Shifting the Narrative at Oakland Tech Week
Oakland Tech Week is officially underway, and the town is setting a new national benchmark for what innovation looks like when it is rooted in culture, community, and collective care. For too long, the traditional tech industry has treated Oakland as a backdrop and our youth as passive consumers. This week, we are proving that true brilliance comes from community trust and ancestral wisdom.
Kingmakers of Oakland is proud to be on the ground, demonstrating what tech justice looks like in action. We invite the village to join us at two powerful events this week:
Can AI Heal Us? Bias, Culture, Data & Trust (Panel) Thursday, October 1 | 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM | OakStop Join our CEO, Chris Chatmon, alongside visionaries Damali Robertson, Monifa Porter, and Khari Johnson. They will explore how emerging technology can foster mental health equity, joy, and data sovereignty without automating systemic bias.
Kings In The Making: Architects of the Arcade Saturday, October 3 | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM | MetWest High School Witness our young Kings take over MetWest! They are showcasing what happens when Black youth transition from gaming to coding by designing and launching their own interactive arcade experiences and community MVPs.
At Kingmakers, we bring Ancestral Intelligence to meet Artificial Intelligence. We teach our young people to use technology as a tool to shape the future, not a god to obey. We highly encourage the village to come out, support our youth, and explore the rest of the amazing activations happening across the city.