East Bay Magazine January 2022

THE MAGAZINE OF OAKLAND, BERKELEY AND THE WORLD THAT REVOLVES AROUND US

January & February 2022

R&Thuy The new face of smooth rhythm & blues is an Newark-bred chanteuse whose name rhymes with with ‘be’

Experience the Difference at The Parkview

Proud member of the

family

Experience The Parkview, a beautiful senior living community located near Centennial Park and the Pleasanton Senior Center. With a wide range of services and amenities available, our dedicated staff will help you create a lifestyle tailored to your needs and preferences.

100% Resident Satisfaction Score

• 24-hour staffing with licensed nurse oversight • State-of-the-art fitness center and engaging exercise classes • Complimentary, scheduled shuttle bus trips for errands, events and appointments • Excursions to restaurants, theaters, museums, parks and sporting events • Pet-friendly with landscaped walking trails • Private rooms available in memory care

Experience our community and meet our care staff today!

925-660-0514 • theparkview.org The Parkview Assisted Living and Memory Care 100 Valley Avenue, Pleasanton, CA 94566 License #015601283

Equal Housing Opportunity

Jan & Feb 2022

THE MAGAZINE OF OAKLAND, BERKELEY AND THE WORLD THAT REVOLVES AROUND US

UNSENTIMENTAL EDUCATION

DINING OUTDOORS

CURIOUS CURATOR

EAST BAY DIVA

BAMPFA’s new Chief Curator Christina Yang 5 HISTORY SUNG

West Edge Opera celebrates Dolores Huerta 11 INDUSTRIAL ARTS

The Crucible fires up inspiration 16 PUBLISHER Rosemary Olson

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Karen Klaber

EDITOR Daedalus Howell

COPY EDITOR Mark Fernquest

CONTRIBUTORS Jeffrey Edalatpour Lou Fancer

Where to eat outside 22

Thuy gives voice to experience 28 GETTING SCHOOLED

The lowdown on private education 36

LEARNING IN PUBLIC

Oakland author Courtney Martin’s latest 46

Mark Fernquest Janis Hashe Michael Giotis

ADVERTISING DIRECTORS

PRODUCTION OPERATIONS MANAGER

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGERS

Sean George

Danielle McCoy Ben Grambergu Mercedes Murolo Lynda Rael

EDITORIAL PRODUCTION MANAGER Phaedra Strecher

SENIOR DESIGNER Jackie Mujica

Art by Scott Laperruque

Letter from the Editor 4

Celebrating over 30 years of helping clients invest and prosper

Lori Lieneke Lisa Santos

CEO/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Dan Pulcrano

The Fine Art of Wealth Management

ON THE COVER Photographer: Anisha Patel

AN EAST BAY EXPRESS PRODUCTION www.eastbaymag.com TELEPHONE: 510.879.3700 ADVERTISING: sales@eastbaymag.com

| 510.879.3730

EDITORIAL: editor@eastbaymag.com CIRCULATION AND BUSINESS: publisher@eastbaymag.com

Except as otherwise noted, entire contents ©2022 Metro Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.

DHR Investment Counsel, Ltd. A Registered Investment Advisor located in Rockridge

5435 College Avenue • Oakland 510.596.2580 • dhrcounsel.com

Data isn’t wisdom

I

’m a great believer of the adage “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will deplete the oceans of sea life and ruin the environment for generations to come.”

Not that I have an issue with teaching or education per se, I just don’t trust humans with any information beyond, say, how to screw in a light bulb—and even that is fraught with devastating implications in this moment of late capitalism.

For me, there’s always been a continuum when it comes to understanding the ways and means of our universe—it starts with data, which is followed by information,

Jeffrey Edalatpour’s writing about arts, food and culture has appeared in KQED Arts, Metro Silicon Valley, Interview Magazine, Berkeleyside. com, The Rumpus and SF Weekly.

4

PHOTO BY SEEMA MIAH

Yearn to Learn SMART Drink from the cup of knowledge.

then knowledge and finally wisdom.

For some reason, we’ve been stuck somewhere between data and information for the past decade. I blame it on the obsession our corporate nation-states and social-media tycoons have with “metrics.” These are mined from the mountains of data they collect from us but provide only the shallowest understanding of what a human actually is. In short, one can’t measure the depth of a human soul with click-thru rates.

In fact, I don’t think it can be measured at all. All we can do is make ourselves available to the experience of having a soul. And then try to remember that everyone else has one, too. I’d take that little morsel

Lou Fancher has been published by WIRED. com, Diablo Magazine, the Oakland Tribune, the San Jose Mercury News, InDance, San Francisco Classical Voice, SF Weekly and elsewhere.

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

Mark Fernquest is a Mad Max fan from way back. If he isn’t attending a post-apocalyptic festival in the outer wasteland, he’s sure to be writing about the last one he went to.

of teaching over any fish fry, because the more empathy we engender, the more understanding will bloom— and understanding is the seedbed of wisdom.

No matter how many data points are scraped from our posts, pics and other digital posturings, not even the mostsophisticated algorithm will ever be able to understand this about us. If only we understood this about ourselves. Ergo, education. Or, as journalist Sydney J. Harris famously observed, “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” All we have to do is look outside our selfies.

—Daedalus Howell, Editor

Janis Hashe is a freelance journalist who writes on everything from the arts, to politics, to tea.

Michael Giotis contributes to the Pacific Sun, the North Bay Bohemian and the East Bay Express. His most recent book of poetry is Daybreak.

Art Curation The

of

BAMPFA’s new Chief Curator Christina Yang

BY Lou Fancher

A

nchored for a mere 18 days in her position as the newly-appointed chief curator at UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Christina Yang offers weighty resistance.

During a lively, 50-minute phone interview in early December 2021, I try to budge her off the shelf of “that’s to be determined in the months to come” and “I just landed here” protests.

Consistently, politely, firmly—and alway presented with solid rationale— Yang refuses to fling projections about exhibits. She declines my invitations to predict or prognosticate about specific directions she intends to pursue while leading the staff, campus faculty and

students, visitors and collaborative partner organizations in the Bay Area and nationwide into and through a period most experts and scholars in the field say is a time of reckoning for large art institutions.

Typically, an interview with this level of pushback leaves me frustrated and floundering for a convincing “hook” upon which to compose an article.

In this case, I like Yang’s powerful pushback. It becomes the storyline; in part because she keeps it up for the entire time we talk, bandying her way out of corners and convincing me she means what she says at the start of our conversation: “I actually don’t yet have enough information to put out what I’ll be

proposing,” she says. “The work I do is based on listening to our community and listening to the internal work culture. I need to understand how this body functions. We are in a time where the work of a curator isn’t just researching artists and taking care of artifacts, but also taking care of staffing, art and budget parameters, hiring practices, equitable payment, the interests and needs of the larger community. Yes, it’s expanding the canon and uplifting under-recognized artists and countering injustice and more, but these actions must reflect our internal culture. I see my role as not just leading, but also uplifting and nurturing a staff of curatorial thinkers.”

»

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

5

ART Christina Yang is the newly-appointed Chief Curator at UC Berkeley Art Museum.

»

»

6

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

PHOTO BY JESSICA SMOLINSKI, COURTESY OF BAMPFA

Undoubtedly, Yang will make her imprint on BAMPFA’s exhibitions, collections and public programs. Her most recent position, as deputy director of engagement and curator of education at Williams College Museum of Art, followed a 14-year term at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City and positions at the Kitchen and the Queens Museum.

Williams College, like UC Berkeley, is a premier teaching institution, and Yang’s influence was broadcast widely in 2020 to include a digital initiative that connected audiences with the museum during the Covid lockdown and with Resist COVID / Take 6!, an installation of a national publichealth campaign by artist Carrie Mae Weems that sought to raise awareness of the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.

Yang created a new undergraduate internship focused on racial and social justice at Williams College, an endeavor extending her previous accomplishments at the Guggenheim, where her curation introduced multidisciplinary works, symposia, films, literature and performances. At the Guggenheim, Yang established her signature style with collaborations featuring unusual genre crossovers, solo-artist exhibits and retrospectiveborn-anew projects involving artists such as Lenka Clayton and Jon Rubin, Joan Jonas, Shaun Leonardo, Public

Typically, an interview with this level of pushback leaves me frustrated and floundering for topicality, relevancy, a convincing ‘hook’ upon which to compose an article. In this case, I like Yang’s powerful pushback. It becomes the storyline.

» Movement, Yoko Ono, Christopher

Wool, Tania Bruguera and others.

Yang’s appointment marks a return: she attended UC Berkeley for undergraduate studies in history and art history, and interned at BAMPFA. Recognized as a scholar, educator, administrator and innovator— especially in the realm of performance studies—Yang is a performance studies Ph.D. candidate at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She will defend her dissertation, Performance and The Gaze: Spectatorship in The Kitchen Archive, 1974–84, in 2022.

Simultaneously, and with stated conviction—if any person can put forth a convincing statement, it is she—Yang says repeatedly that her first order of work is to listen, followed swiftly by building a collaborative team that is organic and includes at least four other curators, among other positions. “About 75% of the pieces you see that represent just 25% of an exhibition are the backstories of the art, of these people [staff] and their work, of the lives of the actual artists,” she says.

