Sign up for our free newsletter
Free Oakland news, written by Oaklanders, delivered straight to your inbox.
Amplify Oakland is a series of stories told by Oaklanders, in their own words, about how they experience our city and how their lives are being directly impacted by policies, events, and systems. The series is supported by a grant from Akonadi Foundation.
Have a story to tell, or want to nominate someone? Read our guidelines and submit an idea.
From San Quentin to ‘Hotel COVID’
East Bay native Kerry Rudd was released from prison last month, but his journey back to freedom was temporarily derailed by COVID-19. He tells the story in his own words.
‘Many blessings’: In a year of job loss and debt, one Oaklander found silver linings
For most, the past year brought hardship and strife. For Emilia Zarate, a Mexican immigrant living in East Oakland, it also brought unexpected joys.
‘Until I moved to Oakland’: How the city helped one young immigrant find her identity
High school sophomore Azi Jao discovered parts of herself that were previously hidden after moving to Oakland from the Philippines.
‘Transition is upon us’: one Oakland parent of a student with special needs shares her journey
For many students receiving special education, there is no straightforward path to what comes next after high school.
The education of an organizer: What Homies Empowerment’s César Cruz learned from César Chávez and Dolores Huerta
On César Chavez Day, a Fruitvale community leader shares his incredible story of learning organizing tactics from Chavez’s family and bringing the work to Oakland.
‘The sweetest escape’: a love letter to Oakland’s libraries
Libraries are physically closed, but they continue to serve their neighborhoods. One East Oaklander shares her experience.
Why is gun violence spiking? An East Oakland native digs into his past and the city’s history to help explain
John Jones III—father, community advocate, childhood victim and past committer of violence—on why the surge is “not occurring in a vacuum.”
‘I could no longer avoid the problem’: how one Oaklander organized community cleanups
After seeing myself in the eyes of an unhoused boy, I decided to start cleaning up areas in West Oakland where unhoused people live. The work snowballed from there.
‘We’re going out. Not because we want to, but because we need to.’
Latinos represent over half of known coronavirus cases in Alameda County. Oakland resident Orlando Ruiz shares his family’s story.
‘We were happy. But when the illness appeared, things got complicated.’
One member of East Oakland’s immigrant Mam community shares his story about surviving during the pandemic.