Images and videos of children bouncing on pink seesaws on either side of the U.S.-Mexico border went viral across social media in late July. The seesaws, installed by Bay Area professors and architects Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello, spanned the border fence between Sunland Park, N.M. and Ciudad Juárez in Mexico, inviting families on both sides of the border to play together. Rael says that the seesaws promoted a "recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side." Rael and San Fratello join Forum to talk about their inspiration for this project and their long-term collaboration reimagining the U.S.-Mexico border.

Pink Seesaws Promote Play and Goodwill Along US-Mexico Border Wall

Forum tells remarkable and true stories about who we are and where we live. In the first hour, Alexis Madrigal convenes the diverse voices of the Bay Area, before turning to Mina Kim for the second hour to chronicle and center Californians’ experience. In an increasingly divided world, Mina and Alexis host conversations that inform, challenge and unify listeners with big ideas and different viewpoints.

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While covering Trump’s 2016 campaign, NPR political correspondent Sarah McCammon understood the white evangelical movement behind his political rise, because she grew up in that world. McCammon left the church troubled by the misogyny, homophobia and racism she witnessed. That experience is at the center of her book “The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church.” We speak to McCammon and hear from you: Have you left organized religion? Why?

Guests:

Sarah McCammon, National Political Correspondent, NPR; co-host, NPR Politics Podcast; author, "The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church"

NPR's Sarah McCammon on Leaving the Evangelical Church

The WNBA is coming to the Bay Area! Fans will have a new women’s team to cheer for, at a moment when female superstars like Caitlin Clark have captivated basketball lovers of all ages. As part of KQED’s Youth Takeover week, high school athletes Mahi Jariwala, Jessie Lin and Olivia Ma bring together a sports journalist, a basketball coach and a Title IX attorney to talk about the impact of women’s basketball in the Bay Area – and the arrival of a new professional team.

Guests:

Mahi Jariwala, senior, Monte Vista High School

Jessie Lin, senior, Woodside High School

Olivia Ma, junior, BASIS Independent Fremont

Marisa Ingemi, women's sports reporter, San Francisco Chronicle

Kim Turner, co-CEO of the nonprofit Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative; Title IX attorney

Jeff Addiego, vice president, Warriors Basketball Academy

KQED Youth Takeover: We’re Getting a WNBA Team

You’d be forgiven for associating Rainn Wilson primarily with Dwight Schrute, the overbearing, mansplaining geek on “The Office.” And in his bestselling book “Soul Boom” the three-time Emmy Award-nominated actor acknowledges the connection: “Why is the beet-farming, paper-selling, tangentially Amish man-baby with the giant forehead and short-sleeved mustard shirts writing about the meaning of life?” But then again, why wouldn’t he be curious? Wilson joins us to talk about his own journey with faith, why big philosophical questions make life worth living and why we need what he calls a “spiritual revolution.” And we’ll also hear why he thinks “The Office” is such a cultural mainstay, informing TV mockumentary trends, cringe humor and Gen Z artists like Billie Eilish.

Guests:

Rainn Wilson, actor who played Dwight Schrute on the TV show, "The Office." His most recent book is "Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution."

Rainn Wilson from ‘The Office’ on Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution

Cecil Williams forever changed San Francisco, the Bay Area, and even the world. As the long-time pastor at Glide Memorial Church, known for serving the poorest, most vulnerable residents of San Francisco, he led a congregation that was infused with the spirit of care and social justice as well as love, joy and music. Cecil Williams died this week at the age of 94, to celebrate his life and legacy, we listen back to his interviews, a sermon and the music of Glide.

Guests:

Cecil Williams, founder and Minister of Liberation, Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco

Forum From the Archives: Remembering Glide Memorial's Cecil Williams

We often think of film as a visual medium. But a carefully placed sound effect or a well crafted sonic atmosphere can evoke emotion just as profoundly. Can you imagine a movie like “Godzilla” without the monster’s signature roar? Or the terrifying silence of “A Quiet Place?” For Erik Aadahl, the Oscar nominated sound designer behind both of those films, sound is the human sense tied closest to our emotions. We talk with Aadahl about what his work entails, how he sources sound for his films and how he creates soundscapes both otherworldly and joyous. What movies stand out to you for their sound?

Guest:
Erik Aadahl, sound designer; co-founder of the studio, E Squared - credits include "Transformers," "Godzilla," "A Quiet Place," "Argo," "Kung Fu Panda," and "The Creator"

Pink Seesaws Promote Play and Goodwill Along US-Mexico Border Wall

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