Earlier this summer, the feel-good vibes of Latin rap, Afrobeat, soul, and other electrifying genres began radiating through two parks in Northern California’s East Oakland, a predominately Black community located in the southeastern region of the City of Oakland, at the outset of the inaugural Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series. Presented by local nonprofit Black Cultural Zone Community Development Corporation, the free live music series unfolds on Saturdays through September 21 as a part of Levitt VIBE: the Levitt Foundation’s new two-year matching grant program that brings the joy of free concerts to public spaces in city areas with limited access to arts experiences.

The first-ever Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series, presented by nonprofit Black Cultural Zone Community Development Corporation, comes to life at Arroyo Viejo Park (pictured) and Liberation Park.

The City of Oakland, situated on land originally stewarded by the Ohlone peoples, has a multifaceted history that has brought great ethnic and cultural diversity to the populous San Francisco Bay Area locale: The city’s role in the gold rush, Transcontinental Railroad, and WWII manufacturing boom attracted many Latin American and Chinese immigrants, along with Black Americans, for work opportunities in rail, mining, and manufacturing. Oakland also birthed numerous touchstones of American culture like the Black Panther Party and the University of California public education system.

Amidst its many highs, Oakland, like many historical American cities, has seen its share of lows as well. In the 1960s, the city experienced a period of urban decay, which was followed by an era of renewal in the ‘70s and ‘80s. And while many parts of Oakland enjoyed reinvestment, other parts, such as East Oakland, with an area population of nearly 90,000, faced disinvestment for decades—the systemic effects of which residents continue to experience today, in addition to more contemporary trials, like gentrification.

Yet, community members have never let adversity overshadow the remarkable artistic tapestry that continuously characterizes the corridor known for being the stomping grounds of countless Black cultural tastemakers: urban radio personality Sway Calloway; GRAMMY winners MC Hammer and Sheila E.; R&B icons Keyshia Cole and Tony! Toni! Toné!; and Too $hort, a pioneer of West Coast hip-hop, amongst others.

With such a storied creative ecology, it is no wonder the inaugural Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series—launched this June and continuing through September 21—has already resonated so profoundly in the community halfway through its first season.

“We’ve already seen so many people have a good time on the lawn, and the music series is creating a space for community,” said Ari Curry, the director of marketing and communications at Black Cultural Zone. “Bringing art and culture—rhythm and sound and expression—back into our community and holding a safe, sacred space for that is really important for us to do.”

The Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series gathers East Oakland residents of all generations and backgrounds for joyous, free music experiences in a safe, inclusive environment.

Black Cultural Zone is committed to centering Black arts, culture, and economic opportunity to build collective power in East Oakland through a variety of projects and programs, many of which are arts-oriented. This programming experience made the nonprofit the ideal partner to present the Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series, which is the only outdoor music series by and for East Oaklanders—a notable characteristic of the program, given the Bay Area’s sprawling and competitive arts and entertainment landscape.

“As in most big cities, there are a thousand different things to do in the Bay Area on any summer weekend, and usually the center of gravity is more downtown or around Lake Merritt [a popular lagoon near Downtown Oakland],” explained Carolyn Johnson, chief executive officer of Black Cultural Zone. “With this series, we’re pulling the center of gravity to our community—locals don’t have to get on the BART or drive to have a good time.”

Two Locations, Twice the Music

Indeed, thanks to the Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series, East Oaklanders can relish the power of high-caliber live music for free and in their own backyard, as the regular concerts unfold in two of East Oakland’s reawakened public green spaces, Arroyo Viejo Park and Liberation Park. Both sites illustrate community leaders’ collective efforts to build East Oakland’s social capital by revitalizing historic, underused community assets and transforming abandoned areas into cultural oases that foster joy and healing for residents of all ages.

First, there’s Arroyo Viejo, a sprawling park developed by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s that went underused for many years due to crime; then there is Liberation Park, which, prior to becoming a vacant, overgrown lot, was a police substation.

Recent years showcase a night-and-day difference in both public spaces. Operated by the City of Oakland Parks & Recreation Department, a partner of Black Cultural Zone, Arroyo Viejo today represents East Oakland’s resilience and renewal with its effervescent community garden and newly renovated recreational facilities. Likewise, Liberation Park is the fruit of transformative change. In 2020, Black Cultural Zone acquired the land—its meaningful name decided by East Oakland community members—and fashioned the abandoned lot into a thriving outdoor green haven where residents of all walks of life could safely come together for a variety of arts and cultural experiences, including weekly Sunday skating events at the park’s one-of-a-kind wooden outdoor roller rink and bustling small business markets.

