The Commonwealth February/March 2022 by The Commonwealth Club of California

Commonwealth The

THE MAGAZINE OF THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB OF CALIFORNIA

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

THE POLITICAL LIVES OF HUMA ABEDIN & KAL PENN BARTON GELLMAN • REFILLING THE THEATERS • MARYLES CASTO • AYANA ELIZABETH JOHNSON • FRANCIS FUKUYAMA, MELISSA CAEN AND TIM MILLER ON THE INSURRECTION $5.00; free for members | commonwealthclub.org

UNTAMED

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The

Commonwealth

CONTENTS

February/March 2022 Volume 116, Number 1

FEATUR ES 22

Maryles Casto

How a laser focus on customer service produced a successful company serving Silicon Valley’s biggest names. 26

Huma Abedin and Kal Penn

cover story: From immigrant families to White House offices. 38

Democracy in Crisis

Francis Fukuyama, Melissa Caen and Tim Miller discuss the insurrection past, present and future. 43

The Next January 6

Barton Gellman on planning the Capitol attack. 46

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

The winner of 2021’s Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication.

“I was in a Hindu and Jain household, but incredibly secular. They would encourage us to go to mosque or temple or church with anybody who invited us; a really Gandhian view of faith and otherness. I appreciated that.“

(Re)Filling Those Seats

How the pandemic changed the Bay Area’s theaters.

—KAL PENN

ON THE COVER: Author Huma Abedin. (Photo by Brigitte LaCombe.) ON THIS PAGE: Above: Kal Penn has balanced movies and a political career. (Photo by Maarten De Boer.) Right: Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson talks climate communication. (Photo from Club video.)

“I am stopped in my tracks by the horrors in the news; we’re seeing the impacts of climate change all around us on a day-to-day basis.“

—AYANA ELIZABETH JOHNSON The Commonwealth Club of California, established 1903

DEPARTMENTS 4

Editor’s Desk

These Are the Days, by John Zipperer 5

The Commons

talk of the club: Club travelers reach Egypt, Martha Ryan named Board chair, new programs VP joins, and more. 8 Program Listings See programs coming up in February and March 2022. 21 Programs Info

About our programs and attending Club events. 58

The Big Picture

Honey Mahogany and Alaska.

EDITOR’S DESK

JOHN ZIPPERER

Vice President of Media & Editorial

The

Commonwealth February/March 2022 Volume 116, Number 1

BUSINESS OFFICES

PHOTO BY TIGERLILY713/PIXABAY

The Commonwealth, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105 feedback@commonwealthclub.org

VICE PRESIDENT, MEDIA & EDITORIAL John Zipperer

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Liz Babb, Spencer Campbell, Sarah Gonzalez, Kristina Nemeth.

These Are the Days

ometimes months and years go past, and they are much the same. They might differ dramatically in our individual experiences (triumphs and failures, crises and joys), but those same things could have happened in 1990 as in 1995. Then there are times, like now, in which a lot is happening to us communally and individually that is tied to the very specific time in which we find ourselves. This issue of The Commonwealth magazine represents that. In our cover story, Huma Abedin and Kal Penn interview each other about their respective life stories. They both served in Democratic presidential administrations, and they bring a bit of a West Wing attitude of optimism about the importance of public service, despite the virulent anti-government rhetoric (and some actions) in the political realm these days. But even when they are talking about some of the painful experiences they have had in their lives—experiences of discrimination or disappointment—they are able to share stories that illustrate how some advances have been made, something that can be recognized the next time you celebrate Diwali at the White House. A very specific point in time—January 6—will likely be remembered by all of us for a very long time. On that date last year, our U.S. Capitol was violently attacked in an attempt to overturn an election. On January 6, 2022, we held There are years two programs focused on the events before, during and after the attack, and we are including excerpts when a lot that from both of those programs in this issue. happens is tied to The pandemic has disrupted businesses of all types in the past year, spurring digital delivery of the very specific products and services and dealing a body blow to time in which we many in-person businesses, large and small. In our article “(Re)Filling Those Seats,” we look at how find ourselves. theaters in the Bay Area adapted and how they might retain some of those changes post-pandemic. We’ve known Maryles Casto at the Club for a long time. She is the former chair of our Board of Governors, and she is also a successful businesswoman who was honored at our annual gala years ago. What is intriguing is that she found success in the travel agent business, which is one of those industries that was supposed to wither with the spread of the internet. But this issue she tells how she found an individualized focus on excellent service made her an indispensible travel service provider to some of Silicon Valley’s elite companies. And Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a superstar in the scientific world, drawing lots of attention for her ability to communicate the serious climate situation while being a visionary about what we can achieve if we use our vast stores of knowledge and ability to innovate. Spend some time with these speakers, and take a look at our list of upcoming programs to see what’s next.

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

ADVERTISING INFORMATION John Zipperer, Vice President of Media & Editorial, (415) 597-6715, jzipperer@ commonwealthclub.org The Commonwealth (ISSN 0010-3349) is published bimonthly (6 times a year) by The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105. Periodicals postage paid at San Francisco, CA. Subscription rate $34 per year included in annual membership dues. Copyright © 2022 The Commonwealth Club of California. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Commonwealth, The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105; (415) 597-6700; feedback@commonwealthclub.org EDITORIAL TRANSCRIPT POLICY The Commonwealth magazine covers a range of programs in each issue. Program transcripts and question-and-answer sessions are routinely condensed due to space limitations. Hear full-length recordings online at commonwealthclub. org/watch-listen, or via our free podcasts on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts or Spotify; watch videos at youtube.com/ commonwealthclub. Published digitally via Issuu.com.

FOLLOW US ONLINE facebook.com/thecommonwealthclub twitter.com/cwclub youtube.com/commonwealthclub commonwealthclub.org instagram.com/cwclub

PYRAMID PHOTO BY KRISTINA NEMETH

TALK OF THE CLUB

T H E COM M O N S : N E WS O F T H E C L U B , S P E A K E R S , M E M B E R S A N D S U P P O RT E R S

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Egyptian Visit

s international travel picks up after nearly two years of the pandemic, Club travelers headed to Egypt in January for a visit to some of the oldest human-made monuments on Earth. They toured Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, the necropolis at Saqqara, the Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza. Above are just two of the many pictures they sent back detailing their journey. Read about more travel opportunities for Club members at commonwealthclub.org/ travel.

of programming here. [See Editor’s Desk, The Commonwealth, October/November 2021.] Thorson will be based at the Club’s San Francisco headquarters. Thorson has served as senior vice president at the World Affairs Council in San Francisco since 2014; before that she was its vice president for public programs. She created events, conferences, the annual Global Philanthropy Forum, and travel and educational programming. Thorson has taught at UCLA, UCLA Extension, and California State University, Los Angeles; served as a research consultant for

the RAND Corporation’s Center for Russian & Eurasian Studies; worked as an analyst for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Inc.; and was a program officer at IREX. NEW CHAIR

Martha Ryan Named Board Chair

n January, Martha Ryan was named chair of The Commonwealth Club’s Board of Governors. Ryan, co-founder of software company Daric, Inc., will serve in that posi-

CLUB STAFF NEWS

Carla Thorson New Programs Head

he Commonwealth Club of California has named Dr. Carla Thorson as its new vice president of programs. She will bring a wealth of experience when she takes charge of programming. Thorson, who officially begins her role with the Club in mid-February, will lead a team of professional program producers in the creation of the Club’s featured programming. She succeeds George Dobbins, who recently retired after more than two decades as head

PHOTO BY LIZ BABB

Martha Ryan has begun her 2-year term as chair of The Commonwealth Club’s Board of Governors.

commonwealthclub.org | THE COMMO N WE AL TH

THE COMMONS LETTERS

Leadership of The Commonwealth Club

Did you know?

In the Seats

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

CLUB OFFICERS

Board Chair Martha C. Ryan Vice Chair John L. Boland Secretary Dr. Jaleh Daie

Treasurer John R. Farmer President & CEO Dr. Gloria C. Duffy

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

PHOTO BY SPENCER CAMPBELL

tion for the next two years. She succeeds businesswoman and independent board member Evelyn Dilsaver. KQED President Emeritus John Boland has been named as the Club’s Board vice chair. For the past two years, Ryan was cochair of the Club’s annual gala, its major fundraising event. She co-founded a highly successful software company, Daric, Inc., that sells state-of-the-art software to financial institutions, hedge funds and private equity. Ryan served for 13 years as a trustee of the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) and was appointed to this position by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She also served as president of the CSSSA Foundation. Previously, Ryan served as chair of The Lincoln Club of Northern California, and was the first female in Califordren, Greg Jr. and Christina—and a Golden nia to chair a major political group. She has Retriever, Mazey. served several times on the board of the San Francisco chapter of Achievement Rewards BY THE NUMBERS for College Scientists (ARCS) and received the ARCS Light Award, which is given to the member who has made the most impact. rom February 2021 through January She currently serves on the Madison Council, 2022, Commonwealth Club videos which supports the Library of Congress. reached 9.4 million viewers on YouTube. Martha Ryan has helped to raise funds Though the majority of our YouTube audifor College Track, ence is in the United States, about 40 percent is located elsewhere. Canada, founded by Lau- Martha Ryan the U.K., Australia and India are the rene Powell Jobs. next four countries by viewership. In 2005, Martha will lead the Above is a photo of an award from was appointed the YouTube commemorating the Club’s honorary director Club’s Board reaching 100,000 subscribers to its Youto the ambassaTube channel last year. As of January dor to the Unit- of Governors 2022, the Club has nearly 130,000 subed States for the scribers. You can become one of them at World’s Fair in for the next youtube.com/commonwealthclub. Aichi, Japan. She has also two years. DID YOU SEE? hosted and chaired numerous fundraising events for community initiatives, including building the new Stanhortly before the January 24 program ford Hospital and supporting the Menlo with Bay Area writer Michael ShellenSchool in Atherton and the Hillsborough berger, the Club’s Vice President of Facilities Schools. Ryan grew up in Piedmont, California Alex Hernandez received a phone call from and received her degree in communications someone wanting to attend the program. and public policy from UC Berkeley. She is Could he get a good seat? The caller? FIlm director Oliver Stone. married to Gregory Ryan, has two adult chil-

Robert E. Adams Willie Adams Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez Scott Anderson Dan Ashley Dr. Mary G. F. Bitterman David Chun Charles M. Collins Mary B. Cranston Susie Cranston Claudine Cheng Dr. Kerry P. Curtis Dorian Daley Evelyn Dilsaver James Driscoll Joseph I. Epstein Jeffrey A. Farber Dr. Carol A. Fleming Leslie Saul Garvin Gerald Harris Peter Hill Mary Huss Michael Isip Nora James

Dr. Robert Lee Kilpatrick Lata Krishnan Alexis Krivkovich Dr. Mary Marcy Lenny Mendonca Michelle Meow Anna W.M. Mok DJ Patil Ken Petrilla Bruce Raabe Skip Rhodes Bill Ring George M. Scalise George D. Smith Jr. David Spencer James Strother Hon. Tad Taube Marcel TenBerge Charles Travers Don Wen Dr. Colleen B. Wilcox Brenda Wright Mark Zitter

PAST BOARD CHAIRS & PRESIDENTS

* Past Chair ** Past President

Dr. Mary G. F. Bitterman* J. Dennis Bonney** Maryles Casto* Hon. Ming Chin** Mary B. Cranston* Evelyn Dilsaver* Joseph I. Epstein** John Farmer* Rose Guilbault*

