Voices Of The People

Fruitvale’s Voices: Shayna, Sara, and The Unity Council

Near the end of my first day in Fruitvale, Kris and I came upon pyramids of apples, boxes of peanuts, and the smells of farmers’ market delights. I glanced around for the origin of light cannabis aroma. Jovial silhouettes bounded across city sidewalks. Faces were brightened by sunshine and the prospect of positive outcomes. Sitting at the edge of the market, just outside of a liquor store, were Shayna Elbling and Sara Ortega.

The two young women handed out flyers with information about The Unity Council. According to information on the organization’s brightly colored literature, their mission “is to help families and individuals build wealth and assets through comprehensive programs of sustainable economic, social, and neighborhood development.”

Relative to what I had seen in other parts of Fruitvale earlier in the day, this was quite impressive. Ortega’s expressions and mannerisms were a dead giveaway that her passion is deeply embedded in the community. She was excited to answer questions about Fruitvale’s culture, and was sure to point out that even people of Middle Eastern and Asian descent in the local stores spoke Spanish.

Elbling nodded in approval to much of what Ortega described as the importance of the student/teacher relationship in school. Ortega said, “Some teachers don’t understand students’ backgounds.”

“Students can tell if teachers are invested in their community…background is important to take into consideration,” Elbling added.

Our conversation revolved around the central notion of the student/teacher connection, and how that might be affected by cultural differences. We talked about how one local administrator from Think College Now (a Fruitvale elementary school with an above average Academic Performance Index) noted that approximately 90 percent of the student population is Latino, while most of the school’s teachers are white.

While we discussed the different strategies teachers could use to get in touch with their students, one point seemed certain to me: people from the area should make an effort to guide the future leaders of the community. Elbling was proud to share that she lived in Fruitvale and loved the culturally-dense environment. Ortega was just glad to see aspiring teachers wandering the streets for useful bits of information.

As our discussion ended, Kris and I thanked the young women for their time and commentary. As we walked back to BART, a lasting thought gave me some hope for the growing East Oakland district: the people we spoke to were happy to help a couple of grad students foreign to Fruitvale. We were welcomed and made to feel like more than alien guests. I remember thinking that any ethnically-rich community that embraces differences and allows the outside world into its boundaries can only move in one direction, upward.