RN Joins EastSide Arts Alliance

This is a critical time for Oakland; an American city that has always been the pulse-point for global social change. Oakland neighborhoods have witnessed both community development successes and historic disinvestment with some of Oakland’s highest rates of crime, poverty, unemployment, and human trafficking. East Oakland neighborhoods are experiencing rampant displacement that impacts the longstanding identity of the area. Once known as a thriving Black city, Oakland has seen a mass exodus of its African American residents (54,003 net loss across Oakland since 1990, approx. 25%). Housing insecurity manifests negative health consequences such as hypertension, asthma, and mental health challenges exacerbated by stress. The voices and concerns of our most vulnerable populations need to be amplified now more than ever.

EastSide Arts Alliance (ESAA) is a collective of artists and community organizers of color who live and work in the San Antonio district of East Oakland, California, situated on the same corridor as the first Black Panther Party Community School. Founded 20 years ago, ESAA is well-positioned to lead the charge of placing cultural strategies at the forefront of citywide anti-displacement and equity work.

I am honored to join the collective to support development & strategic design.