Shows / KQED's Forum
KQED's Forum
Forum tells remarkable and true stories about who we are and where we live. In the first hour, Alexis Madrigal convenes the diverse voices of the Bay Area, before turning to Mina Kim for the second hour to chronicle and center Californians’ experience. In an increasingly divided world, Mina and Alexis host conversations that inform, challenge and unify listeners with big ideas and different viewpoints. Want to call/submit your comments during our live Forum program Mon-Fri, 9am-11am? We'd love…
Episodes
KQED's ForumCountry Grieves for Victims and Survivors of Uvalde, Texas School Massacre
The nation is mourning the 19 children and two teachers gunned down on Tuesday at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX, the deadliest school massacre since a gunman…
KQED's ForumA Journey from Mao’s China to San Francisco’s Chinatown in Vanessa Hua’s ‘Forbidden City’
Novelist and journalist Vanessa Hua’s new book “Forbidden City” is a historical fiction set in 1960s China. It’s the story of a 16-year-old girl who was…
KQED's ForumRemembering San Jose's VTA Mass Shooting, 1 Year Later
On May 26, 2021, a Valley Transportation Authority employee in San Jose shot and killed nine coworkers in what became the Bay Area's most deadly mass shooting…
KQED's ForumHow Does Student Loan Debt Shape Your Life?
President Biden is weighing proposals to cancel some student loan debt, which in the aggregate totals more than $1.7 trillion – a record high figure that…
KQED's ForumReimaging the Future of Digital Public Spaces
For better or worse, Twitter is a crucial part of our public sphere now. That’s one reason that Elon Musk may end up buying the social media platform. The move…
KQED's ForumJon Mooallem’s “Serious Face” Asks Why We Are Not Better Than We Are
John Mooallem became a magazine writer after realizing that “instead of thumping my head against the biggest questions of my own life” he could train his…
KQED's ForumThe Taliban Promised to Honor Women's Rights. They Lied.
When they came to power in August, the Taliban assured the international community that the status of Afghan women would be secure. The opposite has been true…
KQED's ForumHow Digital Privacy Will Be At Risk in Post-Roe America
After the Supreme Court’s draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked, some abortion advocates recommended that people delete apps that track menstrual…
KQED's ForumWhat Makes a Graduation Speech Worth Remembering?
“Learn to live with the cringe,” advised Taylor Swift at NYU’s recent commencement ceremony for the Class of 2022. Across the nation, graduates are being…
KQED's ForumDisneyland: Happiest Place on Earth?
It’s been known as the “happiest place on earth,” and if you’re a Californian, chances are you have been to Disneyland at least once. Indeed, when he opened…
KQED's ForumExpect More Crowds and Higher Prices as Summer Travel Roars Back
Summer travel is on the rebound after a steep decline in 2020. But, as more people indulge the urge to travel this year, prices for gas, hotels and plane…
KQED's ForumUCSF's Dr. Bob Wachter Answers Your COVID Questions
California’s seven-day COVID positive test rate is at five percent, the California Department of Public Health reported on Tuesday — the highest rate since…
KQED's ForumGoapele on Making Music and Coming Home to Oakland with New Live Show
In a career spanning over two decades, five albums, numerous musical features in film and television and now a lifestyle brand, R&B singer-songwriter Goapele…
KQED's ForumWho Was George Floyd?
