Guest host Max Pringle speaks with author and historian Giles Tremlett about his new book “the International Brigades: Fascism, Freedom and the Spanish Civil War.” The book examines the history of the international volunteer brigades who went to Spain in the 1930s to defend democracy during the Spanish Civil War.
Walter Johnson, Harvard professor of history, and African and African American Studies, with a new book: The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States. Hosted by Kris Welch.
What do you get when you bring together two luminaries on the left — oral historian and broadcaster Studs Terkel and historian from below Howard Zinn — and then add in writer and poet Alice Walker? You get an illuminating evening, recently digitalized and preserved for posterity, which reminds us of the importance of KPFA … Continued
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I AM This artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller examines her life, her works and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her literary career. Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race, history, America and the human condition.
During the 1960s, young people from all over the country flooded into a small village tucked behind the Oakland hills amidst a grove of towering redwoods. Some of them just came to party, but many sought to build an alternative to what they saw as the violence and reckless consumerism of mainstream society. In the … Continued
Today’s episode features interviews with two of my favorite local journalists – Rick Paulas and Sam LeFebvre. In the first segment, I chat with Rick Paulas, who has written about East Bay-related topics for outlets such as the New York Times, Vice, and many others. He’s been based in Oakland for the past few years, … Continued
Today’s episode is all about waterfront history. The first segment covers the only Black whaling Captain in California history: William Shorey. The media called him “Black Ahab” and his adventures made him an Oakland hero. He was one of the most powerful men of color in California—but there’s a complicated side to his story that’s … Continued
Today’s episode features two segments about the history of West Oakland. The first segment explores how Oakland’s Black population nearly quintupled during the 1940s when tens of thousands of African Americans fled the Jim Crow-era South to work in East Bay shipyards like Moore Dry Dock Company. The backlash to this boom laid the foundation … Continued
Segment 1: Although Oakland has one of the highest concentrations of lesbians in the country, the history—and impact—of this community is relatively unknown. Lenn Keller is trying to change that with the upcoming launch of the Bay Area Lesbian Archives, a wide-ranging collection of photographs, activist materials, meeting notes, videos and more. In this episode, … Continued
The first segment of this episode explores the history of Emeryville’s legendary mudflat sculptures: For decades, millions of drivers passing through Emeryville saw an ever-changing array of giant statues along the bayshore. In addition to the towering wooden vikings, dragons and other whimsical creatures, activists used driftwood and trash to build monumental projects responding to … Continued
