Axé Oakland Is Rising Again!

In June 2025, a fire damaged our beloved Capoeira and Afro-Brazilian arts studio, but our community spirit can’t be burned.

We’re rebuilding our new home in Fruitvale—restoring instruments, repairing space, and reopening our doors this December to celebrate resilience, rhythm, and the power of community.

How You Can Help

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Who We Are

Founded through the tireless work of Mestre Chipa, Axé Oakland is an Afro-Brazilian Capoeira school and cultural center dedicated to fitness, movement, and culture as tools for community connection and resilience.

Over the past seven years, Axé has reached many hundreds of students — from toddlers to elders — through weekly classes, youth enrichment programs, and community events that celebrate the beauty and strength of Black and Afro-diasporic traditions.

Our space has always been more than a studio — it’s a home for joy, learning, and resistance.

What Happened

On June 21, 2025, we experienced a fire that damaged many parts of our former space, equipment, and storage. The financial burden of cleanup, repairs, lost revenues and relocation comes on top of years of ongoing racialized harassment, vandalism, and legal challenges we’ve faced as a Black-led cultural organization and small business in Oakland.

Despite all that, we’ve secured a new home at 3700 E. 12th Street, right in the heart of Fruitvale — a place accessible by BART and bus, where our community can continue to grow. Now, we’re working hard to make the space safe, welcoming, and ready for classes, rodas, and community events again.

Our $15,000 Goal

Our new space is a blank canvas filled with potential—but it needs essential upgrades to become a true home for the Axé Oakland community.

Funds will go toward installing essential studio equipment like mirrors and lighting, critical safety upgrades such as security system, and basic infrastructure like signage, floor repairs, capoeira instruments, and soundproofing.

Expenditures & Estimated Costs

Every dollar counts — and every contribution brings us closer to dancing, training, and drumming together again.

Choose Your Impact: Donation Tiers

$25 — Axé Ally

Helps replace instruments and supplies lost in the fire — instruments, berimbaus, or art supplies for youth.

$50 — Community Builder

Supports safety upgrades for our new home.

$100 — Culture Keeper

Funds our studio buildout for safe Capoeira and dance classes.

$250 — Circle Sustainer

Helps Axé maintain operations during fire recovery and keeps youth programs affordable.

$500 — Movement Sponsor

Helps us host our reopening celebration and community events. Includes name recognition on our website and program.

$1,000+ — Guardian of Axé

Fuels long-term sustainability and cultural preservation. Includes special acknowledgment and invitation to our private thank-you gathering.

Want to give ongoing support? You can also set up a monthly donation on GoFundMe to keep our programs thriving all year long.

Why This Matters

Axé Oakland has always been a place of connection — where people from all walks of life come together to move, learn, and heal.

We teach kids confidence through rhythm. We honor our ancestors through movement. We hold space for resistance, joy, and community healing in Oakland and the larger Bay Area.

When you support this campaign, you’re not just funding a building — you’re helping sustain a home for culture, for youth, and for the spirit of Axé. We are so grateful for every show of love and support — from the community that keeps us grounded and inspired.

Together, we’ll keep the rhythm alive.

Together, we’ll keep rising .

Axé sempre.

www.axeoakland.org

Instagram: @axeoakland