Crosscurrents

This weekend is the Taste of Africa festival in Livermore, an annual African arts and music festival hosted by Cheza Nami an award winning African arts organization based in Pleasanton. 

Belva Davis was an Emmy Award-winning journalist who broke the color barrier here in the Bay Area with her work in radio and television in the 1960’s. She died Wednesday at 92. Today, we look back on the career of the pioneering journalist.

Following the murder of George Floyd, corporate America promised a lot to the Black community. So what happened Today, we’re just following up with an episode from The Stoop Podcast .

One phone call changed everything a granddaughter thought she knew about her grandfather in a new story from Uncuffed. Then, a glimpse into the day to day of a Muni mechanic. And, a poet gives us a true reflection of our times.

A new story from Uncuffed and the California Institution for Women about a phone call that changed everything a granddaughter thought she knew about her grandfather.

Getting stuck on a dark, stalled Muni train is every rider’s worst nightmare. But what’s it like being one of the mechanics with the daunting task of getting that train and its frustrated riders moving again? 

Today's poem is a true reflection of our times.

One group is working to keep women’s basketball careers alive. Today, we bring you the story of the Women’s Premier Basketball Association in the latest episode from Bounce. Then, a day on the field with the Bay Area’s newest women’s soccer team.

The WPBA is a pro developmental league in the East Bay with big ambitions and real impact. It’s recognized by FIBA — rare for a U.S. women’s league outside the WNBA — and it’s becoming a place where players continue their careers, get seen by scouts, and find community.

The Valkyries first season has come to a close. And if you are still looking for a similar energy and vibe to tap into and cheer for, then you can catch a Bay FC game. The team was launched last year with one of the largest institutional investments ever made in a women’s professional sports franchise. 

Today, a conversation with the executive director of San Francisco’s Dance Mission Theater about the loss of federal funding. Then, an Oakland film tackles the challenges parents face when caring for kids with disabilities. And, we learn about the lost art of steam power.

Today, a conversation with the executive director of San Francisco’s Dance Mission Theater about the loss of federal funding. 

An Oakland film tackles the challenges parents face when caring for kids with disabilities. 

In this Audiograph , we go to a warehouse tucked away behind a metal scrap yard. Kinetic Steam Works is an industrial workspace for people to tinker with old machines in West Oakland. 

Some people’s bodies feel like they’ve been weathered by storms they never experienced firsthand. Today, we discuss the science behind generational trauma in an excerpt from The Stoop podcast.

Sometimes, unconditional love can lead us to think we can do no wrong. Today, a story about taking advantage of a grandmother’s love. Plus, we hear how one local artist is celebrating the Golden State Valkyries. And, our transportation reporter launches a new series on Bay Area transit.

Introducing a new series on Crosscurrents where we round up what’s happening in transportation news in the Bay Area

Taylor Smalls is a painter who uses knives to create large, beautiful, bold and colorful images of Black women. The Valkyries commissioned her to create a few pieces, including one for this past Juneteenth. 

A new story from Uncuffed and the California Institution for Women about how we don’t always appreciate unconditional love when we have it. And how that can lead us to think we can do no wrong.

While incarcerated, one man relied on music to ground himself. Today, the power of lyrical therapy. Then, how a Bay Area couple is celebrating ten years of publishing books by international writers. And, three Oakland writers share their poetry.

At 21-years-old, Armstrong was sentenced to life in prison, a moment he now says may have saved his life. In this segment from Bay Area Beats, we hear how music kept him grounded through grief, loss, and isolation.

Berkeley’s Transit Books is an independent, nonprofit publisher celebrating 10 years of publishing works by international authors. And some of their books have led to major awards, including a Nobel Prize. Adam and Ashley Nelson Levy are the founders of Transit Books. They spoke with KALW’s Jenee Darden.

We bring you poetry readings from three Oakland writers.

Oakland elementary school students are connecting creativity and Latino cultures through Mexican tin art. Then, we hear about a San Francisco walking tour designed around the city’s first Black millionaire. And, a KALW DJ Patrick King Most shares how he curates his music line up.

Oakland elementary school students are connecting creativity and Latino cultures through Mexican tin art called "repujados."