With approximately 100 ardent supporters present, Greg Hodge launched his campaign for mayor on Dec. 18 at Oeste Restaurant, a woman-of-color-owned business in downtown Oakland.

Hodge, an experienced advocate for children and a former OUSD board member, has embarked on a listening campaign to understand what voters believe to be important in crafting comprehensive solutions to reimagining safety, providing decent, affordable housing for its most vulnerable residents, and enhancing economic opportunities for all of Oakland’s residents.

Hodge offers his considerable skills as a consensus builder, healing practitioner, community attorney, policy advocate and cultural artist to bring them to bear on the leadership challenges ahead. “I love Oakland. I believe in its people. I know that we can listen to our collective wisdom, lift up the best ideas and lead to get things done.”

“How we will bring ‘Hope and Healing’ to an anxious City will be our opening focus,” said Hodge during his remarks. “We will pay attention to the things that really matter to all Oaklanders. In a moment of an unprecedented uptick of violence, homelessness and blight, and economic insecurity for many, the citizens of Oakland will have the opportunity to make leadership choices which can either transform the city or simply do business as usual.”

Via livestream, Hodge was joined by rapper, actor and Oakland native Daveed Diggs. A multi-talented artist, Diggs emerged from Oakland’s rich cultural scene to become a Tony award winner. “I am thrilled that (Hodge) is throwing his hat into the ring to be mayor of the city that I love and care about. We put Oakland on a pretty high pedestal and credit it for most of who I am as an artist.”

Diggs, who, with his partners, is currently producing the second season of “Blindspotting,” a show based in Oakland, sees an important role for the arts community in creating safe spaces for making art and, in turn, safe spaces for the broader community. “Art works best when it’s operating from a place of love. We have to keep artistic resources in Oakland, make it more affordable for artists to live here, and incentivize production companies to work in Oakland.”

Hodge was joined by George Galvis, a staunch community activist who provided a native land acknowledgment; Mosheh Milon and the Bantaba drummers, Sister Iminah who offered an ancestral libation, Michelle “Mush” Lee, a noted poet and youth development leader who shared a poem written for the occasion, and Surlene Grant, a former San Leandro councilmember and college classmate of Hodge.

Nicole Lee, a third-generation Oaklander who has worked on a range of social and racial justice efforts said, “I am honored to be here to celebrate the journey that we are embarking on to save the soul of this city. This room looks like the Oakland that I grew up in and the Oakland that I wake up fighting for every day.”

“Yes, we will talk about what makes us safer, more secure, physically sheltered, and more prosperous along the way. But in the meantime, we have a simple, elegant question for you: What makes you hopeful?” said Hodge, who has worked for years in his community to help address a range of challenges for young people and elders alike.

“We invite Oaklanders to share their vision of hope and healing with us as we campaign for a better way to create the city that we all want to live in,” he said.

Visit Hodge for Oakland on Instagram @hodgeforoakland or on our Facebook page to share your ideas.

This announcement is from the Greg Hodge for Oakland campaign.

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