Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

This is your Commonwealth Club week in review. Hear what you missed this week, and what we’ve got lined up for you next week. We’re always adding new programs - check out commonwealthclub.org/online for all of our upcoming events. If you haven’t already - please consider becoming a member of the Club. Enjoy exclusive discounts and access to special programs all while knowing your contributions directly support our many public programs and civic initiatives. Visit commonwealthclub.org/special, for special rates on memberships. Thanks for your support and as always - thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I grew up in a place where I was not meant to exist—a place where my identity as a gay male was contrary to Middle Eastern culture, standards and faith. I grew up in a home filled with dysfunction and strife. I carried the weight of all of that on my shoulders, . . . but if you carry a weight constantly, eventually you become stronger." —Harma Hartouni Harma Hartouni was born into an Armenian Orthodox Christian family in Los Angeles, but when he was 1 month old, his family moved to Iran, where he was raised. While there, he was involved in an accident, breaking both legs and requiring a 12-month recovery. When he moved back to Los Angeles, he came out as a gay man. Today, he is a self-made entrepreneur, owner of a real estate company with hundreds of agents and more than $1 billion in sales volume in 2019. He is married and lives in Los Angeles with his husband (an executive at Disney), three children, three dogs and two turtles. Join us for an in-depth conversation with Hartouni to discuss his life, troubles and perseverance, and success, which he reveals in his new book Getting Back Up: A Story of Resilience, Self-Acceptance and Success. NOTES Thank you to Pacific Fertility Center for its support of The Michelle Meow Show. SPEAKERS Harma Hartouni Entrepreneur; Author, Getting Back Up: A Story of Resilience, Self-Acceptance and Success Michelle Meow Producer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show," KBCW/KPIX TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors; Twitter @msmichellemeow—Co-Host John Zipperer Producer and Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable; Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club—Co-Host In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on March 4th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a virtual conversation with Dennis Rasmussen to discuss the surprising story of how George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson each came to despair for the future of the nation they had created. Although Americans tend to venerate the Constitution and the republican government that the founders created, the founders themselves were far less confident in what they had wrought, particularly by the end of their lives. Many eventually concluded that America’s constitutional experiment was an utter failure that was unlikely to last beyond their own generation. Rasmussen argues that the founders’ pessimism had a variety of sources: Washington despaired because of the rise of partisanship, Hamilton because he felt that the federal government was too weak, Adams because he believed that the people lacked civic virtue, and Jefferson because of sectional divisions laid bare by the spread of slavery. The one major founder who retained his faith in America’s constitutional order to the end was James Madison, and Rasmussen explores why Madison remained relatively optimistic when so many of his compatriots did not. As much as Americans today may worry about their country’s future, the founders faced even graver problems and harbored even deeper misgivings. And yet we are still here, having recently survived yet another attempted assault on our political institutions. Join us to find out some of the reasons why. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities SPEAKERS Dennis Rasmussen Professor of Political Science, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University; Author, Fears of a Setting Sun: The Disillusionment of America's Founders In Conversation with George Hammond Author, Conversations With Socrates In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on March 3rd, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanks to developments in genetic medicine, for the first time we have the ability to predict our genetic future, to diagnose and prevent disease before it begins, and to decode what it really means to be human. Since the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003, the possibilities for genetic medicine have only grown. But what does the human genome and genome sequencing mean for citizens today, and what will it mean for health care over the next several decades? In his new book, The Genome Odyssey, Dr. Euan Ashley answers some of the questions by detailing the medicine and science behind genome sequencing, introducing a dynamic group of researchers and medical investigators who hunt for genetic answers, and bringing forward pioneering patients who open up their lives to the medical community during their search for diagnoses and cures for inherited diseases. Ashley describes how he led the team that was the first to analyze and interpret a complete human genome, how they broke genome speed records to diagnose and treat a newborn baby girl whose heart stopped five times on the first day of her life, and how they found a boy with tumors growing inside his heart and traced the cause to a missing piece of his genome. Dr. Ashley and his team, and a small number of others around the country, are currently working to expand the boundaries of our medical capabilities and to envision a future where genome sequencing is available for all, and where medicine can be tailored to treat specific diseases before they show symptoms and to decode pathogens like viruses at the genomic level. Please join us as Dr. Euan Ashley talks about revolutionizing health care and the future of medicine by continuing to unlock the secrets of the human genome. About the Speaker Euan Ashley is a professor of medicine and genetics at Stanford University. He was born in Scotland and graduated from the University of Glasgow. He attended Oxford University, completing a Ph.D. there before moving to Stanford University, where he trained in cardiology. He joined the Stanford faculty, where he led the team that carried out the first medical interpretation of a human genome. Ashley has received awards from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. He was recognized by the Obama White House and received the Medal of Honor from the American Heart Association. His articles have appeared in the many journals, including Lancet, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Nature and Cell. He appears regularly on local and national radio and TV. He is the founder of three companies and advisor to several Silicon Valley companies. SPEAKERS Dr. Euan Ashley Professor of Medicine and Genetics, Stanford University; Author, The Genome Odyssey In Conversation with Anne Wojcicki CEO and Co-Founder, 23andMe In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on March 3rd, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Based on 20 years of investigative reporting and interviews with 100 practicing physicians who embrace the keto lifestyle as the best prescription for their patients' health, Gary Taubes puts the ketogenic diet movement in the necessary historical and scientific perspective. He makes clear the vital misconceptions in how we've come to think about obesity and diet (no, he says, people do not become fat simply because they eat too much; hormones play the critical role) and uses the collected clinical experience of the medical community to provide essential practical advice. Taubes sets out to revolutionize how we think about eating healthy, and what foods we can and can't eat to prevent and reverse obesity and diabetes. Gary Taubes is an investigative science and health journalist, the author of The Case for Keto, The Case Against Sugar, Why We Get Fat and Good Calories, Bad Calories. Taubes is a former staff writer for Discover and correspondent for the journal Science. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic and Esquire, and has been included in numerous "Best of" anthologies, including The Best of the Best American Science Writing (2010). He has received three Science in Society Journalism Awards from the National Association of Science Writers. He is the recipient of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Investigator Award in Health Policy Research, as well as cofounder and president of the nonprofit Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI). He lives in Oakland, CA, with his wife, author Sloane Tanen, and their two children. NOTES MLF: Health & Medicine SPEAKERS Gary Taubes Investigative Science and Health Journalist; Author, The Case for Keto Patty James M.S., N.C. Nutritionist; Chef; Author—Moderator In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on March 2nd, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Of the many inequities brought to light by COVID-19, the disparities that BIPOC students face in the American education system have proven to be the most complex. Creating an inclusive and anti-racist educational experience that helps students achieve their full potential is made even more difficult in the virtual classroom. To provide their expertise on equitable education, four education leaders will speak at INFORUM on the challenges and opportunities offered by online schooling. They are Dr. Shawn Ginwright, professor of Africana Studies at San Francisco State University; Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammel, superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District; Dr. Natalee Kēhaulani Bauer, assistant adjunct professor of race, gender and sexuality studies at Mills College; and moderator Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the Wright Institute Clinical Program. Join three Bay Area education experts at INFORUM and with the Club’s education initiative, Creating Citizens, to learn more about teachers’ vital role in the construction of an anti-racist future. NOTES This conversation is presented in partnership with Generation Thrive, the Golden State Warriors' new game-changing, a first-of-its-kind nonprofit hub that supports the effectiveness of Bay Area academic-focused nonprofits and schools through education and wellness support. SPEAKERS Natalee Kēhaulani Bauer Ph.D, Assistant Adjunct Professor of Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Mills College Shawn Ginwright Ph.D, Professor of Africana Studies, San Francisco State University; Author Kyla Johnson-Trammel Ph.D, Superintendent, Oakland Unified School District Allison Briscoe-Smith Ph.D., Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, The Wright Institute Clinical Program—Moderator In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 26th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you have walked, biked, or driven around San Francisco during the pandemic, you have most likely seen them: multi-colored illustrations of honey bears painted onto the boards covering closed shops and other businesses. Did you know that masks bearing (forgive the word) the honey bear have raised more than $125,000 for local restaurants to prepare meals for people in need? Now is your opportunity to meet fnnch, the elusive artist behind the honey bear. Wearing a mask—he likes to keep his identity secret—fnnch will join us for a lively discussion about public art, the pandemic, and touching others. fnnch (pronounced like the bird) believes art is for everyone. He says only about 5 percent of a city’s residents and visitors tour its modern art museums; street art and murals are art for the other 95 percent, inspiring and engaging them with the arts. fnnch creates street art and murals using multi-layered stencils and spray paint. He calls his work “contemporary pop art,” depicting objects from nature and everyday life. Over time his work has gained a strong following on social media and has been featured by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle. His art can be found in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Chicago, St. Louis, Tel Aviv and Hong Kong. NOTES In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 25th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find out what Hillary and Chelsea Clinton liked so much about The Daughters of Kobani—so much that they acquired the book's TV rights for their new production company, HiddenLight. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, the New York Times best-selling author of Ashley's War and other books, is an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and partner at Shield AI, a tech company focused on national security. Lemmon—who regularly appears on CNN, PBS, MSNBC,NPR, etc.—will discuss her latest book, based on years of on-the-ground reporting. The Daughters of Kobani, A Story of Rebellion, Courage and Justice, tells the extraordinary story of the Kurdish heroines who fought on the front lines alongside U.S. forces and helped defeat Islamic State in Syria. NOTES MLF: Middle East SPEAKERS Gayle Tzemach Lemmon Journalist; Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Author, The Daughters of Kobani, Ashley's War and The Dressmaker of Khair Khana; Twitter @gaylelemmon Eddy Simonian Vice Chair, Middle East Member-Led Forum, The Commonwealth Club of California—Moderator In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 23rd, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Award-winning writer and producer Ira Rosen reveals the intimate, untold stories of his decades at America’s most iconic news show. When he joined the "60 Minutes" team in June 1980, he knew he had reached the heights of TV journalism, and while there he helped break some of the most important stories in TV news history. Behind closed doors, though, was a war room of clashing producers, anchors, and the inimitable Mike Wallace. With surprising humor, charm, and an eye for colorful detail, Rosen delivers an authoritative account of the unforgettable personalities that battled for prestige, credit and the desire to scoop everyone else in the game. As Mike Wallace’s top producer, Rosen reveals the interview secrets that made Wallace’s work legendary, and the flaring temper that made him infamous. Rosen also shares his experiences as senior producer of "ABC News Primetime Live" and of "20/20", exposing the competitive environment among colleagues like Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters, and the power plays among correspondents like Chris Wallace, Anderson Cooper, and Chris Cuomo. Join us for a master class on how TV news is made. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond NOTES This program contains EXPLICIT language. MLF: Humanities SPEAKERS Ira Rosen Former Producer, "60 Minutes"; Author, Ticking Clock: Behind the Scenes at 60 Minutes In Conversation with George Hammond Author, Conversations With Socrates In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 25th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The long-term energy future of America is not going to be written in fossil fuels,” declared John Kerry last April. President Biden recently appointed the former Secretary of State to a top position in his climate cabinet - United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. Joe Biden did not start his campaign as the “climate candidate.” But as he starts his second month as president, he is looking at everything through a climate lens – from jobs and infrastructure to international diplomacy, public health and social justice. “He really is a person who was engaged somewhat in climate, but I don't think it was as yet sort of ingrained into him,” said former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Well, it is now!” McCarthy and Kerry are just two of the climate leaders that President Joe Biden has tapped to put his ambitious climate plan into action. In this program, we revisit conversations with these and other Climate One guests from the past year that have been named to prominent roles in the Biden-Harris administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

American liberals find unity on domestic issues such as immigration, racial justice, gender equality, LGBTQ rights and other topics. When these issues are extended to other nations, however, unity is disrupted. In their new book Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics, scholar and political commentator Marc Lamont Hill and Middle East expert Mitchell Plitnick explore liberal indifference to the Israel-Palestine conflict and its contributions to the rise of authoritarianism. Except for Palestine argues that progressives and liberals must extend their core principles of equality and anti-exploitation to what they call the oppression of Palestinians. They say that U.S. policy has made peace hard to achieve in the Middle Eastern region, but Hill and Plitnick are strong believers that agreement is plausible if the political concerns of both Israelis and Palestinians are taken into account. Hill and Plitnick provide a timely proposal by examining multiple dimensions of the Israeli-Palestinian conversation, encouraging political leaders and citizens alike to align their beliefs and politics with their values. Join us as Marc Lamont Hill and Mitchell Plitnick make a bold call for the American Left to align their beliefs and policies to all corners of the world. SPEAKERS Marc Lamont Hill Professor and the Steve Charles Chair in Media Cities and Solutions, Temple University; Host, "UpFront" on Al Jazeera English; Co-author, Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics Mitchell Plitnick President, ReThinking Foreign Policy; Co-author, Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics In Conversation with Lara Bazelon Professor of Law and Director of Criminal Juvenile Justice and Racial Justice Clinical Programs, University of San Francisco In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 24th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After World War II, a newly affluent United States searched for its own gourmet culture. In James Beard, whose larger-than-life presence would rule over kitchens and dinner tables for the next 35 years, America found its culinary maestro. How did this secretly queer failed opera singer from the epicurean backwater of Oregon become America’s first food celebrity? John Birdsall tells the tale in his new book The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard, bringing to life a towering figure, a man who still represents the best in eating and yet has never been fully understood—until now. Join us for an in-depth conversation with Birdsall, who will look beyond the public image of the celebrated cean of American cooking to find a man who battled depression, self-doubt, loneliness, and the complex rules of the closet to become a beloved household name synonymous with fine cooking and the good life. Producing nearly two dozen cookbooks in his lifetime, Beard was staunchly unfussy and proudly anti-elitist, embracing the elegance and pleasures of pure, local food and “humble, everyday cooking that aims for simplicity, honors flavor over dubious thrift, and achieves perfection using fine ingredients.” His influence on American food culture cannot be overstated: he was the definitive source of knowledge and inspiration for American home cooks in the 20th century, and the inspiration for a new generation of restaurant chefs in the 1970s, including Larry Forgione, Jeremiah Tower, and Alice Waters. Our special guest, John Birdsall, is himself a two-time James Beard Award-winning author, a former food critic and a longtime restaurant cook. He co-authored (with James Syhabout) the cookbook Hawker Fare. SPEAKERS John Birdsall Author, The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard; Former Food Critic; Restaurant Cook; Co-Author, Hawker Fare; Twitter @John_Birdsall Michelle Meow Producer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show" on KBCW/KPIX TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors; Twitter @msmichellemeow—Co-Host John Zipperer Producer and Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable; Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club—Co-host In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 23rd, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join this historic evening! Hollywood’s famed Melissa Rivers will host Barbara Rose Brooker, San Francisco native, author and founder of the first televised, virtual global AgeMarch/AgeMagnificent movement production in history, which will air on March 27, 2021. Barbara and Melissa, opposite ages, will discuss their feelings about ageism in our anti-age culture. Barbara will talk about why and how in 2010, she founded AgeMarch, and her vision to promote a pro-age culture where people of all ages, race, genders, sexual orientations, will not be defined by age. The AgeMarch has evolved into a current Hollywood production and a world -wide movement. Barbara will talk about the gift of age at every age, dating, mating, careers, health. All of it. Melissa Rivers is an award-winning fashion and pop-culture host, a reality-TV star, an actress, and executive producer. She’s the New York Times bestselling author of multiple books, an accomplished speaker and lecturer, and a dedicated and vocal philanthropist and advocate. But Rivers is perhaps best known as a creator of the modern “Red Carpet” event brand through her many interviews and appearances as a co-host on the E! Television and TV Guide networks, including the globally recognized and iconic "Fashion Police." Barbara Rose Brooker, MA, is a native San Franciscan, columnist, teacher, and author of 12 novels. Her latest novel Love, Sometimes, is being considered for a TV series. She has been on "The Today Show," Andy Cohen, "Inside Edition," "Extra," CBS, KRON TV and ABC. Her latest book Night Songs will be released in 2021. Her podcast The Rant is live on YouTube and global. Julie Stern is one of the most highly regarded and sought-after television executives in the world. Her extensive roles include executive producer, strategist, executive consultant, chief of staff and network executive. Forbes magazine recently named Stern “A Profile of Leadership, Humanity, Humility and Hard Work.” And, for good reason. Her impressive resume includes serving as senior vice president of production for OWN, Oprah Winfrey Network, as well as vice president of production for Lifetime Entertainment, where she oversaw all unscripted programming, development and finance, which included oversight of the Emmy Award-winning hit series "Project Runway." From respected roles at NBCUniversal, ABC, CBS, FOX and most global network and cable entertainment companies, to most recently Reese Witherspoon’s "Hello Sunshine," Stern continues to bring her passion for creating unique and groundbreaking programming. MLF ORGANIZER Denise Michaud NOTES MLF: Grownups SPEAKERS Melissa Rivers TV Red Carpet Host; Actor; Author Barbara Rose Brooker Columnist; Teacher; Author, Love, Sometimes and Night Songs; Host, "The Rant" Podcast Julie Stern Executive Producer, AGEMARCH In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 23rd, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Research shows that as many as 70 percent of Americans want the government to provide universal health-care coverage, yet the idea of affordable health care continues to be a complex, partisan issue. Accessibility is pertinent. Every American interacts with the health-care system at some point in their lives, and improper access is the difference between life and death. In their new book Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide, physicians and health-care reform activists Abdul El-Sayed and Micah Johnson look to go beyond partisan talking points to offer a feasible health-care solution. Health care is quite complex, but they say that the solution is simple: affordable, accessible medicine for all. The authors create a no-nonsense guide to health-care accessibility, prioritizing the health of all Americans in our advanced society. A citizen’s guide to America’s most debated policy, Medicare for All offers a short, realistic roadmap to creating a health-care system for all. Join us as Abdul El-Sayed and Micah Johnson envision a hopeful and accessible future for all Americans. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 22nd, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Somali-born Dutch-American politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali has long been an advocate for Islamic reform. As a former Muslim herself, she has publicly denounced forced marriage, honor violence, and female genital mutilation. In her newest book, Prey, Hirsi Ali is asking a new tough question: Is the rise of sexual assault cases in Europe correlated with the mass arrival of immigrants from Muslim-majority countries? As a refugee herself, Hirsi Ali knows first-hand the struggles of integration and assimilation that are necessary in immigrating to a new nation. Rather than restricting immigration, Hirsi Ali is calling for Europeans to reform their broken system that allows young men to bring sexual violence and marginalization of women from the Muslim world into Europe. This violence isn’t a figment of alt-right propaganda, Hirsi Ali insists, even if neo-Nazis exaggerate it. She says it’s a real problem that Europe—and the world—cannot continue to ignore. Join us as Ayaan Hirsi Ali and journalist Bari Weiss describe her research in Prey and imagines a new future that protects and advances the rights of women around the world. SPEAKERS Ayaan Hirsi Ali Human Rights Activist; Research Fellow, Hoover Institution; Author, Prey: Immigration, Islam, and the Erosion of Women's Rights In Conversation with Bari Weiss Journalist and Former Op-ed Staff Editor, The New York Times Gloria Duffy President and CEO, The Commonwealth Club of California—Program Chair In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 11th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us at the end of President Joe Biden's first month in the Oval Office, as we take stock of the early days of the Biden-Harris administration. We'll look at the people, policies, controversies, victories and defeats as Biden moves quickly to enact his agenda for the pandemic, the economy, national security, and racial justice. Our panelists will also examine the big political news here in California, too, where the state struggles with the coronavirus and the governor faces a renewed recall effort. SPEAKERS Bob Butler Reporter, KCBS Radio; Broadcast Vice President, SAG-AFTRA; Lead, EIJ Student Newsroom 2020 Carla Marinucci Senior Writer, Politico California Playbook; Twitter @cmarinucci C.W. Nevius Columnist, Santa Rose Press Democrat; Author, CW's Newsletter; Former Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle; Twitter @cwnevius John Zipperer Producer and Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable; Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club—Co-host In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 19th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a journalist on the “sex beat,” Tracy Clark-Flory is intimate with the complexities of how sex is understood in societal discourse. At once a source of abashment, fascination and liberation, sex culture can send conflicting messages—sex and love are intensely personal topics yet dictated by societal rules, leaving people to struggle to understand their own needs within what they are told is “appropriate.” In her new book Want Me: A Sex Writer’s Journey into the Heart of Desire, Tracy contextualizes her own experiences reporting on sex with personal anecdotes and expert research. Join Clark-Flory at INFORUM for this special Valentine's Day program to learn more about life as a journalist, the ins and outs of writing about sex and the feminist revisions of society’s expectations for women. This conversation will be moderated by Peggy Orenstein, author of The New York Times bestsellers Girls & Sex, Cinderella Ate My Daughter and Waiting for Daisy, a memoir. Note: This program contains EXPLICIT language. SPEAKERS Tracy Clark-Flory Senior Staff Writer, Jezebel; Author, Want Me: A Sex Writer's Journey into the Heart of Desire Peggy Orenstein Author, Girls & Sex—Moderator In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 16th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the past decade, narratives of a dystopian climate future have helped connect people with heroes in worlds decimated by climate disruption and industrial expansion. In today’s real-world, scientists are looking to geoengineering and other human innovations to preserve the wellbeing of life on Earth. “What we’re missing is a way to galvanize people to support policies that are actually gonna change,” says Jeff Biggers, founder of The Climate Narrative Project. So how can climate storytelling help us reckon with our changing environment? Do we need a new climate narrative to help us understand and solve the climate emergency? Guests: Jeff Biggers, Founder, The