KQED's Forum

The new animated Netflix series “City of Ghosts” follows a group of kid detectives who solve problems and learn about the history of Los Angeles by communicating with its ghosts. Calling themselves the “Ghost Club,” the children visit different neighborhoods, uncovering the multicultural stories that shaped them. The show was created and executive produced by Elizabeth Ito, an Emmy Award-winning animator and native of Los Angeles, and has struck a chord with kids and adults alike with its charming, documentary-like style. Ito joins us to talk about the series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday, Governor Newsom announced that eligibility for the Covid-19 vaccine would open on April 1 to those aged 50 and up, and to those aged 16 and up on April 15. State Senator Richard Pan, who is also a pediatrician, has been laser focused on getting Californians vaccinated. We’ll talk to Pan about what this expansion in eligibility will mean for herd immunity, how to combat anti-vaccine proponents, and what lies ahead for the state’s battle against Covid-19. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Bay Area counties continue to loosen coronavirus restrictions, restaurants are expanding their services. We’ll hear from restaurateurs, including Oakland chef Tanya Holland, about how they’ve fared during the past year, and get their thoughts on welcoming patrons back. How has the pandemic changed the restaurant business, and have there been any silver linings? We want to hear from you: Are you eating out? What have you missed most, and are there any dining changes you want to keep? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Helping with online homework, lack of playdates, fighting for computer time or even alone time; it has been a tough year of pandemic parenting. And for essential worker parents, there has been the added worry of accidentally bringing the virus home. We’ll get advice from experts and tips for coping after a year of no school. And as a return to normal begins with many schools reconvening, we want to hear from you about the highs and lows of home life with kids after a year of pandemic stress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

State and federal officials are warning farmers and cities to prepare for potential water shortages as the state’s dry conditions reach worrisome levels. We discuss the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 programs in the U.S. to date. Shortly following Oakland’s announcement, Marin’s board of supervisors voted unanimously to launch its own pilot program for 125 low-income residents over two years. Earlier this month, a study of Stockton’s now completed experiment with guaranteed income found that there were measurable improvements to the well being, job prospects and financial stability of the participants. Critics of a universal basic income policy, however, are wary of the cost to scale these kinds of programs and fund them with public dollars. Stockton’s program was and Oakland’s program will be privately funded. We’ll take up the conversation on guaranteed income programs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 populations because of the COVID-19 infection risk. That’s exacerbating friction between reform minded district attorneys and law enforcement in the state. Critics have launched recall efforts against the progressive district attorneys in Los Angeles and San Francisco. We’ll talk with San Francisco’s District Attorney, Chesa Boudin, and Vern Pierson, President of the California District Attorney Association, about their conflicting views about how to best address crime and criminal justice, and the impact the pandemic is having on the state’s crime rates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The San Francisco Unified School District is having a difficult year. They're contending with falling enrollment, a school naming controversy, a retiring Superintendent and bringing kids back to school in mid-April. There is also an existing recall effort against Board Vice President Alison Collins, given new momentum after recent revelations of old tweets condemned as Anti-Asian. Marisa Lagos talks about the state of the SFUSD and what it all means for parents and students with Heather Knight, reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle, KQED’s Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, and the SF Examiner’s Ida Mojadad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, author R.O. Kwon wrote, “I am not spending any more of my limited time alive defending the humanity of marginalized people... This long, hard week, I have felt especially pulled toward the company of fellow Asian women.” The murders have many people questioning not only how women and Asian Americans are regarded in America, but also why so much of the focus has been on the shooter and not the victims. Mina Kim examines the intersection of misogyny and racism and the aftermath of the shootings with author R.O. Kwon, WABE reporter Emil Moffatt, and The New York Time’s Juliana Kim.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 hours and impose ID requirements for absentee ballots, among other restrictions that critics say disproportionately affect Black voters. Attempts to restrict voting are not limited to Georgia. The Brennan Center for Justice reports that as of February 2021, lawmakers in 43 different states have introduced over 250 bills to restrict voting. Meanwhile in Congress, the House, with its Democratic majority, recently passed the For the People Act, a historic voter protection bill, that along with the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, faces an uncertain future in the Senate. Mina Kim talks with Nse Ufot, Dale Ho, and Eliza Sweren-Becker about why legislators are trying to make it harder to vote, and what is being done on the ground to combat these restrictive measures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recall effort against California Governor Gavin Newsom passed a few major hurdles last week, with supporters turning in more than enough signatures, and Newsom embarking on a media blitz acknowledging the likelihood of a recall election in the fall, and vowing to win it. Criticism of the governor revolves around economic hardship in the state after the long-term COVID-19 restrictions, and the slow pace of school re-openings. Marisa Lagos gives the latest on the recall effort, Newsom’s response, and other California political news with LA Times Reporter John Myers and Politico’s Carla Marinucci. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Gen Z and Millennials. For many cultures across the globe and within the United States, multigenerational households are the norm. In the U.S., however, moving in with your parents as an adult carries a stigma and is often considered a “failure to launch” or an undesirable last resort. Ariana Proehl talks with Fiza Pirani and Sarah Todd about what’s been good, bad and surprising about moving back home during the pandemic. And we want to hear from you: did you move home due to impacts of the pandemic? Did you have family move in with you? What has that been like? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 admitted, and the last degrees are likely to be awarded no later than 2023. Alexis Madrigal talks to Elizabeth Hillman, president of Mills College, about how declining enrollment, budget deficits, and the COVID-19 pandemic played into the decision and what's next for the school. And if you went to Mills, we want to hear from you. What's your reaction to the end of the college's 169-year run? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When schools closed about a year ago, graphic journalist Wendy MacNaughton started an online show for kids called DrawTogether. MacNaughton knows art is an important way to process feelings and emotions, and she wanted to help parents get kids to do art using screens to get kids off screens and draw. Alex Madrigal talks with MacNaughton about how art can help kids of all ages, and we want to hear from you. What are some of the things you’ve done to encourage your kids to be creative during the pandemic? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The number of unaccompanied children crossing the U.S. southern border has increased dramatically in recent weeks, overwhelming immigration authorities as well as organizations that house and care for them. The situation is a test for President Joe Biden, who promised a more humane response to immigration than the previous administration. Meanwhile, Republicans such as California Representative Kevin McCarthy criticized the president’s approach as akin to opening the border, a claim many experts refute. Mina Kim talks with Neha Desai, Nick Miroff, and Dianne Solis about the latest news from the border and the political shifts influencing policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 those times. A park we had never known about. A room in our home that was rarely used. A path we had walked passed many times before but never traveled upon. What was your pandemic place? Alexis Madrigal talks with journalists Geoff Manaugh and Nicola Twilley, co-authors of the forthcoming book, “Until Proven Safe” which examines quarantines from medieval Venice to outer space to reveal new ideas about quarantine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. history. Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo and a 35th-generation resident of New Mexico, will oversee the management of federal land and natural resources, as well as the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Under President Trump, the Department of the Interior rolled back a number of environmental protections and ceded vast amounts of land to commercial exploitation. President Biden has already reversed or paused a number of Trump’s policies and Haaland, who has voiced opposition to fossil fuel drilling and pipelines in the past, says she’ll be “fierce for all of us, our planet, and all of our protected land” in her new role. Mina Kim talks about Haaland’s historic confirmation, its cultural significance and the agenda in front of her with Gregory Cajete, professor of Native American Studies and Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies and Joel Clement, senior fellow at the Arctic Initiative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 forty years earlier. In fact, leading HIV researchers like Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx ended up on the frontlines of Covid. What other lessons did AIDS teach us, and what can we learn from survivors of the AIDS generation about living with Covid-19 for the long term? Alexis Madrigal talks to a panel of experts and HIV survivors, Dr. Diane Havlir and Jeff Sheehy, to get their thoughts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 stars were even enlisted to do a public service announcement about Covid. Now, a year later, the screenwriter of that movie, Scott Burns, along with UCLA epidemiologist Anne Rimoin, join us to talk about what the film got right and what unfolded in real life that they could never have predicted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For more than a decade, Americans have been having fewer children. Now, the coronavirus pandemic has intensified the decline. Researchers expect births in the United States to drop by 3.6 percent this year bringing them to their lowest point since 1969. Many people who were considering becoming pregnant last year changed their minds and unplanned pregnancies also likely fell. Mina Kim discuss what is driving down birth rates and what we can expect after the pandemic recedes with senior reporter at Vox, Anna North, associate professor of economics and gender studies Eliana Dockterman, and author of the article, "Women Are Deciding Not to Have Babies Because of the Pandemic. That’s Bad for All of Us" Samhita Mukhopadhyay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 on the cusp of the first stay-at-home order in the nation. Public health officers from 6 counties and the City of Berkeley held a press conference, telling millions of people they would need to stay mostly at home for three weeks to stop the spread of COVID-19, then with fewer than 300 known cases across the 7 jurisdictions. Most people probably had no idea that they were in for a year of lockdowns, restrictions, uncertainty and deaths. Alexis Madrigal reflects with Dr. Seema Yasmin and KQED’s Lesley McClurg back on the day it started a year ago, and the seismic changes that followed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 more than 2.6 million lives globally and rain down chaos everywhere. We've asked listeners to share the advice they'd give to their blissfully ignorant past selves, and responses have ranged from the philosophical ("things are going to get stranger") to the practical ("get ready for some picnics! Lots and lots of picnics!"). Mina Kim talks to comedian and actor Adrienne Bankert and national correspondent Teresa Puente about what pandemic life has taught us about ourselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The coronavirus pandemic magnified many existing issues facing seniors in society, including loneliness and isolation. Social distancing meant our parents and grandparents could no longer go to places of worship, senior centers, restaurants, or visit with family. Many seniors faced lockdowns in assisted living facilities or nursing homes, or were isolated in their own homes. Looking back at this past year, Rachael Myrow talks about the difficulties seniors faced and lessons to be learned from them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 the major labels that she was too “innovative” and that she wouldn’t sell records as a Black woman artist. Today, following last year’s protests for racial justice, and after one of country’s biggest stars was captured on camera using a racial slur, the country music industry is having a reckoning. We’ll talk to the Bay Area-based Marks about how she’s forged her art and identity as a Black woman in the white- and male-dominated country music industry. We’ll also talk about and hear some songs from her new album “Our Country.