Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Jennifer Doudna has changed the life-science field. In 1987, she and her collaborators created CRISPR, an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA, and opened a brave new world of medical miracles. Conversely, the invention of CRISPR raised many moral questions. With the device, scientists can now detect and destroy DNA, hypothetically making humans less susceptible to viruses, preventing depression, enhancing individual height or muscles or IQ.

In his new book The Code Breaker, famed biographer Walter Isaacson follows Doudna from when she first learned what “the double helix” is all the way to her winning the 2020 Nobel Prize. Driven by a passion to understand how nature works and to turn discoveries into inventions, Doudna has become a leader in the scientific field, often wrestling with the moral issues that arise from her discovery.

Join us as Walter Isaacson traces a thrilling detective tale that involves the most profound wonders of nature, from the origins of life to the future of our species.

NOTES

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Part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

This program is done in association with Wonderfest.

SPEAKERS

Walter Isaacson

Professor of History, Tulane University, Former CEO, Aspen Institute, Author, The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race

In Conversation with Kishore Hari

Strategic Partnerships, Science Communications and Engagement, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

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 17th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Join us for a discussion of women in politics, paths to success, making a difference, and how female leaders are shaping the future. 

Meet the Speakers

Malia M. Cohen serves as a member of the California State Board of Equalization (BOE), California’s elected tax commission. She was elected to the BOE in November 2018, served as Chair in 2019, and is the first African-American woman to serve on the Board. As the BOE Board Member for District 2, she represents 10 million constituents living in all or parts of 23 counties extending from Del Norte County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south. In January 2019, her BOE Board Member colleagues unanimously selected her to serve as Chair of the Board. A strong advocate for social justice and inclusion, Board Member Cohen pledges to ensure that the views of all who come before the Board of Equalization are considered carefully, with respect, civility, and courtesy.

Fiona Ma, CPA, is California’s 34th state treasurer. She was elected on November 6, 2018 with more votes (7,825,587) than any other candidate for treasurer in the state's history. She is the first woman of color and the first female Certified Public Accountant (CPA) elected to the position. Ma was a member of the State Assembly from 2006–2012, serving as speaker pro tempore from 2010–2012. Prior to serving as speaker pro tempore, she was Assembly majority whip and built coalitions during a state budget crisis to pass groundbreaking legislation that protected public education and the environment while also expanding access to health care.

Stefanie G. Roumeliotes, a native to the San Francisco Bay Area, has parlayed her passions for supporting political candidates and causes, and enhancing the welfare of others, into a highly productive career as a seasoned strategist and fundraiser in the political and non-profit arenas. Recognized nationally as a leader in her field, Stefanie has established an admirable reputation for handling each enterprise she manages with expertise and success. In 2004, Stefanie founded SGR Consulting, of which she is CEO.

SPEAKERS

Malia M. Cohen

Member, California State Board of Equalization; Former Member, San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Fiona Ma

CPA, Treasurer, State of California; Former Member, San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Stefanie G. Roumeliotes

Founder and CEO, SGR Consulting; Northwestern Finance Director, Hillary Clinton 2008 Presidential Campaign

Michelle Meow

Producer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show," KBCW/KPIX TV and Podcast; 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

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 18th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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What has the impact of the pandemic been on the environment? What happens when there is a confluence of climate change, racial tensions and a pandemic?

Yarnold and Mackenzie will discuss the ways we can be more connected to the environment during this time with special guest Tiwari.

In Partnership with Santa Clara County Office of Education, Santa Clara County Library District, and San Jose Public Library.

SPEAKERS

David Yarnold

President, National Audubon Society

Andrea Mackenzie

General Manager, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority

Vayun Tiwari

Youth Winner of the 2020 National Audubon Society’s National Photography Award

Sal Pizarro

Columnist, Mercury News—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 18th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of shelter-in-place orders in the Bay Area, life for millions has changed drastically throughout the region. Among the most significant changes to date has been in the innovation and tech economy, which has super-charged the region's employment and housing markets. Over the past year, many of the region's top companies have announced new work-from-home policies that will outlast the pandemic. Meanwhile, many start up companies have folded and many tech employees have left the city itself, if not the region.

The Bay Area tech and innovation economy has gone through challenges before, but is this time different? And what will these changes mean for the region's economy. Please join us for the first of several conversations on the future of the economy of San Francisco after the COVID-19 pandemic.

