Black travel worldwide represents a dominant sector in the industry. Experts, consultants and researchers offer real-time data proving their assertions: Black travelers in 2020 spent upwards of $109.4 billion annually, based on one study of international travel from Black Travel Alliance in partnership with marketing and tech company MMGY Global. Add in domestic Black travel, and the figure jumps to $129.6 billion.  Research shows that 70% of multicultural travelers book accommodations and experiences in spaces and with companies in which they see themselves reflected. From airports to c ..read more

From the beginning of the 20th century through the 1970s, waves of African Americans left the South in what is known as the “Great Migration.” More than six million people are estimated to have uprooted themselves in search of better, freer lives, taking with them their histories, their traditions and their cultures. This included at least 300,000 who made their way to the Bay Area. Tens of thousands came to Oakland and Richmond during “the Second Great Migration” of the ’40s-’70s, drawn by the promise of jobs. According to the website OaklandHereAndNow: “by 1970, 35% of Oakland’s population ..read more

The songs on Hot Pressed, the new EP from Oakland’s Malik Mays—who records and performs under their musical identity, Mahawam—continue to explore the intersection between their inner world and the reality of living in the world as a queer, Black artist. The songs on the EP are arranged with an impressive blend of styles: rock, pop, R&B, rap and a bit of jazz. “I’m not really looking to do any one particular thing with my music,” Mays said. “It’s an expression of where my head and my heart are at the time I begin writing a song. All of my influences factor into how I’m able to musically ex ..read more

The name of Chef Michauxnée Olier’s restaurant, Willows & Pine, pays homage to her family’s history in Oakland. When she was growing up, her mother and grandmother worked at The Barn, which used to be on Pine Street in West Oakland. “I loved being in that space because it was family, it was home,” she said. And the first house her great-grandparents bought was on Willow Street. Naming her first restaurant in their honor is Olier’s way of saying thank you because they worked hard to take her family out of poverty. Olier is applying the same principles she learned at The Barn to Willows &am ..read more

Adam Ant is complicated, in the best sense of the word. Throughout his career, the man born Stuart Goddard has exhibited a creative streak that’s pulled inspiration from the worlds of music, art, film, television and radio.  Best known as an artist who emerged from the late ’70s U.K. punk scene (managed by none other than Sex Pistols impresario Malcolm McLaren—more on that later), Ant broke through in America right as a new entity called MTV was emerging. Given the London native’s sartorial flair that favored a pirate motif long before Johnny Depp donned his Captain Jack Sparrow apparel ..read more

THURSDAY POST-EMO HOT MULLIGAN Hot Mulligan not only identifies as a post-emo; they claim they invented the genre. Taking inspiration from pop-punk greats (Blink 182, Green Day, etc.), they’ve been on a steady and irreverent ascent from the underground since 2014. Their first two albums, 2018’s Pilot and 2020’s You’ll Be Fine, won them a dedicated fan base. Last year’s Why Would I Watch amped up the screaming. For that special mix of angsty guitars, wistful melodies and seductive melancholia that got many a millennial through high school, Hot Mully may be the new Fall Out Boy. – ADDIE MAHMASS ..read more

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Have you ever gotten your mind, heart and soul in sweet alignment with the spiritual beauty of money? An opportunity to do that is available. During the next four weeks, you can cultivate an almost mystical communion with the archetype of well-earned wealth. What does that mean? Well, you could be the beneficiary of novel insights and hot tips about how best to conduct your finances. You might get intuitions about actions you could take to bring more riches into your life. Be alert for help from unexpected sources. You may notice that the more generous you are, the ..read more

When I co-founded Harborside Health Center in 2006 in Oakland, the popularity of the 4/20 holiday was just beginning to seriously rev up. At that time the medical cannabis framework in California had been in place for 10 years. By 2006 enough legal patients existed to make 4/20 a safe day for hordes of celebrating stoners to come out. The movement was spreading its wings and making itself known to the media nationally and internationally. Hippie Hill in San Francisco had become a spontaneous gathering place for stoners. Dispensaries like Harborside and Berkeley Patients Group began to pioneer ..read more

The pizza recipes at North Berkeley’s three.one four pizzeria belong to a chef who lives in and runs a catering business in Los Angeles. Mario Vollera, along with a silent business partner and hospitality expert Brandon Wilson, have reimagined the former Lalime’s space as a “swanky pizza lounge.” Wilson previously helped Restoration Hardware open restaurants across the country, most recently in Marin. While working at Restoration in Corte Madera, his soon-to-be business partner suggested that Wilson take a trip to Los Angeles to try Vollera’s sourdough pizza. “I was just blown away,” he said ..read more

THURSDAY INDIE LATE NIGHT DRIVE HOME  Late Night Drive Home’s music sounds like rainy nights, lonely cities and lowercase letters. Formed in 2019 in a rural town outside of El Paso, the four-piece indie-rock band found surprise success when their SoundCloud single, “Stress Relief,” went viral in 2021. In that hit song, lead singer Andres Julian Portillo channels the sound of aughts rock (the Killers, the Strokes, etc.) to deliver a performance that’s somehow both moody and deadpan. Now signed to Epitaph Records, the band has released the excellent EP “i’ll remember you for the same feeli ..read more