Our Story
Founded in 2014 by Elaine Brown, former Chairman of the Black Panther Party, Oakland & The World Enterprises Inc (OAW) is dedicated to revitalizing the community of West Oakland, California. With a vision to develop cooperatively-owned businesses, OAW acquired a 32,000 square-foot property that had been abandoned for over 30 years. Located near the West Oakland BART station, this site is pivotal for the socioeconomically marginalized community of Lower Bottoms.
OAW's mission is to create sustainable economic opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals and other marginalized groups. The organization has engaged these individuals in the development process, providing them with jobs at $20/hour to clean and prepare the site for its first business, an urban farm named West Oakland Farms. With a total project budget of $80 million, OAW broke ground on a multi-business complex called The Black Panther, with construction expected to be completed by late May 2024.