Activism

Lake Merritt Circle of Peace Vigil, a Prayer for Change in Oakland

Last Sunday, approximately 200 people came to Lake Merritt’s Amphitheater to shift energy in Oakland, where, after a 12% dip in violence in 2022, the city has seen an unprecedented number of car break-ins and crimes of opportunity in 2023. Event organizer Tanya Dennis said that though she had expected a larger crowd based on commitments voiced by several groups, the shared mission by Adamika Village and Oakland Frontline Healers to bring peacekeepers together to pray and reflect for peace in Oakland was a success.

Published

3 years ago

April 20, 2023

Oakland Post

Daryle Allums, founder of Adamika Village, speaks while members holding signs of deceased loved ones listen at the Circle of Peace event. Photo by J. Prado.

By Post News Staff

Event organizer Tanya Dennis said that though she had expected a larger crowd based on commitments voiced by several groups, the shared mission by Adamika Village and Oakland Frontline Healers to bring peacekeepers together to pray and reflect for peace in Oakland was a success.

Members of Adamika Village held signs with images of deceased loved ones lost to violence, COVID-19 or old age.

Several speakers said they believed that Oakland can transform if people focus on peace rather than violence. Others reflected on how different the outcome might have been for their loved ones lost to violence if Oakland practiced a culture of peace.

One participant shared that her brother had been killed in a road-rage incident and cautioned listeners not to respond in-kind to people on the freeway who are angry.

Other speakers present were Deana White, Adamika Village; Davina Kerrelola, senior program manager for Love Never Fails; and Kristin Clopton, manager of the Office of Violence Prevention for the City of Oakland

Alameda County Board President Nate Miley and Supervisor Keith Carson honored the day with a county proclamation, proclaiming, “April 8, as Oakland’s “Day of Peace.” Carson encouraged organizers to make the Circle of Peace an annual event.

Daryle Allums, founder of Adamika Village, leads a “Celebration of Life” during the Circle of Peace event. Photo by Darren White of Realized Potential.

Daryle Allums, founder of Adamika Village, did a “Calling of Names,” honoring those who have passed on in a Celebration of Life, with Tanya Dennis, CEO of Adamika Village finishing with an African libation, a call to ancestors to empower and support peace in Oakland.

When asked what the purpose of the vigil achieved, Dennis responded, “We are the foundation of restoring Oakland’s peace. Thanks to the support of SAVE and St Paul’s Episcopal Church, who held sacred space on the north end of the lake, positive healing energy was sent throughout our city. I checked OPD records and there were homicides on April 5, 6 and 7, but none that I can find on the day of our vigil, April 8.

“Shifting energy is real,” Dennis continued. “For the past four years there have been no homicides when Adamika Village hosts its annual “No Yellow Tape Day” at the end of the year. Imagine when more people start to believe and start focusing on peace. We have to be careful, focusing on violence attracts more violence. We are what we think. Think peace.”

On Thursday, Miley reached out to Dennis to thank her and Adamika Village for their hard work and dedication and to congratulate them on the event’s success. The violence experienced in Oakland parallels what’s going on in other cities.

“This is a national challenge that each of us experience daily — directly and indirectly– every single day, not only in the City of Oakland but throughout the East Bay,” he wrote.

There continues to be a need to address society’s ills, he noted, but a change in mindset is also critical.

And the Circle of Peace spoke to that mindset of raising consciousness about how people can treat one another better.

“Treating every person the way we would want to be treated must be at the very center of moving to experiencing daily peace,” he said.

Adamika Village and Oakland Frontline Healers will be supporting their sister agency, the Violence Prevention Coalition in hosting a citywide peace summit on June 24 at Laney College.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

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

Published

2 days ago

September 7, 2026

Oakland Post

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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

1 week 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.