About #WeLoveOakland
“We Love Oakland” is all about celebrating vibrant and joyful culture, relationships, and activism that rises above the current discourse around safety and community in Oakland.
Real Voices of Oakland
From artists to organizers, Oakland is full of incredible people shaping the future of our city. Here are four residents who opened up about their personal journeys and visions for a thriving Oakland. Watch their videos to discover what roots them in our community and how Oakland’s unique culture and history inspires their work.
Nairobi Barnes
2023 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate
Chef Nelson German
executive chef and owner of alaMar
Peggy Saika
Former ED of AAPIP and Common Counsel Foundation
Pendarvis Harshaw
Host and Columnist of RightNowish
Dear Oakland
Read these personal letters from community leaders, celebrating Oakland’s many gifts of connection, joy, unity, and resilience. Through their words, we honor the diverse stories and lived experiences that define what it means to love Oakland.
Malcolm Ryder
Marquita
Price
“The Hood Planner”
Caheri
Gutierrez
Demetria
Huntsman
Shana
Lancaster
Send us your very own ode to Oakland—whether it’s a story, a message of hope, or words of wisdom. We may feature it on the site or on social media!
Experience Oakland
We love uplifting events and campaigns from other community members and organizations that celebrate Oakland’s strengths and provide a platform for people to connect and feel a sense of belonging.
Have something to share? This is an evolving list, so please reach out to us at weloveoakland@akonadi.org if you have anything you’d like us to include on the site.
Heal-R-Town
May 8, 2026
Join Urban Peace Movement for an intergenerational healing session focused on emotional rest. Participants will discuss what it looks like to carry a lot internally, show up for others, and not always have a place to put their feelings. The space is open to all, and food will be provided.
Interfaith Pilgrimage for Palestine: Divest from War, Invest in Life
May 9, 2026
Join the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity to journey through Oakland, calling for an end to military cargo shipments from Oakland to Israel. As the drumbeat of war and profiteering grows louder, walk in solidarity with the Oakland People’s Arms Embargo to proclaim: Divest from war. Invest in life.
Mi Historia · Mi Telar
April 1 – May 10, 2026
Mi Historia · Mi Telar brings together stories made by Maya Mam women, where the act of weaving is also an act of narrating, resisting, and preserving ancestral knowledge. In each piece lives the continuity of language, land, and community.
Stand for Children Day
May 12, 2026
Parent Voices Oakland is excited to announce their annual Stand for Children Day! This is an important moment for awareness and advocacy as parents, legislators, and child care providers take action in California. PVO supplies a bus ride to the Capitol, lunch, and all the materials you need. Children are welcome.
Malcolm X JazzArts Festival
May 16, 2026
The Malcolm X JazzArts Festival at San Antonio Park unites nationally celebrated jazz artists, cultural workers, and local creatives for a full day of live jazz, hip hop, spoken word art, food and liberation in the heart of East Oakland. Join EastSide Arts Alliance to celebrate 25 years of revolutionary culture and decades-long commitment to culture as a tool for liberation.
EARTH SEED National Film Tour
May 17, 2026
People’s Kitchen Collective is known as a community dining project that intersects art, food, and social justice. Their powerful full-length documentary film “EARTH SEED: A People’s Journey of Radical Hospitality” invites us to envision and enact our collective future from a world awakening to its unraveling. Led by People’s Kitchen Collective, with filmmaker Fox Nakai, EARTH SEED centers a pilgrimage through California from present-day Los Angeles to Mendocino Woodlands that happened from March through June of 2023.
Join them for a screening of the film at Oakland Museum of California.
Oaklash Festival 2026
May 16, 2026
The Oaklash Festival is the Bay Area’s favorite annual celebration of drag and queer performance. This year’s festival will feature a full day of live performance, DJs, artists, music, dancing, vendors and more!
Youth Power Hub Open House
June 18, 2026
Join All Youth Are Sacred, Ella Baker Center, YO! Cali, and Bay Peace for the Youth Power Hub Open House in Fruitvale. The Youth Power Hub is a space where multiple organizations in Oakland’s youth movement join in solidarity to hold safe and supportive spaces dedicated to building youth power. Join the group to bless the space as they work together towards a more powerful future for our young leaders.
Ceasefire Night Walk
Every second, third & fourth Friday
Oakland Ceasefire is a movement to stop murders and prevent more people from going to jail. Faith in Action East Bay is uniting with other leaders to build a culture of peace and healing. Their message to the community? “We love you, and we want you to be alive and free!”
Young People’s Community Garden
Weekly on Wednesday
Open to Oakland youth ages 13–26, this is a space for youth to learn hands-on gardening skills, grow their own fresh, healthy food and build community outdoors. Wear comfortable shoes and don’t forget your sunscreen! Snacks and water will be provided.
Zumba Classes
Weekly on Tuesdays
Join Mujeres Unidas y Activas for a free Zumba class every Tuesday at their Oakland office. Dance, get active, and connect with other women in a space full of energy and community. Please confirm your attendance with the instructor Yadira at 510-586-8945.
Show Love
Join the movement! Use our social media toolkit, which includes hashtags, posts and visuals, to amplify the campaign and share why you love Oakland.
