East Bay: Redline Redefined

East Bay: Redline Redefined encouraged audiences to take a second look at who was included and excluded in modern-day East Bay. In the 1930s, the federal government carved Oakland, Berkeley and their surrounding towns into a series of puzzle pieces. This practice, known as “redlining,” discouraged investments in certain neighborhoods, making it exceedingly difficult for many of East Bay’s low-income and people of color to receive good healthcare, well funded schooling, or even access to basic necessities. East Bay: Redline Redefined explored the balance between the past and present — presented as a series of film, audio narratives, and poems exhibited through an interactive online map, neighborhood-specific walks, and launch event.

We commissioned eight East Bay artists to create a range of audio and visual pieces about their unique, formerly redlined neighborhoods. Artists explored North Berkeley, West Berkeley, South Berkeley, North Oakland, West Oakland, and the Lower Bottoms of Oakland. Redlining is a dark part of our history, and it is important to bring awareness to it, and these commissioned pieces highlight how redlining, discrimination, gentrification are all linked together and how it is still affecting neighborhoods and communities today. 

Through our project, we were able to amplify stories and voices that are not talked about enough. We got to hear neighbors’ stories of how things are changing, how people are leaving and feeling isolated in their own home. We learned about the hidden history of Asian discrimination, how Black history has been erased and ignored, but through all of this, we also hear how people are still thriving and surviving. They have not allowed themselves to be forgotten, pushed out, or silenced. 

Artists: 

• Ayodele Nzinga 
• Gabby Wen
• Hallie Smith 
• Katy Luo
• Maxi Himpe 
• Sudhu Tewari
• Suki O’Kane 
• Theresa Wong