People always ask me what religion I am. After a long pause for consideration, I generally say, “um, I’m from The Bay.” Then I tend to note that I practice yoga, observe the fast during the holy month of Ramadan, read and quote Old Testament verses as a result of sunday school and bible study classes, and am fairly well versed in West African and Kemetic spiritual tradition. In short, I’m a Bay Area kid. Exposure to many walks of life often means, you know, walking lots of paths. Because of that, I happen to know that today, at sundown, many folks in the Jewish world will begin to observe Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. I thought it only appropriate to write this blog, on this day, to honor the folks that first showed me the beauty of Judaism.

When I was in high school, one of my best friends was Jewish. Well, she’s still one of my close friends, and she’s still Jewish. And so is her mom. Just like they both were back in the golden ages of the late ’90s. On many Fridays, days like today, Yeshi, and her mother Chaya Gusfield, opened their dinner table to me. We observed the start of Shabbat together, weekly. I prayed with Yeshi and her mother, we ate, communed, talked, laughed, debated. Mitzvahs all the way ’round. Dinner with my friend Yeshi and her mom, who was, at that time in Rabbinical school.  It wasn’t until I shifted coasts to New York that I realized that the idea of a female Rabbi wasn’t commonplace — was, indeed, radical.

Chaya was ordained by Jewish Renewal’s Aleph Rabbinic Program in 2006. She now serves as the assistant rabbi and bnei mitzvah coordinator at Beth Chaim Congregation in Danville, CA. Originally from Chamapaign-Urbana, IL — Chaya moved west with her family at age 12, living first in San Diego, and making her way north in her 20s. After a stint in Bernal Heights, Chaya moved to the East Bay when she got preggers with my girl Yesh.

They live in a great place in North Oakland — there’s a hammock in the back yard; Chaya and her partner Judith keep a pretty dope garden. Chaya is known for hoarding her favorite chocolate and pastry snacks in hidden nooks throughout the house, and produces them when guests come and all can eat them together. Judith has an amazing laugh and the kind of humor that makes me wonder if I’m slow. Yeshi’s a classroom educator and a helluva dancer. The whole place is jammed packed with love. Top to bottom.

I’ve wondered for a while whether or not Chaya was “out” to her community. It seemed to me that perhaps hurdling age-old gender biases into her rabbinate was quite a feat in itself. I often think that might have been enough. Daienu? Still, this is an excerpt of a longer piece Chaya wrote on the subject for Zeek.

Even though I have been in a committed lesbian relationship for 16 years, a lesbian mother for 26 years, and am now an out lesbian rabbi, my full coming out story is still unfolding. I have realized, recently, that there is a way in which I continue to hide my true self because I am afraid of being too gay or too feminist. I worry that my refusal to think of myself or be thought of by others as the LESBIAN RABBI actually puts me back into a kind of closet.

I fear that if I embrace the identity of Lesbian Rabbi that people will make assumptions about my agenda that are not true. But truthfully, I do have a large vision of what I hope to accomplish as a rabbi in my lifetime. I am a rabbi because I believe that Judaism offers a healing place for all of us through spirituality, study of our wisdom traditions (Torah), community involvement, and Jewish practice. I care about teaching our children about our traditions and how to be a good member of the human family and a responsible caring member of this planet. I care that every child and every adult feel supported for who they are. I care that our communities value the involvement of those traditionally on the fringes. But most of all, I care about bringing the presence of God, as we each experience God, into our lives.

I wonder how my rabbinate would be different if I wasn’t spending so much energy being careful not to offend parents or others in my congregation by being too lesbian? I might be able to be a role model or a safe place for a young gay or questioning teen. I would engage in the conversation of gender equality in my synagogue with more comfort. I would integrate my family with the life of the community to the level that most rabbis do. More than three people in my community would know my partner’s name, work, or skills. I might put her photo on my desk next to my daughter’s. A parent might reach out to me concerned about a child or relative who is coming out. I might speak out against homophobia in the schools. I might work on outreach efforts so that all families know they are welcome.

Earlier in the piece, Chaya notes: “I don’t want to have a label attached, like “she’s the lesbian rabbi.” I want to be thought of as the “wise, thoughtful, genuine, funny, authentic rabbi.” Which, I imagine, is what all of her community must think of Chaya. How could they not? And that, my friends, is so Oaklandish. The boundary pushing, the questioning within oneself, the moving across the bridge and into a warmer, loving climate to raise your daughter in the way she goes. We are a city of people who believe deeply in our work. We are tireless in our efforts to know self and impact the world. And that’s why I’m proud to be from this city. We are bound only by San Leandro, water, bridge and Berkeley. Everything else about us is limitless.

I know Chaya is likely with her congregation or in her home at sundown tonight. She probably can’t make it out to Oaklandish for our party. But if she comes she can cop her so rightfully deserved “I am Oaklandish” tee. If she doesn’t come by, I’m going to sneak past her North Oakland spot tomorrow, and tuck it gently into the hammock with a note of love and thanks. I hope she rocks it all year long.

This blog is brought to you, in part, by local textile and cultural purveyors, Oaklandish. Oaklandish will be throwing a party on the 1st Friday in October at their new Downtown Oakland store. Everyone I profile is invited to attend as an honored guest and will receive a limited edition “I AM OAKLANDISH” t-shirt. In a city of roughly 500,000 residents, there’s no way I can cover everyone or everything, but I’ll do my best to rep a cross section of folks that reflect our city’s varied perspectives and populations. Also, it is important to note that none of the honorees know that they’re being highlighted until the blog post is up, because surprises are sometimes fun, cuzzo. This means that some folks profiled might not closely align themselves with Oaklandish — and that’s fine by me — I mean no ill intent, nor make any assumptions — just want to shout out some folks who make a real impact on the world, from this pearl of a city on the East Side of the Bay.

