Activism

City of Oakland Celebrates Improvements to Downtown Oakland Senior Center

District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife likewise praised the center, which is within her district. “The Downtown Senior Center offers dance classes, crafts, computer courses, and other wonderful programs and activities for our elders,” she said. “I’m excited that renovations to the Downtown Senior Center have been completed and thank everyone involved, especially City staff who work diligently to help improve the quality of life for our seniors.”

Published

2 years ago

January 1, 2025

Oakland Post

Oakland Mayor Kevin Jenkins speaks as councilmembers Carroll Fife, Noel Gallo, Assistant City Administrator Latonda Simmons and Oakland Public Works Director Josh Rowan look on. Photo courtesy the City of Oakland.

By Jean Walsh
Special to The Post

City of Oakland leadership and community partners gathered Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the completion of improvements to enhance the Downtown Oakland Senior Center located in the Veterans’ Memorial Building at 200 Grand Ave.

“Our Senior Centers are vital hubs for the community and enable seniors to socialize and interact with other active seniors. I’m so excited to see these renovated spaces,” said Interim Oakland Mayor Kevin Jenkins. “Thank you to Oakland voters for making these crucial improvements possible through Measure KK and thank you to the hardworking City of Oakland team for delivering this project on time and within budget.”

The Downtown Oakland Senior Center Improvements Project entailed a partial renovation of the ground floor of the building. The project refreshed worn out finishes that had not been upgraded since the 1980s, including nearly 10,000 square feet of new flooring, painting, signage and LED lighting retrofits in the canteen, dining, crafts, computer and consignment rooms. These improvements make the space more inviting, with a fresh, clean look.

The project also included sewer replacement, accessibility upgrades to the bathrooms, and ADA upgrades to the parking lot, including partial pavement rehabilitation, accessible parking stalls, signage, and curb ramps.

The $2.5 million Downtown Oakland Senior Center project was funded through Measure KK, passed by the Oakland voters in 2016. ELS Architecture and Urban Design was the design team and Mar Con Builders was the contractor.

The Downtown Oakland Senior Center focuses on providing seniors (55+) with innovative programs and services that address the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of older adults. Seniors are welcome to become a member at DOSC for $12/year. Membership opportunities include (no cost and low cost): exercise classes, art and writing classes, conversation groups, book clubs, group day trips, etc. Activities are in-person or on ZOOM.

Further, DOSC is a community hub for senior services, offering a ready-to-eat lunch program through Spectrum Community Services, senior relevant presentations in partnership with other organizations, and access to an Information and Assistance specialist available to provide individualized support referrals.

Unique to DOSC there is a Consignment Shop where members can consign items to sell and everyone can shop!

“The Downtown Oakland Senior Center is located in a glorious building with a rich history,” said Josh Rowan, Interim Oakland Public Works Director. “This project has made the building more accessible for visitors using mobility aids, more functional for the staff who cook meals in the kitchen or teach classes in the computer lab, and more comfortable for the seniors who enjoy the Center’s excellent programs every day.”

“The Mayor’s Commission on Aging is thrilled to welcome back our Oakland seniors, our services providers, health and safety partners, our Veterans, families and friends to celebrate the re-opening of the Café, Consignment Shop and other sorely-missed spaces closed during construction,” said Lenore McDonald Gunst, Chair, Mayor’s Commission on Aging.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Oakland Will Lay Off Dozens of City Workers

Don't Miss

Oakland Roots Soccer Team Signs Peter Wilson

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

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

Published

3 days ago

September 7, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

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.