Crosscurrents

Did you know the Golden State Warriors had a senior dance squad? Today, we meet the age-defying dancers who bring energy, skill and joy to the court. Then, Cal’s Majorette team celebrates their hard earned ten year anniversary. And, a Bay Area dance group is on a mission to keep turning.

The Warriors basketball team has a saying: strength in numbers. The senior dance squad that performs at Warriors’ games, The Harwood Classics, embodies that mantra. They show how there’s strength in the numbers 55 and up. Reporter Clara Kamunde takes us to meet the dancers who proves artistry, athleticism, and passion never retire.

This year, the UCB’s Majorette team, The Bearettes, are celebrating their 10th year anniversary! If you've ever been to a Cal football or basketball game, you can't miss their body rolls, back bends, hip pops, twists, and sparkly outfits. Nia Coates is a reporter with UCB’s North Gate radio. Here introduces us to the Bearettes, Cal athletes who are fighting for a space of their own on campus. Nia reported this story as a student in the audio concentration at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. Listen to more North Gate Radio sports stories here!

Funding dance programs has never been easy. And back in May the National Endowment for the Arts canceled at least $1 million in grants to San Francisco nonprofits alone. Leaders in the Bay Area dance community found themselves say they’re now more strained than ever. Last summer, Renée Bartlett-Webber went to find out how Dance programs have had to pivot.

Today, we explore Toni Morrison’s work, politics, and experiences. Then, how to navigate the tricky but necessary conversations about money. And, a behind-the-scenes look inside a San Francisco food bank.

Reading a Toni Morrison novel is an experience. Her words challenge readers intellectually and emotionally. Morrison died in 2019. Today her body of work is a national treasure and she is a writer students encounter and critically examine as part of their journey in understanding American identity. Harvard English Professor Namwali Serpell breaks down much of the late author’s work in her book, “On Morrison.” It also explores Morrison’s politics, thoughts on race, her experiences with the media. She spoke to Jenee Darden, host of KALW’s sights and Sounds Show, about her book and why she avoided meeting Toni Morrison in person. Here’s an excerpt from their conversation

You know that etiquette rule that says when you have company, it’s impolite to talk about politics, religion- and money? Well to Sheila Schroeder, money is something we SHOULD be talking about. She is the Bay Area author of It’s Time to Talk: A Woman’s Guide to Navigating Money Conversations. Recently, KALW invited Shroeder to our live event space at 220 Montgomery. The evening was designed to bring finance down to earth, with practical advice and lived wisdom. KALW’s Executive Producer Ben Trefny spoke with Schroeder and asked her about her decades of experience in finance.

Every year, about 48 million people in the U.S. struggle to find enough to eat. Organizations on the frontline of Bay Area food insecurity are working harder than ever. One of them, the San Francisco and Marin Food Banks now serve 36,000 households a week. So how does it all happen? In this piece, produced by Rebecca Birungi in 2013, we go inside the main distribution center in Potrero Hill, to see what happens behind the scenes, to get food to the people who need it most.

The Bay Area has a long history of women who were ahead of their time. Today, the history of the bohemian women of San Francisco. Then, we take a look inside the California Condor Recovery Program in Oakland. And, a journalist at San Quentin shares a song that gives him motivation.

The Bay Area has a long history of women who were ahead of their time. Today, the history of the bohemian women of San Francisco.

Bostyon Johnson at San Quentin on "Standing Outside The Fire," by Garth Books. It's the Uncuffed My Mixtape, where we listen to our producers' favorite songs.

Then, we take a look inside the California Condor Recovery Program in Oakland.

Poetry as memory, poetry as history that's what OG San Jose Pinay Poet Arlene Biala brings us today with her poem.

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. Then, we explore the nation's first law to encourage and protect whistleblowers working with AI. And, from Uncuffed one tragic accident triggered a decades long struggle with addiction.

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 to use AI in the classroom. When educators in the city went on strike last month, one of their demands was AI safety guards. But AI is already playing an important role in the classroom. KALW’s Education reporter, Julia Haney, wanted to understand how Amira works, so she went to see the program in action.

With Artificial intelligence increasingly becoming a part of our lives, comes the need to regulate it. California was the first state to draft laws regulating the internet and now it’s attempting to do the same with AI. SB 53 is the State’s Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act. It’s a first-of-its-kind AI safety law and it was passed last year. A number of AI companies lobbied against the legislation. And internet freedom advocates argue the law is now so watered down, that it no longer effectively protects whistleblowers in the AI companies. Jason Winshell reports on Silicon Valley for the San Francisco Public Press. He spoke to KALW News Editor Sunni Khalid to help us unpack the new law.

Uncuffed producer Jorge Lopez on how one tragic accident can trigger a decades long struggle with addiction. A new story from Uncuffed about trauma, drugs, and the choice to change.

Finding housing in California is notoriously difficult. For unhoused people, the process can feel nearly impossible. Today, two women in Richmond take us into the challenges of their search for permanent housing.

Why is it so hard for people to move from homeless encampments to housing? California spends a lot of money trying to get people off the street — $27 billion since 2019. The state’s Encampment Resolution Fund in particular has invested over $700 million into moving people from encampments, to shelter, to permanent housing. There are still thousands of people living on the streets across the state, and in the Bay Area, it can feel like there’s little progress to show for it. KALW’s homelessness reporter Alastair Boone takes us to Richmond, California to learn more about what it really takes to find permanent housing.

Today, we're kicking off Women’s History month. First, a local arts company is gathering women from across the Bay Area for an evening of resilience and performance. Then, we’ll hear the real history behind A LEGENDARY San Franciscan. Plus, poems from the next generation.