News :: Commentary

Commentary: Resist: Striking teachers go back to roots

Commentary: Resist: Striking teachers go back to roots

  • by Christina A. DiEdoardo
  • Mar 6, 2019

Before the weeklong Oakland teachers strike formally ended Sunday night with teachers ratifying a new contract, members of the Oakland Education Association marked the fourth day on the picket line against the school district by focusing on a school.

Commentary: Resist: Love means showing up

Commentary: Resist: Love means showing up

  • by Christina A. DiEdoardo
  • Feb 20, 2019

While much of the city was rushing for last-minute gifts on a rainy Valentine's Day, a small group of activists with Pangea Legal Services showed up to support Aida Carolina Andrade-Amaya, who has been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

Commentary: Resist: Defending People's Park

Commentary: Resist: Defending People's Park

  • by Christina A. DiEdoardo
  • Feb 6, 2019

It's strange to be writing about the latest round in a fight that has gone on for 50 years (and that originally began when I was 2 months old), but that seems to be the nature of any story about People's Park in Berkeley.

Transmissions: Join or die

Transmissions: Join or die

  • by Gwendolyn Ann Smith
  • Jan 30, 2019

For the last couple of years, I have spent a lot of time warning of the dangers to come. Now I no longer have to. Because, you see, the danger is here.

Commentary: Resist: Checking out the Manny's boycott

Commentary: Resist: Checking out the Manny's boycott

  • by Christina A. DiEdoardo
  • Jan 23, 2019

To its defenders, Manny's — a cafe, bookstore, and self-described "civic social gathering space" (whatever that means) — is the best thing to hit the Mission since Hillary Clinton.

Seeing in the Dark: Visually impaired artist pays tribute to Muni operators

Seeing in the Dark: Visually impaired artist pays tribute to Muni operators

  • by Belo Cipriani
  • Jan 16, 2019

Some people prefer to communicate with words, while others find images more telling. For gay San Francisco resident Kurt Schwartzmann, drawing has always been a way to share his thoughts with the world.

Transmissions: Come together

Transmissions: Come together

  • by Gwendolyn Ann Smith
  • Jan 16, 2019

With it being a new year, I wanted to share a gentle suggestion or two. Maybe you can tack these on to the end of a list of your resolutions.

Commentary: Resist: Getting ready for Act III

Commentary: Resist: Getting ready for Act III

  • by Christina A. DiEdoardo
  • Jan 9, 2019

While 2019 marks the third — and hopefully final — act of the current regime in Washington, like any good theatrical villain, it shows little inclination to go quietly or easily.

Transmissions: We are one for the ages

Transmissions: We are one for the ages

  • by Gwendolyn Ann Smith
  • Jan 2, 2019

It amazes me how so many seem to view the notion of transgender people as if they were something that magically winked into existence just five years ago.

Bay Area Cannasseur: Online sites censoring cannabis ads

Bay Area Cannasseur: Online sites censoring cannabis ads

  • by Sari Staver
  • Dec 28, 2018

Cannabis activists are outraged that online websites, including Craigslist and Facebook, are censoring posts related to pot.

Commentary: Resist: Vigil shows SF's broken policy

Commentary: Resist: Vigil shows SF's broken policy

  • by Christina A. DiEdoardo
  • Dec 26, 2018

On the longest night of the year, about 400 people gathered at United Nations Plaza in Civic Center to remember the names and honor the lives of some of the most forgotten people in San Francisco — the homeless who die each year on the city's streets.

Transmissions: A holiday wish

Transmissions: A holiday wish

  • by Gwendolyn Ann Smith
  • Dec 19, 2018

So, once again, we reach the closing of another year.

Commentary: Resist: Serving (and) feeding the people

Commentary: Resist: Serving (and) feeding the people

  • by Christina A. DiEdoardo
  • Dec 12, 2018

In Bay Area activist circles, we often draw — whether consciously or otherwise — a hard distinction between "actions" (which cost money and resources) and "fundraisers."

Transmissions: No place for any woman

Transmissions: No place for any woman

  • by Gwendolyn Ann Smith
  • Dec 5, 2018

In 2013, a woman from the Dominican Republic landed in Miami. While she was hoping to witness the birth of her grandchild, police had other ideas, arresting her on an outstanding drug charge. She was taken to the local jail and processed.