Oakland for All: Building a Racially Just Oakland
For over 25 years, Akonadi Foundation has been committed to building a racially just Oakland — a place fostering the liberation and well-being of all young people and their families. The foundation has worked alongside community partners to remove barriers and create a community where every individual, particularly those who have been historically marginalized, can find belonging and have the opportunity to dream and flourish.
As the foundation enters its next chapter, we hold firm to our founding ideas — that powerful social change movements are the key to eliminating structural racism and social change will only happen by building durable people power over time. Our North Star is a future where those most impacted by the ongoing harms of systemic racism have the power to design and participate in governing the systems, institutions, and investments that shape our society and help build an Oakland that is truly for all.
To advance our vision, we are adopting a path forward that continues Akonadi’s commitment to strengthening the racial justice movement ecosystem and brings us closer to our North Star. We invite you to join us as we continue our journey toward a racially just Oakland.
Our Vision:
A racially just Oakland
An Oakland where every individual finds belonging and has the opportunity to dream and flourish.
Our Mission:
To support the development of powerful social change movements to eliminate structural racism.
We are committed to supporting and building powerful movements that dismantle structural racism and uplift communities most impacted by systemic injustice.
Our Direction: Rooted in Liberation and Power
Akonadi Foundation will focus on building the power of historically marginalized communities to drive long-term structural change. We will invest in the people and organizations committed to repairing the harms caused by systemic racism. We will support them to build and aggregate enough power to create policies and systems that foster a racially just Oakland, where all young people and their families are safe in their schools and neighborhoods; have the resources and opportunities to thrive; and are actively engaged in their communities, shaping the future of Oakland.
Our Commitments
Build the Base
We center community organizing that grows and aggregates the power of historically marginalized communities.
Strengthen the Movement Ecosystem
We recognize that building power requires an ecosystem of aligned organizations that are responsive to the needs and concerns of marginalized communities. We prioritize investments that further strengthen and build a resilient movement ecosystem.
Center Arts and Culture
We champion arts and culture rooted in the fight for racial justice that advance collective belonging, hope, and imagination.
Let the Movement Lead
Our role is not to create or lead social movements but rather to fund and support organizers and advocates, convene formations, learn from the field, and cultivate increased resources for critical work.
Do No Harm
We strive not to undermine movement-building infrastructure, amplify destructive competition, or fray relationships among organizations.
Build a Shared Vision
We support spaces where partners can strategize, radically imagine, learn, and develop a shared vision and collective agenda to realize racial justice for communities in Oakland.
Our 5-Year Goals: Charting a Path to Collective Power and Justice
Over the next five years, Akonadi Foundation will focus on three key goals foundational to building and aggregating power of historically marginalized communities and moving us towards a racially just Oakland.
Goal 1: Strengthen community organizing in historically marginalized communities in Oakland and Alameda County to build a powerful multiracial constituency.
Goal 2: Fortify Oakland’s movement infrastructure, including coalitions, alliances, and connections, to deepen alignment and aggregate power.
Goal 3: Foster belonging and radical imagination for racial justice movement building in Oakland and Alameda County.
Together, We Can Reimagine and Build the Future We Want
Our framework and approach will evolve as we learn, in partnership with organizers, local leaders, creatives, and community members, what is required to bring about transformational change.
The work ahead is immense, but so is our collective will to build a future where justice, equity, and opportunity are not just aspirations, but lived realities for all Oakland residents. Join Akonadi Foundation in creating a racially just Oakland for all.
