Oakland is a city renowned for its diversity and deep roots in Black culture. Throughout Oakland's history there have been a number of pioneers and trailblazers who helped make this city as great as it is today. Oakland is also home to dozens of influential Black-owned businesses to celebrate all year: from restaurants and fashion retailers to Oakland’s only Black-owned adult store and ‘crystal botanica’. This month we celebrate all of this a little extra, but Oakland's Black legacy is on display year-round.
Honor Our History
The Oakland Museum of California has an exhibit as part of the Gallery of California History about the Black Power movement. In response to the widely-popular 2016 exhibition All Power to the People: Black Panthers at 50, this installation is an on-going exhibit that illustrates the creative ways black anti-racist activists in California supported their communities and challenged the U.S. government.
You may also plan a visit to the African American Museum and Library, a museum dedicated to the discovery, preservation, interpretation, and sharing of historical and cultural experiences of African Americans in California and the West for present and future generations.
Marvel at Champions
The Remember Them: Champions for Humanity Monument statue stands proudly in the Henry J. Kaiser Memorial Park, in downtown Oakland. This inspiring bronze sculpture depicts 25 culturally diverse role models who have made significant contributions toward global peace, freedom and human rights over the past 150 years.
The Monument has been designed in four sections, cast in 60,000 pounds of bronze and stands 31 feet high and 52 feet long. Some of the champions honored on the monument include; Maya Angelou, Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass, Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, Mary Ann Wright, Dr. Marcus Foster, and many more.
