Crosscurrents

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. In San Francisco, at an undisclosed location, in a non-descript building, people have been saving lives with compassionate listening for years. This place, is the home of the oldest suicide hotline in the country. KALW’s Hana Baba takes us on a tour in this piece produced by reporters Kristal Raheem and Demetrius Johnson.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union is a powerful organizing force in the Bay Area, and it all got its start more than 90 years ago. Today, the little known history of San Francisco’s “Bloody Thursday.” Then, we peer through the lens of more than a century of Muni photography.

Over the years, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, or ILWU, has thrown their weight behind many causes. Like in 2020, they shut down the ports entirely, to support the Black Lives Matter movement and protest the police murder of George Floyd. The ILWU is a powerful organizing force in the Bay Area. And the union actually got its start with a massive general strike and a deadly run-in...

San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency, or SFMTA, is 100% unionized. The 6,000 public servants who work with the agency are represented by 18 different unions. SFMTA itself is just 27 years old — It was established by voter mandate in 1999 — but there are decades of transportation history behind its formation.  And right now, that history is on display at San Francisco City Hall. T he exh...

The Berkeley Rose Garden is a beautiful place, but did you know it was built during FDR’s “New Deal” in the ‘30s? The New Deal is still all around us today — if you know where to look. Plus, we get an update on the upcoming trial around Oakland’s corruption scandal.

The federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, her former live-in partner, and a prominent local father-son team of businessmen, appears set to begin in October.  A recent trove of court documents has shed new light on the case prosecutors plan to present. Nathan Gartrell is a reporter for the East Bay Times , who reports on the courts and local law enforcement. He spoke recently...

The current administration has made it their  goal to shrink the federal government. But many of the impacted agencies were actually created from a belief in a more expansive role for the federal government — an idea that can be traced back to the 1930s, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” programs.  The focus back then was to help the country recover from the Great Depression, but th...

Today, we're rolling it way back to meet the first professional women's basketball players in the Bay. It’s Bay Area women’s basketball history with the living legends of the San Francisco Pioneers.

One of the Bay Area’s youngest journalism organizations is about to turn one. Coyote Media Collective launched last September 2025, in the midst of shrinking newsrooms and a fraught time for journalism. And from the get go, they announced they wanted to be different from existing news organizations. That started with the way they were funded- , they raised more than 150 thousand dollars on the cro...

Repair events, where handy volunteers fix things for free, are becoming popular in the Bay Area. Recently, KALW climate reporter Mary Catherine O’Connor hosted a repair clinic, and a panel discussion about what's behind them. 

The work of keeping things from ending up at the garbage dump involves repair, which in a lot of cases involves tools. But buying tools can be expensive — and figuring out where to store them can be a hassle. That’s where the Richmond Tool Library comes in. And this year marks a decade of service to their community! Reporter Andrew Saintsing takes us along to see how it works, in this story from 2...

Coyote Media Collective launched last year as a news organization that wanted to switch up what journalism looked like. From their worker-owned model, to their fun vibe. Today, we’ll talk to two founder-worker-owners as Coyote turns one. Then, we’ll hear how fix-it clinics and repair cafes are really all about mutual aid. And, how borrowing tools helps build community.

There’s a new teacher in San Francisco classrooms. And she’s an AI bot…but not everyone is on board. Today, we hear how this reading tool is working. And, the tunes of a small but mighty Bay Area band. Plus, we’ll get an update on San Francisco schools being back in session.

It’s back to school season in the Bay Area, and San Francisco’s public school system is also hoping for a fresh start on some old issues.  Dr. Maria Su has led the San Francisco Unified School District for nearly two years after taking over in the fall of twenty twenty-four. Since then, she steered the district through $114 million in budget cuts, a teacher strike, and a new labor agreement with t...

There’s a new instructor measuring how well San Francisco’s first and second graders can read. Her name is Amira and she’s an AI bot. Teachers today are grappling with if and how when to use AI in the classroom. KALW’s Education reporter, Julia Haney, wanted to understand how Amira works, so she went to see the program in action.

Long time listeners will know that KALW has a special relationship with the San Francisco Unified School District. Not only do they hold our broadcast license but for decades our studios have broadcast out of the campus of Philip & Sala Burton High School. We’re so excited for our move to the Warfield Commons… but there’s a lot we’re going to miss about our little corner of this SFUSD High Sch...

In 1987, in an act of love, a man recorded fog horns from Lands End in San Francisco. Now, that recording has captured the hearts and imaginations of thousands of people online. And, we hear the sonic signature of the Bay's Wave Organ.

There’s a world of sound that doesn’t really exist anymore, and there’s a recording made on the water’s edge in San Francisco over 40 years old that captures one corner of that world. Thousands of people have found this recording, and are listening to it, to the sounds of the past. One of those people is reporter Stella Singer, who brings us this story.

At the western edge of the Marina District, there’s another sound unique to San Francisco. Stretched out on a point in the water, you’ll find the Wave Organ: a public place that’s one part sculpture, and one part instrument.  In this story from our archives, reporters Ashleyanne Krigbaum & Maya De Paula Hanika had a private lesson with the artist behind the sculpture on how the organ creates i...

Today, we hear from three very different fans and athletes as they reflect on 30 years of the WNBA. Plus, the Valkyries are back in the playoffs!

There’s a lot of cultural expectations around dancing… Especially in prison. But on today’s newest episode of Uncuffed - we’ll hear stories about how dancing can be a bridge between cultures or a way to connect with your kids. Or even, save your life.

Some local businesses see the value in preserving trades that are still done by hand. Today, we hear about a hand-painted-sign renaissance in San Francisco. Then, a multimedia exhibit that’s a celebration of resistance by Trans and queer communities.

When you walk around San Francisco, you’re bound to notice the architecture, murals, and even graffiti… But some of the art surrounding you is not as obvious. Like a sign hanging above a neighborhood restaurant that transports you back in time. While it’s an art form that’s largely been sidelined for decades, today hand-painted signage is having a moment here in the Bay Area. In this story we hear...

One new exhibit wants to celebrate the history of power in San Francisco's LGBT+ communities. It’s called “Conjuring Power: Roots and Futures of Queer and Trans Movements. A multimedia art exhibition currently running at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in the City. It features paintings, murals, and oral history recordings from queer elders. It’s curated by Tina Valentin Aguirre, the director...

One Christian rapper says music helped her survive addiction, abuse, and homelessness. Today, how music and faith became her path to recovery. Then, one musician shares how her ancestor’s labor speaks through her songs. And, one South Bay couple has turned rare-record collecting into an art form.