SPEAKERS

Jennifer Stojkovic

Executive Director, sf.citi

Ahmad Thomas

CEO, Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Sean Randolph

Senior Director, Bay Area Economic Institute—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 18th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused myriad changes, but one of special significance has been the little-publicized flow of aid to the United States from China-based Americans, Chinese organizations and citizens, and even the Chinese government itself. This has taken the form of donations of personal protective equipment (PPE), cash and valuable services. Diverse organizations such as MedShare International, Flexport.org and the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai have entered into agreements and partnerships to benefit U.S.-based hospitals, such as San Francisco’s own Chinese Hospital.

Join us for a discussion with representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AmCham Shanghai), Chinese Hospital, Flexport.org, MedShare International and San Francisco State University; the program will be moderated by KPIX's Betty Yu.

Meet the Speakers

David Basmajian is senior advisor for public affairs at Takeda Pharmaceuticals and served as a member of the Board of Governors at the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. David was instrumental in bringing overseas support from China to many nonprofit organizations in the United States, including Chinese Hospital. 

Jason Chernock serves as director of programs and partnerships for MedShare. He focuses on building partnerships with the health-care industry to advance MedShare’s mission and oversees the organization’s national gift-in-kind strategy. Jason joined MedShare in 2014. 

Dave Hartman is an operations manager at Flexport.org, which expedites free shipping of health-care and disaster relief supplies for nonprofit organizations engaged in humanitarian response work. He previously worked on a disaster response team with Save the Children, deploying to emergencies in Iraq, Liberia, Nepal and Jordan.

Eric Talbert teaches at San Francisco State University in the Nonprofit Management Program. He also has more than 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience with a focus on advancing human rights locally and globally. In his former role at MedShare, Eric drew together nonprofit health-care organizations with much-needed PPE, free shipping via Flexport, as well as import assistance.

Dr. Jian Zhang has been CEO of Chinese Hospital since 2017. Her service throughout the Chinese Hospital system began in 1996. Among numerous awards and certifications, Dr. Zhang is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. In 2021 she was named a Distinguished Woman of the Year for the State of California by Assemblymember David Chiu.

Betty Yu joined KPIX 5 in November 2013 as a general assignment reporter. A Bay Area native, Betty graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with degrees in political science and rhetoric. She also has a Master of Science degree in journalism from Columbia University.

MLF ORGANIZER

Ian McCuaig and Lillian Nakagawa

NOTES

MLF: Asia-Pacific Affairs

SPEAKERS

David Basmajian

Senior Advisor for Public Affairs, Takeda Pharmaceuticals

ason Chernock

Director of Programs and Partnerships, MedShare

Eric Talbert

San Francisco State University, Nonprofit Management Program

Dave Hartman

Senior Operations Associate, Flexport.org

Dr. Jian Zhang

CEO, Chinese Hospital

Betty Yu

Reporter, KPIX—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 17th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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African Americans currently make up 5 percent of San Francisco's population but also comprise nearly 40 percent of its homeless residents. African Americans are also reported to have the city's highest mortality rates and lowest median household incomes, along with a disproportionately high percentage of police use-of-force incidents.

To improve these conditions, based on recommendations from a community engagement process led by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Board of Supervisors President Shamann Walton have proposed a budget that will enact "transformative change" and spur investment in the AfrIcan-American community. The budget will redirect $120 million from law enforcement agencies and into programs that support the city’s Black community. These funds would go toward initiatives expanding mental health and wellness and reducing homelessness in the Black community; supporting education, youth development and economic opportunities; and developing a plan to replace police officers with social workers as the main responders to noncriminal calls involving the homeless and mentally ill.

Join an important discussion about the current state and future of San Francisco's African-American community.

Held in association with INFORUM.

SPEAKERS

London Breed

Mayor of San Francisco

Shamann Walton

President, San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Fred Blackwell

CEO, The San Francisco Foundation—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 5th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Join us for a virtual discussion with Fatima Shaik about New Orleans' vibrant and singular French-speaking Creole culture.

Statistics show that for the first four decades of the 19th century, almost half of the city’s Black people were free. This compares to only 14 percent nationwide prior to 1865. In the face of an oppressive white society, though, members of the Société d'Economie et d'Assistance Mutuelle built a community and held it together throughout the era of slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow terrorism. Shaik reconstructs the Economy Hall culture by following Ludger Boguille, and his family and friends, through landmark events—from the Haitian Revolution to the birth of jazz—that helped shape New Orleans and the United States.

Based on a century's worth of handwritten journals, which Shaik's father rescued from a trash hauler's pickup truck, the story that emerges from those journals' pages reveals one of the most important multiethnic, intellectual communities in the U.S. South: educators, world-traveling merchants, soldiers, tradesmen, and poets. Although Louisiana law classified them as men of color, Negroes, or Blacks, the Economie brothers rejected these racial distinctions, and their implied racism and colorism, to fight for suffrage and education rights for all.

