Commonwealth Club Of California Podcast

Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin pioneered equality through their common virtues of faith and resilience. They changed the minds of many Americans through their ability to assess community knowledge and make it accessible to the masses. These men were not born with this innate ability to lead; they were shaped by their surroundings and upbringing to fight for social justice. Much has been written about Baldwin, Dr. King, and Malcolm X, but virtually nothing has been said about the extraordinary women who raised them to be the leaders they became. Join us in conversation with Anna Malaika Tubbs as she celebrates Black motherhood in her new book, The Three Mothers. Baldwin's mother Berdis, King's mother Alberta, and Malcolm X’s mother Louise raised their sons with the hope of helping them to survive in a society that would deny their humanity from the very beginning. Louise’s reminders of the family’s activist roots, Berdis’ encouragement of creative writing, and Alberta’s concentration on

Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin pioneered equality through their common virtues of faith and resilience. They changed the minds of many Americans through their ability to assess community knowledge and make it accessible to the masses. These men were not born with this innate ability to lead; they were shaped by their surroundings and upbringing to fight for social justice. Much has been written about Baldwin, Dr. King, and Malcolm X, but virtually nothing has been said about the extraordinary women who raised them to be the leaders they became. Join us in conversation with Anna Malaika Tubbs as she celebrates Black motherhood in her new book, The Three Mothers. Baldwin's mother Berdis, King's mother Alberta, and Malcolm X’s mother Louise raised their sons with the hope of helping them to survive in a society that would deny their humanity from the very beginning. Louise’s reminders of the family’s activist roots, Berdis’ encouragement of creative writing, and Alberta’s concentration on

To discourage the inclusion of Ida B. Wells in the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, the FBI wrote that she “has addressed meetings of colored people and endeavored to impress upon them that they are a downtrodden race and that now is the time for them to demand and secure their proper position in the world. She is a very effective speaker and her influence among the colored race is well recognized . . . she is considered . . . one of the most dangerous negro agitators.” Complimenting her own story of self-discovery and activism, Michelle Duster brings to life her great-grandmother’s lifelong dedication to the fight for racial justice. Wells' courageous and passionate organizing was appreciated by her allies Frederick Douglass, W.E.B Du Bois, and Harriet Tubman, who together presented a serious threat to the status quo. Duster’s extensive research on Well’s life and career reveals Ida’s journey from ferocious teen to pioneering journalist to anti-lynching crusader, relayed in the delicate and introspective voic

Virtuoso Afro-Cuban-born brothers—American violinist Ilmar and Cuban pianist Aldo— live on opposite sides of a geopolitical chasm half a century wide. Los Hermanos/The Brothers tracks their parallel lives, poignant reunion, and electrifying first performances across the United States, in a nuanced, often startling view of estranged nations through the lens of music and family. In Cuba art is central to national identity. The island of 11 million people has outsized influence in dance and music worldwide. Artists are some of Cuba's most salient ambassadors, with a history of crossing divides that seem intractable to political leaders. The Gavilán brothers’ dynamic and visually compelling story gives a unique and personal perspective on the evolving relationship between the United States and Cuba. Featuring a genre-bending score composed by Cuban Aldo Lopez-Gavilan performed with his American brother, Ilmar, and with guest appearances by maestro Joshua Bell and the Grammy-winning Harlem Quartet. Join us for

As a special agent in the FBI, Frank Figliuzzi spent his 25-year career working in populous areas such as San Francisco, Miami, Cleveland and Washington, D.C., investigating crime and protecting American rights. In 2011, Figliuzzi was appointed assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division by then-director Robert Mueller. His years of experience—both in agent and executive positions—can help shed light on the bureau’s training practices that unlock individual and organizational excellence. In his new book, The FBI Way, Figliuzzi reveals necessary values that make an effective member of the FBI, including performance, integrity and conduct. Stories by Figliuzzi demonstrate how the FBI maintains a rigorous implementation of its core values throughout the organization to ensure accountability and effectiveness. Figliuzzi has condensed the bureau’s process of protecting its core values into what he calls “The Seven C’s”: code, conservancy, clarity, consequences, compassion, credibility and consiste

A decade ago, a nationwide survey showed that only around twelve percent of Americans were seriously concerned about climate change. Today, public perceptions have changed. “The alarmed are between a quarter and 30% of the public,” says Edward Maibach. “That makes them the largest single segment of Americans…as their name implies, they’re alarmed about climate change.” How does understanding the perceptions of a broadly concerned public enable our leaders to create lasting change? How do climate concerns break down across political, economic, and regional divides? A conversation with Anthony Leiserowitz and Edward Maibach, recipients of the tenth annual Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication. At a time when understanding climate perceptions has never been more important, Dr. Leiserowitz and Dr. Maibach have exemplified the ability to be both scientists and powerful communicators through their work on the public’s understanding of climate change, including the seminal Global W