Climate Narrative Project Elizabeth Kolbert, Staff Writer, The New Yorker Kim Stanley Robinson, Science Fiction Author Related Links: Climate Narrative Project Resistance: Reclaiming an American Tradition The Ministry for the Future Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a virtual conversation with Dan Morain to discuss his recent biography of our new vice president. Kamala Harris grew up as the older daughter of her mother, a cancer researcher who had emigrated from India when she was 19, and of her father, an economist from Jamaica, who split up with her mother when Kamala was five. Kamala Harris is known as tough, smart, quick-witted, and demanding. She’s a former prosecutor, after all. But she’s also known as reticent when it comes to sharing much about herself, even in her memoirs. Morain fills in the gaps. He has been covering Harris right from the start of her political career—working for the Alameda County District Attorney’s office, where she handled homicides and child molestation cases. Morain also covers her publicly acknowledged relationship with Assembly Speaker Willie Brown when she was 29, which significantly expanded her political network. Morain will take you through Harris’s years as the San Francisco District Attorney, her early support for Barack Obama, her tenure as California's Attorney General, and her election to the U.S. Senate. Morain also analyzes both her failure as a presidential candidate and her success in campaigning for the vice presidential spot on the Biden ticket. He paints a vivid picture of her values and priorities, the kind of people she brings into her orbit, the sorts of problems she’s good at solving, and the missteps, risks and bold moves she’s made on her way to the top. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities Part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. SPEAKERS Dan Morain Former Reporter, The Los Angeles Times; Former Editor, The Sacramento Bee; Author, Kamala's Way: An American Life In Conversation with Carla Marinucci Senior Writer, Politico California Playbook In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 16th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Worldwide, a loss of faith in government institutions has encouraged citizens of democracy to look for pathways outside of politics to make tangible change. This mistrust of “the system” has spread throughout other social organizations as well; press, corporations, digital platforms are questioned for their ability to hold us together. Now, people are searching for productive outlets to have their voice heard and make positive change. Ethan Zuckerman, founder of the Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure, is offering a solution. In his new book Mistrust, Zuckerman uses research from political scientists, legal theorists, and activists in the streets to understand why many people started to doubt social institutions and the implications it poses for an uncertain future. He analyzes the relationship he says the public should have with existing institutions and the various ways we can reach a collective goal of an advanced democracy. Join us as Zuckerman encourages citizens of democracy to use this sentiment of disbelief to fuel their participation in civic life and create an equitable society. SPEAKERS Ethan Zuckerman Founder, Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Author, Mistrust: Why Losing Faith in Institutions Provides the Tools to Transform Them In Conversation with Kara Swisher Contributing Opinion Writer and Host of "Sway," The New York Times In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 11th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in early 2019, has had significantly negative consequences for individuals, families and communities around the world, with huge economic and political effects. Short-term strategies have involved sheltering in place and social distancing, rigorous and frequent hand washing, and the disciplined use of masks. We now have reached a stage in the pandemic when vaccines are bring rolled out in the United States and globally, initially for “at risk” populations. There is much confusion arising from conflicting information about the new vaccines. There are questions related to what we know about the vaccines (and how we know it), and what we don’t know (and how and when we will know more). To address these questions, two leading virologists will be in conversation with the chair of the Health and Medicine Forum at The Commonwealth Club of California. Dr. Melanie Ott and Dr. Warner Greene from Gladstone Institutes talk with Dr. Robert Lee Kilpatrick, to help the public understand COVID-19 vaccine options better. Meet the Speakers Melanie Ott, M.D., Ph.D., has been the director of the Gladstone Institute of Virology since 2020, and a senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes. She is also a professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, she pivoted the focus of her team to work on SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Ott is a member of the Association of American Physicians, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. She is also an expert contributor to the COVID Collaborative, a bipartisan group of national experts and institutions that helps shape state and local efforts against the pandemic. Warner Greene, M.D., Ph.D., is the director of the The Michael Hulton—Gladstone Center for HIV Cure Research, senior investigator, and Nick and Sue Hellmann Distinguished Professor of Translational Medicine at Gladstone Institutes. He is the founding and emeritus director of Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology. Greene is also professor of medicine, microbiology and of immunology at UCSF. He is also a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and a fellow of the American Academy Arts and Sciences. He also serves as co-director of the UCSF-Gladstone Center for AIDS Research, and he has served as councilor and president of the Association of American Physicians. Robert Lee Kilpatrick, Ph.D., is the chair of the Health and Medicine Member-Led Forum at The Commonwealth Club of California, general advisor to Berkeley SkyDeck incubator and accelerator, advisor to the Columbia University Master of Science Program in Bioethics, and CEO of Health Innovation for People, Inc. (HIP). MLF ORGANIZER Robert Lee Kilpatrick NOTES MLF: Health & Medicine In association with Gladstone Institutes. SPEAKERS Warner Greene M.D., Ph.D., Director, Gladstone Center for HIV Cure Research; Senior Investigator and Nick and Sue Hellmann Distinguished Professor of Translational Medicine at Gladstone Institutes; Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and of Immunology, UCSF Melanie Ott M.D., Ph.D., Director, Gladstone Institute of Virology; Senior Investigator, Gladstone Institutes; Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco Robert Lee Kilpatrick Ph.D. Chair, Health and Medicine MLF; General Advisor, Berkeley SkyDeck incubator and Accelerator; Advisor, Columbia University Master of Science Program in Bioethics; CEO, Health Innovation for People, Inc. (HIP) In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 10th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Kettmann, editor of the new book Now What? The Voters Have Spoken—Essays on Life After Trump, asks in the book's forward, "How do we try to rebuild a society that helps people think for themselves a little more often? How do we encourage each other—and ourselves—to understand our neighbors a little better?" The book features essays from a variety of voices including noted African American journalist Cynthia Tucker and Trump ally turned critic Anthony Scaramucci, who along with Mr. Kettman, join us for this discussion. What's next for America and what are the possibilities for the country moving forward? Join us for a compelling conversation. SPEAKERS Steve Kettmann Co Founder, Wellstone Center in the Redwoods; Former Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle and Wired; Editor, Now What? The Voters Have Spoken—Essays on Life After Trump Anthony Scaramucci Former Trump White House Communications Director; Founder, SkyBridge Capital; Contributor, Now What? The Voters Have Spoken—Essays on Life After Trump Cynthia Tucker Pulitzer Prize Winning Syndicated Columnist; Journalist-in-Residence, University of South Alabama; Contributor, Now What? The Voters Have Spoken—Essays on Life After Trump In Conversation with Roy Eisenhardt Lecturer, U.C. Berkeley Law School In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 10th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hoover Institution Senior Fellow and Stanford University Political Science Professor Larry Diamond is a renowned expert on democracy around the world. In late November of last year, he penned a New York Times essay that said, "The vulnerability of our democracy today doesn’t come in the form that many feared when Donald Trump was elected in 2016. The good news is that two of the three pillars of American democracy—liberty and the rule of law—endure, even if they have been battered. But the third pillar—free and fair elections—is under far more direct threat than my fellow democracy experts predicted." Dr. Diamond went on to predict that President Trump "might pressure the Republican legislatures in battleground states, like Pennsylvania and Florida, to award him their state’s electors, even if the formal vote-counting machinery ultimately declares a Biden victory in the state. . . . [S]uch a scenario would be far more dire and polarizing than even the Bush v. Gore nightmare of 2000, with an incumbent president threatening fire and brimstone if the election were not handed to him, while signaling violent right-wing extremists to 'stand by' but perhaps no longer 'stand down.' " Dr. Diamond says our democratic electoral system, unlike others in the world, "has no comparable standing authority to investigate national-level corruption, and Congress largely investigates and punishes itself." He says that newer democracies have also taken measures to depoliticize their equivalent of a supreme court, including term limits and a broader consensus on court nominees. But, says Dr. Diamond, none of this occurred to America's founders, and while "throughout most of our history, America’s democratic norms have been strong enough and the outcomes have been clear enough to avoid catastrophic conflict over a national election," that might not be true anymore. Come for an important discussion on what changes may be needed in America's institutions in order to preserve our Democracy. This program is part of The Commonwealth Club’s Future of Democracy Series, supported by Betsy and Roy Eisenhardt. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 9th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The American Dream is the notion that every person is entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of their circumstances at birth. But the reality is that for many Americans, social and economic opportunity are unattainable due to societal structures that block access to resources. The Great American Lie examines the roots of systemic inequality through a unique gender lens. With America facing widening economic disparities, political polarization, and stagnant social mobility, the film takes audiences on an empathy journey, inspiring a path forward. Presented in collaboration with The Representation Project, this program brings filmmaker, advocate and thought leader Jennifer Siebel Newsom into conversation with a panel of student filmmakers whose work shines a youth lens on social justice and gender equity issues. SPEAKERS Angelica Rubio Student, 12th grade, Merced, CA Samira Barragan Student, 11th grade, Santa Fe Springs, CA TreNisha Shearer Student, 12th grade, Portland, OR Jennifer Siebel Newsom Filmmaker—Moderator In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 3rd, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Experts have warned us that COVID-19 is just one example of climate change-related diseases on the rise. And while climate disruption, environmental health and the current pandemic may seem like three distinct problems, to those in the health and environmental justice field, that’s not the case. "All of them are connected," says Adrienne Hollis of the Union of Concerned Scientists. "And the underlying cause is systemic racism." "If you want to address pandemics, and you want to address climate change, you’ve got to focus on equity," agrees Aaron Bernstein of the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. "And the solution, and the great news in some ways, is that these actions you need to take are one and the same." How are heat, lack of sanitation, and other environmental issues killing Americans in underserved communities? A conversation on what happens when climate, health, and poverty converge. Guests: Catherine Coleman Flowers, Founder, Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice; Author, Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret (The New Press, 2020) Adrienne Hollis, Senior Climate Justice and Health Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists Aaron Bernstein, Interim Director, Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health For complete show notes, visit our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We enjoy comedy as entertainment—but would we appreciate a zinger during a company meeting? In their new book Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life, Dr. Jennifer Aaker, a professor at Stanford Business School, and Naomi Bagdonas, a lecturer in management at Stanford, argue that using humor in supposedly serious situations can cultivate creativity, forge stronger relationships and strengthen one’s confidence. Jennifer and Naomi provide a theoretical overview of the benefits of comedy, consulting business leaders, comedians and behavioral scientists to learn more about how being funny “is money.” Join Jennifer and Naomi at INFORUM to learn more about the benefits of humor in and out of the workplace. This conversation is moderated by comedian and artist Dhaya Lakshminarayanan. SPEAKERS Jennifer Aaker Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Business; Co-Author, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life Naomi Bagdonas Lecturer, Stanford Graduate School of Business; Co-Author, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life Dhaya Lakshminarayanan Comedian—Moderator In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 2nd, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Walter Mosley, the author of more than 60 critically acclaimed books, is one of the most admired writers in America. The Commonwealth Club is pleased to welcome Mosley for the first time for a discussion on this new book, Blood Grove, and his long career in writing and the arts. just as America continues its reckoning on race relations. Last year marked the 30th anniversary of Mosley's legendary Easy Rawlins series, as well as Mosley’s three decade-long exploration of racial inequality, political corruption and the pursuit of justice. In early February, Mosley's infamous detective, Rawlins, is back in Blood Grove, the 15th entry in the mystery series. Readers around the world have followed Easy Rawlins, an unlicensed private investigator turned detective always willing to do what it takes to get things done, in books translated into more than 25 different languages. Mosley's1990 debut novel, Devil in a Blue Dress, was the first in the bestselling mystery series featuring Rawlins and launched Mosley into literary prominence. Mosley, who was just awarded the National Book Foundation's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, and the first Black man to win the honor in its 32-year history, has been astutely and profoundly engaging with the politics of race, the realities of being Black in America, and elegantly pushing the boundaries of genre fiction throughout his storied career. Mosley’s books have won numerous awards, including, but not limited to, an Edgar Award for Down the River Unto the Sea, an O. Henry Award, The Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award, a Grammy, several NAACP Image awards, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, he was named the recipient of the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement from the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. This program contains EXPLICIT language SPEAKERS Walter Mosley Author, Blood Grove Brian Watt News Anchor, KQED—Moderator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a virtual conversation with Jonathan Alter, author of the first full-length biography of Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States and Nobel Prize–winning humanitarian. Alter paints an intimate and surprising portrait of a complex figure with a piercing intelligence, prickly intensity, and biting wit beneath the patented smile. Growing up in the Jim Crow South, Carter essentially lived in three centuries: his early life on the farm without electricity or running water might as well have been in the 19th; his presidency put him at the center of the 20th; and his efforts on conflict resolution and global health set him on the cutting edge of the 21st. Drawing on fresh archives and five years of extensive access to Carter and his family, Alter traces how he evolved from a timid, bookish child—raised mostly by a black woman farmhand—into an ambitious naval nuclear engineer writing passionate, never-before-published love letters from sea to his wife and full partner, Rosalynn; a peanut farmer and civic leader whose guilt over staying silent during the Civil Rights Movement helped power his quest for racial justice; an obscure, born-again governor whose brilliant 1976 presidential campaign demolished the racist wing of the Democratic Party; a stubborn outsider who failed politically amid a bad economy and the seizure of American hostages in Iran, but succeeded in engineering peace between Israel and Egypt, advancing environmentalism, moving the government from tokenism to diversity, internationalizing human rights, and normalizing relations with China. After leaving office, Carter worked to eradicate diseases, taught Sunday school, and built houses for the poor into his mid-90s. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities SPEAKERS Jonathan Alter Historian; Columnist; Documentary Filmmaker; Political Analyst, MSNBC; Former Senior Editor, Newsweek; Author, His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life In Conversation with George Hammond Author, Conversations With Socrates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. John Ghazvinian, executive director of the University of Pennsylvania's Middle East Center, was born in Iran, raised in London and Los Angeles, and earned his doctorate from Oxford University. Dr. Banafsheh Keynoush earned her doctorate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, is a renowned Middle East expert and is a frequent contributor to Middle East Forum events. They will discuss his fascinating new book, which traces the complex relations between America and Iran since the 18th Century, when the Persian Empire greatly admired Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams and an America seen, by Iranians, as an ideal to emulate for their own government. They will also discuss how the two countries that once had heartfelt admiration for each other became such committed enemies. Ghazvinian will also lead us "through the 4 seasons of U.S./Iran relations: the spring of mutual fascination; the summer of early interactions, the autumn of close strategic ties, the long dark winter of mutual hatred "and why "it didn't have to turn out this way." SPEAKERS John Ghazvinian Ph.D., Author, America and Iran: A History 1720 to the Present Banafsheh Keynoush Ph.D., Editor, Interregional Dynamics in the Middle East—Moderator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I remember the day I realized I couldn’t play a white guy as well as a white guy. It felt like a death sentence for my career.”