Besides being “the premier chronicler of mid-century African-American life in San Francisco,” David S. Johnson (b.

Laying out a grim snapshot of the county’s economy on Wednesday, Alameda County officials said that that budget cuts advocated by the governor will make things much worse for residents depending on county services.

In high school, I always hated math.

Hey straight family! You know how frustrating it is to witness your queer friends get discriminated against? Remember how helpless you felt when Prop. 8 passed? If only there was something you could do to help …

Wait! There is! Because my picks for this weekend are … (I know I’m not supposed to say this) kind of GAY!

Rain isn’t the only thing that's happened to Oakland this past week. OL’s fabulous team of journalists gave you some top-notch coverage of news ranging from local government, to arts and culture, to courtroom drama.

In an effort to bring together poets that defined eras with new blood who are blazing new territory, the Journal of Pan African Studies Poetry Festival and Chauncey Bailey Book Fair will take place from noon to 6 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th St. in downtown Oakland.

 What's happening for Black History Month in Oakland during the second half of this month? There's lots to see and do:

Friday, February 18, 2011
Black History Month Extravaganza
6925 International Blvd. in the Black Wall Street District
6p.m., Free Admission

This Saturday, Feb. 19 at 2 p.m., the Magic Theatre in San Francisco will present a free show of its current play, “What We’re Up Against,” at Oakland’s Laney College, 900 Fallon St.

For more than 12 hours a day, seven days a week, Aziz Diagne sits in his studio at Franklin and 14th Street. 

During the day these are busy streets, and large windows allow him to see the mix of people walking, driving and biking by; but it also allows them to see him.

The community is invited to come out to the Lollipop Stop Children’s Fashion Show to be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. this Sunday, Feb. 20, at the Holy Redeemer Event and Retreat Center, 8945 Golf Links Road, Oakland. 

The latest installment in the ongoing saga of the Oakland gang injunctions played out Wednesday afternoon at the Alameda County Courthouse.

On Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Joyce Gordon Gallery, the Journal of Pan African Studies is sponsoring a Poetry Reading with Bay Area poets who are  published in the poetry issue of the journal and members of Academy of da Corner Reader's Theatre.