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Doing It For the Kids Fundraiser-San Francisco, CA

Happy hour fundraiser for various programs at Oakland Unity High School. Beyond good music and good people there was also live painting, with Principal Castillo and Vice Principal Zarazua as the subjects by Desi WOME! February 12th, 2010 at SOM Bar in San Francisco. Special thanks to Hakobo for hooking up the event. Juan Gomez for helping man the tables, and everyone who came out to support!

OGYMC Grand Opening-Oakland, CA

Pics from The Oakland Green Youth Media Center, one of the city's gems. This center offers a variety of courses for youth, including music production, dance classes, leadership training. Participants and attendees included Colored Ink, Dr. Yvonne Cole (most famous as Keyshia Cole's foster mom), D'Wayne Wiggins, Grind For the Green, The Community Rejuvenation Project, and staff rom Youth Uprising. Pics were taken by Luis, a 9th grader at Oakland Unity High School, as well as a few by yours truly. They've been floating around a bit, but I finally got around to posting them here.

Oakland Zoo

A spontaneous visit to one of Oakland's gems. The day was overcast and the closing time wasn't too far off but I decided to go anyway. I'm an animal lover, but have mixed feelings about zoos. It's sad to see animals such as tigers and elephants confined to relatively small spaces. Watching chimpanzees watch us is always strange. Having said that, I get positive vibes from the Oakland Zoo staff and considering the alternatives for some of these animals (the tigers came from a circus), as well as their ability to make us care about their habitats, I'm not going to throw the baby out with the bath water!

New mural at OGYMAC in Oakland

Prep work for the Oakland Green Youth Media Arts Center Grand Opening. This new center for 12-24 year-olds offers a variety of programs including music production classes, tv shows, leadership training, dance classes, mural painting, and healthy living. This week's grand opening takes place on Thursday, January 14th, from 3-7 PM at 2718 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland and will feature dance and hip hop performances, as well as live painting and a reception.

Angel Island, CA

Pics from a recent trip that Oakland Unity High School took to this important piece of United States history. Angel Island is often called the "Ellis Island" of the West Coast. However, beyond processing immigrants they have little in common. Although immigrants processed at Angel Island came from all over, including Europe and Africa, the vast majority were of Chinese descent. More importantly, the majority of them were detained for weeks or even years, and even deported. For years the facilities which housed these immigrants were ignored but they've recently gone under renovation and offer tours. Despite the cold, this was a great trip for those interested in history and we had wonderful tour guides. Beyond the history component Angel Island offers hiking and camping for nature lovers.

Washington D.C.-December 2009

Oakland Unity High School recently took 31 students to Washington D.C. as part of the The Close Up Program, whose purpose is to encourage students to be active citizens. Activities included a mock congress, a day on Capitol Hill, several workshops, and meeting with politicians, including Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. Of course there was a lot of sight-seeing, including major monuments and various museums. Other schools participated as well, representing places as diverse as Miami, Watts, Harlem, Hawai'i, and even Abu Dhabi. Here a handful of the hundreds of pics taken over the week. Of course the pics with students are more interesting but I figured I'd play it safe, in terms of what I post. Regardless, hopefully you can see that it was a phenomenal experience. I'd definitely recommend Close Up for any school and have to give a big thanks to Ms. Grant and Ms. Duros for making this happen at our school!

New North Oakland Mural

Not sure why, but by Tuesday morning the wall was painted back to its original, ugly green color.-11/10/09

Yesterday, The Community Rejuvenation Project completed a new mural in the Temescal district of Oakland with the theme “Save Our Kids, Stop the Arms Trade.” Connected to the main title are a number of cities, organizations, and other entities including Haliburton, the Oakland Police Department, Brooklyn, and community at large. While some may find some of the references to be controversial, the wall has already served its purpose in inspiring conversation and bringing the community together. Check out this link courtesy of New Village Press.

Throughout the one-day project I stopped by a few times as I live near the mural’s site at 42nd Street and Telegraph. During each visit a number of people stopped by, including some neighbors with whom I’ve never had a proper conversation, which changed today. Everyone that I saw offered words of encouragement, appreciation and even coffee and food.

A police squad car stopped by a couple of times and the second time I spoke with one of the officers who said that there was a complaint, which is why they came to investigate, but that he was glad to see the project happening as murals such as these beat the gang graffiti that often fills blank walls. I’ve lived near this wall for more than five years and it’s been either different shades of green or tagged up. This is a definite improvement and I’m glad that the building owner allowed this to happen! Much of the work that I’ve seen by Desi, a founder of the CRP and an after-school instructor at the school where I work, has been in East Oakland, so it was great to this so close to my residence. It definitely adds to the culture of the neighborhood and I look forward to seeing what happens next! Recently, the land near the mural had new plants added so these have both been pleasant surprises.

Zarazua Family Reunion-Michigan

A few pictures from four generations of Mexican Americans! Hundreds of people were in attendance, all connected by a couple from Monterrey, Mexico who immigrated to the U.S. nearly 100 years ago! From auto workers, to war veterans, to educators, all sectors of this society were represented. Over the years the family's grown to include descendents of places as diverse as Puerto Rico, Germany, the Philippines, and Taiwan so while Mexico was what brought us together, it was hardly the only place represented. Although there was enough material to write several books on history, identity, and culture, this day was merely one of connections and reconnections. Even though there were hundreds in attendance, my pics mostly reflect the little area where I was. I was having such a good time that I didn't circulate! Apologies to anyone who feels left out. It wasn't deliberate!

Four more reasons to live in Oakland

Pics from the past two weeks covering The Radio Regatta at Lake Merritt, boating at the Jack London Aquatic Center, and a weekend of dancing, including the annual "Steppin' in Shades of Brown" and a get together at Lola's. Good people, good food, good weather, good music. Seriously...it doesn't get much better.

So, what was the fourth reason? After leaving the Reggae Regatta I stopped by the annual Oakland Chinatown Streetfest. As I wandered, I heard a live rendition of Sade and was quickly introduced to the D.E. Chung Sextet, whose band leader, Dale, also plays with Con Funk Shun. It was quite the unexpected treat in Chinatown. I included some clips below, which are covers, but the group's original material was even better. Search around for it! Other clips include my friends April and Kevin showing out, as well as some Chicago Steppin' footage.

Smooth Operator-D.E. Chung Sextet
Can't Help It-D.E. Chung Sextet
Bad Girl line dance
Dancing at "Steppin' in Shades of Brown

Taiwan Pics 4

Final set of pics from recent Taiwan trip, including a Taiwanese tea ceremony, a visit to El Gallo Mexican restaurant, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, and various temples in Taipei and Lotung such as the Bao An Temple.

This gallery’s a bit light on people pics, but has some of the classical historical buildings. Make sure to check out the other links for the more social events.

Taiwan Pics 1-Shinkeng, Taipei MOCA, Pan Africana, ShiDa Market
Taiwan PIcs 2-Oldie Goodie Band, 2-28 Museum, homies, Eddy's Mexican Cantina
Taiwan Pics 3-Fish pedicures in Wulai, Brass Monkey salsa night, food
Monkey salsa night, food
Ximending Gallery-Modern Toilet Restaurant, Doobiest, Graffiti, Black Reign