“We have our City and County officials bending to knees of wealthy people, developers rather than just funding things like housing for all.”
Jess Inson, Political Organizer of Oakland Rising speaks with Kari Malkki, Healing Justice Program Manager of Restore Oakland, Inc. on updates surrounding the Alameda County budget,
Jess (she/they) was born and raised in Frisco’s Mission district and brings 9 years of education justice organizing experience to her current role at Oakland Rising. Jess is a dedicated organizer starting her journey as a youth where she trained and mobilized students to advocate for themselves and fight for policies in their respective schools in San Francisco’s Unified School District. Jess is also a multi-talented creative director who’s worked in film, podcast, and music. Jess began her time at Oakland Rising through Bay Rising’s Lead Organizing fellowship where she worked on deepening her electoral campaigns skills and now is diving into understanding Oakland’s landscape and policies in her newest role as Political Organizer.
Kari (any pronoun) is a queer, Black organizer and facilitator who brings her training in policy advocacy and social work to the movements for prison-industrial-complex abolition and Black liberation. Kari has roots in rural North Carolina, Uganda, and Finland, and has been cultivating a home in the Bay Area over the last six years
Before joining Restore Oakland, Kari provided advocacy and support to incarcerated Californians fighting for resentencing and release, and worked with unhoused folks and low-income families to access housing and vital services. They hold an MSW/MPP from UC Berkeley, and are passionate about liberatory approaches to healing and mental healthcare. On good days, Kari may be found reading in the sun, dancing to live music, homemaking with their partner, and tending to plants.
“The most heartbreaking and enraging thing is that the same people will always be at the bottom of the hierarchy, being harmed by these policies and the lack of resources being put into community care. I think of migrants, people who are not housed stably, black and brown communities, specifically black communities in Alameda County who are disproportionately criminalized for not having access to mental health services.” – Kari Malkki