Claude B. Hutchison Jr.** Anna W.M. Mok* Richard Otter** Joseph Perrelli** Toni Rembe** Victor J. Revenko** Skip Rhodes** Renée Rubin** Richard Rubin* Connie Shapiro** Nelson Weller** Judith Wilbur** Dennis Wu**

ADVISORY BOARD

Karin Helene Bauer Hon. William Bradley Dennise M. Carter Steven Falk Amy Gershoni Jacquelyn Hadley Heather Kitchen

Amy McCombs Don J. McGrath Hon. William J. Perry Hon. Barbara Pivnicka Hon. Richard Pivnicka Nancy Thompson

Leave Your Legacy Leave Your Legacy Make a lastingimpact impact through gift.gift Make a lasting througha aplanned planned

GiftsThrough ThroughWills Wills••Charitable Charitable Trusts Trusts •• Gift / Retirement Plan Gifts GiftAnnuities Annuities• •IRA IRA/Retirement PlanDesignation Designation

To learn more about how to leave a legacy gift to The Commonwealth Club please contact Kimberly Maas at kmaas@commonwealthclub.org or (415) 597-6726. commonwealthclub.org | THE COMMO N WE AL TH

February & March 2022 Notes: This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by The Bernard Osher Foundation. Photo by Jesus de Miguel de la Fuente.

Amartya Sen, 2.1

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 Amartya Sen: Home in the World If you are not a member yet, now is the time to join our community and receive the great benefits of membership. We are a group of people seeking truth, insight and wisdom about the issues we face as individuals and as a society. Please join now! You can become a monthly sustaining member for just $10 a month. “Home” has been many places for Amartya Sen: from Dhaka, in modern Bangladesh, where he grew up; to Calcutta, where he studied economics; to Cambridge, England, where he taught and worked with other influential economists. With characteristic moral clarity, Sen reflects on the cataclysmic events that tore his world asunder, from the Japanese assault on Burma and India to the Bengal famine of 1943, the struggle for Indian independence, and the outbreak of toxic nationalism that

Ian Urbina, 2.1

accompanied the end of British rule. Still, Sen remains a fearless optimist, continuing even now to work on breaking down barriers between different ethnic groups. Home in the World encompasses penetrating ideas, fascinating people and unusual places, reflecting an empathy for all of humanity that is undeterred by distance and time due to Sen’s being at home in the world—anywhere in the world. Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate, Economics

(1998); Professor of Economics and Philosophy, Harvard University; Former Master of Trinity College, Cambridge University; Author, Home in the World: A Memoir George Hammond, Author, Conversations With Socrates—Moderator A HUMANITIES MEMBER-LED FORUM PROGRAM Program organizer: George Hammond Location: Online Time: 3–4 p.m. program PST

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

California Exposures: Reading Californians Book Discussion If you are not a member yet, now is the time to join our community and receive the great benefits of membership. We are a group of people seeking truth, insight and wisdom about the issues we face as individuals and as a society. Please join! You can become a monthly sustaining member for just $10 a month. Author Richard White and photographer Jesse Amble White will join us via Zoom to discuss their gold medal award winner in the Californiana category, California Exposures. Richard White gives an often irreverent commentary on California history from Sir Francis Drake and the mission era to the modern day. Jesse Amble White’s stark but enchanting photos accompany the prose. This is not the history of California that you learned in grammar school!

Richard White, Author, California Exposures Jesse Amble White, Photographer, California Exposures Kalena Gregory—Moderator A READING CALIFORNIANS BOOK DISCUSSION MEMBER-LED FORUM PROGRAM Program organizer: Kalena Gregory Location: Online Time: 5–6:15 p.m. program Notes: Main image: Detail from cover of California Exposures, photography by Jesse Amble White.

Ian Urbina, Director of The Outlaw Ocean Project There are few remaining frontiers on our

AMARTYA SEN PHOTO BY AND COPYRIGHT JESUS DE MIGUEL DE LA FUENTE; URBINA PHOTO COURTESY THE SPEAKER

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

YOUR GUIDE TO IN-PERSON & ONLINE EVENTS AT THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB

planet. But perhaps the wildest, and least understood, are the world’s oceans: too big to police, and under no clear international authority, these immense regions of treacherous water play host to rampant criminality and exploitation. Join us for a conversation with Ian Urbana, director of The Outlaw Ocean Project, a nonprofit journalism organization based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on environmental and human rights concerns at sea globally.

Ian Urbina, Director, The Outlaw Ocean Project Andrew Dudley, Co-Host and Producer, Earth Live; Chair, People & Nature Member-Led Forum, The Commonwealth Club of California—Moderator A PEOPLE & NATURE MEMBER-LED FORUM PROGRAM Program organizer: Andrew Dudley Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Toni Reme Rock Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: 5:30 p.m. doors open & check-in, 6–7 p.m. program (all times PST) Notes: Main image by dexmac / Pixabay.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3 Meet the State Assembly Candidates for District 17 It’s one of the most-watched California elections this season. Meet all four candidates seeking to succeed David Chiu representing District 17 in the California State Assembly. David Campos, Matt Haney, Bilal Mahmood and Thea Selby will make their cases to be sent to Sacramento, and we’ll ask your questions.

