Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Join us to learn the story behind the AIDS Memorial Quilt, as the Quilt's caretakers share their personal stories reflecting on 40 years of the pandemic. We'll discuss the Quilt's deep roots in San Francisco; meet the "Mother of the AIDS Quilt, who has been there since the beginning and is still there today to "take care of her boys"; learn about the Quilt's move to the care of the National AIDS m...

As Americans continue to grieve, protest and cry out over the death of George Floyd and the recent deaths of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, many wonder if this will be the tipping point for permanent change to the American justice system. And if not, what does the future hold for civil rights and American democracy? As leader of the National Urban League, the nation’s largest historic civil rig...

While topics such as ADHD, autism, bipolar and dyslexia are often discussed in the context of children, what happens after these children grow up, and what happens when they don’t receive such diagnoses until their 50s, 60s or later? Jenara Nerenberg offers practical takeaways and surprising scientific discoveries on how families, society and medicine can better meet the needs of those with mental...

After a fleeting moment atop the national political agenda last year, climate change has been eclipsed by the global pandemic. A recent poll from Yale found that public engagement on climate change is at or near historic levels. But will that matter when people vote? The Environmental Voter Project asserts that many people who say they care about climate and the environment don’t actually cast bal...

Immigration has been a flash point in U.S. politics for years, but for the past several years, it has been one of the defining dividing lines in American life. When you add LGBTQ status to the normal challenges facing immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, even more hurdles come up. What are the problems new arrivals to this country are struggling with? What is being done to help them? What can...

Meena Harris’ story is shaped by the many strong women who raised her. She is now honoring their legacy with a new children’s book, Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea, a picture book about two sisters who work together to change their community. The book is inspired by a true story Meena heard from childhood about her aunt, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, and her mother, lawyer and policy expert Maya Harris....

In the run-up to the 2016 election, The New Yorker's Masha Gessen stood out from other journalists for calling out the significance of Donald Trump’s speech and behavior, unprecedented in a national candidate. Within 48 hours of his victory, Gessen's essay “Autocracy: Rules for Survival” had gone viral, and Gessen’s coverage of Trump’s norm-breaking presidency became important reading for a citize...

While a reporter at The Washington Post, Barton Gellman was one of three journalists Edward Snowden picked to review the vast and explosive archive of highly classified files revealing the extent of the American government's access to our every communication. Those three shared the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for their work. But that was only the beginning for Gellman. He went on to dig deep...

How did an Italian grandmother in 4-inch heels become the greatest legislator since LBJ? Join us virtually as award-winning political journalist Molly Ball takes you inside the life and times of the speaker of the House. Based on exclusive interviews and deep background reporting, Ball shows Nancy Pelosi through a thoroughly modern lens, explaining how this extraordinary woman has met her moment b...

Civilizations around the globe have been transformed over the past three centuries through the agricultural and industrial revolutions, eras that impacted all aspects of human society. According to two of savviest Silicon Valley experts in business and society, we are now at the dawn of a third revolution that will similarly change human history: the autonomous revolution in artificial intelligenc...

Bakari Sellers became the youngest elected official in the country at the age of 22 when he won a seat in South Carolina’s House of Representatives. He argues, however, that his journey began long before he was born. His family faced many struggles as a part of the South's dwindling rural, black working class—losing access to health care as rural hospitals disappeared; attempting to make ends meet...

Richard Holbrooke is one of the most important diplomats of the last 50 years. Equally admired and detested, he was the force behind the Dayton Accords that ended the Balkan wars, considered by some to be America's greatest diplomatic achievement in the post-Cold War era. From his days as a young adviser in Vietnam to his last efforts to end the war in Afghanistan, Holbrooke embodied the postwar A...

Moving America forward will take more than a vaccine. As we are finding today, many parts of our nation have been left behind and are not able to share in the great American dream. Rural America is at the focus of attention now because it is our food production center, our water supply center, and our energy enter—and now becoming a COVID-19 center. How can we move from the present to a new well-b...

In her career as a reporter at The New York Times, Jennifer Steinhauer has worked a wide range of beats, including the metro, bureau and national desks, the Los Angeles bureau chief, and the United States Congress. She has covered pressing issues spanning across the country, including health care, veterans’ rights, and disaster relief during Hurricane Katrina. Now, Steinhauer divulges a fresh pers...

As the country is convulsed by widespread protests over the killing of a black man, George Floyd, by Minneapolis police officers, we will discuss the impact it has had on our community, especially the LGBTQI community this month. Join us for an in-depth conversation about racial inequality and Pride Month Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ten years ago, a very different crisis was gripping the country as 500 million gallons of oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico, taking lives and threatening fishing, tourism and more. The nation’s worst oil disaster cost BP an estimated $145 billion in cleanup costs and penalties. Now the industry is experiencing another crisis within a pandemic, as oil prices collapsed to historic lows in April and...

Arlan Hamilton’s story is one made for the movies. In 2015, she was homeless, sleeping on the floors of the San Francisco airport, and dreaming of making it big in the venture capital world. As a gay black woman, she knew she didn’t fit the typical mold of a VC superstar, but she also knew that there were countless other founders and funders whose potential remained underestimated and untapped bec...

How do we navigate the impact of a pandemic on our mental health and wellness? The health fears, social isolation and economic insecurity associated with the COVID-19 pandemic will likely lead to rising incidents of trauma in the United States and across the world. Just as we know that childhood trauma leads to poor health outcomes later in life, experts are concerned about the long-term effects o...

The “Trump effect” on our democracy reaches far beyond 4-year presidential terms. President Trump has highlighted a chasm among the American people, revealing a fierce “us vs. them” mentality that might not be amended depending on who is elected in 2020. Many Americans feel the rest of the country is building a future that doesn’t have a place for them. Why would they want to participate in the sy...

According to Dr. Vivian Lee, health care is killing our economy and, in many cases, killing us. Beyond the outrageous expense, the quality of care varies wildly, and millions of Americans can’t get care when they need it. This is bad for patients, bad for doctors, and bad for business. Dr. Lee cuts to the heart of the health-care crisis and offers a blueprint that is both realistic and optimistic....

SPEAKERS Clair Farley Senior Advisor, Trans Initiatives at the City and County of San Francisco Anjali Rimi Parivar SF Bay Area Jack Beck Turnout Akira Jackson Director, TAJA's Coalition Nicole Santamaria Executive Director, EL/LA Para Translatina Michelle Meow Producer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show" on KBCW/KPIX TV and Progressive Voices Radio; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors—Hos...

Celebrating API month and recognizing successful Lao-American women. NOTES This program was part of the Club's presentation of "The Michelle Meow Show" at The Commonwealth Club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for the second in our new series of Lavender Talks—produced in partnership with San Francisco Pride, which is celebrating 50 years in 2020. In this program, we'll explore the status of San Francisco's LGBTQ cultural districts. How and why did they come into being? How are they used today? What's next? Our panel will feature leaders from the LGBTQ Cultural District, the Transgender District...

Empowering girls and women around the world is increasingly seen as an essential aspect of social justice and development. To help to break the cycle of poverty, education in many forms is a critical feature of programs that transform the lives of girls and women. Confidence and believing in oneself can help young girls and women realize their dreams and build sustainable economic growth. Building...

Our distinguished panel—led by Michael Pappas and which includes Mahjabeen Dhala, a religious motivational speaker, who is pursuing a doctorate at the Graduate Theological Union; the Rt. Reverend William Swing, president and founding trustee of the United Religions Initiative (URI), and Sam Berrin Shonkoff, Ph. D. assistant professor of Jewish studies at GTU—will discuss the connections among the...