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 ForumOakland Announces One of the Largest Guaranteed Income Pilots in U.S.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf announced Tuesday that the city is launching a guaranteed income pilot program this spring for 600 residents, one of the largest…
KQED's ForumCrime and Criminal Justice in the Pandemic
In the past year, since the pandemic began, the statewide homicide rate has increased 30%. At the same time, law enforcement officials have reduced jail…
KQED's ForumTurbulent Times for San Francisco’s School District
The San Francisco Unified School District is having a difficult year. They're contending with falling enrollment, a school naming controversy, a retiring…
KQED's ForumAfter Atlanta Killings, America Grapples With Misogyny and Racism
The murders of eight people in and around Atlanta last week have left Americans reeling from yet another mass killing. In an essay she penned for Vanity Fair…
KQED's ForumA Wave of Voter Suppression Bills in State Houses Imperils the Ballot Box
Just two months after Georgia voters handed Democrats a majority in the U.S. Senate, state lawmakers there are proposing laws that would curtail weekend voting…
KQED's ForumGovernor Newsom Vows to Win Recall Election
The recall effort against California Governor Gavin Newsom passed a few major hurdles last week, with supporters turning in more than enough signatures, and…
KQED's ForumPandemic Pushes Millions of Adults Back To Childhood Homes
This past year, the pandemic pushed millions to move back in with family members at levels not seen since the Great Depression. This was especially true for…
KQED's ForumOakland's Mills College to Stop Granting Degrees
Mills College, an Oakland institution since 1852, announced Wednesday that it will end its role as a degree granting college. No more students will be…
KQED's ForumDrawTogether Uses Art to Help Kids During Pandemic
When schools closed about a year ago, graphic journalist Wendy MacNaughton started an online show for kids called DrawTogether. MacNaughton knows art is an…
KQED's ForumInflux of Unaccompanied Children at the Southern Border Tests Biden Administration
The number of unaccompanied children crossing the U.S. southern border has increased dramatically in recent weeks, overwhelming immigration authorities as well…
KQED's ForumWhat Quarantine Taught Us About Place
Over the past year of on-and-off shelter in place restrictions, so many of us discovered--and in some cases, rediscovered--places that helped us get through…
KQED's ForumDeb Haaland Makes History as First Native American Cabinet Secretary
Deb Haaland was confirmed as Secretary of the Interior for the Biden administration Monday, making her the first Native American cabinet secretary in U.S…
KQED's ForumAfter Murder of Eight Asian Americans in Georgia, Fears of Anti-Asian Racism and Violence Intensify
Mina Kim talks about the Atlanta killings with Cynthia Choi of Stop AAPI Hate and sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
KQED's ForumWhat Surviving AIDS Has Taught Us About Living With Covid
For people who lived through the AIDS pandemic, Covid-19 felt familiar: a little understood virus was causing a public health crisis, just as HIV had done…
KQED's ForumScott Burns, Screenwriter of "Contagion," on Predicting A Pandemic
At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, many people looked to the film “Contagion” as a manual for what lay ahead. The movie became a touchstone, and its…
KQED's ForumHow The Pandemic Baby Bust Is Dragging Down U.S. Birth Rates
For more than a decade, Americans have been having fewer children. Now, the coronavirus pandemic has intensified the decline. Researchers expect births in the…
KQED's ForumOne Year Later, Reflecting Back On The Bay Area’s Historic Stay-At-Home-Order
One year ago Tuesday, the sun rose, people were out and about, but because of the coronavirus --then still called the “novel coronavirus” --the Bay Area was…
KQED's ForumWhat Would You Tell Your Pre-Pandemic Self?
