So to pay tribute to that life the Bay Area community is invited to come out to an Oscar Grant vigil and memorial this Friday from 2pm -11pm. The event will begin with a prayer and vigil at Fruitvale BART, where Grant was killed and migrate to the Humanist Hall for an evening of remembrance through poetry, dance and communion.
The Oscar Grant case is relevant to me in another way. Without Oscar Grant there probably wouldn’t have been an Oakland Local, the project I’m currently working on with Susan Mernit and Amy Gahran. OL was born out of a frustration with the way the media was handling the case and the lack of diversity in the coverage. OL’s primary goal was and is to give all of Oakland’s residents a place to be heard and to promote conversations across race, class, gender and political lines.
To commemorate the occasion Oakland Local is doing a multimedia tribute to Grant which will kick off tomorrow. This morning Susan posted and essay on the start of Oakland Local and our mission. Check it out and the coverage for the rest of the week and come out to the memorial on Friday.
More info:
Oscar Grant vigil and memorial: http://oaklandlocal.com/article/community-news-oscar-grant-memorial-friday
Susan Mernit’s Essay: http://oaklandlocal.com/article/essay-oscar-grant-start-oakland-local
