Designs Revealed: AHC's 4th West #OaklandSuperHeroes Mural Project

Finalized design concepts from Attitudinal Healing Connection's next Oakland SuperHeroes Mural Project (OSH) are ready to be revealed.  The design process included more than a years worth of collaboration between student artists at Hoover Elementary and AHC’s Lead Mural Artist Lindsey Milliken. 

The design was created in collaboration with student artists at Hoover Elementary and Lead Artist Lindsey Milliken. The mural will be painted in the West Oakland's Hoover Corridor under the I-580 underpass, directly across from AHC's 3rd Oakland Superheroes Mural Project. Production is slated to begin March 2017. 

AHC Executive Director Amana Harris, Lead Muralist Lindsey Milliken, and Project Manager Justin Metoyer Mullon reviewing preliminary drafts of the #4th OSH Mural design with the Hoover Elementary Student Body.

The #OaklandSuperHeroes Mural Project is West Oakland's first ever large-scale mural and beautification project, and its goal is to cultivate, educate and engage youth in community issues and solutions through the power of public art. OSH was born out of AHC’s ArtEsteem Self As Super Hero curriculum, which has been taught in Bay Area schools for well over 10 years. The curriculum asks students to identify problems in their community, and to reimagine themselves as super heroes with powers to solve them, which are brought to life through the creation of stories and life-sized portraits.

The stories and portraits are then incorporated into the Oakland SuperHeroes Mural Project.

The Super Heroes in the 4th OSH Mural Project created by ArtEsteem Students at Hoover Elementary include:

• Golden Boy, who uses his magical shield to fight crime, rehabilitate criminals and protect the city from earthquakes and natural disasters.
• The Lava Twins, with lava vision that stops criminals and turns gun into stone
• D-Bow Jalapeno, who uses magical cheese to transform key issues like gun violence, stealing and fighting.
• And Fantastic Girl, who has the power of water to stop floods and fires, end drought, and clean the community.

Through this mural project, AHC is able to provide opportunities for collaboration and to become key stakeholders in creating peace and beauty in the community, by working with local artists, youth and area residents to empower and revitalize an area that has been deprived of the city's resources, becoming a hotbed for crime, violence, tagging and blight. It is AHC's goal to engage community participation in the beautification process of public spaces, which will create a stronger investment from Oakland residents to keep the city safe for all.

AHC Executive Director Amana Harris with the leaders of CALTRANS

Currently, OSH is in the final stages of the approval process with the City of Oakland and CALTRANS. Production is expected to start in March 2017, following a fundraising campaign with a goal to reach $75,000. Funds from the campaign will support an estimated 30 jobs for muralists, youth artists and on-site security, pay for insurance and permits, provide paint and other necessary supplies to complete the mural, and ensure on-going maintenance to keep the surrounding area free from trash and litter.

Stay tuned and make sure to follow Oakland SuperHeroes Mural Project for updates.

Win a 5-Day Stay in Kauai at AHC's 27th Anniversary Gala!

Join us at our 27th Anniversary Gala for your chance to win a 5-Day stay on the beautiful island of Kauai, Hawaii!

Saturday, November 5th from 6PM - 11PM
Scotts Seafood Pavillion - Jack London Square

Enjoy a piece of paradise during a 5 day stay for two on the beautiful island of Kauai at Wyndham Kauai Beach Villas. Wyndham Kaua‘i Beach Villas, located just a few minutes from Kaua‘i's main airport and just north of Lihue, the island's largest city, sits right on the magnificent "Coconut Coast" shoreline.

Enjoy the privacy of a beachfront resort, while being minutes away from world-class golf, fine dining, quaint towns and sightseeing pleasures. This vacation destination is designed to delight the most discriminating traveler. Plant your toes in the sand and take in the salty breezes and ocean views.

Win this top prize from our $10 raffle!
Only available at our 27th Anniversary Gala.

Don't miss out on your chance to win!

Calling All Socialites! This $100 Certificate to Starline Social Club is for you!

"Oakland's new Starline Social Club could be described as a constantly evolving interactive art installation— albeit one with a full kitchen, bar, and 350-person ballroom and music venue. The unique concept is the brainchild of Oakland artist Adam Hatch, who has been working in collaboration with partners Sam White (Ramen Shop) and artists Eric Siemens and Drew Bennett over the past year." - SF Eater

Located in a 19th century Odd Fellows Hall and Saloon, the Starline Social Club is a multi-use community space, featuring a restaurant, bar, and two performance venues. Owned and operated by local artists and believers, Starline celebrates diversity and universal tolerance seven days a week, through music, dance, food, drinks, residencies, festivals and more.

