A NEW CULTURAL CORRIDOR

Highlighting Oakland’s History

I currently serve on Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Commission, where local artists and I have been tasked with finding ways to affirm Oakland’s identity through art and culture. My time on this commission inspired this idea, and a broader commitment to serve and preserve our unique Oakland identity.

Oaklanders know that nowhere in the country can match our culture, history, and spirit. But Oakland is changing every day, and we risk paving over the parts of us that make us most proud. Boston, where I attended law school, celebrates its history with a “Freedom Trail” that leads visitors along a long and winding path, detailing the amazing events that have taken place on each corner and in each square.

Oakland can similarly elevate the landmark moments from our own history, from the first meeting of the Black Panthers at what is now It’s All Good Bakery—a landmark in its own right—to the site of Bruce Lee’s first martial arts studio near present-day Oakland Tech.

I pledge to celebrate the most powerful parts of our history with paintings, plaques, and statues in a contiguous Cultural Corridor from North Oakland to the Deep East.