BERKELEYSIDE FESTIVAL OF IDEAS Our sixth annual Uncharted Ideas fest kicks off tomorrow, Friday Oct. 5, with coffee and pastries in the Berkeley Rep courtyard, then, at 9 a.m., with feminist and Eloquent Rage author Brittney Cooper in what is sure to be a spirited conversation with San Francisco Chronicle columnist Otis Taylor Jr. on the Roda Theater stage. The day also promises Disgraced playwright Ayad Akhtar, Culture Editor of ESPN’s Undefeated Danyel Smith talking about hip hop in America, a Curious Cannabis Salon and an opening-night party with live music, delicious wines, pizzas fresh from the oven and gelato on the Cal campus. And that’s just Friday! (Saturday’s program is bursting with equally compelling speakers and labs, and ends with a popping dance performance by Playboyz Incorporated and treats from Cupcakin’ Bake Shop. Friday Oct. 5 and Saturday Oct. 6, 9-5 p.m. at the Berkeley Rep and Freight & Salvage. Check out the two-day program and get one- or two-day tickets at BerkeleyIdeas.com
FIXIT CLINIC AT BERKELEY LIBRARY Fixit Clinics are do-it-together hands-on fix-n-learn community-based workshops staffed by volunteer coaches who share their time, tools and expertise to consult with you on the disassembly, troubleshooting, and repair of items. (Watch our video story about the clinics.) Bring your broken, non-functioning things — electronic gadgets, appliances, computers, toys, sewing machines, bicycles, fabric items — for assessment, disassembly, and possible repair. Whether you fix it or not, you’ll learn more about how it was manufactured and how it worked, ready to share your new-found confidence and insight with your friends, neighbors, and the community at large. It’s helpful to know what you’re bringing, so let the organizers know. FixIt Clinic, Saturday Oct. 6, 1-4 p.m. Tarea Hall Pittman branch of Berkeley Public Library. Details
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY POW WOW & INDIAN MARKET On Saturday, the city co-hosts the 26th annual Berkeley event that marks “526 years of resistance and renewal 1492-2018,” ahead of Monday’s Indigenous People’s Day holiday. Expect intertribal dancing, contest dancing, round dancing, exhibition dancing. Native American foods, arts and crafts and American Indian culture. The event is free. Saturday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Grand Entry 12 noon. Where: Civic Center Park, Allston Way at M.L. King, Jr. Way. Details.
BERKELEY ACTIVISM On Sunday, the Berkeley Historical Society presents a free event featuring a conversation with Carole Davis Kennerly and Betty Reid Soskin, moderated by Tina Jones Williams, about African-American activism in Berkeley. Although they shouldn’t need any introduction, Kennerly made Bay Area history as the first African-American woman to be elected to the Berkeley City Council in 1975, and the first African-American woman vice mayor. Soskin, 96, is the former ranger at Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historic Park and author of the recently published memoir, Sign My Name to Freedom. Sunday, Oct. 7, 2 p.m., South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. Reservations recommended. (Speaking of the Berkeley Historical Society, its exhibit wall devoted to Berkeley schools, part of the “Collection Gems: Forty Years of Documenting Berkeley History” exhibition, ends Oct. 13)
CONFERENCE ON WOMEN AND THE SPIRIT OF THE NEW DEAL On Saturday and Sunday, authors, scholars, historians and activists will come together to “fill in a significant gap in our understanding of the 20th century — the role of women in the nation’s economic recovery, social welfare, and cultural life during the crisis of the 1930s Great Depression. A limited number of seats are open to the public to attend the presentations at Maude Fife Room. UC Berkeley Professor Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor, and Dr. John Roosevelt Boettiger, grandson of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, are among the speakers. Donations to the Living New Deal appreciated. Registration is required.