OH and big props to Yeshi for her stealthiness in helping me prep for this post.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Toai Dào did not grow up in Oakland, California. I know for a FACT that Ainye Long is from another city, slightly North of Oakland, that rhymes with -erkeley. But lemme tell you right now just how Oaklandish both of these folks are.

I lived with Ainye for a year and some change. While I was living with her, we were both employed, praise God. I had a job working for one or two non-profits. I’d get up in time for work at 10am, spend a grueling day doing one-off workshops with Bay Area High school students and drag myself home by 8 or 9 and scrounge for something in the fridge. I worked hard. Really dog tired hard, all of the time.

Ainye worked, at first, as an educator teaching 8th grade Mathematics at Oakland Charter Academy, and then moved on to teach Algebra and Geometry at Envision. While I was on time for my 10am, Ainye had class before 8. She worked all day, often bringing students who were achieving below grade level on par or to mastery. She tutored at lunch, mentored after school, attended basketball games regularly, and when I straggled in around 8pm, she’d be grading papers. Til 11. or 1. Since working at Envision, Ainye has moved on to serve as Parent and Community Engagement Director for Families That Can. Her work takes her to dozens of charter schools up and down the State of California, as she works to improve communication between students, parents, administrators and teachers. And she does it while being damned gorgeous. Some might even call her Foxy. I think I once wrote a song about ladies like her.

Meanwhile, cross town at Life Academy, Toai Dào, was doing the similar dance around scheduling, limited personal life, turning down offers to hang from friends — all in the pursuit of teaching better, more efficiently, with more heart. A veteran educator, with a decade of experience in Oakland classrooms, Toai teaches Biology, Physical Education, Gardening, Welding, and being awesome.

I met Toai through our mutual circle of friends: a Sunday Soccer club called Left Wing Futbolistas. On Sundays, at a park in Piedmont (re-appropriate the wealth, what what), a wide cadre of artists, artisans, activists and yes, educators meet to enjoy a smack talk filled game of the world’s sport. The pick up game is open to anyone who wants to play, particularly women and queer-identified folks, and Mr. Dào is one of a few organizers who has ventured to teach me how to play. I am awful. Swear to bliss awful at the game of futbol. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Treatunice’s shins. I’ve g’d them a couple of times, while completely missing the ball. But Toai is encouraging, gentle, respectful and supportive. As a young woman who has been verbally abused by almost all male science teachers, I am more than a bit moved by a teacher as patient as Toai. If he’s this kind on a soccer field, imagine how caring he is in the classroom, encouraging the young lady struggling through her bio text book.

That isht is Oaklandish. To cultivate the idea that every child deserves to learn — to invest daily in the growth and development of the town by putting time money and talent into our greatest resource — the young people — that’s what my city is all about. I don’t care that neither of the folks profiled are from here. They MAKE here, here. Everyday. Yo, Ain, Toai — stop by the Oaklandish party in your honor, this Friday, October 7th, to claim your free “I am Oaklandish” T-Shirts. I can’t think of anyone who deserves them more.

PS Toai, I tried to spell your name all the way right, but WordPress wasn’t having it. Forgive me for my site’s shortcomings.

This blog is brought to you, in part, by local textile and cultural purveyors, Oaklandish. Oaklandish will be throwing a party on the 1st Friday in October at their new Downtown Oakland store. Everyone I profile is invited to attend as an honored guest and will receive a limited edition “I AM OAKLANDISH” t-shirt. In a city of roughly 500,000 residents, there’s no way I can cover everyone or everything, but I’ll do my best to rep a cross section of folks that reflect our city’s varied perspectives and populations. Also, it is important to note that none of the honorees know that they’re being highlighted until the blog post is up, because surprises are sometimes fun, cuzzo. This means that some folks profiled might not closely align themselves with Oaklandish — and that’s fine by me — I mean no ill intent, nor make any assumptions — just want to shout out some folks who make a real impact on the world, from this pearl of a city on the East Side of the Bay.

Jean Grae, the under-appreciated lyricist, not the one of X-Men fame, dropped an mixtape once. It was called “The Bootleg of the Bootleg EP”. That shit got me through tough times at NYU. That’s not what this post is about, but I think it provides the appropriate context for the meta-meta-ness that’s about to happen.

Today, my blog is going to cover another blog. Well, one of the writers of another blog. The blog in question is 38thNotes . The contributor highlighted is Lukas Brekke-Miesner, Oakland resident his whole damned life.

Well, I suppose he did do a brief stint in SoCal. While attending UCLA to get his B.A. in Education, no one worked harder than Luke to spread the gospel of Oakland throughout the world. That lay a perfect foundation for his blog, built in collaboration with his closest friends (I see you, Niema). 38thNotes is easily The Bay Area’s finest source for happenings in music, art, history and sports. In addition to featuring pretty much anyone who is anyone in the young Oakland arts scene, 38th Notes is also one of the major organizers of The Bay Abridged, a seasonal mixtape highlighting music you would’ve missed if not for reading their blog. Potentially balancing out the iconography of Moneyball, which is out in theaters today (will let you know what I think when I see it) — The current “The Bay Abridged” has cover art that makes me want to pull out my old green and gold jerseys.

Running the blog requires Luke to be present at nearly every event that happens on either side of The Bay. I’m not sure how he does it — especially considering that he’s also a full time educator at Oakland High and a regular contributor to Hovy-Hov’s latest effort Life + Times. That makes sense, since Luke is constantly rubbing elbows with world famous producers like Alameda’s own, Jason “Trackademicks” Valerio

I am also reminded that Luke and I met nearly a decade ago while cutting our teeth in the youth poetry slam scene. Always gifted with word, Luke recently posted this poem “Remembering Raymen Justice”. A sobering, honest and accurate look at the untimely death of one of his closest friends and students, perhaps this video best reflects Luke’s way of being in the world: focused, poignant, humble and probing.

As a writer, caring educator, historian and man about town, Luke Brekke-Miesner is the epitome of Oakland. Thickwit applauds his efforts and those of 38thNotes. Reader, don’t be scared to click on through to see what they’re about. Luke, what size you want your t-shirt to be? I’m trying to get a picture with you at Oaklandish’s October 7th function — and I want to make sure you and I co-ordinate in our limited edition “I am Oaklandish” tees.

This blog is brought to you, in part, by local textile and cultural purveyors, Oaklandish. Oaklandish will be throwing a party on the 1st Friday in October at their new Downtown Oakland store. Everyone I profile is invited to attend as an honored guest and will receive a limited edition “I AM OAKLANDISH” t-shirt. In a city of roughly 500,000 residents, there’s no way I can cover everyone or everything, but I’ll do my best to rep a cross section of folks that reflect our city’s varied perspectives and populations. Also, it is important to note that none of the honorees know that they’re being highlighted until the blog post is up, because surprises are sometimes fun, cuzzo. This means that some folks profiled might not closely align themselves with Oaklandish — and that’s fine by me — I mean no ill intent, nor make any assumptions — just want to shout out some folks who make a real impact on the world, from this pearl of a city on the East Side of the Bay.

It is a tragedy and an outrage. Sickening at best, maddening at least. First thing in the morning, at the peak of the new day, on the surface of an earth created by an awesome God, the state of Georgia executed Troy Davis.

Even though Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote in his defense — Even though the Pope himself condemned the death penalty and our country’s policy of killing alleged killers — even though final hour petitions kept his name in our mouths all day — Troy Davis was murdered by The State. There are shadows and doubts all around. There is a low fog rolling in the eyes of every brother I saw today. Yesterday’s execution proves, as it has been proven time after time, that in this country, the value of a Black man’s life is less than his white counterparts, at least in the eyes of a system that has been feigning justice since its inception.

It is a dream from which we cannot wake. It sells tickets at the box office. It is sport for video game console. There are millions of ways to watch a Black man die — and so few ways to honor his life.

Days before the execution, the homie Ise Lyfe, with a simple status message on his facebook page, challenged his friends to “celebrate the living”. While I could not be more irate, disheartened, depressed or disenchanted by the sanctioned murder of Troy Davis, I choose to take this moment to honor the living black men of Oakland. Those who just as easily could have been unlawfully attacked and killed by BART police, or unconstitutionally held for strange and unusual punishment while awaiting fair and speedy trials.

I choose to bask in the vibrance and ingenuity of Black Men like the ones that raised me. I affirm the pulpit lecturers, computer engineers, lawyers, book store owners, draftsmen, welders, lawyers, and historians that made me who I am. And the ones that want to be like the OGs. That’s why today, as part of our “I am Oaklandish” series, Thickwit honors Pendarvis Harshaw.

A Town representative wherever he goes, Penn is a recent alum of Howard University’s Johnson School of Journalism. He is a consistent contributor to The Oakland Post, a participant in the 2025 Campaign for Black Boys, often the first reporter on the scene, and generally the last to leave. He deftly straddles the divide between music and The Fourth Estate, and has worked on projects with Young Gully and Oakland’s own, London. Penn’s adept at politic-ing with hustlers and mayors, gangsters and heads of state. One of his most recent projects, a photo essay and “coming of age story”, OG Told Me, is one of my favorite tumblrs. It is in the same breath simple and complex: a tribute to oral history, mentorship, leadership and tradition.

Here’s one of the photo essay entries with Penn and The Champ at Marcus Books.

Another with Public Health official and your mentor’s favorite mentor, Arnold Perkins

If I didn’t have such qualms with plagiarism, I’d post every last one of these up on Thickwit, but I’ll leave you with this last image of Harshaw with Dick Gregory. Man, what I’d have paid to listen in on that conversation.

Thickwit mourns the loss of every Black man, simultaneously applauding Pendarvis Harshaw for his unabashed commemoration of the long lives and wisdom of our elders. Props due. Props also due to Jamilah King, journalist extraordinaire, for keeping me up on Penn’s exploits.

Penn, I hope to see you on October 7th at Oaklandish’s 1st Friday party. Come cop your limited edition “I am Oaklandish” fit, and perhaps we can finish that 6-word story battle. The Town loves and admires you, and as a part of The Town, so do I.

This blog is brought to you, in part, by local textile and cultural purveyors, Oaklandish. Oaklandish will be throwing a party on the 1st Friday in October at their new Downtown Oakland store. Everyone I profile is invited to attend as an honored guest and will receive a limited edition “I AM OAKLANDISH” t-shirt. In a city of roughly 500,000 residents, there’s no way I can cover everyone or everything, but I’ll do my best to rep a cross section of folks that reflect our city’s varied perspectives and populations. Also, it is important to note that none of the honorees know that they’re being highlighted until the blog post is up, because surprises are sometimes fun, cuzzo. This means that some folks profiled might not closely align themselves with Oaklandish — and that’s fine by me — I mean no ill intent, nor make any assumptions — just want to shout out some folks who make a real impact on the world, from this pearl of a city on the East Side of the Bay.

I am in Brooklyn, NY and this dude is a hater.

Perhaps you’d like some back story. The first thing you need to know is that that dude is a hater. The second thing you oughta know is that he’s not alone. That’s really all of the pertinent info, but since I am selector, I don’t mind rewinding just a little further.

Last night, I found myself in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, NY, in a room full of tastemakers. World famous DJs, acclaimed tour managers, cultural icons, and even an IT specialist or two. When the conversation turned to me, and my Oakland origins, as always, I was not-so-subtly asked about what we listen to out in The Bay. I’m not sure if you’ve had the conversation I’m about to synopsize, but if you’ve ever followed this path of questioning, you’ll feel me.