8

Her work history, she suggests, can be divided into two halves that in this new position form into one whole. There is the traditional curatorial work done with artists: Yang and her staff selecting artists, identifying and choosing artwork and themes, considering space and design configurations, planning and obtaining the additional materials to display, brainstorming with artists and the community at large to determine programs and address accessibility, and providing an immersive experience with room for feedback. There is also the gridiron framework of an exhibit: crafting an object and experience in such a way that a person entering the museum to see the exhibit leaves forever changed means focusing on internal protocols, audience encounters from arrival at the admissions front desk to departure, ticket price and more.

I ask Yang if a third component layered upon the multiple tasks at BAMPFA is adding scholarship, or knowledge-making. Yang agrees, saying, “It’s a three-prong approach that has

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

a human piece that’s vital along with my longer legacy of documenting and producing knowledge, books, publications, exhibitions. I’m excited to be sustaining the work on all three levels. I’m focused on emerging trends, whether it’s social media, new artists and other areas. I’m paying attention to a generation of creative practitioners who think of the entire social ecosystem as their media.”

Hmmm, I think … then decide to risk more pushback by asking what this statement means and what it might cause to happen at BAMPFA. Especially with so many people shifting to online interactions, will museum encounters become a hybrid—or even primarily virtual—experience?

“Around the areas of technology and digital ways of communicating and documentation, from my background in digital media, I’ll say we’ve had this sort of thing since the 1970s,” Yang says. “But, post-Covid, the change is about being comfortable in social, live situations. People want to be together, and being together live

»

Superior Housekeeping Is Essential for anyone who values an inviting home in which to live and entertain.

For over 33 years The Cooperative Cleaning Company has met this need for the Bay Area’s most discerning clients.

We are vaccinated!

And we meet or exceed Federal, State & Local COVID-19 prevention standards.

The Cooperative Cleaning Company (CCC) delivers superior green housekeeping services while providing employees with compensation, health care, and paid time off benefits exceeding the industry average. A native of France, owner Sarah Neil holds a master’s in anthropology from the Sorbonne in Paris and speaks eight languages. Mike Neil, a fourth-generation San Franciscan, spent 30 years in IT before “retiring” to help with CCC.

The Cooperative Cleaning Company 510-845-0003 | CoopCleaning@gmail.com CooperativeCleaning.com

» has so much more to offer than the

digital presentation. People know that, and my overriding feeling is we work with objects, artists and the public.

It’s our responsibility to provide that experience in whatever media we have.”

I’ve learned a thing or two from Yang and press on, encouraging her to expound without forecasting the framework for her answers. I’m hoping for a glimpse into her deeper, core philosophies. Happily, she delivers.

“I was fortunate to attend Cal Berkeley,” she says, “so the ideas I was exposed to around feminism, critical theory, cultural studies, politics, labor, spectatorship, gender, race—they were concepts that, for me, solidified in the context of this museum. In this space of learning and looking I came away with the idea of being a curator.

Coming back, I want to offer that same engagement, wonder, learning, knowledge-making and an experience that honors the trust of visitors by offering low-barrier entry in terms of price, but also accessibility, the human interaction, making people feel safe, as well as easy to park.”

Easy parking is only the beginning, I soon discover. “We have a strong education engagement department at BAMPFA; that means we are tied to faculty and places on campus like Cal Performances and other museums,” Yang says. “I want students to feel this is their museum, that they remember an artist’s talk, [that they] came to a cool opening, saw a great performance. From there, I feel generations of students will feel good about the institution and will want to come back.”

10

Principles she learned during the pandemic and in other positions held long before Covid ravaged art museum attendance will inevitably be sculpted, in part, according to the practicalities of resources. “I function not in an open field, but within limitations,” Yang says.

“That’s actually what I excel at: What is this frame I have to work within?

Understanding what people need for survival, what they want from art and culture, and not complicating the artist experience is what I learned and want to hold onto.”

Asked how she intends to determine “what people need for survival” that includes art, she recalls visiting locations where students received vaccines to ask them questions aimed at understanding their most immediate needs. What she heard that rang true? “Art is essential to our intellectual, emotional and physical health,” she says. “Reducing the barriers that prevent people from art being part of what they need is what I want to focus on.”

Yang says she most looks forward to foraging in the richness of the Bay Area’s contemporary art scene.

“There’s been a shift away from the materiality of painting and sculpture and more idea-based studies,” she says.

“We’re thinking about new ways to interact with archives, about working collaboratively with smaller places like Creative Growth in Oakland [the nonprofit provides studios, gallery space and supplies to more than 150 artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities] and investing in open-ended thinking by and about artists and curators.”

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

As we wrap up, Yang stretches her wings one last time to say she’s “definitely committed” to promoting multi-disciplinary programs with spoken-word performances, live works of dance, music and theater, and to new ways of using BAPFA’s galleries and spaces to showcase different kinds of artists. “I have a number of artists I’d love to bring, but I have to wait and see what makes sense and how I can balance the amazing, talented artists already known and working here with the lay of the land,” she says. “This is a collective voice, an intersection of different talents and ways of working.”

Yang, having long ago shattered glass ceilings as a woman holding highlevel positions in a world traditionally dominated by men, no longer suffers the obligation to describe her footprints before the first steps are taken. Yet, within her resistance lies an undeniable outline, one the future BAMPFA appears most fortunate to have when it is curated by her open ears, wise eyes and keen mind.

A footnote arrives just as I’m about to beat the buzzer and push send to file the article with my editor: It occurs to me that the experience I had in conversation with Yang is a lot like what she hopes a visit to BAMPFA will become. I enter with expectations; have an intense, stimulating, mostly “other” encounter that travels unpredictably to fresh insights; and depart changed. I no longer want answers and predictions from Yang, I want to be surprised and trust that whatever she serves up is going to be good. ❤

BOBBY Robert F. Kennedy (far left) and Dolores Huerta share a historic moment.

Ella ¡Sí, Puede!

BY Janis Hashe

D

olores Huerta’s life could certainly be described as “operatic.” At age 91, the co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America is still an activist, still fighting for just representation of Latinos and all women, and fighting against discrimination and exploitation.

»

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

ARCHIVE PHOTO

West Edge Opera explores the life of Dolores Huerta

11

SING Soprano Shawnette Sulker performs in ‘Bulrusher’ at West Edge Opera.

»

12

moved with her children to Stockton, Calif., where she worked as a waitress and cannery worker until she was able to buy a small hotel and restaurant.

As a schoolchild, Huerta endured accusations of cheating because her essays were too well-written. Her brother was attacked and beaten for wearing a zoot suit. These incidents motivated Huerta, more than ever, to succeed. She graduated from college with an associate teaching degree, married twice, had seven children and then, in 1955, co-founded the

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

»

CORY WEAVER/WEST EDGE OPERA

Huerta’s story, and in particular, the 24 hours following the assassination of Bobby Kennedy in Los Angeles, are now the fabric of Dolores, an opera commissioned by East Bay company West Edge Opera, after it became the winner of WEO’s “Aperture” residency program for composers and librettists last year.

Dolores Fernandez was born in Dawson, New Mexico, to a farmworker father who eventually became a state legislator. Her parents divorced when she was three years old, and her mother

Community Service Organization, leading voter-registration drives and fighting for economic justice.

Through CSO, she met César Chávez, and in 1962 they founded what became the United Farm Workers of America. Huerta helped organize the famous Delano grape-workers strike and led nationwide grape boycotts that eventually resulted in the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, which allowed farm workers to form unions and bargain for better wages and conditions.

On March 10, 1968, Huerta brought Sen. Bobby Kennedy to the UFW’s property west of Delano to meet with Chávez, who had just completed 25 days of a water fast. Farm workers clamored to meet the senator. Days later, Kennedy announced his candidacy for president.

Huerta was present at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles just after midnight on June 6, 1968, where Kennedy and supporters were celebrating his win in the California primary. He was shot by Sirhan Sirhan and died later that day.

Composer Nicolas Lell Benavides is Dolores Huerta’s third cousin and has known her all his life. He explained his decision to focus the new opera on that moment in her life this way: “My [Millennial] generation was desolated by the election of 2016.

TOTAL RECYCLING is no end-of-the-pipe dream PAID ADVERTISEMENT

RECYCLING AREA

REUSE AREA RECEIVING PROCESSING SELLING

MAKING AND USING NEW PRODUCTS

RECEIVING SEPARATING PROCESSING SELLING/REMOVING

PLANET FRIENDLY DISPOSAL

REUSABLES METALS GLASS PAPER POLYMERS TEXTILES CHEMICALS WOOD PLANT DEBRIS PUTRESCIBLES SOIL CERAMICS

COMPOST AREA RECEIVING SEPARATING GRINDING PROCESSING REMOVING TO WINDROWS

SOILS AREA

CERAMICS AREA RECEIVING/SORTING PROCESSING SELLING

THE UNIVERSE OF TOTAL RECYCLING

RECEIVING PROCESSING MIXING SELLING

© URBAN ORE DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES, 2007 List of 12 Mast er Categories ©1989 by Daniel Knapp and Mary Lou Van Deventer. Anyone may use them with attribution.

