Daily Archives: June 4, 2026

“Burlesque is the art of seduction, storytelling, confidence and performance. True burlesque is theater. It’s dance. It’s glamour. It’s comedy, sensuality, character work, music, fashion, and personal expression all living in the same space." - Jujuana Williams

After spending nearly 31 years behind prison walls, including time in solitary confinement, Uhuru Rowe argues that the people best equipped to explain the realities of incarceration are not academics or policy experts, but those who survived it firsthand. In this powerful reflection, Rowe challenges readers to reconsider who gets recognized as an authority on the prison industrial complex, drawing on decades of lived experience to expose the violence, isolation and dehumanization that statistics alone can never fully capture. His message is simple: if society is serious about prison abolition and justice, it must center the voices of those who have endured the system from the inside.

Every summer, thousands gather to celebrate culture, community and resistance through music, dance, food and pageantry at Oakland Carnaval. More than a festival, organizers say Carnaval is a living expression of African cultural survival across the Americas, tracing its roots from ancient Africa to the Caribbean, Brazil and beyond. In this conversation, longtime Carnaval leader Theo Aytchan Williams reflects on the history of the celebration, Oakland’s unique contribution to the tradition, and why creating spaces for Black joy, wellness and cultural pride remains a revolutionary act in the Town.