Contributors:

Jackie B.: My name is Jackie. I was born and raised in Oakland, Ca. My hobbies include reading, writing (sometimes), and, of course, drawing. I'm completely obsessed with the Japanese culture, and I hope to one day vist Japan. Music inspires my everyday life; I can't wake up properly without it. I live in East Oakland, and it's very...different. It's not as bad as everyone says it is (so, someone was shot across the street where I live, but I haven't been shot yet!). You're not going to get shot if you come and vist Oakland. If I, a half white/ half Mexican (but doesn't look it) girl, can survive in Oakland, then it can't be that bad.



Ernesto: Hi, my name is Ernesto. I was born in Oakland and grew up in Oakland. I like to travel to Mexico in my vacations I like to go to Nayarit which is close to Guadalajara. I like to hang out, party, travel, and go shopping. My favorite brand of clothing is Ecko Unlimited.


Olivia: I am currently enrolled in a class called “WHYs Up” where we are mainly focused in teaching people more about how our community is different and what makes it the way it is. We are all teenage students that have grown up in East Oakland. We are hoping to get a message across about how yourcommunity affects you in a certain ways, but also helps you learn things and maybe become a stronger person. I am really hoping that readers have a chance to learn from a different community than they are used to. Thank you for your time. See ya later.


Juven: Hi, my name is Juven and I like to play football and video games. I'm in this program called Why's Up and we do blogs about our community or about things we like or things that we don't like.


Miguel - Well my name is 'blank'. I am a junior. I have been coming to the same school for the last three years, next year I will graduate. Some people call me sumo. I am a bay area representive. I used to stay in the "murder dubbs", the 2500 block, until my mom passed away, She left her six children orphans, and I am one of the six. I pray for my mom to be in heaven, she loved God. I really miss her. Now we are staying with my godparents.


Daniela - My name is Daniela. I was born and raised in East Oakland. Whenever I leave the Bay, people ask me where I am from and they are frightened by the word "Oakland." Have you ever been shot before? Do you see people die everyday? These are questions everyone asks, and the answer is NO. I am here to show the world my views on The Town, Oakland.


Beatriz - Hello my name is Beatriz. I was born and raised in the city of Oakland, California. l like living in Oakland, although people say that Oakland is not the best city to live in. I am a junior in high school and can't believe i am almost a senior. I am a very nice person and consider myself very friendly. I like tot alk to everyone although sometimes I can be quite shy.


"Ralo": Please call me Ralo. I live in East Oakland. I like graffiti art and I'm very good at it. something about me is that im a very honest person but I dont really like to open up to other people. I like to play sports, like football and baseball.




Jasmine: Hello, my name is Jasmine and I am a junior in high school in Oakland California. I like to be with my friends and have fun, and I like to be responsible for own my stuff. I dedicate most of my time to school work. One of my favorite things to do at home is talk on thephone and text with friends.




Claudia: Hello my name is Claudia. I was born in Oakland C.A. I like to go shopping and spending time with my family. Next year I will be a senior. Something about me is that I am a nice person.


Maria: My name is Maria, but people call me Chore. I was born in East Oakland but I consider myself fully Michoacana. I like reading, writing, and singing.

Brian: Hi, my name is Brian. I like to go out and hang out with my friends but most of all I like to go to Mexico and visit my grandperents.

Laura: Hi, I'm Laura. I've been living in East Oakland all my life. Living in Oakland is a good thing to me because I've learned things about life that other people don't get to learn. I love listening to to music especially R&B. I like kikin it with my friends, especially best friend, Vanessa. I'm a very fun person, and I like walking around my block.

Jackie P.: Hi, my name is Jackie. I'm a senior. Im proud to say that I was born and raised in East Oakland and I don't plan to leave. I enjoy going to the movies and spending time with friends. I'm so proud of myself to have made it this far in life because graduating High School is not really an expectation for a latina. I've overcame many struggles tthroughout my life but I see them as just lessons learned!

Jessica: Hey, my name is Jessica. I was born and raised in Oakland, California. My favorite color is blue. Some of my hobbies include reading, listening to music, and using the computer. In the future, I’m interested in becoming an optometrist.

Vanessa R.: Hi, My name is Vanessa. I was born in Oakland. My favorite color is green. I like reading and discovering new things. In the future i want to be an archaeologist.


Amairani: My name is Amairani. I’m graduating this year. I've been living in Oakland for 17 years already, and this is a good community. Many people judge what Oakland is about, but they don’t know the history behind it. I like the community. It is more calm in some areas than others. I like the activities here, like museums and the science Exploratorium. Oakland is a diverse community in culture, celebrations, and food.

Alejandro: Hello My name is Alejandro. I live in East Oakland and I like to hang out with my friends. I like Rap and Hiphop. My favorite singers are Lil Wayne and Birdman. I like girls --some of them not all. Oakland is a great city and a city you would want to live in ... who cares about the homocide numbers. There is always something new to learn about life here.

Yesenia: Hi, my name is Yesenia. I was born in Oakland Ca, but my family is from Mexico. I enjoy hanging out my with friends. I am a really shy person, but will challenge myself to do new things. I've also tried overcoming all my struggles in order to acoomplish my goals. I feel that I'm someone who will be very succesful in the future.

Vanessa B.: Hey my name is Vanessa. I live in East Oakland. A lot of people think that it's a bad an ugly place, but there's a lot of pretty places and we are proud of staying here. Living in the ghetto part of Oakland means going through a lot of problems, but that makes you stronger and you learn things about life that other people don't. I like hip-pop singers like Lil Wayne, Pitbull and many other singers. I like having a lot of clothes and doing my own nails. My best friend is Laura.

Lesley: Hi, people! For those who don’t know me, my name is "shorty". When I got to this school ,they started to call me shorty because am tiny. Next year, I will be graduating from high school. For this class, we are going to do a video about our community, talking about what is good and what is bad, and we are going to compare it to other cities. I think we are going present it to the whole school.