Hip-hop history, Oakland movies, community radio & more
Hi everybody,
Refresh your podcast feeds, because a new episode just dropped. This one is all about local hip-hop history and it features Eric Arnold, who created the "Bay Area Hip-Hop Atlas" as part of the Oakland Museum's exhibit "Respect: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom." We talk about everything from origin of "b-boy" dance styles to MC Hammer. If you dig this episode, please spread the word about it!
Long Lost Oakland updates:
The map is now available to purchase in downtown Oakland at Wolfman Books and in San Francisco at the California Historical Society. Every poster comes with an info guide that explains the features on the map.
I'll be doing another Long Lost Oakland presentation on August 28 at 6:30pm. That free event will be at the Montclair branch of the Oakland Public Library.
Thanks to everyone who joined the first Long Lost Oakland walking tour in downtown Oakland last weekend! I've got a few more dates coming up that are open to people who supported the Kickstarter and then I'll start opening up spots on the tour to everybody else who wants to join. (If you're interested in other local history walking tours, check out the Oakland Heritage Alliance's incredible lineup)
I'm still working on finding a distribution point for all the Oakland teachers who requested free copies of the map, so stay tuned! I'm also hoping to plan a special presentation about the map geared specifically for educators.
Other news
Rest in Power to Elbert "Big Man" Howard, one of the original members of the Black Panther Party
East Bay Yesterday is now airing on the community radio station KGPC-FM! They're currently accepting pitches for new shows, so if you want to get on the airwaves, check out their application form.
One of my favorite local history projects, The Berkeley Revolution, just posted a bunch of new stories about topics ranging from the disability rights movement to "The Secret History of Recycling." These stories include tons of cool photos and original documents. Highly recommend checking out this site!
This isn't really related to local history, but there are two incredible films out right now that were filmed in Oakland. It was a wild experience to watch "Sorry to Bother You" and "Blindspotting" at the Grand Lake Theater for so many reasons. Recognizing so many of the people and places in these films was fun, but most importantly these films both tell gripping, complex stories about the changes happening in Oakland and the world we're living in. There's been a lot of great articles written about these films, but two of my favorite pieces are this one by Sam Lefebvre about Boots Riley and this one by Azucena Rasilla about what "Blindspotting" reveals about an "Oakland in flux."
Also, just for fun, here's a photo of a Key System streetcar passing by the Grand Lake in ~1947.
Finally, I want to give a shoutout to another great local podcast: KQED's The Bay. If you like to keep up with Bay Area news, this is a great resource. It's only been around for a few months, but Devin, Vinnee and Erika are going a great job of bringing much-needed insights to complicated stories.
