History of Oakland

V. Ron Dellums Congressional Campaign | Source: Politico Magazine

VII. BPP Seniors Against a Fearful Environment (SAFE) Program | Source: Oakland Museum of California VI. Congresswoman Barbara Lee protesting nuclear armament | Source: Congresswoman Barbara Lee

VIII. Black Panther Party Oakland Community School | Source: History, A&E Television Networks

Migrations for Survival and Opportunity

In acknowledging the land that Oakland rests upon, the city must also acknowledge the waves of migration that shaped the built and social environment into what it is today. These include Mexicans who had the US border “cross them,” Chinese migrants who built the reservoir and the dam system of Oakland, and Black Americans who found a way out of the Southern racial terror through employment in Oakland’s factories and shipyards. Today, migrants continue to find refuge in Oakland where city officials refuse to cooperate with I.C.E.

Huchiun

What today is known as the East Bay in the San Francisco Bay Area is established on unceded Lisjan territory. The Lisjan are one of the many Ohlone tribes which belong to this land. The author of this report acknowledges the past, present, and future indigenous inhabitants of Huchiun who continue to struggle for sovereignty and justice.

Devising Modern Community Service

Black Americans during the second great migration brought with them pioneering legacies of self organizing which would go on to influence modern day social service work. The impact of this is most clearly seen in the work of the Black Panther Party. While their presence in Oakland is most commonly associated with their downtown headquarters, their associations in East Oakland can still be felt today. This starts with their move to 99th Avenue which now houses the Roots Community Health Center. After establishing several sites for the iconic breakfast program, the Party also established the Oakland Community School, which is the present site of Men of Valor’s reentry program. The Black Panthers also created specialized transportation systems including one specifically for seniors and people with disabilities as well as a bussing system from Allen Temple to local prisons.

Pioneering Political Campaigns

In the decade following the Black Panthers’ epic organizing efforts, figures such as Barbara Lee and Ron Dellums rose to prominence with the support of a mobilized population. Barbara Lee, California’s 13th (formerly 9th) Congressional District representative, was a community worker with the Black Panthers while she was a student at Mills College who got the Black Student Union involved in their efforts. She would later work with Ron Dellums who preceded her in California’s 9th Congressional District and join his anti-war lobbying. Dellums, the first Black American elected to office in Oakland would go on to co-found PEPFAR, the Congressional Black Caucus, lead an anti-aparthaid movement, and eventually be mayor of his hometown.

Governance Structure

Oakland has a mayor-council form of government with the city council acting as the legislative body. It is comprised of eight council members with one elected at-large. Officials hold a four-year term.

Loren Taylor is the Council District 6 representative, elected in 2018 and currently serving his first four year term. He campaigned on improving economic opportunities for residents, bringing in more business to East Oakland, and creating a business incubator in District 6. He also ran on ending the displacement of long time residents through cooperative ownership strategies, rent stabilization, and the sanctioning of key homeless encampments with essential service programs. Mayor Libby Schaff, elected in 2014, created the city’s first Department of Transportation, implemented a universal basic income program for lowincome residents, and recently garnered controversy both for her decision to not enforce deportation raids by ICE and for her decision to ban non-permitted nighttime rallies within the city.