KQED Live From East Oakland: Can $100 Million Revitalize Oakland’s Black Community?

Listen to KQED Forum’s live radio show from East Oakland on May 22, 2025.

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For several decades, Black residents of East Oakland have watched their once-thriving middle-class community wither in numbers as the rising cost of living pushed out their neighbors leaving the area blighted with empty storefronts, crime and poverty. Now, a plan called Rise East will inject $100 million of privately raised funds into a 40-square-block section of East Oakland over a 10-year period. The plan, led by local nonprofits aims to invest in education, community safety, health care, affordable housing and boost the local economy. For this special edition of Forum, we’ll broadcast live from East Oakland to talk to community leaders about the  groundbreaking initiative and how it can serve as a model for community revitalization and reparations.