Terri Woodfolk-Nelson wants to give back to the neighborhood she grew up in.
It’s why she’s hosting a picnic and story share at Dover Park on a Saturday in October, talking to 50 or so of her neighbors. A third-generation North Oaklander, she points to the nearby potluck table and says she’s brought figs from her tree because she always had them as a kid.
“The neighborhood was really connected. There was a strong sense of community and people really took care of one other,” she says. Old family photos rotate on the yellow HEAR/HERE digital billboard truck parked behind her.
Woodfolk-Nelson does feel some connection with her immediate neighbors, who helped in meaningful ways after her husband had a stroke. But she misses a time when block parties were the norm and Mr. Pickett was the go-to handyman.
The HEAR/HERE truck may help bridge the past and the present in North Oakland’s quickly changing neighborhoods. Launched in June, it connects neighbors through history and storytelling, prioritizing Black stories because they’re disappearing the fastest.
While North Oakland is the birthplace of the Black Panther Party, Woodfolk-Nelson’s family is one of the few African American families on Dover Street.