Illustration by Mark & Nancy Gorrell, 2007

The resource pipe has no end - that’s the point! After we Reduce our resource use and our discards, we Reuse and Recycle. Total Recycling recirculates manufactured products and already-refined resources. It provides feedstocks for new products, building the economy while preventing unnecessary mining and logging. No waste is good waste.

To End the Age of Waste

URBAN RE

Huerta’s story, and in particular, the 24 hours following the assassination of Bobby Kennedy in Los Angeles, are now the fabric of Dolores, an opera commissioned by East Bay company West Edge Opera.

» But I thought, ‘No, people have gone through great losses and recovered.

When we lose our heroes, what do we do? We go on.’”

So, when completed, Dolores will be a tragedy—“Opera is about loss,” Benavides said—yet it will also illuminate Huerta’s strength in the face of that tragedy. Huerta herself is an American hero, he said.

Librettist Marella Martin Koch, with whom Benavides has partnered on several previous projects, said her notes include this observation: “Many forces, large and small, are in play that, if we are not careful, write the scripts of our lives for us, restricting our potential through abuse, exploitation, or indifference.

Despite all of this, Dolores has spoken loudly and clearly. Now, she will sing.”

She pointed out how rare it is in opera’s standard repertoire “for a woman to be the leader, and not in a place of victimization.”

Although Huerta’s story is part of his own family’s history, both Benavides

14

and Martin Koch have also done extensive research, creating a plot that is largely factual but focuses on just a few people out of a cast of hundreds. Dolores will have a cast of seven. Part of the narrative is Huerta as a woman—and a woman of color—in a room full of white men, “but I need to look for ways to include characters with different voice types,” Benavides said. “So who gets to have a voice?”

Jazz, Latin dance music, syncopated rhythms and other influences will play a part in the opera’s score. “We live in a time, artistically, of great abundance,” Benavides said. Huerta, he said, loves jazz, salsa and Big Band swing, “and that will all come out in the score … moments of joy to show the person she is.”

Martin Koch noted that she and Benavides, who have now worked together for several years, had a piece presented in WEO’s “Snapshot” series in 2020, when the call came for submissions to the new Aperture

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

program. She had long considered Benavides’ idea for an opera based on Huerta to be inspirational. “[The RFK assassination stopped] what could have been an incredible moment of change,” she said. “She could have seen the dream she had fought for all those years just disappear. But she went on.”

She was able to interview Huerta through Zoom, and observed how “vital, direct and light she is. She is a strong, vibrant energy.” Interviews were also conducted with many of the people of that era who are still alive, and will be part of the libretto as it develops. Creating a full-length opera is a long process, and a draft libretto won’t be ready for Benavides to begin composing music to until February 2022.

Being chosen for Aperture was, in many ways, ideal. WEO General Director Mark Streshinsky described Aperture as an online program invented for the pandemic. WEO also wanted to shake up the “gatekeeping model” deciding what is chosen for presentation, he said. Four WEO staff members, joined by arts leaders—who were also people of color—together assessed the 80 submissions.

Ultimately, they selected Dolores to move on as an awarded commission, with a staged concert performance to follow as part of the 2023 season. “We were excited that the final selection was a piece by and about a person of color,” Streshinsky said.

During the concert performance, “We will be able to hear and see what works and what it needs to make it better,” Benavides said. From there,

ET TU Shawnette Sulker as Cleopatra in Handel’s ‘Julius Caesar.’

to see stories about the American experience.” And beyond that, American stories which have begun to incorporate and see as heroic all Americans, he added.

Dolores Huerta received the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1998, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. Now Benavides and Martin Koch will celebrate her in opera.

Her first name means “sorrows” in Spanish. But it is her ability to transcend great sorrows—to find the strength to move forward and bring others with her, to never stop finding joy—that makes her the fitting subject for what may be a great American opera.

For updates on the progress of “Dolores,” and more information about West Edge Opera’s 2022 season, visit

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

CORY WEAVER/WEST EDGE OPERA

Dolores will be considered for a full WEO production in 2024, though both he and Streshinsky emphasized there are no guarantees.

“We would love to see it done in California first,” Martin Koch said.

Streshinsky noted that WEO’s 2022 season, July 29–Aug. 7, will include Handel’s Julius Caesar, featuring Shawnette Sulker as Cleopatra.

Symbolist opera Ariane and Bluebeard is by Paul Dukas, best known as the composer of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and the season’s contemporary opera, Coraline, is based on the darkly comic children’s book by Neil Gaiman.

Bulrusher, a workshop concert performance and a postseason add-on, is based on the play by Elsa Davis, who is co-librettist.

WEO’s 2022 home will be Oakland’s Scottish Rite Center. “It was built in 1927 for un-amplified Masonic rites,” Streshinsky said. Familiar with the space, he hadn’t considered it for WEO until this year, when he and staff members tested the acoustics. After “sitting in the space and doing some dreaming,” the decision was made, he said. WEO will build out a stage in the middle of the center, with a “proper orchestra pit,” he said.

The site’s larger audience capacity will enable WEO to offer some seats for as low as $10. This is vital, as opera, along with other classic performance forms, re-envisions itself for new and younger audiences.

Benavides understands this. “I’m someone who didn’t know classical music until I was 19,” he said.

“What pulled me in was beginning

15

Imagination The Bay Area’s preeminent industrial arts organization

BY Mark Fernquest

A

PHOTOS BY MARK FERNQUEST

16

lifetime ago, when I was young and living in downtown Berkeley, I became aware of an interesting new metal-arts school in the warehouse district on the west end of town. I checked it out on several occasions, attending an open house and some wildly creative parties replete with fire dancers, metal pours, live music, sculpture gardens, artists and crowds of cool people. That new establishment called itself the Crucible, and it was a bright light in the local art scene. It comes as no surprise to me that during the 20-plus years since it opened, it has established itself as a nationally recognized, preeminent Bay Area arts institution.

Now long-located in a massive, 56,000-square-foot warehouse in West Oakland, just a block from the West Oakland BART station, the

Fire

on

Crucible is, according to its website, “a nonprofit organization and art school dedicated to making the fine and industrial arts accessible for all ages, backgrounds and abilities.” With an award-winning faculty, over 19 different art departments—including welding, woodworking, jewelry-making

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

and blacksmithing—and an average student-to-teacher ratio of 6:1, it annually offers over 900 beginner, intermediate and advanced classes to thousands of aspiring artists of all types.

The community ethos of the Crucible cannot be overstated.

Arguably, it exists only in relation to the greater East Bay as a whole. Its events and performances, ranging from the Burning Man-influenced parties I attended in the early 2000s to Fire Arts festivals, operas and ballets in more recent years, make for wildly creative and festive weekend nights. But the Crucible also serves its surrounding West Oakland neighborhood, Oakland and the greater community in much more visceral and enduring ways—through its scholarships programs, youth camps and paid leadership opportunities, as well as the employment it offers

»

Will Bucquoy Photography

Will Bucquoy Photography

Voted Best Restaurant with a View

Dine in Sonoma Wine Country’s most spectacular vineyard setting.

Best Outdoor Dining

Lunch, Dinner & Weekend Brunch | 9900 Sonoma Highway (CA12), Kenwood | 707.833.6326 | saltstonekenwood.com | Reservations: resy.com

MASSIVE The Crucible’s 56,000-square-foot warehouse space contains extravagant amenities including industrial-arts workshops, all manner of machinery and artwork, offices, rest rooms and vending machines.

» to local artists, the skills it teaches its

students and its dedication to diversity, creativity, personal transformation and local economic development. Its Bike Shop alone is an institution unto itself, offering Fix-A-Thons, an Earn-A-Bike Program and Open Shop Hours—all of it free to the local community.

And yet, despite years of success, there have been obstacles. The most recent?

Covid.

18

“Covid had a devastating effect on the Crucible,” says Executive Director Susan Mernit, via an email interview. “We had to close the building, and all of our teaching artists lost their income from teaching classes. We quickly pivoted to supporting them and staying afloat. We raised over $70,000 for an emergency fund that we distributed directly to our teaching artists, began helping our artists promote and market their art, and started a weekly free

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

food pantry that continues to this day. We were able to get government support that allowed us to bring our staff back from furlough at the same or higher salaries than they had before.”

That actually sounds like a resounding success story to my naive ears.

With regards to the steps the Crucible has taken to remain safe during the ongoing epidemic, Mernit says: “As an industrial arts school, the Crucible

»

ENJOY THE NEW YEAR IF YOU MAKE IT A CREATIVE ONE, WEʼRE HERE FOR YOU

2022

ITʼS A BLANK CANVAS

ART SUPPLIES • FINE PAPERS • STATIONERY • CRAFTS GIFTS • URBAN ART • JOURNALS • KIDS’ STUFF Family owned since 1938 Find us in San Francisco too

FLAXart.com

YOU’RE BACK, BABY. ®

Brian M.

Endurance Athlete Family Man, Patient

thejoint.com

Consultation, Exam, and Adjustment

Berkeley (510) 845-6468 2628 Telegraph Avenue Berkeley, CA 94704

$

We are open everyday from 10am to 2pm & from 3pm to 7pm.

NEW PATIENT SPECIAL

Get smart about your coverage!

510.874.5700

29

*

Ruth Stroup

Your Local Farmers Agent CA License #0M13985,0F00956

Walk-Ins Welcome | Open Evenings & Weekends | No Insurance Needed

3560 GRAND AVE OAKLAND, CA 94610 RSTROUP@FARMERSAGENT.COM

*Offer valued at $39. Valid for new patients only. Initial visit includes consultation, exam and adjustment. NC: IF YOU DECIDE TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL TREATMENT, YOU HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO CHANGE YOUR MIND WITHIN THREE DAYS AND RECEIVE A REFUND. (N.C. Gen. Stat. 90-154.1). FL: THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT OR BE REIMBURSED FOR ANY OTHER SERVICE, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT WHICH IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED OR REDUCED FEE SERVICES, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT. (FLA. STAT. 456.02). Subject to additional state statutes and regulations. See clinic for chiropractor(s)’ name and license info. Clinics managed and/or owned by franchisee or Prof. Corps. Restrictions may apply to Medicare eligible patients. Individual results may vary. © 2020 The Joint Corp. All Rights Reserved.

» has always been highly committed

to creating a safe environment for our students. We follow the Alameda County Public Health Department guidelines for schools, as well as ... the Oakland Unified School District rules for youth who are unvaccinated.

Upon entry, all students and guests must complete a health screening and temperature check, as well as show proof of vaccination or negative Covid19 test.”

Indeed, while visiting the campus to research this article, I was immediately impressed by the thorough healthscreening process each incoming student passed through.

The Crucible recently held its annual holiday gift show, GIFTY, the first weekend of December. Over 3,500 people attended, shopping directly from over 70 local Bay Area artisans and craftspeople. December events now past, what should we expect from the Crucible in the coming year?

“We are excited to be offering our week-long classes, starting Jan. 10, in areas like glass flameworking, ceramics, woodworking and more,” Mernit says.

“Our Ceramics Department is doubling in size and adding wheel throwing. We will have nine operational wheels and a lot of other equipment to make these offerings successful!

“We have also had great success with our new Open Shop Hours in our Bike Department on Thursday nights, where youth and adults can visit the Bike Shop to learn how to repair and maintain their bikes for free. Based on that

20

success, we will start some workshops on how to build bike trailers for local people who need them and some for Mandela Grocery to support their local delivery.

“We also have plans to relaunch our Glass Blowing and Glass Casting and Coldworking departments, which have remained closed for safety concerns since the beginning of Covid-19,” she adds.

Yet it is important to remember that while the Crucible is an integral part of the greater local community, it is also a community unto itself, consisting of faculty, staff, students, customers and event attendees such as myself.

“I have been lucky to be with the Crucible for the last four and a half years,” says Director of Marketing and eCommerce Natasha von Kaenel, via email. “I worked in media and as a marketing consultant before coming to support the Crucible’s Marketing Department, which I am now the head of.”

For her, “The Crucible is truly a community of students, staff and faculty who are excited about learning and developing fine and industrial arts skills while keeping them accessible for our neighbors and low-income communities. I feel lucky to have met so many incredibly passionate artists and students committed to meeting people where they are and exploring their creativity. In addition, as the head of Marketing, I get to interview youth students who have directly benefited from our free programming and see

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

how the arts have significantly impacted their confidence and leadership skills.”

Students intersect the Crucible through many avenues. Katherine Chan first visited it during an open-house event and was so fascinated by the different department demonstrations that she ended up taking classes in blacksmithing, flameworking and ceramics.

“I recommend visiting for an Open House,” she says. “At Open Houses, the public can see our faculty demo in their disciplines, check out incredible artwork by our community and get discounts on all Crucible classes and merch.” In addition, “The 3-hour tasters are a fun way to learn a new skill and become a Crucible member for early availability to enroll in classes.”

Join the Crucible community in 2022 by attending an Open House, a free tour, a bike Fix-A-Thon or by taking a class. Conveniently accessible from the Nimitz Freeway/Interstate 880 via the Union Street Exit, and located less than two blocks from the West Oakland BART station, the experience is sure to add creative luster to your life. Expect to make new friends and new art, and to learn new creative skills.

The Crucible has come a long way since I first crossed its path, over 20 years ago—but so have we all. Maybe I’ll see you there.

The Crucible, 1260 7th St. Oakland.

510.444.0919. info@thecrucible.org

LOCALLY MADE The Crucible, the largest nonprofit industrial arts education center in the United States, offers classes in blacksmithing, ceramics, leatherworking, welding and more all year long.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

21

Alfresco Eats

’Tis the season for outdoor eating

BY Jeffrey Edalatpour

A

s the Omicron tide arrives on our shores, dining indoors might not be at the top of our to-do list this month. Atmospheric rivers notwithstanding, there are plenty of outdoor mall or mall-like settings to grab a bite at on the way to a Tennessee Valley or Marin Headlands hike. If you’re starting a northward journey from the East Bay, Berkeley’s 4th Street (fourthstreet.com) is an ideal stopping place for shopping, morning coffee and morning buns.

22

Although the 4th Street Bagel shop closed down during the pandemic, Bette’s To Go toasts them up with the usual fixings, including lox. By noon, they’ve usually sold out. In case that happens, turn your attention to their egg-filled breakfast sandwich, frittata or in-house selection of pastries.

Bette’s also sells plenty of caffeinated beverages, too, but there’s a Peet’s Coffee across the street if you’re after a second or third cup.

Tacubaya, a nearby taqueria, has set up a small area with seating outside. But

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

those who venture to the tables further out in the courtyard will have to take their orders to go. It would be a shame to miss out on Tacubaya’s chile relleno, always filled with seasonal ingredients, but it’s much better on a plate than as takeaway. The deli inside Market Hall Foods, and Pollara Pizzeria, also face out on the same shared courtyard.

Holiday gift shopping is less stressful on 4th Street than it is in a great big mall. To start, Builders Booksource is a small, but well-stocked, bookstore that carries other categories of reading

»

HARRY CLARK

HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING Since 1946

lic. #1056105

Furnaces & Air Conditioners for Every Home and Every Budget!

Covering all aspects of tree care and removal.

Serving the East Bay since 1978.

510.549.3954

www.professionaltreecare.com CA Contractor’s Lic. #676952

YP9C York YXT Affinity Air Conditioner

Up to 98% AFUE Efficient Modulating

Call for Surprisingly Low Prices!

FREE ESTIMATES 510-444-1960 www.hcplumbing.com

PHOTO BY LEFTERIS KALLERGIS

OUT With the predicted surge in Covid cases, dining indoors gives way to dining al fresco.

» material in addition to design and

construction books. Across the street, I like to browse around in The Gardener.

It’s like a gift store at a contemporary art museum—pricey, with lots of items to covet from a distance. Both Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart would feel at home there, testing out European

24

lotions and smelling the pretty varieties of expensive soaps.

Once you’ve piled back into the car, the 580 freeway entrance to the Richmond Bridge is just down the street on University Avenue. Across the bridge and around the corner from San Quentin State Prison, the Marin

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

Country Mart (marincountrymart. com) appears on the right-hand side of the road. About a decade ago, this outdoor mall was a dead zone—not much more than an office park anchored by a Bed Bath & Beyond.

When the Bay Area started its upward trend toward incomparable incomes,

»

Lic. #788850

CARPET • TILE HARDWOOD • LAMINATE VINYL • LINOLEUM Family Owned and Operated since 1986 FREE Estimates • In-House Installation Price Matching Guarantee 1081 Eastshore Hwy (off Gilman Street) on the border of Albany and Berkeley

510-525-5656 • www.FloorDimensions.com

The Most Pet-Friendly Winery

WINE TASTING | GIFT SHOP | DOG FRIENDLY | HOUND LOUNGE

Shop til you drop in our pawfect tasting room… indulgence at its best… come slurp, chomp & ruff!

MFeaturing UTT LYNCH WINERY the Award-Winning Wines of Brenda Lynch 9050 Windsor Road, Windsor, CA 707.942.6180 | muttlynchwinery.com

Atmospheric rivers notwithstanding, there are plenty of outdoor mall or malllike settings to grab a bite at on the way to a Tennessee Valley or Marin Headlands hike.

» the mart slowly became a hangout

and hub for the citizens of Marin.

The change may have been helped along by the Saturday Farmers’ Market, which capitalized on the advent of the food-truck revolution. But the presence of a Rustic Bakery location, with its grouping of clean white tables, umbrellas and benches, fixed the idea that the sleepy mall was a sunny go-to brunch and lunch destination. Without fail, there’s a line out the door at Rustic—and I always stick with it. I have a personal weakness for bakeries that serve sandwiches, baked goods and iced tea. That combination sums up my favorite food groups. The Rustic menu is especially suitable to pack up for a picnic.

The consistent crowds at Rustic made the rest of the mart feel less and less like a ghost-town mall. More upscale restaurants like Marin Brewing Company, Farmshop and Hog Island

26

Oyster Co. refined their indoor and outdoor spaces. There’s also a Shake Shack behind the main isthmus of retail shops. It, too, has its own large patio.

