KQED's Forum

In the debate about immigration, the voices of immigrants are often left out of the conversation. For his new book, “We Are Home,” veteran journalist Ray Suarez collected a series of oral histories from people who have recently arrived in America. He centers immigrants like Samir, who was born in Kenya of Yemini descent and moved to suburban Maryland as a teenager and Nelson Castillo, a successful immigration attorney who never wanted to leave his native El Salvador. With this book, Suarez hopes that people will “listen to this person’s story of how they got here, how they got over, and how much they love their country today.” Suarez joins us to talk about not only why people immigrate, but who they are.

Guests:

Ray Suarez, journalist; author of "We Are Home: Becoming American in the 21st Century, An Oral History"

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Tina. Aretha. Serena and Venus. In one word you know who these women are. And that word is DIVA. In her new book “American Diva,” Deborah Paredez argues we need to take a fresh look at what it means to be a diva. She traces the evolution of the word, using the stories of powerhouse female performers, musicians and athletes to examine how we can reclaim and celebrate the divas we know and love. Indeed, Paredez says that it’s divas — whether famous or family, like her own Tia Lucia — who embolden us to live out loud. We talk to Paredez and hear from you: Who’s the diva in your life?

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In the 1990s, Eugene Rodriguez wanted to help his teenage students learn Son Jarocho, a regional folk music style from Mexico. So he organized a weeks-long road trip from the Bay Area to Veracruz where that genre of music originates. That is one of the memorable experiences Rodriguez has had as founder of Los Cenzontles, a music group and nonprofit organization based in San Pablo. Hundreds of East Bay young people, mostly of Mexican descent, have come through the organization’s music, dance, and art classes that center traditional folk music from Mexico. Rodriguez chronicles his work celebrating folk music and using it to empower young people in his new memoir, “Bird of Four Hundred Voices: A Mexican American Memoir of Music and Belonging.” We’ll talk with Rodriguez, who will join us in studio with other musicians from Los Cenzontles for a live performance.

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California’s home insurance market is a mess. Across the state, major insurers are canceling policies or leaving the market altogether – citing disaster risks that outpace their ability to set rates and cover potential losses. Meanwhile, the state’s FAIR plan, conceived as a temporary policy of last resort for homeowners, has seen an enrollment spike. State regulators are now attempting to bring insurers back to disaster-prone areas – in exchange for fast tracking rate adjustments and expanding the risk-assessment models that insurers can use. We’ll learn more and hear from you: Have you lost your homeowners insurance? How have you coped?

Guests:

Daniellle Vanton, science reporter, KQED News

MIchael Wara, policy director for the Sustainability Accelerator at the Doerr School of Sustainability; director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program; senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University

Michael Soller, deputy insurance commissioner for Communications & Press Relations, State of California

Megan Fan Munce, reporter covering California’s home insurance crisis, The San Francisco Chronicle

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Busy and frazzled people often say, “I wish I could clone myself!” Journalist Evan Ratliff did just that. Using easily available technology and artificial intelligence, he created a voice clone that could answer calls, carry on conversations, and literally do his job. The brave new world he created spawned all sorts of weird and unsettling moments, like when his voice clones began talking to each other and making up a whole new life for him. Ratliff explores the experience in his new podcast, “Shell Game.” We talk to Ratliff…and his voice clone.

Guests:

Evan Ratliff, investigative journalist and host, "Shell Game" podcast; author, "The Mastermind: A True Story of Murder, Empire, and a New Kind of Crime Lord"; cofounder and editor in chief, Atavist magazine; former podcast host, "Longform"

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If global temperatures continue to increase, new research suggests that by 2050 past Winter Olympics host cities — like Oslo, Vancouver and Lake Tahoe — likely won’t be cold enough for the Games. And some summer events may be in jeopardy too. In her new book “Warming Up,” sport ecology expert Madeleine Orr explains why “climate change is threatening sport in every corner of the world,” including wildfire- and drought-prone California. We talk to Orr about the future of the Olympics amid climate change – and how all sports are changing in our climate reality, from Paris to the little leagues. Are you a coach or athlete who’s had to adapt to climate change?

Guests:

Madeleine Orr, assistant professor of sport ecology, University of Toronto - author, “Warming Up: How Climate Change Is Changing Sport"

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After more than a century in the Bay Area, Chevron announced it is moving its headquarters from San Ramon to Houston, but the company’s refineries in Richmond and El Segundo remain for now. California was once a leading producer of oil, and today remains the nation’s seventh largest oil producer. But Governor Gavin Newsom has vowed to phase out the oil and gas industry by 2045. As California transitions towards an energy future that is less dependent on fossil fuel, what kinds of obstacles will the state, industries and workers face in the short and long term?

Guests:

Sammy Roth, energy reporter, Los Angeles Times

George Avalos, business reporter, Bay Area News Group

Devashree Saha, director, US Clean Energy Economy Program

Dan Walters, columnist, CalMatters

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Vice President Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 presidential election. Walz is a former school teacher and veteran of the Army National Guard. Under his leadership as Governor, Minnesota enshrined access to abortion in the state constitution, expanded universal meals in school, legalized marijuana, and enacted gun control measures. Walz has been criticized by Republicans for his hesitation to deploy the National Guard to Minneapolis in 2020, in response to protests following the killing of George Floyd. His labeling of Republicans as “weird” has also gone viral in recent weeks. We’ll talk about the newly-minted Harris-Walz ticket and analyze what it signals for the presumptive Democratic nominees. We’ll also discuss the challenges Harris and Walz could face ahead of November, as they embark on a whirlwind campaign across battleground states today.

Guests:

Christopher Cadelago, California’s Bureau Chief, Politico - and former White House Correspondent

Erica L. Green, White House correspondent, The New York Times

Yasmeen Abutaleb, White House Reporter, The Washington Post

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Across social media, people are posting about their experiences ending contact with family members, which experts say is a growing trend. Studies have found that about a quarter of adults in America are estranged from a relative with parent-child estrangements as the most common. Becoming estranged from family can provide an escape from abuse or problematic relationships and allow space for healing. But some therapists are concerned the no-contact-family trend is doing more harm than good. We’ll talk about what drives families apart and when and how to heal broken relationships.

Guests:

Kui Mwai, freelance writer. She recently published an article in Vogue titled, “Why So Many People (Myself Included) Are Experiencing Family Estrangement."

Josh Coleman, psychologist; author, “Rules for Estrangement: Why Adult Children Cut Ties and How to Heal the Conflict”

Violetta Fernandez, licensed mental health therapist and parental estrangement coach

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When an elderly loved one starts to show signs they’re having trouble living independently, initiating conversations about elder care can be challenging. We talk to gerontologist Dr. Louise Aronson about how to broach sensitive topics like giving up driving, accepting in-home assistance or transitioning to a care facility. And we’ll hear from you: how have you navigated conversations about elder care with a parent or loved one? Or if you’re an older individual, how have you advocated for yourself?

Guests:

Louise Aronson, geriatrician and professor of medicine, University of California, San Francisco; author of "Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life"

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