What does it mean to be a member-led organization?

As Oakland Freedom Project continues to develop leaders in our community, we’ve been reflecting on a central question: what does it mean to be a truly member-led organization? To go deeper into our commitment to building member-led power in Oakland’s flatlands, OFP organizers and resident leaders are cultivating new spaces for their friends and neighbors to grow in their leadership, developing base members to lead, shape, and drive Oakland Freedom Project’s work.

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Member-Led Workshops

OFP’s base is made up of artists, healers, teachers, caretakers, and chefs, eager to share their talent and wisdom with their community. For OFP’s monthly member meetings, base members have been stepping into leadership roles by facilitating a variety of skill-share workshops. Members have led sessions on painting, wellness, sewing, jewelry-making, and culinary history while introducing newcomers to OFP's mission and vision. These meetings serve as an opportunity to lift up the talents, passions, and interests of our base and give them the chance to take on a deeper role in carrying out OFP’s mission to build strong communities grounded in trust, mutual support, and belonging.

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Leadership in Action

When Oakland Freedom Project’s usual member orientation meeting place was fully booked for summer programming, members took the OFP mission to heart and sought alternative spaces. OFP member Yolanda V. operates a small business in the outdoor area of a historic bar in the Fruitvale. She spoke with the owner, and they agreed to open the patio for her to host OFP member meetings, transforming the space into an organizing hub for our members.

Yolanda showed true trust and leadership in her hosting: she shared OFP’s mission and vision with bar patrons, invited them to our gatherings, conducted one-on-one meetings, and held OFP member-led workshops from the bar’s outdoor patio.

OFP learned from our house meeting campaign’s living room gatherings the power of transforming private spaces into spaces for organizing. Yolanda, in calling upon her business relationships to meet a community need, carried out OFP’s vision for a transformed Oakland that has an abundant network of community resources and vibrant, activated spaces that belong to all of its residents.

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Building Community, Building Power

Strong relationships are the foundation of organizing. We can only build power if people are deeply connected to one another, finding solidarity and mutual support in their shared experiences. OFP’s member-led meetings bring neighbors together and create opportunities for them to grow, lead, and connect on a deeper level. Yolanda is one of many OFP members who have stepped into their power in leading these community-building meetings. In these spaces, members discuss neighborhood issues, learn what organizing looks like, and practice the skills that equip them to take action and lead grassroots campaigns rooted in their experiences and wisdom.