I moved to Oakland during one of the lowest points in my life.

In 2017, I left an abusive relationship that had me convinced I was better off dead than free. It was my first time on my own, isolated from family without any social support. Unbeknownst to me, the years that followed would be healing and transformative.

What I found in Oakland was community. Living there felt like growing up in San Francisco again, before tech took over and hollowed out the city that raised me. Surrounded by the glistening waters of Lake Merritt, where I took frequent walks, I found comforting moments of peace within the uncertainty of starting over from scratch. The activism rooted in the birthplace of the Black Panthers inspired me to become a more authentic version of myself. The lifeforce behind the live musical performances around the lake showed me how dance and song can connect strangers. I learned resilience, strength, and hope.

Oakland helped me find my soul.

Years later, COVID-19 shut down the world. Across the country, people faced shelter-in-place orders, the loss of loved ones, and the spread of misinformation and propaganda. At the same time, the nation was galvanized by public outcries for social justice following the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Businesses, large and small, boarded up their windows—some in response to temporary shutdowns, others to repair damage from unrest that emerged alongside Black Lives Matter protests.

Through it all, Oakland healed from the collective trauma triggered by the pandemic in the way it knew best—through community. Facing economic losses from the shutdown, vendors set up shop along Lake Merritt to recover. With shelter-in-place restrictions confining people to their homes, neighbors and the broader local community flocked to the lake—a free, public space—to socialize, relax, and bask in the East Bay sun. Lake Merritt became a communal watering hole, offering solace amid uncertainty and loss of agency.

I lived right next to the lake. Working from home during shelter-in-place, I seldom ventured beyond a 3-mile radius from its shores, which teemed with activity every day. During this time, I mingled with my neighbors, made new friends, and observed as the community by the lake turned to creativity and connection to cope with the challenges of the pandemic. Like it had been for me years before, Lake Merritt became a space for healing—an ode to Oakland’s legacy of resilience—affirming that strength and hope are rooted in community, even in uncertain times.