Proud Program of the Oakland LGBTQ Center
Press Release
BREAKING: Oakland Pride Votes To Become A Program Of Oakland LGBTQ Community Center & Moves to A New Date!
Date: 2/12/2026
OAKLAND, CA — The Oakland LGBTQ Community Center and Oakland Pride announced a significant organizational transition that will help strengthen the future of Pride in Oakland and deepen its impact year-round. The Oakland Pride board of directors have voted to formally dissolve as a stand-alone nonprofit and continue forward as a program of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center. This transition reflects years of collaboration between the two organizations and responds to the growing need for a more stable infrastructure to support Oakland’s largest downtown festival and one of Oakland’s most visible and meaningful celebrations during these challenging social and political times.
“This was not a sudden decision — it was an inevitable one,” said George Smith III, Board President of Oakland Pride since 2023. “When I took over as president of the pride board, there were major issues that I had to handle including problems with the Department of Justice (DOJ), vendors who had not been paid for years, and poor financial record keeping. It was a mess. Although we were able to resolve those issues, years of improper use of credit cards badly damaged Oakland Pride's ability to access any lines of credit, making it difficult to produce pride without relying on credit and other financial support from the Center.
Bringing Pride fully under the Center will allow it to finally have the financial and operational infrastructure it needs to thrive.”
Smith also noted that as early as 2021, previous Oakland Pride leadership approached the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center asking if the Center wanted to take it over, exposing long-standing leadership, financial, and operational gaps.
Since then, the Center has provided fiscal sponsorship, direct funding, lines of credit, and staff support to ensure Pride events could continue despite multiple leadership turnovers.
“Oakland Pride has always been about more than one day,” said Joe Hawkins, CEO and Co-Founder of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center. “As a co-founder of both Oakland Pride and the Center, this is a full-circle moment. The original mission statement of Oakland Pride included language that tied the purpose of Oakland Pride to the establishment of an LGBTQ Community Center in Oakland.
The Oakland LGBTQ Center has been in existence now for almost a decade and Oakland Pride as a program of the Center, will for the first time have full-time staff to provide the operations and oversite support that pride desperately needs. As a program of the Center, Pride becomes part of a year-round mission to support our community — through health services, youth and senior programs, trans wellness services, mental health care, HIV prevention, HIV care & treatment, substance use recovery services, housing assistance and art and cultural connections. At this moment when the intersectionality of our LGBTQ community is under serious attack and funding is being pulled, we believe we must unite and return to the roots of Pride.”
Hawkins went on to state that “Center-led Pride event models are not new and have existed for decades here in California and nationwide. This structure will allow our community to both celebrate who we are while sustaining the essential services that our community relies on to support our health and wellness.”
As part of the transition, the Center announced new leadership appointments to support the management and operations of the Oakland Pride event. Oakland native, Manifair Hwang, is a founding board member of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center serving as Board Treasurer during the first 5 years and has also been a staple of Oakland’s bar scene working as a bartender for many years. Manifair is excited to be back at the Center for this monumental transition in her new role as Director of Sponsorships and Strategic Partnerships.
Manifair stated that "Oakland Pride Parade and Festival has always been a uniting event for everyone to come together and celebrate Oakland's LGBTQ community and its rich diversity. I am honored to help steward the event towards sustainability and an exciting future.
Brandon Harami has been named Pride Director of Operations, bringing deep civic experience and a lifelong connection to California’s LGBTQ+ community. A native Californian, Harami previously served as the LGBTQ+ Liaison in the Oakland Mayor’s Office, co-founded the Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District, and authored Oakland’s Pro-Choice Sanctuary City ordinance. His work has focused on building durable, community-led institutions that reflect Oakland’s diversity, values, and resilience.
“Oakland is one of the most diverse, creative, and politically alive queer cities in the country,” Harami said. “As someone who grew up queer in California, raised by two gay dads, and spent years working inside City Hall to expand protections and recognition for our community, this role feels deeply personal. Pride here should reflect Oakland — bold, inclusive, and rooted in care for one another.”
The transition to the Center will also bring a date change. The Oakland Pride Parade and Festival 2026 will take place on Sunday, August 16. Oakland pride has struggled for years between holidays like Labor Day and Mexican Independence Day, making it more challenging for attendance and to secure talent. This new date will help us avoid these potential conflicts. Together, the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center and Oakland Pride leadership say this transition will allow Pride to grow as both a celebration and a vehicle for community care — honoring Oakland’s history while building a stronger future.
