CLIMATE CHANGE
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POLITICS
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CULTURE
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EQUITY
CLIMATE CHANGE • POLITICS • CULTURE • EQUITY
The Path to a Just Transition for Benicia’s Refinery Workers
KneeDeep Times
Refinery workers. Photo courtesy BlueGreen Alliance Foundation
Publication: KneeDeep Times
Date: Jun 12, 2025
Next year, one of the three remaining oil refineries in the Bay Area will shut its doors permanently, leaving more than 400 employees out of work. And while California plans to close all its oil refineries in order to cut its emissions and ultimately prevent the worst-case climate change scenario, state and local governments have a long way to go before they can usher in a just transition for those workers.
District 9 contenders tackle Mission street vending in forum
Mission Local
Six candidates for District 9 supervisor. From right to left: H. Brown, Stephen Torres, Jackie Fielder, Roberto Hernandez, Jaime Gutierrez, and Julian Bermudez.
Publication: Mission Local
Date: June 5, 2024
Perhaps the most telling moment of Tuesday night’s District 9 candidate forum came at the end when moderator, Maria Antonieta Mejia, asked a final question that came from an unnamed woman.
The woman had been evicted and was living in a difficult place, struggling to find somewhere to live. What would the supervisorial candidates say to her?
Roberto Hernandez said to let her know that there were “40,000 vacant units in San Francisco right now,” and Stephen Torres said it “hit really hard” hearing of the woman’s plight, because of his own experiences in which landlords had tried to evict him. Most of the others launched into talking points around the need for more housing.
Zoroastrianism's influence on Iranian culture and Nowruz: the Persian New Year
Orange & Blue Magazine
S. A. Kapadia’s book: The Teachings of Zoroaster
Publication: Orange & Blue Magazine
Date: Spring 2023 Issue
With the end of winter and start of spring, cozy evenings around the fireplace sipping hot chocolate are being replaced by afternoons at the beach, baking in the Florida sunlight. With March marking the end of winter, April and May bring forth new opportunities in the spring season along with a round of holiday celebrations from various religious groups. Most Christian, Catholic and Jewish Americans recognize spring as the season of Easter and Passover, leaving another major spring holiday hidden among the festive bliss.
The Persian spring holiday, known as Nowruz, is celebrated by many Iranian Americans throughout the United States. Although a small portion of the American population, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran has accounted for over 1.5 million Iranian people who are permanently living in the United States.
Gainesville celebrates rock ‘n’ roll legend Tom Petty despite last year’s controversy
The Independent Florida Alligator
Rob Ellis Peck plays with his band during the Tom Petty Festival at Heartwood Soundstage Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022.
Publication: The Independent Florida Alligator
Date: October 24, 2022
Under the colored lights and fog emitting from the stage, children ran around the venue and couples danced in the moonlight while the crowd sang along to Mudcrutch’s “Scare Easy,” kicking off a memorable weekend for Tom Petty fans.
Former members of Mudcrutch — the Gainesville-based 1970s band known for launching Tom Petty’s rise to fame — were only one part of a long lineup of musical acts playing Tom Petty Weekend, a three-day festival at Heartwood Soundstage.
Between Oct. 20 to Oct. 22, more than 3,000 Petty fans gathered to celebrate the life and music of the rock ‘n’ roll legend, who died in October 2017. Tickets ranged from free general admission passes to VIP gold and silver packages, which cost up to $125.
Hispanic Heritage Month prompts reflection on colonialism’s legacy, inclusive labels
The Independent Florida Alligator
The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science tables and talks to visitors at the Florida Museum of Natural History Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022.
Publication: The Independent Florida Alligator
Date: October 10, 2022
From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Hispanic and Latinx food, music and history take center stage — gearing up for a monthlong celebration of culture and traditions.
In Gainesville, where about 12% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, Hispanic Heritage Month is focused on embracing the rich Hispanic and Latinx culture within the community. But among the celebrations, there’s also reflection upon the history of colonialism in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Kaylinn Escobar, a 20-year-old UF public health junior who is Colombian-American, said she feels like the term “Hispanic” generalizes Latinx cultures and trivializes the history and customs the month’s supposed to honor.
The Independent Florida Alligator Article Link
From classroom to stage, UF students, alum work tirelessly to make music a reality
The Independent Florida Alligator
Publication: The Independent Florida Alligator
Date: October 7, 2022
For students who have chosen to pursue music, late-night gigs followed by early morning classes is part of the daily routine.
Gainesville’s local music scene is filled with UF students and alum who are juggling a full course load, work and aspiring music careers. Aside from balancing different responsibilities, college musicians also grapple with the business aspect of their craft — creating digital advertisements, promoting social media content, finding venues for performances and handling music production. Essentially, they become their own manager, publicist and producer.
18th annual Gainesville Latino Film Festival uplifts Latin American communities on the big screen
The Independent Florida Alligator
The Gainesville Latino Film Festival is in person for the first time in two years.
Publication: The Independent Florida Alligator
Date: September 8, 2022
As the screen fades from black, an eldery man adorned in an orange vest ponders over a newspaper ad. He wonders what type of person would be seeking the help of an 80-to-90 year old man.
Within moments, Sergio’s question is answered: He’s being hired to infiltrate and investigate potential mistreatment by staff at a retirement home.
“From now on,” Investigator Romulo informs Sergio, “you will be a mole agent. A spy.”
As the trailer for “El Agente Topo” — “The Mole Agent” — continues, Sergio sneaks around the retirement home, gathering information for his investigation while capturing the hearts of the eldery women who live there.
The film is just one of six films that will be shown at the Gainesville Latino Film Festival. It’ll make its Hippodrome Theatre debut at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, kicking off the festival’s 18th year.
The BASH music festival spotlights Gainesville’s diversity through art, music
The Independent Florida Alligator
Tyler Bryant, frontman of Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown perform their song “Ride” for the BASH music festival Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022.
Publication: The Independent Florida Alligator
Date: November 8, 2022
In the maze of food trucks, pop-up art shops and beer stands, children on bikes pedaled along the sidewalks of Depot Park while thousands of rock ‘n’ roll and blues fans huddled around the three stages spread across the green festival grounds.
The BASH — a three-day music festival featuring national, regional and local rock 'n' roll, Americana, blues, soul and country artists — took over Depot Park this weekend. The festival began Nov. 4 with a VIP kick-off party that included exclusive performances by Patterson Hood, Drive-By Truckers and more.
The event was open to free general admission passholders. In addition to music, more than 70 arts, crafts and food vendors were also present.
Acrosstown Repertory Theatre closes its doors
The Independent Florida Alligator
The entrance of the Acrosstown Repertory Theatre on Friday, Sep. 3, 2022.
Publication: The Independent Florida Alligator
Date: September 6, 2022
In Acrosstown Repertory Theatre’s final performance of “Hamlet,” the titular character asks a dire question: “To be or not to be?”
As the company is priced out of their current building, the ART’s staff and actors face the same question.
Located at 619 S. Main St., the ART began holding performances at the Baird Center — an enclave tucked in the space behind Heartwood Soundstage — in 1985, which is where it has remained for decades. After 37 years in its current location, the theater is temporarily shutting down and leaving behind a legacy of talented performances.