Culture Makers: Oakland's Year in Stories

A night of reporters, music and the stories we'll be talking about for years. What were the stories that defined Oakland this year—and what can they tell us about who we are? Join us for The Oaklandside’s Culture Makers on Thurs., Nov. 5, 6:30–8 p.m. at the New Parkway Theater for a lively, behind-the-scenes look at the stories that made Oakland’s year. The Oaklandside reporters Jose Fermoso (road safety), Roselyn Romero (public safety) and Eli Wolfe (City Hall) will sit down with arts & community reporter Azucena Rasilla to dig into some of their biggest, most talked about and most unexpected stories of the year, from the ones that went viral to others that revealed something deeper about the city. Plus a special live musical performance by Philip Bank$ The stories we tell become part of our collective history, shaping how we understand our neighborhoods, our people and our Town. Come spend an evening with some of the people telling those stories. Because culture isn’t something Oakland has — it’s something we build together. We want this event to be accessible to everyone in our community. That’s why we’re offering two ticket options: • Early bird/general admission: For those who are able to support the event at full price • Pay what you can: No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Choose the price that works for you Doors open at 6pm Program begins promptly at 6:30pm See you there! _________________________________________________________________________________________ About our guests: Philip Bank$ is a third generation son-of-Oakland who carries the long legacy of the Northern California bred wordsmiths who laid the groundwork before him. Formerly of the prolific rap group Trey Coastal, Bank$ released his debut solo album, East Bay Times to widespread underground rap acclaim. Recently noted by East Bay Express, “Bank$ delivers the kind of grounded, community-rooted storytelling often missing in today’s landscape.” On tracks like “Land of the Oak” it becomes vividly clear that Bank$ possesses the unique ability to paint visual masterpieces with words while traversing themes of grief, the criminal justice system and the grind of remaining independent. With each verse, Philip Bank$ adds depth to his lyrical universe while keeping his roots grounded in the East Bay soil that raised him and a living reminder that the spirit of Oakland hiphop is still alive and speaking through its children. Eli Wolfe reports on City Hall for The Oaklandside. He was previously a senior reporter for San José Spotlight, where he had a beat covering Santa Clara County’s government and transportation. He also worked as an investigative reporter for the Pasadena-based newsroom FairWarning, where he covered labor, consumer protection and transportation issues. He started his journalism career as a freelancer based out of Berkeley. Eli’s stories have appeared in The Atlantic, NBCNews.com, Salon, the San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere. Eli graduated from UC Santa Cruz and grew up in San Francisco. Roselyn Romero covers public safety for The Oaklandside. She was previously The Oaklandside’s small business reporter as a 2023-24 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism Fellow. Before joining the team, she was an investigative intern at NBC Bay Area and the inaugural intern for the Global Investigations team of The Associated Press through a partnership with the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting. She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2022 with a bachelor’s in journalism and minors in Spanish, ethnic studies, and women’s & gender studies. She is a proud daughter of Filipino immigrants and was born and raised in Oxnard, California. Azucena Rasilla, The Oaklandside’s arts and community reporter, joined the newsroom in June 2020. A bilingual journalist from East Oakland, she has reported on Oakland arts, culture and community for over a decade. She regularly hosts Oaklandside Culture Makers, a quarterly live event that highlights Oakland creatives. She started her career at the East Bay Express and her work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, KQED, Eater and Curbed. Jose Fermoso covers road safety, transportation, and public health for The Oaklandside. His previous work covering tech and culture has appeared in publications including The Guardian, The New York Times, and One Zero. Jose was born and raised in Oakland and is the host and creator of the El Progreso podcast, a new show featuring in-depth narrative stories and interviews about and from the perspective of the Latinx community. SEE PAST GUESTS AND LEARN MORE ABOUT CULTURE MAKERS