The Island: We Are Neighbors Together

Berkeley & Oakland, CA  2023- 2024

We Are Neighbors Together highlights the wisdom of long-time Black residents in South Berkeley as they navigate the changing landscape of this historically African American community. This visual storytelling project, created in collaboration with the Self Help Hunger Program (SHHP), explores resilience, hope, and reparations. SHHP, founded in 2009 by Black Panther Aunti Frances Moore and Darnel Parks, builds unity and self-determination through care programs for neighbors in need. Located in a pocket park affectionately known as ‘The Island’ along the North Oakland / South Berkeley border, SHHP provides hot meals and essential resources to vulnerable neighbors. Historically an epicenter for local Black culture, this park is a community living room for many displaced neighbors with generational ties to the area. It’s also a site of tension as new neighbors without community ties move in.

We gathered stories from longtime residents which were screened on the HEAR HERE Community Billboard truck at the Ashby Flea Market, farmers market, various parks, festivals, and Self Help Hunger celebrations. With community activists, we spoke with hundreds of neighbors on issues of housing insecurity, food access, and community care. We Are Neighbors Together addresses the challenges of gentrification and displacement, emphasizing the importance of solidarity and mutual care in times of crisis.

We Are Neighbors Together was generously supported by the Berkeley Civic Arts Program.