Future/Oakland

The Oaklandside is 5 years old!
To celebrate our fifth anniversary, we invite you to join us for Future/Oakland, an evening of conversation, history, and celebration, exploring what the next five years could hold for our city — on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, 5–8 p.m. at Bloc 15 in Jack London Square.
We’ll open the evening with a lively reception, celebrating Oaklandside’s five years of community journalism. Connect with community, speakers, and local leaders over food, drinks, and music as we look ahead to the next chapter of Oakland’s story.
After that, emcee Liam O’Donaghue, host of East Bay Yesterday, will be your guide for the evening.
First up, Esther Kaplan, Deputy Editor of The Oaklandside, will lead a conversation about what Oakland’s history tells us about its future with journalist and co-host of KQED’s Forum Alexis Madrigal; Executive Director & CEO of OMCA, Lori Fogarty, and Executive Director of East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative Noni Session. Together, they will explore the city’s cycles of growth, the cultural movements that have shaped it, and what these lessons reveal about Oakland’s path forward.
Then, Tasneem Raja, Editor-in-Chief of The Oaklandside, will sit down with Kev Choice, pianist, producer & cultural strategist; Carolyn Johnson, CEO of Black Cultural Zone; and Paul Freeman, CEO & Co-Founder of The Ballers, to look at how leaders and community changemakers are looking beyond the “doom loop” narrative and bringing back the magic, working every day to create solutions, reimagine systems, and build a thriving future for the city.
The evening concludes with Darwin BondGraham, Senior News Editor of The Oaklandside, in an in-depth conversation with Mayor Lee, exploring the challenges and opportunities that will shape the city over the next five years.Whether you’re a longtime resident, small business owner, or simply invested in Oakland’s future, Future/Oakland is an opportunity to connect, learn, and celebrate the city we all care about.

As The Oaklandside celebrates five years, we invite you to join neighbors, leaders, and storytellers for an evening of connection and possibility. Let’s imagine a future we can shape together.

Host or Publisher The Oaklandside