First I explored the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Oakland in their Church of Christ the Light. The original church on this location was destroyed during the Loma Prieta earthquake. The diocese wanted to build a new cathedral (a cathedral is a church with the bishop's seat) and after some consideration they choose to rebuild at that site. Its a very diverse part of the city and therefore should be available to all constituents. Its a lovely church. I really like that it is open all during the day, like the cathedrals of Europe. When viewed from overhead, you can see that it is shaped like a fish, a very old Christian symbol. The building is built of glass, wood and concrete blocks. The light inside is totally natural and even creates the image of Christ on the cross in the front. (Images courtesy ofvirtualsacredspace.blogspot.com and SOM).
I attended part of a film festival at Oakland's African American Museum and Library on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It was cool to watch a film about MLK Jr. and learn things I hadn't known, and it was a neat and very interested mostly black audience I watched it with. After the film, many people stood up and talked about the work that still needs to be done today, or how they were involved in the protest marches back in the 1960s. Meanwhile, the building itself is quite beautiful and has exhibits covering the history of black populations in Oakland.
