I moved to Oakland during one of the lowest points in my life.

In 2017, I left an abusive relationship that had me convinced I was better off dead than on my own. It was my first time living alone, isolated from family without any social support. Unbeknownst to me, the years that followed would usher in the deepest healing and transformation.

What I found in Oakland was community. Living there felt like growing up in San Francisco again, before tech took over and hollowed out the city that raised me. Surrounded by the glistening waters of Lake Merritt, where I took frequent walks, I found moments of peace within the uncertainty of starting over from scratch. The activism rooted in the birthplace of the Black Panthers inspired me to become a more authentic version of myself. The vigor of live musical performances around the lake showed me how dance and song could connect strangers.

I learned how to survive on my own.

Oakland helped me find my soul.

Years later, COVID-19 shut down the world. Across the country, people faced shelter-in-place orders, the loss of loved ones and the spread of misinformation and propaganda. At the same time, the nation was invigorated by public outcries for social justice following the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Businesses large and small boarded up their windows, some in response to temporary shutdowns, others to repair damage from chaos that emerged alongside Black Lives Matter protests.

Through it all, Oakland responded to the collective trauma of the pandemic in the way it knew best: through community. Facing economic losses from the shutdown, vendors set up shop along Lake Merritt to recover. With shelter-in-place restrictions confining people to their homes, neighbors and the broader community flocked to the lake, a free public space, to socialize and bask in the East Bay sun. Lake Merritt became a communal watering hole, offering solace amid uncertainty.

I lived right next to the lake. Working from home during shelter-in-place, I seldom ventured beyond a three-mile radius from its shores, which teemed with activity every day. During that time, I mingled with neighbors, made new friends and watched as the community around the lake turned to creativity and connection to cope with the pandemic.

Like it had been for me years before, Lake Merritt became a space for healing, an ode to Oakland’s legacy of resilience in uncertain times.

These photos were shot during that period. To this day, even from Hawaiʻi, Lake Merritt remains one of my favorite places in the world.