The first step is a gentle prodding — “Do you know about that uhh hyphy uhh… ” — which really means to ask “I know you know about that hyphy stuff – but I’m sort of unsure as to how to ask you about this music, sound, dance, etc; I don’t understand and I don’t really know you well enough to hate on something you like, outright, just yet.”

To which I always respond: “Yes, I know about the hyphy movement, and have been known to go dumb on occasion, though I am slightly older than the core group of folks for whom that was a significant cultural marker.”

I also like to note: “Every part of the country has something that only they understand: Jooking, Screw, GoGo, etc… and understanding from the outside doesn’t validate or invalidate its meaning. In-group participants don’t need us to head nod for it to be of import. Shadidi?”

And then, invariably, my interlocutor will ask me about E-40 (love him, idolize him, but he’s not from Oakland), MC Hammer (amidst all the bankruptcy jokes I assert that he employed the majority of Black Oakland while he was on – and even sponsored my cousin’s T-Ball league), and most recently Kreayshawn (another story for another day — trust me).

The last question, often asked in most earnest, after I’ve earned respect and gotten warm in the face. “So, what are y’all listening to out in Oakland?”

Now, that is my favorite question. ‘Cause then I get to talk about all of my favorite folks. The, ahem, unsung, overlooked, and under-appreciated Town dwellers that soundtrack my life. For the perusal of the aforementioned hater, and those of his kind — a list of 10 musicians that move me, that hail from Oakland, CA, that never cross your mind as you’re prepping to talk isht to me. There’s more. We come in numbers.

Some of these folks have touched the digital pages of Thickwit before, but I just couldn’t leave them off of the list. Others should be here, but I feel as if I’ve covered them too much on this here blog already. (I see you shining DoDAT, Diggs, Kwudi, et al). I intentionally sidestepped artists/musicians with a readily available Hyphy influence, just as a means of providing the haters with an alternate palate.

Since its Sunday, and I know you don’t wanna read much more, we’re gonna do this like Donny Simpson and Video Soul. Like this was your cousin’s house and you have 2 hours before mom comes home to watch whatever you want on The Box. In no particular order:

1. London/Erk Tha Jerk
First up is London with the undeniable banger, #Action!!! The joint is directed by media savant and cultural initiator, Erk Tha Jerk. I might have to come back to Erk, cause these three lines won’t do his work justice. London is a regular feature at Monday Soul at Oakland’s New Parish, and is a clear ambassador of town business.

2. Kev Choice
Watch Kev rework Edvard Griev’s classical piece to iconic images of Oakland, CA.

3. SandMan feat. Klassiq
A fun little ditty from East Oakland representative SandMan — feat. Klassiq (by my count that’s a hat trick at three plugs on Thickwit in 1 week). SandMan’s vocal stylings range from brassy melody to beastmode lyrical antics. There’s never enough available from this veteran of rap trio, The Attik. Like Luther, never too much…

4. Ledisi
Grammy nominated for nearly everything she puts out. The video doesn’t do her voice justice. Might just be my favorite live vocalist out of The Bay Area, ever.

5. Ambrose Akinmusire live at the Jazz Standard
My muse and partner in crime since Jazz and Arts summer camp, Trumpeter Ambrose’s Album “When the Heart Emerges Glistening” is currently available on Blue Note. Cop that, son. He’s a real life genius, and celebrated throughout Europe, Asia and The States. If you’re reading from Denmark, he’s there through the week.

6. Jennah Bell
Country, Folk, Hip Hop, Bluegrass and Funk. Roll it all together and what do you get? West Oakland’s own Jennah Bell. Filmed at North Berkeley BART by The Bay Area Freshman himself, Rafael Casal.

7. Sheila E.
A member of the legendary Escovedo family, you may have forgotten that Sheila E. was raised in The Town. Between touring with Prince, George Duke, Ringo Starr and more, she had time to fit in Letterman. Like the fictionalized Will Smith said once upon a time “a girly who can drum can write her own ticket…”

8. Raphael Saadiq
In case you forgot — we get banger after banger from this Laney graduate. His live show is also not to be missed.

9. Rafael Casal
Rafael Casal’s video cameos a number of the town’s best known emcees, but I’m really putting it up here cause Netta Brielle appears to be killing it on the traps, too.

10. Goapele/John Mazyck
You already know Goapele from Closer fame. Her next album is dropping soon, and this video by Cali-based director John Mazyck is one of my favorite new eye candies.

If any of y’all wish to grace the Oaklandish store with your presence on October 7th, we’d gladly give you your limited edition “I am Oaklandish” Tee. Thank you for your musical contributions to this city we love. Thanks for making my international arguments that much easier.

This blog is brought to you, in part, by local textile and cultural purveyors, Oaklandish. Oaklandish will be throwing a party on the 1st Friday in October at their new Downtown Oakland store. Everyone I profile is invited to attend as an honored guest and will receive a limited edition “I AM OAKLANDISH” t-shirt. In a city of roughly 500,000 residents, there’s no way I can cover everyone or everything, but I’ll do my best to rep a cross section of folks that reflect our city’s varied perspectives and populations. Also, it is important to note that none of the honorees know that they’re being highlighted until the blog post is up, because surprises are sometimes fun, cuzzo. This means that some folks profiled might not closely align themselves with Oaklandish — and that’s fine by me — I mean no ill intent, nor make any assumptions — just want to shout out some folks who make a real impact on the world, from this pearl of a city on the East Side of the Bay.

There’s some phenomena in Oakland that I don’t understand all of the way; a couple of things that can only come to fruition in a town like ours; happenings we take as commonplace that wouldn’t jump off anywhere in the country, but are essential threads in the proverbial fabric of our town.

I know my Saturday readership is lighter than my weekday audience, so today, I’ma load you up with 3 quintessential people, places and/or activities that only go down here. We’ll jump right in.

