By: Jenee Darden
When I arrive at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, the neighborhood looks more like the French Quarter in New Orleans. Sounds from the band MJ’s Brass Boppers fill the streets. People are dancing, holding gold-trimmed parasols in their hands and wearing Mardi Gras beads around their necks. Residents are on their porches, waving to us as we pass by.
I grew up a few miles away from this East Oakland park, but this is the first time I’m parading in a “Second Line” celebration. It’s a parade of dance and live music that’s more common in New Orleans than in Oakland, but an organization called the Oakland Second Line Project just may change that.
Read full article at link below.