—Chad Sanders When Chad Sanders landed his first job in lily-white Silicon Valley, he quickly realized that to be successful at work meant playing a certain social game. Each meeting was drenched in white slang and the privileged talk of international travel or a folk concert in San Francisco, which led Chad to realize that he could only be successful if he emulated whiteness. So Sanders changed. He changed his wardrobe, his behavior, his speech—everything that connected him with his Black identity. And while he finally felt included, he felt awful. Carrying the unbearable weight of his imposter syndrome—the constant burden of not being true to himself—left Sanders exhausted and ashamed. Instead, he decided to give up the charade. He reverted back to methods he learned at the dinner table, or at the Black Baptist church where he’d been raised, or the concrete basketball courts. And it paid off. Sanders began to land more exciting projects and eventually got promoted. He earned the respect of his colleagues and clients. Accounting for this turnaround, Sanders believes, was something he calls Black Magic, namely: resilience, creativity, and perseverance, forged in his experience navigating America as a Black man. Black Magic has emboldened his every step since. Leading him to wonder: was he alone in this discovery? Were there others who felt the same? In Black Magic, Sanders tells his own story while also interviewing other Black leaders, scientists, artists, business people, parents, innovators, and champions, to get their take on Black magic. This revelatory book uncovers Black experiences in predominantly white environments while demonstrating the importance of staying true to yourself. Chad Sanders is a New York City-based writer. His screenwriting career began when he wrote for ABC Freeform’s Grownish in 2018. Previously, Chad worked at Google in the YouTube and People Operations divisions and as a tech entrepreneur. He has since written and cowritten forthcoming TV series and feature films with collaborators Spike Lee, Morgan Freeman and Will Packer. Chad’s op-ed pieces have appeared in The New York Times and Teen Vogue. NOTES Part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Our thanks to Marcus Bookstore in Oakland for fulfilling book orders. SPEAKERS Chad Sanders Author, Black Magic: What Black Leaders Learned from Trauma and Triumph; Writer, The New York Times; Twitter @Chad_Sand Michelle Meow Producer and Host, “The Michelle Meow Show”; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors—Co-Host John Zipperer Producer and Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable; Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club—Co-Host Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a new pro-science, pro-climate action administration in the White House, there are more pathways — and far greater political will — than ever before for the clean energy transition. The question is now less about what can be done to act on climate, and more about how soon. “We have the best opportunity in more than a decade now to see federal climate action through legislation,” says Leah Stokes from UC Santa Barbara. So how quickly can a new administration turn around a gutted EPA, myriad environmental law rollbacks, and a legacy of climate denial from fossil fuel companies? Guests: Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science, Penn State University Leah Stokes, Assistant Professor of Political Science, UC Santa Barbara Related Links: Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet Short Circuiting Policy: Interest Groups and the Battle Over Clean Energy and Climate Policy in the American States Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin pioneered equality through their common virtues of faith and resilience. They changed the minds of many Americans through their ability to assess community knowledge and make it accessible to the masses. These men were not born with this innate ability to lead; they were shaped by their surroundings and upbringing to fight for social justice. Much has been written about Baldwin, Dr. King, and Malcolm X, but virtually nothing has been said about the extraordinary women who raised them to be the leaders they became. Join us in conversation with Anna Malaika Tubbs as she celebrates Black motherhood in her new book, The Three Mothers. Baldwin's mother Berdis, King's mother Alberta, and Malcolm X’s mother Louise raised their sons with the hope of helping them to survive in a society that would deny their humanity from the very beginning. Louise’s reminders of the family’s activist roots, Berdis’ encouragement of creative writing, and Alberta’s concentration on faith were integral to each of the men’s outlook on life. The Black mothers who raised America’s most pivotal heroes each represent a piece of history left untold and a celebration of Black motherhood long overdue. SPEAKERS Anna Malaika Tubbs Author, The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation Valerie Coleman Morris Emmy Award-Winning Journalist—Moderator Copies of The Three Mothers are available for purchase at checkout (U.S. domestic shipping only); our thanks to Marcus Books in Oakland for fulfilling book orders In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, this program was recorded via online livestream by the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco, CA, on February 3, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin pioneered equality through their common virtues of faith and resilience. They changed the minds of many Americans through their ability to assess community knowledge and make it accessible to the masses. These men were not born with this innate ability to lead; they were shaped by their surroundings and upbringing to fight for social justice. Much has been written about Baldwin, Dr. King, and Malcolm X, but virtually nothing has been said about the extraordinary women who raised them to be the leaders they became. Join us in conversation with Anna Malaika Tubbs as she celebrates Black motherhood in her new book, The Three Mothers. Baldwin's mother Berdis, King's mother Alberta, and Malcolm X’s mother Louise raised their sons with the hope of helping them to survive in a society that would deny their humanity from the very beginning. Louise’s reminders of the family’s activist roots, Berdis’ encouragement of creative writing, and Alberta’s concentration on faith were integral to each of the men’s outlook on life. The Black mothers who raised America’s most pivotal heroes each represent a piece of history left untold and a celebration of Black motherhood long overdue. SPEAKERS Julia Gillard Former Prime Minister of Australia; Co-author, Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Former Finance Minister of Nigeria, Co-author, Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons In Conversation with Jennifer Palmieri Former White House Communications Director; Co-host, “The Circus” on Showtime; Author, She Proclaims: Our Declaration of Independence from a Man’s World In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, this program was recorded via online livestream by the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco, CA, on February 2, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To discourage the inclusion of Ida B. Wells in the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, the FBI wrote that she “has addressed meetings of colored people and endeavored to impress upon them that they are a downtrodden race and that now is the time for them to demand and secure their proper position in the world. She is a very effective speaker and her influence among the colored race is well recognized . . . she is considered . . . one of the most dangerous negro agitators.” Complimenting her own story of self-discovery and activism, Michelle Duster brings to life her great-grandmother’s lifelong dedication to the fight for racial justice. Wells' courageous and passionate organizing was appreciated by her allies Frederick Douglass, W.E.B Du Bois, and Harriet Tubman, who together presented a serious threat to the status quo. Duster’s extensive research on Well’s life and career reveals Ida’s journey from ferocious teen to pioneering journalist to anti-lynching crusader, relayed in the delicate and introspective voice of a family member. Duster connects the historical dots to show how Wells’ actions a century ago echo through the movements happening in the streets today. Indeed, people might not be able to fully comprehend the achievements of people like Rosa Parks and Colin Kaepernick without understanding the outstanding work of Ida B. Wells. SPEAKERS Michelle Duster Adjunct Professor, Creative Writing, Columbia College Chicago; Author, Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells In Conversation with LaDoris Cordell Judge (ret.); Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors MLF ORGANIZER: George Hammond MLF: Humanities Part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Our thanks to Marcus Bookstore in Oakland for fulfilling book orders In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, this program was recorded via online livestream by