1.) Tyler Thompson I first saw this wonder as part of the City of Oakland’s Art Commission granting process. Oakland is replete with more dope artists than a couple, so the funding process is always a thrilling, heartbreaking, arduous process for applicants and grant makers alike. Tyler, however, is both an anomaly and an undeniable intersection of our city’s values. I’d wager, if I were a betting woman, that he has no trouble standing out in both local and national funding circles. The boy is that good.

A product of Purple Silk and its Chinese cultural immersion programs, Tyler Thompson strives for mastery of Traditional Chinese Opera.

I think it’s important to note that while the focus of this particular video is Tyler, there’s an entire orchestra of Oakland-based musicians behind him, each of them focused on technique, aesthetics and dynamics. In short, my city gets it in. Maybe all you’ve heard about the town is on that super hyphy business, and that’s real, too. But we also go hard for some of the oldest performative arts in the world.

Tyler, if you’re reading this, I hope to see you at the Oaklandish October 7th party. Would love to meet you in the real world, to shake your hand, and to slide you your complimentary “I am Oaklandish” Tee. Thank you for complicating the notions of what a Black man can and will do within and beyond the walls of Oakland.

2. The Mormon Temple has always been the most iconic building in the city’s skyscape, as far as I’m concerned. When I was a child, my brother, sister and I used to beg our parents to take us there, convinced that it was, in fact, the castle of Mickey’s Magic Kingdom.

As an adult, I’m well aware that it isn’t Disneyland, but still, it is a breathtaking feat of architecture — and a monument to Oakland’s religious diversity. The building, constructed in 1962, sits on 18.3 acres of hillside property — and is coincidentally right next to The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension, a gorgeous building in its own right (and a darned good place to visit during their annual Greek Festival). I can’t stay away from the Mormon Temple during the holidays. Come on. It looks like this:

While I’ll be the first to admit I don’t comprehend all of the rites and rituals of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I don’t pretend to get ALL of any organized religion. For any number of reasons, I’ve never been inside of the church. Still, from the parking lot of the temple (which in my experience is open to the public), you can see the whole of the city. The grounds look out on the sparkling lights of Buddhist Temples, Sikh places of worship, Mosques in numbers (Sunni, NOI and Shiite), Synagogues galore (from orthodox to reform) and more than a couple C.O.G.I.C’s. If nothing else, Oakland is a city driven by belief — in equitable education, in marriage equality, in the power of force greater than us.

Whether or not you’re likely to “like” the Oakland Mormon Temple, you gotta admit that the sight of it is captivating, and its worshippers are likely devout as the rest of us. Thickwit acknowledges the Oaklandish nature of the building and nods its hat to the glowing castle on the hill.

3. The New Parkway. Okay, so the thing about The Parkway is that it doesn’t exist. It is a cause that many of us think is worthwhile, have donated towards, blogged about, rallied around. The momentum sustains, even though The Parkway hasn’t been open for a few years, now. If you’re not from here, you probably wonder what sort of movement has so many Oaklanders riled up.

Movies. We’re in it for the film. And Beer. And Gourmet Snacks. The Parkway, which once sat at the base of Park Boulevard in Oakland, is a speakeasy, cinema and performance venue. Arguably, the best first date location in Oakland, you could see first and second run films, seated on a comfy love seat, while sharing locally brewed ale with your new boo. But back in 2009, Kyle and Catherine Fischer, Parkway’s management at the time, shut its doors, amidst a dispute with building landlords, though the financials suggest that the business was undeniably profitable.

We all groaned in despair. Community groups sprung up. Petitions were signed and filed. Two years later, The New Parkway is underway, led by J Moses Ceasar (pictured below), who is furiously working to secure a new venue, and to get the speakeasy off the ground again. Based on Summer 2011 rumor and article mill, it seems that Broadway Auto Row and North Oakland (I refuse to call it Temescal, ask me why later) are both possible locations.

Only in Oakland would we rally around an idea with no physical space, no films, no food, no events and no sofas. We are inspired by potential here, and hope, relentlessly, that our beloved theater will re-open its doors. The Fischers, who created the legacy, and Mr. Ceasar, who continues it, are all invited to Oaklandish’s October 7th Bash. Come shake a few hands, kiss a couple babies, collect donations and grab your free “I am Oaklandish” tees. We appreciate you, and your drive to improve the nightlife in The Town.

If you’re interested in finding out about The New Parkway, hit up THE NEW PARKWAY.

This blog is brought to you, in part, by local textile and cultural purveyors, Oaklandish. Oaklandish will be throwing a party on the 1st Friday in October at their new Downtown Oakland store. Everyone I profile is invited to attend as an honored guest and will receive a limited edition “I AM OAKLANDISH” t-shirt. In a city of roughly 500,000 residents, there’s no way I can cover everyone or everything, but I’ll do my best to rep a cross section of folks that reflect our city’s varied perspectives and populations. Also, it is important to note that none of the honorees know that they’re being highlighted until the blog post is up, because surprises are sometimes fun, cuzzo. This means that some folks profiled might not closely align themselves with Oaklandish — and that’s fine by me — I mean no ill intent, nor make any assumptions — just want to shout out some folks who make a real impact on the world, from this pearl of a city on the East Side of the Bay.

Yesterday you all indulged me in a riff about the oft competing ideals embedded in the culture of our fair city. Today I want to write a bit about ideals that work best in concert. In Oakland, some things just go together: jogging and Lake Merritt, protests and Spoken Word, overcast skies and Oaklandish hoodies. Such is the case with craft of featured culinary artist, Jay-ar Pugao, a lead chef at No Worries Catering.

No Worries Catering is centered around two gastronomic principles: the health benefits of an animal-free diet, and the cultural majesty of traditional Pinoy cuisine. Yeah, so you got it: Vegan Filipino Food. That’s the sort of thing you expect to hear in Oakland, but might not surface in any other part of the country. No Worries mission to meld culturally relevant culinary experiences to a vegan lifestyle makes it the only endeavor of its kind in the entire United States.

