Bruce Cox

I met Tanya at a city council meeting when we both went asking for funding. She was looking for help in getting Brown Sugar Kitchen opened and I needed money for my nonprofit organization. I teach building trades at a couple of West Oakland schools and am considered an expert on the old Victorian houses in the area. I’ve helped a lot of kids get jobs working on the new construction in the neighborhood. I had a rough childhood and I could’ve easily taken a wrong turn, but learning a trade helped to steer me in the right direction. Now it’s my turn to help. They give me the roughest kids in the school. I don’t believe in babysitting them, but I’m humble enough to understand what they’re going through. It can be a challenge, but I’m able to talk to them.