David Campos, Former Supervisor, San Francisco; Deputy County Executive, County of Santa Clara; Former Chief of Staff, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin Matt Haney, Supervisor, San Francisco Bilal Mahmood, Former Policy Analyst, Obama Administration; Entrepreneur Thea Selby, Co-Founder, Lower Haight Merchant and Neighbor Association; Business Owner Michelle Meow, Producer and Host, “The Michelle Meow Show” on KBCW/KPIX TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors; Twitter @msmichellemeow—Co-Host John Zipperer, Producer and Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable; Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth

Safety Protocols for in-person attendance • We follow best practices laid out by the CDC and state and local guidelines. • All guests, staff, and volunteers must be fully vaccinated and boosted (14 days after receiving the second dose of a 2-dose vaccine series or 14 days after receiving a single dose vaccine and received a booster dose). Guest must show proof of full vaccination with photo I.D. • N95 Masks (or equivalent) are required at all times indoors (If you do not have one, one will be provided). • In-person capacity is limited. • Elevators are limited to a maximum of four (4) people at a time. Our LEED Gold-certified building is designed to cool with outside air, using digitally controlled moveable windows and large ceiling fans. We are deploying additional HEPA filters inside to scrub the air. This is all in addition to increased cleaning of surfaces throughout the building.

Club—Co-host A MICHELLE MEOW SHOW PROGRAM Location: Online Time: 12:30–1:30 p.m. PST program

Kenny Werner: Becoming the Instrument If you are not a member yet, now is the time to join our community and receive the great benefits of membership. We are a group of people seeking truth, insight and wisdom about the issues we face as individuals and as a society. Please join now! You can become a monthly sustaining member for just $10 a month. When we hear music, we often experience how the physical flirts with the spiritual in profound and moving ways. Werner contends that this confluence is possible not only in music, but also in your daily personal and work life, and it’s easier than you think. In Becoming the Instrument, Werner shares insights and anecdotes from his 40 years of studying, performing and teaching music, including a guide for accessing the spiritual in our everyday existence and applying it to the pursuits we love. Werner shows us how to lift our daily performances to their highest level by being spontaneous, fearless, joyful and disciplined. Whatever you are trying to master, Werner says the key is learning how to slip into “the space,” the place beyond the conscious mind that allows us to effortlessly embody whatever we are doing. Entering this sort of flow state might seem esoteric and difficult to achieve, but his easy exercises will allow you to access and achieve mastery, because “mastery is not

perfection, or even virtuosity. It is giving oneself love, forgiving one’s mistakes, and not allowing earthly evidence to diminish one’s view of one’s self as a drop in the Ocean of Perfection.”

Kenny Werner, Pianist and Composer; Artistic Director, Effortless Mastery Institute, Berklee College of Music; Author, Becoming the Instrument: Lessons on Self-Mastery from Music to Life In Conversation with George Hammond, Author, Conversations With Socrates A HUMANITIES MEMBER-LED FORUM PROGRAM Program organizer: George Hammond Location: Online Time: 3–4 p.m. PST program Notes: This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Author photo courtesy Kenny Werner; main image is detail from book cover.

Online Member Happy Hour Please join fellow Commonwealth Club members for an online happy hour on Thursday, February 3, from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. (PST) on the Club’s 119th birthday! This social event is an opportunity for you to make new connections as well as see familiar faces. Following brief welcoming remarks by The Commonwealth Club’s President and CEO Dr. Gloria Duffy, participants will be divided at random into small breakout rooms several times over the course of the session for informal introductions and conversations. Please note there will be no featured speakers or set topics of discussion.

commonwealthclub.org | THE COMMO N WE AL TH

PERRY PHOTO COURTESY THE SPEAKER; COATES PHOTO BY AMANDA GHOBADI.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS FEBRUARY–MARCH 2022 This event is online and for Commonwealth Club members only. To participate, please register and we will send you the Zoom access instructions.

Welcome Remarks by Dr. Gloria Duffy, President and CEO, The Commonwealth Club of California Location: Online Time: 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. PST happy hour

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4 Bank of America Walter Hoadley Annual Economic Forecast The Commonwealth Club’s Bank of America Walter E. Hoadley Economic Forecast will be held on February 4, at noon. It will feature a macroeconomic update from Stanford University’s Michael Boskin, a former chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, and a focused look at inflation from leaders facing the issue on-the-ground in California, including the head of the second largest port in America, as well as the CEO of a global supply chain company. The forecast comes as the COVID-19 pandemic stretches into its second full year, and the U.S. economy is in a murky and confusing state. Growth has returned, yet it has been accompanied by historically high inflation that is impacting many sectors of the economy. Global supply chains have been strongly influenced by unpredictability in both virus waves and labor force participation, and planning for everything from inventory management to labor force participation continues to be in flux. Our annual forecast will focus on what this unpredictability will mean for the economy as a whole, particularly around inflation, and what it means for the American economy, American consumers and American investors in 2022. Join us for this important discussion.

Michael Boskin, Ph.D., Professor of Economics and Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University; Chair, President George H.W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisors Sarah Bohn, Vice President and John and Louise Bryson Chair in Policy Research and Senior Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California Mario Cordero, Executive Director, Port of Long Beach, California Hannah Kain, President & CEO, ALOM Technologies

Imani Perry, 1.8

Laura Coates 1.8

Mary Huss, President and Publisher, San Francisco Business Times; Member, Board of Governors, Commonwealth Club—Moderator Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: noon–1 p.m. PST program Notes: Underwritten by the Bank of America.

stories from the South, from immigrant communities, contemporary artists, exploitative opportunists, enslaved peoples, unsung heroes, her own ancestors, and her lived experiences. Please join us for illuminating conversation that will center the American South as critical to understanding the future of the United States.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 Imani Perry: On the American South The American South has always carved out a unique role in the American civic psyche. Even those who have never lived there can rattle off a list of signifiers from the area: the Civil War, Gone with the Wind, the Ku Klux Klan, plantations, football, barbecue, Jim Crow, slavery. Yet the South is far more complex than much of the country tends to acknowledge, even moreso with an in-migration of people from around the country over the past two decades. In her new book, South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation, Princeton University Professor Imani Perry delves into the true character of the region and shows that the very meaning of America is inextricably linked with the South, and that the country’s understanding of its history and culture, particularly as it relates to African-Americans, is the key to understanding the nation as a whole. Perry’s book explores a range of personalities and

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

Imani Perry, Hughes-Rogers Professor of African American Studies, Princeton University; Author, South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation In Conversation with Deesha Philyaw, Author, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies Location: Online Time: 12:30–1:30 p.m. PST program Notes: This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Perry photo courtesy the speaker; Philyaw photo courtesy the moderator.

