KQED's Forum - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Youth Takeover: Zero-Waste Living Has Long Roots in Communities of Color Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

The average American produces 4.9 pounds of waste daily, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This is inspiring some to adopt a zero-waste lifestyle, which involves maximizing already-owned items to reduce individual plastic consumption and waste production. While the zero-waste lifestyle has appeared in more social media feeds and advertisements in recent years, it is far from new, with roots tracing back to many communities of color. The spike in popularity has made some activists feel the movement has obscured those roots, reflecting ongoing racism within the environmental activist community. In this student-produced segment as part of KQED’s annual Youth Takeover, we’ll take a critical look at the origins of zero-waste living and how it can be practiced today.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Elon Musk's Twitter Acquisition Could Mean for Users and Employees Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

Twitter has reached a deal to sell the company to tech mogul Elon Musk for about $44 billion, valuing the company at $54.20 a share. If the sale goes through, Musk vows to make changes to the platform, most notably loosening speech guidelines and making Twitter’s algorithms open source. In a statement on Monday, Musk said that “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.” Musk’s acquisition of the platform poses many questions around free speech, and some experts have predicted that Musk’s proposed changes could make it easier for spam, misinformation, and illicit content to spread. We’ll talk about what Twitter could look like under Musk’s ownership and what it means for its users and employees.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Does A Protracted Conflict in Ukraine Mean for the Region and the World? Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

Following a visit with president Volodymir Zelensky in Ukraine, U.S. Defense Secretary Austin Lloyd declared that Russia’s military capability should be targeted so "it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine." The Biden Administration announced that it would bring back diplomats to Ukraine and also provide the embattled country with $322 million in military aid. Meanwhile, Russia renewed its ferocious attack, bombing two train depots in central Ukraine, and Ukrainian officials acknowledged that 42 villages had fallen into Russian control. As peace talks have stalled and the grim brutality of the Russian invasion wears on, thousands are dead and once-thriving cities like Mariupol have been completely destroyed. With no clear end in sight, we talk about what a protracted conflict in Ukraine means for the region and the world.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interfaith Ministers Walk the Streets of the Tenderloin Every Night, Listening Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

The San Francisco Night Ministry has listened to those who want to talk every night since 1964. Night Ministers walk the streets of the Tenderloin offering an ear to anyone who wants to talk, and trained volunteers operate their phone lines until 4 in the morning. It’s gone on for more than 20,800 nights in a row and counting. The interfaith organization provides spiritual care for all, holding services for many faiths outdoors to increase accessibility. In its own words, “We do not judge or convert. We meet people where they are and offer loving presence.” We’ll hear about the Night Ministry’s work, the support that they hear folks need and what it means to truly listen.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Race for San Jose’s Next Mayor Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

The Bay Area’s biggest city has a major political race on the horizon. Sam Liccardo has been San Jose’s mayor since 2015, and the race to succeed him is heating up. This mayoral race is shaping up to be the most expensive in San Jose’s history, with more than 1.5 million dollars already amassed in campaign contributions, including $300,000 from the San Francisco 49ers. We’ll talk about the candidates on the ballot for June’s mayoral election, their platforms and endorsements, and we’ll hear from you: which priorities do you want from San Jose’s next mayor?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danyel Smith on the Black Women Artists Who ‘Shine Bright’ in Pop Music History Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

In her new book “Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop,” music journalist Danyel Smith highlights the genius and cultural impact of artists like Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight, Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, Janet Jackson and more. Pulling not just from research but from her own experiences interviewing a number of the pop icons featured, the book presents a unique mix of memoir, criticism and music history that demands Black women artists get their due recognition. Smith joins us to talk about pop stars of “Shine Bright” and the influence they had on her own life as a Black girl growing up in Oakland and Los Angeles.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reem Assil’s Cookbook “Arabiyya” Weaves “Recipes for Resilience” With Reflections on the Arab Diaspora Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

Reem Assil, owner of San Francisco and Oakland’s Reem’s Kitchen, began her career as a chef with a thirst for activism, often advocating for social justice and sustainability at work. As the opening chef of Dyafa, an Arab fine-dining restaurant in Oakland, Assil began to reimagine power dynamics in the kitchen which she boldly reflected on in her Eater article, “Don’t Call Me Chef.” Assil joins Forum to talk about her new book, “Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora,” in which she weaves personal essays on food, family, identity, hospitality, activism and political struggles amid recipes influenced by Arab flavors.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it Time to End Legacy Admissions? Apr 21, 2022

Show notes

“If we don’t want to live in a nepotistic society, we have to stop practicing nepotism,” Brookings Institution senior fellow Richard V. Reeves writes in a recent Atlantic piece titled, “Why the U.S. Needs to End Legacy Admissions.” Legacy admissions — when preference is given to college applicants who are related to an alum — is facing heightened scrutiny in the U.S. Some schools are abandoning the practice, and some state and federal lawmakers are seeking to curtail it. In California, a 2019 law requires four-year colleges that consider legacy status in admissions – such as Stanford and the University of Southern California – to disclose their practices. We’ll take a look at the nationwide pressures mounting against legacy admissions and hear your views.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Film "American Justice on Trial" Traces Legacy of Black Panther Huey Newton's Murder Trial Apr 21, 2022

Show notes

In the fall of 1967 Huey Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther party, was charged with shooting and killing a police officer on the streets of West Oakland. The trial that followed came to revolutionize the jury selection process in criminal proceedings and put the then relatively unknown Panther Party into the national spotlight. The film “American Justice on Trial” premiering Friday at the SF Film Festival examines the trial and its consequences. Forum talks with the film's producer as well as Huey Newton’s brother, Melvin, and David Harper, jury foreman during the historic trial which changed his life, and the lives of many others.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Mask Mandates Lift, Travelers and Transportation Workers Weigh COVID Risks Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

Airlines, transit agencies and rideshare companies across the country are no longer requiring passengers and staff to wear face coverings after a federal judge in Florida on Monday struck down federal mask mandates for public transportation. That’s leaving travelers to navigate a patchwork of local rules and raising health and safety questions for some. We’ll talk about the impact of the ruling, which the Department of Justice may appeal, and hear how you’re feeling about going maskless on airplanes, trains and buses.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

KQED’s Forum

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected