanted to do something real with my life. My dad passed away when I was two months old. I was raised by a single mother. Very small family. Born and raised by an entrepreneur. A woman entrepreneur of color. That was just the ultimate inspiration, from a work-ethic standpoint, of seeing my mom work seven days a week in Oakland, running a furniture design studio. Just seeing that work-ethic of not just her going to work, and showing up early, but coming back home and cooking for me and my brother.Then, after she cooked dinner, sketching, so 10:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m., and faxing those designs to a factor in Hong Kong to just create some dope furniture. Create things. That mix of creativity, that mix of hard work, really passed on to me, and that's what gave me that spirit of not just creating, but doing something with meaning and purpose.In my mom's case, it was making her customers happy with some great furniture. For me, it was how do I give back to the community with things that I love? Creativity, technology, community, social good, social impact. Really, my mom gets full kudos and credit for being my inspiration.Ali Nazar:Nice. She sounds like an amazing woman.Shaun Tai:She is.Ali Nazar:She put that idea into your brain, and that spirit into you, but what about your training. Did you go have another job or a career before starting Oakland Digital?Shaun Tai:Yeah, man, I'm, dude, I'm glad you asked. I know we were talking offline about music, and how powerful music is. In 2006, my partner Ray Luv, who's actually a Bay Area rap legend ... I grew up on Mac Mall, [inaudible] Tupac's music. We got together and created a YouTube channel when it wasn't hot. YouTube was cool in 2006, but it wasn't what it is now, with people getting billions of hits.We created a show called Pushin' the Bay TV, where we chronicled the Bay Area hip-hop and rap history. Interviewing people from Shock G, Dru Down, Spice 1, Too Short, E-40, The Jacka, rest in peace, and all of these Bay Area rap legends who did not have an online presence, right? But we were the first to say, "Hey, why don't we do this and celebrate the beautiful rap history in the Bay?"Ray Luv and I, we would just go around and interview people. We went down to L.A., East Coast. What I found was how powerful technology was. Specifically the YouTube platform. In one year, we received around 14 million views, and for that time, that was groundbreaking, and ground-shattering. What I found from talking to the young people was how influenced they were by these videos.But what I learned about the game were some of the things that were, I don't want to say negative, but definitely not the things I wanted to promote. After a year of success, and things were going up, I actually decided to give it up, and to cancel, because I wanted to do something for social good. Not that it wasn't powerful. Not that it wasn't getting impressions, but I thought, "How do we use tech for good?"That very simple core of "tech for good" is what birthed the Oakland Digital spirit of tech for good, and then, of course, myself being a designer and a creative, "creative tech for good," right? Those concepts birthed the idea of how do we help artists become professionals? Just like that young 13 year-old watching that YouTube video, how do I not just consume this technology, but create something cool, too, and then take those skills to get a career?That's the birth of OD. Oakland Digital.Ali Nazar:Wow, man. That's such a powerful story. Thank you for sharing it. We're speaking to Shaun Tai, who is the Executive Director of Oakland Digital, here on Method to the Madness on KALX Berkeley.Not a lot of people would have the guts to leave a burgeoning career like that, and take a left turn and follow their passion, so that's definitely commendable. I'd love to hear about, after you got to that point of understanding that, "Okay, I want to do something for social good? Creative tech for good." How did you then formulate the idea of how Oakland Digital would actually be an organization pursuing that goal?Shaun Tai:Yeah, I mean, I did gloss over a few details, like one of the biggest things that I learned while doing Pushin' the Bay TV was, there was an event at Stanford. I know you guys are rivals, but Stanford. Shout out to them, too. I met MC Hammer, Chamillionaire, and Mistah Fab, and Quincy Jones III, with Ray Luv and Mac Mall. They're friends. Everyone in the rap industry is friends.When I met MC Hammer, that day, he was introducing this crazy idea called Twitter. This is 2006, 2007. It was this thing that, in 140 characters, you could write about what you're doing. The whole crowd was confused, because here are effectively three rappers that are using this thing called Twitter, and in the crowd, I think very few people were.That's when I learned like, yo, tech doesn't have to be disseminated by the top-down. It can be actually by the community-up. After that day, actually, that same day, I went up to MC Hammer, and I'm like, "Yo, I'm here with Ray Luv and Mac Mall, who you know. Much respect. I love everything from your music career, but also your entrepreneurship. How do I get in touch?" Because he's like, "I love Oakland. I love the A's. I love technology."I tweeted him that night, ironically, I tweeted him, and from that year exchange, back and forth, we became friends. He's still an advisor to Oakland Digital, to this day. Between finding mentors, advisors, early on, to finding people that believed in the vision. Board of directors, co-founders, people that just believe in what you're doing.Then, of course, here's the big thing. Legal. After MC Hammer's like, "Yo, I'm with that