Laura Coates: A Black Prosecutor’s Fight for Fairness When Laura Coates joined the Department of Justice as a prosecutor, she wanted to advocate for the most vulnerable among us. But she quickly realized that even with the best intentions, “the pursuit of justice creates injustice.” Coates’s experiences show that no matter how fair you try to fight, being Black, a woman and a mother are identities often at odds in the justice system. She and her colleagues face seemingly impossible situations

as they teeter between right and just. In her new book, Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor’s Fight for Fairness, Coates takes us through her experience in the courtroom. She explores the tension between the idealism of the law and the reality of working within the parameters of our flawed legal system, exposing the chasm between what is right and what is lawful. Coates will give us an inside look at how Black defendants are judged differently and how the court system seems to be the one place where minorities are overrepresented. There is an unrelenting parade of Black and brown defendants in numbers that belie their percentage in the population and overfill American prisons. Join us as Laura Coates talks about the legal system and race in the American justice system. Laura Coates, Senior Legal Analyst, CNN; Author, Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor’s Fight for Fairness Location: Online Time: 3–4 p.m. PST program Notes: This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by The Bernard Osher Foundation. Author photo by Amanda Ghobadi.

San Francisco Opera: Reemergence to Centennial For Matthew Shilvock, general director of San Francisco Opera, being a part of last year’s reemergence of the Opera onstage at the War Memorial Building, was to “experience the

world in hyperreality” and reclaim the magic of nightly “emotional synergy with 3,000 strangers.” He will present the newly announced centennial roster; 2022 is “a celebratory season full of bold possibility, of new productions, new operas”—including Asian artists’ reimagining of Madam Butterfly’s notorious stereotypes that “honors the culture it represents and challenges its shortcomings.” We will be, Shilvock believes, “part of something quite extraordinary” as we turn the page on a second century and reclaim the bold ideals on which San Francisco Opera was founded.’”

Matthew Shilvock, General Director, San Francisco Opera Additional Speakers TBA AN ARTS MEMBER-LED FORUM PROGRAM Program organizer: Dr. Anne W. Smith Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Toni Rembe Rock Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: 5 p.m. doors open & check-in, 5:30– 6:30 p.m. program (all times PST)

Michael Schur with Nick Offerman: How to Be Perfect What do “Parks and Recreation” and “The Office” have in common with books that explore philosophical theories like deontology, ubuntu, utilitarianism and more? They’ve all been written by Michael Schur, a television producer and character actor whose mind has made way for the creation of some

of today’s most popular shows—including “The Good Place,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” In his new book, How to Be Perfect, Schur shares yet another one of his masterful creations. He explores some of history’s most influential philosophical concepts and gives them various applications, from matters of conversation-starting to problem-solving. At INFORUM, Schur and Nick Offerman—best known for playing Ron Swanson in “Parks and Recreation”—will enlighten us with a new and relatable framework to learn about philosophy and ethics. They’ll tackle large questions—such as, “Can I still enjoy great art if it was created by terrible people?”—in a manner that can be both wise and refreshing everyone. While Schur and Offerman’s discussion of How To Be Perfect might not actually leave us with all the answers necessary to eradicate our imperfections, it will leave us with knowledge that could allows us to become even better people. Michael Schur, Creator, “The Good Place”; Co-creator, “Parks and Recreation” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”; Author, How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question In Conversation with Nick Offerman, Actor; Author; Humorist; Woodworker AN INFORUM PROGRAM Location: Online Time: 6–7 p.m. program Notes: Schur photo by Marlene Holston; Offerman photo by Taylor Miller.

SCHUR PHOTO BY MARLENE HOLSTON; OFFERMAN PHOTO BY TAYLOR MILLER.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10

Nick Offerman Michael Schur, 1.8

She’s Got All the Answers: Jeopardy Champion Amy Schneider “I lost to Amy Schneider, but now I want her to keep winning. I want her to keep breaking records. I’m rooting for her with my whole heart. And as cheesy as it sounds, being a part of Amy’s winning streak—even as someone she defeated—is an honor.” —”Jeopardy!” contestant Andrea Asuaje Amy Schneider has been breaking records and earned more than $1 million as a contestant on the brainy quiz show “Jeopardy!” She’s an engineering manager based in Oakland, California, as well as a transgender woman who has described her identity as “important, but also relatively minor.” There’s nothing minor about her historic

commonwealthclub.org | THE COMMO N WE AL TH

Amy Schneider, 2.10

Shah Jahan’s Taj Mahal, 2.11

run on one of the most respected game shows in the country, and she’s having a major impact on attitudes about the trans community. Come meet Amy Schneider live, in-person, at The Commonwealth Club or watch online as we ask her a few questions of our own.

and 1643 to construct it, along with multiple other projects, including gardens, palaces and mosques. The expenditure was immense, even by today’s standards. The Taj Mahal and these other marble monuments were intended to serve the deceased and the living as well as the future of the Mughal house. Shah Jahan ruled until 1658, when he became seriously ill and was overthrown by his sons, each wishing to succeed him. He spent the last years of his life imprisoned and as disheartened as King Lear. Join Humanities West in person at The Commonwealth Club, or via live stream, to gain a deeper understanding of the Mughal dynasty that created the Taj Mahal and what went into the construction of one of the most visited architectural wonders in the world—which never fails to impress visitors, no matter how high their expectations were. Fortunately, unlike the Egyptian pyramids, we actually know from Mughal records how and why the Taj Mahal was constructed. The story of the Taj Mahal is indelibly intertwined with the story of Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal Emperor, who ruled a vast empire on the Indian subcontinent from 1628–1658. His many architectural achievements, in addition to the Taj Mahal, were made possible because of his extraordinary wealth. Note: Both speakers will be participating remotely.