From reggae and Latin fusion to hip-hop and soul, a diverse array of sounds has emerged from the Levitt Oakland stage, beckoning community members to their feet for joyful movement.

This summer, both parks are bringing together East Oaklanders of all ages and cultures on the lawn to dance, sing, unwind, and connect over the vibrant beats of reggae, salsa, jazz, hip-hop, Afrobeat, R&B, blues, and classical music—genres especially identifiable to the Northern California community, which, along with its large Black demographic, has a large and expanding Latinx/Hispanic population. Artists appearing on the Levitt VIBE Oakland stage so far include internationally renowned band leader and expressive percussionist Kahil El’Zabar; GRAMMY-winning New York jazz composer David Murray; queer Mexican rapper Niña Dioz; rhythmic hometown heroes Afrobeats Oakland; and emotive soul collective SOL Development. And in late August and September, community members will have a chance to boogie to the robust rhythms of soulful brass band Dupont Brass, adventurous jazz collective Jazz Mafia, and Chicano-rock legends Malo.

Creating Community

The Black Cultural Zone team says that each free Levitt VIBE concert has pulled a larger audience than the last. What’s more is that faces on the lawns have grown increasingly varied with every concert, demonstrating the power of inclusive arts programming. Johnson explains that some artists bring in younger crowds, others older; she notes that some programmed acts have attracted ethnically diverse audiences significantly representative of the vast African diaspora. This diversity has sparked opportunities for social bonding and bridging, creating a sense of belonging for residents and ultimately furthering local changemakers’ efforts to build East Oakland’s social capital.

Johnson and Curry believe a combination of inclusivity and trust has contributed to the success of the series thus far. “I think genre makes a difference—but there are always some people who are just going to come to the concerts because it’s at Liberation Park,” said Johnson, speaking to what Curry describes as East Oakland’s level of trust in Black Cultural Zone as a community organization.

“Across all the neighborhood spaces in East Oakland that our organization supports, we see an increase in public safety,” Curry explained. “Data reflects that crime is reduced within a four- to five-block radius of our program sites—and that’s because the community has a high level of trust in our organization.”

The Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series is nurturing connections between performers and community members through intimate artist talks following each free concert.

Visible consistency is also important for residents, who have taken notice of the steadiness of the Levitt VIBE Oakland concerts, which will return in the summer of 2025. “A significant part of what we’re doing with the Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series is reminding people of the safe spaces within our community and assuring our neighbors that they can enjoy the outdoors and have fun,” Johnson explained. “Folks are saying that just seeing regular events and seeing these spaces come alive prompts them to reflect, ‘Why haven’t I been here before?’”

Such questions may quickly escape attendees, though, once they witness the joy and connection that the Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series has infused into East Oakland’s once-sleepy public green spaces. Uniquely, the music series is also deepening connections between performers and audiences through its post-performance ‘artist talk’ series supported by Black Cultural Zone partner the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, a local nonprofit committed to fostering equity in arts education.

“This element of our partnership is reducing the barrier between the artist and the audience—encouraging the culture to move beyond artists being seen as simply entertainers,” said Johnson, emphasizing the historical role of creatives as advocates for change. “Oakland has such strong ties to the Black Power movement and organizing at the intersection of art and activism, so these conversations between community and artists recognize that there’s a connection between art and power building, and that people have more to their story than simply performing the music.”

A welcoming space for local business owners to elevate their platforms, the Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series is fueling economic development in East Oakland.

Beyond bridging the gap between performer and audience, the series is nurturing musician-to-musician connections as well—specifically across generations—by inviting Oakland’s emerging young artists to partake in these stimulating conversations. Like many other Levitt concert sites, Levitt VIBE Oakland’s lawns are also doubling as an opportunity for East Oakland’s network of entrepreneurs, from indie candle makers to local restaurateurs, to sell locally crafted goods and grow their business platforms, bolstering East Oakland’s economic development.

Just four exhilarating concerts down and many more to come, things are just getting started for the Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series—the series’ organizers are already brainstorming ideas to make the 2025 Levitt season pop. “We’re excited that this is a two-year grant opportunity because we’ve already learned so many lessons,” Johnson said. “Next year we’re absolutely going to hit it out of the park.”

The inaugural Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series continues through September.