Monday Mural: Peoples' Grocery

This mural adorns the back of the People's Grocery which recently opened in West Oakland.  It is another work by the Community Rejuvenation Project, frequently featured in Monday Mural.  The bright yellow is the sun breaking through the clouds.  I like the way the words of Wangari Maathai are highlighted.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them all around.  Follow the Linky steps below.  Be sure to link back to this meme and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week. 

Esther's Orbit Room

Esther's was one of the West Coast equivalents to New York's Lenox Lounge (see Ken Mac's post).   However, Esther's story has a sadder ending.  The Orbit Room was part of a thriving West Oakland 7th St. music scene in the 50s and 60s.  Like the Lenox,  Esther's hosted big blues and R and B acts including Aretha, BB King, and Etta James.  But the forces of urban renewal had a huge negative impact on Esther's business.  The building of the vast complex of the Post Office distribution center across the street and then the West Oakland BART station made the noise level too high for performers to compete with.  The 18-wheelers and BART trains literally shook the building.  The Orbit Room stayed open for years as a local bar and restaurant with a great jukebox selection, but finally closed its doors last fall after 51 years.  The Oakland live blues scene has pretty much evaporated except for some acts at Yoshi's jazz club.