Bay Area

Comedian and Writer W. Kamau Bell Visits OSA

W. Kamau Bell, a talented Black comedian, writer, and filmmaker, visited Oakland School for the Arts on Thursday April 27. His Q & A with students from various pathways was intended to inspire them as well as show them the many brave, innovative things they can achieve with their art.

Published

3 years ago

May 10, 2023

Oakland Post

W. Kamau Bell. Santa Clara University photo.

By Daisha Williams
Post News Group Intern

The host of the CNN show “United Shades of America,” was born in 1973 in Palo Alto, raised in Boston, and Chicago and attended the University of Pennsylvania before dropping out.

Returning to California, he established himself as a comedian, doing small shows in bars. He says that one of his biggest inspirations early on was Dick Gregory.

(Gregory was a popular comedian during the 1950s and ‘60s who later stopped comedy and pursued activism more heavily.)

Since then, he’s been very busy: It’s amazing how much Bell has achieved as a Black man in America.

Since his start, Bell has done countless things with his career, from comedy specials to a recent documentary about the lives of mixed-race kids in the Bay Area and even writing an autobiography in 2017 called “The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6’4, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama’s Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian.”

According to Wikipedia, he released his first album in 2007 and in 2012 the S.F. Weekly and the San Francisco Bay Guardian newspapers both named him San Francisco’s best comedian.

When asked by OSA students if he thinks it’d have been easier for him to get where he is today if he was a white man he responded, “America is set up for white men. I can’t say what that would’ve meant for my career. . . But certainly, there are examples of people around me where white men have gotten through the door where we were like “that guy’s not even that [funny].”

He talked about his show several times during the Q & A, including one particularly shocking and risky episode when he visited the Ku Klux Klan in 2016. He was able to do something that no one had done before, at least on television. But still, if he could go back, he definitely wouldn’t do it the same way.

He said he felt extremely unsafe in that situation, made worse by the fact that the majority of his staff was white. This experience is what led him to demand having more Black and Brown people on the staff: He would’ve left the show if that accommodation wasn’t made.

The episode with the KKK wasn’t the only circumstance of Bell talking to racists. When asked how he handles these situations he revealed a variety of methods. Bell says he resists the urge to argue, saying that sometimes in an interview the best thing you can do is to just let them talk.

It’s hard, he admits, and that sometimes he shuts down, can’t let himself take in what is being said. This is why he needs to have people on set with him who can firsthand experience the weight of what he is experiencing.

Some might wonder why Bell puts himself through this. However, the answer is simple, he wants to use art as a way to make the world more aware of the Black experience, of the trials and triumphs of a group of people that have been unsung.

Bell says that every time he begins a new project, he asks himself, “Is this the project that dismantles white supremacy?”

The answer is often no, but it’s an admirable thing to strive for.

Wikipedia contributed to this report.

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Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

Published

4 days ago

September 7, 2026

Oakland Post

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Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Published

2 weeks ago

August 29, 2026

Post News Group

Dawna Williams, EOBA executive director speaks to attendees at the Black August Eperience on Aug. 21. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Flynn of EOBA.

By Jana Lang Propel Youth Reporter

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) and Youth Alive! came together on Aug. 21 to share with their community all that Black August means to them.

Held on EOBA’s patio at 816 98th Ave. in Deep East Oakland, the two organizations hosted their second annual Black August Experience, featuring a food tasting, financial literacy and mindfulness workshops, and voter registration with the League of Women Voters Oakland (LWV).

Black August is known as a time to uphold the legacy of prisoners who protested their conditions by fasting, fighting, and educating themselves on the economic and political circumstances that contributed to their incarceration.

According to its website, “EOBA is a multi-service youth and community development hub that goes far beyond the ring. While rooted in the discipline of boxing, for nearly 40 years EOBA has also integrated robust programs in workforce development, food justice, afterschool enrichment, financial literacy, mentorship, and wellness.”.

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Through Coro California, another leadership organization serving young people across the state for 80 years, they gained a broader understanding of Black August.

EOBA Executive Director Dawna Williams spoke about how much she learned about Black August from the youth who created it. “I let them educate me,” she said. Instead of talking about prison reform and mass incarceration, Williams and youth interns found that Black August meant so much more. “We would have done a disservice if we had just focused on who the people were and what their situation was…We tried to take their message from back in the day and make it relevant to the young people today. What do they need to know?”

Youth interns created and placed posters around the patio to help participants understand how traditional Black foodways, civic engagement, financial literacy, and the power of education are relevant to Black resistance today.

An EOBA member described Black August with Youth ALIVE! as “a whole vibe. “This year we added the Fun Zone for the kids, because you really cannot go wrong with a Fun Zone. I also loved seeing everyone chillin’ in the outdoor lounge, catching some Vitamin D and just enjoying a Friday evening together.”

The food tasting, a popular event from last year, featured traditional Black foods such as black-eyed peas, johnny cakes, and fried chicken. Led by Williams, the tasting included a talk about how these traditional foods were made and why they are forms of Black resilience.

The “‘Plate of History’ was a favorite of the online writers. “Fun, educational, and did I mention delicious? Our Taste of History cook, Angela Southall, served up some good eats while connecting food to history and culture.”

The writer also commended the “League of Women Voters Oakland for their civic leadership and for getting our young people informed, ready, and registered to vote.”

Overall, it was a “good Friday event in East Oakland,” the writer said.

Upcoming Black August events: Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The websites for East Oakland Boxing Association, Youth Alive! and CORO are sources for this report.

Jana Lang is an Oakland resident, teacher, gardener and poet participating in the Propel News Initiative.