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.
Gender bias can start early and have lasting effects. Today, we’re passing the mic to the next generation, to hear how sexism and other inequities play out early in life. Like, for example, in video games. It's the latest episode of season two of tbh: a podcast by, about, and for teenagers ... and anyone else who wants to hear what’s on their minds.
It’s crunch time for census 2020 — there's only nine days left and the focus on reading "hard to count" populations. We get an update on the progress in Alameda County. Then, Oakland DJ Nina Sol talks about her love for spinning and how she’s now getting the party started—virtually. And, the Folsom Street Fair is going virtual this weekend, but did you ever wonder how it got its start?
Ask a high school student, and they’ll tell you: They’re missing out on some of the education they need. Today, we’re bringing you inside the world of teenagers and the discussions they have with each other. It’s the debut of season two of tbh: a podcast by, about, and for teenagers ... and anyone else who wants to hear what’s on their minds.
In Oakland, library branches are closed, but for kids and families, their services are needed more than ever. We’ll meet a children’s librarian who’s finding new ways to keep kids learning. Then, we take you on a socially-distanced Bay Area book tour with our podcast New Arrivals.
Medical students are demanding racism be treated like a public health emergency. We hear about White Coats for Black Lives. Then, a personal story from our Bay Views series on how majoring in Ethnic Studies was life-changing for one of our reporters. Plus, today's local music is a new single from San Francisco musician Dominque Gomez.
Oakland artist Fantastic Negrito has a new album out. We hear how he’s using his Black Roots sound to address mental health. Then, an interview with a formerly incarcerated Uncuffed podcast producer who was released from prison early ... into a strange new world.
California is burning, but the state’s farmworkers are still going to work, risking their health. We hear from activists who worry that 2020’s disasters is also fueling labor abuses. Then, Alice Wong brings readers personal stories from people with disabilities. And, we’ll hear a reading from a new coming-of-age novel.
Schools have started back up, but it’s nothing like it used to be. We hear what it’s like teaching via zoom after years in a classroom. Then, we find out what recent college grads can learn from the last recession. And, a local author reads from her new book about a woman trying to find herself.
Yesterday, we met a group of people planning a protest about racial inclusion at Burning Man, but it's not that easy when you're in the middle of the desert without modern amenities like texting and social media. Today, in the final episode from THE INTERSECTION at Burning Man, we join them on their march.
Most years, tens of thousands of people gather and build a temporary city in the Nevada desert for Burning Man. Why is an event that’s guided by a principle of radical inclusion almost exclusively white? And what are some Burners doing to change that? Today, in a story from THE INTERSECTION at Burning Man, we explore the fight for racial inclusion in Black Rock City.
Burning Man is known for a lot of things. The art. The parties. The wooden man that’s set ablaze every year. But most participants don’t know much about the land’s original inhabitants — and many of them drive right through the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation to get to Burning Man. Today, we're bringing you a story from THE INTERSECTION at Burning Man to explore where the past meets the present.
Burning Man began yesterday and this year it's virtual. The theme is the multiverse. Today, we’re going to bring you into that world by taking you inside its spiritual center. We find out how the Temple came to be, and the deep emotion it stirs in its visitors.
Today, we hear how work culture is changing — for good. Then, a Burning Man project connected people in the desert with strangers around the world.
UC Santa Cruz was evacuated because of the CZU fires. We hear what it’s like for some of the students and staff. Then, Burning Man is canceled, but you can still experience sounds and scenes from the playa. And, we get a mini-reading from a Bay Area author.
At least 350 thousand acres have burned in the North Bay — we’ll get an update on the LNU Lightning Complex Fires. Then, normally right now, around 80,000 people would be preparing for their annual pilgrimage to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. Not this year. Like everything else, Burning Man is canceled. Instead, put on your headphones and take a trip to the playa with stories from the latest season of The Intersection.
