Angela Davis’ Legacy of Activism
The promise of Angela Davis’ presence is enough to pack a room. When she was set to deliver the keynote at the 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, seven years after retiring as distinguished professor emerita at UC Santa Cruz, the line of hopeful attendees…
‘Hateful Eight’ trivializes violence, sexism and racism
Quentin Tarantino is one of the most respected directors of our time. He boasts an impressive knowledge of film-history and much of the auteur’s works are heralded as modern classics. Yet, as adept as Tarantino is at subverting conventions of plot and telling engaging, complex…
‘Si Se Puede’
Tatanka Bricca was ready to go to jail before he met her in 1969. A recent college graduate, Bricca was working as a third-grade teacher in East Los Angeles when he decided to return his draft card for the Vietnam war. In Northern California, ready…
Midnight Mayhem
This weekend, a line of people will spill down Pacific Avenue. It’ll start under the marquee of the Del Mar Theater, with folks dressed in fishnets and corsets ready for two hours of expression without constraints. In the plush theater seats, they’ll call Brad an…
Top Acts at This Year’s FYF
Summer is well under way and what better way to spend a weekend than amid a crowd of strangers under the Los Angeles sun? Now in its 12th year, FYF — also known as Fuck Yeah Fest — has managed to stick to its…
Growing Pains
When Earl hops on stage like he did May 13 at the Catalyst, the audience looks to him like a prophet. A crowd, made up mostly of teenage boys, hangs on his every word. They move when Earl asks, fall silent when he calls for…
The Brilliance of Bad Taste
The last time John Waters visited Santa Cruz was in 1970. “I came — this is a terrible thing to say — to ride on the roller coaster the day after somebody died on it.” Clearly, the filmmaker and self-proclaimed “filth elder” doesn’t fear…
Los Jóvenes Navegantes
Ditching capes in favor of white ruffled tuxedo shirts and black bowties, the members of Chicano Batman delivered their eclectic mix of Brazilian Tropicalismo, cumbia and ‘70s soul below purple lights on the small stage inside Moe’s Alley on April 5. The space was…
Students for Justice in Palestine Set Up Mock Checkpoints
An announcement was made loud and clear just before noon in front of McHenry Library: “This is a checkpoint. If you want to get through, show your ID.” The voice came from a student carrying a megaphone. Behind her, 30 students, most dressed in black,…
Investigative Journalist Visits UCSC
In December 2013, Anabel Hernández’s home was broken into by a group of masked men. Hernández and her family were away but the men ransacked her home, rifled through her bedroom and threatened her neighbors. After that, it became clear to the journalist of 22…