COVID-19 upended the world at the beginning of 2020, and life as we know it was forever altered. As we adjust to the changes, many of us are valuing, more than ever, our relationships. Our connections with each other and with things that provide comfort help give us a sense of security in a world that sometimes feels out of control. This year, Silicon Valley Reads will be centered on the theme of “Connecting”—the universal human ability to build resilience by looking for people, places and things that provide comfort and joy during tough times. Dr. Sara Cody, Dr. James Doty and Usha Srinivasan will be part of the 2021 kickoff event and discuss their perspectives on ways in which each of us and our community can find comfort and connection through difficult times. NOTES This is a free, online-only program; pre-register to receive a link to the live-stream event. In Partnership with: Santa Clara County Office of Education, Santa Clara County Library District, San Jose Public Library. Special performance by the

After 28 years, renowned KQED radio host Michael Krasny, host of the popular "Forum" program, has announced that he will retire following his "Forum" broadcast on February 12, 2021, marking the exact anniversary of his first program in 1993. Krasny has interviewed some of the most prominent newsmakers and political and cultural figures of the past half century, including Maya Angelou, William F. Buckley, President Jimmy Carter, Cesar Chavez, Noam Chomsky, Francis Ford Coppola, Jerry Garcia, Allen Ginsberg, Werner Herzog, John McCain, Toni Morrison, President Barack Obama, Camille Paglia, Rosa Parks, Nancy Pelosi, Sean Penn, Salman Rushdie, Carl Sagan, Bernie Sanders, Patti Smith, Charlize Theron, Wayne Thiebaud, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, David Foster Wallace, Gene Wilder and George Will. Krasny’s storied broadcasting career began auspiciously in the late 1970s as host of a weekly program on KTIM FM, a small Marin County rock station. He later moved to ABC in 1983, where he worked in both radio (KGO AM) and on

The world watched in horror as members of the alt-right stormed Capitol Hill in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. What we also witnessed was a stark and irrefutable difference between the way law enforcement reacted to the siege in comparison to the violent force often used at Black Lives Matter marches and other peaceful protests involving marginalized communities. What is the relationship between the police, white supremacy and the American right to protest? How does our country define “terrorism,” both culturally and in the eyes of the law? And, importantly, what can we learn from the Capitol attacks to help BIPOC organizers continue their fight against injustice in 2021 and beyond? Join us at INFORUM with noted activist Alicia Garza and Representative for California's 13th congressional district Barbara Lee, where we will explore this historic moment and what this all means for communities of color in a post-Trump America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice

Best-selling authors Charles Yu and Jess Walter will talk about writing fiction that manages to be both poignant and funny at a time of great change. They will also share the inspiration behind their new stories, published exclusively by Scribd Originals. Yu’s The Only Living Girl on Earth is an unexpected and delightfully absurd vision of life on Earth a thousand years in the future. In this story, Yu expresses his unique brand of cosmic humanism and offers above all, hope. Walter’s Town & Country describes a son’s greatest act of tolerance and acceptance in a world that hasn’t always shown him the same. It’s a story, as only Walter could write, about all the ways we cannot help but love each other even when we do not, and maybe cannot, understand each other. In Partnership with Scribd Originals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She's been called Vietnam's Lady Gaga—a talented, outspoken artist promoting freedom of expression. Join us for an online discussion with an artist who has crafted creative ways to promote freedom. Mai Khoi is a Vietnamese artist and activist. At the age of 12 she wrote her first song and joined her father's wedding band the same year. She rose to stardom in 2010 after winning the Vietnam Television song and album of the year awards. Several years later she became increasingly uncomfortable having to submit her work to government censors and started the avant-garde dissident trio Mai Khoi Chém Gió. Working at the interface of art and activism Mai Khoi has developed her most unique art form to date. Her new sound is an emotionally charged fusion of free jazz and ethnic Vietnamese music, with her most political, yet personal, song lyrics ever. Today she leads efforts to promote freedom of artistic expression in Vietnam, for which she was awarded the Vaclav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent. Her act

Gershom Gorenberg joins us live from Jerusalem to discuss the topic of his latest book, War of Shadows: Codebreakers, Spies, and the Secret Struggle to Drive the Nazis from the Middle East, with Robert Rosenthal, a former Middle East/Africa journalist and former editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer and managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. At the center of Gorenberg's exciting intrigue—which has lessons for today's intelligence and cybersecurity—are the code breakers at Bletchley Park, who helped solve the Enigma cipher and foiled Rommel's bid to to conquer the Middle East. Gorenberg, a columnist for The Washington Post, has written for The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The New York Review of Books, Haaretz, and other media outlets. He teaches a workshop on writing history at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. MLF ORGANIZER Celia Menczel NOTES MLF: Middle East Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Tyler Stovall's White Freedom explores the intertwined histories of racism and freedom in France and the United States, the two leading nations that have claimed liberty as the heart of their national identities. Stovall examines how French and American thinkers defined freedom in racial terms and conceived of liberty as an aspect and privilege of whiteness. He also discusses how the Statue of Liberty―a gift from France to the United States and perhaps the most famous symbol of freedom on Earth―promised both freedom and whiteness to European immigrants. The era of the Enlightenment, which gave rise to our modern conceptions of freedom and democracy, was also the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. America, founded on the principle of liberty, was also built on African slavery, Native American genocide, and systematic racial discrimination. Stovall traces the complex relationship between freedom and race from the Age of Revolution to today, challenging the notion that racism is somehow a paradox or c