Saul Williams

Starline hosts a range of events from touring and local bands, along with monthly residencies such as  Swing Dance Tuesdays, Jazz In The Bar, and Oakland Comedy Night to name a few. Many notable performances have taken place since Starline Social Club revamped their space last 2015, including the New Orleans Rebirth Brass Band, Diplo, the Matatu Film Festival (featuring Saul Williams among others), Hard French Winter Ball (featuring Sugar Pie Desanto), a chocolate sauce wrestling competition, and other exceptional acts and events.

"Starline Social club is a great place to catch a drink or a late night bite!  With its high ceilings, plaster walls, and winding, asymmetrical bar, the Starline has a kind of old-fashioned grandeur that speaks to the building’s long, eclectic history. The menu is tiny (maybe ten dishes total on any given night), changes all the time, and the food is straight-up California cuisine that straddles the line between highbrow and lowbrow — between a customer’s expectation of what bar food ought to be and something a little more ambitious. It’s by design that the Starline is a place where you can linger over a craft cocktail, but also where you can drop $28 on fried chicken and wash it down with a $3 Miller High Life.

Although the beer-battered onion rings are delicious, the less stereotypically bar-snack-y menu items — say, rack of lamb or a sauté of Monterey squid, sweet corn, and bacon lardons — are where the kitchen really shines." - East Bay Express

Starline Social Club created this $100 Gift Certificated just for us.
Win it at the silent auction at our 27th Anniversary Gala!

Discover and Dream with this one-year pass to OMCA!

Our generous friends at the Oakland Museum of California have donated a one-year individual membership to the silent auction at our 27th Anniversary Gala: The Art of Building Legacy!

This one-year membership includes:

• Admission for 1 card holder + 1 guest
• 10% Discount in the OMCA Store
• Home Delivery of Inside Out, an exclusive magazine for OMCA members
• Invitations to Member Previews

OMCA was founded over 40 years ago and hosts an array of original exhibits focusing on art, history, and natural sciences. More recently, OMCA has expanded with its Friday Night events, where the museum stays open until 10pm, with festivities extending onto neighboring Oak Street, bringing up to 20 food trucks every week!

OMCA also offers an outdoor garden, educational tours and interactive learning activities that are great for the whole family to enjoy!

The OMCA just opened a brand new, exclusive exhibit dedicated to the history of the Black Panthers, called All Power to the People: Black Panthers at 50 Exhibit.

On the 50th anniversary of its founding, the exhibition All Power to the People provides a contemporary view of the Party and its aims to serve oppressed people and fight injustice.

In the gallery, uncover the history of the Black Panther Party—a history that is often misunderstood. Charismatic Panthers—both men and women—created programs to benefit the people, stood up against power, and earned the admiration of other struggling communities in the US and across the globe. Many still fear the Panthers and are unaware of their motivations and intent. Former Panthers admit some mistakes and acknowledge that their image as militants cast a negative shadow on their legacy.

Rare historical artifacts, never-before-seen photographs, first-person accounts from former Panthers, scholars, and community members, and contemporary art show how the Party continues to influence culture and activism locally, nationally, and internationally.

The exhibit begins October 8th and closes in February 2017.

This one-year Individual Membership has a $75 price tag.

Make it yours (for less) with your bid at the Silent Auction
during our 27th Anniversary Gala!

Meet AHC Super Hero - Brahm Ahmadi

We are thrilled to honor Brahm Ahmadi, the Executive Director and Founder of People’s Community Market (PCM) at our 27th Anniversary Gala: “The Art of Building Legacy."

Brahm has been a force in our community for over 16 years and started building his legacy upon his arrival in 2000 as an advocate for social and environmental justice work. Brahm fell in love with the West Oakland neighborhood as he met folks and talked to principals in the community about the issues we were (are) having around segregation, gentrification, race, classism, power and privilege.

The topic of food access and health issues also kept coming up and it was not until Brahm moved to West Oakland and experienced the lack of access himself that he began to really think about West Oakland’s struggle with food injustices.

West Oakland’s 25,000 residents don’t have easy access to a local grocery store that has quality options at affordable prices, and therefore residents have to purchase high priced processed food at corner stores, or travel great distances to get healthy options. Brahm and his partners, Malaika Edwards and Leander Sellers, realized nothing was being done about this issue.

“I got excited about the possibility of making social change around this issue of building a grocery store where we could achieve positive social impact in a sustainable way for the city of West Oakland. We could serve the neighborhood, tackle health and diet related issues, and create a place where people could gather, talk about issues in the community and return West Oakland residents to their rich food culture.” said Brahm.

