KQED's Forum

A bill banning caste-based discrimination in California workplaces is moving through the state legislature after the emergence of several high profile discrimination claims in Silicon Valley’s South Asian community. The claims were brought by Dalits, the most oppressed class in the social hierarchy determined by birth, who say they faced blatant prejudice from coworkers, and were punished when they tried to speak out. Opponents of the bill question the prevalence of caste discrimination in the United States and say the legal focus fuels negative stereotypes of South Asians and Hindus. We’ll talk to the lawmaker who wrote the bill and members of the South Asian community fighting for and against the law.

Guests:

Aisha Wahab, State Senator, from Hayward, CA

Sonia Paul, independent journalist covering caste in the United States; producer, audio documentary for BBC, "The Hidden Caste Codes of Silicon Valley"

Prem Pariyar, human relations commissioner, Alameda County

Suhag Shukla, executive director and co-founder, Hindu American Foundation

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When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action last month, its ruling was focused on college admissions. But some legal experts say that, in practice, the ruling could also discourage diversity efforts by employers. Many workplaces instituted diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. But three years later, those policies are facing scrutiny from conservative legal groups — whom experts say may now be emboldened by the court’s ruling. We’ll talk about the role of DEI practices in the workplace, pushback these efforts may face and how it could all affect diversity where you work.

Guests:

Noam Scheiber, reporter covering workers and the workplace, The New York Times

Nicole Sanchez, founder & CEO, Vaya Consulting - which advises tech and media companies on issues related to diversity and culture

Richard Thompson Ford, professor of Law, Stanford Law School

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California native Ada Limón is the new poet laureate of the United States. She plans on, “elevating and promoting the expansiveness of poetry.” Limón, who has published six volumes of poetry, grew up in Sonoma and now lives in Kentucky. She says that poetry lived and breathed in her community growing up and has been key to her solitude as well as her sense of connection. She steps into her new role when America needs healing and unifying from art and artists. Limón joins us to talk about her work, her love of poetry, and how she’s reimagining America’s relationship to poetry.

This segment originally aired Aug. 26.

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How can we live the good life, one enlivened by joy, meaning and community? That’s the question UC Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner has been exploring for the last 20 years, and he says he’s found the answer: find awe. It’s the emotion we experience when we encounter vast mysteries — in nature, in art and even in sport. We talk to Keltner about the science of awe and we’ll hear what you find awe-inspiring.

This segment originally aired January 9, 2023.

Guests:

Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley; author, "Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life"

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Did you know that Rocky Road ice cream originated in Oakland? Or that Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were once married in San Francisco City Hall? Or that a disaster in Concord helped desegregate our nation’s military? Our region is full of fascinating history that even some lifelong residents don’t know about. Uncovering forgotten history and solving local mysteries is what KQED’s Bay Curious podcast is all about. And now, the show’s reporting is in a book, “Bay Curious: Exploring the Hidden True Stories of the San Francisco Bay Area.” KQED’s Olivia Allen-Price, host of Bay Curious joins us to talk about investigating forgotten histories, legendary locals, and the many quirks and oddities that make the Bay Area unique.

This segment originally aired May 10, 2023

Guests:

Olivia Allen-Price, Host, KQED's Bay Curious - a podcast that investigates questions asked by local residents about things both profound and peculiar that make the Bay Area unique.

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Gabrielle Zevin’s most recent novel “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” draws its title from what Zevin calls one of the bleakest speeches in all of Shakespeare, as Macbeth contemplates life’s monotony and meaninglessness. But to one of her characters, the soliloquy is hopeful, and it expresses the essence of a video game: “the idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.” We talk to Zevin about the video games, art and friendships that animate the novel, and why California occupies a special place in it.

This segment originally aired January 20, 2023.

Guests:

Gabrielle Zevin, author, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow"

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Singer Sid Sriram was born in southern India, but his family moved to Fremont when he was just a year old. His voice and his sound are the product of his family’s legacy as carnatic traditional signers and of a childhood in the Bay Area suburbs, listening to jazz and hip hop. Sriram has already achieved fame in India, his career expanded globally after singing for Grammy-Award winning composer A.R. Rahman, and he was recently featured in an NPR Tiny Desk Concert. He joins us in our studio to sing from his new album and talk about growing up Indian-American in the Fremont and what it’s like to be more famous halfway across the world than where you went to high school.

This segment originally aired June 9, 2023

Guests:

Sid Sriram, musician, his forthcoming album is Sidharth

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“Black history,” writes award-winning artist and graphic designer George McCalman, “tends to mean the ten people who are lauded every Black History Month of every Black History Year.” McCalman upends that constricted notion in his most recent book, “Illustrated Black History,” a tribute to 140 pioneering – but sometimes unseen – Black artists, advocates and thinkers who have “sacrificed their lives and livelihoods or forfeited their homes and sanctuaries” in the course of defining American history. We talk to McCalman about those he chose to profile, paint and celebrate.

This segment originally aired February 16, 2023.

Guests:

George McCalman, artist, graphic designer and creative director; His most recent book is "Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and the Unseen"

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In her new book, “Raw Dog: The Naked Truth about Hot Dogs,” author and comedian Jamie Loftus dials in on why America loves the hot dog: “They’re high culture, they’re low culture, they’re sports food and they’re hangover food and they’re deeply American for reasons that few people can explain but everyone has been told their entire lives.” Loftus chronicles her cross-country journey eating some of the country’s most famous hot dogs like JJ Red Hots in North Carolina, Nathan’s Famous in New York, and Ben’s Chili Bowl in D.C. Along the way, she also delves into the history of the hot dog and devotes an entire chapter to how a hot dog is made. In her words, a hot dog is “garbage being repurposed as mass-appeal food.” While light-hearted, Loftus offers a steely look at the meatpacking and food services industry. We’ll talk to Loftus and hear from you: How do you feel about hot dogs?

This segment originally aired June 2, 2023

Guests:

Jamie Loftus, author, "Raw Dog: The Naked Truth about Hot Dogs"; Emmy-nominated TV writer; podcast host, “My Year In Mensa” and "Bechdel Cast"

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The egg, writes Lizzie Stark, is a "universe in a shell." It’s an ingenious piece of tech that contains everything a developing embryo needs, and it’s a symbol of the cosmos in creation myths across cultures. It’s been a tool of political protests, the target of wildlife poachers and the center of a Gold Rush-era territorial war on the Farallon Islands. It’s also inspired painters, conceptual artists and countless cooks. We talk to Stark about her new ode to the ovoid “Egg: A Dozen Ovatures.”

This segment originally aired March 28, 2023. 

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