Celebration, Connection, and Creative Sparks

Oakland roots, public policy, and the superpower of showing up

Tonight I attended the Oakland Chamber of Commerce’s 120th Annual Awards Celebration at Children’s Fairyland—thanks to a gifted ticket from the Chamber itself. It was a playful and powerful evening, full of story, song, and civic spirit.

One of the highlights for me was hearing Barbara Lee speak. Many know her as Oakland’s new mayor and former longtime Congresswoman. But to me, she’s also my former public policy professor at Mills College. Reconnecting with her in that space felt like a full-circle moment—reminding me how much my creative and civic identities have always been intertwined.

I’m now a member of the Oakland Chamber—not just as an alum of public policy, but as an artist, educator, and founder of the Inner Child Museum and Superpower of the Song.

The truth is, artists are small businesses. We are visionaries, culture workers, community-builders. We help cities breathe. And we need more than applause—we need support.

Oakland has always been a city of creative resilience. Let’s keep stoking those Oakland-grown sparks. Let’s invest in the people who light the way.

Thank you again, Oakland Chamber. Congrats to those recognized tonight, including Living Jazz.

—Kadie Kelly