Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

The tragedy that unfolded on November 29, 2025, at a 2-year-old’s birthday party in Stockton, California—where four people, three of them children, were killed—was not simply an isolated act of violence. It was the latest wound in a city that has long struggled with the intersecting crises of poverty, gang culture, and systemic neglect. When children cannot be safe at a birthday party, we are forced to ask a fundamental question: What do we, as a society, owe the next generation?

This forum brings together Patrick Peterson, a father who lost his son; Harry Williams, an artist with a compassionate eye; Michelle Meow, an advocate for equity; and journalist Pendarvis Harshaw—who are all eager to break the cycle. We will examine the root causes that make tragedies like Stockton’s possible—from concentrated poverty and lack of economic opportunity, to underfunded schools and the powerful pull of gang affiliation for young people with few alternatives. We will ask what meaningful violence prevention looks like beyond increased policing, and what it takes to truly break cycles that pass trauma, instability, and danger from one generation to the next.

Stockton’s story is, in many ways, America’s story. The children who survived that birthday party—and the children who didn’t—deserve more than grief. They deserve a future. This forum is a step toward imagining what that future could look like, and what each of us can do to help build it.

The program includes a photo exhibit by Harry Williams sharing the memories of Amari Peterson, one of the victims of the Stockton mass shooting. 

About the Speakers

Patrick Peterson is the father of Amari Peterson, a 14-year-old eighth grader whose life was cut tragically short on November 29, 2025. Amari was passionate about sports—football, basketball and track—and was described by his father as “the perfect gift from God.” Every day, without fail, Amari told his father he loved him.

Patrick survived the shooting and managed to save his daughter, who was grazed by a bullet, but could not save his son. He rushed to Amari’s side and began performing CPR, but Amari did not survive.

Rather than retreat into silence, Patrick has turned his grief into action. Just weeks after the shooting, he spoke publicly at Stockton City Hall, calling for mental health resources, financial support for victims’ families, and greater investment in violence prevention—and expressed his intention, once his family regains stability, to do community work in Amari’s honor, particularly for local youth. He also traveled to the state Capitol in January 2026, joining survivors, community leaders and lawmakers from across California to demand that the legislature prioritize funding for victim support, prevention programs and harm-reduction initiatives.

Patrick Peterson’s presence at this forum is a testament to the power of a parent’s love—and to the belief that even the deepest loss can be a catalyst for change.

Oakland-raised writer Pendarvis Harshaw is a journalist for KQED Arts, where he covers music, prisons, politics and all things impacting his Northern California community.

Harry Williams was born in 1970 in Columbus, Ohio, and dedicated his life to capturing the stories of marginalized communities through photography. After graduating from West Jefferson High School, he earned his photography degree from The Ohio State University in 1995. In 1999, driven by a passion for exploration, he sold all his possessions to travel and work on a significant body of photographic work. That transformative year took him through Southeast Asia, where he documented the Black Hmong community in Northern Vietnam. This experience broadened his perspective in ways he’d never imagined, igniting his commitment to human connections and storytelling.

He is especially drawn to portraits because of the deep human connection they reveal—the powerful reflection you see when you recognize yourself in someone else’s eyes. He also photographs hands, which, like faces, tell a personal story through their cuts, wrinkles, and textures. He aims to make these tactile details as vivid as possible, so the viewer can almost feel the skin, inviting a connection that’s both visual and visceral.

His current work documents the Jones and Ellis Street community in San Francisco, a marginalized area he hopes to honor by capturing its resilience and vibrancy. He’s honored to share his work both nationally and internationally, including in the 2023 de Young Open. His dedication to cultural representation and community engagement continues to shape his artistic vision, allowing him to contribute a voice to contemporary photography.

Michelle Meow is the producer and host of “The Michelle Meow Show” on KPIX. She is a member of the board of San Francisco Pride, and a member of the Board of Governors of Commonwealth Club World Affairs.

