Anyone who has ever driven on 880 and noticed that there appears to be ancient brick walls closing in on you as you pass through Oakland’s Jingletown neighborhood has probably wondered about the history of this post-industrial landscape. The California Cotton Mill was founded in 1883 and employed more than 1200 workers at its peak. Many of the workers were Portuguese immigrants who created a tight-knit, working class community, which eventually dwindled down after the Mill closed and the Nimitz Freeway tore the neighborhood in half in the early 1950s.
On February 13, 2025, I co-hosted an event in the former Cotton Mill, a sprawling 4-acre complex of brick lofts and warehouses, with Adesha Adefela, Ryan Nicole Austin and Beau Lewis, the creators of an upcoming hip hop musical called Co-Founders. We discussed how being in this historic, industrial space influenced the development of their show, the global impact of Oakland music, and their personal stories of being artists in the Bay. The event also featured an interview with Mario Hernandez, an assistant Professor of Sociology at Mills College at Northeastern University who specializes in the study of gentrification.
Listen now to hear a deep conversation about art, tech, and history… plus an exclusive clip from a new E-40 song on the forthcoming Co-Founders soundtrack! Available via Apple, SoundCloud, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. Don’t forget to follow the East Bay Yesterday Substack for updates on events, boat tours, exhibits, and other local history news. Special thanks to TK Campbell from Stay Diff for recording this event. [Title photo: California Cotton Mill workers in 1895, courtesy of Oakland History Center.]