idea of tech for good." I was walking down, and this is a true story, I was walking down Broadway, and I see City Hall, in Oakland. I literally said, "I'm just going to walk into City Hall and find out how to start a non-profit."I remember going up inside, checking in with the security guard, going up to the ninth floor, I believe. I met with this lady named Kathy Littles. I don't know if she's still around, but shout-out to Kathy Littles. I said, "I want to start a non-profit that's tech for good." She was like, "What is tech?" She literally said, "What is tech?" Because you have to remember, at this time, '08, right? "Tech" didn't exist in Oakland the way it does now. That was 10 years ago. Nobody even understood the word "tech."I said, "Well, it's these companies like Google, and Facebook, and how do we use that for good?" She was like, "Oh, okay. Well, here's a stack of contacts." Literally probably 10 pieces of paper, front-to-back, of non-profit people. "Contact all of them, then get back to me." Literally, I looked at it like, "Yo, this is crazy." I asked, "Well, how do I get paid?"She laughed. She said, "Non-profits, you've got to fundraise." I was like, "How often?" She laughed again. She said, "You've got to fundraise every day. Every week." I just didn't get the concept, coming from a for-profit background. I literally took that stack of papers, but I found one piece of paper where I started. I just called everyone. I just called everyone. Some had phone numbers, some had e-mails.Then I finally e-mailed one person. She's an artist. She's the only person that got back to me from probably a week of phone calls and e-mails. She said, "I have an art non-profit. Now it's defunct, but a guy named Don Tamaki, who is the," I think she used the term "godfather of Asian law. He helped us get started, but he's too big for you, Shaun. He won't get back to you."I remember cold-calling this law firm, Minami Tamaki LLP, shout-out to them. They're still in the SF. The receptionist picked up, and I said, "Hey, I'm Shaun. I'm just doing a cold call. Could I talk to Don Tamaki?" Just like wide-eyed, didn't know what the hell I was doing. He didn't pick up, but an assistant picked up and said, "Okay, I just shared that you want to start this non-profit. He said come in." On this date and that time, and I go in, and I think I'm wearing jeans and a shirt. I pitched this. There was two gentlemen next to him, who I found out later is his son and his son's friend, who go to Cal, by the way. They were interning with him for the summer.I threw this pitch about "tech for good." Completely vague. It was so bad, I don't even know what it was, but it was really bad. But he saw that passion of helping people with tech for good, and with design. Just taking everything that I cared about and presenting that, right? At the end, he was like, "Shaun, I'm going to help you get incorporated. Get your bylaws. Build your board. I'm going to put my son on this project."Really, that combination of passion, that combination of timing. There's a huge one for your listeners. Things have a time period and time relevance. You know what I'm saying? You can't come up now and start the next Snapchat. That's already over, right? Timing-wise, Oakland was not hit with tech yet. Timing-wise, Don Tamaki had his son interning, right? All of this things had, timing-wise, MC Hammer's talking about Twitter. You know what I'm saying? All of these things just were like a storm of positivity, and just relentlessness, to do something very positive for the community. Right?After that, he helped get us incorporated. We got incorporated July of 2009. And yo, now we're in Downtown Oakland, and we have benches, billboards, bus ads, helped almost 5,000 people to-date. We're just doing big things.Ali Nazar:That's awesome. Well, it's a great story, and I think a really great example of there is a serendipity to the formation of an organization like this. There's the timing, but there's also the passion. The passion that bubbling up from things that have happened in your life, is another thing that depends upon timing, and so-Shaun Tai:Right.Ali Nazar:We're speaking with Shaun Tai today. He's the Executive Director of Oakland Digital, on Method to the Madness here on KALX Berkeley. July 2009, and we're sitting here in 2018. It's been almost 10 years, so just tell me about that journey. You got some momentum there. You got your organization set up. But it's not a clear product or service yet, so how did you get to where you are today, with all of those numbers you just quoted. 5,000 people helped.Shaun Tai:Oh, yeah. I'm so glad that you said that there's no clear purpose yet. I think what's wrong with now is that there's almost an abundance of resources. Speaking about UX and UI. You can download a mobile-UI kit and build a start-up right now, right? But I think what's so dope about that time is there was so much exploration to be done. Right? There weren't solutions, there were questions.Think about that. There were questions, not solutions, at that time. The fact that people believed in the vision, at that time, says something. We had no product, and I talked to one of my advisors at the time. He was only 19 or 20, but he had worked at HP and AOL at 14 years-old. He's just a genius dude. His name is Jordan.I was like, "Jordan, yeah, we're a non-profit now. What should we start doing?" He was like, "Shaun, what are you doing today?" I'm like, "Nothing." "Let's go downtown. Let's pick one block in Oakland." I think it was 14th Street in Oakland. "Let's just go up to every single small business there and ask them what do they need with design and marketing." Right?I remember going to