“It’s a beautiful place, and it’s the people that make it beautiful.” - Jeannette Fisher-Kouadio

The Sounds of California: Bayview initiative invited community members to share their stories of place. Facilitated by Malik Seneferu and Tumani Onabiyi, the contributors included activists and culture workers from the Bayview, whose memories and experiences are testimony to the power of community, culture and place, emerging as a love letter to a neighborhood: Bayview-Hunters Point. Part oral history and part personal reflection on a joyful yet contested urban space, these videos present a vivid picture of a neighborhood composed of families, dance parties, churches, street-side conversations, and a bustling commercial corridor. They convey images of elderly men playing chess outside, police sirens, and the history and impact of the crack cocaine epidemic on the community. In spite of issues that converge on this often aggrieved community, the Bayview garners from its residents affection, belonging and inspiration so generously shared here in these stories.