For those willing to brave the January elements, traveling further afield to Point Reyes Station is worth a day trip just to sample the goods at Cowgirl Creamery Barn Shop & Cantina (cowgirlcreamery.com)—even if some of the Point Reyes parks and beaches limit their openings this season. And, yes, it’s true—Cowgirl does make fine sandwiches, but I like to stock up on the many cheeses at their point of origin. And, on the opposite side of the courtyard, the vitrine at Brickmaiden Breads (brickmaidenbreads.com) is stocked with a Thursday-to-Sunday bread schedule—perfect companions for Cowgirl cheeses—and an everchanging array of quiches, scones, cookies, muffins and croissants. ❤

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

TABLED Dining mandates notwithstanding, there are plenty of outdoor mall or mall-like settings to grab a bite at.

PHOTO MADDI BAZZOCCO

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

27

East Bay

Diva Debuts Thuy rhymes with R&B

BY Michael Giotis

»

28

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

PHOTOGRAPHER: ANISHA PATEL. ASSISTED BY MAYA HEYWARD

L

ast November, fans from the Bay Area and beyond milled around the Brick & Mortar Music Hall, waiting for a glimpse of homegrown rising star thuy—pronounced “twee” and stylized in lowercase. Awkward and enthusiastic, as befitting a pandemic-wary crowd, many were at their first show in nearly two years, noticeably unsure when they would be able to attend a show again with Omicron

Lars G. Hansson Certified Public Accountant

• Individual Tax Preparation & Planning • Business Tax Returns • Trust & Estate • Financial Statement Preparation • Prompt Personal Service

BEST

of Alameda 2017-2020

2159 Central Avenue, Alameda

510.521.2343

PORT R AITS

Visit www.nanphelps.com/offers

nan@ nanphelps.com | 510.528.8845 | 398 Colusa Ave., Berkeley

‘I want people to love my music first, and then it just so happens to be that I’m VietnameseAmerican. However, I do see how impactful my journey is on a lot of other VietnameseAmericans, and I believe that representation is extremely important.’ —thuy

Page 29: Bra top: Issa Boulder Jacket: K Way Jewelry: Sprado Jewels Pants: Angelo Numa Shoes: Converse Sunglasses: Akila LA STYLIST: ANNA HERMOSILLO MAKE-UP: YSABELLE SARMIENTO NAILS: TRAM NGUYEN

30

just hitting the news. Determined, these fans came out for this R&B artist who came up in the East Bay. They were rewarded, as a bombastic intro from the host brought thuy hopping to the stage to the highpitched cheers of young fans. Dim the house lights, cue the bassline, raise the spot and shine it on a new star.

“It was an incredible moment, to be back in the Bay Area for my first headlining show,” thuy said in an interview over email. “I’ve only done [these new songs in] virtual shows in the comfort of my own home, so I wasn’t exactly sure how a live show would feel.”

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

The artist and I had been trying to meet over coffee while she was up from L.A., where she now lives. Alas, her growing responsibilities won out. But that is not a bad thing—it means she is on her way.

“To be honest, I had a little bit of imposter syndrome leading up to the show, because I just wasn’t sure if people were going to come out,” thuy said, demonstrating the humility that is a big part of her charm. “To see everybody singing the lyrics, dancing, even crying; it was a feeling that I can’t quite describe. Being able to see everybody in person and experience the entire project together was so

Top 1: Novel Line Top 2: Sarah Regensburger Sunglasses: Akila LA

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

31

Blazer: H&M Top: Issa Boulder Skirt: Urban Outfitters Shoes Public Desire Earrings: Georgina Trevino Necklaces: Phixation, Rat Betty Pants: Angelo Numa Shoes: Public Desire Sunglasses: Akila Eyewear

32

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

Convert Home Equity into Cash with a

REVERSE MORTGAGE I have been a financial professional for close to 40 years and have been focusing exclusively on reverse mortgages for 15 years. I am a Certified Public Accountant and take pride in providing professional, honest, and ethical advice. If you would like a free customized quote and information package on reverse mortgages, please contact me, and I will respond immediately with no sales pressure. I believe in providing concise information, so you can make an informed decision. My financial background helps me explain reverse mortgages in easy to understand terms.

NMLS ID #263222

DAVID C. CHEE, CPA CALL FOR A FREE CUSTOMIZED QUOTE:

510.436.3100 • DAVIDCHEE.COM

HighTechLending, Inc., Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act. #4130937 NMLS #7147. Equal Housing Lender. NMLS Consumer Access: www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org. This material is not from HUD for FHA, and was not approved by HUD, FHA or any other government agency.

Good news.

Rates just got lower.

Jain L Williams Ins Agcy Inc Jain L Williams, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0M26562 Bus: 510-530-3222 www.jainwilliams.com

I’m excited to announce auto insurance rates just went down. I can help you find coverage that works for you.

LET’S TALK TODAY.

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company, Bloomington, IL State Farm County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas, Richardson, TX 1901155

« special considering we’ve been in

the pandemic for over two years now.”

Maybe that is why events like the Brick & Mortar show are so meaningful right now. People are running to gather for art, and supporting the creative spirit, because we suddenly have a better sense of what is really important in life. That is what streaming artists like thuy give us right now: hope.

Thuy studied psychology, planning on a career as a physician’s assistant.

Like so many during the pandemic, she turned to creative outlets to process the impact of the pandemic along with everything else happening in the news.

From there her passion for music took flight.

“Initially, I had no plans to put out a project,” she says. “I wanted to find a way to still express myself despite being locked up at home.”

What she found was the way forward for an unplanned career.

International producer BeatzzByTazz sent thuy a beat pack, and suddenly she wrote two songs within the week.

That is when thuy and co-writer, Charles Charron, looked at each other excitedly, as if to say, “Do we have a project on our hands?”

The result is i hope u see this, a 25-minute groove of an album that floats themes of heartbreak, love and longshots on sumptuous flow that owes as much to hip-hop as to R&B. It is good. Pause your reading and throw the album on Spotify. Oscillate your hips, unpause reading.

34

“My love for R&B started [by] going down a rabbit hole and listening to artists like Tamia, Brandy, Avant, etc.

Their music made me feel like I was in love, even though I had never been in a relationship,” thuy said, recalling her youth. “At the end of the day, I just want people to hear my music and feel the way I used to feel.”

In part, that is what the album title represents: a path through which her fans might connect more deeply through shared love of R&B. “Another very important reason [for the title] was because I wanted the little Asian boy or girl at home to … feel inspired enough to follow their own dreams,” thuy said. Representation and diversity are foremost on her mind as we head into the 2020s.

“I want people to love my music first, and then it just so happens to be that I’m Vietnamese-American. However, I do see how impactful my journey is on a lot of other Vietnamese-Americans, and I believe that representation is extremely important. I feel honored to be that form of representation for a lot of people who look like me,” she said, adding that even as a child in the Bay Area, “I wish I had seen more of that growing up.”

The album and headlining show are just part of the push by this savvy artist.

Add an adorable holiday song, “snowing in LA,” and a recent virtual concert on the new platform, Encore. The woman knows how to grind, as she tells the world in the tune, “in my bag”: “Who knew I would be the one? Yeah, I knew,

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

I knew, I knew. Talented but they don’t work as hard as I do, I do.”

Take a look at thuy’s promotional work and watch her infuse the daily grind with an infectious, goofy joy.

Her Instagram page, @thuymusic, is delightful. The posts, stories and reels bring her followers along on the daily photoshoots, recording sessions and gigs that make up her ascendance.

All that work is paying off. With upcoming shows in L.A. and Oakland after New Years, an East Coast leg in the plans for 2022 and the beginnings of an international audience, this East Bay daughter is building on her roots.

“The East Bay has definitely influenced my music,” she said. “I feel like the Bay Area just moves differently and because of this, my music and my songwriting has a certain edge and flow to it.”

Although L.A.-based for now, thuy will always be a part of the Bay. “I love the Bay Area so much because I’ve always been surrounded by all walks of life, all sorts of journeys … [I]t’s super inclusive and diverse,” she said, adding that this uniqueness “has become an integral part of my artistry.”

“I always get excited to meet people in L.A. who are originally from the Bay Area, because we all just understand each other,” she said. “No matter where I choose to plant roots in the future, the Bay Area will always be home. There’s a certain level of comfort there that I could never find anywhere else.”

Follow thuy on Instagram @thuymusic for upcoming performance dates. Add thuy to your Spotify for current songs and new releases.

THANK YOU! For voting us

Best Grocery Store in the Best of the East Bay 2021!

Berkeley Bowl, family owned and operated since 1977 920 Heinz Ave, 510-898-9555 2020 Oregon St. 510-843-6929 or shop online at www.berkeleybowl.com

Burley Design & Construction

General Construction Remodels & Additions Kitchen & Bath Remodel Home Office Space Handyman Services Decks & Stairs

Call Brian at 510.912.6325 | Bryburley@icloud.com

CA.LIC. #548462

Thank you for voting us Best Dog Obedience School!

PUPPY PARK ....... Specialized and Safe Puppy Care PUPPY SOCIALS .. Play & Socialization DOG TRAINING ... Your dog will love our training. You’ll love the results.

Right coverage. Right price.

Right here in town.

Steve Bauer, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0C62738 Bus: 510-548-2929 Toll Free: 877-919-2929 steve@bauer-insurance.com www.bauer-insurance.com State Farm Bloomington, IL 2001290

Here’s the deal. The right insurance should help you feel confident and comfortable. I’m the right good neighbor for that.

Call me today.

