KQED's Forum

Seventy-four percent of Asian American and Pacific Islander women reported having personally experienced racism or discrimination in the last 12 months, according to a new study by the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. The news comes as we approach the March 16 anniversary of the murder of eight people, most of them Asian women, at three Atlanta-area spas. We’ll discuss the latest data on harassment and hate crimes against Asian Americans and what civil rights groups and others are doing to fight it

Guests:

Russell Jeung, professor of Asian American studies, San Francisco State University; co-founder, Stop AAPI Hate

R.O. Kwon , author, the novel "The Incendiaries,"; co-editor, the anthology "KINK: Stories," and the Vanity Fair article, "A Letter to My Fellow Asian Women Whose Hearts Are Still Breaking."

Nellie Tran, Associate Professor of Counseling and School Psychology, San Diego State University.

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Nastia Voynovskaya, an associate editor for KQED Arts, was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and raised in the Bay Area and Florida after her family immigrated to the U.S. in the late nineties. In a recent story for KQED, she shares that for many former Soviet immigrants, Russia’s war on Ukraine is horrific. She writes: "Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine feels particularly vile because it’s so contrary to the kinship many people from both nations feel." A kinship Voynovskaya feels in her own family, which includes a Ukrainian stepfather, and that she felt at early protests held in San Francisco against the war. We’ll talk to Voynovskaya about her reflections and how some former Soviet immigrants are reacting to Russia's war on Ukraine.

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“In Russia—where there is increasing distrust of official state narratives, and an ongoing crackdown on independent media that has forced me and many others to leave the country—it is difficult to know what is true and what is fiction,” wrote Roman Badanin, former editor-in-chief of the independent Russian investigative outlet Proekt, in October 2021. Badanin has been targeted by the Russian government for his investigative reporting, and he’s the founder and editor in chief of a news collaboration between similarly targeted reporters, Agentstvo. He joins us to talk about censorship in Russia today and the independent Russian journalists working illegally to convey the truth.

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California’s mask mandate for its K-12 schools ends after Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last month. The state now strongly recommends, but does not require, masks in K-12 school settings: that decision is now up to school districts. We want to hear your thoughts and questions about California’s lifting of its mask mandate for K-12 schools, especially if you’re a parent, educator or student. Leave us a voicemail: 415-553-3300.

Guests:

Grace Lee, associate chief medical officer for Practice Innovation and pediatric infectious diseases physician, Stanford Children’s Health

Dr. Erica Pan, California State Epidemiologist and deputy director for the Center for Infectious Diseases, California Department of Public Health

Hilaria Bauer, superintendent, Alum Rock Unified School District

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At the outset of the war in Ukraine, many expected the Russian army would quickly capture the country. But images of trucks mired in mud and reports that Russian troops are running out of food suggest that Russia’s invasion has suffered from poor planning. It is the small, but important details of waging war – spare tires for blow outs, adequate fuel, sufficient food supplies for troops, the right kind of screws to repair a tank – that seem to have stalled the Russian invasion in Ukraine, to the surprise of analysts. We’ll look at how the everyday details of waging war, which has killed hundreds of Ukrainian men, women and children, have slowed the Russians down.

Guests:

Marc Champion, senior reporter covering Europe and Middle East, Bloomberg News

Dr. Cynthia Cook, director, Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group; senior fellow, International Security Program, Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)

J.D. Williams, senior international and defense policy researcher, Rand Corporation; has served on the National Intelligence Council; retired Marine colonel

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“I like to think of cooking as a map,” writes J. Kenji López-Alt, the award-winning chef, cooking show host and author. But, he says, to learn the science and techniques that underlie a recipe is “like being given an atlas.” López-Alt’s newest book, “The Wok,” explains how to stir-fry, deep-fry, steam, simmer and braise in what he calls “the most versatile pan in your kitchen.” It also features more than 200 recipes. We’ll talk to López-Alt about what draws him to wok cooking, get his recipe tips and hear his reflections on his career so far.

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Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a tax rebate to lessen the impact of rising gas prices in his State of the State address Tuesday, reiterating that California stands in solidarity with Ukraine, even as domestic energy prices increase because of the Russian invasion. We’ll look at the rebate proposal and analyze the address.

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Picture an oyster and your imagination might autofill in a flute of champagne and an ocean view. But an oyster feast in the Bay Area may more often be a big, multiethnic family oyster barbecue or a binge on Taiwanese oyster omelets. As part of our series on the food cultures of the Bay Area with KQED food editor Luke Tsai, we’ll talk about the way we eat and celebrate oysters.

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New state data reveal that California workers face years-long waits to resolve cases of wage theft through California’s Labor Commissioner’s Office. Last year the average wait time for a worker to get a hearing on a claim that their employer didn’t pay owed wages was more than three years in Oakland – the worst in the state. San Francisco’s wait time was a little over two and a half years. According to advocates, the delays discourage workers from reporting wage thefts, in turn reinforcing systems of worker exploitation. The Labor Commissioner’s Office cites staffing shortages as a key problem in hearing cases efficiently, compounded by the pandemic. We’ll learn more about the causes and effects of California’s wage theft claims backlog.

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Veterinarians are nearly three times more likely than the general public to die by suicide, and one in six has contemplated taking their life, according to recent studies. The industry has never been under more stress: during the pandemic, one in five households adopted a new pet, and the demand for veterinary assistance has risen exponentially. But many veterinarians are leaving the profession because of intense workloads, crushing student debt, hostile pet owners, and the trauma of euthanizing animals they’ve cared for from cradle to grave. We’ll talk about the mental health challenges veterinarians and vet techs are facing, and what can be done.

In the United States, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255 and in Spanish at 1-888-628-9454. They offer Tele-Interpreter services in over 150 additional languages.

Guests:

Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, president, San Francisco SPCA; veterinarian

Dr. Susan Cohen, social worker; VIN Foundation Vets4Vets program

Dr. Cherese Sullivan, president, Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association; Dr. Sullivan is a practicing veterinarian.

Dr. Melanie Goble, founding board member, Not One More Vet; Dr. Goble is a practicing veterinarian.

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