Crosscurrents

School is now in session for the Oakland Unified School District. And this past year, there has been A LOT to report on at OUSD  — from the early departure of superintendent Kyla Johnson Trammell, to the district’s exit from a 22 year receivership. Reporter Ashley McBride covers education equity for Oaklandside. She’s been following these stories, and she co-reported a two-part investigative series looking at lead in the water at Oakland Schools. Grace Won, co-host of KALW’s “State of the Bay,” recently spoke with McBride, and we’re bringing you an excerpt from that conversation.

San Francisco is proud to claim the iconic Japanese-American artist Ruth Asawa as our own. She’s known primarily for her wire sculptures, as well as her advocacy for arts education. Now, 300 pieces of her work are currently on display at SFMOMA. Janet Bishop is one of the curators of the retrospective. 

Today, we’re learning to skate through life. Then, a computer engineer with a history in radical activism. And, an iconic photographer captured the Grateful Dead.

One local skateboarder is trying to give skateboarding a different reputation. The goal of his company, Skateable Cities, is to highlight the practical ways it can help you get around, as well as the mental health benefits.

Designer Lee Felsenstein is legendary. He’s one of the Electronic Frontier Foundations’ "Pioneers of the Electronic Frontier"; a Laureate of The Tech Museum in San Jose; and a Fellow of the Computer History Museum. His new autobiography is "Me and My Big Ideas: Counterculture, Social Media, and the Future."

The late, iconic music photographer Jim Marshall captured much of the Grateful Dead's career and life. He took over 10,000 photos of the Grateful Dead. Hundreds of those photos are featured in the book “The Grateful Dead by Jim Marshall.” It covers their formative years from 1966 to 1977. Photographer Amelia Davis is the co-author of the book. She was Jim Marshall’s personal assistant who preserved his work. Lifelong Deadhead and writer Dan Sullivan  contributed an essay to the book.

Today is all about learning what our elders can teach us about caring for one another. First, a unique living room in the Tenderloin helps vulnerable seniors meet their daily needs. Then, how community choirs are providing more than just a fun time.

Nearly half of San Francisco's seniors lack the money to meet their basic needs. At Saint Francis Living Room in the Tenderloin, seniors help each other.

In 2012, a UCSF researcher teamed up with city and nonprofit officials to launch a novel experiment meant to answer one question: Can singing in a choir provide real health benefits for older adults? Today, a thriving network of neighborhood choirs continues to discover the answer. Reporter Sheryl Kaskowitz has more in this story from 2024.

In a quiet part of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a coffee shop puts down roots. Then, how coffee is helping resettle refugees. And, we go on a boba shop hop!