A Glimpse into the Santa Cruz Skate Scene
This article was written prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. The sound of wheels scraping smooth cement echoes throughout Derby Skate Park. Skaters gain speed as they glide down the sides of the snake run into the bowl. Someone speeds across, launching himself out of the…
50 Years of Mountain Biking
From mountain bikes dating as far back as the 1970s to educational and interactive hands-on activities for kids, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH) had it all when it unveiled “Trailblazers: The Creative Story Behind Mountain Biking in Santa Cruz” on Feb….
Data and Determinism
When you finish reading this sentence, you’ll read the next one. This is it. We can now come to the conclusion that I just predicted the future. Or did I? Did I foresee what you were going to do, or were you destined to do…
“Think About What You Can do in 60 Years”
The U.S. political climate is rife with controversies surrounding electoral politics, subtle aggressions of anti-Blackness and a lack of interracial solidarity. These were the ideas at the forefront at the 36th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, held at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium on…
Remembering the Literary Guillotine
David S. Watson flipped the sign in the doorway of The Literary Guillotine on Dec. 31, 2019, notifying passersby and customers that the bookstore was closing, this time for good. Once filled floor to ceiling with books, all that remains at 204 Locust St. are…
The Archives of Hayden V. White
Hayden V. White was a pivotal figure in the history of the UC system. He waged legal battles against the Los Angeles Police Department and steered the history of consciousness (HisCon) program at UC Santa Cruz in its formative days. He devoted his life to…
‘We the Enemy’
Content warning: This article contains offensive language. I walk into a dimly lit room and approach a video of a woman sporting a buzz cut and reciting homophobic slurs. Her facial expressions remain stiff and unphased as she delivers each insult. It feels as if…
Santa Cruz Tattoo’d
Just 34 years ago, body art practices were illegal in Santa Cruz. Today, tattooing is a trend for a plethora of communities within Santa Cruz, from skaters to yoga moms and seemingly everyone in between. “Santa Cruz Tattoo’d,” the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and…
Imagining a Landscape Without Prisons
Eyes closed, legs crossed, I sit in Tim Young’s garden listening to the sounds of birds, feeling the watery rays of a winter sun on my cheeks. I can hear bamboo rustling beside me and smell the mulch beneath me. If I opened my eyes,…
Art from the Heart of the Prison System
What started as writing workshops in San Francisco’s juvenile hall in January 1996 flourished into what The Beat Within is now — a 60-page biweekly newsletter composed of work by incarcerated youths in juvenile halls across the country. Fourth-year Jocelyn Lopez-Anleu brought The Beat Within…