With the Biden administration taking office, COVID rampant, vaccine disbursement beginning, and businesses and individual Americans reeling from financial burdens, what is the outlook for the economy in 2021? Join us for a lively and important discussion on where the U.S. and global economies are headed and what should be done to keep them on track. Michael J. Boskin is T. M. Friedman Professor of Economics and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He served as chairman of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) from 1989 to 1993. The independent Council for Excellence in Government rated Dr. Boskin’s CEA one of the five most respected agencies (out of 100) in the federal government. He chaired the highly influential blue-ribbon Commission on the Consumer Price Index, whose report has transformed the way government statistical agencies around the world measure inflation, GDP and productivity. Laura

On the surface, it would appear that the Cleveland Cavaliers' star forward Kevin Love has much success in his life. He is a five-time All-Star and won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016.He was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. national team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. But Kevin Love has also suffered from depression and anxiety for years. He was one of the first NBA players to openly discuss mental health challenges. He first made headlines in March 2018, when he admitted that he had suffered a panic attack during a game that year. He subsequently said that he had always viewed talking about mental health as a “form of weakness that could derail my success in sports.” Yet he has gone on to talk about how he has changed his attitude toward mental health, believing that sharing helps others. In 2018, he established the Kevin Love Fund to provide tools and help for people to improve their physical and emotional well-being, with the goal of assisting more than a billion people over the next 5 y

Just two weeks after the Capitol attack that resulted in five deaths, delayed the official counting of the Electoral College votes, and led to the second impeachment of a president of the United States for the first time in American history, a new president has been inaugurated in a Washington, D.C. that was on near lockdown due to the threat of domestic terrorism. Education leaders, civic advocates and public officials recognize that one of the most important ways the country can respond to this challenging moment is through an embrace of civics education, along with a significant boost in efforts that enable all U.S. citizens to understand the civic structures of the country, as well as the roles and responsibilities of its citizens and its elected officials. Just days after the Capitol attack, the Washington, D.C.-based The Hill published a powerful editorial about the urgent need for a renewed push for civics education. In it, Lauren Leader and Mark K. Updegrove noted, . . . Like the surprise attack on Pe

As a driver of global health, prosperity and planetary sustainability, science pervades all realms of human activity. The COVID pandemic of the past year and the prospect of its eventual resolution have put science (and scientists) at the forefront of an international cultural conversation. Yet communicating facts and credible research is a tricky task in a world awash in social media, anti-scientific agendas, political forces and biases of every kind. MLF ORGANIZER Robert Lee Kilpatrick NOTES MLF: Health & Medicine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told filmmaker Jennifer Callahan, "If I left the house without a bag, I’d go right back inside to get it." In "Making the Case," the late justice shares her thoughts—not on the law, but on daily objects from her own life, on some of her handbags. The film enables the viewer to get to know the great RBG in a most relatable way. Join us for an unexpected look into the thinking of a legal legend. Please note: This is not a screening of the short film "Making the Case." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill, Representative Eric Swalwell has been outspoken about the action he believes Congress should take to curb further assaults on our democracy, emphasizing the need for the president’s resignation or impeachment. The representative from California’s 15th district does not shy away from voicing his opinion on the important issues, and in this time of great uncertainty, Rep. Swalwell maintains his support for direct action against those who perpetrated the attack on himself and fellow members of Congress. As the House of Representative introduces articles of impeachment against President Trump, join Rep. Swalwell at INFORUM to hear about what it was like inside Capitol Hill on January 6, his hopes for the Biden administration, and what he expects for a post-Trump political landscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist Annie Jacobsen is well known for her best sellers The Pentagon's Brain, Area 51 and Operation Paperclip. In her latest book, First Platoon, she investigates "warfare, good and evil in the age of biometrics, the technology that would allow the government to identify anyone, anywhere, at any time." Come for a discussion about the Pentagon's abilities to utilize iris scans, fingerprint scans, voice patterning, detection by odor, gait, and more to track human patterns, as well as the ethical questions raised by what Ms. Jacobsen calls "a burgeoning surveillance state." This is a story that starts off close and goes very big. The initial part of the story might sound familiar at first: It is about a platoon of mostly 19-year-old boys sent to Afghanistan, and an experience that ends abruptly in catastrophe. Their part of the story folds into the next: Inexorably linked to those soldiers and never comprehensively reported before is the U.S. Department of Defense’s quest to build the world’s most powerful