2nd Annual “West Oakland Matters” Free Arts + Culture Fest (7th West)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

West Oakland Matters is a free public celebration featuring paintings and photography, film and fashion, music and community memories. This celebration of “living heritage” brings together longtime residents and elders sharing archival materials, vendors offering vintage clothing, and information about local treasures including the historic 16th Street Train Station, maker crafts, and area walking tours.

Program Highlights

Opening Welcome: MC Julian Glover, ABC7 News Anchor and Reporter introduces guests

Artists Panel: Local painters and photographers present their work that is on display on site

Community Panel: Features acclaimed West Oakland enterprises and community leaders, including:
Alexis Madrigal, journalist and author of *The Pacific Circuit* (March 2025)

David Peters, lifelong resident and founder of the Black Liberation Walking Tour

Malcolm Ryder, award-winning photographer and creator of “West Oakland Matters”

Noni Session, third-generation West Oakland resident, cultural anthropologist, renovator of Esther’s Orbit Room

Jilchristina Vest, proprietor of The Women of The Black Panther Party mural and the Black Panther Museum

Fashion Show : A celebration of Black aesthetic spanning decades, highlighting the West Oakland heyday of the 1940s and 1950s. and a fashion show featuring Saint Maurice designs.

West Oakland Matters is made possible through collaboration with local businesses and organizations.

Sponsors and Partners include: Kaiser Permanente, ABC7, Oakland Art Murmur, Sterling Art Services, Oakland Roots and the Oakland Ballers.
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Presented by West Oakland Matters

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.