Rise East Successful November 1st Site Visit
Our site visit to the 40x40 on November 1st was epic. I still can’t believe more than 50 of you joined us for a 5 hour bus tour to learn about Rise East. Thank you to all who attended, spoke, sponsored and otherwise supported the visit.
We kicked off the visit at 12:30 with a lively bus ride to Liberation Park, where ambassadors from Black Cultural Zone led funders on a tour that highlighted current community initiatives, including the Healing Garden, Akoma Farmer’s Market, and outdoor salsa and rollerskating nights. They explained their plans to keep Black residents and businesses firmly rooted in East Oakland by developing permanently affordable housing and retail space for small businesses at Liberation Park, with funds raised through Rise East.
Over lunch, funders heard from Mayor Sheng Thao and Councilmembers Treva Reid and Kevin Jenkins, as well as the community leaders who created Rise East. Reflecting on the many years of organizing that led to the creation of the 40x40 Council and the vision for a Black Cultural Zone in East Oakland, Greg Hodge, CEO of Brotherhood of Elders Network shared, “What makes this different? What makes this unique? What makes this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Key partnerships that preceded the money. We came together as key leaders in this community to drive change and then a funder said, we’re willing to help you. That’s not the norm.” Pointing to the roller skating rink at the center of Liberation park, Greg called on funders to not merely invest financially, “but to actually be in partnership with us, to dream with us, to sometimes cry with us, to grieve with us, to laugh with us, to be joyful with us, to come skate with us!”
Black Cultural Zone CEO Carolyn “CJ” Johnson described the group’s intention to purchase land in the 40x40 so that residents, businesses and nonprofits can control their own destiny and avoid being gentrified out of their neighborhood. “Power in this country requires property,” she explained, calling on funders to support a new land trust that will keep property permanently affordable. Lynne Hoey from the Kataly Foundation followed CJ, driving this point home by announcing her foundation’s $2 million unrestricted grant. “I’m so glad power has been brought up so many times in this conversation,” Lynne shared, adding that her foundation supports this effort, “because we are so stoked about the Liberated Land Trust. It’s about power and how we shift community wealth.”
Our next stop was Roots Community Health Center’s Armstead Hall, where Dr. Noha Aboelata, CEO, and Aquil Naji, COO, talked about the important work taking place at this new community center, named after a beloved resident, Miles Armstead, who was the victim of gun violence. “With over 200 employees, every incident of gun violence in the neighborhood involves someone connected to our patients or staff,” shared Aquil, who said the work his organization does on the frontlines requires “permission from the community and no fear.” Many residents and groups now use the hall to host meetings and events, from community organizing to graduation parties and baby showers. Dr. Noha explained how Roots Community Health Center will use funds from Rise East to train residents and frontline workers in community mental health and deescalation, forming peace committees to resolve conflict before it escalates. Her vision is based on a model developed in South Africa that “leans on community members as experts and problem-solvers.”
The Rise East tour stopped at Clean 360, a soap and candle-making social enterprise founded by Roots Community Health Center to provide living wage jobs to low-income residents with barriers to employment.
Our final stop on the tour was the most aromatic! During our visit to Clean 360, we learned why Roots launched this social enterprise to create living wage jobs in the 40x40 neighborhood for people with barriers to employment. We met residents who work in the factory producing soap, candles and other products, and heard from Dr. Noha and Aquil about their dream to purchase the adjacent building to create a Young People’s Wellness Center designed specifically to meet the needs of youth and young adults in Deep East Oakland.
We wrapped up the day with rousing speeches and performances at East Oakland Youth Development Center, where we heard from CEO, Selena Wilson, OUSD Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell, community leader Kym Johnson of BANANAS, and our co-sponsors, San Francisco Foundation, Northern California Grantmakers, and East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF). Brandi Howard, the CEO of EBCF and a proud daughter of the 40x40, stole the show with a heartfelt speech about East Oakland’s rich past and its potential for an equitable future. Check out the video below to hear it for yourself.
If you missed the visit, I hope you caught the extensive media coverage. We have posted several TV, radio and print stories to the Rise East website. You can also download all of the materials from the site visit here.
As I shared in my remarks, we are almost halfway to our $50m goal. We have $20m secured and over $5m in pending proposals. Your support has played a critical role in getting us this far in less than one year’s time and we are counting on your continued support to get us over the finish line. As we all saw with our own eyes on November 1st, East Oakland has waited long enough. Our community leaders are ready and just need our help to raise the rest of the match so that they can fully launch Rise East in 2024. Now is the time.
Thank you for your continued support of Rise East!
— Melanie Moore
