Youth Uprising: Annual block party celebrated East Oakland community, youth

Published on Monday, July 26, 2010
Last updated on 07:09AM, Thursday, July 29, 2010
Photos by Marvin Nettles.

After a Friday morning full of overcast skies, the clouds broke up and made for a nice, sunny afternoon. Perfect weather for Youth UpRising’s annual “Hotter Than July Block Party!”

There was something for everybody: The day started with 510Skateboarding’s final round of its summer contest series. Throughout the day, the YU center was full of families and young people hanging out and enjoying the weather. The jumper saw plenty of action while others kept cool on the inflatable water slide.

Soul and R&B classics really set the tone and helped create a collective, block party feel. From the pick-up basketball games to the domino table, the Youth UpRising community came out to have fun and enjoy the weather.

Amidst all the action, I caught young, aspiring artists hard at work inside one of the center’s recording studios. There also were plenty of young people socializing in the center’s lounge area, located just inside.

In keeping inline with Youth UpRising’s mission, the block party also served as a community resource. For example, organizations like A Safe Place and AmeriCorps had representatives on hand to field questions and talk to community members.

The party ended with a solid performance from Bay Area singer, R.O.D. The stage area filled quickly just before he rocked his hit single “Can’t Stand You.” R.O.D. stayed on hand afterwards and signed autographs.

Photos by Marvin Nettles.



Youth UpRising will hold its annual F.A.S.T. – For A Safe Town – event Sept. 25. More details to come! 

About Marv Nettles
Marvin Nettles is a native and current resident of East Oakland. He is a recent graduate of the University of California at Berkeley where he received a bachelor's in political science with a minor in city & regional planning as a Regents’ & Chancellor’s scholar. Beginning in August, Nettles will pursue both a law degree and master's in city planning as part of a joint degree program between UC Hastings College of the Law and the Department of City & Regional Planning at UC Berkeley. Prior to pursuing a college education, Nettles spent many years in the music and professional audio industry, working in positions such as producer, engineer, sound arts instructor and sound designer. Nettles enjoys cycling and photography in his free time. But his primary interest lies in developing solutions to the economic, racial and structural inequities, which continue to adversely affect low-income communities of color.