People who were pregnant at the start of the pandemic are just beginning to deliver their babies — we find out what researchers are learning about the effects of the coronavirus on pregnancy. Then, a San Francisco poet uses flowers as a theme to address some heavy issues. And, a San Jose author’s new novel is set in the Kurdish region of Iran.
COVID-19 rates are skyrocketing in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood, as low-income immigrants risk infection to go to work. We look at Fruitvale’s infection rate and the community organizations trying to help. Then, Oakland artist Paul Lewin talks about Afrofuturistic art and what it means to him. And, we hear a local poet reading from her new collection, "Rift Zone."
Hair salon owners in the East Bay are finding creative ways to protest health guidelines keeping them shut. Then, artists are using their talents to bring awareness to the 2020 Census. And, San Francisco author A.H. Kim reads a passage from her latest novel.
San Francisco’s treasurer talks about a population that’s being forgotten in the pandemic. When shops go cashless what does that mean for the unbanked? Then, in a new installment The Essentials, we hear how Phaethon Brown is making sure BART is safe for employees and riders during the pandemic. And we catch up with Uncuffed producer Chanthon Bun, who’s been out of San Quentin for over a month now.
Singer Naima Shalhoub talks about her new album and what she learned from men in a Lebanese prison. Then, what happens when you sing a song with toxic lyrics on repeat for three days straight?
School is starting back up for many students in the Bay Area and today we meet three generations of one Black San Francisco family who discuss their experiences in public school, from our series "Learning While Black." Then, we meet an Oakland barber who has some very special clients and tells us how he became one of their biggest fans.
Kids around the Bay Area are going back to school. So today, we’re re-airing this story from our series, "Learning While Black: The Fight For Equity In San Francisco Schools." And, it just won an award from the Public Media Journalists Association.
Oakland officials are launching a task force to reimagine public safety. We hear about Bay Area city leaders taking a hard look at police budgets. Then, cellist Joshua McClain sparks people’s imaginations with his mystic sounds And, we hear how the Town got its colors. Plus, a reading from Oakland author Elwin Cotman.
Some California residents feel safer on the streets than in the shelters the state has provided, despite the health risks of living outdoors. Our partners at Valley Public Radio bring us a story about a team of physicians and medical students who are bringing healthcare to the streets. Then, the band The Seshen wants to redefine what it means to be a pop star. And, we hear a reading from a local author’s new young adult fantasy novel.
Lately, people have been spending a lot more time indoors with their pets. So, what happens when our furry friends get sick or injured in the age of COVID? We find out from a San Francisco vet. Then, best-selling author Mary Monroe's latest book, inspired by real-life characters, is about neighbors who learn the hard way that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. And, from our producers at Solano State Prison, a story about the wild side of being a bike messenger.
COVID cases are on the rise in the Bay Area and more people are getting tested. Now, there’s a backlog. We hear why testing varies from site to site and how the state plans to fix that. We also get an answer to a question about whether negative test results can be trusted. Then, a San Francisco event designer talks about traveling the globe planning luxurious parties and affairs.
Oakland received a multi-million dollar grant to fund environmental projects in the deep east. We hear about that and skepticism from some residents. Then, an Oakland R&B artist found their identity through performing. Plus, a reading from a new book about fermentation.
Even before the coronavirus lockdown, fishing was a complicated industry. What is it like to juggle a fishing career and a family during COVID? Then, Oakland rapper Jwalt shares why he got so personal on his debut album. And, a role-playing game brings incarcerated people together.
Today, we get to the bottom a new noise on the northside of San Francisco. Then, UC Berkeley’s journalism school has a new dean who is promising change. And, we get an unexpected answer to a question about the most influential Latinos in the Bay Area.
Best-selling author and geriatrician Louise Aronson wants us to redefine aging. Then, the Golden Gate Parkcast brings us a quixotic story that takes place at the ends of the earth. And, a reading from a local author’s new science fiction novel.