our first business, a small business owned by a Black woman, and she was like, "Oh, my God. I was praying to God, like literally, that someone would come and help me." She was like, "I can't find my phone line." Out of everything in the world, right? "I can't find my phone line." And we [crosstalk]-Ali Nazar:You guys were a gift from God, huh? [crosstalk]-Shaun Tai:No, no. I mean, it was like, she just was like, you know how it is, you're sitting there every day, no one comes through the doors. It's desperation, right?Ali Nazar:Yeah. Yeah.Shaun Tai:We did that, and we were like, "How do people find you?" She was like, "Yelp." That's it, it was like, "Yelp." We literally claimed her business on Yelp. We hooked that up, took photos of her studio, helped clean up the room. That was our first client. Then word of mouth, just going to businesses, talking to students.Really, between helping these small businesses, predominantly women-owned businesses, just like my mom, and then helping local students, Laney College, we were like, "Great. We're helping these two different groups of people. How do we connect them?" Right? Get those young people skills, build up their resume, their portfolios.It's not just pairing them with non-profits and businesses, but solving problems, right? What we ended up doing was start building out programs. One's called Inspire Oakland, where we go to community colleges, and state-level colleges, and we say, "Do you want your artwork on a billboard?" The whole room says, "Yes." Right? We're getting them inspired to have a professional career.Right? Because at school, you're like, "Okay, I know PhotoShop. I know Illustrator. But how do you apply that to anything real?" We, effectively, with Inspire Oakland, are the clients for these students. They're designing billboards for us to spec. Literally, commercial-spec billboards, bleeds, color, visual hierarchy, following the creative brief, going through multiple revisions, iterations of designs. That's what gets the students really, really excited about their careers.We only pick six winners, and those are the winners you see up all over Oakland right now, buses, benches, and billboards. But the question that we ask all of the students is, "Do you want to be an apprentice at Oakland Digital?" Once the billboard competition ends, while the billboards go up, we select, from around 70-80 students, a cohort of 10-12 apprentices. Those are the students that, yo, once they get through Oakland Digital, they're ready for hire. That's what we're doing right now. We have 10 apprentices learning UX. These are raw artists that are super talented with pencil and pen, but not so much the digital space, right? The reason we pick the tech space as the formats and the learning environment is that those are the highest-paying jobs. Now, here's the thing, brother: we're not telling them to get tech jobs. In fact, I'm very proud that a lot of them don't want to get tech jobs. However, the mindset of design-thinking, the mindset of design sprints, the mindset of creating products, of launching [tings], notice I said "tings," not "things." Those are the same tings you need to be successful in the non-profit world, opening a small business. I was so proud when we were at eBay with the UX designers, and we have super-exclusive events. We're at Twitter, Salesforce, Google, Google.org every Wednesday. They're in the tech world, and these professionals ask, "What do you want to do after this apprenticeship?"I'm so happy to say 80% are like, "Do my own ting. Help our community." That's the answer I want, right? We're using tech as an educational platform, as a learning platform, to get those skills to game up, to level up, but the goal for us is how do we give back to our communities? Tech for good. Oakland Digital. Holla.Ali Nazar:Wow. Wow. So much going on there, what you just said, and really impressive how it's come from that. You founded it with passion, with not necessarily the concrete of what the programs are going to be, and now you have so many different programs. I have a couple questions about that. One is, in a cohort of, what is it? 70 or so students-Shaun Tai:Yeah.Ali Nazar:... and they're getting to be up on billboards, and whatnot, where's the funding sources coming for the non-profit right now? Is it all through, is it earned income from you guys selling services?Shaun Tai:Yeah, and I actually, I want to touch upon that, for anyone listening. What I hear from students a lot is, "I want a work-life balance." That's one. The second thing is, "I want to start my own business." My honest answer is, "If you want a work-life balance, do not start your own company." I want to make that very clear.Ali Nazar:[crosstalk].Shaun Tai:If you want a work-life balance, do not start your own company. Work for someone, go there at 10:00, go home at 5:00. You know what? Props to anyone that wants to do that. But just don't get it twisted that you can do both. I think you need to make that decision early on in your career, not later.Ali Nazar:[crosstalk].Shaun Tai:If you are ... How do you feel about that, brother?Ali Nazar:Absolutely. I couldn't agree more. You can't have everything. They're all good things, but some of them are mutually exclusive. That's what you're saying, and I agree.Shaun Tai:Absolutely. I'll start there, and I will say that for the first three, four years at Oakland Digital, I received zero dollars. I had a six-month gig at Facebook. I had a five-year gig doing marketing for the former Chief of Science at Amazon. Shout-out to Andreas Weigend, who teaches at Berkeley. I had all of these part-time jobs to pay the bills, but I realized that if I don't give up everything