"Later, Hawkins was walking down the street and Myers yelled to him from his balcony, 'Joe, we need to open the center.' At the time, they were mulling over ways of strengthening the city's LGBTQ+ community and there was a possibility that the San Francisco LGBT Center could open a satellite location in Oakland. Hawkins replied, 'Hell, no, there can be no SF satellite in Oakland. Do you want to open a community center here in Oakland?'"
"We took it over in January, 2018, and our rent went from $500 to $10,000 a month. Fundraisers, office rentals, grants, individual donations, and additional efforts met the need. Now, the center is a multimillion-dollar multiservice agency."
"In November 2023, the Oakland City Council officially established The Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District, which is led by Committee Chair Myers. He is also a longtime surgical technician at UCSF."
Following the 2016 presidential election, Joe Hawkins and Jeff Myers met at a peaceful demonstration around Lake Merritt in Oakland. Inspired by their shared commitment to strengthening the LGBTQ+ community, they rejected the idea of a San Francisco LGBT Center satellite and instead co-founded The Oakland LGBTQ Community Center in September 2017. Starting in a coworking space with $500 monthly rent, they faced displacement within months but secured the lease themselves, increasing rent to $10,000 monthly. Through fundraisers, grants, and donations, the center expanded into a multimillion-dollar multiservice agency. In November 2023, Oakland City Council officially established The Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District, with Myers serving as Committee Chair.
#lgbtq-community-center #oakland-community-development #social-activism #nonprofit-growth #cultural-district
Read at San Francisco Bay Times
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