Olivia Andrews
USA

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Team Oakland: Cultures and Colors Work Together

People call me Miss Olivia ‘cause I'm older than dirt! Joking aside, it's been a lot of work these past 10 years to bring Landmark to the Oakland (California) community. But thanks to my daughter, Tyra, the San Francisco staff, and a handful of dedicated individuals, Team Oakland, as we call ourselves, produces three Landmark Forums and three 10-session seminars each year.

When I took the Landmark training at age 60, I saw how much people can accomplish in a life time on one hand, and on the other, how many reasons and excuses often stop us from living productive lives. I was going through a divorce at the time and had hit rock bottom. After raising five children, I thought I would get a break, take it easy. That's not how it turned out. Because of the divorce, my children and I were in a lot of pain and we just didn't know how to deal with it. The Landmark Forum helped us communicate better with each other, helped us heal and move forward. After our entire family had taken it, Tyra and I turned our attention to our community.

I walk my talk and my walk is led by my vision. I look around me. I see what's missing. I see what could be. I think of Landmark as a training program in leadership and development. I knew I wanted this work in the black community in Oakland not just for myself, but because I could see a new future. I also knew it was up to Tyra and I because it would take people who were committed, determined, and unstoppable.

Mollie Partridge, who was the manager at the San Francisco office at that time helped us to get things going. We sent a letter to people in the area who had taken The Landmark Forum and asked if they'd like to participate in a seminar. That's how it began. We probably started with less than 50 people in the seminar, but soon our vision to have Landmark Forums in Oakland came to be - Team Oakland was born.

Laurel Sheaf led our first Landmark Forum. The support we've gotten from Laurel, Randy McNamara, Gail Legassick, and others has been great. When these fantastic leaders of Landmark's programs come to Oakland, their attitude is that they are here to serve us. They always ask us what we need.

Although our idea was to bring this work primarily to the black community, our Landmark Forums have always been very diverse - African American; Mexican, Hispanic, Asian - everyone. In the early years, sometimes black people would stand up and share what they didn't like about white people and white people would do the same. But when you bring people together in The Landmark Forum from different backgrounds - and not just ethnic but social, religious, and economic as well - barriers get dropped. People begin to see each other as human beings, not as colors. Today, people in The Landmark Forums in Oakland are uniting and asking what they can do for each other regardless of race.

Team Oakland isn't just about making a difference in our community. It has touched the lives of people all over the world. Let me give you just one example.

In 1996 Tyra headed a project to take 20 people from the Oakland community to a conference in Johannesburg for the International Black Summit (a group of black graduates from around the world). The following weekend the first Landmark Forum was being held in South Africa so Tyra and her team assisted at it. We could never have imagined helping with that Landmark Forum when we began.

We've been at this for 10 years or so. It hasn't always been easy, but it has been worth it. Team Oakland has taken on a momentum of its own. It's a blessing to see that people of all cultures and colors really can work together.