Crosscurrents

Bomba is more than just music. Today, we'll hear how one of Puerto Rico's oldest musical traditions lives on in the Bay. Then, we hear a very scary Sudanese folk tale.

Bomba. It's a word you feel: percussive, rhythmic, pulsating. The art form grew out of the Afro Indigenous cultures of Puerto Rico. But it's much more than dance music. Bomba echoes and resonates with the violent history of slavery and resistance in Puerto Rico.

Day of the dead is coming up this weekend and it is a time when many people are thinking about dearly departed loved ones. Next we'll get a message from the ancestors… through a poem. Here's poet Nia Pearl with 'Bones talk out of the side of their neck.'

Hana Baba recently took part in telling a scary story from her Sudanese culture as part of an evening of “Creepy Tales” from KALW's Sights and Sounds show.

Gender affirming care is becoming less accessible for trans youth in the Bay. Today, we'll hear from families facing tough decisions. Then, the story of a woman in prison who was gifted a book that changed her. And, a collection of readings from Bay Area authors.

This summer, both Stanford Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente paused gender affirming surgeries for youth under 19 years old. Ever since, the families of transgender kids in the Bay have been facing some hard choices.

How a book given to an Uncuffed producer surprised her.

Now we'll hear some readings from our series New Arrivals, a pocket-sized book tour with Bay Area authors. Today, Oakland authors Emile DeWeaver and Beverly Burch, as well as San Francisco writer Alvin Lu.

Today, a UC Berkeley historian explores 80 years of US policy in the Middle East. Then, a story on how intense loyalty destroyed a close relationship. And, one beloved music venue in San Francisco's Mission neighborhood has a morbid history... we meet the ghosts that haunt The Chapel.

KALW news editor Sunni Khalid recently hosted a conversation with author Daniel Zoughbie- UC Berkeley historian and professor of complex systems science as part of the 2025 Litquake literary festival.

When she was young, Uncuffed producer Keyna Osorio loved her cousins Bud and Rock. But then, when she was told that Rock's brother snitched on her brother, her idea of loyalty cost her two very meaningful relationships — relationships she could never get back again.

Today, the Chapel is a lively music venue. But many people who work there say its history as a mortuary lingers. 

This is Chicana poet Elizabeth Jiminez Montelongo, reading her poem “It is I, the immigrant.”

Today, we meet a florist who grows the marigolds used for "Dia de Los Muertos” And, an update on Bay Area roadways and Freeways. Plus, some poetry to help us through these tricky times. 

A look at what's happening in transportation news around the Bay Area, where this week we'll talking about driving, commuting, and parking.

Florist Mauricio Vivas grows marigolds for these reverent altars, and sells them at his store “Tony Rossi & Sons Florist” in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood. KALW's Jenee Darden recently spoke to Mauricio in 2024 about the significance of marigolds for Dia de los Muertos traditions.

Here's Chicanx poet Lourdes Figueroa reading an excerpt from their untitled poem.

To understand what an escalation of federal agents means for San Francisco, and especially Latine immigrants in the Bay Area, we spoke with El Tecolote Investigative Reporter Yesica Prado.

A local reporter talks about how Latine immigrant communities are preparing for an influx of Federal agents. Then, we go to a show that's all about celebrating the City by the Bay. And, an Oakland novelist confronts everyday issues through horror.

Jose Luis Lopez was a construction worker in Richmond who had an encounter with the police in 2020. Today we hear an investigation into his story and other police involved deaths in Contra Costa County.Then, how a difficult moment helped lead a young girl to become herself. And, we'll board an aircraft carrier in Alameda that many people say…is haunted.

Joel Umanzor is a reporter for Richmondside. His five part series, “Restrained and Sedated,” investigates the deaths of two men who died after encounters with Richmond police officers.

A woman who is now incarcerated recalls how she rebelled against the men in her life, but that landed her in the streets.