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No American or foreign leader has met with as many sitting U.S. presidents as Queen Elizabeth II. Her 70-year reign witnessed the highs and lows of the close and crucial alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom, from the Suez crisis to Brexit. Following the advice of her mentor, Winston Churchill, to “stay close to the Americans,” Queen Elizabeth played an unexpected role behind the scenes that has never been thoroughly explored.

Susan Page changes that with her new book The Queen and Her Presidents: The Hidden Hand That Shaped History. Described as “The Crown” meets “The West Wing,” it chronicles the largely unknown story of Queen Elizabeth II’s relationship with 13 American presidents, from Harry S. Truman to Donald J. Trump. With that, she changed the world.

Veteran political reporter Susan Page goes beyond the image of a staid monarch in colorful hats to reveal a skilled strategist, who, like many powerful women, was routinely underestimated and discounted. She also shows the impact American presidents had on the monarch as she developed from a shy, anxious princess to a powerful and persuasive global leader, and analyzes both the reach and the limits of the “soft power” she wielded. These accounts of the Queen’s deft diplomacy provide candid and telling assessments of her partners in the Oval Office as well.

What was the reality of the relationship between Donald Trump and Queen Elizabeth? What did the Queen and Barack Obama think about each other? How did she navigate between Ronald Reagan and her own prime minister, Margaret Thatcher? And what about Richard Nixon seeking the Queen’s help during Watergate—and even wanting to make her a relative?

Join us for a fascinating discussion about an often underestimated figure who played a big role in the history of the United States and Britain.

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Join us for a talk with a neurologist as she reckons with the stories we tell about our brains—and the stories our brains tell us.

Such as: A girl believes she has been struck blind for stealing a kiss. A mother watches helplessly as each of her children is replaced by a changeling. A woman is haunted each month by the same four chords of a single song. 

Anand explores these topics in her new book The Mind Electric: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains, using case study, history, fable, and memoir—sources she says the medical establishment has overlooked—to explore the complexity and wonder of brains in health and in extremis, and the vast gray area between sanity and insanity, doctor and patient, and illness and wellness, each separated from the next by the thin veneer of a different story.

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Why do some struggles for justice succeed while others stall? What is needed to make effective social change, especially in today’s world? According to Rashad Robinson, it comes down to understanding the difference between presence and power. Failing to do so is one reason things got this way, but understanding how power really works is a big part of how we get out of it.

Robinson would know. As a social change strategist, he’s spent more than 20 years at the highest levels of leadership in two of the most significant social movements of our time: the fight for LGBTQ rights and the fight for racial justice. He’s taken on tech giants and the criminal justice system, politicians in Washington and corporate executives in Hollywood. He’s been on the front lines of protest and in the back rooms of negotiation.

He argues that achieving presence—the visibility of marches, media fads, and making issues popular—is not the same as gaining the leverage required to change the rules for how society works or change the decisions that politicians, corporate executives, and other people in authority make. It’s a topic he explores in his new book From Presence to Power, offering a set of essential lessons about power for people who want to understand it, gain it, and use it to make positive change. Robinson provides  tools to help everyday people build real leverage in systems designed to prevent them from doing so.

As someone who helped shape the resistance after the 2016 election, and who continues to help leaders at every level find innovative ways to fight back and win progress today, Robinson offers a hopeful, practical guide to achieving positive impact in the most challenging times. Find out how.

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When it comes to climate, we have the facts, but we aren’t moving fast enough. So we need to get climate education and solutions into the places where people already spend their time. Pop culture offers endless opportunities to influence audiences – your favorite movie or TV character can feel like a friend whose views on climate might affect your own.

In this episode, we connect moments like this to the broader media environment shaping how we understand the world. Can you be masculine and care about the climate? Can watching a character take charge of the future onscreen actually change what people believe they can do in real life? And can the stories we consume ultimately shape public attitudes and even policy outcomes?