for one, I'll be good at few things, terrible at most of them, and not really great at one. Right?I found that what's the one that I would call my baby? I was like, "That's OD. Oakland Digital." What happened was, I dumped everything, kept OD, and that next year, which was 2015, Google funded us. To your point, Google.org funded Oakland Digital, because they saw us as one of the only groups in the Bay Area really using tech in creativity to empower overlooked talent, specifically communities of color. I was really proud that Google saw that vision.When we got that three-year grant from Google.org, shout-out to Justin, Adrian, [inaudible], and Chelsea. They saw that we were talented. We were raw. We were grassroots. We were making an impact, but we just needed some funding to make big tings happen. The question that we were addressing that they wanted to fund, the solution, was Bridgegood.com. It's a platform called BridgeGood, that connects talent to amazing opportunities.Right now, if you're an artist, you don't have an online portfolio, you can go to Bridgegood.com, you sign up. By the way, we don't sell your data. We're not making profit. It's a completely not-for-profit platform. You can sign up, get a free portfolio. You can attend VIP events, including working out of Google every Wednesday, going to cool places like LinkedIn, design studios, even small businesses. That's the way that we wanted to scale Oakland Digital, in a very organic way, because everything that you sign up for, we'll be there. We'll also introduce you to some key connects. That's our biggest funding partner, is Google.org, but I would say the majority of our funding, in terms of year-round, is just ordinary people. Like, "Yo, I just saw your bus ad. I think it's dope. How do I make a contribution?" Things like $50. $100.Another thing I'll say is, if you're trying to start a non-profit to make a living, or get money, I would also say don't do that. It's not necessarily rewarding financially, and I would say do it because you actually care about that, the mission, the impact. The non-profit world is equally as cutthroat as the business world. Everyone's fighting over the same funding. I just happened to be very lucky to have an amazing team around me that really cares deeply about the art community, but also about successful designers, and really getting involved in the tech world in a meaningful way. When I say "successful designers," I mean "making money from doing something you love," right? We all say that. We all hear it. But it is possible, but you do need to feel uncomfortable in the sense that you might hate tech. In the Bay, a lot of people do, but you still need to understand it, explore it, and break it down. Right? You don't want to just be ignorant towards it. You want to actually understand it, and see what makes it tick. Because we can take those same concepts and make non-profits blow up. I think that Oakland Digital is one of those examples of how do we use tech for good, and utilize those resources? Not just money, but talent, too. We have a lot of volunteers from the tech world. And give back to the community in real, deep, meaningful ways?Ali Nazar:Wow, so that's awesome that you guys had Google as a benefactor, and I'm sure not just the money that they gave you, but the other doors that are opened are plentiful. We're speaking with Shaun Tai, he's Founder and Executive Director of Oakland Digital, right here on Method to the Madness on KALX Berkeley.Give us a little bit of a taste of what is the scope of it now? You went on this journey, it sounds like, almost 10 years ago.Shaun Tai:Yeah.Ali Nazar:How many employees? How many students have you had? Give me some of the breadth of this thing.Shaun Tai:Yeah, no. One of the things that I learned about the non-profit world, I sit on the grants panel for the Cultural Arts Program, and we just distribute money to artists, and we distribute money to non-profits. Last year, so I've been doing it two years in a row, for the City of Oakland. I've been noticing how much non-profits are struggling. A lot of the non-profits were in debt. What I noticed was non-profits are paying staff full salaries, because they should get paid full salaries. However, it's hurting their impact, right? Let me give you an example. Those four years that we were figuring out what we were doing, and making an impact, I don't think I deserved pay at that time, because I was still learning, right? I think that it's keeping that lean, agile methodology of how do you run as lean as possible, with as much impact as possible? I feel that the non-profit world needs a shake-up to think that way. Because if non-profits are just, quite honestly, fundraising to pay staff, that doesn't equate to community impact. You know what I'm saying?Ali Nazar:Yep.Shaun Tai:I don't have the answer, other than what I said earlier about "How do we take some of the things that start-ups do?" Right? Contractors, and paying people per-project. Compensating them what they're worth, but maybe on a contract or project basis, to get goals accomplished, right? And build some cool products, launch some cool things, the same way a start-up would do in the tech world.That, to me, I think that mindset, the growth mindset, is what the non-profit world may be lacking right now. But I do see things improving. I do see non-profits using design-thinking methodologies, and design sprints, and things that we in the tech world normally do to launch cool stuff.One example is, on BridgeGood, we actually give our students the experience of working with engineers and becoming UX designers by working on the platform itself. They gain, because they don't have