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®

DAYCARE • GROOMING • BOARDING • TRANSPORTATION • TRAINING Happy Hound Play & Daycare, Inc. • 2101 Mandela Parkway in Oakland 510.547.3647 • www.happyhound.com

Private School

Confidential Considerations for parents and pupils

BY Lou Fancher

L

»

36

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

DAVID FRANKLIN

et’s say a parent is seriously considering enrolling their child, or children, in a private school in the East Bay for a vast number of reasons.

The initial decision might have been easy— said parent has a high, cushy income, knows firsthand about a terrific school and deeply distrusts public education or at least has dealt with any moral hang-ups or doubts held about not supporting local public schools by placing their child in their system.

PAINTING YOUR HOME OR BUILDING IS AN INVESTMENT, AND YOU WANT THE BEST QUALITY FOR YOUR MONEY. 4/1/2021

JJ's_logo_circle.jpg

Interior & Exterior House Painting • Office & Commercial Painting • Color Consultation • Drywall Repair

Add SPICE to your Space! • Fully Licensed & Insured

Call Us at 510.998.6021 JAVIER J. DAVILA

hello@jjfinepainting.com • jjfinepainting.com License #1033381

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FCB9YpYkg_a7WPfLxce1ZKltLnfIHF85/view?ts=60665562

1/1

Perhaps a private school is a practical decision because your child has special needs or sensitivities that can only be served in what are generally smaller class sizes or schools with special services public schools cannot offer at the level required.

»

Or, for some parents or caretakers the choice of private education over public education is simply familiar— they and everyone in their family dating back to cave-dwelling times attended private schools—or they hold belief in a religion or have a desire for language or a specific cultural immersion that dictates private is the only way to go.

Perhaps a private school is a practical decision because a child has special needs or sensitivities that can only be served in what are generally smaller class sizes or schools with special services public schools cannot offer at the level required. And finally, there are those people for whom the decision is made with great difficulty and comes

38

fraught with the awareness there will be ongoing issues.

Grappling with the astonishing cost of private education is often the primary obstacle to overcome, but others include transportation, extra add-on fees most private schools either charge or expect and the constant stress of “keeping up” with more affluent families at PTA and fundraising events or birthday parties where pricey gifting reflects status. The elitism projected to neighboring families whose kids attend public schools might be a concern, and possibly there is awareness of the racism or classism one’s child might experience if they receive financial aid.

Kids attending private schools say that

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

despite efforts made by school officials and teachers to homogenize and harmonize the student body, everyone knows who the “free lunch” students are and how those kids sometimes feel “othered” and isolated.

Even after the decision has been made, the choice of which private school best suits one’s child and family presents a final, complicated hurdle. Based on information from two East Bay public school teachers, several families whose kids attend or attended private schools in the area and a smattering of academic advisors and colleagues related to the field of pre-K to 12th-grade education, we put together a by-no-means exhaustive

»

“You’re the only contractor I liked better after the job was finished.”

Did you know Karl Kardel Company:

• Restores, rebuilds, reglazes all types of windows: • Re-builds rotted wood windows, to save them • Reglazes with better glass • Renews weatherstripping So-called modern clad windows start falling apart after 10 years. Restoration will save your investment.

See the story on our website: www.kardelcompany.com Winner of Best of Oakland 2013–2019 for

Deck Construction & Restoration Contractors

Waterproofing Consultants Since 1959 Member CSI & ASTM • Lic # 271178

Architectural Metal • Flashing Sealants • Decks • Coatings • Structural

510-261-4149 www.kardelcompany.com

38 Years Experience

“Relax— I’ll take care of it!”

510-548-1694

goodandplentycatering.com

Friendly Free Advice DOMESTIC • JAPANESE KOREAN • VOLKSWAGEN 660 San Pablo Ave, Albany Mon–Fri 8am–5:30pm Early Bird Service & BART Shuttle

510.527.1938

BEST

ARE AY

A

Donna Weinberg

AUTO CARE

B

Catering For All Occasions

of Oakland 2020

GREEN BUSINESS PROGRAM

A Repair Tradition Since 1975 DanaMeyerAutoCare.com

PHOTO BY MOREN HSU

CHOOSE The choice of which private school best suits your child and family presents a complicated hurdle.

40 EAST BAY MAGAZINE

investment required to thoroughly vet options, consider initial preferences in light of actual visits, and then select and pursue enrollment is considerable.

While reiterating that East Bay Magazine and this writer do not endorse

| EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

these eight East Bay private schools above others not on the list, we present four private schools located east of the Caldecott Tunnel and four found west of the tunnel as options with which a parent or caretaker might launch an initial search.

«

«

list of options to get started. Inperson or online tours, or visits to a few schools that strike one as a good fit for their child, are a great way to get rolling. Know in advance and get a jump start in January and February: the time

R

ISE ABOVE THE ORDINARY

Overlooking beautiful Lake Merritt, Lake Park is the place where accomplished, diverse seniors come together for vibrant urban living. As a life plan community, we ensure you’ll have priority access to supportive care as your needs evolve.

INDEPENDENT LIVING | ASSISTED LIVING | SKILLED NURSING

510-650-0645 lakeparkretirement.org Owned and operated by California-Nevada Methodist Homes COA #88 | RCFE License #011400369 | Consulting Services Provided by Life Care Services®

Custom Cushions Happy New Year!

We offer talented stylists and an extensive selection of Davines and Bumble & Bumble products.

Window Seats Wicker Cushions Folding Beds Custom Boat and RV Cushions Expert Workmanship, Reasonable Prices Your Fabric or Ours Your Choice of Firmness

• Preschool through 8th Grade • Connected community

We look forward to seeing you.

5431 College Ave. Oakland 510-652-5431 www.elizabethh.net

Saint Philip Neri Catholic School: Faith, Academics, Community • Diversified Learning • School Tours Available

2397 San Pablo Ave. @Channing, Berkeley 510-841-9001

Information Night: Jan 12, 7pm

RSVP to spnadmissions@csdo.org 1335 High St., Alameda, 510-521-0787 www.spnalameda.org

» Head-Royce

School, Oakland This school, recommended by several of our advisors, is a nationally recognized K-12 independent school situated in the Oakland Hills. Founded

by Anna Head over 130 years ago, the independent, co-educational school boasts on its website “innovation” centers, internships, integrated technology, life-skills classes, service learning, cross-divisional buddies, small advising groups, educational excellence, social-emotional learning and dedication to “creating lifelong learners who will be prepared to lead with joy and compassion.” Current enrollment is close to 875 students, with admissions open to all students regardless of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, nationality or ethnic origin. Tuition in the 2021–2022 academic year: Grades K–5, $34,100; Grades 6–8, $38,300; Grades 9–12, $48,700. headroyce.org

The College Preparatory School, Oakland PHOTO BY MESH

SUCCESS When choosing a private school, start well in advance of Fall and get a jump start in January and February.

42

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

Another school known for strong academics is found tucked into the hills in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood.

College Prep is a co-educational high school for grades 9–12 founded in 1960 by Mary Harley Jenks and Ruth Willis. It has 373 students, 65% of whom self-identify as students of color. The average academic class has 14 students,

who arrive from all over the Bay Area.

The school is within walking distance of the Rockridge BART Station. College matriculation is high, which means the typical student’s academic standards are ambitious and test scores are high; but of equal importance is learning aimed at independence, and making a positive difference in the school and local community. Students are encouraged and supported in finding and practicing, through service and learning opportunities, engagement with the broader world. Tuition in the 2021–2022 academic year: $49,990. college-prep.org

Park Day School, Oakland Located in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood, Park Day’s K-8th grade program emphasizes an experiential educational program with teachers who demonstrably excel at presenting hands-on, “real-world,” individual-recognizing approaches to learning. After opening in 1976 with only 28 students and four teachers, the community now consists of approximately 315 students led by 70 teachers and staff members. Called by some of our panel “progressive,” the school’s standout features are a commitment to intrinsic learning, social-justice activities, science and explorations of indigenous Ohlone history. Tuition in the 2021–2022 academic year: Indexed Tuition ranges from $1,600 to $33,400. parkdayschool.org

Contra Costa Jewish Day School, Lafayette

Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School, Alameda The tree-lined, multi-building campus of this Catholic parish high school that launched in 1881 exudes obvious history. In addition to a “dynamic and rigorous college preparatory education,” the school offers a variety of sports teams, campus ministries, retreat programs, clubs, and arts performances and programs. The school became co-educational in 1983 and today its student body consists of approximately 470 students in grades 9–12. Roughly 50% live in Alameda and 25% live in Oakland, with 25% arriving from other East Bay communities.

Recommended most highly are the teachers, who come with the usual high credentials but also with broad experience teaching a wide range of students. Tuition in the 2021–2022 academic year: $19,660.

Note that this and some other schools ask parents to make designated annual tax-deductible pledges— which are applied within the school’s programs—in addition to tuition.

Families who receive financial aid are typically not asked to pledge or are asked to give in whatever amounts they can afford. sjnd.org

Contra Costa Jewish Day School educates children K-8th grade backed by a mission to seek connections between the school, the Jewish community, the Greater Bay Area community and Israel. A Jewish commitment to Tikkun Olam (Repairing Our World) is the prevailing basis for a curriculum that includes mathematics, language arts, world language, science, social studies, computer science, visual and performing arts, physical education, and the teaching of Torah and traditional Jewish texts and history.

