¡SÍ SE PUDO!
On Saturday, February 7th, Oakland Freedom Project premiered their member-developed play ¡Sí Se Puede! at Eastside Arts Alliance. Over 60 community members packed the house for the play’s debut, which was accompanied by a performance from Oakland-based danza azteca group Ehecatl Tonatiuh and a short video piece going into the play’s development process.
Here's how Oakland Freedom Project used teatro as an organizing tool for collective learning, relationship-building, and political education:
Coming out of our 2025 house meeting campaign, political education workshop series, and horizon visioning session, 24 OFP member-leaders developed ¡Sí Se Puede! to illustrate, through storytelling, the issues most affecting their communities: ICE, housing, healthcare, schools, and an overall lack of support for struggling families. Over months of participatory learning sessions, the group shared how their lived experiences reflected these issues, deepened their understanding of the systems that produce them, and explored how community organizing can combat systemic inequities to create lasting, transformative change.
“To write the script, we had to put ourselves in the shoes of all the people, all the migrants, and our entire community, and feel how they are suffering with the fear they are experiencing here in Oakland and across the country...
This play is very important to me because it made me feel empathy for my community. It made me feel and understand what is really happening and that if we unite and are strong together, we can fight for a better Oakland.” — Paola A.
Members arrived at a shared understanding that when we come together to talk about our problems, we discover that we're not alone in our struggles and that we have the power to create the changes we want to see for our communities—changes beyond survival and bare necessities. Rooted in their collective horizon vision for a thriving Oakland, ¡Sí Se Puede! envisions flourishing neighborhoods co-governed by united community members, with abundant support and opportunities for all of its residents.
Through the months-long process of developing ¡Sí Se Puede!, the teatro team grew from acquaintances to family, and the OFP office became their home base. Week after week, they gathered to make art, tell stories, share home-cooked meals, and build the kind of lasting relationships and space for belonging needed to grow and sustain collective power. Reflecting, many members highlighted their shared laughter and joy as a highlight of Teatro rehearsals:
“That's exactly what I enjoy most. The funny moments when we make mistakes, when we forget things, and the laughter...You leave here feeling clear-headed, relaxed, and full of laughter from everything you've experienced.”
— Carmen C.
This joy was palpable on the play’s premiere night, where our audience laughed, cried, cheered, and shared that they saw some of their own experiences play out onstage. As folks congratulated the cast & crew of ¡Sí Se Puede! at the end of the evening, OFP leaders kept hearing the same question: When will you be performing again? With your support, we’d love to make it happen as soon as possible. Help Oakland Freedom Project bring this story to communities across Oakland by making a donation to our Teatro project. Your contribution will ensure that every ¡Sí Se Puede! performance has a venue, rehearsal space, language interpretation, bilingual playbills, and transportation support for our cast and crew.
Until then, what’s next for Oakland Freedom Project? On March 24th, OFP leaders are hosting the first monthly orientation meeting for new members: an introduction to Oakland Freedom Project accompanied by a wellness and healing workshop. For 2026, members will lead a continuation of the teatro & political education leadership development tracks–stay tuned for more updates!