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden formed a task force last month to speed the reunification of migrant children separated from their parents under the last administration’s “zero tolerance” policy. Advocates for the children have been pressing officials to act with urgency and offer the families a path to citizenship and other resources. Roughly 1,000 children are thought to remain separated, and the parents of about 500 have yet to be located. We’ll talk about the status of reunification efforts, and we’ll also talk about how the Biden Administration is responding to a dramatic increase in the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Muni to cut service. The new funds help avoid further service cuts and massive layoffs. We’ll hear how the agencies are likely to use the funds, and whether they’ll be enough to reverse a massive ridership and budgetary crisis in the region's public transit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Napa and Sonoma County officials about current coronavirus restrictions, reopening, the rate of infection and the pace of vaccinations. We'll hear what makes the North Bay's experience of the pandemic unique – from bedroom communities to farm workers – plus managing the pandemic amid the pressures of a tourism-oriented economy and the threat of wildfire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 to individuals, and for things like housing aid and child care assistance. President Biden will sign the bill, called the American Rescue Plan Act, into law on Friday. The plan’s much awaited $1,400 stimulus checks, for a segment of the population, could start hitting bank accounts within one to two weeks. The package also extends the existing $300 weekly unemployment benefit until September. We’ll talk about how the plan will impact Californians and how it might boost the state’s own $7.6 billion stimulus package that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law last month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 more Californians get vaccines, and as Covid rates decline, we’ll discuss how social distancing protocols and the necessity for wearing masks should change. And we’ll talk about the latest best practices for personal protective equipment and hear from you. Have you changed your mask-wearing habits lately? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 them out by the 1860’s when they were a popular and cheap food. We’ll talk about how hard working oysters help clean waterways and provide important habitat for other sea life, and what efforts are underway to bring them back. And we’ll hear about why Olympia oysters were prized by indigenous peoples and miners alike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Newsom has been on the road, touring vaccination sites, businesses and public schools, in what feels very much like a campaign. The Governor is facing pressure from people who want coronavirus vaccinations, from parents who want their kids back in school and from businesses that want to reopen. And there's a recall effort led by disgruntled Republicans in this very blue state. We discuss the state of the state speech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google’s HR department advised employees who filed complaints about racial discrimination to get counseling or take medical leave -- suggestions irrelevant to their complaints, according to a news report from NBC News. Google drew backlash for what some workers consider a toxic and racist company culture because of events such as the firing of Timnit Gebru, April Curley and others who pushed for greater social equity within Google. We talk about how Google has responded to internal complaints of discrimination and what’s happening within its company culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 the stimulus bill and what it could mean for the Bay Area. We’ll also check in with Lee about legislation addressing voting rights, justice in policing and her call for the country to take a deep look at systemic racism by establishing a U.S. Commission on Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In California, vaccine eligibility now extends to those 65 and over, health care providers, long term care residents and workers in sectors like agriculture and childcare. And officials plan to expand eligibility to more Californians in the coming weeks. But for children under 16, for whom no vaccine has yet been authorized, the wait for a shot will likely extend until at least the end of the year. We’ll talk about the status of national pediatric vaccine trials and what health officials need to greenlight a vaccine for kids. We’ll also talk about new CDC guidance for those who are fully vaccinated Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 vegetables… and in a drought, how do you identify water-wise or drought-tolerant plants? In this hour, we talk with a panel of green-thumbed experts to hear how a novice gardener can start growing, and what are some sure-fire veggies or varieties for beginners. And we want to hear your gardening questions, especially if you’re planning your first planter box or garden or troubleshooting last season’s mistakes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Bay Area. In Los Angeles, the police commission reported a 114% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020. The troubling rise in anti-Asian violence has taken many by surprise. But for those inside the Asian American community, the crimes feel both familiar and horribly inevitable following the rhetoric of the previous White House administration. Political and media underrepresentation — and misconceptions of Asian Americans as a monolithic group — obscure a history of violence against Asian American communities. We’ll discuss that history and the current community activism metabolizing this moment as well as what lies ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 the Poetry for the People program at the University of California Berkeley, thoughtof poetry as a way to speak truth. We check in with four poets -- Jasmine Mans, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Aja Monet and Solmaz Sharif -- about making art during a challenging time, and what poems are sustaining their spirits. And, we want to hear from you, what are the first few lines of your favorite poem and what poets are you reading these days? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 style choices might become permanent, reflecting new positions on consumerism and fast fashion. But for others, the chance to return to society in trendy outfits can’t come soon enough. We’ll talk about how the pandemic has shaped our attitudes toward fashion, and we want to hear from you: tell us about the clothing that’s gotten you through, the styles you’ll stick with (or not) and whether you’re rethinking the importance of outward appearances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Brooks uncovers the racial politics at play in the recording studio, on stage, and in the reviews of everything from blues to rock and roll. Yale University African American studies professor Daphne Brooks joins us to share her take on the legacy and enduring appeal of the Black female musician. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 major depression. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that mental health-related visits to emergency rooms jumped by 24 percent for children ages 5 to 11 and 31 percent for youth ages 12 to 17 years old from April to October in 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. Experts say increased isolation, families facing financial hardships, as well as fears about the pandemic itself are fueling the trends. We talk about how the pandemic has exacerbated existing mental health problems and created new ones for young people. For more mental health resources, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Valley Children's Healthcare list of resources. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (en español: 1-888-628-9454; deaf and hard of hearing: dial 711, then 1-800-273-8255) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Governor Newsom and Democratic legislators on Monday. The thorny issue of school re-openings has plagued the state for nearly a year, with school boards, teachers unions, and parents at odds over when and how to do it safely. We’ll break down the proposed deal, which will be voted on by the state legislature on Thursday, and hear why the issue is so fraught politically. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 many years. But did you know that she’s from Newfoundland, taught first grade in New Jersey, trained doctors and surgeons to be leaders, and was an avid runner before chasing after three kids? With Mina at the helm, Forum’s second hour is now statewide, and covers the most important state and national stories through a lens of race, justice, and equity. Ariana Proehl talks to Mina about her career and her vision for the future of the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 modern filibuster, where senators delay or block a bill just by signaling their intent to filibuster, is enough to kill a bill. The Senate rules have been tweaked over the past decade, but that’s not enough to escape the filibuster’s role in history -- it became a tool to uphold slavery and block civil rights laws. Amid calls to #EndtheFilibuster and reform the Senate rules, we’ll take a step back and talk about the Senate’s role in upholding minority rule. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 responsibility for youth offenders will shift to counties. The state’s youth lockups have long been plagued by scandals and allegations of mistreatment. The move to smaller, local facilities is intended to provide a less punitive approach and increase rehabilitation and access to services. But some advocates for youth offenders worry conditions will get worse when counties take control. As counties formulate their plans ahead of the closures, we’ll talk about what juvenile justice may look like in California’s near future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Monday that the Biden Administration will seek to reunite hundreds of migrant children with their families -- either in the United States or in their country of origin -- who were separated under Trump-era zero tolerance policies. The pledge comes as officials undertake a massive overhaul of the nation’s border policies, including the elimination of Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocols, which required asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their claims were processed. We’ll talk about what the policy shifts mean and how immigration officials plan to handle what Mayorkas calls a “stressful challenge” at the border. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 parents were white. Adopted as a baby, Carroll never met another Black person in real life until she was 6. Her new memoir, “Surviving the White Gaze”, recounts episodes from her childhood and adolescence in which the people who love her most failed to see her for who she is. We'll talk with Rebecca Carroll about her book and about the experience of interracial adoption. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 host in politics journalist Jane Coaston. Coaston, who previously reported for Vox and has covered conservatism and the American right for years, writes “things on the program might get awkward, and that’s the whole point.” For her debut episode, Coaston and guests debate a contentious issue: whether the Senate should get rid of the filibuster. We’ll talk to Coaston about the show and the meaning of a productive argument in an era of political tribalism and widespread disinformation. We’ll also get her take on the latest politics news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 agency recorded a 900% increase in requests to foster a dog in the early days of the pandemic. And on the other end of the spectrum, the American Humane Society estimates that up to 10 million pets may be surrendered because of the economic strain on owners during the pandemic. With owners staying home 24/7, it seemed like a perfect world for our pets. But was it? And now that the world is slowly reopening, what will life be like for the pets we leave at home? We’ll examine the pandemic’s impact on our pets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, however, that joy is essential even during hard times, even when it feels like the world is on fire or in the face of longstanding problems such as systemic racism. For many people, the pandemic has redefined joy and how they experience it such as spending more time at home with family. We examine the role of joy during times of crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices