Bay Area
SEQ CHAPTER Imani Vision Board Party at The MC Arts Gallery
Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, in 1966. After the Watts riots in Los Angeles, Dr. Karenga searched for ways to bring African Americans together as a community.

By Godfrey Lee
Oshalla Diana Marcus hosted the Imani Vision Board Party at the MC Arts Gallery in Marin City on Saturday, New Year’s Day, starting the New Year celebrating the principles of Kwanzaa.
Vision boarding is a fun activity involving clipping pictures and words out of magazines to visually represent the life you want to see for yourself. Marcus wrote in her announcement that “many see vision boarding as creating art, while others see it as therapy. However, all can agree that it is fun, especially when combined with healthy traditional New Year’s Day Soul Food: rice, greens, black-eyed peas, chicken, corn bread, and a little sweet wine.”
A small group of women came to the vision board party, including Brittney Burton and Ayana Morgan-Woodard who helped Marcus organize the event. Mz. Ebony Divine McKinley said it didn’t matter how many people came. “It is not your loss; it is their loss.
They miss out on a beautiful event. Don’t take it as a failure. Just look at it as I’m giving it to you,” she said.
Marcus said that the event is an opportunity for us to model, create and imagine something in new ways, especially in our work and world. Kwanzaa was a holiday that reminds us that we can be sustainable and self-sufficient. “It is important to really understand this about our culture. So, let’s own it.” Oshalla said.
Marcus also honored the ancestors who came before us and brought us to where we are now.
Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, in 1966. After the Watts riots in Los Angeles, Dr. Karenga searched for ways to bring African Americans together as a community.
Karenga combined aspects of several different African harvest celebrations, such as those of the Ashanti and the Zulu, to form the basis of the week-long holiday.
The Swahili term ‘umoja’ means ‘unity’ to strive for and maintain in the family, community, nation and race.
‘Kujichagulia’ means ‘self-determination,’ to define, name, create and speak for oneself.
‘Ujima’ means ‘collective work and responsibility,’ to build, uplifting your community together and to help one another in your community.
‘Ujama’ means ‘cooperative economics.’ Similar to Ujima, this principle refers to uplifting your community economically, and to build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
‘Nia’ means ‘purpose’ or to collectively build and developing of the community in order to restore it to its traditional greatness.
‘Kuumba’ meaning ‘creativity,’ to use our creativity and imagination in order to make our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
‘Imani,’ the final principle, translates to ‘faith’ in the community, and “to believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, teachers, leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle,” says Karenga.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of February 5 – 11, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of February 5 – 11, 2025

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Oakland Post: Week of January 29 – February 4, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 29 – February 4, 2025

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Oakland Poll: Tell Us What You Think About the Cost of Groceries in Oakland
Food banks and grocery giveaways are a large part of the resources nonprofits in Oakland prioritize, particularly in areas like East and West Oakland where low-income families of color tend to reside. These neighborhoods are often labeled as “food deserts” or communities that have limited access to affordable and nutritious foods.

By Magaly Muñoz
In 2023, the average spending on groceries increased by nearly $30 each month from the year before;people are spending over $500 a month to put food on the table.
Through previous reporting by the Post, we’ve learned that families in Oakland are depending more and more on free or low cost groceries from food banks because they can no longer afford the rising costs of food at the store.
Food banks and grocery giveaways are a large part of the resources nonprofits in Oakland prioritize, particularly in areas like East and West Oakland where low-income families of color tend to reside. These neighborhoods are often labeled as “food deserts” or communities that have limited access to affordable and nutritious foods.
We’ve recently spoken to families across these two areas of Oakland and have heard several stories that all point to one problem: food is expensive. Some individuals are spending upwards of $150 a week for themselves or double if they have teens or small children in the family.
We’ve also heard stories of people with chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure struggling to maintain their diets because they’re having a hard time affording the food that helps them stay healthy.
Do these experiences sound similar to what you or your family are dealing with every month? Are you struggling to afford your basic groceries every week? Do you depend on food banks to help you get by? Are there any chronic illnesses in your household that need to be managed by a special diet?
We want to hear about your experiences and ideas for solutions!
The Oakland Post is investigating food access in Oakland and how residents are surviving as the cost of living continues to increase. Your experiences will help shape our reporting and show local leaders the need to invest in our communities.
In order to get as much feedback as possible, we ask that you click this link to fill out a brief questionnaire or visit tinyurl.com/Oakland-Post-food-survey. You can also scan the QR code above to reach the survey. After you fill it out, please consider sharing the link with your friends and family in Oakland.
If you have questions, please reach out to our Oakland reporter Magaly Muñoz at mmunoz@postnewsgroup or text/call her at (510) 905-5286.
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