40×40 Community Safe Keeping Meeting
Join our bimonthly meetings with resident-led groups focused on improving safety in their neighborhoods. Next meeting is Thursday, Nov. 19.
Rise East
Rise East is a 10-year collaborative effort to transform the 40×40 into a place where Black people can remain, return, and thrive.
“Seed People” Film Premiere
An original docuseries on the Brotherhood of Elders Network chronicles the Brotherhood across four chapters focused on manhood, land, and legacy in Oakland. Join us Nov. 19 for the film premiere.
Neighborhood Empowerment Day
Our annual event brings together families and community for a day of fun, health & wellness resources, workshops, children’s activities, giveaways, and food.
Our Home
The 40×40 Block Area in the heart of East Oakland from Seminary Ave. to the Oakland-San Leandro border, from MacArthur Blvd. to the Bay
Our Mission
The 40×40 Council is a hub of collective power and a global model for Black-led community transformation. Together, we are reclaiming East Oakland’s legacy as a vibrant, multi-generational home for Black people to stay, return, heal, prosper, and build our power.
Our Work
We mobilize resources, advocate, and grow community power so Black families and communities can remain, return, and thrive in Deep East Oakland for generations.
From Our Neighbors
People have lost their lives inhumanely throughout Deep East Oakland. So the Peace Committee is focused on not just coming after a conflict has arisen or there’s already bad blood spilled, and now we’re trying to clean it up. It’s coming primarily before the blows are swung, before the guns are pulled out, before police are called to really try to resolve it in a communal aspect, save a life, and move things in a positive direction.”
Brotha Tut
Co-founder of Repaired Nations
There’s enough for everybody, and we’re proving that as a community. Giving back is really a strong point of the 40×40 Black Culture Zone.”
Naru Kwina
Founder of Alternative Minds Foundation and Hip Learning
Even with the challenges our community has faced, there’s a strong sense of pride and a willingness to support one another. Working with others, especially to uplift African American residents and families, has given me a deep sense of belonging. Being part of rebuilding and preserving a thriving legacy for Deep East Oakland is what makes this community feel like home.”
Deb Chester
Community Supporter in Deep East Oakland, Black Culture Zone Neighborhood Messenger, BCZ Hype Team member
Resources
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Akoma Market
Akoma Grand Market began as a bi-weekly outdoor farmers market in 2020 at Liberation Park in East Oakland, organized by the Black Cultural Zone (BCZ).
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Black Youth Development Book
The BYD Book is a resource guide that connects families and caregivers of Black youth in Oakland to community-led programs that educate and nurture our children from preschool through young adulthood.
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Community Data Trust
The Community Data Trust is a community-led repository of critical data on housing, health, and economic well-being across East Oakland communities.
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Emergency Preparedness
Communities who have received training are much better prepared to respond when disaster strikes. The Brotherhood of Elders Network hosts emergency preparedness workshops for families, elders, and community members.