the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco, CA, on February 2, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virtuoso Afro-Cuban-born brothers—American violinist Ilmar and Cuban pianist Aldo— live on opposite sides of a geopolitical chasm half a century wide. Los Hermanos/The Brothers tracks their parallel lives, poignant reunion, and electrifying first performances across the United States, in a nuanced, often startling view of estranged nations through the lens of music and family. In Cuba art is central to national identity. The island of 11 million people has outsized influence in dance and music worldwide. Artists are some of Cuba's most salient ambassadors, with a history of crossing divides that seem intractable to political leaders. The Gavilán brothers’ dynamic and visually compelling story gives a unique and personal perspective on the evolving relationship between the United States and Cuba. Featuring a genre-bending score composed by Cuban Aldo Lopez-Gavilan performed with his American brother, Ilmar, and with guest appearances by maestro Joshua Bell and the Grammy-winning Harlem Quartet. Join us for a screening of the new documentary Los Hermanos/The Brothers followed by a discussion about the unique elements of Cuban music, the Cuban musical diaspora, representation and equity in the arts (in particular classical music), and the power of the cultural and artistic connections between Cuba and the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a special agent in the FBI, Frank Figliuzzi spent his 25-year career working in populous areas such as San Francisco, Miami, Cleveland and Washington, D.C., investigating crime and protecting American rights. In 2011, Figliuzzi was appointed assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division by then-director Robert Mueller. His years of experience—both in agent and executive positions—can help shed light on the bureau’s training practices that unlock individual and organizational excellence. In his new book, The FBI Way, Figliuzzi reveals necessary values that make an effective member of the FBI, including performance, integrity and conduct. Stories by Figliuzzi demonstrate how the FBI maintains a rigorous implementation of its core values throughout the organization to ensure accountability and effectiveness. Figliuzzi has condensed the bureau’s process of protecting its core values into what he calls “The Seven C’s”: code, conservancy, clarity, consequences, compassion, credibility and consistency. With these values, he says the FBI is able to instill and preserve its values against all internal and external threats. Join us as Frank Figliuzzi shares the patterns of success he has observed throughout his career that can be broadly applied to business, management and personal development. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A decade ago, a nationwide survey showed that only around twelve percent of Americans were seriously concerned about climate change. Today, public perceptions have changed. “The alarmed are between a quarter and 30% of the public,” says Edward Maibach. “That makes them the largest single segment of Americans…as their name implies, they’re alarmed about climate change.” How does understanding the perceptions of a broadly concerned public enable our leaders to create lasting change? How do climate concerns break down across political, economic, and regional divides? A conversation with Anthony Leiserowitz and Edward Maibach, recipients of the tenth annual Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication. At a time when understanding climate perceptions has never been more important, Dr. Leiserowitz and Dr. Maibach have exemplified the ability to be both scientists and powerful communicators through their work on the public’s understanding of climate change, including the seminal Global Warming’s Six Americas project. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

COVID-19 upended the world at the beginning of 2020, and life as we know it was forever altered. As we adjust to the changes, many of us are valuing, more than ever, our relationships. Our connections with each other and with things that provide comfort help give us a sense of security in a world that sometimes feels out of control. This year, Silicon Valley Reads will be centered on the theme of “Connecting”—the universal human ability to build resilience by looking for people, places and things that provide comfort and joy during tough times. Dr. Sara Cody, Dr. James Doty and Usha Srinivasan will be part of the 2021 kickoff event and discuss their perspectives on ways in which each of us and our community can find comfort and connection through difficult times. NOTES This is a free, online-only program; pre-register to receive a link to the live-stream event. In Partnership with: Santa Clara County Office of Education, Santa Clara County Library District, San Jose Public Library. Special performance by the Cupertino High School Capella Choir and virtual “Sources of Solace” art show by the Euphrat Museum of Art Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After 28 years, renowned KQED radio host Michael Krasny, host of the popular "Forum" program, has announced that he will retire following his "Forum" broadcast on February 12, 2021, marking the exact anniversary of his first program in 1993. Krasny has interviewed some of the most prominent newsmakers and political and cultural figures of the past half century, including Maya Angelou, William F. Buckley, President Jimmy Carter, Cesar Chavez, Noam Chomsky, Francis Ford Coppola, Jerry Garcia, Allen Ginsberg, Werner Herzog, John McCain, Toni Morrison, President Barack Obama, Camille Paglia, Rosa Parks, Nancy Pelosi, Sean Penn, Salman Rushdie, Carl Sagan, Bernie Sanders, Patti Smith, Charlize Theron, Wayne Thiebaud, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, David Foster Wallace, Gene Wilder and George Will. Krasny’s storied broadcasting career began auspiciously in the late 1970s as host of a weekly program on KTIM FM, a small Marin County rock station. He later moved to ABC in 1983, where he worked in both radio (KGO AM) and on local television. He is professor of English at San Francisco State University and has also taught at Stanford University, the University of San Francisco and the University of California, San Francisco, as well as in the Fulbright International Institutes. Join us for a special salute to Michael Krasny, and don't miss your chance to turn the tables and ask your own questions of this highly regarded interviewer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world watched in horror as members of the alt-right stormed Capitol Hill in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. What we also witnessed was a stark and irrefutable difference between the way law enforcement reacted to the siege in comparison to the violent force often used at Black Lives Matter marches and other peaceful protests involving marginalized communities. What is the relationship between the police, white supremacy and the American right to protest? How does our country define “terrorism,” both culturally and in the eyes of the law? And, importantly, what can we learn from the Capitol attacks to help BIPOC organizers continue their fight against injustice in 2021 and beyond? Join us at INFORUM with noted activist Alicia Garza and Representative for California's 13th congressional district Barbara Lee, where we will explore this historic moment and what this all means for communities of color in a post-Trump America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Best-selling authors Charles Yu and Jess Walter will talk about writing fiction that manages to be both poignant and funny at a time of great change. They will also share the inspiration behind their new stories, published exclusively by Scribd Originals. Yu’s The Only Living Girl on Earth is an unexpected and delightfully absurd vision of life on Earth a thousand years in the future. In this story, Yu expresses his unique brand of cosmic humanism and offers above all, hope. Walter’s Town & Country describes a son’s greatest act of tolerance and acceptance in a world that hasn’t always shown him the same. It’s a story, as only Walter could write, about all the ways we cannot help but love each other even when we do not, and maybe cannot, understand each other. In Partnership with Scribd Originals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She's been called Vietnam's Lady Gaga—a talented, outspoken artist promoting freedom of expression. Join us for an online discussion with an artist who has crafted creative ways to promote freedom. Mai Khoi is a Vietnamese artist and activist. At the age of 12 she wrote her first song and joined her father's wedding band the same year. She rose to stardom in 2010 after winning the Vietnam Television song and album of the year awards. Several years later she became increasingly uncomfortable having to submit her work to government censors and started the avant-garde dissident trio Mai Khoi Chém Gió. Working at the interface of art and activism Mai Khoi has developed her most unique art form to date. Her new sound is an emotionally charged fusion of free jazz and ethnic Vietnamese music, with her most political, yet personal, song lyrics ever. Today she leads efforts to promote freedom of artistic expression in Vietnam, for which she was awarded the Vaclav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent. Her activism has, however, come at a high price. She has had her concerts raided, been evicted from her house, and been detained and interrogated by the police. Mai Khoi is artist in residence at SHIM NYC and an Artist Protection Fund fellow. NOTES In partnership with the Vietnamese American