Federal Building

From the center of the plaza, the Ron Dellums Federal Building wraps around you. Ron Dellums served in the U.S. House of Representatives for many years representing the 9th congressional district in northern California. During that time, he helped obtain federal funding to retrofit City Hall following the 1989 earthquake instead of demolishing it. Dellums …

City Hall

In 1973, Black Panther Party member Bobby Seale ran for mayor, and to the surprise of the white establishment, made a strong showing against incumbent John Reading. So in 1977, Lionel Wilson was seen as the “safer” candidate and was elected Oakland’s first Black mayor, serving until 1991. He ended up being more progressive than …

City Center

From City Center at Broadway at 13th Street, look east to see the Tribune Tower. Robert Maynard was a remarkable journalist. He dropped out of high school at age 16 to take his first writing job, and later wrote for the Washington Post. In 1977, he and his wife Nancy Maynard founded the Maynard Institute …

Joyce Gordon Gallery

The Joyce Gordon Gallery features innovative exhibits showing social and cultural diversity, from both local and international artists. The manager of Oakland’s cultural arts and marketing program said “[Joyce Gordon] invested in downtown Oakland before it was fashionable.” Stop in for a look if the gallery is open. Upstairs is the music and event space, …

Oakland Post

Thomas Berkley was a Renaissance man. He was an Olympic-class athlete, a WWII veteran, he started the largest racially integrated law firm in the U.S., and in 1963 he and his wife Velda Berkley started the Oakland Post newspaper. Later he was the first Black port commissioner in Oakland, twice president of the board, and …

Alameda County Courthouse

Many people know of the Black Panther Party (BPP), but too many don’t know much about the Black Panther Party. It was started in 1966 as the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, who met at Merritt College, then located in North Oakland at the former University HS. The BPP …

Oakland Auditorium

Every American should know of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. But before MLK gave that celebrated speech, he expressed many of the ideas in it in other speeches, building and refining over time. One of those speeches was given here at the Oakland Auditorium on December 28, 1962, on the …

Delilah Beasley

One of the goals of this walking tour is to preserve Black history. Sadly, many stories of California’s earliest African-American residents have already been lost. For many years, mainstream history books ignored the contributions of Black cowboys, miners, and settlers, leaving an unfillable gap in the collective memory. This gap would have been much bigger …

Fong Get Moo

Lon Yoke FongOur Fong Get MooA trim…a lollipop…even a myna bird!Chinatown’s Queen Barber1940s-1980s Fong Get Moo on Oakland Wiki

Find a Need and Fill It

Music: “Skyroads,” performed by Pierlo; “It’s a Wonderful Life” performed by Henry Kaiser Kaiser Center on Oakland Wiki Henry J. Kaiser on Oakland Wiki Henry Kaiser on Oakland Wiki