OMCA Partners with Edutainment for Equity and City of Oakland Department of Race and Equity to Host A Townhall on Anti-Blackness in Oakland

February 1, 2024

(OAKLAND, CA) February 1, 2024— The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) partners with Edutainment for Equity and the City of Oakland Department of Race and Equity to host Exhibit A: A Townhall on Anti-Blackness in Oakland, an interactive data experience on anti-Blackness in the city of Oakland. Taking place on Thursday, March 14 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm,  Exhibit A employs the power of statistics and data visualization, and casts the city of Oakland into the future to give a glimpse of what continued anti-Black models can bring and what futures are possible if such anti-Black structures are resisted. 

Exhibit A: A Townhall on Anti-Blackness in Oakland is a multimedia visualization of a collection of various data points that demonstrate the outcomes of anti-Black systems and patterns in the city of Oakland and is itself modeled after the work of W.E.B. Du Bois and his data visualizations at the Paris Exposition of 1900.  At that time, Du Bois introduced the American Negro to the world by telling the story of their  freedom from slavery, and progress to citizenship through a first-of-its-kind exhibition of data visualizations. Exhibit A interprets and presents anti-Black outcomes in the City based on the Oakland Equity Indicators Report conducted by the City of Oakland’s Department of Race and Equity. 

“The impacts of anti-Black racism is so prominent in our disparity data that we are profoundly grateful for the opportunity to partner with Edutainment for Equity and the Oakland Museum of California in bringing this program to the public”, said Department of Race & Equity Executive Director, Darlene Flynn. “Edutainment for Equity founder Candice Davis-Wicks has provided impactful leadership and creativity that will elevate the audience’s understanding and commitment to action. With this kind of inspiration, we can address root causes of inequity and advance fairness and justice for all Oakland residents.”

“The data from this report  is powerful as it relates to the lives of Black people in Oakland,” said Edutainment for Equity producer Hodari Davis. “Our role is to make this information legible and its implications obvious so that it can enact real change in our communities.”

Exhibit A seeks to build on this legacy by using  interactive data visualizations created by Oakland based artists and to illustrate trajectories impacted by both pro and anti-Black futures. Exhibit A is supported by participating policy makers and city workers from critical sectors including leaders from the Department of Race and Equity and is an expression of Oakland’s community. Between digital interfaces, augmented reality experiences, and interactive workshops designed to spark conversation and critical engagement, this experience is one meant to be amplified. Participants are enlisted to engage their own friends through social media by sharing images of the art and their response to it, and offering visions and forecasts for the future of Oakland. The community dialogue will be moderated by journalist and host of Hard Knock Radio DJ Davey D and educator, community leader, and Exhibit A co-producer, Hodari Davis. Interspersed between dialogue will be musical stylings and performances by CEO and founder of Edutainment for Equity and Exhibit A co-producer, Candice Wicks-Davis (also known as Mama Candice), and several Oakland favorites. 

OMCA will be hosting Exhibit A from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm in its James Moore Theater. Tickets are free of charge but required for admission. More information and tickets can be found at LINK.

ABOUT EDUTAINMENT FOR EQUITY

Edutainment for Equity is a technical assistance and entertainment company that produces electrifying and transformative experiences that affirm an equitable future. 

ABOUT EXHIBIT A

Exhibit A is meant to be jumping off point for deeper conversations about the nature and direction of Oakland in general and in Black life in Oakland specifically. The project produced by Hodari Davis and hosted by Edutainment for Equality is happening in partnership with the City of Oakland Department of Race and Equity, the The City of Oakland Department of Arts and Culture and is situated within a larger network of several Oakland based Organizations. Exhibit A,  though firmly rooted in the Oakland community and dedicated to issues of anti-blackness facing communities here in the Bay Area, is also intended to develop and expand beyond and impact the broader political mythos that institutional racism does not exist in the United States.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF RACE AND EQUITY, CITY OF OAKLAND

The Department of Race and Equity was created by a city ordinance in 2015. The creation of the Department reflects the city’s recognition and acknowledgement that troubling racial disparities exist and that it is time to provide focus and support for their elimination. The Department supports all City departments and decision makers to address systemic causes of inequities and remove barriers that restrict access to fair service from city government. The Department of Race and Equity in the City of Oakland will intentionally integrate, on a citywide basis, the principle of “fair and just” in all the City does to achieve equitable opportunities for all people and communities.

ABOUT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) tells the many stories that comprise California, creating the space and context for greater connection, trust, and understanding between people. Through its inclusive exhibitions, public programs, educational initiatives, and cultural events, OMCA brings Californians together and inspires greater understanding about what our state’s art, history, and natural surroundings teach us about ourselves and each other. With more than 1.9 million objects, OMCA brings together its multidisciplinary collections of art, history, and natural science with first-person accounts and often untold narratives of California, all within its 110,000 square feet of gallery space and seven-acre campus. The Museum is a leading cultural institution of the Bay Area and a resource for the research and understanding of California’s dynamic cultural and environmental heritage for visitors from the region, the state, and around the world.