KQED's Perspectives

In recent years, many places in the United States have been renamed to avoid appropriation or racist slurs, but the pushback against renaming remains fervent. Angelina Montgomery tells us her Perspective on the use of Native names.

It’s easy to take for granted that all our body parts function more or less normally. Until they don’t, and that’s when it helps to have a Book of Hope. Jane Meredith Adams has this Perspective.

Hair is significant in our society—it carries meaning, cultural capital, and personal expression. Parvathy Nair tells us about losing hers.

Students of color at predominantly white institutions can feel like it’s their job to change their school’s culture. But that often leads to burnout their white peers never have to experience. YR Media’s Ivelisse Diaz has this Perspective.

One of traveling’s many perks is its potential to give you a new perspective. This Perspective comes from Hugh Biggar.

It's not the instrument people usually choose to become musicians. But for Donovan Tong, it opened up worlds of possibilities.

Listener Bruce Farrell Rosen tells us his favorite memory of Jimmy Buffett, who passed away last month.

Being the first to move out of an immigrant household can be an emotional and psychological challenge. Paul C. Kelly Campos tells us about the importance of having support through this journey. This Perspective originally aired in May 2022.

The most meaningful gifts are often intangible. Maria del Rosario Chan has this Perspective.

Middle schooler Athena Nguyen is learning that despite the familiar adage, there is value in having many interests and hobbies.

Sports can be so much more than just a game. Steven Birenbaum has this story.

The pressure to have children is baked into our society. Jhon Arbelaez-Novak wants to change that.

YR Media’s Xochtil Larios has been in and out of Juvenile Hall. Now she’s back, but in an entirely different way and with a sense of purpose. This Perspective originally aired in March 2019.

Riddhish Saravanan tells us about a time the effects of climate change had his family scrambling for an everyday staple.

Technology has allowed us to bridge physical gaps during the pandemic. But has it gone too far? Ella Abrams has this Perspective.

Realizing Hollywood portrays an unrealistic depiction of high school life, Ariana Navarro tells us how she’s taking control of her own narrative. This Perspective originally aired in April 2023.

Vibha Akkaraju discovered a secret to growing a plentiful harvest that you wouldn't read in a gardening handbook.

The Bay Area is once again shrouded in smoke. Leena Anqud says this new normal isn’t normal at all.

The campaign to keep the coal terminal project out of Oakland started when Phoebe Lefebvre was in elementary school. She's in high school now, and the fight continues. YR Media brings her Perspective.

The Bay isn’t known as a swimmers paradise, and it can be dangerous, but for skilled swimmers like Kira Halpern it offers a kind of therapy.

On her son's first day of middle school, Sandhya Acharya finds that it is a first day of school for her as well.

Our native language can be a touchpoint to our cultural identity. To Jessica Shao, it's much more than that.

Decisions about how to help strangers aren’t always straightforward. Lisa Thomson has this Perspective. This Perspective originally aired in November 2014.

In the throes of hardship, Suzanne Maggio found that lightening someone else's load helped lighten her own.

What does it mean to be Jewish? Hannah Herbst tells us about the complexities of her Jewish identity.