Last week our student-designed banners were installed on Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Oakland. The students' involvement in the community banners project has been in development since January of 2019. The project was presented to AHC by the San Pablo Area Revitalization Collaborative (SPARC). It presented AHC with the opportunity to lead a beautification project that would have a lasting legacy in the Hoover-Foster community. The first and original theme of the banners was centered on community identity, whereas the second and final installment of banners pay homage to the great social justice activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The first set of banners were installed on San Pablo Avenue, between Brockhurst and 29th Street. The second set of banners are installed on Martin Luther King Jr. Way,
between 32nd and 29th Street.
San Pablo Avenue & 31st Street
The MLK banners were student-designed and led with the support of community members of Resident Action Council (RAC), primarily Ms. Annette Miller. The students from Hoover Elementary were offered the opportunity to submit an artistic rendition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as an entry to win the opportunity to convert the artwork into a banner to be installed on MLK Jr. Way. Over forty student submissions were retrieved. A winner was selected unanimously by RAC.
Martin Luther King Jr. Way & 32nd Street
With the additional support of Gold Metropolitan Media and the City of Oakland, the MLK banners
were installed the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, just in time to celebrate and remember the
many teachings of one of the world's most iconic civil rights leaders. One year later, the entire process
has expanded and strengthened the community as a whole. Collaborative efforts were exercised and generational connections were established for years to come. - Eduardo Escobedo, ArtEsteem Instructor