Originally an award winning business plan emergent out of Oakland High in 1998, No Worries Catering has grown from a small business to a highly sought after catering company, serving non-profit, corporate and community needs. Jay-ar has catered a number of events I’ve attended, and I’ve always found myself licking (no, for real, for serious) licking the bottom of the plate when I finish. (If you shop at Whole Foods anywhere in the Bay Area, you may have seen Jay-ar’s wares on the shelf there).

In June of 2011, after much anticipation, the doors of No Worries opened for the first time at their eat-in location in Downtown Oakland. In an attempt to build capacity and lessen their carbon footprint, the No Worries staff is transitioning into the mobile catering truck industry. Here’s Chef Jay-ar (joined by his business partners Jasper Pugao and Gregory Manalo) talking about the major changes to No Worries offerings.

No Worries – Food Truck Transition from Gregory Manalo on Vimeo.

I also thought I’d share a video of Jay-ar making a traditional Filipino dish, Pancit — just so you get a little feel for the flavor of his palate and the flavor of his being.

No Worries Catering – Vegetarian Pancit from Gregory Manalo on Vimeo.

Yeah, you liked that part towards the end with the nod to Unk, didn’t you? Don’t lie. I’ve seen Mr. Pugao on a dance floor, and trust me, he ain’t nothing to eff with. Jay-ar, just as every person honored in this “I Am Oaklandish Series”, is invited to come and cop his free, limited edition tee shirt at the October 7th festivities. Part of me is hoping, deep down in side, that Jay-ar and the new rig will be out front of the shop, slanging the finest in Vegan Filipino cuisine. If not, you can follow No Worries on twitter, and stay abreast of where the truck’ll be. @noworriescatering will get you there. Or you can hit the website at: FilipinoVeganFood.com. Thank You, Jay-ar and No Worries Catering, for making Oakland edible.

This blog is brought to you, in part, by local textile and cultural purveyors, Oaklandish. Oaklandish will be throwing a party on the 1st Friday in October at their new Downtown Oakland store. Everyone I profile is invited to attend as an honored guest and will receive a limited edition “I AM OAKLANDISH” t-shirt. In a city of roughly 500,000 residents, there’s no way I can cover everyone or everything, but I’ll do my best to rep a cross section of folks that reflect our city’s varied perspectives and populations. Also, it is important to note that none of the honorees know that they’re being highlighted until the blog post is up, because surprises are sometimes fun, cuzzo. This means that some folks profiled might not closely align themselves with Oaklandish — and that’s fine by me — I mean no ill intent, nor make any assumptions — just want to shout out some folks who make a real impact on the world, from this pearl of a city on the East Side of the Bay.

When I first started this series, I mentioned that some of the things I’d be profiling would be ideas. In my (often less than) humble opinion, Oakland is best described as a matrix of inspired, if often competing, ideas. As Oaklanders we believe fiercely in the idea of autonomous, free, thought. We also root for the Warriors, en masse, regardless of wins, losses, or logic. We eat free range eggs and organic chicken in homes that sit squarely beneath highway overpasses. We love growing community. We strongly dislike new transplants to our community. Even if we are transplants ourselves, we fly our flag proudly.

The great urban bard Dante (Smith) , wrote of this phenomenon in his classic ode “Brooklyn” :

It’s real yo but still yo, it’s love here
And it’s felt by anybody that come here
Out of towners take the train, plane and bus here
Must be something that they really want here
One year as a resident, deeper sentiment
Shoutout “Go Brooklyn!”, they representin it

In my head, I often supplant “Brooklyn” with Oakland. Perhaps true of any chocolate city with an influx of new, young gentry — Oakland is a place where people come, stay, take pride and take ownership. As much as I hate on the skinny jean wearing, fixed gear riding new neighbors in West Oakland, I gotta concede that neither my mother nor father is originally from the town. They’ve both lived here for nearly 30 years, and I defy you to find any two people more Oaklandish than they. That is another blog for another day.

All I’m trying to say is — we have a bunch of ideas, many in conflict with each other. And that’s manifesting in today’s blog post. Par ejemplo, I told you yesterday that I’d do 2 of these a day. Well, today I’m doing one post on two phenomenal women. Talia Taylor and Isa Nakazawa are the weekly hosts of their own radio broad cast, The Parked Car on alldayplay.fm

Isa Nakazawa, a poet, journalist, and blogger of Japanese and Uraguan descent, can only be described as the epitome of cool. Isa dabbles in Japanese, Spanish and Standard American English; a Wesleyan alum, and practiced in East Coast mouthpiece, people skills are her strong suit. I like to think of Isa as her very own social media site, personified. She knows what is going on. She knows where the good food is. She already has tickets to the event you’re trying to get into. She’s got concise, cogent language about what the event was since clearly she made it, though you missed it. And she’s got an uncanny sense of style. Perhaps that’s why she worked as a copy writer for Karmaloop while I merely coveted their wares.

Talia Taylor, an emcee, wordsmith, educator (and shouted out as Klassiq on yesterdays blog) is probably the immovable object to Isa’s unstoppable force. She is grace, poise and dignity personified. She spits bars, smiles at geeky nerd ish, and is my personal health and well being guru. If you have couch, she’s the type of person to tell you which nuts, juices, roots and berries will alleviate the phlegm while adding brilliance to your hair. She’s the girl in the center of the dance floor, inventing her own moves.

But here’s my big reveal. Neither of them is from Oakland. I know. I know. More contradiction. But the IDEA of what they do is Town Bidness, through and through. They work in collaboration; they create safe nurturing, female oriented space in a male dominated sector. In 1921, when California took advantage of its first radio frequency, the idea of two women on air, one African and the other of mixed descent, would have been laughable at best and incendiary as a norm. The kicker that makes it all fit together in my head, though: they broadcast from the center of Downtown Oakland, in studios at Youth Radio. The new Youth Radio building exemplifies maximized potential of repurposed space in the heart of the city. It isn’t a condo or a loft space, but is rather a meeting ground for young media makers to hone their skills and receive mentorship from the East Bay’s performance and broadcast legends.