Contact: pride@oaklandlgbtqcenter.org
Press Release
BREAKING: Oakland Pride Votes To Become A Program Of Oakland LGBTQ Community Center & Moves to A New Date!
Date: 2/12/2026
OAKLAND, CA — The Oakland LGBTQ Community Center and Oakland Pride announced a significant organizational transition that will help strengthen the future of Pride in Oakland and deepen its impact year-round. The Oakland Pride board of directors have voted to formally dissolve as a stand-alone nonprofit and continue forward as a program of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center. This transition reflects years of collaboration between the two organizations and responds to the growing need for a more stable infrastructure to support Oakland’s largest downtown festival and one of Oakland’s most visible and meaningful celebrations during these challenging social and political times.
“This was not a sudden decision — it was an inevitable one,” said George Smith III, Board President of Oakland Pride since 2023. “When I took over as president of the pride board, there were major issues that I had to handle including problems with the Department of Justice (DOJ), vendors who had not been paid for years, and poor financial record keeping. It was a mess. Although we were able to resolve those issues, years of improper use of credit cards badly damaged Oakland Pride's ability to access any lines of credit, making it difficult to produce pride without relying on credit and other financial support from the Center.
Bringing Pride fully under the Center will allow it to finally have the financial and operational infrastructure it needs to thrive.”
Smith also noted that as early as 2021, previous Oakland Pride leadership approached the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center asking if the Center wanted to take it over, exposing long-standing leadership, financial, and operational gaps.
Since then, the Center has provided fiscal sponsorship, direct funding, lines of credit, and staff support to ensure Pride events could continue despite multiple leadership turnovers.
“Oakland Pride has always been about more than one day,” said Joe Hawkins, CEO and Co-Founder of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center. “As a co-founder of both Oakland Pride and the Center, this is a full-circle moment. The original mission statement of Oakland Pride included language that tied the purpose of Oakland Pride to the establishment of an LGBTQ Community Center in Oakland.
The Oakland LGBTQ Center has been in existence now for almost a decade and Oakland Pride as a program of the Center, will for the first time have full-time staff to provide the operations and oversite support that pride desperately needs. As a program of the Center, Pride becomes part of a year-round mission to support our community — through health services, youth and senior programs, trans wellness services, mental health care, HIV prevention, HIV care & treatment, substance use recovery services, housing assistance and art and cultural connections. At this moment when the intersectionality of our LGBTQ community is under serious attack and funding is being pulled, we believe we must unite and return to the roots of Pride.”
Hawkins went on to state that “Center-led Pride event models are not new and have existed for decades here in California and nationwide. This structure will allow our community to both celebrate who we are while sustaining the essential services that our community relies on to support our health and wellness.”
As part of the transition, the Center announced new leadership appointments to support the management and operations of the Oakland Pride event. Oakland native, Manifair Hwang, is a founding board member of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center serving as Board Treasurer during the first 5 years and has also been a staple of Oakland’s bar scene working as a bartender for many years. Manifair is excited to be back at the Center for this monumental transition in her new role as Director of Sponsorships and Strategic Partnerships.
Manifair stated that "Oakland Pride Parade and Festival has always been a uniting event for everyone to come together and celebrate Oakland's LGBTQ community and its rich diversity. I am honored to help steward the event towards sustainability and an exciting future.
Brandon Harami has been named Pride Director of Operations, bringing deep civic experience and a lifelong connection to California’s LGBTQ+ community. A native Californian, Harami previously served as the LGBTQ+ Liaison in the Oakland Mayor’s Office, co-founded the Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District, and authored Oakland’s Pro-Choice Sanctuary City ordinance. His work has focused on building durable, community-led institutions that reflect Oakland’s diversity, values, and resilience.
“Oakland is one of the most diverse, creative, and politically alive queer cities in the country,” Harami said. “As someone who grew up queer in California, raised by two gay dads, and spent years working inside City Hall to expand protections and recognition for our community, this role feels deeply personal. Pride here should reflect Oakland — bold, inclusive, and rooted in care for one another.”
The transition to the Center will also bring a date change. The Oakland Pride Parade and Festival 2026 will take place on Sunday, August 16. Oakland pride has struggled for years between holidays like Labor Day and Mexican Independence Day, making it more challenging for attendance and to secure talent. This new date will help us avoid these potential conflicts. Together, the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center and Oakland Pride leadership say this transition will allow Pride to grow as both a celebration and a vehicle for community care — honoring Oakland’s history while building a stronger future.
Contact: pride@oaklandlgbtqcenter.org
