Zócalo Public Square

Nearly two-thirds of Americans say it has become more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views since the current administration took office. Majorities of Americans, across all demographics, say race relations have worsened and reports of hate crimes are soaring. Are these trends the short-term product of an angry era, unregulated digital media, and divisive political leadership? Or will the resurgence of white supremacy lead to a deeper shift in how Americans relate to each other? Harvard University sociologist Lawrence D. Bobo visited Zócalo to examine how the white supremacy of today is forging the America of tomorrow. Moderated by L.A. Times columnist Sandy Banks, this Zócalo event took place at Cross Campus in downtown Los Angeles.

In 2016, Californians voted to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana. But three years later, the very basics of regulating legal weed remain uncertain, and the new markets for marijuana have become another confounding California mess. It’s unclear how much marijuana can be consumed before police can make an arrest for driving under the influence, or whether the state can guarantee that marijuana being sold is safe and effective. Vaping—popular yet controversial—confuses the issue further. How can local and state governments bring more clarity to the new world of legal marijuana? Why is the black market for marijuana surviving, and even thriving, during the transition to legalization? And what regulations will ensure that legal weed delivers on its promises of crime reduction and increased tax revenue? UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative clinical psychiatrist Tim Fong, executive director of the Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation Cat Packer, and UCLA criminal justice and drug policy scholar Brad Rowe visited Zócalo to discuss the regulatory challenges of bringing a black market into the light. Moderated by Rolling Stone columnist Amanda Chicago Lewis, this Zócalo event took place at Cross Campus, in downtown Los Angeles.

Earlier this century, President George W. Bush’s administration sought to celebrate the U.S.-Mexico border as America’s front door. But in the years since, the border has been widely portrayed by politicians as a source of problems. Today most news is about illegal immigration, abuses of migrants by Customs and Border Protection, or President Trump’s family separation policy. This deluge of negative coverage obscures the fact that the border region is not only a place where millions of people live, work, and go to school; it is a region whose residents must negotiate the same challenges—from globalization to climate change to healthcare—that other Americans face. What, if anything, is distinctive about the routine experiences of those who live on the border? And, in a country that seems to be turning inward, do Americans who live on the border grapple differently with the world than those of us who live in the country’s interior? El Paso-based correspondent for the Dallas Morning News Alfredo Corchado, Albuquerque Journal staff writer Angela Kocherga, and cultural anthropologist and journalist Cecilia Ballí visited Zócalo to go beyond the headlines and examine the realities of everyday life along the U.S.-Mexico border. Moderated by the New York Times national correspondent Simon Romero, this Zócalo event took place at Cross Campus, in downtown Los Angeles.

Los Angeles leaders have developed billion-dollar plans to boost services and build housing for the homeless. But such plans are now stuck in political quicksand, with neighborhood activists blocking shelters and new housing. Meanwhile, living in a city with a homelessness emergency is an everyday struggle, and there is no guidebook to dealing with sidewalk squalor or witnessing human suffering on your street. What’s the best way for Angelenos to engage with our homeless neighbors? What can we contribute to make a real difference in their lives? And who, if anyone, should we call when we perceive a threat, or see someone in crisis? UCLA sociologist Randall Kuhn, Social Venture Partners Los Angeles executive director Christine Margiotta, executive director of the California Policy Lab at UCLA Janey Rountree, and Chris Ko, Managing Director of Homelessness and Strategic Initiatives at United Way of Greater Los Angeles, visited Zócalo to discuss how everyday Angelenos can best respond to the challenges of homelessness. Moderated by Los Angeles Times editorial board member Carla Hall, this Zócalo/UCLA Downtown event took place at the Downtown Independent.

The history of modern Hawai‘i has been defined by immigration, from the Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Puerto Ricans imported to work on 19th-century plantations, to the Filipino, Korean, and Micronesian migrants who make possible today’s growing tourism and hospitality industry. Arrivals from around the world have shaped and reshaped the islands’ economy and culture, and made Hawai‘i a global crossroads. But some arrivals have faced ostracism and discrimination. To what extent does contemporary Hawai‘i embrace its immigrant past and present? Have Hawai‘i residents generally been welcoming to newcomers? And what part will immigration play as the state struggles with inequality in a changing world? Former Hawai‘i attorney general Doug Chin, Yale University historian Gary Okihiro, former Pacific Gateway Center deputy director Terrina Wong, and immigration attorney Clare Hanusz visited Zócalo to discuss the role that immigration has played in the past, present, and future of Hawai‘i. Moderated by Hawai‘i Public Radio’s “The Conversation” host Catherine Cruz, this Zócalo/Daniel K. Inouye Institute “Talk Story” event took place at Artistry Honolulu.

No sector in the state of California relies more on immigrants than health care. One-quarter of the health workforce—from nurses to pharmacists to home health aides—and nearly one-third of all doctors and surgeons‚ are foreign-born. And, according to some studies, patients of foreign-trained health providers actually do better than patients who rely on native-born Americans. How have immigrants working in health care changed the standards and culture of our hospitals and clinics? Do cardiologists from India handle patients with high blood pressure in different ways? Might a geriatric specialist trained in Latin America approach end-of-life issues with a distinct perspective? And how have immigrant providers shaped the poor and rural California communities where they are more likely to practice? Former director of the Central California Center for Excellence in Nursing Pilar De La Cruz Samoulian, and Michelle Bholat, co-founder and executive director of the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program, visited Zócalo to examine how immigrants are changing the way medicine is practiced. Moderated by Kaiser Health News California news editor and columnist Emily Bazar, this Zócalo/The California Wellness Foundation event took place at The Red Zone at Gensler, in downtown Los Angeles.

Is Politics Really Tearing America Apart?

Is Journalism About Social Justice?

More than 17 million adults in America—7 percent of people 18 and older in the U.S.—have at least one major depressive episode annually. An estimated 15 percent of all people on Earth are expected to experience depression during their lifetimes. In 2015, UCLA launched a campus-wide initiative to cut the global burden of depression in half by 2050. Are we suffering more from depression than we used to? What is the balance between genetics and life experience in determining who suffers from this disease? How have the excesses, technologies, and even toxins of 21st-century life contributed to this epidemic? And what 21st-century tools might end it? UCLA Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics director and psychiatrist Nelson Freimer, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Mental Health Shelli Avenevoli, and psychologist and director of UCLA’s Anxiety and Depression Research Center Michelle Craske visited Zócalo to discuss modernity’s role in the global epidemic of depression. Moderated by Amy Ellis Nutt, former science writer at The Washington Post, the Zócalo/UCLA event took place at the House of Sweden in Washington, D.C.

Did Americans Ever Get Along?