Shaik, a direct descendant of an Economy Hall member, has constructed a meticulously detailed narrative of New Orleans' unique history.

MLF ORGANIZER

George Hammond

NOTES

MLF: Humanities

SPEAKERS

Fatima Shaik

Author, Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free, Black Brotherhood

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 11th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Anti-Asian crimes have spiked since the pandemic started, with more than 3,000 incidents occurring all across the country. What is behind this increase in hate crimes, what is being done about it, and what still needs to be done to stop it?

Join us for a discussion with three Asian American leaders about addressing anti-Asian violence in America.

Nikki Fortunato Bas is president of the Oakland City Council and represents District 2, one of the most diverse districts in the city. Since taking office in 2019, she led the passage of the strongest COVID-19 eviction moratorium in the state of California and a COVID-19 grocery worker hazard pay $5 wage bonus covering 2,000 workers in Oakland’s largest grocery stores.

Russell Jeung is a professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. In 2020, Dr. Jeung launched Stop AAPI Hate, a project of Chinese for Affirmative Action, the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council, and San Francisco State Asian American Studies. It tracks COVID-19 related discrimination in order to develop community resources and policy interventions to fight racism.

Michelle Kim is a queer immigrant Korean American woman writer, speaker and entrepreneur challenging the status quo in tech and beyond. She is the CEO of Awaken, a leading provider of interactive equity and inclusion education programs facilitated by majority BIPOC educators, where she has consulted hundreds of organizations and top executives from Fortune 500, tech giants, nonprofits and government agencies to spark change.

NOTES

The Commonwealth Club thanks Gilead Sciences, Inc. for its generous support of The Michelle Meow Show. 

The Michelle Meow Show thanks Kaiser Permanente for its support of independent LGBTQ media producers. 

SPEAKERS

Nikki Fortunato Bas

President, Oakland City Council

Russell Jeung

Professor of Asian American Studies, San Francisco State University; Author, Family Sacrifices: The Worldviews and Ethics of Chinese Americans

Michelle Kim

CEO, Awaken; Author,The Wake Up: Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change (Forthcoming)

Michelle Meow

Producer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show" on KBCW/KPIX TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors; Twitter @msmichellemeow—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 11th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Guests:

Céline Cousteau, Explorer and Filmmaker

Davis Guggenheim, Director, An Inconvenient Truth; Founder, Concordia Studio 

Cristina Mittermeier, National Geographic Photographer; Co-Founder, SeaLegacy

While IPCC risk assessments and emission projections can help us understand climate change, they don’t exactly inspire the imagination or provoke a personal response to the crisis. But a growing league of storytellers is using photographs, films and the human experience to breathe life into the cerebral science of climate change and conservation. So how can films, photographs, and the human experience convey the urgency of the climate story? 

“15 years ago we needed to convince people that it was real,” notes director and producer Davis Guggenheim, “and then we need to convince people that humans are causing it. And then you want to convince people that this is the most urgent story of our time.”

Guggenheim’s documentaries include He Named Me Malala, Waiting for Superman, and a certain Academy award-winning film with former Vice-President Al Gore. Over the years he’s learned that good climate storytelling requires a delicate balance between a compelling character and a path to action.

“We always thought the An Inconvenient Truth was a redemption story about a politician who lost an election,” he says, “and it was his mission in life to tell this truth that he knew.”

Sometimes the compelling character in a climate narrative is the filmmaker herself. In Tribes on the Edge, a new documentary that explores the threats to the land, rights, and health of the Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley in the Brazilian Amazon, explorer and filmmaker Céline Cousteau reluctantly made herself part of the story. 

“I did place myself in front of the camera so that I would create a bridge,” Cousteau says, “so that the audience would follow me as somebody perhaps more familiar, more accessible, the neighbor, and follow me into this adventure.”

Other visual artists, like photographer Cristina Mittermeier, try to let the images speak for themselves. 

“I don't like photographing indigenous people as if they were encapsulated in the past in a romanticized way that no longer exist,” she says, “they live and walk amongst us and they look like us.”

Whatever their methods, these storytellers share a goal of trying to create a more equitable relationship with nature through images and sound.

“Do not ever forget that one of your main focus and goals is to shift consciousness,” explains Céline Cousteau, “and you may never know exactly what your films or stories have done, but you need to believe in what you're doing.”

RELATED LINKS:

He Named Me Malala

My Octopus Teacher

SeaLegacy

Tribes on the Edge

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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.

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