Who was George Floyd, and what was it like to live in his America? Those are the questions that Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Tolu Olorunippa…
KQED's ForumEast Bay Ohlone Tribe's Struggle for Federal Recognition
A recent DNA analysis has found that the federally unrecognized Muwekma Ohlone Tribe has been in the Bay Area for at least 2,000 years. The evidence bolsters…
KQED's ForumCafe Ohlone Set To Reopen in June in Berkeley
Next month, Berkeley’s Cafe Ohlone will reopen in a new space in the Hearst Museum of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. The restaurant…
KQED's Forum'Love on the Spectrum' Celebrates the Beauty – and Challenges – of Neurodiverse Dating
Dating, for everyone, is full of tricky social conventions. How long should you wait to call someone after getting their number? Who should cover the dinner…
KQED's ForumMurder, Corruption, Coverups: the Strange Dark History of Stanford University
Jane Stanford and her robber baron husband Leland founded what would become Stanford University in 1885. 20 years later Jane Stanford was murdered, poisoned by…
KQED's ForumHow Hateful Ideology Fuels Hate Crimes
Barely a day after a gunman killed 10 people at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood, another gunman at a church service…
KQED's ForumForum Debuts Its New Theme Song
For about a quarter century, KQED Forum listeners have been getting dressed, brushing their teeth and driving to work to the sounds of “Peter Pan” by musician…
KQED's ForumA.J. Jacobs on the Joy of Puzzling
Jigsaws, crosswords, Sudokus, cryptics and even scavenger hunts: A.J. Jacobs is convinced that puzzles of all kinds have made him a better person. In his new…
KQED's ForumDancing and Crying with Singer-Songwriter Sean Hayes
Bay Area singer-songwriter Sean Hayes has been singing the blues for the last 30 years, but his music seems especially necessary these days. “Pain, suffering…
KQED's ForumChoreographer Alonzo King on 40 Years of LINES Ballet
"Any kind of comfort or satisfaction is poisonous to any kind of growth,” choreographer Alonzo King told Forum ten years ago on the 30th anniversary of his…
KQED's ForumHas the Leaked Roe Opinion Damaged the Supreme Court’s Legitimacy?
According to a recent survey by Pew Research, the majority of Americans favor abortion rights. But in the leaked draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, Justice…
KQED's ForumWhat It Takes to Make SRO Hotels Run Well
Last Thursday, we spoke with San Francisco Chronicle reporters about their yearlong investigation into the city-funded single-room-occupancy buildings that are…
KQED's ForumElizabeth Alexander on 'The Trayvon Generation'
What does it mean for a generation of young people to come of age seeing other young Black people routinely endangered, attacked or killed? In her new book of…
KQED's ForumSF District Attorney Chesa Boudin Argues Against His Recall
On June 7, San Francisco voters will decide whether to recall District Attorney Chesa Boudin. It’s a ballot fight that pits the former public defender’s…
KQED's ForumCraig McNamara Confronts His Father’s Legacy in ‘Because Our Fathers Lied’
Robert McNamara was president of the Ford Motor Company, head of the World Bank, U.S. Secretary of Defense and widely considered to be the architect of the…
KQED's ForumJulissa Arce Rejects Assimilation in 'You Sound Like a White Girl'
When a classmate in junior high school told Julissa Arce, an immigrant from Mexico, that she sounded like a white girl, she took it as a compliment. “Sounding…
KQED's ForumWomen Who Have Had Abortions Reflect on a World Without Roe
The decision to terminate a pregnancy is rarely easy, and the reasons women choose abortions are varied. Some are already parents who don’t want another child…
KQED's ForumHow to Make Sense of the Weird U.S. Economy
Various economic factors don’t seem to add up these days. Consumer spending is up year over year, but the country’s gross domestic product fell during the…
KQED's ForumPlato, Kant and … Six-Year-Olds? Scott Hershovitz Celebrates A Child's Inner Philosopher
“Mommy, I don’t know what red looks like to you.” That’s the first philosophical puzzle that Scott Hershovitz says he remembers putting to his befuddled…
KQED's ForumFrom Red Sauce to Cioppino: How Italian American Food Became Synonymous with America’s — and the Bay Area’s — Cuisine
The Italian food many Americans grew up with — often called “red sauce” cuisine — is influenced by Italian traditions, “but it is not Italian food,” writes Ian…
KQED's ForumHow Did We Get Here and Where Are We Going in a Post-Roe World
The leaked draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade has sent shock waves across the country, particularly for those who assumed their 50-year old…
KQED's ForumDespite Millions in City Funding, Investigation Finds Squalid Conditions at SF SROs
A year-long San Francisco Chronicle investigation found that a San Francisco program that leases residential hotels as a transitional solution for unhoused…
KQED's ForumDanica Roem Champions Authenticity in Politics in 'Burn the Page'