A visit to the USS Hornet in Alameda is like taking a trip back in time. The ship served in both World War II and Vietnam, and it famously recovered the Apollo 11 astronauts from the Pacific after the 1969 moon landing. Today, the Hornet's a museum. Its docents are veterans who served on the ship, or other aircraft carriers like it. And according to them, that it's not just old artifacts and displays that reveal the Hornet's history—they say the ship is also haunted.

Today, we'll hear how endangered butterflies saved San Bruno Mountain from development. Then, we'll visit a place that collects creepy crawlies and puts them on display. 

Just over fifty years ago, developers hoped to build on San Bruno Mountain until a movement was launched to protect the land and its endangered butterflies.

Now we'll hear some readings from our series New Arrivals, a pocket-sized book tour with Bay Area authors. And today's writers are all from San Francisco. 

Today, we're looking into earthquake preparedness around in the Bay Area. First, we meet San Francisco's Neighborhood Emergency Response Team. Then, will the City's skyscrapers stand up against the Big One when it hits? And, how will the city's water system fare? Plus, is ‘earthquake weather' a real thing?

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake caused a lot of destruction. It also stirred up a lot of change. And helped create new things, like NERT, the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team. NERT started as a way to prepare for natural disasters, but it's got some problems that are man-made. Back in 2023, KALW's Wren Farrell went out to see what role NERT might play in the city's next big emergency. 

A new documentary explores how hedge funds are destroying local newspapers. Today, we hear how journalists are fighting back. Then, the life of Afghan refugees. And, after she was arrested, a young girl in Oakland chose a program in the desert, instead of going to jail. It's a new Uncuffed story from the California Institution for women.

Hedge funds have also led to the collapse of local newspapers as they acquire publications across the country. The new PBS Documentary "Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink," explores the issue. It's directed by two-time Oscar-nominated documentarian, Rick Goldsmith. He spoke to Sights + Sounds host, Jenee Darden.

KALW and the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California recently hosted a night centering the lived experiences of the Afghan refugee community. It was at our live event space in Downtown San Francisco, as part of our series ‘The Bay Agenda.'

Uncuffed producer Daphnye Luster remembers her experience in an outdoor program meant to be an alternative to juvenile prison.

Today, we'll hear how to transition your home off polluting appliances. Then, a new Uncuffed story about fathering from prison. And, readings all about Bay Area nature. 

The gas appliances in our homes are part of the problem. They've been shown to worsen asthma and cause other health problems. Plus, they contribute to climate change. Recently our climate reporter, Mary Catherine O'Connor, hosted a panel of experts at KALW's live event space in Downtown San Francisco. 

A new story from Uncuffed San Quentin producer Anthony Gomez about two fathers who made the choice to have kids, while they're in prison. 

Now we'll hear some readings from our series New Arrivals, a pocket-sized book tour with Bay Area authors. Today's writers are all interested in local lands, and the plants and animals that live on them.

As war in Ukraine rages on artists are collaborating to preserve Ukrainian identity. Then, we'll hear about reporting from a city under siege.

We'll hear part two of reporter Adreanna Rodriguez's reporting from Ukraine. She'll take us inside the electronic music scene in Kyiv and explain how music producers view their work as a necessary act of resistance and preservation of culture.

Live music is quintessential to any city's nightlife. But increasing rents and impacts of the pandemic have made it difficult for small venues around the Bay Area to stay open.

Infusing joy in daily life during war isn't just about pleasure, it's about survival. Today, we'll hear how, in Ukraine, resistance against Russia isn't just happening on the frontlines.

Bay Area-based reporter Adreanna Rodriguez follows the quiet revolutions of daily life in Kyiv, Ukraine, where people are seeking pleasure, joy, and normalcy despite the ever-present shadow of war. Her reporting reveals resilience, hope, and cultural survival at the heart of a city under siege.

The Golden State Valkyries created a movement bigger than themselves. Today, we'll hear about the "Violet Wave" on the Finale of Bounce: The Valkyries' 1st Season in the Bay.