Crosscurrents is KALW Public Radio's award-winning news magazine, broadcasting in the Bay Area Mondays through Thursdays on 91.7 FM. We make joyful, informative stories that engage people across the economic, social, and cultural divides in our community.
First up, the Bay Area is taking on a new Trump Administration policy that advocates say could hurt immigrants’ health. Then, we’ll learn what it’s like to be an undocumented day laborer in Trump’s America. And, a local DJ finds personal freedom through music.
Coming up, SFUSD is back in session today. As the kids go back to school, we’ve got a story about the surprising history of early childhood education. Learning with toys inspired by nature. Then, regret and reflection in a new story from Solano State Prison.
Coming up, a story about a bird that lives in the Bay and eats our trash. Then, in Bay Area Beats, we’ll hear the story of the San Francisco band Dakila, who after more than four decades are reaching a new generation of fans.
First up, Bay Area readers express how Toni Morrison’s work changed their lives. Then, a conversation about the importance of jazz to black culture. And, we check out an old-time ballgame with wool uniforms, tiny gloves, and good sportsmanship.
First up, an iconic symbol of San Francisco is shutting down. The Haight Ashbury Music Center is going out of business. But the Bay Area’s still home to many people who make music … and instruments. Meet someone who fixes some of the world’s most valuable guitars. And, we talk with a San Franciscan dedicated to promoting craftsmanship around the world.
Today, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo talks about his plan to tackle the issue of homelessness in the South Bay. Plus we hear from other stakeholders. What should the Bay Area do for people living without homes? Different perspectives, today, on a special edition of Crosscurrents in partnership with the San Francisco Chronicle's SF Homeless Project.
San Francisco Unified Superintendent Vincent Matthews draws from his childhood to plan for each and every student in the district. Then, we explore the Bay through sounds in this week’s Audiograph. And, we find out where 'the wave' first started.
First up, why family members are showing up to pack Santa Clara courtrooms. Then, should we really be worrying about robots taking over our Bay Area jobs? And, how sometimes what we think will be the wave of the future… isn’t.
First up, we talk to advocates for a Daly City man who they say was unlawfully transferred by police to ICE custody. Then, a look inside the California Condor Recovery Program in Oakland. And, we go looking for exotic animals right here in San Francisco’s Glen Canyon Park.
Mayor London Breed talks about her plan to tackle the issue of homelessness in San Francisco. Then, the meaning behind some prison slang.
First, a battle over elk and cows in Point Reyes National Seashore comes to a head this summer. Then, we dig into the best places to eat in East Oakland.
First up, an Oakland group is helping black women fight the stigma associated with mental illness. Then, one woman’s Bay View on how support from her mother helped her cope with depression as a kid. And, how motherhood changed one Oakland musician’s career.
First up, the historical significance behind a special creek in East Oakland. Then, we’ll drop into the Russian River, counting salmon.
First up, tech training centers in Oakland are empowering their students and the community around them. Then, stories from people making theater inside prison — and, a former prisoner making theater on the outside.
First up, we meet State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and ask him about his goals. Then, a drag queen struggles with authentic blackness in the drag scene. And, an Audiograph celebrating the 50th anniversary of the St. John Coltrane Church.
First up, a San Francisco judge is hearing a case today that could block one of Trump’s most aggressive attacks on asylum seekers. And, Muslim American women have to face Islamophobia, but when you’re also black, it’s even more complicated.
First up, why Oakland became the third city in the country to ban facial recognition software from policing. Then, we explore why and when black people nod to each other on the street. And, a henna artist takes a modern approach to an ancient art form.
First up, comedian W. Kamau Bell explains why sometimes he has felt 'not black enough.’ And, in a story from Solano State Prison, a grandmother’s ghost gives a chilling prophecy.
Seventy-five years ago, today, on July 17th, 1944, two Liberty ships anchored at the Port Chicago Munitions Case near San Francisco, exploded. 390 men were injured. 320 men died. It was the worst homefront disaster of World War II.
First up, just before legislators go on summer break, California gets a new wildfire plan. Then, an East Bay author tells the story of the aftermath of Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Maria. And, we hear from the lead singer of an Oakland group that mixes hip-hop and punk.
First up, the ICE raids may not have happened last weekend, but migrant and refugee families still live in fear. We meet a Cambodian family who spent months fighting a loved one’s deportation. Then, the story of a man who learns to forgive his mother, from Solano State Prison.
First, we explore tensions between a homeless encampment and a home depot in East Oakland. Then, homegrown national sportswriter Marcus Thompson discusses what it was like to cover the Warriors' last season in Oakland. And, we’re heading to the Tenderloin for this week’s Audiograph.
Allensworth is a tiny town a couple of hours north of Los Angeles in California’s Central Valley. It’s in Tulare County, one of the poorest counties in the state. And it was the very first all-black community in California, founded in the early 1900s. Today, it’s home to about 500 people — but they don’t have water that’s safe to drink.
First, we visit a restaurant in conservative rural California that relies on Bay Area diners. Then, we get a taste of some authentic Uyghur Chinese food. And, a mother and daughter bond over their love of food in the StoryCorps booth.
First up, families of people killed by police weigh in on a bill that would change standards around the deadly use-of-force. Then, we hear how one prisoner is able to make his escape, in a new story from Uncuffed, at Solano State Prison. And, Southern California earthquakes have the Bay Area thinking about how to prepare for the Big One. Are you ready?
First up, the Golden State Warriors are moving to San Francisco — should Oakland nonprofits be concerned the Dubs will take their donations with them? Then, a commission with the mission to protect the Bay has neglected it. And, an annual event that marries joy to danger — it's tug of war between Bolinas and Stinson Beach.
First up, Chinese-American youth change San Francisco policy about mental health services at high schools. Then, the band Santana celebrates the 20th anniversary of their album Supernatural- former lead singer Tony Lindsay tells us what it’s like to be a part of music history, and finally, a look into the trashy aftermath of the Pride Parade.
Coming up, a San Francisco-based federal court argues with the Trump Administration over its treatment of migrant children. Then, an Eritrean life coach tries to reimagine traditional foods. And, we hear the experience of Vietnam vets who have been charged with a crime.
First, we’ll hear a Bay Area signature sound that sings the song of LGBTQ resistance, then news on the SF Gay Men's Chorus tour of the South, and finally, a drag performer tells us how trans performers are othered in the art of drag.
First, we’ll hear about a San Francisco-based law firm’s 20 million dollar response to a trans woman’s death in ICE detention, followed by the contested sainthood of Junípero Serra, and finally a new episode of Bounce: Warriors' final words after a season gone awry.