After doing lengthy research, Brahm, Edwards and Sellers realized that making PCM a reality would take a lot more work than they first anticipated. They were dedicated to establishing a sustainable and successful concept in West Oakland and so they decided to first create People’s Grocery, a local nonprofit. Brahm and partners wanted to focus on gathering knowledge and insights about the grocery business and more importantly, they wanted to build trust and a stronger relationship with the community around the issues of food justice.

After doing lengthy research, Brahm, Edwards and Sellers realized that making PCM a reality would take a lot more work than they first anticipated. They were dedicated to establishing a sustainable and successful concept in West Oakland and so they decided to first create People’s Grocery, a local nonprofit. Brahm and partners wanted to focus on gathering knowledge and insights about the grocery business and more importantly, they wanted to build trust and a stronger relationship with the community around the issues of food justice.

“Trust and a strong foundation is the biggest asset we have with the community. We had to show up, walk the walk, talk the talk, and make sure that residents knew we were the real deal." -Brahm

It was not until 2009, that Brahm got the blessing from the People’s Grocery Board to transition to the People’s Community Market (PCM) project as the CEO and founder, and in 2011, Brahm set out to raise capital. After pitching PCM to multiple impact investors, Brahm was denied because they didn’t understand the potential of PCM nor the community. Thankfully a more successful and inclusive business model prevailed.  PCM has raised $1.5 million with a public stock offering that gave over 400 California residents the opportunity to purchase shares. 

Additionally, with broad public support, an angel investor, and the help of East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC), a local affordable housing developer,  the project has since generated an additional $1.8 million in public and private funding for a remarkable total of $3.3 million. PCM is set to open in 2017 at 3103 Myrtle St near San Pablo. 

We applaud Brahm for his conscious dedication to the West Oakland Community.

- - -

Please join us at our 27th Anniversary Gala: The Art of Building Legacy
Let's celebrate Brahm and his vision as one of AHC's Super Heroes.

Additional Articles and Videos:

People’s Community Market finally secures West Oakland location - Inside Scoop SF

After setbacks, People’s Market secures Oakland site - Berekly side

Bringing Food to the People - The Atlantic

More Than Just a Grocery Store. Fresh Perspective in Oakland. - My People's Market

Filling the Food Desert - Unobscura

Food for West Oakland - Oakland North

People's Grocery - Documentary

Find Your Rhythm with our Brand New Djembe Drums!

Our good friends at Sageman Drums just blessed us with 8 customized Large Deep Carved Djembe Drums! Come experience the rhthyms of love with us!

These high quality Djembe Drums are roped tuned and deep carved out of real mahogany with a deep, rich sound. We want to give you an opportunity to own your very own AHC Djembe drum, so we’ve added a unique Drum Package to our list of raffle prizes at our 27th Anniversary Gala!

The AHC Drum package includes:

• 2 AHC Djembe Drums ($500 Value)
• 1 two-hour Session of Mindful Drumming for up to 12 people
• A copy of our book - “Mindful Drumming"

The total value of this package is $1,200!

Check out the description of Sageman Deep Carved Djembe drums:

"The Sageman Deep Carved Djembe has become a customer favorite and is one of the most popular drums we’ve ever produced. It’s easy to see why as these musician quality djembes produce an amazing range of sound from thunderous low-pitched bass and natural middle tones to high pitched slaps - these really do it all. The exotic tribal carving encompasses the whole base of the drum and looks incredible. All Sageman drums start with a handpicked piece of solid mahogany. The shell is precision lathe cut and then hand carved. Traditionally skinned, this drum creates an old world sound that is natural, warm and full-bodied, a sound that synthetic heads can’t produce. You won’t find another drum design like this anywhere in the world."

We invite you to experience the power these drums first-hand at our monthly Mindful Drumming Circle which takes place every last friday of the month. Our next Drumming Circle is TODAY, September 30th from 7PM - 9PM.

Don't miss out on your chance to win!

The AHC Drum Package is an exclusive raffle prize, available only at our 27th Anniversary Gala: The Art of Building Legacy!

In Memory of Antonio Ramos

Antonio Ramos painting at the West Street Mural.

One year ago today, the life of our beloved artist Antonio Ramos was taken away. Antonio was a creative and loving artist, passionate about using art to heal our community from the very same violence that claimed his life while working on the West Street Mural, the third in a growing series from our #OaklandSuperHeroes Mural Project

AHC Staff and community members at West Street Mural

Today our team gathered in front of the West Street Mural to have a moment of silence and recognition of the beautiful energy and gifts he shared with our community. The West Street Mural, which helps us remember Antonio's life, continues to fill our community with love, light, peace and hope that the senseless murders in our city, nation and world will someday come to an end.

