Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Daphne Muse is a Bay Area writer, social commentator and cultural broker. Her collection of more than 3,700 handwritten and typed letters dating back to 1958 reflects the voices of activists, writers, artists, actors, world leaders and media innovators who shaped movements, created new artistic visions and drove the intellectual and cultural discourse for civil rights and human rights for the 20th and the early years of the 21st century. Award-winning authors Gwendolyn Brooks, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, along with political prisoners, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, 44th President Barack Obama and architect Sir David Adjaye, are among the hundreds with whom she's corresponded. Fifty-two letters from students at the University of Baltimore were recently added to the collection. In an interview with retired Judge LaDoris Cordell, Muse will discuss and read from the letters in her collection, reflecting the voices of key figures in the civil rights, Pan-African, and black power movements. Come for a unique chance to see history through the words of those who lived it.

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Monday Night Philosophy looks into the local history of how the Civic Center was created. San Francisco is known for its iconic man-made structures such as the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars and the Transamerica Pyramid. Its Civic Center is yet another of its urban planning marvels. Featuring the grandest collection of monumental municipal buildings in the United States, it was originally planned and designed by John Galen Howard in 1912 and is considered one of the finest achievements of the American reformist City Beautiful Movement. James Haas meticulously unravels the story of why the Civic Center was built, of how it became central to the city's urban planning initiatives in the early 20th century, and of how it held onto its founders’ vision despite heated public debates about its function and achievement. Its history is riddled with controversy as well as inspiring leadership, but the Civic Center remains a stunning manifestation of the confident spirit of San Francisco's dynamism and creativity. MLF Organizer: George Hammond MLF: Humanities

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This event is the latest in the San Francisco Foundation’s series on People, Place and Power. Being a teenager is difficult in the best of times, but the universal work of figuring out your identity, your passions, and your path and place in the world can be even more daunting for some. Youth of color, immigrants, LGBTQ community members, and those with disabilities or in low-income households are just some of the populations who face unique challenges. Place those against the backdrop of a Bay Area where inequality is rising, long-time residents are being displaced and the tech sector (literally) towers above, and you’ve got a whole generation grappling with unprecedented questions. So how are young people surviving and thriving in a changing region? What happens when their identities are intersectional and don’t fit into a simple narrative? How are they raising awareness on critical issues to change perceptions, influence policy and spur civic engagement—and how can we better listen? Bay Area youth will take the stage to tell us just how they’re addressing questions of representation, activism and equity as they grow up in this beautiful region of contradictions. Join us to hear the next generation speak for themselves. NOTES Presented in association with KQED Program made possible by the foundation’s Bay Area Leads Fund

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Located in the geopolitically important Caucasus region of Eastern Europe, Georgia serves as a vital U.S. ally and a gateway for American companies to access Eurasian markets. Georgia, the birthplace of wine, is bordered to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, and to the south by Turkey and Armenia. Georgia regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and for more than 25 years, its government has been a representative democracy. Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze will address U.S.–Georgia bilateral relations and further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two nations, as well as the role Georgia plays as a stable democratic stronghold in its region. He will also discuss Georgia’s championing of sustainable and inclusive economic development and provide a perspective on advancing America’s commercial interests in Eurasia and beyond. Under Bakhtadze’s leadership, Georgia seeks stronger economic ties with Silicon Valley and the United States. Bakhtadze has been prime minister of Georgia since June 2018. He is committed to strengthening democracy and fostering a vibrant and sustainable economy. He has helped advance Georgia’s integration into the European Union and NATO, standing shoulder to shoulder with allies to strengthen global security. Domestically, Bakhtadze introduced a green economy agenda and lean government initiative that reduced the number of ministries and redirected budget expenditures to social programs. He has launched a comprehensive reform program to overhaul the country’s education system and pledged to allocate 6 percent of GDP to boost human capital development and empower sustainable economic growth. Prior to becoming prime minister, Bakhtadze served as minister of finance of Georgia. In this role, he carried out a number of reforms to simplify banking regulations and the country’s tax system. From 2013 to 2017, Bakhtadze worked as a CEO of JSC Georgian Railway, earning a place for Georgian Railway as one of the leaders in the industry. This program was produced in association with World Affairs of Northern California.

