Zócalo Public Square

Since its adoption in 1868, the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution has inspired advances in legal rights by guaranteeing U.S. citizens and people in the country “the equal protection of the laws.” Except when it hasn’t. From Jim Crow to the World War II-era incarceration of Japanese Americans, from racist police corruption to bans on interracial and same-sex marriages, American governments– federal, state, and local–have repeatedly and systematically discriminated against people despite the amendment’s clear promise of equality. How can we defend equal protection when our governments won’t? What does the Amendment’s “equal protection” really protect us from, when equality remains so elusive? And—as this summer marks the 30-year anniversary of the U.S. government’s “Redress” apology and compensation for the incarceration of Japanese Americans—how can we best remember the lessons of past violations of the 14th? Go for Broke president and CEO Mitchell Maki, Johns Hopkins legal historian Martha S. Jones, National Immigration Forum executive director Ali Noorani, constitutional law scholar Garrett Epps, and moderator Madeleine Brand, host of KCRW’s “Press Play,” took part in a Zócalo/Daniel K. Inouye Institute Event that examined the difficulties of enforcing equal protection. The event, at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in downtown L.A.’s Little Tokyo, began with an introduction by Irene Hirano Inouye, reading from U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye’s keynote address to the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

Relentless verbal attacks on Mexican immigrants and Muslims by President Trump and nativist pundits are one piece of a larger phenomenon. Media, academic, and law enforcement surveys point to a rise in racist rhetoric against immigrants in this country and around the world. The effect of such rhetoric on social media has been a subject of study, but less is known about its broader social impact. Do racist words translate into violence? Does such rhetoric inhibit targeted minorities from participating in civic life, interacting with law enforcement authorities, or obtaining the services they need? And what does it mean for children—and for their health, education, and self-esteem—to grow up in an environment where such rhetoric is routine? Director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA School of Medicine David Hayes-Bautista, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dean Hansell, UCLA psychologist Patricia Greenfield, and moderator Simon Romero, National Correspondent for The New York Times, visited Zócalo Public Square on July 17, 2018, to discuss the social costs of the racist rhetoric that surrounds us.

Relentless verbal attacks on Mexican immigrants and Muslims by President Trump and nativist pundits are one piece of a larger phenomenon. Media, academic, and law enforcement surveys point to a rise in racist rhetoric against immigrants in this country and around the world. The effect of such rhetoric on social media has been a subject of study, but less is known about its broader social impact. Do racist words translate into violence? Does such rhetoric inhibit targeted minorities from participating in civic life, interacting with law enforcement authorities, or obtaining the services they need? And what does it mean for children—and for their health, education, and self-esteem—to grow up in an environment where such rhetoric is routine? Director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA School of Medicine David Hayes-Bautista, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dean Hansell, UCLA psychologist Patricia Greenfield, and moderator Simon Romero, National Correspondent for The New York Times, visited Zócalo Public Square on July 17, 2018, to discuss the social costs of the racist rhetoric that surrounds us.

As they confront pollution and climate change, environmentalists have had to grapple with the demands of capitalism. Some see markets and corporations as obstacles to saving the planet, while others seek to weaken the capitalist system through government regulation, litigation, and appeals to the public to limit consumption. But so far, curbs on capitalism have had limited success in mitigating climate change, or producing transformational reversals of environmental damage. How can you change the consumption habits of billions of people? Does human nature require people to see personal benefits–to their health, finances, or status—before they choose to live differently? UCLA Anderson School of Management business economist Magali Delmas, author of The Green Bundle: Pairing the Market With the Planet, visited Zócalo to explain how a revolution in sustainability might be achieved by harnessing the natural human urge to consume, in a conversation moderated by Warren Olney, host of KCRW’s “To the Point.”

As they confront pollution and climate change, environmentalists have had to grapple with the demands of capitalism. Some see markets and corporations as obstacles to saving the planet, while others seek to weaken the capitalist system through government regulation, litigation, and appeals to the public to limit consumption. But so far, curbs on capitalism have had limited success in mitigating climate change, or producing transformational reversals of environmental damage. How can you change the consumption habits of billions of people? Does human nature require people to see personal benefits–to their health, finances, or status—before they choose to live differently? UCLA Anderson School of Management business economist Magali Delmas, author of The Green Bundle: Pairing the Market With the Planet, visited Zócalo to explain how a revolution in sustainability might be achieved by harnessing the natural human urge to consume, in a conversation moderated by Warren Olney, host of KCRW’s “To the Point.”