to spend $15,000 for a boot camp, and they have a portfolio piece that's actually tangible. That's a way where both sides can win, right? The student can gain experience, build a cool platform, but at the same time, they can build their own career, and impact the community.Long story short, I think the non-profit world just needs to rethink how they spend money. Rethink, this is a good example, when we as non-profits apply for a government grant, which we don't even do that, you're tied in. Let's say you get a $1 million grant. Sometimes, you'll be doing more work than that $1 million, in terms of you'll run out of money. I've seen non-profits go under that way.How do we just rethink non-profits? How do we rethink and re-imagine the way non-profits run? Grants? Grant cycles, you're applying for a grant a year in advance. I don't know about you, brother, but every month for us changes. Do you know what I'm saying?Ali Nazar:Yeah, I mean-Shaun Tai:How can you apply a year in advance? These are the things that, about the non-profit world have, these confuse me. I don't understand why they do things the way they've been doing them for 100 years, when society's changed.Ali Nazar:Yeah, I think you're right on to something there. I have participated in the non-profit world, as well. That's why I asked the question around earned income, because that's ultimately what gets you sustainability as an organization, is that you don't have to rely on anybody else.Shaun Tai:Right.Ali Nazar:But you guys are in an interesting position, because you do have a product or a service you can provide, but monetizing that's a different question. It's a very challenging, I think, question, and one that I think many people are trying to answer right now.Shaun Tai:Right, and so, the impact that we've generated from BridgeGood is, we have a calculation of how do students get a job in design and/or tech? We've boiled it down to these three things: education, whether it's a BA or an AA. Two, some sort of apprenticeship or internship, and then help with their resume or portfolio. The portfolio is like 90% of getting a job in design. We figure if we can help a student build all four of those, it's a 90% likelihood that they'll get employed in some entry-level design position. What is the impact of that, right? Times, right now, we have 5,000 users on BridgeGood. We calculated roughly 300 have obtained some type of entry-level work. That times between 20,000 and 30,000, that's a lot of impact. But now to your point about-Ali Nazar:[crosstalk].Shaun Tai:Yeah, I know. It's super dope. It's super dope. When we just did a study of going back seven years on LinkedIn, of all of the students that have been through our program. We've had people get jobs at Yahoo!, Apple, YouTube, local non-profits, which I was super happy to see. That's really the impact. There's no quick solve.I mean, think about your career, right? You're like, "I've been in this for eight years." You and I, we're kind of a rare breed, where I think people growing up now, they just expect jobs right away. If there's one thing that I have learned, there's no free handouts. You've got to pay your dues. I feel-Ali Nazar:Wow. Shaun, I ... Sorry. Go ahead.Shaun Tai:Yeah. Nah, nah. I just feel like that's what we've got to get organizations to understand. Be committed. Stay committed, and keep doing things for good.Ali Nazar:Yeah, and I think following your passion, which you've certainly done. Oakland Digital is a great asset to the community. We have about a minute left, and I always like to close organizational founders, like you, with the same question. If everything went perfectly for Oakland Digital over the next five years, where will it be?Shaun Tai:Yeah, where would we be? We'd have a 15,000 square-foot building, with the ground space leased out, for some revenue. Then we would have a designer residence program, where we could facilitate, and make sure that the artists going through our program would actually be employed. 100%. 100% success rate, and really seeing the whole Bay Area respect artistry and creativity. Also, also be the Mecca of non-profits for the rest of the world. To be like, "Yo, the Bay Area has the best non-profits. BridgeGood Oakland Digital. Holla."Ali Nazar:Nice. Nice. All right. I'm so behind that. It's very interesting, also, that you added real estate to that vision, because it's like with-Shaun Tai:You've got to.Ali Nazar:... the housing costs the way they are, non-profits have to own a piece of the land, or else they're not going to be able to survive. [crosstalk]-Shaun Tai:I'm telling you, brother. I'm telling you brother, hey, and I appreciate what you're doing, because a lot of people behind-the-scenes do not get that credit. Thank you for what you're doing for the community. Let's keep pushing this, inspire the Bay Area together, man. Let's do it.Ali Nazar:Thanks, Shaun. Well, you've been listening to Shaun Tai. He's the Executive Director of Oakland Digital. To learn more about them, you can go to oaklanddigital.org. Any other ways to contact you, Shaun?Shaun Tai:Bridgegood.com. If you want to get a free portfolio and kick it, we can hang out. Let's do it.Ali Nazar:Cool, okay. That's how you get ahold of Shaun. This has been Method to the Madness on KALX Berkeley, 90.7 FM. I'm your host, Ali Nazar. Thanks for listening, everybody, and have a great Friday.Shaun Tai:Peace. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the build up to game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, hosts Michael Rapaport, Kenyon Martin, Mike Yam, Rex Chapman and Caron Butler handicap the chances of LeBron James and the Cavs getting the series back to Cleveland.

