"My children spent their entire school careers in the Berkeley schools—successfully, I should add. I am also Jewish…the hearing marks an expansion of conservative and far-right critiques of public schools, which have already become battlegrounds over an array of controversies, from critical race theory and ethnic studies to LGBTQ rights and gender identity. However well-prepared Morthel…might be, it would seem to be a no-win situation"
These Berkeley, California parents are using language that sounds pulled from the red state anti-LGBTQ playbook. The person quoted in the article complains that Berkeley's curriculum includes “no perspectives that Palestinians are committing…genocide.” It's so hard to be a teacher, there or here.
I research South Asian American history in Berkeley, California. And though I hate relying on colonial police/surveillance documents to understand stories of movements, some of the materials are gold.
This 1913 report from British arch-villain super-spy Hopkinson relies on informants to describe tensions among the early pre-Ghadar Indian nationalist students at UC Berkeley.
It includes all kinds of juicy details, including…
A plug for the amazing new elaichi co. Pakistani chai shop in downtown Berkeley, California. They're in soft-launch this month, and yet so crowded every single night, chock full of brown college students. This is kind of an amazing year, between this and all the new Yemeni cafes.
It’s the end of an era for Rigel Robinson, one of the most inspiring young electeds in the East Bay. I can’t believe he’s being driven out of politics by stalking and threats.
We know exactly which politicians created the conditions that forced out Farid Javandel, the head of Berkeley’s transportation division, and slowed down the city’s ability to reduce traffic violence and cut emissions.
Looking for #MorrisDance on this network turned out to be a deep rabbit hole - there is a whole related instance whose local timeline at https://folksocial.org/public/local was fascinating. Personally, I dance with #BerkeleyMorris in #BerkeleyCA and organize the Black and White Morris Dance (next one: June 3, 2023)