Roundtable Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gershom Gorenberg joins us live from Jerusalem to discuss the topic of his latest book, War of Shadows: Codebreakers, Spies, and the Secret Struggle to Drive the Nazis from the Middle East, with Robert Rosenthal, a former Middle East/Africa journalist and former editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer and managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. At the center of Gorenberg's exciting intrigue—which has lessons for today's intelligence and cybersecurity—are the code breakers at Bletchley Park, who helped solve the Enigma cipher and foiled Rommel's bid to to conquer the Middle East. Gorenberg, a columnist for The Washington Post, has written for The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The New York Review of Books, Haaretz, and other media outlets. He teaches a workshop on writing history at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. MLF ORGANIZER Celia Menczel NOTES MLF: Middle East Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Tyler Stovall's White Freedom explores the intertwined histories of racism and freedom in France and the United States, the two leading nations that have claimed liberty as the heart of their national identities. Stovall examines how French and American thinkers defined freedom in racial terms and conceived of liberty as an aspect and privilege of whiteness. He also discusses how the Statue of Liberty―a gift from France to the United States and perhaps the most famous symbol of freedom on Earth―promised both freedom and whiteness to European immigrants. The era of the Enlightenment, which gave rise to our modern conceptions of freedom and democracy, was also the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. America, founded on the principle of liberty, was also built on African slavery, Native American genocide, and systematic racial discrimination. Stovall traces the complex relationship between freedom and race from the Age of Revolution to today, challenging the notion that racism is somehow a paradox or contradiction within the democratic tradition, and demonstrating how white identity is intrinsic to Western ideas about liberty. Throughout the history of modern Western liberal democracy, freedom has long been white freedom. Stovall provides an important perspective on the inherent racism behind our most cherished beliefs about freedom, liberty, and human rights. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Biden administration taking office, COVID rampant, vaccine disbursement beginning, and businesses and individual Americans reeling from financial burdens, what is the outlook for the economy in 2021? Join us for a lively and important discussion on where the U.S. and global economies are headed and what should be done to keep them on track. Michael J. Boskin is T. M. Friedman Professor of Economics and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He served as chairman of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) from 1989 to 1993. The independent Council for Excellence in Government rated Dr. Boskin’s CEA one of the five most respected agencies (out of 100) in the federal government. He chaired the highly influential blue-ribbon Commission on the Consumer Price Index, whose report has transformed the way government statistical agencies around the world measure inflation, GDP and productivity. Laura D’Andrea Tyson is an influential scholar of economics and public policy and an expert on trade and competitiveness who has also served as a presidential adviser. She is a distinguished professor of the Graduate School at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. She also chairs the Board of Trustees at UC Berkeley’s Blum Center for Developing Economies, which aims to develop solutions to global poverty. She is the former faculty director of the Berkeley Haas Institute for Business and Social Impact, which she launched in 2013. She served as interim dean of the Haas School from July to December 2018, and served previously as dean from 1998 to 2001. Dr. Tyson was a member of President Clinton’s cabinet between 1993 and 1996. She served as chair of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers from 1993 to 1995 and as director of the White House National Economic Council from 1995 to 1996. She was the first woman to serve in those positions. This event is underwritten by Bank of America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the surface, it would appear that the Cleveland Cavaliers' star forward Kevin Love has much success in his life. He is a five-time All-Star and won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016.He was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. national team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. But Kevin Love has also suffered from depression and anxiety for years. He was one of the first NBA players to openly discuss mental health challenges. He first made headlines in March 2018, when he admitted that he had suffered a panic attack during a game that year. He subsequently said that he had always viewed talking about mental health as a “form of weakness that could derail my success in sports.” Yet he has gone on to talk about how he has changed his attitude toward mental health, believing that sharing helps others. In 2018, he established the Kevin Love Fund to provide tools and help for people to improve their physical and emotional well-being, with the goal of assisting more than a billion people over the next 5 years. Come for a candid and heartfelt conversation with Kevin Love about how depression impacts not only high performers but a wide range of people across age groups and professions, especially during the COVID-era, and what can be done to create more support for those in need. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just two weeks after the Capitol attack that resulted in five deaths, delayed the official counting of the Electoral College votes, and led to the second impeachment of a president of the United States for the first time in American history, a new president has been inaugurated in a Washington, D.C. that was on near lockdown due to the threat of domestic terrorism. Education leaders, civic advocates and public officials recognize that one of the most important ways the country can respond to this challenging moment is through an embrace of civics education, along with a significant boost in efforts that enable all U.S. citizens to understand the civic structures of the country, as well as the roles and responsibilities of its citizens and its elected officials. Just days after the Capitol attack, the Washington, D.C.-based The Hill published a powerful editorial about the urgent need for a renewed push for civics education. In it, Lauren Leader and Mark K. Updegrove noted, . . . Like the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that pulled the U.S. directly into World War II, the siege on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 by a violent mob will be remembered as a “day which will live in infamy.” Much will be written about the circumstances that led to the desecration of the Capitol….but as we move forward, it’s just as urgent to consider how we can build the foundations of a more unified nation with a deeper common understanding of what it really means to be American. . . . Part of the answer lies in civics education." Please join us for a special program as Leader and Updegrove are joined by the heads of iCivics, Louise Dube, and Generation Citizen, Elizabeth Clay Roy, to discuss why an urgent call to action for civics education is so important for the country. NOTES The program is part of The Commonwealth Club's "Creating Citizens" initiative, created with generous support from the Koret Foundation and others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a driver of global health, prosperity and planetary sustainability, science pervades all realms of human activity. The COVID pandemic of the past year and the prospect of its eventual resolution have put science (and scientists) at the forefront of an international cultural conversation. Yet communicating facts and credible research is a tricky task in a world awash in social media, anti-scientific agendas, political forces and biases of every kind. MLF ORGANIZER Robert Lee Kilpatrick NOTES MLF: Health & Medicine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told filmmaker Jennifer Callahan, "If I left the house without a bag, I’d go right back inside to get it." In "Making the Case," the late justice shares her thoughts—not on the law, but on daily objects from her own life, on some of her handbags. The film enables the viewer to get to know the great RBG in a most relatable way. Join us for an unexpected look into the thinking of a legal legend. Please note: This is not a screening of the short film "Making the Case." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill, Representative Eric Swalwell has been outspoken about the action he believes Congress should take to curb further assaults on our democracy, emphasizing the need for the president’s resignation or impeachment. The representative from California’s 15th district does not shy away from voicing his opinion on the important issues, and in this time of great uncertainty, Rep. Swalwell maintains his support for direct action against those who perpetrated the attack on himself and fellow members of Congress. As the House of Representative introduces articles of impeachment against President Trump, join Rep. Swalwell at INFORUM to hear about what it was like inside Capitol Hill on January 6, his hopes for the Biden administration, and what he expects for a post-Trump political landscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices