Committed to adult and family education, the Eastmont Computing Center provides computer classes and Internet access to Oakland’s senior community, as well as after-school programs for kids. Two days of field recording at the ECC made for an excellent halfway mark in StoryCorps Griot’s Oakland tour stop.

A local institution herself, Unav Wade served as Oakland’s NAACP Chapter President for fifteen years. Driven by love for her own family’s well-being, Unav worked to achieve equality for Blacks in the workplace and for their children’s opportunities for success in the classroom.

On Tuesday, July 31st we began our cross-country driving trip from Chicago to Oakland, CA. The booth, driven by a professional driver, made a pit stop for repairs and cleaning before meeting us in Oakland on August 6th.

Driving our two mini vans, our trip took 4 days traveling along the I-80 through 5 states. We stopped overnight in Cheyenne, WY, Omaha, NE, Salt Lake City, UT, and Reno, NV. Toccarra and Brianna drove the Grey Goose while Michelle and Rose commandeered the White Horse.

We stayed at The Plains Hotel on Central Avenue in Cheyenne. The website describes it as “The historic, charming, 1911 National Historic Landmark Hotel of Cheyenne Wyoming. Host of famous guests, designed with Western High Style decor”. We’re not sure if the bricked in windows in Brianna’s room reflected “High style decor” but the little bugs that ran her out gave it a rather rough-neck appeal. The rest of us fell out pretty fast cause we were drowsy as a cowpoke at dusk.

The last stop before Oakland was Reno, land of sunshine, deserts, mafia money-laundering and gas station slot machines. We stayed at the luxurious Days Inn Reno. Our rooms faced the picturesque I-580 freeway and the hotel pool faced a roller disco and “the hood”. As Rose, Michelle and Brianna lounged by the pool they were serenaded by the honking of passing cars, men on bikes and on one occasion, the local drunk.

We finally hit Oakland the following day. Here we’re staying at the Lake Merritt Hotel just across from Lake Merritt of course. Our rooms are huge with full kitchens and for most of us, separate bedrooms, living rooms and dining rooms (sorry Rose but we picked first). The place is in transition from a hotel to becoming Barbary Lane – a residence home for gay and lesbian senior citizens. Now, how Bay area is that?

Just before making nice with our Table Neighbors, reps from Columbia College’s graphic design program. These gentlemen in the background gifted the Griot Booth with some awesome playing cards, by the way.

Strawberry smoothies make databasing so much sweeter. See?

That “shopping galore” I was talking about. This warrior wristband and amber ring (made from an antique fork, believe it or not) helped us lure in two walk-ups to record on Sunday. That jewelry is magic! Or maybe it’s the shiny CDs?

The Jesse Brown VA Medical Center consists of a 188-bed care facility and four community-based outpatient clinics. Jesse Brown provides care to approximately 62,000 veterans who reside in the City of Chicago and Cook County, IL and in six counties in northwestern Indiana. A budget of over $235 million supports about 1,800 staff, including 180 physicians and 590 nurses.

But during our visit there last week, it became apparent that the spirit of the facility is in its 500 volunteers who are mostly war vets and family members of vets.

Herbert H. Adams is one of the 500 who has been volunteering at Jesse Brown for years. A Vietnam War vet, Herbert gives back to the facility in a simple, but oh-so-important way: he collects wheelchairs from each floor of the facility’s parking garage and deposits them on their appropriate hospital floors, readying them for use throughout the day. And how do we know this? We kind of forgot where we left the van in the parking garage, and there Herbert was holding the elevator three-chairs deep with a smile (on a couple of floors, actually…).

Herbert does this all day, yet he still found time to record two interviews during our Door-to-Door at Jesse Brown. He’s pictured here with Toccarra Thomas, who facilitated both of his sessions.