Black Cultural Zone – Carolyn Johnson

#029 – Today we speak with Carolyn Johnson from the Black Cultural Zone. The Black Cultural Zone represents a geographic area that runs from High Street in East Oakland to the San Leandro border and from the hills to the water. It is a collaboration of Black led and Black owned businesses and organizations.

Since 2014, the East Oakland Black Cultural Zone Collaborative Partners has worked with a coalition of residents, government agencies, churches, and grassroots organizing and community groups to help keep Black folks in East Oakland.

It operates the Black Cultural Zone Hubs which include Liberation Park, which is located at the intersection of 73rd Ave, MacArthur Blvd, and Foothill Blvd (Eastmont Mall). They have turned an underutilized city owned vacant lot where people used to fight dogs and roosters into a thriving community asset that includes:

Akoma Market – Certified Farmers Market on 1st and 3rd Sundays

Slamming Sunday Skate – the only outdoor wooden skating rink in Northern California

Outdoor movies – Friday nights in the summer

Fo’Show Friday – Food Trucks and skating

“It has been abandoned and owned by the city for over 15 years.”

“This is a 1.2 acre space. It was available. We went to the city to license it and to operate and create a cultural hub there, which is temporary. We’re also going to be doing affordable housing and building a permanent market hall there in about 2 years.”

Be sure to stick around until the end to hear about the displacement of small Black owned businesses in East Oakland and how the Black Cultural Zone is responding.