Black August 2026: The Arc of Liberation, From Resistance to Power
August 29, 2026, Oakland, CA | The sun shone over Oakland City Hall; the weather seemed to understand the assignment, and by late morning Frank Ogawa Plaza filled with color, music, food, art, families, old friends, and new faces.
Vendors put the finishing touches on their tables. The smell of smoked wings and ribs made its way across the Plaza, joining fried fish, chicken and fries and fresh lemonade infused with fruit and citrus. Black-owned businesses unpacked art, books, clothing, desserts, and handmade goods. Employers and community organizations prepared their tables. Volunteers in BOSS shirts welcomed guests and helped people find their way.
On the Main Stage, DJ Pretty Handsome provided the soundtrack as the crowd grew.
On Saturday, August 29, BOSS welcomed more than 600 people to the 6th Annual Black August: Arc of Liberation Commemoration, bringing our community together around Art, Culture, Political Education and Economic Empowerment.
Before the performances began, we gathered with intention.
Calling Their Names
Adeshina Shindara opened the commemoration with libation, calling upon our ancestors, freedom fighters and those whose sacrifices continue to shape the liberation struggle. Elders were honored. Those who remain incarcerated were held in our thoughts. And we gave special love and honor to Nicia De’Lovley, remembering her poetry, art, service and the love she poured into Oakland.
Black August was born inside California prisons, where incarcerated Black people created a practice grounded in remembrance, study, discipline, resistance and political education. Its history carries the names of George Jackson, Jonathan Jackson, W.L. Nolen and others whose lives became part of a larger struggle for Black liberation.
BOSS was founded in 1971, the same year George Jackson was killed at San Quentin. For more than five decades, our work has remained rooted in communities deeply affected by incarceration, homelessness, poverty and systemic inequity. Today, we support people who are incarcerated and preparing to return home, returning citizens, and individuals and families seeking housing, employment, health and wellness, education, advocacy and community.
The Arc Comes Alive
The Arc of Liberation has been at the heart of BOSS’ Black August commemoration since 2021, when we unveiled the mural honoring a lineage of Black freedom fighters and political prisoners. George Jackson sits at the top, surrounded by people whose lives represent resistance, courage, leadership and sacrifice.
The mural gives us a place to remember. The commemoration gives us a place to gather around what that history means today.
Guests received commemorative cards featuring images from the Arc, creating another opportunity to learn the names and stories represented in the mural. The first 100 guests received commemorative Black August tote bags that slowly filled with books, information, giveaways, back-to-school items and resources.
It brought one of our favorite reminders from this year’s campaign to life: while you fill your bag, fill your mind.
Political education traveled throughout the Plaza. Returning citizens took the microphone to speak from lived experience. Organizations supporting people coming home from incarceration made connections.
Voter education and registration strengthened civic participation, while legal and Clean Slate resources offered pathways beyond past convictions.
Our emcee, Khariyyah Speaks, carried that responsibility beautifully. She understood the history and purpose of the gathering, returning us to the pillars and the reason we were there. while keeping the crowd laughing, moving and ready for whatever came next.
Art, in the Middle of Everything
The Main Stage stayed alive throughout the afternoon.
JToney, Bianca “BB” Brown, DeAngelo James, Bria and Sueños of Sisterhood, 3LISE, Tuuhleacee and the turf dancers, BUCU Music, Champ Green and other performers brought music, poetry and movement to the Plaza. There were energetic performances, tender ballads and dancers who electrified the stage and the space in front of it.
Nearby, young artist Derick Davies worked steadily at his canvas as the Plaza moved around him. Music traveled from the stage. Families stopped to look. People talked and laughed nearby.
Art has always carried memory, documented what we have lived through and helped each generation imagine what comes next. Watching Derick create in the middle of his community felt completely at home inside the Arc—young, gifted, focused and creating with purpose.
Across the Plaza, artists and creatives shared paintings, prints, poetry, books, clothing and handmade pieces, while the Black Market brought Black imagination and entrepreneurship together.
Culture Keeps Us
By midday, Black August had settled into its own rhythm.