Guests: 

Allison Begalman, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Context Collaborative; Co-founder, Hollywood Climate Summit

Michael P. Haselhuhn, Associate Professor of Management, University of California, Riverside

Brent Suter, Baseball player, Los Angeles Angels; EcoAthletes Climate Champion

Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction 

5:00 – Allison Begalman on why it’s important for climate to show up in popular culture

8:45 – Unpacking a climate-themed scene from the show “Hacks”

13:00 – Unpacking a climate-themed scene from “The Morning Show”

16:30 – Bringing new people in at the Hollywood Climate Summit

23:15 – Michael P. Haselhuhn on how men’s views on masculinity and climate change are linked

33:25 – Masculinity is multifaceted

34:30 – Kousha goes to an MMA cage fight to ask guys about their views on masculinity

40:15 – Brent Suter on where he got his nickname, “The Raptor”

42:00 – His reaction to seeing “An Inconvenient Truth” as a young person

44:00 – Speaking out against fossil fuel endorsements for pro sports

49:20 – Suter on how his faith drives his climate activism

54:30 – How Suter talks to his teammates about climate and the environment

57:40 – Climate One More Thing

For show notes and related links, visit ⁠our episode page⁠ at ClimateOne.org

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Join Climate One for an electric conversation on September 1 at 6 p.m. between PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and California State Senator Scott Wiener about energy affordability, outages, and whether cities like San Francisco are ready to break up with the investor owned utility model. Tickets available at ⁠climateone.org/events⁠ 

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With one-fifth of global oil supplies and the movement of critical LNG stuck in the crosshairs of a military standoff, the need for diplomatic off-ramps has never been more urgent. This panel brings together top diplomats and geopolitical experts to unpack the overlapping mediation efforts of key regional powers. From Pakistan’s frontline ceasefire negotiations to Qatar’s high-stakes maneuvering over nuclear frameworks and frozen assets, and Oman’s delicate balancing act of historical neutrality.

Join us as we explore how these three nations are acting as vital firewalls against catastrophe, attempting to bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran and how the two capitals respond.

ORGANIZER: Banafsheh Keynoush

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The professional world usually prioritizes urgency, but the most important moments of our lives rarely happen at the desk. In his new book Big Time Off, Sabbatical Project founder DJ DiDonna offers up a simple but radical idea: sabbaticals help us avoid sleepwalking through life by giving us time to be present in moments of celebration, difficulty, and transition.

Integrating original research and compelling stories of sabbatical-takers from all walks of life—from teachers and nonprofit leaders to startup founders and Fortune 500 employees—DiDonna explores why extended time away from work has such a profound effect on people’s identity, relationships, creativity, and direction. 
DiDonna covers when to take a sabbatical—and how to avoid waiting for a crisis to take off; why sabbaticals—unlike vacations—help you forge a new career path, feel human again, and live a more authentic life; how to navigate your sabbatical using archetypes—the explorer, the seeker, and the achiever—and avoid common pitfalls; and best practices for individuals—no matter the circumstances—and organizations of all sizes to make extended leave possible and sustainable.

Whether you dream of making a big change, exploring the world, or simply carving out space to heal, think, and recalibrate, join us to hear DiDonna discuss his guide to creating a richer, more intentional life.

About the Speakers

DJ DiDonna is a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, where he teaches entrepreneurship. In 2019, he founded The Sabbatical Project to define, explore, and research sabbaticals. DiDonna has advised over a dozen organizations on the creation of sabbatical policies, including Zappos, Google, and DaVita, and from nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies, both in the United States and around the world. He has appeared on ABC, NPR, CNBC and attended Harvard Business School, later cofounding an international credit-scoring company, EFL Global (the Entrepreneurial Finance Lab), based in Lima, Peru.

Aarti Shahani took a sabbatical from college to lead a campaign against her father’s deportation. After almost a decade, her advocacy was successful. Her family remained together in the United States. She went on to become a prominent voice for the country as an award-winning NPR correspondent, where millions of listeners have turned to her to explain the significant stories of our time. Her bestselling memoir Here We Are details the history of I.C.E. through her family’s experience. She regularly hosts conversations with leaders in business, politics and arts on her podcast “Art of Power” as well as shows like NPR’s "Fresh Air" and KQED’s "Forum."

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It has been 250 years since upstart young leaders of the American colonies declared independence from King George III and imagined founding a republic, based on a democracy of sorts, which has, over 25 decades of difficult growth and adjustment, arrived at our current version of a government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” as President Lincoln put it.

