This year, the Bay Area is set to celebrate Love Life Week, a community-focused event inspired by the legacy of LoEshe Adama Lacy. The initiative aims to turn loss into collective action and support, promoting healing and empowerment.
Love Life Week: A Legacy of Empowerment
Love Life Week was launched by Donald Lacy during an episode of Hard Knock Radio, hosted by Davey D. This observance originated from Lacy’s daughter, LoEshe, who pushed for a community movement following the tragic murder of a friend in 1997. Just a few months later, on October 20, 1997, LoEshe was also killed, prompting Lacy and local partners to form the Love Life Foundation in her memory.
Foundation Goals and Achievements
The Love Life Foundation, which initiated the first Love Life Week in 1998, focuses on promoting youth leadership, community safety, and healing without resorting to criminalization. Despite operating with modest annual budgets of $30,000 to $50,000 and no paid staff, the foundation has positively impacted hundreds of thousands within the community. It directs essential resources towards youth programs and single mothers, emphasizing proactive solutions over fear-based narratives.
Event Schedule for Love Life Week
This year’s Love Life Week features a diverse range of events aimed at remembrance, service, and community engagement. Here’s a breakdown of the week’s schedule:
- Monday: A press conference followed by a candlelight vigil and healing ceremony near McClymonds, where LoEshe was killed. Attendees are encouraged to bring photos of their loved ones.
- Tuesday: A women-led safety forum at Eastmont with partnerships from BOSS, Courageous Women, and A Safe Place.
- Wednesday: A citywide cleanup and a 5 p.m. street-naming ceremony honoring Bobby Seale, a co-founder of the Black Panther Party, at 57th & MLK.
- Thursday: A community effort to feed the unhoused at West Grand & San Pablo.
- Friday: A 5 p.m. town hall meeting with Congresswoman Latifah Simon at City Council Chambers.
- Saturday: A comedy show hosted at Vinci’s Bistro, located at 500 Davis St., San Leandro.
- Sunday: A call for one minute of silence to honor lives lost to violence.
Community Engagement and Support
Love Life Week serves as a model for community resilience and support. It is a vivid illustration of how communities can foster safety through investment in truth, healing, and youth empowerment. For more details, visit the Love Life Foundation’s website at lovelifefoundation.org.
As the events unfold, the hope is to strengthen community bonds and advocate for meaningful change that honors the legacy of those lost to violence.