People moved between the stage and vendor tables, talked with resource providers, reconnected with old friends and made new ones. Barbers gave cuts and braiders cared for crowns. Children played and created. Families picked up books and back-to-school items, while Mattie’s Way Ice Cream Truck offered a sweet break from the afternoon sun.
Mister’s BBQ served smoked wings and ribs with cilantro rice, black beans and rice. Try Dat kept plates moving with fried fish, chicken, burgers and fries. Fresh lemonade came dressed up with fruit and citrus flavors. By the end of the afternoon, more than 400 meals had been served.
At noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., giveaways pulled people back toward the Main Stage as prize drawing winners were surprised with gift cards, baskets, a tablet, experiences, pancake breakfast tickets and other gifts.
Black August carries grief, memory and the weight of those who sacrificed deeply for liberation. It also carries generations of Black people finding ways to love, feed, create, laugh, dance and care for one another while doing the work of resistance.
Culture keeps us connected to that truth.
Building Something We Can Use
The Black Market brought together approximately 20 vendors and Black-owned businesses offering art, books, apparel, coffee and tea, desserts, body care, poetry, handmade goods and food.
Economic empowerment lives in employment, ownership, entrepreneurship, education and opportunities that help people and families build stability.
Employers participated in the Career & Resource Fair, and more than 20 resource organizations offered support around housing, education, health, wellness, legal services, reentry, voter engagement, and other community needs.
Brother Ayinde, founder and CEO of Black Star Investment Group and known as “The Economic Activist,” took the microphone to speak about investment, ownership, development, and building within our communities.
Throughout the Plaza, people could learn about employment, clearing a record, education and career training, health resources, voter registration, housing and community support.
Community Built This
BOSS staff from several programs joined Deputy Director Nichole Pettway and Chief Strategies & Program Officer Lisa Williams throughout the afternoon to share resources and connect with community members. Oakland Councilmember At-Large Rowena Brown also joined us in the Plaza.
Approximately 15 volunteers welcomed guests, supported vendors, moved supplies, answered questions, and helped keep the Arc flowing. The City of Oakland helped create an accessible gathering space downtown.
We also extend our gratitude to Kaiser Permanente, Mechanics Bank, Baywell Health, Ava Energy, Port of Oakland, Nonstop Health, Felts Family Fund, Cooper Hawkins and the UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Office for investing in Black August and helping BOSS keep the commemoration free and accessible.
Their support showed up throughout the day in free meals, opportunities for artists, community resources, support for Black-owned businesses, and activities for children and families.
To every staff member, volunteer, artist, vendor, employer, resource partner, community organization, and guest who brought something of themselves into the Plaza: thank you.
Many hands built the Arc.
From Resistance to Power
We heard from community members who felt this was our strongest Black August Commemoration yet. Much of what made the day meaningful came from listening to what people had shared with us over the years.
Our community asked for deeper education about Black August, greater recognition of political prisoners and returning citizens, more support for organizations helping people return home, and clearer connections between the history and what people experienced throughout the day.
We carried those lessons into this year’s gathering while preserving the art, food, music, family, creativity, and joy that have become part of how BOSS gathers.
Our four pillars: Art, Culture, Political Education and Economic Empowerment could be seen throughout the Plaza, but their meaning lived in the people and the connections being made.
As the afternoon came to a close, Champ Green and friends took the stage while the Plaza was still full. Soon, people joined them. The music moved into line dancing, with Oakland City Hall as the backdrop for one final expression of community and joy.
The 6th Annual Black August: Arc of Liberation Commemoration ended that afternoon, but the work continues every day at BOSS: supporting people who are incarcerated and preparing to return home, welcoming returning citizens, and walking alongside people seeking housing, employment, healing, stability, and opportunity.
Black August reminds us where we come from, who we carry with us, and what remains ours to build.
The Arc continues.
Black August Arc of Liberation may be one day on the calendar, but the work of liberation continues every day. BOSS works year-round alongside individuals and families impacted by incarceration, homelessness and systemic inequity—connecting people to housing, employment, reentry support, wellness, education and opportunities to build self-sufficiency.
Stay connected to BOSS, support the work, and be part of what we’re building.
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