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In late May, millions of Europeans will head to the voting booth for elections that will determine the future of the European Union (EU). As the Brexit controversy deepens and a violent populism rises in several European countries, this year's parliamentary elections will be decisive for the EU’s survival and instrumental in how major powers, including the United States, are affected. Please join renowned economist, academic and author James K. Galbraith in a discussion of economics, politics and the state of the European continent after the critical elections. He will be in conversation with the UC Berkeley philosopher Hans Sluga, an expert in political philosophy, to celebrate the book launch of A Vision for Europe: an international collaboration of writers, theorists, artists, political leaders and activists who have joined forces in one groundbreaking volume of exclusive writing to show how the rising tides of nationalism can be tempered; the migration crisis managed; climate change combatted; and a better, fairer democracy built for all Europeans. The book, with additional contributions from leading political and cultural figures across the globe, including Yanis Varoufakis, Naomi Klein, Slavoj Zizek, Elif Shafak, Ken Loach and Jeffrey Sachs, will be available at the event. Overview of Speakers: James Kenneth Galbraith is a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the University of Texas as well as a member of the Executive Committee of the World Economics Association. A prolific writer whose work has been featured in The Nation, The New York Times and The Washington Post, his books include The Predator State (2008), Inequality and Industrial Change (2001), and Created Unequal: The Crisis in American Pay (1998). Hans D. Sluga is an academic specializing in analytic and political philosophy who has taught and lectured for the University of California and University College London. His writing has appeared in numerous academic journals and collections across the world in multiple languages, and his books include Politics and the Search for the Common Good (2014), The Cambridge Companion to Wittgenstein (1996), and Philosophy and Politics in Nazi Germany (1993).

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In a rich and varied career that has included roles as U.S. secretary of state, secretary of the treasury and secretary of labor, George P. Shultz has aided presidents, confronted national and international crises, and argued passionately that the United States has a vital stake in promoting democratic values and institutions. In speeches, articles, congressional testimony and conversations with world leaders, he has helped shape policy and public opinion on topics such as technology, terrorism, drugs and climate change. The result is a body of work that has influenced the decisions of nations and leaders and impacted the lives of ordinary people. In his newest book, Thinking About the Future, Secretary Shultz has collected and revisited key writings, applying his past thinking to America’s most pressing contemporary problems. In the more than half a century since Shultz entered public life, the world has changed dramatically. But he remains guided by the belief that “you can learn about the future—or at least relate to it—by studying the past and identifying principles that have continuing application to our lives and our world.” Here’s a rare chance to hear from one of America’s most respected statesmen.

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Join us for this voyage spécial to Paris, with three travel writers who share their love of all things Parisian. They will talk about their own adventures and also read excerpts from a new edition of Vignettes & Postcards from Paris, the award-winning anthology originally created at Shakespeare and Company bookstore. Come enjoy a discussion of Parisian literary and creative culture of the past and present. MLF Organizer: George Hammond MLF: Humanities

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Have you ever taken an underground sewer tour in San Francisco? Or wandered through a labyrinth where the land meets the sea? Secret San Francisco unlocks these secrets and other little-known stories about our city’s most enduring icons. You’ll find out about the real crookedest street, local windmills and an airport for flying boats. Along the way, you’ll encounter bizarre and often hilarious history, including the origins of Burning Man, Santa Con and the fight to legalize public nudity. And did you know that San Francisco was the site of the last American duel? Carlson takes you places locals would rather keep to themselves—that is, if they even knew about them! MLF Organizer: George Hammond MLF: Humanities

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Four years ago, 21 student plaintiffs sued the U.S. government for violating their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property by failing to act on climate change. On the other side of the world, 15-year-old Greta Thunberg initiated a global youth strike for climate, prompting 1.6 million students in over 120 countries to leave school in protest of adult inaction. Will this global surge in youth climate action be enough to influence the decisions of industry and fossil fuel interests, let alone the current presidential administration?

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In 1953, Robert Cutler—the first person appointed to be national security advisor to the president, and one of the closest aides to new President Dwight Eisenhower—helped put into effect an executive order that destroyed the lives of thousands of federal employees just because they were homosexual. What was not known at the time is that Cutler himself was gay. Come hear Cutler's great-nephew, Peter Shinkle, tell what he found out about Cutler, his life, and his impact. Peter Shinkle worked for 19 years as a reporter at various news organizations, including most recently the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He covered the federal court system and wrote investigative stories on subjects ranging from improper disposal of radioactive waste to contamination spread by a lead mining company. Shinkle is the great-nephew of Robert Cutler. It was during a family vacation in 2006 that his mother, Judith Cutler Shinkle, and his aunt told him that their "Uncle Bobby" was gay. That sparked a 12-year endeavor to explore the story of the man who was one of President Eisenhower's closest advisors. Join us as Michelle Meow brings her long-running daily radio show to The Commonwealth Club one day each week. Meet fascinating—and often controversial—people discussing important issues of interest to the LGBTQ community, and have your questions ready.

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