Students gain knowledge of the Hebrew language, Jewish practices and tefillot (prayers), and the Jewish community’s connection to Israel. Teachers and administrators notably demonstrate a breadth of capabilities, with some having come to the school in the early 2000s and a contingent of new faculty and staff joining within the past two to three years. Tuition in the 2021–2022 academic year: Grades K-5, $20,750; Grades 6-8, $24,000; Sibling discounts for full-paying families: $1,500 for the 2nd child, $2,250 for the 3rd child. ccjds.org

Bentley School, Lafayette Bentley, founded in 1920, has two campuses—grades K-8 on the Hiller campus in Oakland, grades 9-12 on a 12-acre campus seven miles north

»

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

43

» of downtown Lafayette. In total

there are 700 students, an average class size of 16, a seven-to-one studentfaculty ratio and 28% of the students have received tuition assistance from the nearly $4.6 million in financial aid awards granted. Surprisingly, 65% of the students live west of the Caldecott Tunnel. Bentley is geared for a “whole learning, real world” progressive education with special features such as early exposure to languages other than English (Mandarin, French and Spanish), a mini-term week of experiential learning in which students leave the traditional classrooms for travel courses domestic or abroad or to local Bay Area landmarks, and special classes in alternative studies in photography, cooking, film-making and more. The middle- and upperschool curriculums are especially strong with regards to STEM, architectural design and engineering. Tuition in the 2021–2022 academic year: Grades K-5, $33,645; Grades 6-8, $36,755; Grades 9-12, $48,510

Bentleyschool.org

The Athenian School, Danville Athenian doesn’t beat around the bush and states explicitly that its challenging academic program “prepares students for the rigorous expectations of college and for a life of purpose and personal fulfillment.”

Reciprocity rings in every aspect of the school’s mission: respectful exchanges between students in student governance and sensitive encounters in student-teacher interactions and other interactions on the 75-acre campus located at the base of Mt. Diablo in Danville, 32 miles east of San Francisco.

Approximately 535 students attend Athenian’s middle and upper schools.

Unique among other schools on this list, Athenian offers housing. Of the upper schoolers, 60 are boarders. In addition to this being an important option for Bay Area families who might find the commute from Berkeley or Oakland challenging, boarding results in a significant number of international students attending Bentley. In the last five years, more than 10% of the student body has attended from 20 countries outside of the United States. The rigorous curriculum is supplemented with programs that include opportunities to participate in the Carter Innovation Studio— engineering and design classes, robotics, programming, airplane construction and more—and an 11th-grade requirement, The Athenian Wilderness Experience, aimed at building teamwork and self-confidence. Tuition in the 2021–2022 academic year: Middle School, $38,200; Upper School Day Tuition—$49,000 Grades 9-10 and $47,700 Grades 11-12. Boarding: Domestic, $75,100; International, $76,800.

44

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

St. Francis is a Catholic educational community whose educators believe parents and caretakers are the first and primary teachers of their children.

This means there is strong emphasis on families as active participants in developing students’ life-skills capabilities and learning expectations involving understanding social and racial justice, critical thinking about not just academic curricula but also about freedom, responsibility, respect, peace, the sacredness of God and of living as His creation in a worldwide neighborhood. St. Francis has robust sports and music programs, and a Pacific Chess Academy that encourages each student to learn and master the game at an individual pace.

Tuition in 2021–2022 academic year: 1-4 Catholic children, $8.200–$19,620; 1-4 Non-Catholic children $9,320– $22.330. sfaconcord.org

PHOTASTIC

athenian.org

St. Francis of Assisi School, Concord

Apply now for 22-23 in Preschool, Kindergarten and Grade 6 International More info at www.eb.org/admissions FRENCH - AMERICAN - INTERNATIONAL

Fearless, We Pursue

COMMUNITY

CHART YOUR OWN COURSE

www. sjnd.org/admission

Find out more at shcp.edu/visit

XPIXEL

Teachable Moment

Courtney E. Martin’s ‘Learning in Public’

BY Lou Fancher

R

eading Courtney E. Martin’s new book, Learning in Public: Lessons for a Racially Divided America from My Daughter’s School (Little, Brown and Company) is a lot like sticking one’s hand into a potted rose bush to test the moisture of the soil. The Oaklandbased feminist, author, speaker and activist chronicles her story, as a

»

46

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

SERVICES SAFELY L DELIVERED LY

Our team is here to solve your plumbing, heating and cooling problems!

Lic. #414359

510.255.5739 • AlbertNahmanPlumbing.com

PHOTO BY RYAN LASH

LEARN Oakland-based feminist, author, speaker and activist Courtney E. Martin chose to enroll her child in Emerson Elementary, a predominantly Black public school in Oakland.

48

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

new mother, of choosing to enroll her first child in Emerson Elementary, a predominantly Black public school in Oakland. The author, her husband and their two daughters are white.

Irrespective of whether or not a person is a parent or caretaker of a child, almost every reader “reaching in” to Martin’s prickly experience while confronting her white bias is likely to experience bloody wounds and yes, find that the dirt/bias embedded under their own fingernails far outlasts a simple hand rinse.

Why this floral, plant-tending, scent-suggestive metaphor? Because along with Martin’s finely crafted sentences and the attraction of briskly brief chapters that burst forth with the saturated, full-spectrum color typical of roses, this alluring, 320-page book is about race and its permanent stench.

Martin grapples, at times, with frequent grace, and at other times with glaring white blindness, through thorny racism that is woven throughout United States history and remains an ever-present part of today’s reality, including in public and private K-12 schools. Truth be told, racism and racial discourse in America have not changed much in 400-plus years. Regardless of age, racial identity, socio-economic status, political position, degree of education or any other self-identifying classification, parents and educators more often than not don’t know how to talk about it without hurting themselves or other people. Why are we obligated to reach into the soil?

Because just as not recognizing the moment when water to a plant

»

Explore Independent

Schools

PRIVATE SCHOOL PROFILES

DIVERSIFYING EDUCATION

The California Jazz Conservatory: 25 Years at the Forefront of Jazz Education

W

hat started in 1997 in Berkeley as a community music school solely devoted to jazz has grown to become an internationally recognized, accredited, educational institution.

California Jazz Conservatory, Inc. comprises two distinct music education programs:

California Jazz Conservatory – the only music conservatory in the country solely devoted to the study and performance of the AfricanAmerican art form, jazz, awarding Bachelor, Associate and Master’s degrees in Jazz Studies; Jazzschool Community Music School – a leading community

education program, offering hundreds of non-degree-granting Classes, Workshops, Camps and Intensives throughout the year.

We invite you to visit cjc.edu for more information about our programs and join us in our next 25 years at the forefront of jazz education.

2087 & 2040 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 info@cjc.edu / www.cjc.edu | 510.845.5373

Dynamic Futures in Math: O’Dowd Moves Students Ahead of the Curve

“T

here’s a problem with how we teach math in the United States,” explains Carlos Trujillo, chair of Bishop O’Dowd High School’s math department. “The standard course sequence dates back to the Industrial Revolution.

It’s not setting students up to

master the skills they need to succeed in today’s world.”

In response to leading-edge research from the Stanford Graduate School of Education, The University of Chicago, and a growing cadre of mathematicians, data scientists, teachers, and education policy leaders, O’Dowd’s math department has developed an innovative two-year course sequence that supports students to accelerate their math skills and reach advanced and applied math classes in computer science, calculus, and statistics

faster than they were before.

“Our students will master the technical vocabulary, notational fluency, analytical skills, and conceptual thinking that matters for problem solving,” says Trujillo.

“We are one of only a few high schools in the nation that teaches multivariable calculus, which lays the mathematical foundation for machine learning and theoretical computer science,” Trujillo continues. “O’Dowd is committed to preparing our students to be drivers and innovators in STEM careers that transform our world.”

9500 Stearns Ave, Oakland, CA 94605 | 510.577.9100 | www.bishopodowd.org

Share Your Story, Harness Your Imaginative Power

I

n-person and virtual winter classes for all ages, levels, and abilities on sale now at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre! Plus—join us in-person for our most popular summer programs. Space is limited—registration begins January 17!

BERKELEY REP

SCHOOL OF THEATRE

BerkeleyRep.org/School | 510-647-2978

A small school that opens a world of possibility.

T

here is a shared sense of belonging and community students feel walking onto Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School’s campus. Beyond our welcoming community you’ll find a diverse student body coupled with a rigorous academic environment where students confidently navigate their personal path to college. Nestled on a beautiful, tree-lined street in the heart of Alameda, SJND has been educating the leaders of tomorrow since 1881. Schedule your visit at www.sjnd.org/admission today!

Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School

1011 Chestnut St, Alameda | 510-995-9458 | www.sjnd.org

Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley: Preschool through Grade 8 French-American-International

W

e are accepting applications for the 2022-23 school year!

Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley is a preschool-8th grade bilingual immersion school where students learn in French and English. Most students will start in our Preschool or Kindergarten classes but we also have an opportunity for students to start in grade 6 with no

prior experience with the French language, with our Middle School International Track.

