Sankofa Kings Showcase: Oakland Youth Architects Launch Community-Focused AI
By Theo Hollingsworth
On Friday, July 24th, community members, families, and tech advocates gathered at The Kapor Center for an inspiring celebration of Youth empowerment: the Sankofa Kings Community Showcase.
Over the summer, 25 young Black male achievers transformed from passive consumers of technology into active digital architects through our Sankofa Kings Paid Tech Fellowship. Grounded in ancestral leadership and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), these black youth identified systemic "bugs" in Oakland and engineered custom AI web platforms to patch them.
The highlight of the evening was the live pitches and interactive demo stations where attendees got to test the live platforms engineered by each of our five student Tribes:
Betamarribe Tribe | CENTINELA
Project Focus: Helping immigrants safely navigate an ICE crisis and access critical rights and community resources.
Explore the App: betamarribe-tribe.web.app
Maasai Tribe | J2C (Jobs 2 Careers)
Project Focus: Connecting Oakland youth to accessible job training, employment pipelines, and economic opportunities.
Explore the App: maasai-tribe.web.app
Mandinka Tribe | Oakland Ed Support
Project Focus: Spreading awareness about public school budget inequalities and advocating for resource equity across OUSD.
Explore the App: mandinka-tribe.web.app
San Tribe | SubStop
Project Focus: Serving as an Oakland youth peer support, substance prevention, and mental strength hub.
Explore the App: san-tribe-501919.web.app
Zulu Tribe | Bridge Forward
Project Focus: Guiding and supporting aging-out foster youth through transitional housing, document lockers, and resource portals.
Explore the App: zulu-tribe.web.app
The showcase also featured a dynamic Q&A panel evaluated by industry experts who offered real-time feedback to our young developers. Deep gratitude to our esteemed advisors and panelists for lending their wisdom and mentorship: Jonathan Alexander Robinson (Freelance Creative Producer & Writer), Jessica Poole (Designer & Board Advisor), Gemeny Givens III (AI Researcher & Founder of Golden Bastion Co.), and Leandrew Robinson (Founder of PosterChild.ai & Board Member of Colorwave).
The night concluded with a powerful crowning ceremony, celebrating the growth, technical mastery, and brotherhood formed throughout this Youth Leadership Development program
You can check out photos from the event in our photo gallery here!
Looking Ahead: Join the Fall Cohort!
The summer showcase was just the beginning. We are excited to announce that applications are officially open for the Sankofa Kings Fall Program, launching this Fall!
If you know a young Black man or student in Oakland ready to learn AI engineering, build real-world software, and get paid for their leadership, we want to hear from them.