I call myself a Bay Area native, but moving to Boston and returning this summer to work in Oakland has proved me to be otherwise. Yes, I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I grew up here. I’ve never truly lived here. My life growing up in Albany (a place that even locals tend to mistake for Albany, New York) left me blissfully ignorant of much of the Bay Area.
Growing up, Oakland was very much a gray area. I knew BART stopped there a few times before heading to San Francisco. 
I’d frequented the zoo and spent a few Saturday mornings at Fairy Land. I went with my mom several times to have my hair cut by a very nice woman on Piedmont Ave. I’d even flown out of the Oakland airport several times.
Even with these interactions with the city, Oakland was punctuated by the murder and mayhem that plagues the evening newscast. All too quickly Oakland became associated with violence in my mind. Compliments of mainstream media I cultivated a completely irrational view of the city. I labored under the false illusion that I had something to fear. Ten miles to the north, sheltered in my “safe haven,” I let arrogance get the better of me. I listened to the news reports and allowed them to scare me.
Working as an intern with the Ella Baker Center on their Books Not Bars campaign has shattered every one of my misconceptions. My fear now stems from the thought that another generation of locals may grow up without ever truly knowing the Bay Area because it won’t give Oakland a chance.
The city of Oakland is much more than a thirty second report on the 10 o’clock news. It has all the pain, yet all the promise for what an urban city can be. I see that now. I challenge every self-proclaimed Bay Area native to take a second look at their community. You’ll be surprised at what you find.
How well do you really know the Bay Area?
Abby Ridley-Kerr is an Organizing Intern with the Books Not Bars campaign. She’s currently an undergraduate student at Boston University where she studies political science. She is a fan of moderate climates and the color orange.
6 Comments
Oakland= home of the brave. Thanks for representing!
really nice blog. Coming from out of town I had those same fellings. People made jokes about me coming here like don’t wear blue or don’t get shot. But honestly this is one of the nicest cities i’ve been too. The people love their city and will do anything to support it.
This is true of thousands of people who live near urban communities throughout the country. I commend you for taking the time to get to know Oakland. Great blog!
I love Oakland. Keep up the good work
I feel like i should forward it to people who have had those misconceptions of Oakland before. I loved this blog, thank you!
I agree. Oakland’s problem is an image problem. That problem is caused by activists calling Olis Simmons a “poverty pimp” on the one hand, and others calling for fewer police on the other. If everyone would stop with the hysterical rhetoric for a few months maybe, just maybe, voters will have enough faith in the system to raise badly needed tax monies.