Many people put up images of people they admire in their homes. But for Jilchristina Vest, the ideal place to depict the people she most admires—the women of the Black Panther Party– was on the outside of her west Oakland home. Listen to her stories about local she-roes as you commemorate Women’s History Month.

Jilchristina Vest is the homeowner and curator of the Women of the Black Panther Party Mural which graces the exterior of her house in West Oakland. Born in Chicago in 1966, the year of the birth of the Black Panther Party, she moved to the Bay area in 1995. She earned degrees in Black Studies, Women’s Studies and Multicultural Education. As a lifelong educator and activist, Jilchristina Vest is motivated by love of community and deep appreciation for the women of the Black Panther Party.