Sunday’s downtown parade and rally honored the Oakland Tech girls and Oakland High School boys basketball teams, which took home state titles last month.

Author Archives: Amir Aziz
Amir Aziz is a photographer and videographer from Oakland, California. Using photography as his primary medium, Amir documents life and times in his community and the rapid changes in his environment. He's covered music events and social justice movements in the U.S. and abroad for local and international publications. Before shelter-in-place, he traveled to over 10 countries producing multimedia projects juxtaposing the experiences of locals elsewhere to those in his hometown of Oakland. Amir hopes to continue to bridge the gap between African diaspora communities and oppressed groups in the world through multimedia storytelling.
Photos: ‘Stephen Curry: Underrated’ Oakland premiere kicks off SFFILM Festival
Filmmakers Ryan Coogler and Peter Nicks, and Mayor Sheng Thao walked the red carpet.
Photos: Oakland mourns Turkey-Syria earthquake victims
The Tuesday evening gathering at Lake Merritt was organized by two mental health professionals to promote collective healing.
Oakland Tech students hold walkout to honor Tyre Nichols
Two high school seniors said they organized the event for students to express their anger and sadness.
Oakland Technical High School honors its inaugural Hall of Fame class
Marshawn Lynch, Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, Rickey Henderson, Josh Johnson among honorees.
The photographers behind Oaklandside and Berkeleyside stories
Staff photographers Amir Aziz and Ximena Natera discuss their craft and important images of the past year, with CatchLight’s Mabel Jimenez
A Sri Lankan chef says goodbye to her longtime Oakland cafe
Chef Anula Edirisinghe said she’s closing her downtown Oakland restaurant due to rising rent and slow foot traffic in downtown.
Photos: A new annual block party kicks off in deep East Oakland
The first-ever East Oakland Futures Fest took place over Juneteenth weekend, a celebration of culture and neighborhood featuring scraper bikes, food vendors, art, and live music performances.
Photos: Inside the community school started by families protesting the closure of Parker elementary
We visited the campus on the last official day of instruction, and on the first day of the volunteer-led school.
Photos: Native cultures, resilience, and resistance at the Mills College Pow Wow
The event returned to East Oakland after a year off due to the pandemic, joined by the Indigenous Red Market.
Photos: The Oakland Roots kick off a new season
The soccer team played its first home game of the 2022 season at Laney College on Saturday. Pre-game festivities included a performance by hip-hop collective Grand Nationxl.
Photos: Positivity on display at Oakland’s Black Joy Parade
Thousands gathered downtown on Sunday for a celebration of Pan-African culture.
Pictures of the year: Images from Oakland in 2021
Our photojournalist Amir Aziz selected his favorite photos that captured the spirit of Oakland this year.
Watch a 100-year-old Oakland building get moved
See videos and photos of the 100-year-old clubhouse getting wheeled across an Oakland hills development site.
Scarred but resilient: Telegraph Avenue emerges from the pandemic
Lines around the block for cupcakes and a boom year for a flower shop, but a shoe shop for the stars is calling it quits, one of several COVID-19 casualties.
Photos: Rally and vigil follows Juneteenth shooting at Lake Merritt
Councilmembers Nikki Fortunato Bas and Carroll Fife rallied hundreds Tuesday evening to support their vision for public safety in Oakland.
Photos: Oakland pride on display at ‘510 Day’
The annual celebration of Town community, culture, and resilience at Lake Merritt included a car caravan this year.
‘We still have so much work to do’: East Oakland residents gather to process the Chauvin verdict
We asked community members at a sunset healing circle at Liberation Park to share their feelings about the murder conviction of the Minneapolis officer who killed George Floyd.
‘From Oakland to Atlanta,’ community members send messages of solidarity, resistance, and healing
Fear in Asian-American communities continues to build after a mass shooting in Atlanta and continued reports of violent street assaults. Last night, hundreds gathered in Chinatown to show solidarity.
Fairyland reopens its doors in time for spring
After closing in December, the Oakland theme park is welcoming back eager families looking to explore its magic.