One year ago, right in the middle of a pandemic lockdown, Berkeleyside’s sister site, The Oaklandside, was launched into the world. Since then, the eight-strong newsroom has published just the sort of hard-hitting, in-depth, richly textured reporting that Oakland needs. It is living up to its mission of reporting for and about Oaklanders, and was recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists with an award for excellence in community journalism.
Now, The Oaklandside is celebrating its first birthday with The Oaklandside Live-ish — three afternoons, on June 15-17, of free, dynamic programming on big issues that have shaped Oakland over the past 12 months — plus musical performances by Fantastic Negrito, Kev Choice, Caroline Chung, and more.
Register for the free Oaklandside Live-ish event.
“We wanted to mark our first year with conversations that capture the excitement and complexity of Oakland,” said Tasneem Raja, The Oaklandside’s editor-in-chief and a co-founder of Berkeleyside and The Oaklandside’s nonprofit parent organization, Cityside. “We’re thrilled so many great people agreed to participate. Readers who tune in during Live-ish will hear vital voices and perspectives on the key issues in our city.”
If you want to hear about the complicated role Lake Merritt has played during the pandemic, join Darwin BondGraham in conversation with City Council president Nikki Fortunato Bas, Lake Merritt Institute’s James Robinson, as they discuss race, space, and the lake, with a report from the lake itself.
Raja will be talking with internationally acclaimed broadcaster — and former East Bay journalist — Soledad O’Brien and former Oakland Tribune editor-in-chief Martin Reynolds about how upstart newsrooms like The Oaklandside’s can equitably serve their communities, and avoid repeating mistakes of the past.
The Oaklandside’s arts and community reporter, Azucena Rasilla, has been all over the impacts of COVID on Oakland’s arts scene. She’ll talk with Oakland artists, activists, and educators Kev Choice and Favianna Rodriguez on what reopening and rebuilding might look like.
That’s just a taste of what Oaklandside Live-ish has in store. It will also dig into impacts and solutions related to gun violence in Oakland, youth leadership in a year of protest, and lessons learned from pandemic solutions to the housing crisis.
Plus, you can expect Oakland trivia, a behind-the-scenes conversation on how The Oaklandside works, and more.
The presenting sponsor of Oaklandside Live-ish is Blue Shield of California. Additional sponsors include The Warriors Foundation, The Oakland A’s, The Port of Oakland, St. George Spirits, Clif Family Foundation, and OCHO Candy.