We believe that when students see the world without borders or barriers, they can confidently and capably seize any opportunity. Every day our students learn to speak, write, and think in two languages, becoming open-minded,

www.eb.org/admissions

adaptable learners who discover their best selves while respecting the differences of others.

We can’t wait for you to discover our bilingue program or International Middle School.

To schedule a virtual info session, fill out an inquiry form or contact the Admission Office visit, www.eb.org/admissions

Head-Royce School scholarship, diversity, citizenship

C

elebrating nearly 135 years of inspired learning, HeadRoyce is a K-12 community nestled in the Oakland Hills that uniquely serves Bay Area families seeking a transformative educational experience in a diverse and inclusive setting. The School strives to nurture

each student’s imagination, creativity, and love of learning through the teaching of a rigorous college preparatory curriculum following the three core values of scholarship, diversity, and citizenship.

With an experience that is equal parts educational excellence, social emotional

learning, advocacy, and belonging, students emerge as lifelong learners prepared to lead with joy, purpose, and compassion. Learn more at: www.headroyce.org.

4315 Lincoln Ave., Oakland, CA 94602 | 510.531.1300 | headroyce.org

Transformative Leadership online MA at CIIS: Change yourself. Change the world.

T

he Transformative Leadership online Masters program at the California Institute of Integral Studies, CIIS, offers not just an education, but an experience.

The program is designed for individuals who want to combine personal growth with making a positive contribution in the world while leading a meaningful life. It combines a rich range of philoso-

phies, research findings, and experiences with the development of practical skills to help you achieve your goals. Whether you are exploring a new direction in life or want to enrich your own ability to lead your life in your current world, the program offers a transformative experience that will be creative, challenging, and deeply rewarding.

We have over 25 years experience in online graduate education.

You will engage in rich interaction with students and faculty in small, intimate classes with personalized attention.

Find out more about our creative, non-traditional leadership degree for creative, non-traditional leaders at ciis.edu/tld.

ciis.edu/tld

Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory: Leadership in Action

S

acred Heart Cathedral’s story is one of innovation and purpose, of serving Bay Area youth since 1852. We have played a part in the history of San Francisco, just as it has played a part in ours. Today, we continue to welcome the Bay Area’s brightest students to our

inclusive community, preparing them for success with a dynamic curriculum, integrated technology, and engagement with enthusiastic and innovative teachers.

Students and their families choose SHC for the strength of our academics, our faith and

values, our extensive array of cocurricular opportunities, and for the warmth of our inclusive and nurturing community. Our students are compassionate, motivated, resourceful, independent, service-oriented leaders who give life to our motto, Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve.

1055 Ellis Street, San Francisco | 415.775.6626 | shcp.edu

Martin’s revelations and realizations as a mother are complex, ongoing, sometimes paradoxical or outright illogical and never a monolith.

» means rescue, silence means we miss

the opportunity of hope, of taking lifeaffirming action just in time to launch real change. All of which is why Learning in Public is simultaneously a mighty uncomfortable book to read and an essential one.

Martin comes to her fifth book having previously written, edited or coauthored Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters (2007), The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, and (HIV) Positive, with Marvelyn Brown (2008), Do It Anyways: The New Generation of Activists (2010) and The New Better Off: Reinventing the American Dream (2016), among others. She writes a well-received, free, subscription-based newsletter, Examined Family, and is cofounder of the Solutions Journalism

Network and the Bay Area chapter of Integrated Schools. Born in Colorado Springs, she received a bachelor’s in political science and sociology from New York City’s Barnard College.

Martin holds a Master of Arts in writing and social change from New York University and lives with her family in a co-housing community in Oakland.

A percentage of Learning in Public’s book sales and associated speaking fees will be donated to Emerson Elementary, Equity Allies for OUSD, Integrated Schools, The Learning Forest and LiberatED. Learning in Public, a story with limitedbut-vital footnotes, is told in four sections: “Choosing,” “Arriving,” “Clashing” and “Reckoning.” A Coda

provides welcome updates on the people whose voices are primary—their names, if they are public figures, are unchanged; otherwise, pseudonyms are used. Notes, resources and questions for discussion or reflection invite extended investigations or conversations. Martin states in the preface that her goal is to reveal her heart, to examine how she as a white writer and other privileged writers craft and decide how and what stories get told. It is both a blessing and a curse that the lens of Learning in Public does these things effectively. White blindness is evident in even the heart of a writer like Martin; clearly a person of privilege, but also a woman sincere in fighting against the tide of her own white bias and a mother determined

»

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

57

» not to turn her daughter into “an

COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY

58

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

experiment.”

The chapter on choosing Emerson Elementary for her daughter presents statistics about Black and Brown kids in desegregated K-12 schools. Drawing from Rucker C. Johnsons’ Children of the Dream, Why School Integration Works, Martin states a five-year exposure to integrated education results in downthe-line benefits such as Black and Brown students as adults achieving a 15% increase in wages and a 30% increase in annual earnings; as well as a decline of 11 percentage points in adulthood poverty and a 25% increase in annual family income. Black students in desegregated schools can specifically look forward to better overall health and longer life-expectancy, with less obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular disease as they age.

Martin tells of visits and tours she took at Emerson and other public and private schools in her family’s Temescal neighborhood or located nearby in Oakland. The whopping cost of Park Day School—$29,000 annually, plus fees and other expenses—is not the only reason she steers her daughter to Emerson, but it is a striking note for anyone who has never considered or had cause to examine private school tuition.

“Arriving” is a troubling section that shows white blindness beyond color—Martin is most infuriating when she plays hairdresser and substitutes multiple barrettes for beaded cornrows requested by her young daughter.

Sure, her daughter avoids colonizing a

hairstyle, but the author seems to miss having trapped yet one more girl child’s pride in the frame of physical grooming and attractiveness. She writes, “Is there anything better than how damn satisfied a four-year-old girl is with her own reflection in a mirror?”

Martin’s revelations and realizations as a mother are complex, ongoing, sometimes paradoxical or outright illogical and never a monolith.

Which means the chapter also includes wonderful insights and deeply-researched information about transportation and specifically, busing, being used as an excuse not to integrate schools. The negative impacts of inequitable funding and charter schools on Oakland’s public schools add valuable context, as do intriguing side-thought wanderings. While her daughter at Emerson learns Martin Luther King Jr. “wanted his children to be able to go to the same schools, eat the same lunches, and drink from the same water fountains as other kids,” she is aware of lurking danger in that her daughter has to yet to hear another quote from the civil rights leader: “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the White moderate who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice.”

In addition to documenting school and school-district board meetings,

drop-offs and pick-ups, back-to-school nights and PTA gatherings, section three’s “Clashing” has Martin visiting Mrs. Minor, a teacher from whom her daughter has benefited, but who has left her teaching job at Emerson to start a preschool for Black children in her home. Martin questions Mrs. Minor, sometimes relentlessly or in ways that seem patronizing to the outside eye, with requests for guidance about how she might better construct a white moral life. To her credit, she later presents what has been made evident by her fumbling with earnest—and underscore this, honest—intention to learn from Mrs. Minor. This time drawing from a comment about Black educators and parents and integration made to her by Director of American Studies at Cornell University Dr. Noliwe Rooks, Martin writes, “Many of the educators who supported integration were hoping it would begin with teachers and administrators switching schools. Let the adults get on the same page and then start moving the kids in both directions.” Later, Rooks tells her that past generations of Black people believed, and many Black people today continue to believe, that white Americans are ambivalent and fearful of Black Americans. Because of that, they are unable to love Black children and, “without love, you can’t teach.”

“Reckoning” comes with blunt lessons: the truth hurts, racism is a moral debt unpaid and possibly unpayable and is akin to hidden guilt that is “that jar buried in the backyard.” The

Emerson school barely survives a battle with two visions for improvement that clash—one has “strict, achievementobsessed” leadership; the other has Black leaders and teachers who are “committed to Afrocentric excellence.”

A last question posed and answered

by Martin turns the spotlight back to her original quest: “So, what do you do when you wake up in the middle of your life and realize you have been dropped down in the middle of a story, in the middle of unjust systems, in the middle of a country’s profound reckoning?” Her answer: “Stop looking away.”

Applied to Learning in Public, the three-word directive suits. If Martin’s book sometimes divests Black people of individuality or at its worst reduces people of color to caricatures as if they are unusual specimens to be examined under a microscope or slips young girls into Snow White “fairest of all” configurations, it also celebrates the intense joy of seeing the next generation of kids shed their parents’ hangups. Addressing racism causes scratches and grime under nails, discordant discussions, arguments, chaos and accusations, and leaves unanswerable questions on the table.

But that is no excuse for turning away; it is the best reason for returning time and again to the table. It is this hope that is worth all the trouble: that by not looking away, Martin’s daughter— and children of every gender, race and economic status—will do better than we did while learning in public. ❤

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

59

Be unique, Be you.

At St. Paul’s Towers, at this unconventional time, you can define community living in your own way.

Even with physical distancing, you can be a vital part of a community that solicits opinions, listens to all voices, and respects individuals.

Join a community that supports and stimulates, communicates and cares. Engage your way at St. Paul’s Towers.

For a virtual tour or to learn more, please call or visit our website.

510.891.8542 www.covia.org/st-pauls-towers

A not-for-profit community owned and operated by Covia Communities. License No. 011400627 COA #327