It's sometimes hard to know whether to laugh or cry when we think of our pre-pandemic selves, completely oblivious to the public health crisis that would claim…
KQED's ForumA Year of Pandemic for Seniors
The coronavirus pandemic magnified many existing issues facing seniors in society, including loneliness and isolation. Social distancing meant our parents and…
KQED's ForumMiko Marks on Her New Album ‘Our Country’ and Being a Black Woman in Country Music
In the early aughts, when singer-songwriter Miko Marks was looking to launch her music career in Nashville, the mecca of country music, she was told by one of…
KQED's ForumBiden Pushing to Reunite Separated Migrant Children, But Hurdles Remain
President Biden formed a task force last month to speed the reunification of migrant children separated from their parents under the last administration’s…
KQED's ForumFederal Stimulus Plan Includes $1.7 Billion for Bay Area Transit
The just approved American Rescue Plan includes $1.7 billion for struggling public Bay Area transit agencies. The pandemic has forced agencies such as BART and…
KQED's ForumPublic Health Officials in the North Bay on How Napa and Sonoma Counties are Faring One Year Into Pandemic
Since the pandemic began a year ago, we've checked in with a number of public health officials throughout the region. Now we head to the North Bay to talk with…
KQED's ForumHow the Federal Government's $1.9 Trillion Relief Package Will Impact California
The House of Representatives passed the $1.9 trillion COVID-relief bill Wednesday and now billions of dollars are set to flow to California in direct payments…
KQED's ForumWill An Increase In Vaccines Bring A Decrease in Masks, Social Distancing?
New CDC guidelines allow fully vaccinated people to gather indoors without masks or social distancing. But what if not everyone in that group is vaccinated? As…
KQED's ForumMore Than a Century On, Native Olympia Oysters Return to SF Bay
Native Olympia oysters were once abundant in the San Francisco Bay. But overharvesting and increasing sediment from the Gold Rush mining era had all but wiped…
KQED's ForumFacing a Recall, Governor Newsom Delivers State of the State 2021
Governor Gavin Newsom delivers his third State of the State address Tuesday night, not from Sacramento, but from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. This comes as…
KQED's ForumGoogle Advised Mental Health Leave to Employees Who Called Out Racism at Work
Google’s HR department advised employees who filed complaints about racial discrimination to get counseling or take medical leave -- suggestions irrelevant to…
KQED's ForumCongresswoman Barbara Lee on Covid Relief and Racial Justice
As the House of Representatives prepares to pass President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion covid relief package, we talk with Oakland Congresswoman Barbara Lee about…
KQED's ForumPediatric Vaccine Trials Continue Apace, But Young Kids Will Have to Wait
In California, vaccine eligibility now extends to those 65 and over, health care providers, long term care residents and workers in sectors like agriculture…
KQED's ForumNow's the Time to Start A Garden
Springtime planting season is here. To new gardeners, the abundance of plant choices can seem overwhelming. Do you plant a flower garden or try your hand at…
KQED's ForumViolence Against Asian Americans Increased in 2020. So Why is Anti-Asian Racism Often Overlooked?
In 2020, the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center documented 2,808 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, with 700 of those reports in the…
KQED's ForumFour Poets Reflect on the Role of Poetry In Challenging Times
Renowned poet June Jordan viewed poetry as a way of “taking control of the language of your life” and as “a foundation for true community.” Jordan, who started…
KQED's ForumThe Pandemic Has Upended Attitudes Toward Fashion. Will We Ever Dress Up Again?
It’s been a year of loungewear, little make-up, and comfortable shoes, at least for those of us fortunate enough to work from home. And for some people, those…
KQED's ForumCultural Critic Daphne Brooks Explores Influence of Black Women on American Music
In her new book “ Liner Notes for the Revolution” cultural critic Daphne Brooks explores the Black women artists that were major influences on American music…
KQED's ForumThe Kids Are Not All Right: How The Pandemic Has Intensified Mental Health Problems for Young People
The coronavirus pandemic is taking a major toll on the mental health of children and teenagers, who experts say are reporting increased levels of anxiety and…
KQED's ForumCalifornia’s Politically Fraught School Reopening Plan Up for Vote
California school districts will receive $2 billion to open public schools through second grade by April 1st. That’s according to an agreement reached by…
KQED's ForumHost Mina Kim on her Career and the Future of Forum
Mina Kim is no stranger to KQED listeners. An award-winning reporter and anchor, she took over Forum’s daily 10 AM hour in July after hosting on Fridays for…
KQED's ForumRethinking the Senate: The Modern Filibuster, Political Appointments, and Minority Rule
