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Crosscurrents
Crosscurrents is our award-winning radio news magazine, broadcasting Mondays through Thursdays at 11 a.m. on 91.7 FM. We make joyful, informative stories that engage people across the economic, social, and cultural divides in our community. Listen to full episodes at kalw.org/crosscurrents

'Train Stories' voyages into the lives of three Black men in the 1940s

Actor Wayne Harris as Elder Brown in “Train Stories,” presented at the Marsh Berkeley
Diane Woods
Actor Wayne Harris as Elder Brown in “Train Stories,” presented at the Marsh Berkeley

Playwright and actor Wayne Harris takes audiences back in time to 1948, through the eyes of three Black men in the play “Train Stories.”

The play is set after World War II and before the Civil Rights Movement. The three Black men riding are of different background and leaving the South by train for a better life. They’re all trying to figure out where they stand in America.

In this interview, longtime Bay Area artist Wayne Harris gets into the story behind the play.

I would like for young Black men to hear these stories because the more you are in touch with history, the more you understand the paths that have been set to come to this moment in time.

Train Stories" is running at the Marsh in Berkeley until 29.

This interview was co-produced by Porfirio Rangel. Click the audio player above to listen to the full interview.

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Crosscurrents Sights & SoundsCrosscurrents
Jeneé Darden is an award-winning journalist, author, public speaker and proud Oakland native. She is the executive producer and host of the weekly arts segment Sights & Sounds as well as the series Sights + Sounds Magazine. Jeneé also covers East Oakland for KALW. Jeneé has reported for NPR, Marketplace, KQED, KPCC, The Los Angeles Times, Ebony magazine, Refinery29 and other outlets. In 2005, she reported on the London transit bombings for Time magazine. Prior to coming to KALW, she hosted the podcast Mental Health and Wellness Radio.