Danica Roem stunned the world of Virginia politics in 2017 when she became the first openly trans person to win a seat in a state legislature. She defeated a…
KQED's ForumCongressman Adam Schiff Urges More Aid for Ukraine
Congressman Adam Schiff returned recently from a surprise trip to Ukraine with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats where they observed the toll of…
KQED's ForumCalifornia Doctors, Activists Rush to Provide Abortion Services Out of State if Roe Overturned
While Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s leaked draft opinion overturning Roe v Wade sparked outrage and protests across the country, in California advocates…
KQED's ForumLeaked Supreme Court Draft Opinion Signals Court May Overturn Roe v. Wade
A leaked Supreme Court draft opinion published by Politico on Monday night indicates the majority of the Court would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. In the…
KQED's ForumOakland Playwright Cleavon Smith Takes on Police Violence, Theories of Social Change in 'The Incrementalist'
In his latest play, "The Incrementalist," Oakland playwright Cleavon Smith explores the tension between those who advocate immediate, radical reform to address…
KQED's ForumSurvivors of Violent Felonies Challenge State’s Tough-on-Crime Policies
Since the 1990s, lawmakers and advocates have justified harsh anti-crime policies, like California’s Three Strikes Law, as a way to bring justice to the…
KQED's ForumBay Area Refineries' Plans to Convert to Biofuels Opposed by Environmental Groups
Two large oil refineries in the Bay Area want to switch from processing crude oil and instead turn vegetable oil and animal fats into biofuels. Phillips 66 in…
KQED's ForumWhat it Means to be ‘Facing Life’ — After a Commuted Life Sentence
“I basically went from living in a fishbowl, which is the prison yard, to swimming in a whole ocean.” That’s how Travielle Pope describes what it was like to…
KQED's ForumYouth Takeover: Women Sports Journalists Making Their Mark in the Bay Area and Beyond
Sports journalism has long been a male-dominated field. According to last year’s Associated Press Sports Editors Racial and Gender Report Card, less than 15%…
KQED's ForumYouth Takeover: Asian American Youth Push Back on Asian Hate with Art and Activism
For years, Asian Americans have largely been overlooked when it comes to representation in the media. This has begun to change some recently following the…
KQED's ForumToo Many Subscriptions and Too Much Content: Have Streaming Services Peaked?
Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and dozens of others are giving TV and movie viewers more choices than ever. But many consumers are feeling…
KQED's ForumWhat Elon Musk’s Deal to Buy Twitter Means for Employees and the Bay Area
acquire the company on Monday it spawned a lot of questions in the Bay Area. Will Musk uproot Twitter from its San Francisco home, the way he moved Tesla's…
KQED's ForumThe Moth Shares Its Craft in 'How to Tell a Story'
We all are “a multitude of stories,” say the producers of The Moth Radio hour and podcast, the project that for 25 years has made storytellers of thousands of…
KQED's ForumYouth Takeover: Zero-Waste Living Has Long Roots in Communities of Color
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…
KQED's ForumWhat Elon Musk's Twitter Acquisition Could Mean for Users and Employees
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…
KQED's ForumWhat Does A Protracted Conflict in Ukraine Mean for the Region and the World?
Following a visit with president Volodymir Zelensky in Ukraine, U.S. Defense Secretary Austin Lloyd declared that Russia’s military capability should be…
KQED's ForumInterfaith Ministers Walk the Streets of the Tenderloin Every Night, Listening
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…
KQED's ForumThe Race for San Jose’s Next Mayor
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…
KQED's ForumDanyel Smith on the Black Women Artists Who ‘Shine Bright’ in Pop Music History
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…
KQED's ForumReem Assil’s Cookbook “Arabiyya” Weaves “Recipes for Resilience” With Reflections on the Arab Diaspora
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…
- KQED's Forum
Is it Time to End Legacy Admissions?
“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…
KQED's ForumFilm "American Justice on Trial" Traces Legacy of Black Panther Huey Newton's Murder Trial
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…
KQED's ForumAs Mask Mandates Lift, Travelers and Transportation Workers Weigh COVID Risks
Airlines, transit agencies and rideshare companies across the country are no longer requiring passengers and staff to wear face coverings after a federal judge…
KQED's ForumLooking Back at Oakland’s Golden Age of Restaurants and What's Next
About a decade ago national publications started paying a lot of attention to Oakland’s food scene. The city burst out of San Francisco’s shadow to become a…
KQED's ForumMarlene Sanchez on Humanizing the Conversation Around Incarceration
Marlene Sanchez grew up in San Francisco’s Mission District and experienced the effects of the criminal justice system from an early age. She landed in…