I came here from New York City. I had no friends or family in Oakland, California. The only friend I had was my boss Eric. Then I met Helen who became my friend. She took me to her church. Now it is my church. I needed somewhere to live, so Eric said to me one day to go find myself a village. I laughed. Where in California would I find a village? Well I have found a village.
     The place I call my village houses 23 apartments of all colors of people. Out of those apartments we have 7 kids. The older lady of the village has lived in the village 32 years. Her name is Creola Brown. She is everybody’s mother. We all love her. The youngest baby is 5 months old. We call her Diamond. She is everybody’s joy.
     Sister Bass is the leader of the village. She is a young woman with a lot of love for all of us. Sister Bass and her husband Harvey treat me like family. They have two sons, Arenio, age 13, and T’aires, age 9. I feel like I am their grandmother. In the village Sister Bass’ sister and her nieces and nephews live here. We have girls’ night on Friday at Sister Bass’ house. Everybody makes a dish, and we sit around and talk about our dreams and the things we want for our family. We all thank God for the wisdom he has given us.
     People ask me how I can live in Oakland in the middle of all the crimes that go on. Coming from Brooklyn my village is like Long Island. I feel safe in my village. We have two big gates that no one can get in without a key. In the morning when I wake up, I hear the birds singing. On Saturday and Sunday the kids play outside in the court with each other. They play basketball, ride bikes, or jump rope. The families do not have to worry about the kids. On Sunday some of us go to the same church to worship God. We all have problems, but we get through them by caring for one another. We share each other’s pain. I thank God for all the people that have become my friends and family. Without my village I do not think I could have made it here without my family. I wish that everybody could find a village like I have.
     Everyday I thank God for the peace, joy, and love that I have found in my village.