West Oakland’s Lower Bottoms neighborhood is home to the historical headquarters of the Black Panther party. It’s also one train stop away from San Francisco, and escalating real-estate prices are quickly changing the character of the neighborhood.  This episode, we meet locals who find themselves living at the intersection of heritage and gentrification.

Special thanks this episode to field producer Ariana Proehl, KQED, and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Our listening tour of West Oakland’s Lower Bottoms continues as we meet the volunteers at a local food pantry, a street ball legend known as ‘the greatest player never to make the NBA,’ a transplant from Compton who’s become a wilderness survival instructor, a former Tesla engineer who’s developing an affordable co-housing living space, a US Army veteran determined to help others get their military benefits, and a pastor who relies on the power of prayer to effect social change.

Special thanks this episode to field producer Ariana Proehl, KQED, and The National Endowment for the Arts.

A recent boxing showcase at a defunct West Oakland train station captured the historic spirit of the site. On Saturday June 11, Osric Pratt Promotions presented Unfinished Business, a showcase of Northern California boxing culture at the historic 16th Street train station in West Oakland. The event consisted of seven boxing matches, interspersed with hip-hop and poetry performances.…