Oakland Rising Honors Jakada Imani

Jakada became Ella Baker Center’s Executive Director in 2007, after serving as a lead strategist and chief team member on some of Ella Baker Center’s most high profile campaigns for eight years. Prior to becoming Executive Director, Jakada directed Books...

Oakland Rising Honors Bobby Seale

Bobby Seale was the co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense along with Huey P. Newton. After serving for three years in the US Air Force he returned home to Oakland, CA. He soon entered Merritt College in Oakland, California where he met Newton. It was...

Oakland Rising Honors Goapele

Singer/songwriter Goapele broke out of Bay Area at the beginning of the last decade determined to make a difference in the world of music. Seamlessly blending genres while refusing to be limited by the “neo-soul” tag, the eloquent singer/songwriter completed her first...

Oakland Rising Honors Supervisor Keith Carson

Keith Carson was elected to the Board of Supervisors, Fifth District, in 1992, on a platform dedicated to inclusive and accessible government. The Fifth District includes the cities of Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Piedmont, and the West Oakland, North Oakland,...