Alia Taqieddin

This year marks 75 years since armed Zionist militias violently expelled more than 80% of Palestinians from their homes and established the state of Israel.

Some Palestinian families became internally displaced into refugee camps and neighboring towns inside of Palestine. Others became refugees in other countries. What they all have in common is that they survived the Nakba — meaning “catastrophe.”

Many Nakba survivors found their adopted home in the Bay Area. And three generations later, it hosts one of the most prominent communities in the country. To Palestinians — the Nakba never ended. The survivors, their children, and their grandchildren are still fighting to return home.

Berkeley was instrumental in creating a national women’s movement in the US — from suffrage in the late 1890s and the gender revolution in the 60s and 70s. Since those times, there have been diverse iterations and evolutions of feminist ideals that define what it means today. The Palestinian Feminist Collective is a group that’s defining feminism on its own terms. They tie it to liberation from sexual and colonial violence in Palestine. Cofounder Maisa Morrar talks about their definition of feminism and how healing women is a core part of their work.

In Oakland, everyone has their go-to corner store. Reporter Alia Taqieddin sure does. But she found out her local corner store owner is grappling with a question she also faces: about where to find home. 

Midcentury Richmond had a renowned Blues scene. Today it’s almost underground, but dedicated locals are determined to keep the Blues in town.