Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

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.SPEAKERSMichelle DusterAdjunct Professor, Creative Writing, Columbia College Chicago; Author, Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. WellsIn Conversation with LaDoris CordellJudge (ret.); Member, Commonwealth Club Board of GovernorsMLF ORGANIZER: George HammondMLF: HumanitiesPart of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.Our thanks to Marcus Bookstore in Oakland for fulfilling book ordersIn 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