Blog Posts

Honoring Andre, Our Members, and Our Work

Written By Staff Writer Jackie Byers  This month BOP was pleased to award one of our members Donna Anderson with the “Andre Rawlins Service Award”. It is an honor that is given annually to a member that exemplifies deep service to BOP and the community. Honorees put in the most volunteer hours in the year

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Neutrality Is No Longer An Option

By Staff Writer Jackie Byers  This year  has been another challenging year on all fronts.  We have experienced the material impact of capitalism and white supremacy  on local, state, national, global and planetary levels.  The widespread impact of America’s cognitive dissonance has shook the foundation of liberal and progressive politics has been a “wake up

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White Supremacy Attempts to Take Over Black August

By Jasmine Williams, Staff Writer  Folks, it’s time to press pause. It’s time to pause and let our hot heads and heavy hearts simmer — the overtly racist acts by individuals and government entities that has been occurring in the home of “liberty and justice for all” this past month. Did anyone have the time

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Our Story of Art and Culture

By Mirishae McDonald, Staff Writer READ MORE TO SEE VIDEO!!! For BOP, the Our Story Event Series is a space where the true experience of what it means to be part of the Black community is uplifted and celebrated. As a collective we have the opportunity to be rooted in our stories of resilience, and

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BBQ, BLACKNESS, and BOP

READ MORE TO SEE VIDEO!! In late August, BOP hosted our Annual Friends and Family BBQ in East Oakland at Arroyo Park ! Our Friends and Family BBQ is a space for the community to come together for fun and games , fellowship, and learn about our recent work. We also take this time to

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Meet the Comms Crew !

Earlier this year BOP launched our first media training internship program for our members! During these intense weeks of training, we built up our communication and public speaking skills and learned more about the history of negative images of Black people portrayed in media today and historically. As Black people it is important that we

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Freedom is in the Eye of the Beholder

By Jasmine Williams, Staff Writer What is Freedom? Some common definitions include the following: the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government. By these definitions, have Black people in this

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Black Love = Black Liberation

by Jasmine Williams, Staff Writer March 2, 2017 As we wrap up the month of love we must pay homage to a type of love that serves as a foundation of hope and strength for millions of people. A love that is unrelenting, unconditional, and eternal: Black Love. Black people are born into the world with

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5 Reasons Why the OUSD Superintendent Search is Extremely Problematic

by Shani Ealey, Staff Writer March 2, 2017 The search for the next superintendent for the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is well underway. Since former OUSD superintendent, Antwan Wilson announced that he would be leaving his role and taking on a new position as chancellor of Washington D.C’s public schools, Oakland community members and leaders

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There Are No Sanctuaries

by Kesi Foster, Urban Youth Collaborative (NYC) December 16, 2016 Black and Brown youth have never received sanctuary in this country, its cities, our communities, or in the institutions that are supposed to provide a safe, nurturing and supportive environment, including our schools. Despite Mayor’s and municipal governments from New York to Philadelphia and Los

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#NoDAPL: “Water is Life” is more than a phrase

By: Anthony Williams, Staff Writer December 16, 2016 Our material reality as Black folks is rooted in this country’s traumatic origins, and it still shows today. Given the recent victory in North Dakota, we must extend gratitude to Indigenous water protectors and allies for obstructing the damaging Dakota Access Pipeline. After seeing such a show

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