74 Days Through Our Eyes

74 Days Through Our Eyes: Oakland's Voiceless Strive for Peace documents the peace-building efforts of the Life Academy of Health and Bioscience community. Too many lives are lost to senseless gun violence in Oakland. And, because no one really stops to recognize these deaths except those grieving the loss, violence has become normalized and Oakland residents have become voiceless. Instead of accepting the normalization of violence and voicelessness in Oakland, the brave activists of Life Academy sought to do something radical and empowering. While they understood that ending violence was impossible, they knew that building peace was possible and absolutely necessary. They launched a 74-day fast relay that brought over 1,500 Oakland residents together. This book details their journey -- from defining the problem, to losing two members of their community, to building peace, to losing yet another young person, to redefining their mission. Let this book help you to build your own peace.