At $20 trillion, the national debt of the United States is already bigger than the American economy and rising fast because of $1 trillion annual budget deficits. Political brinksmanship around government shutdowns and extending the country’s debt ceiling has greatly raised the risk of default. So what would happen if the U.S. actually went off the fiscal cliff, and was unable to pay its debts? To answer that question, we have one historical data point: the great debt default of 1933-1935, when Franklin D. Roosevelt, Congress, and the Supreme Court agreed to wipe out more than 40 percent of America’s public and private debts. What were the consequences of that debt default for America and the world? What roles did gold, banks, and the Federal Reserve play in that crisis? And what does this history tell us about the risks and realities of an American default today? UCLA Anderson international economist Sebastian Edwards, author of American Default: The Untold Story of FDR, the Supreme Court, and the Battle Over Gold, and moderator Warren Olney, host of KCRW’s “To the Point,” visited Zócalo to explore the threat of American financial peril in a Zócalo/UCLA Anderson event titled “Could the United States Ever Go Bankrupt?” at The RedZone at Gensler in downtown Los Angeles.

At $20 trillion, the national debt of the United States is already bigger than the American economy and rising fast because of $1 trillion annual budget deficits. Political brinksmanship around government shutdowns and extending the country’s debt ceiling has greatly raised the risk of default. So what would happen if the U.S. actually went off the fiscal cliff, and was unable to pay its debts? To answer that question, we have one historical data point: the great debt default of 1933-1935, when Franklin D. Roosevelt, Congress, and the Supreme Court agreed to wipe out more than 40 percent of America’s public and private debts. What were the consequences of that debt default for America and the world? What roles did gold, banks, and the Federal Reserve play in that crisis? And what does this history tell us about the risks and realities of an American default today? UCLA Anderson international economist Sebastian Edwards, author of American Default: The Untold Story of FDR, the Supreme Court, and the Battle Over Gold, and moderator Warren Olney, host of KCRW’s “To the Point,” visited Zócalo to explore the threat of American financial peril in a Zócalo/UCLA Anderson event titled “Could the United States Ever Go Bankrupt?” at The RedZone at Gensler in downtown Los Angeles.

Is there any canyon on earth wider than the gap between rhetoric and reality when it comes to the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico? The rhetoric is all about separation—with Americans proposing giant border walls and denigrating Mexican migrants, Mexican leaders condemning U.S. bullying, and each country accusing the other of being a source of violence. But the reality is two neighbors becoming even more intertwined in economic, cultural, and personal relationships. Today, San Diego and Tijuana share a single international airport, Guadalajara and Silicon Valley jointly develop technology, and a more educated and prosperous Mexico has more influence than ever on the food Americans eat, the jobs Americans do, and the entertainment Americans consume. To what extent are the U.S. and Mexico becoming one entity? Do today’s populist politics threaten to reverse the trend of deeper integration, or is a true North American community inevitable? Migration Policy Institute president Andrew Selee, author of Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together, visited Zócalo Public Square to explain how and why the U.S. and Mexico keep getting closer, in spite of themselves. He spoke at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in downtown Los Angeles.

Is there any canyon on earth wider than the gap between rhetoric and reality when it comes to the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico? The rhetoric is all about separation—with Americans proposing giant border walls and denigrating Mexican migrants, Mexican leaders condemning U.S. bullying, and each country accusing the other of being a source of violence. But the reality is two neighbors becoming even more intertwined in economic, cultural, and personal relationships. Today, San Diego and Tijuana share a single international airport, Guadalajara and Silicon Valley jointly develop technology, and a more educated and prosperous Mexico has more influence than ever on the food Americans eat, the jobs Americans do, and the entertainment Americans consume. To what extent are the U.S. and Mexico becoming one entity? Do today’s populist politics threaten to reverse the trend of deeper integration, or is a true North American community inevitable? Migration Policy Institute president Andrew Selee, author of Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together, visited Zócalo Public Square to explain how and why the U.S. and Mexico keep getting closer, in spite of themselves. He spoke at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in downtown Los Angeles.

The poke craze that has swept across the U.S. is only the latest sign that Hawaii’s food holds a strong fascination for mainlanders. In recent years, high-profile chefs and experimental restaurants have popularized not only poke, but also Hawaii-nurtured Pan-Pacific dishes like Filipino pork and loco moco—which now can be enjoyed at a food truck in Topeka or a Tiki restaurant in Scottsdale. Although much of the islands’ signature fare (including pineapples) was actually imported during the colonial period, Hawaii conjures mouthwatering images of homegrown Kona coffee and macadamia nuts. And the traditional Hawaiian Luau has become a universal emblem of savory hospitality. Why is the mainland so enraptured by Hawaii’s cuisine? What role does its culinary bounty play in Hawaii’s tourist industry, and what will be its next five-star food export? Is there any downside to the mainland’s embrace—and sometimes kitschy, carb-heavy reimagining—of authentic island dishes? Chef, restaurateur, and television personality Sam Choy, food writer and author of The Poke Cookbook Martha Cheng, corporate executive chef of Foodland Super Markets Keoni Chang, Hawaii native and San Francisco restaurateur Jordan Keao, and moderator Noe Tanigawa, Arts & Culture Reporter for Hawai’i Public Radio visited Honolulu on May 31, 2018 to take part in a Zócalo/Daniel K. Inouye Institute “Pau Hana” discussion at Artistry Honolulu titled “Why Is the Mainland So Fascinated by Hawaii's Food?”