How far has our democracy come in a quarter of a millennium? And do we even believe yet in the idea at its core: that our civilization should change as the majority sees fit, with constitutional guardrails to protect us from their worst follies? Or are we almost all born authoritarians, bristling whenever the majority disagrees with our own visions of what America should be?

Caroline Winterer will explain why the appeal to classical antiquity was so central to the American Revolution, and how even today it continues to shape our sense of America’s destiny. The United States is covered with classical architecture, and has a Senate, named for the ancient Roman senate. Even 250 years after the American Revolution, we continue to ask, “Are we Rome?” Is the American experiment in government by “we the people” doomed to fail, just as Rome did long ago? How can the United States avoid Rome’s destiny? Is the appeal to Ancient Rome an opportunity—or a trap?

Ed Larson will explain why, in response to the words and deeds in the American fight for liberty, 1776 marked such a dramatic and decisive shift in patriot thinking. In a matter of months, the great bulk of American patriots went from seeking their rights as British subjects under royal rule to demanding their liberty under representative governments of their own making. With this came the corollary and similarly revolutionary embrace of the principle of the rule of law and the ideal of human political equality.  

Join us to celebrate the improbable American experiment that has partially succeeded in achieving its goals for so long.

A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.

In association with Humanities West.

Organizer: George Hammond 

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San Francisco has long been a city of dreamers, artists, innovators and cultural pioneers—a global epicenter of creativity, innovation and social change. From its modern origins during the Gold Rush to the Beat Generation, the Summer of Love, Silicon Valley and the AI revolution, each generation has shaped its own version of the city while wondering whether the San Francisco they love is disappearing.

As San Francisco experiences a new wave of growth and renewed optimism, it also faces rising costs, changing neighborhoods and mounting financial pressures on arts and cultural institutions. Many are asking: What defines San Francisco culture today, and who gets to shape its future?

Through personal stories, spirited debate, and audience engagement, we’ll explore what has endured, what has changed, and how artists, community organizers, small businesses, and social media creators are documenting, preserving and reinventing the city.

Is San Francisco culture lost, found or reimagined?

The answer may depend on who you ask.

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It’s becoming increasingly clear that how we talk about climate change matters as much as the science or policy itself. The words we use carry weight, and climate communicator Susan Joy Hassol says specific word choices, like “heat-trapping pollution” rather than “greenhouse gases,” can cut through polarization and help messages resonate with a wider range of people. Equally important is listening to what people and communities need to better handle the impacts from climate disruption.

And different audiences need different approaches. For example: adults can help children process climate fear and grief without overwhelming them by offering age-appropriate honesty paired with validation of their emotions. Good communication can be one of the most effective forms of climate action.

Guests: 

Robin Cooper, Co-Founder and President, Climate Psychiatry Alliance

Elizabeth Yeampierre, Attorney; Executive Director, UPROSE 

Susan Joy Hassol, Director, Climate Communication

Highlights:

00:00 Introduction 

2:14 Robin Cooper on climate related mental health issues young people have

5:16 Robin Cooper on how adults can help young people in their lives

12:22 Robin Cooper on having multiple conversations with young people about climate

15:57 Robin Cooper on next steps after identifying climate anxieties in young people

19:46 Elizabeth Yeampierre on what it took to get Sunset Park Solar going

29:33 Elizabeth Yeampierre on building community trust and listening

31:40 Elizabeth Yeampierre on working with other communities 

36:11 Susan Joy Hassol on not using the phrase “climate change” 

39:52 Susan Joy Hassol on the phrase “natural disasters” 

46:11 Susan Joy Hassol on dealing with hostility when discussing climate

For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit our ⁠⁠⁠⁠episode page⁠⁠⁠⁠ at climateone.org

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Join Climate One for an electric conversation on September 1 at 6 p.m. between PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and California State Senator Scott Wiener about energy affordability, outages, and whether cities like San Francisco are ready to break up with the investor owned utility model. Tickets available at ⁠climateone.org/events⁠

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Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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