This episode, Sylvee Esquivel talks about her journey from Tamal stand to food truck to her brick and mortar restaurant called Hella Vegan Eats in Downtown Oakland. She discusses the exciting food they have on their menu and the her love of intense flavors. We talk about how her business has evolved, how Hella Vegan eats helped her transition, and finally, her music. Photo By An Hoang

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forbearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! 1. State of Black Oakland Organizers Noni Sessions and Turha Ak, join us to talk about the event, Saturday, March 28, 2015, 10-4 at Geoffrey's Inner Circle in Downtown Oakland. 2. We close with an interview (part 1 of a series) with Mrs. Colia LaFayette Clark, Civil Rights Leader, Veteran Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Organizer in Selma, Jackson and Montgomery in the early 1960s; Recipient of the Bridge-Crossing Jubilee Freedom Flame Award; Life-long Activist for Black Liberation and Social Justice. See http://www.teachingforchange.org/selma-bottom-up-history

  Hello and welcome back to robinlofton.com where we are remembering history and we’re making history.  Today, we are continuing with our wiki history podcast series about marches and protests. March seems like the perfect month for this interesting topic.    America is legendary for its famous marches and protests.  From the furtive Boston Tea Party to the legendary March on Washington and beyond, the United States is a country of marching and protesting. With its diverse citizenry and constitutionally protected speech, people feel free to take to the streets, wave a sign, hold hands, and shout, march, sit or even lay down.   In the first podcast, we discussed two famous marches: the March from Selma to Montgomery (or the bloody Sunday march), about which a recent biopic film was recently released. I just saw it and think that it was a fantastic film that portrayed the problem (voting rights for African Americans), the marches and the players in a fair and realistic light. Then, of course, we discussed the famous March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Dr. Martin Luther King made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.  These mega-marches are remembered for several reasons and they are now a part of U.S. (and perhaps world) history. I hope that you have already heard that podcast but, if not, then feel free to go back and listen to it. I also mentioned several books and DVDs that are worth reading or watching and that are available at robinlofton.com.   The marches in today’s podcast have a slightly different flavor than the Selma March and the March on Washington.  And that is where we are beginning today.   Remember I mentioned that today’s podcast would focus on marches in a particular city. I did not tell you the name of the city but I gave you a hint: this city has been called a “hotbed of radical activism.”  Did you guess which city that I was talking about?   Oakland, California!         The city of Oakland has hosted and continues to host many marches—some organized, some not.  Sometimes these demonstrations turned violent but most marches only involved people who are peacefully expressing their dissatisfaction with a particular issue or event.    Yes, Oakland has been coined a “hotbed of radical activism.” Example: Oakland was home to the Black Panthers who were active from the mid-1960s through the early 1980s. The Black Panthers organized grassroots activities in the African American community to educate the community, particularly African American children, fight police brutality, promote civil and political rights, and to proclaim frustration with community leaders, courts, or law enforcement.  At that time, the Black Panther Party would follow police patrols to witness police activity such as brutality, distribute breakfasts to school children, and offer self-defense courses. In recent years, other groups have taken the helm and continued Oakland’s “radical” activism through speech making, marching, and rallying. The Black Panthers have stepped aside and other groups are taking the helm.   One particular year was particularly interesting: 2013.   The summer of 2013 was a “hot” season of community activism in Oakland and around the country. At the time of the 50 anniversary of the March on Washington (August 28, 1963), Oakland remained at the forefront of the grassroots movement toward equality, justice, and fairness.   Four marches in Oakland are notable in the summer of 2013:   1.    Zimmerman Verdict Marches   Reason for March: Justice for Trayvon Martin   In 2012, George Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watchman, killed 17-year old Trayvon Martin. On July 13, 2013, Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges, including the 2nd degree murder and manslaughter. Marches and protests erupted throughout the country expressing outrage over the quick and perceived unjust verdict. In Oakland, people took to the streets to express their anger, frustration, and disillusionment with the criminal justice system.   For nearly one week, people demonstrated in Oakland to demand justice for Trayvon Martin and his family. More than 750 people of all backgrounds protested and marched their way through Oakland. Interstate highway, I-880, was temporarily shut down. Most of the marches and protests were peaceful but noticeable.   However, some protesters vandalized Oakland businesses and scuffled with police.  Many people asserted that these “fringe” activists did not represent the majority of Oaklanders or the African American community.     Still, Oakland lived up to its reputation as a strong and powerful player on the marches and protests front. Its broad-based group of political activists made a strong showing of support for justice for Trayvon Martin and opposing racism in the criminal justice system.   2.    Twelve-Man March   Reason for March: Bring awareness to the dangers of racial profiling   A small, but equally important, march was organized in Oakland on July 19, 2013.   During this march, twelve African American men marched to Oakland’s city hall.  All the men wore business attire: suit, tie, dress shoes, etc. All the African American men presented as businessmen.  They peacefully marched to city hall holding signs condemning racial profiling and the negative portrayal of African American men in the media.    In speeches at Frank Ogawa Hall, the protesters cited the killing of Trayvon Martin and Alan Blueford. Both were African American, young, and unarmed when they were killed by law enforcement.  No one was convicted in either killing.  Racial profiling was asserted to be the cause that identified these young men as dangerous though unsupported by the evidence.                 3.    Oscar Grant Marches   Reason for Demonstration: Justice for Oscar Grant   On January 1, 2009, 22-year old Oscar Grant was killed by BART police officer, Johannes Mehserle, at Oakland’s Fruitvale BART station. He served 11 months for the killing.   There were several marches in the weeks following Oscar Grant’s killing as well as during subsequent court hearings and trial. On January 7, 2009, more than 250 people marched at the Fruitvale station.  Other marches were held at San Francisco’s Embarcadero station. Another similar march was organized on January 30. Both marches were organized to memorialize Oscar Grant and the other victims of police brutality. Protesters were also criticizing BART’s investigation of the killing as inadequate and cursory.   The Oscar Grant marches were described as both peaceful and organized as well as rowdy and raucous. Some of the marches involved protesters carrying signs and chanting for change. Other protesters turned violent and destroyed property, primarily in Oakland’s Broadway and 14th street district. Trashcans were thrown, cars were burned, and windows were broken by groups of self-described “anarchists”. Grant’s family held a press conference to call for calm and peace as a tribute to their deceased son.  Mayor Ron Dellums joined the Grant family’s plea. Still, most of the protests by Oaklanders were peaceful and focused on remembering and providing justice for Oscar Grant and his family.   Similar marches were held for Alan Blueford, Ezell Ford and others killed by law enforcement in Oakland.                   4.    Occupy Oakland Marches   Reason for Demonstrations: Bring awareness to social and economic inequality and keep public services open in Oakland.   The Occupy movement holds demonstrations and marches throughout the United States and in 81 other countries worldwide.  There is an Occupy movement office located in nearly every major American city. Oakland is no exception and, in fact, the Occupy movement has been very active in the city of Oakland.   The Occupy Oakland movement supports solidarity with the worldwide Occupy Movement and its opposition to the economic and social inequality that exists worldwide. Specific to Oakland, the Occupy Movement also opposes gang injunctions, youth curfews, and the closures of libraries and schools in Oakland.   The first demonstration was held on October 10, 2011 attended by approximately 300 people. Direct action by Occupy Oakland protesters included rallies, marches and speeches. Several dozen people also set up tents at the Frank Ogawa plaza in front of Oakland’s city hall building. This first Occupy Oakland demonstration lasted fifteen days and attracted 2,500 people. Demonstrations have included clergy, union members, and students.     A second demonstration was held on October 26, 2011, which was attended by 3,000 protesters. It was a peaceful protest.   Subsequent demonstrations and rallies have been organized throughout Oakland, including by Lake Merritt and the Oakland Public Library. Downtown Oakland has been a focus area for the movement. On January 28, 2013 the Occupy Movement organized a “move-in” day on which it occupied an abandoned building and converted it into a social center.    Local government’s response to the Occupy Oakland movement was positive and supportive. In the beginning, many local politicians supported the movement’s goals and actions to clean up the city and keep local services open and available to the community. Several local politicians attended and spoke at rallies organized by Occupy Oakland.   However, law enforcement has, at times, been characterized as aggressive and violent toward the protesters. Tents have been torn down, barricades set up around the demonstrators, and numerous arrests have been made.  Oaklanders responded that the police reaction was overly aggressive, violent, and chaotic. Still, the Oakland Occupy movement continues and is gaining support.   And Oakland has had many more marches in support of Eric Garner who died when officers placed a choke-hold on him.  In this particular march, people chanted “I can’t breathe!”   Oakland was also host to a march to protest the killing of Michael Brown. People marched with their hands up, to commemorate Michael Brown’s position with a police office in Ferguson, Missouri shot and killed him.       Because of the strong atmosphere of civil protest and involvement, Oakland has a long history of African Americans in government. Congresswoman Barbara Lee is a powerful representative in Oakland who works tirelessly to eradicate poverty, extend unemployment assistance for long-term unemployed persons ensure adequate health care as a human right.  She was also one of the few representatives to question authorizing military force in Syria. There is a fantastic blog post about the great work of Barbara Lee on robinlofton.com. Ronald Dellums is another long-standing Congressional representative for the people of Oakland. He was an important figure is supporting peoples’ park in Berkeley and challenging the Vietnam War.    Oakland also has an impressive list of Black mayors.  In 1977, Oakland elected its first Black mayor, Lionel Wilson who served for three terms after which Elihu Harris took the helm. After serving in Congress, Ron Dellums returned to Oakland and was elected mayor in 2007.         Many people mistakenly believe that the Berkeley is “THE place” for civil dissent.  However, Oakland with its diverse and strongly opinionated population is at the forefront of a movement in which the community demands a just, fair, and safe society.  Perhaps the next March on Washington will be held in Oakland.   Well, this concludes our wiki history podcast about marches that occurred in that “hotbed of radical activism” known as Oakland, California. I hope that you enjoyed it and learned a little something about this great but sometimes overlooked city. I have a lot of respect for the city for many reasons. Yes, it is the city where I was born. But it is a strong, multicultural hotbed of free speech and free thought with a strong ethical foundation.  Marches are an important part of this city’s history and everyone is included in demanding a “more perfect union.”   In the final wiki history podcast on Marches, we will examine why we march, the importance of marches.  In this final podcast in the marches series, I will discuss Dr. Martin Luther King’s views on marches, why they are important and how they can create change.  Be prepared for interesting insights and a few surprises. And, as always, I would like to hear your views about whether you think that marches are important. Or are they just a waste of time and energy?  Everyone has a right to their opinion and you’re free to share them at robinlofton.com soon to be rememberinghistory.com.   And please remember that for every time that someone listens to these podcasts in March, I will donate $1 to the Association for the Study of African American Life & History. Founded by Carter G. Woodson—the father of Black History month—this organization works tirelessly to keep African American history alive and respected around the world. Feel free to visit them at asalh.org.   And feel free to visit robinlofton.com or rememberinghistory.com. I hope to hear your comments and marching experiences.  And I hope that that you will join me for the next marches podcast where we are remembering history and we’re making it.   Bye for now!