The Parked Car is an amalgam of nuanced talk, rare music, and special guests. I’d qualify their show as a great option for your Thursday afternoon drive, but you gotta have internet radio. So, I suppose, that means you have to pull over your car at 5pm, park it, open your laptop, and knock the show. Or, you could stream from your smartphone, smarty pants.

One way or the other, you really should be listening to their show. This blog is being posted at 5pm on Thursday, September 15th. Which means you can tune in NOW by going to www.alldayplay.fm/shows/theparkedcar If you’re reading this after the fact, there’s a wealth of hotness going on in their archives.

Thickwit salutes the women who arrive in Oakland, improve its cultural landscape, take risks in their art and teach Chinakas how to dress. Talia and Isa are both invited to Oakladish’s October 7th Bash where all “I am Oaklandish” honorees can get their free, limited edition shirt.

This blog is brought to you, in part, by local textile and cultural purveyors, Oaklandish. Oaklandish will be throwing a party on the 1st Friday in October at their new Downtown Oakland store. Everyone I profile is invited to attend as an honored guest and will receive a limited edition “I AM OAKLANDISH” t-shirt. In a city of roughly 500,000 residents, there’s no way I can cover everyone or everything, but I’ll do my best to rep a cross section of folks that reflect our city’s varied perspectives and populations. Also, it is important to note that none of the honorees know that they’re being highlighted until the blog post is up, because surprises are sometimes fun, cuzzo. This means that some folks profiled might not closely align themselves with Oaklandish — and that’s fine by me — I mean no ill intent, nor make any assumptions — just want to shout out some folks who make a real impact on the world, from this pearl of a city on the East Side of the Bay.

There are a few emcees in Oakland. One or two. Or seventeen thousand, or so. I mean, really, ever since the homies cracked ProTools 3 back in the day, you’re hard pressed to find a man of color living in the town that hasn’t spent a little time in the studio. We hustle hard in The Bay, in the truest sense of the word. We make art by night, teach by day, and promote by commute. Spitters who’d head nod to that routine include Do D.A.T., Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs, Elefant, Dom Jones, Klassiq, and a slew of supremely talented rhyme-sayers. A guaranteed must-add to that Roll call is BRWN BFLO’s own Daniel “Big Dan(gerous)” Mora. Nobody works harder than Big Dan.

If you have a blog, twitter, facebook, carrier pigeon or noise making small child, he’s probably hit you up to help promote his latest effort “All or None”. The album officially dropped on Saturday, September 10th at the release party at Oakland’s own Uptown venue. I was more than a little bit sad that I couldn’t attend.

I am delighted, however, to plug his album (which you should cop now — available on iTunes and perhaps at a record store, too, if those still exist). “All or None” features long time collaborators, Los Rakas, Bambu, Deuce Eclipse and Ise Lyfe. If you’re from Oakland, you know that’s a royal line up. If you’re not from here, trust me. The $9.99 is well spent. You’d spend that in gas trying to make it over The Bay Bridge. Stay in the town; listen to the hardest working Ghetto Cuauhtémoc you’ll ever meet. Here he is talking about his last mixtape “Bang for Change”.

What you missed at the beginning of this doc was Dan mentioning his agenda for the day. Which included a rally, a grocery store run, a performance and a couple surprise guess on stage. Best I can tell, that’s Dan’s entire M.O. — Check his resume and you’ll see he’s got not one, but two A.A.’s from Oakland’s Merritt College, and after completing those degrees he earned his B.A. at UC Berkeley’s ground breaking Ethnic Studies program. He is also an accomplished lecturer, doing the college circuit thing with a collection of speakers called “Homeboy Goes to Harvard”. He worked as a youth advocate at Oakland’s Youth Uprising Center. Add to all of that the fact that Dan is a founding and anchor member of a well known squad BRWN BFLO, and spends nights and weekends rocking stages with them from Oakland to Fresno and back. He gets it in.

More than anything, Big Dan epitomizes the Oakland experience. As an advocate of the Xicano Latino community, Big Dan calls to light what many of us — Brown, Black, API(A), and of mixed ancestry — struggle with on the daily. Big Dan’s work speaks to what DuBois might call a “two-ness” — being both native and immigrant, home and far from home, telling the truth in a time when lies are rewarded.

Beyond that — and not to stratify levels of oppression, neither, but we’re all well aware that even as Black folk and Asian Americans experience more middle class freedoms than historically allowed, more laws than ever attempt to relegate our Brown comp@s to second class citizenry. Doesn’t take a whole lotta looking ’round to see that much of this country is powered by the ingenuity and long hours of a Latino work force. Which calls me, black as I am, to call my own privilege into question. I ask myself “In which ways do I benefit from or enforce a system which works, necessarily, on the backs of brown folk?” But I digress.

Big Dan spits bars. All this while he reps hard for The Town y la tierra en general. Peep his latest video aptly titled “La Tierra” featuring Los Novillos del Norte.

Dan, if you got that Ws hoodie in a ladies medium, don’t sleep cuz-cuz. I’ma need me one of those. And one of them tacos.

