By Post Staff

A new philanthropic partnership is kicking off a $100 million plan to invest $100 million to enhance the quality of life in a 40-by-40 block area of East Oakland.

Rise East is a collective impact initiative that grew out of a community-led vision to develop a Black Cultural Zone in East Oakland almost 10 years ago.

The effort is led by community members who were born and raised in East Oakland and is designed to keep Black families in the area and lead to the return of families who were displaced due to economic barriers and systemic disinvestment.

This privately funded initiative will focus on an East Oakland community known as the “40×40,” which runs from Seminary Avenue to the Oakland-San Leandro border and from MacArthur Boulevard to the Bay. This area is home to the largest concentration of Black residents (over 30,000) who remain in Oakland flatland neighborhoods today.

“As young people raised in the area and now serving as leaders, our vision is for a robust and vibrant renaissance in legacy Black communities; vibrant, thriving Black arts, cultural, and commercial areas in a thriving economy and ecosystem powered by collective efforts that assures our inalienable human right to love, health, wellness, belonging, power, safety, and self-determination,” said Carolyn (CJ) Johnson, CEO of the Black Cultural Zone and member of the 40×40 Council, speaking at a press conference Thursday announcing the initiative.

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Rise East is a joint effort between the 40×40 Council and Oakland Thrives, which is a network composed of resident leaders, major employers, and representatives of large public agencies, including the City of Oakland and Oakland Unified School District.

“Kaiser Permanente is a proud co-founding member of Oakland Thrives, whose goal is to make Oakland the healthiest city in the nation. We are honored to support the transformational work of Rise East, which will help us realize this shared vision,” said Colin Lacon, East Bay Public Affairs director, Kaiser Permanente Northern California.

Oakland Thrives is working to raise $50 million in local funding, which will be matched by national philanthropic organization Blue Meridian Partners for a total of $100 million in new investment for East Oakland.

Rise East strategies will be implemented over 10 years, beginning in 2024, and fundraising will continue as the work unfolds. More information can be found at www.riseeast.org.

“I applaud the East Oakland community leaders and everyone that has been working tirelessly toward the Rise East initiative and securing this investment in East Oakland,” said Mayor Sheng Thao in a press statement.

“My Administration is committed to working in partnership with this coalition to ensure the resources needed for the health and vitality of our East Oakland residents are provided to address historic inequities and ensure current residents continue to call this community their home,” she said.

Rise East is guided by a 10-Year Plan, which includes a five-part strategy to improve schools, boost economic opportunity, and improve health and wellbeing at the individual, household, neighborhood, and systemic level.

“More than 400 residents contributed their ideas to the plan,” said Oakland Thrives CEO Melanie Moore. “Data on the particular challenges facing East Oakland’s Black community ultimately led participants to make the decision to focus on Black children and families in the 40×40 area as the starting place for this effort.”

Speakers at the press conference at the East Oakland Youth Development Center included East Oakland residents, members of the 40×40 Council, Mayor Sheng Thao, OUSD Superintendent Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell, and representatives from Oakland Thrives and Kaiser Permanente.

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