Terms of Solidarity & Collective Liberation
Oakland Pride Website & Community Space
Effective Date: From Now Until a Better World is Built
Welcome to the digital home of Oakland Pride. This is not a contract; it is a covenant. By engaging with this website, participating in our events, or invoking our name, you are entering into a relationship of mutual respect, radical accountability, and shared struggle with the entire Oakland community we represent. These are not terms to be skimmed and agreed to. They are principles to be lived.
1. Our Foundation: Unapologetically Afro-centric
We affirm that there is no liberation without Black liberation. This space is built upon an Afro-centric worldview, prioritizing the wisdom, culture, and thriving of Black people in Oakland and the diaspora.
- Centering Blackness: We recognize that systems of oppression are built on anti-Blackness. Therefore, our work, our celebrations, and our platforms will always center Black queer and trans voices, artists, organizers, and elders.
- Umoja (Unity): We strive for and maintain unity within our family, community, and race. We commit to resolving conflicts within our community through principles of transformative justice, not carceral logic.
- Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): We define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves. We reject all attempts by outside forces—be they corporate, state, or otherwise—to define our identities, dictate our politics, or sanitize our struggle.
- Sankofa: We look backward to our histories and our ancestors to fetch the knowledge we need to move forward collectively.
2. Our Identity: Radically Queer & Anti-Assimilationist
Queerness is not a brand. It is a verb, a political orientation, and a lifelong rebellion against the cages of normativity.
- Beyond the Rainbow: We celebrate the full, ungovernable spectrum of queer and trans existence. We are not seeking tolerance or inclusion in systems that seek to destroy us. We are building our own.
- No Cops at Pride, No Cops in Our Community: We recognize the state and its police forces as historic and ongoing agents of violence against Black, brown, and queer people. They are not welcome in our spaces in any official capacity. We rely on community defense and de-escalation, not state-sanctioned violence.
- Gender is Expansive; Our Support is Unconditional: This is a sanctuary for transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and Two-Spirit people. We will defend your right to exist, to thrive, and to receive gender-affirming care and community support without exception. Misgendering and transphobia are acts of violence and will not be tolerated.
Capitalism is a disease, and rainbow-washing is one of its symptoms. We reject the commodification of our identities and the exploitation of our community for profit.
- No Rainbow Capitalism: Corporate floats, logos, and sponsorships that do not align with our core principles of liberation for all are not welcome. We will not sell our struggle to the highest bidder. We prioritize partnerships with local, worker-owned, and BIPOC-owned businesses.
- Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): We commit to building and maintaining our own stores, shops, and community resources. We practice mutual aid. If you have plenty, you share. If you are in need, you ask. Wealth is hoarded; resources are shared.
- From Each According to Ability, To Each According to Need: This principle guides our approach to access. All our events will be free or sliding-scale, with no one turned away for lack of funds. We expect those with financial privilege to contribute more to sustain the collective.
4. Our Culture: Copyleft & The People’s Art
All content, art, stories, and images created by the community and shared on this platform belong to the people. They are not private property. This is a cultural commons, not a content farm.
- The Share-Alike Mandate: You are free to use, share, remix, and build upon any content found here for non-commercial purposes. You may take our art and make it your own. You may take our words and make them your anthem.
- Attribution & Solidarity: When you share or adapt, you must give credit to the original creator(s) and to Oakland Pride. More importantly, your new creation must be shared under these same terms. Our culture cannot be captured and privatized. It must be passed on, freely.
- No Commercial Exploitation: You may not use any content from this site for commercial purposes without the explicit, collective consent of the creators and the community. You cannot sell what was freely given.
5. Land & Sovereignty
Oakland Pride takes place on the unceded territory of the Chochenyo-speaking Ohlone people. We acknowledge the ongoing legacy of colonialism and genocide. Our struggle for liberation is intrinsically linked to the struggle for Indigenous sovereignty and the movement to return land to its rightful stewards.
By engaging with us, you commit to upholding these principles in your interactions with our community, both online and in the streets. This is a living document, subject to revision by the community it serves. If you cannot abide by this covenant, this is not the space for you.