Chapter 510 Joins the Oakland Chamber of Commerce!
Last month, Chapter 510 attended Oakland’s Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Awards celebration — an evening dedicated to recognizing the leaders, businesses, and community champions shaping the future of Oakland.
The event took place in Oakland’s historic Children’s Fairyland, a landmark that showcases the city’s commitment to creative and whimsical spaces for youth to explore.
The perfect setting for our Chapter 510 youth authors from Burckhalter Elementary to kick off the night reading their poetry from our latest anthology WHEN THE STARS BLOOM IN OAKLAND. Check out the book here.
Our students emitted joy and confidence in the space, igniting the night of continued celebration.
Watching our students share the stories of Oakland— stories that celebrate home, community, and culture—in front of students’ families, teachers, school leaders, community partners, and civic leaders, served as a reminder to our students that they are not only the storytellers of their city but will continue to be future leaders within it.
Barbara Leslie, President and CEO of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, shared, “"The Chamber is so happy we were able to showcase these young poets. They were wonderful!"
The night didn’t stop there: awards continued with EBALDC, valued Chapter 510 community partner and Swan’s Market landlord, receive well-deserved recognition from the Chamber of Commerce for its service to Oakland.
The occasion also marked Chapter 510’s new membership in the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. For Chapter 510, that membership is more than an institutional milestone. It creates another setting in which Oakland’s young people can be heard by the adults making decisions about the city’s future.
Our community also got to connect with other amazing organizations such as our long-term partners Oakland Roots Sports Club and Port of Oakland, as well as new partners Visit Oakland and the Ballers, to celebrate all of the milestones and key moments throughout the year.
A public reading asks young writers to take their work seriously. An attentive audience tells them that others do, too. Their poems were heard, their books were sought out, and their families and teachers were there to witness the response.