West Street Mural

We ask you to please join us in remembering Antonio as a beautiful and talented being, by lighting a candle and sending loving energy to his family, friends and community.

We miss you Antonio! 
Rest in Peace! 

With Love,

Attitudinal Healing Connection, Inc.

 

Get your Yoga on with Barefoot Movement

Win a 30-Day Yoga Membership

Our friends at Barefoot Movement in Oakland have donated a 30-Day Membership Pass for the silent auction at our 27th Anniversary Gala: "The Art of Building Legacy"

Yoga is one of the biggest health trends to hit the US in recent years, with origins going back thousands of years in ancient India. It is a physical practice with a meditative and spiritual core that can bring a wide array of health benefits to your mind, body and soul including:

Increased muscle strength, agility and flexibility

• Balanced blood sugar levels
• Improved immune system functionality
• Strengthened cartilage and stronger joints
• Increased Focus
• Stress Reduction
• Enhanced memory and cognitive function
• Mindful awareness and increased compassion
• Improved self-esteem

Our friends at Barefoot Movement in Downtown Oakland have donated a 30-Day Membership Pass to the silent auction at our 27th Anniversary Gala: "The Art of Building Legacy." The studio offers a large selection of classes and workshops to choose from, like Bodywork Classes, Prenatal Yoga for pregnant women and a partner, and Handstands Practice to name a few!

This pass would make an excellent gift for yourself or a loved one.
Check out the full class schedule here. Don’t miss out on your chance to win!

Real-Life Super Hero Feature: Mike Brown jr.

One of our ArtEsteem Alumni stopped by last week to visit us at the AHC Office!

Mike Brown was a 7th grade student at Lowell Middle School and participated in our ArtEsteem program during the 2004 / 2005 school year. He worked with instructor Rodney Ewing to create his #SelfAsSuperHero portrait entitled “Glorothon,” which is also featured on pages 74 and 75 of our #SelfAsSuperHero Handbook.

"Glorothon is a half alien and half machine.  Inside his head is where he controls what his arms and legs do. He has the power to do anything he wants, and what he wants is peace. He has different weapons, such as Respectoaro, which he shoots into the sky and people find it so beautiful that everyone begins to respect each other.  Cupid beams help people who are in denial of love, fall in love with each other.  Life beam is a weapon of mass devotion that gives life to any being or thing.  The Peace Bomb Glorothon shoots out into the atmosphere and when it comes back to earth it explodes into stars and glitter everywhere.  It is so beautiful that all beings - humans, aliens, animals and all creations - live together in peace.  It even makes lions become vegetarians.  They make a holiday called Unification Day!"

We caught up with Mike, and this is what he had to say about his time at ArtEsteem:

"ArtEsteem was more than a program. It was a way of life for me. It helped me get my creativity flowing, and I learned how to express myself on canvas. That was important for me because I get bored really easily. I was always taught that a busy mind, and a creative mind, is a good thing that should never go waste. So I did what I could to stay creative, stay busy, stay positive and have fun."

From Left to Right: Executive Director Amana Harris, Mike Brown III, Mike Brown Jr., and Art Esteem Program Manager Christina Samuelson

Mike Brown went on to graduate from Skyline High School in 2010, and became a real life super hero by joining the Navy in 2011. He is currently stationed in San Diego with his wife Ebony Nicole Brown and son Mike Brown III.  We are so proud of you Mike, thank you for being awesome, and most importantly thank you for your work and serving our Country!

See more stories & portraits at
our #SelfAsSuperHero Exhibit on October 1st.
Make sure to RSVP

Win 2 tickets to the SF Ballet at our 2016 Gala!

Do you like ballet? Well we've got a treat for you!

Our generous friends at the San Francisco Ballet have donated 2 FREE tickets to a select performance during the upcoming 2017 repertory Season, which runs from January - May 2017. Some performances to look forward to include Swan Lake, Cinderella, and the North American Premiere of Frankenstein! Check out the full list of performances here: https://www.sfballet.org/tickets/2017_season

Founded in 1933, the SF Ballet is America’s oldest ballet school, and is known for being one of the world’s finest dance companies for its uncompromising commitment to artistic excellence in providing the highest caliber of dance training in its school.

Yuan Yuan Tan and Tiit Helimets in Tomasson's Swan Lake. (© Erik Tomasson)

Steven McRae as The Creature and Federico Bonelli as Victor Frankenstein in Liam Scarlett's Frankenstein. (© 2016 The Royal Opera House. Photo by Bill Cooper)

The tickets have an estimated value of $168, and will be part of the silent auction at our 27th Anniversary Gala: The Art of Building Legacy. Don't miss out on your chance to win!

MAKE SURE TO RSVP TODAY