Thickwit is honored to salute Big Dan as an innovator and purveyor of the culture that makes Oakland home. He can come and cop his “I am Oaklandish” shirt on October 7th at the Oaklandish store. YOU can check for him at www.officialbigdan.com

This blog is brought to you, in part, by local textile and cultural purveyors, Oaklandish. Oaklandish will be throwing a party on the 1st Friday in October at their new Downtown Oakland store. Everyone I profile is invited to attend as an honored guest and will receive a limited edition “I AM OAKLANDISH” t-shirt. In a city of roughly 500,000 residents, there’s no way I can cover everyone or everything, but I’ll do my best to rep a cross section of folks that reflect our city’s varied perspectives and populations. Also, it is important to note that none of the honorees know that they’re being highlighted until the blog post is up, because surprises are sometimes fun, cuzzo. This means that some folks profiled might not closely align themselves with Oaklandish — and that’s fine by me — I mean no ill intent, nor make any assumptions — just want to shout out some folks who make a real impact on the world, from this pearl of a city on the East Side of the Bay.

“Shhh!”, said Chinaka while writing about herself in the third person. “If you just put up a new post and back away slowly, perhaps no one will realize that you missed an entire week and a half of this brand new, month-long blog. Or maybe, you do double time all of next week, and get caught up. Oh, that’s a great idea. Two a days. Two folks per day for the next two weeks. 30 posts total. Great idea. Now back away slowly. And no one gets hurt…”

Lewis Mahlmann is a legend. A real-life, no hyperbole, praised-the-world-over, sort of legend.

I met him accidentally, in the hallway of my friends’ building. These friends shared a beautiful apartment for years, and once upon a time, I contacted the building manager to see if there were any vacancies. I dialed the number on the “For Rent” sign hung outside of the apartment, and got through to Lewis. I knew who to expect; I’d run into him a few times as I helped these friends move furniture in and out, and always encountered Mr. Mahlmann as a kind, generous, giving sort of spirit. Sort of like that one dude from the ’97 Pixar short , he’s someone who almost inspired me to learn to play chess.
I liked him instantly and felt there was something about him that was familiar. And not just in that we may have passed each other at Peet’s here and there sort of way. Nerp. I got a feeling like I’d known this man all of my life, but couldn’t place his face to save my life.

Good thing he invited me into his apartment as he searched for the unit application. I stepped in and wondered how many treasures one cavern could hold. Lemme tell you, wall to wall, ceiling to floor, everywhere I looked had a puppet in it. Not the sock kind I used to make with my brothers neither. I’m talking Geppetto got nothing on Lewis, hand crafted, eyes brightly painted, life imbued into otherwise inanimate wood puppets. There were marionettes near the rafters, hand puppets in chairs. I asked why he kept so many of them. He said he used them for work. I asked where he worked. He told me he was the lead puppeteer for Children’s Fairyland.

Now, now, now you shut the front door, Mr. Mahlmann. You’re the man that single-handedly (or maybe two-handedly), crafted my introduction to one man shows? You’re the dude behind the tiny little curtain, who makes the best part of Children’s Fairyland magical? It is you? The reason I used to beef with my sister over tiny little plastic keys and who’d ride in the front seat towards Lake Merritt. Oh! The decades you’ve spent bringing mirth to the youngest of Oakland’s gentry. What safe, miraculous space you carved to encourage wonder, inquisition and genuine audience interaction.

For those of you not from The Town, or whichever of you has lived under Oakland’s largest rock and don’t know about Children’s Fairyland, here’s a brief refresher course: it is a storybook theme park at the literal and figurative heart of our city. Adults aren’t allowed in on their own. Must have a child in tow in order to enter. Rides, games, nursery rhymes come to life, and puppet shows. And every birthday party I attended between 1983 and 1990 happened at Fairyland. Well, a few happened at Chuck E. Cheese’s, but only when Fairyland was booked. It was the hot spot near Uptown before Uptown was Uptown. Disney visited Fairyland 5 years before creating an Anaheim home for mice. It is the real thing. See?

Did you see him at the end there? Here’s his bio, unabashedly jacked from fairyland.org:

Lewis Mahlmann has been a guiding light of Fairyland’s puppet theater since its early years. Already a prominent Bay Area puppeteer when the Storybook Puppet Theater opened in 1956, he served as puppetry consultant, a builder of puppet shows, and a designer of many Fairyland features, including the Japanese Tea Garden (a popular area for catered birthday parties) and the Emerald City Stage. In 1967 he left a successful real-estate career to become the puppet theater’s fourth director. His puppet-show creations—“Alice in Wonderland,” “Aladdin,” “Cinderella,” “Thumbelina,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and many others—are among Fairyland’s most beloved puppet productions. Lewis grew up in Chicago and began collecting puppets as a child; he says he loves all types of puppets, but has a special fondness for hand puppets. Although he retired from his director’s post in 1990, Lewis still stages puppet-theater productions at Fairyland, usually working with a young apprentice. “I especially enjoy it when children come backstage after the shows,” he says. “It’s all part of the joy of working with kids.”

In the course of his career, Mahlmann’s work has inspired and been in conversation with the likes of Frank Oz, Jim Henson and the aforementioned dude named Walt. Though not originally from Oakland, Thickwit salutes this long time town resident and craftsman of dreams. Here he is with one of the world’s best known celebrities.

Left to right: Burt, Lewis Mahlmann, Frank Oz

If you’re interested in supporting Children’s Fairyland’s efforts, you can make a donation here: DONATE.

This blog is brought to you, in part, by local textile and cultural purveyors, Oaklandish. Oaklandish will be throwing a party on the 1st Friday in October at their new Downtown Oakland store. Everyone I profile is invited to attend as an honored guest and will receive a limited edition “I AM OAKLANDISH” t-shirt. In a city of roughly 500,000 residents, there’s no way I can cover everyone or everything, but I’ll do my best to rep a cross section of folks that reflect our city’s varied perspectives and populations. Also, it is important to note that none of the honorees know that they’re being highlighted until the blog post is up, because surprises are sometimes fun, cuzzo. This means that some folks profiled might not closely align themselves with Oaklandish — and that’s fine by me — I mean no ill intent, nor make any assumptions — just want to shout out some folks who make a real impact on the world, from this pearl of a city on the East Side of the Bay.