With 60 votes required to override a filibuster, even the Democrats’ narrow Senate majority doesn’t guarantee that President Biden’s legislation will pass. The…
KQED's ForumCalifornia Begins to Shut Down Its Youth Prison System
In a historic change, California’s youth prisons will stop taking in new offenders in July. In 2023, all state juvenile detention facilities will close and…
KQED's ForumBiden's Overhaul of U.S.-Mexico Border Policy Faces Early Challenges
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Monday that the Biden Administration will seek to reunite hundreds of migrant children with their families…
KQED's ForumWriter Rebecca Carroll on Her New Memoir 'Surviving the White Gaze'
Writer and cultural critic Rebecca Carroll grew up in an idyllic New England town where no one wanted to talk about race or even see it. She's Black. Her…
KQED's ForumJournalist Jane Coaston Wants to Know What You're Arguing About
The New York Times Opinion’s weekly podcast “The Argument” -- a place for “Strongly-held opinions. Open-minded debates. Only occasional yelling” -- has a new…
KQED's ForumPets in the Pandemic
Many found having a pet to be a lifesaver during the pandemic. As pet adoptions skyrocketed, dogs, cats and other pets became hard to find. One animal adoption…
KQED's ForumWhy Joy Matters Even During A Global Crisis
During a time of stress and great suffering -- such as a global pandemic -- experiencing joy may seem impossible, and even naive or callous. Experts argue…
KQED's ForumSF Mayor London Breed on How Her City is Coping Almost a Year Into the Pandemic
It's been almost a year since Mayor London Breed has been on Forum. But what a year it's been. She and San Francisco's public health leadership were credited…
KQED's ForumDr. Ezekiel Emanuel on the Ethics of Vaccine Distribution
Reports continue to surface this week of vaccine line-jumpers -- people who, knowingly or not, take advantage of loopholes that enable them to get a coveted…
KQED's ForumLawrence Ferlinghetti, A San Francisco Icon, Dies at 101
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, a poet, writer, publisher and founder of City Lights Books, died on Monday at the age of 101. "I really believe that art is capable of…
KQED's ForumPolice Chief LeRonne Armstrong and the Challenges He Faces as Oakland’s New Top Cop
With the installation of a new police chief: Leronne Armstrong, the city of Oakland is hoping to end the musical chairs game at the top of the police…
KQED's ForumUniversal Basic Income for Foster Youth Introduced in CA Senate
Youth who age out of the foster care system often lose access to housing and services and are at increased risk of homelessness, food insecurity and…
KQED's ForumMayor Sam Liccardo on Reopening Schools, Housing and Red Tape, and Tech Exodus
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo spoke earlier this week at a state senate hearing in support of reforming the California Environmental Quality Act. He says…
KQED's ForumConfirmation Hearings for Biden's Secretary of Health and Human Services Nominee Begin in Washington
On Tuesday, Senate confirmation hearings for the Health and Human Services Secretary nominee, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, begin in Washington…
KQED's ForumU.S. Attorney David Anderson Leaves Office
For the last two years, David Anderson has served as the top federal prosecutor in the Bay Area. During his tenure, he’s seen a side of the Bay Area that few…
KQED's ForumFacebook Headlines Provide Glimpse Into Company’s Internal Workings
Facebook cannot keep itself out of the headlines. On Monday, the social media company reached a deal to restore the news content it had banned from its…
KQED's ForumPandemic Rules Loosened for Outdoor Youth Sports
The California Department of Public Health on Friday released updated guidelines for organized youth and adult sports. Outdoor high and moderate contact sports…
KQED's ForumHow California’s College Campuses Are Handling Sexual Violence
Over six years after a state audit found that college campuses in California lacked transparency in how they handled cases of sexual assault, big gaps in…
KQED's ForumSinging Through A Pandemic
Singing can lift our spirits, and according to medical experts, because of the way COVID is spread, singing can also kill you. Its a dire, and unexpected…
KQED's ForumBay Area Museums Struggling Under Long Pandemic Closures
More than 30 California legislators sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom this week, urging him to allow museums to reopen indoors in the state. Nationwide…
KQED's ForumElizabeth Kolbert Explores Promise and Problem of Environmental Intervention in ‘Under a White Sky’
Atmospheric warming, catastrophic sea level rise and mass extinction are just some of the monumental harms humans have inflicted on the planet. Pulitzer…
KQED's ForumCongressman Ro Khanna on Minimum Wage, Political News
Many see Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna as a rising star in the Democratic party. He co-chaired Bernie Sanders’ national campaign, and is a big advocate…