The Urban Book at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park

Alex Saragoza
Ethnic Studies
UC Berkeley

UC students and faculty will research and plan content of the Urban Book, an outdoor museum being built at the six-acre Peralta Hacienda Historical Park in the Fruitvale District, Oakland. Its purpose is to give voice to yhr diverse groups that have transformed the region over time ecologically, economically, socially, and culturally and continue to do so, from the encounters of the Spanish-speaking settlers with the Native Peoples of the area to the present day. Students and Faculty will have a major role in research, selection, and writing for the museum’s opening exhibit, working in collaboration with staff of the community organization spearheading the project, a team of community members, and UC’s Walter Hood, designer of the visual display. The project fundamentally incorporates the humanities in the development of an exhibit for both new audiences as well as for the residents of this diverse yet underserved community.