Most people associate classically trained dancers with ballet. Vanessa Sanchez’s new production “Pachuquismo,” which opens Sept.15 at Dance Mission Theater, aims to challenge those preconceptions. Directed produced and choreographed by Sanchez, “Pachuquismo,” features “an all female tap and Son Jarocho [the regional folk music of Veracruz, Mexico] performance of Chicanx culture, Pachucas, and the […]
Posted inNews
Local nonprofit celebrates 15 years of training women for careers in audio
[su_carousel source=”media: 38833,38834,38835,38836,38837″ limit=”65″ link=”lightbox” width=”800″ height=”540″ responsive=”no” items=”1″] Fifteen years ago Terri Winston recognized a great disparity in the number of women working in the audio industry. Utilizing her background as director of Sound Recording Arts at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF), she set out to carve a space for women in […]
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Indigenous Mayans find community in East Oakland
[su_carousel source=”media: 38816,38806,38807,38808,38809,38810,38811,38812,38813,38814″ limit=”65″ link=”lightbox” width=”800″ height=”540″ responsive=”no” items=”1″] When it comes to Mayan culture, most people tend to think of the ancient civilization that existed in southern Mexico and Guatemala. But Mayans and their culture prevail today, even when many of them have migrated north to the United States to find a better life. […]
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New exhibition captures the Mission’s unique cultura in paint and film
[su_carousel source=”media: 38784,38785,38786,38788,38789,38790″ limit=”65″ link=”lightbox” width=”800″ height=”540″ responsive=”no” items=”1″] Over the past couple years, artists Natalie Alemán and Jasmin Cañas have used their photos and paintings to capture the distinctive culture that makes the Mission District one of the most unique neighborhoods in the country. Their new collaborative exhibition “Ode to Our Barrio: A Tribute […]
Posted inVoices
We cannot turn our backs on the refugee crisis at our border
For the refugee, the journey to escape is difficult and fraught with danger. But the choice itself (the decision to flee) is easy: stay and face horror, or leave with hope of a better future. Many leave just hoping for any future at all. The number of asylum seekers and refugees from the north of […]
Posted inVoices
Youth organization at frontline of battle for social justice in East Palo Alto
The youth activists of color at the East Palo Alto-based Youth United for Community Action (YUCA) have made it their life’s work to influence change from within their own homes by fighting against social and environmental injustices. I learned of YUCA earlier this year when researching grassroots community organizations local to the South Bay. I […]
Posted inVoices
Christian environmentalist finds cause to fight climate change in Bible
Thousands of people will gather together in San Francisco on Sept. 8, along with thousands more around the world, in a global mobilization called Rise for Climate, Jobs and Justice. I am a 24-year-old Latina Christian environmental organizer, and I’m going to be at the march in San Francisco. I hope you’ll join me, and […]
Posted inDevil's Advocate
A serendipitous dance with dogs
[su_label type=”info”]Column: The Devil’s Advocate[/su_label] At times, this column will tap a compelling incident from my memory bank. During my long journey upon this earth, I have had quite a few worth sharing. This one goes back to 1972. It involves dance, dogs, the war in Vietnam…and serendipity. In 1972, the War in Vietnam was […]
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Central American voices missing from discussion of refugee crisis
Americans from across the demographic spectrum have joined together to express their outrage over the separation of refugee families at the U.S.-Mexico border, but many Central Americans have found their voices either drowned out or ignored completely. Some advocates such as those at CARECEN SF—the Mission District-based resource center for Central American immigrants—believe that the […]
Posted inDevil's Advocate
Heaven…I’m in heaven!
[su_label type=”info”]The Devil’s Advocate[/su_label] We can reach heaven many times during our lives. There is no urgency to visit paradise after we die. Alejo Carpentier, the Cuban writer, father of “The Marvelous Reality,” a literary movement (not to be confused with “Magical Realism”) left us this basic and profound thought: “The ‘marvelous’ can be found […]