When Overwatch launched in 2016, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Its cast was a self-proclaimed mix of “oddities,” whose “soaring ideals of freedom and equality would never be forgotten.” It felt like a video game for everyone. ...Six years later and Blizzard’s slipshod track record demonstrates the limits of this milquetoast, Pixar-ification approach to diversity.

Like many cities, Emeryville’s housing market is out of balance. The supply does not come close to the demand. Emeryville has roughly 30,000 jobs, but only 12,905 residents. Both are expected to increase in the coming years, especially if the city’s burgeoning research sector continues to grow. Rebalancing that ratio is tricky and will take years to fully realize. 

Asian American pop culture has exploded in popularity over the past few years. Music collectives like 88rising and films like Everything Everywhere All At Once are dominating the Western media zeitgeist, something that was almost unthinkable ten years ago. … Despite this collective progress in other media and wider society, Asian Americans are scarcely noticeable…

In Oakland, as is the case for many cities, there is a strong correlation between neighborhoods with poor internet service and those that were “redlined” beginning in the 1930s. The official practice of redlining has been illegal for decades, but the negative effects still remain. For those living in formerly redlined neighborhoods, the digital divide is well documented…

The very things that have made fire departments successful — a strong sense of brotherhood, an emphasis on measurable operational results, and a close living-working environment — are often the very things that make attempts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) inside fire stations uniquely challenging.

Thanks to a Youth Development and Empowerment grant from the city of Sacramento, Block by Block will spend the 2021 fiscal year engaging the neighborhoods of Meadowview and Valley Hi through community journalism and art mapping. Conceived in 2015, Block by Block seeks to enhance the quality of life in Sacramento’s urban core through hyper-local…

At 17, Chalmers joined the Air Force to “become a man”, which led to a four year stint in London. It was a welcome escape from the increasingly tense situation in the United States. Emmett Till had been murdered only a few years prior and Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech” was several years away. England wasn’t exactly a shining city on the hill for…

It's not uncommon for Asian Americans to feel like outsiders in a group of perpetual outsiders. America has long viewed the Asian diaspora with distrust, especially during times of great societal change or stress. Unsurprisingly, our parents often stress the importance of cultural assimilation, of fitting in. (My mother even gave me a "white" name…

"When I remember I see red” is a phrase laden with allusions to memory, race, bloodshed, and anger. It recalls the American Indian experience and the activism that characterizes this generation of Native artists. In addition to creating compelling works of art, many helped restore aspects…