Latest news with #RiseEast
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$100 million raised to revitalize East Oakland
OAKLAND, Calif. - East Oakland collective Rise East has secured $100 million to help revitalize the community through affordable housing, wellness centers and commercial corridors; a feat that was hailed Thursday by advocates and Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. "Thank you, Rise East, for staying the course, meeting your fundraising goal of 100 million dollars," Lee said to applause at an East Oakland community center that formerly housed an elementary school. "It truly shows that Oakland is rising. As I said in my inaugural swearing-in speech, and still we rise," Lee said at her first news conference since taking office. Big picture view Community advocates say over a five-year period, the money will help the predominantly Black neighborhoods in the flatlands of East Oakland thrive and survive. But they say the end-goal is to create a ripple effect that lifts up and empowers all residents, no matter their background. "This investment is about a lot more than just putting dollars into the community. It really is about a collective effort, and it's just the beginning," said Dr. Noha Aboelata, CEO of Roots Community Health Center. The backstory The money consists of $50 million raised by Rise East, including from donors like the Hellman Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Google and Wells Fargo. Another $50 million was matched by Blue Meridian Partners, a New York non-profit group of philanthropists. "Yes to a $100 million in investments. Yes to jobs, yes to housing, education and thriving businesses, here in deep east Oakland," said Caheri Gutierrez of the Unity Council. Many spoke of giving back to the community where they were born and raised. "We are thinking of ourselves not as leaders in the traditional sense but as stewards, in a really indigenous sense. We are here to help cultivate an ecosystem," said Selena Wilson, CEO of the East Oakland Youth Development Center. Carolyn Johnson, CEO of Black Cultural Zone agreed, saying, "We can show that Oakland can be that beacon for who we need to be not only in the state but in this country. We don't have to divide and conquer. We can grow together." Henry Lee is a KTVU reporter. E-mail Henry at and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and The Source KTVU reporting, Rise East
San Francisco Chronicle
22-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
$100 million investment set for an Oakland neighborhood
Carolyn Johnson remembers her East Oakland childhood with both nostalgia and sorrow. There were the bustling small businesses and public parks she often went to, but the neighborhood was also devastated by the crack epidemic, racially segregated housing and failed efforts at economic revitalization. Johnson said she and residents struggled with a lack of resources and services available in their neighborhoods. The area still struggles with crime, increasing homelessness, lack of retail businesses and an exodus of long-time residents who can't afford housing costs. Now, Johnson and her Oakland nonprofit the Black Cultural Zone and other local charities are poised to invest an unprecedented $100 million into East Oakland. Johnson, executive director of the Black Cultural Zone, which supports entrepreneurs, teamed up with other community organizations to raise the money. It will go into creating jobs, building affordable housing, improving health and education, and revitalizing commercial corridors. The initiative, Rise East, is a 10-year venture that will focus on a roughly 40-square block stretch of East Oakland, from Seminary Avenue to the Oakland-San Leandro border and from the MacArthur Freeway to the bay. That area is home to one-third of the city's overall Black population — half of which is low-income, according to Rise East organizers. The initiative is led by four Oakland-based nonprofits: Black Cultural Zone, Brotherhood of Elders Network, East Oakland Youth Development Center and Roots Community Health. The group plans to continue raising money for the initiative. 'We are not giving up, and we can rebuild with this funding,' Johnson said, adding that, 'Rise East is about building power. Not to harm anyone, but power so that we can protect our babies, protect our future and just be able to thrive. Everyone in this country deserves to live a life of ease and so do we.' Johnson said she plans to use a portion of the funding to buy real estate to incubate small businesses in areas where major retailers and restaurants — such as In-N-Out and Denny's — have departed. Already, the organization has purchased a church that it plans to transform into a live performance space. She said the group also intends to purchase single-family homes and transform them into triplexes to help residents return to the neighborhood after being displaced. Part of the funding will be used to pay for 100 community ambassadors who will help clean up the neighborhood and manage events. Selena Wilson, executive director of the East Oakland Youth Development Center and member of Rise East, said the funding would be used to create paid internships and fellowships for low-income youth who would otherwise have to find paying jobs to help support their families. Participants will receive stipends of up to $10,000. 'Otherwise we will have situations where we have young people who are very promising, they want that unpaid internship at the DA's office but choose to take a retail job for the summer so they can help with bills,' Young said. 'We want to eliminate money as a deciding factor by ensuring these internships are well supported.' Blue Meridian Partners, a national philanthropic group dedicated to investing in communities most impacted by poverty, pledged in 2021 to give $50 million to Rise East as long as it could raise $50 million in matching funds. Oakland Thrives, the coordinating group behind Rise East, includes the Oakland mayor, representatives from the school district and other officials, and the other community groups. It raised another $50 million from donors including Kaiser Permanente, California Wellness Foundation, Tipping Point Community and Akonadi Foundation. 'It is years in the making and it feels incredibly satisfying and it feels like a real vote of confidence from our philanthropic community in Oakland and in the organizations in deep East Oakland who have worked for a long time for the betterment of that neighborhood and community,' said Melanie Moore, the CEO of Oakland Thrives. Keyanna Davis-Trahan, an athletic resource manager at the East Oakland Youth Development Center, said she's excited to see how the funding will transform the East Oakland neighborhoods — noting that many people have been pushed out and that homelessness has increased in the area. 'The city doesn't look as beautiful as it has in the past,' she said.