Conversation recorded with Demilit (Bryan Finoki, Nick Sowers, and Javier Arbona) in Oakland, on May 2, 2014 http://the-archipelago.net/2014/05/14/demilit-a-weaponized-urbanity-morning-drift-in-militarized-downtown-oakland/

Head next door to the Paramount Theatre in Downtown Oakland and visit PEERS' "See Me, Not My Diagnosis" mask display. While participating in a mask workshop created by activist and artist Adella, mental health consumers created the pieces. They express their bouts with stigma and perseverance through self-love. "Mental Health and Wellness Radio" host Jenee Darden explains the purpose of the exhibit and introduces the artists' inspirational stories.   Mask by Jader Tadefa

We celebrate with Vukani Mawethu Choir its 25th Anniversary Celebration, Sunday, May 1, 2011 at the Freight & Savage Coffeehouse in Berkeley, 4-7 PM, with members and filmmaker: Andréa joyce, Kaidi Depelchin, & Jon Fromer. We will talk about the 25 years, continued activism, and of course the Emmy Awards Winning film chronically the choir's journey to SA: Sizongena--Coming Home: Vukani Mawethu in South Africa. Visit www.vukani.com (510) 444-5009. Hosted by Fania Davis, invited guests include: hosts Awele Makeba & Jim McWilliams, Fania Davis, Ph.D., JD, presenter of the Ubuntu Awards that evening, Hon. Gwen Mahlangu-Nkainde, Hon. Jeanette Ndhlovu, Hon. Kgopotso, Boatamo Yvonne "Ati" Mosupyoe, Ph.D., Palm Wine Boys, UpSurge! Jazz & Poetry, African Roots of Jazz, Avotcja. We close with a conversation Pastor Michael McBride, founding pastor at The Way Christian Center in West Berkeley, about Faith in Action this Saturday, April 30, 9 AM to 4 PM at St. Paul AME Church, 2024 Ashby Ave., in Berkeley, CA. & Pastor Christopher Foster about Recharge Conference, April 28-30 at the Marriott Hotel in Downtown Oakland. Dr. Joe Marshall, Omega Boys & Girls Club, gives the keynote at Faith in Action http://www.faithinaction2011.com/p/about-eblc.html Musical selections from "Vukani Mawethu: "Ukuthula." Ticket giveaways for Rochelle Ferrall at Yoshi's Oakland, Sunday, May 30, 2011, 9 PM.  

We are joined by Mama Naomi Diouf to talk about the 16th Annual Collage des Africaines, a celebration of the dance and cultures of the African Diaspora. The festival is from Thursday, March 10 to Sunday, March 13. The dance classes and lectures and community events take place at the Malonga Casquelourde Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice Street in Downtown Oakland. Visit http://www.diamanocoura.org/ and call (510) 508-3444. We close with an interview with Margo Hall, (Undine) David Westley Skillman, (Accountant/Ensemble) and Britney Fraizer, (Stephie/Ensemble)in the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre production of Lynn Nottage's "Fabulation or the Re-education of Undine," through March 27, 2011, at the Southside Theatre in Ft. Mason Center, Bldg. D, San Francisco. Visit www.lhtsf.org or call (415) 345-7575. Half price tickets on all Target Matinees: March 20 is the only one left!

Mutual Aid Project: Marshall Trammell, Nick Obando, and Tracy Hui. The group is playing several benefits: Nov. 27: Benefit for Rosa, a Guatemalan immigrant who was injured on the job and needs a critical surgery she can't get in the US, because her immigration has expired. The benefit is at East Side Cultural Center, 2277 International Blvd., in Oakland. Visit http://www.mujeresunidas.net/english/program.htlm. They also perform Dec. 18 at a "Giving the Best of Our Love: A House Party for Haiti Emergency Relief Fund," 2618 Ninth Street in Oakland; Ravi Coltrane, in town Dec. 3-5, 2010. I have a pair of tickets to give away for the Sunday, Dec. 5, 7 PM show at Yoshi's in Oakland; Dr. Shawn Ginwright, a national expert on African American youth, youth activism and youth development, Associate Professor at SFSU, founder of Leadership Excellence Academy, speaks about the new initial and campaign to train adults as mentors for black youth called: "A New Way Forward: Healing What's Hurting Black America, Dec. 3-5, 2010. The kickoff is Friday, Dec. 3, 6-9 PM at the Marriott Convention Center, 12th and Broadway, Downtown Oakland (new location, larger venue, so come). It is a free event. Register at www.anwflaunch.eventbrite.com and www.shawnginwright.com We close with AIDS activists: Gloria Crowell, chair, Allen Temple Baptist Church AIDS Ministry, Commissioner with the Alameda County Public Health Commission & writer, Jesse Brooks, journalist, certified paralegal, filmmaker, motivational speaker, peer advocate, and a long time survivor of HIV disease.

All right kids, Badian 37 is moving back to his home: Southern California. And this is my last show from Downtown Oakland. Groovetalkradio, the Southern California Edition, is coming, with a bi-monthly format. It's open topic time, call in and come with it. All between the cuts and the funk. I also want to send a shout out to the recently departed "Guru" of Gangstarr. We lost a heavyweight and his songs influenced a whole generation. I promise to come thru with some Gangstarr Gems!