KQED's Perspectives

Sandhya Acharya: Raising a Good Loser 20.01.2021 4:14 ↓

Sandhya Acharya contemplates being a good loser – on the playground and in politics. Some time back, I was witness to a kids’ plank showdown. Timers were set, poses struck, seconds counted. But when it came time to declare the winner, a chorus of voices, including my son’s, broke out into complaints. “My jacket slowed me down!” “He moved!” “I wasn’t ready!” I watched from the sidelines, cringing....

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau: Inauguration 19.01.2021 4:02 ↓

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau talks about what the word inauguration it has to do with our feathered friends.

Li Miao Lovett: MLK’s Legacy of Diversity 18.01.2021 4:14 ↓

Li Miao Lovett remembers how the Civil Rights Movement helped to diversify America.

Elizabeth Scarboro: Hope 15.01.2021 4:14 ↓

Elizabeth Scarboro knows it takes hope to power through a pandemic's many side effects.

Richard Swerdlow: Active Shooter Drill 14.01.2021 4:13 ↓

Richard Swerdlow says school children and members of Congress now have something in common neither welcomes.

Angela Omulepu: As American as Apple Pie 13.01.2021 4:16 ↓

While watching a mob storm the Capitol, Angela Omulepu bakes an apple pie.

Dan Lieberman: Das Ist Normal 12.01.2021 4:20 ↓

Language, family and history weigh on Dan Lieberman as he mulls the prospects for a new year.

Marilyn Englander: Curious, Not Furious 11.01.2021 4:09 ↓

When her initial response to everyday annoyances is anger, Marilyn Englander practices a better way.

Meg Waite Clayton: These Things Called Books 08.01.2021 4:15 ↓

Meg Waite Clayton looks at the toxic stew of book banning and political intolerance.

Steven Saum: Things We Carried 07.01.2021 4:41 ↓

Steven Saum finds the weightiest things he and his son carried on their hike wasn't in their backpacks.

Selina Kaing: Birthday Candles 06.01.2021 4:05 ↓

Selina Kaing's family tradition of blending old ways with new American habits resides in a box of birthday candles.

Matthew Vernon: A Murmuration in Marin 05.01.2021 4:05 ↓

Matthew Vernon didn't know what a murmuration is, but he's glad he went to see one.

Dr Baldeep Singh: The Shot 04.01.2021 4:13 ↓

Dr. Baldeep Singh gets one of the early shots of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Nina Roehl: Mental Health 31.12.2020 4:10 ↓

It’s New Year's Eve and 2020 is finally coming to an end. For YR Media’s Nina Roehl this challenging year has helped her learn more about her mental health and find ways to cope.

Nirmy Kang: Celebrations Past 30.12.2020 4:18 ↓

For Nirmy Kang, Christmas Eve celebrations map an immigrant's personal and political history.

Paul Staley: Two Churches 29.12.2020 3:58 ↓

Growing up in a religiously diverse family taught Paul Staley lessons not necessarily in the sacred texts.

Richard Levitt: The Hills Are Alive 28.12.2020 4:14 ↓

The hills are alive, and Richard Levitt has a long-ago scoutmaster to thank for being able to experience it.

Lloyd Jones: Lloyd’s Story 25.12.2020 4:13 ↓

When he was down and out, a friend helped him feed his kids, even though she didn’t have to. It was a kindness Lloyd Jones has never stopped repaying.

Michael Ellis: Mistletoe 24.12.2020 4:13 ↓

Michael Ellis says the origins of mistletoe as a seasonal rite are surprising.

Anita Frank: Sinterklaas 23.12.2020 4:13 ↓

77 years ago, in Nazi-occupied Holland, a Dutch Christmas tradition became a brush with disaster for then 6-year-old Anita Frank, whose memories haunt her to this day.

Heidi Swillinger: The Nutmeg Kit 22.12.2020 4:14 ↓

On Christmas morning, millions of gifts will be unwrapped. But Heidi Swillinger has had her small but favorite gift for many years.

Pete Gavin: Hoping For Normal 21.12.2020 4:17 ↓

Our personal and national lives have gone off the rails, and Pete Gavin says normal never looked so good.

Mac Clayton: The Downswing 18.12.2020 4:12 ↓

Mac Clayton says the march to racial equality in America is characterized by upswings and downswings.

Richard Swerdlow: Thank a Science Teacher 17.12.2020 4:03 ↓

Richard Swerdlow says the high-speed freeway to effective COVID vaccines was built in humble classrooms where science basics are taught.

Marilyn Englander: A Hike On A Rainy Day 16.12.2020 4:12 ↓

When the season's first rainy day arrived, Marilyn Englander devoted it to a walk in the woods.