Amy Schneider, Contestant, “Jeopardy!”; Engineering Manager; Twitter @Jeopardamy Michelle Meow, Producer and Host, “The Michelle Meow Show” on KBCW/KPIX TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors; Twitter @msmichellemeow—Co-Host John Zipperer, Producer and Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable; Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club—Co-Host A MICHELLE MEOW SHOW PROGRAM Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: noon doors open & check-in, 12:30– 1:30 p.m. program (all times PST)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11 Humanities West Presents Shah Jahan’s Taj Mahal The most famous and most beautiful tomb in the world was born in the broken heart of Shah Jahan, when his wife Mumtaz Mahal died at 38 giving birth to their 14th child. The riches of the Mughal Empire were poured into this testament to his grief and to his love, as thousands of artisans labored between 1632

Catherine Asher, Professor Emerita, Department of Art History, University of Minnesota, Specialist in Indian, Muslim and Mughal Dynasty art and architecture;

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

Author, The Architecture of Mughal India Gulfishan Khan, Chairperson & Coordinator, Centre of Advance Study, Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University, & Director, Musa Dakri University Museum, Aligarh Muslim University, India; Author, Indian Muslim Perceptions of the West During the Eighteenth Century George Hammond, Author, Conversations With Socrates—Moderator A HUMANITIES MEMBER-LED FORUM PROGRAM Program organizer: George Hammond Time: 4:15 p.m. doors open, check-in & reception, 5–7 p.m. program (all times PST) Notes: Main image by Sourabh Nilakhe/ Unsplash.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14 The Economic State of Latinos in America In a new report, McKinsey & Company finds that Latinos increasingly embody the American Dream----from starting more businesses, seeing higher rates of intergenerational mobility, and achieving a larger share of skilled and higher-paid occupations in the past 10 years when compared to previous decades. Yet America’s contribution to that dream is uneven, according to the new McKinsey report, “The Economic State of Latinos in America: The American Dream Deferred.” The new McKinsey report finds that Latinos born in the United States enjoy higher wages and intergenerational mobility than foreign-born Latinos—suggesting Latinos may overcome the hurdles to full participation in their adopted country over time. Yet both US- and foreign-born Latinos remain far from equal with non-Latino white Americans. Latino Americans make just 73 cents for every dollar earned by white Americans. They face discrimination when it comes to securing financing to start and scale businesses. Latinos struggle with access to food, housing and other essentials. And their level of household wealth—which directly affects their ability to accumulate and pass on wealth from generation to generation—is just one-fifth that of white Americans. Furthermore, the pandemic continues to have a disproportionate impact on Latinos. McKinsey says there’s no doubt Latinos are

SCHNEIDER PHOTO COURTESY THE SPEAKER; MAIN IMAGE BY SOURABH NILAKHE / UNSPLASH

UPCOMING PROGRAMS FEBRUARY–MARCH 2022

slowly being more fully integrated into the U.S. economy. Yet there’s also no doubt there’s a long way to go, especially for first-generation Latino immigrants. Please join us as we discuss this important report with two of its authors and other prominent Latinos, and focus on the opportunity we have to make the U.S. economy more robust for everyone.

Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, CEO, Latino Community Foundation Bismarck Lepe, President and CEO, Wizeline Lucy Pérez, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Co. Bernardo Sichel, Partner, McKinsey & Co. Location: Online Time: noon–1 p.m. PST program Notes: This important community program is made free to the public thanks to McKinsey & Co.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15

PHOTO COURTESY THE SPEAKERS.

Jeremy Peters: How Republicans Lost Their Party How has the Republican Party changed over the past 150 years? Acclaimed political reporter Jeremy Peters has chronicled the fracturing of the GOP and its transformation from the party of Lincoln to the party of Trump. Peters tracks the changes across nearly three decades, with new reporting and firsthand accounts from the people who were there. In his new book Insurgency, Peters details critical junctures and episodes to unfurl the story of a revolution from within and the gamble of party leaders who joined. With Trump as their leader, the gamble paid more significant dividends than they’d ever imagined and extended the life of farright American conservatism into the next half-century. Join us as Peters takes us through the history of the Republican Party and what it means for the future.

Jeremy W. Peters, National Political Reporter, The New York Times; Contributor, MSNBC; Author, Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted A HUMANITIES MEMBER-LED FORUM PROGRAM Program organizer: George Hammond Location: Online Time: 12:30–1:30 p.m. PST program Notes: Peters photo by Brendan Camp.

Immigrants: One Quarter of the Nation Nearly 86 million Americans are immigrants themselves or the children of immigrants. Though many authors have looked at how America changes immigrants, Nancy Foner focuses more on how immigrants have changed America. She reminds us that immigration has long had an important influence on American culture. Today the advantages of immigration continue: rejuvenating our urban centers as well as some rural communities, strengthening the economy, fueling the growth of old industries, spurring the formation of new ones, and refining how Americans perceive race, all while playing a pivotal role in reshaping electoral politics and party alignments. Immigrants affect virtually every facet of American culture, from the music we dance to and the food we eat to the films we watch and the books we read. The impact of immigrants over the past half century has become so much a part of everyday life in America that we sometimes fail to see it. Foner makes sure we don’t forget all the positive ways in which immigrants continue to change our country. Nancy Foner, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York; Author, One Quarter of the Nation: Immigration and the Transformation of America In Conversation with George Hammond, Author, Conversations With Socrates

A HUMANITIES MEMBER-LED FORUM PROGRAM Program organizer: George Hammond Location: Online Time: 3–4 p.m. PST program Notes: Speaker photo courtesy of the speaker; main image: Detail from book cover, One Quarter of the Nation.

Catherine and Tobias Wolff: Imagination, Creativity and Beyond When our imaginations speculate about the afterlife that most of us believe in, they are probably less effective (as Sir Thomas Browne pointed out) than two infants still in the womb trying to describe our far more mundane adult human reality. But as Catherine Wolff demonstrates in Beyond, that does not stop us from trying. Over and over again. Autobiographical storytelling is a similar act of our imaginations’ desire to understand reality by editing it vigorously. Join us to discuss how we think about the beyond with Catherine Wolff, and with her husband Tobias Wolff, a master of that autobiographical art. We will delve into the overlapping boundaries of our imaginations, our creativity, our dreams, and what comes next. If anything.

Catherine Wolff, Former Director, the Arrupe Center for Community-Based Learning, Santa Clara University; Author, Beyond: How Humankind Thinks About Heaven Tobias Wolff, Ward W. and Priscilla B. Woods

Catherine and Tobias Wolff, 2.15

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UPCOMING PROGRAMS FEBRUARY–MARCH 2022 Professor, Emeritus, Department of English, Stanford University; Author, This Boy’s Life and In Pharoah’s Army In Conversation with George Hammond, Author, Conversations With Socrates A HUMANITIES MEMBER-LED FORUM PROGRAM Program organizer: George Hammond Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: 5:30 p.m. doors open, check-in & networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing (all times PST) Notes: Photos courtesy of the speakers.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16 The History of Free Speech from Socrates to Social Media Hailed as the “first freedom,” free speech is one of the bedrocks of democracy. But it is a challenging principle, subject to erosion in times of fear and upheaval. Today, both in democracies and in authoritarian states around the world, it appears to be on the retreat. Jacob Mchangama traces the fascinating legal, political and cultural history of this idea by telling stories of free speech’s many defenders—from the ancient Athenian orator Demosthenes and the ninth-century freethinker al-Rāzī, to the anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells and modern-day digital activists. Mchangama describes how the free exchange of ideas underlies all intellectual achievement and has enabled the advancement of both freedom and equality worldwide. Yet the desire to restrict speech is also a constant, and he explores how even its champions can sometimes be led down an authoritarian, restrictive path when the rise of new and contrarian voices challenge power and privilege of all stripes. Mchangama’s Free Speech demonstrates how much we have gained from this principle—and how much we stand to lose without it.

Jacob Mchangama, Founder and Executive Director, Justitia (Danish think tank); Host, “Clear and Present Danger: A History of Free Speech” Podcast; Author, Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media In Conversation with George Hammond, Author, Conversations With Socrates A HUMANITIES MEMBER-LED FORUM PROGRAM

Amy Zegart, 2.16 Program organizer: George Hammond Location: Online Time: 10–11 a.m. PST program Notes: Author photo courtesy the author; main image: detail from book cover of Free Speech.

Michael Dine: This Way to the Universe Professor Michael Dine is renowned in his field of physics. Dine is widely recognized as having made profound contributions to our understanding of matter, time, the Big Bang, and even what might have come before it, and he wants to share it with people like you. His new book This Way to the Universe touches on many emotional, critical points in his extraordinary career while presenting mind-bending physics, such as his answer to the dark matter and dark energy mysteries, as well as the ideas that explain why our universe consists of something rather than nothing. Dine helps to celebrate the astounding, ongoing scientific investigations that have revealed the nature of reality at its smallest, at its largest, and at the scale of our daily lives. Join us as Professor Michael Dine takes us through the exciting world of physics. Michael Dine, Professor of Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz; Author, This Way to the Universe: A Theoretical Physicist’s Journey to the Edge of Reality Location: Online Time: 3–4 p.m. PST program Notes: In association with Wonderfest. Dine photo courtesy the speaker.

Amy Zegart: Spies, Lies and Algorithms Amy Zegart is one of America’s leading intelligence experts, but she recognizes that few people understand the world of spying, at a time when it has never been more ubiquitous, particularly using technology. She hopes to change this situation. In Spies, Lies, and Algorithms, Zegart separates fact from fiction on spying and offers an account of the past, present and future of American espionage as it faces a revolution driven by digital technology. Zegart explores the history of U.S. espionage, from George Washington’s Revolutionary War spies to today’s spy satellites; examines how fictional spies are influencing real officials; gives an overview of intelligence basics and life inside America’s intelligence agencies; explains the deadly cognitive biases that can mislead analysts; and explores the complicated issues of traitors, covert action and congressional oversight. Zegart also provides an important description of how technology is empowering new enemies and opportunities, and creating powerful new players, in espionage—including private citizens using their home computers and sophisticated technology available by a click. Zegart will discuss these topics and more when she returns to The Commonwealth Club. Please join us for an important conversation on a critical national security subject that many discuss, but few understand. Amy Zegart, Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; Morris Arnold and Nona Jean Cox Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University; Author, Spies, Lies and Algorithms Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: 5:30 p.m. doors open & check-in, 6–7 p.m. program (all times PST)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17 Shaka Senghor: A Father’s Invitation to Love, Honesty and Freedom Fatherhood is far from a one-dimensional experience—often, aspects of our identity such as race and other influential circumstances have influenced how we end up having and raising our children. Shaka Senghor, the New York Times bestselling author of Writing My

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UPCOMING PROGRAMS FEBRUARY–MARCH 2022

Black Women Lead: Stories From the Bay Area As we celebrate Black History Month, we honor the leadership of Black women from the Bay Area, including congresswoman Barbara Lee and Vice President Kamala Harris. Today, a historic number of Black women are serving on school boards, transit agencies, and city councils—and blazing the trail for the next generation of diverse civic leaders in this region. What’s more, an impressive cohort of Bay Area Black women are running for local and statewide office in the upcoming

Shaka Senghor, 2.17

Avi Loeb, 2.22

move forward.

midterm elections. Join the San Francisco Foundation and The Commonwealth Club of California to learn about the leadership journeys of Black women from the Bay Area who are either serving in or running for public office. Speakers include BART Board Director Lateefah Simon, Emeryville City Councilmember Courtney Welch, California Assembly District 20 candidate Jennifer Esteen, and Oakland mayoral candidate Allyssa Victory.

Shaka Senghor, Author, Letters to the Sons of Society: A Father’s Invitation to Love, Honesty, and Freedom In Conversation with LaDoris Cordell, Judge (Ret); Author, Her Honor: My Life on the Bench . . . What Works, What’s Broken, and How to Change It AN INFORUM PROGRAM Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: 5:30 p.m. doors open & check-in, 6–7 p.m. program (all times PST) Notes: This program is part of our Good Lit

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22

Jennifer Esteen, California Assembly District 20 Candidate; Trustee, Alameda Health System Lateefah Simon, Board Director, BART

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Allyssa Victory, Oakland Mayoral Candidate; Staff Attorney, Criminal Justice Program, ACLU of Northern California Courtney Cecelia Welch, Emeryville City Councilwoman; Director of Policy and Communications, Bay Area Community Land Trust Brandi Howard, Chief of Staff, San Francisco Foundation—Moderator Location: Online Time: noon–1:15 p.m. PST program Notes: This program is made possible by San Francisco Foundation’s Bay Area Leads donors.

Avi Loeb: Intelligent Life Beyond Earth Are we alone? Avi Loeb, Harvard’s top astronomer, doesn’t seem to think so. He believes that our solar system was recently visited by advanced alien technology from a distant star. In 2017, scientists in Hawaii observed an object soaring through the sky, moving too fast along a strange orbit for Loeb to conclude that it was a regular asteroid. Instead, he suggested the object could be a piece of advanced technology created by a distant alien civilization. In his new book, Extraterrestrial, Loeb takes readers inside the thrilling story of the first interstellar visitor to be spotted in our solar system. He outlines his controversial theory and its profound implications: for science, religion and the future of our species and planet. Loeb challenges readers to aim for the stars—and to think critically about what’s out there, no matter how strange it seems. Join us as Avi Loeb takes us through a sky-bounding and mind-blowing journey of the wonders of space and what could be out there. Avi Loeb, Chair, Harvard University’s Department of Astronomy; Author, Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth Location: Online Time: 5–6 p.m. program Notes: In association with Wonderfest. Loeb photo by Olivia Falcigno.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 Abortion Rights in America: The Future of Roe V. Wade and Women’s Rights See commonwealthclub.org/events for details. Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO,

SENGHOR PHOTO BY ERNEST SISSON JR. LOEB PHOTO BY OLIVIA FALCIGNO.

series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Senghor photo by Ernest Sisson Jr.; Cordell photo by Laurie Naiman.

Wrongs, can attest strongly to this fact: While Senghor’s first son was raised during his time in prison, his second was born following his release. These contrasting experiences have not only taught Senghor the nuanced meanings of fatherhood in light of varying tribulations, but lessons that he wished he could’ve known throughout his life’s journey—both as a father and a son. In his new book, Letters to the Sons of Society, Senghor translates wisdom about the meaning of manhood into yet another masterful work of text. He will do the same at INFORUM, conflating his book’s lessons about mental health, healing and masculinity into a must-have conversation designed to leave all men—fathers, sons and beyond—in a much better position to cultivate positive relationships with one another as their lives

MCGHEE PHOTO BY ANDREAS BURGESS. ALI PHOTO COURTESY THE SPEAKER.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund Julie Sweet, Deputy National Political Director, ACLU Mini Timmaraju, President, NARAL ProChoice America Location: Online Time: 12:30–1:30 p.m. PST program

against this system, McGhee has seen sparks of a “Solidarity Dividend” that transcends racism and demands a win for all. McGhee will set out her vision for a future that moves beyond the zero-sum and into radical compassion to the benefit of all. Heather McGhee, Chair of the Board, Color of Change; Author, The Sum of Us: What

one of the foremost and funniest public intellectuals in America as a middle-aged dad. Ali tackles the dangers of Islamophobia, white supremacy and chocolate hummus, peppering personal stories with astute insights into national security, immigration and pop culture. Join him and Krista Tippett, host of the acclaimed “On Being” program, to learn how we can all help cultivate a more compassionate, inclusive and delicious America. Wajahat Ali, Columnist, The Daily Beast; Author, Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American In Conversation with Krista Tippett, Host, “On Being” Location: Online Time: 5:30–6:30 p.m. PST program Notes: This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28

Heather McGhee, 2.25

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 Heather McGhee: What Racism Costs Everyone What does racism cost us? Tying together economics and deeply personal stories from across the United States that convey the cost of a broken system, political strategist Heather McGhee roots out the racist policies and politics that she says plague the finances and lives of Americans. In her debut book The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, she makes her case: racism and a flawed zero-sum structure are at the root of all our dysfunctions. Traversing across the country, McGhee shares both the big picture and individual tales of the cost of playing the zero-sum game. McGhee brings people of all races and creeds to share their accounts of lost homes and lost dreams, owing to the mentality that some must lose for others to win. Indeed, in a system where education is a private commodity and incomes for many Americans have remained stagnant, she says winning is not an option. Yet, there is reason for hope. In combat

Jimmy Soni: The Founders See commonwealthclub.org/events for details.

Wajahat Ali, 2.25 Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together; Twitter @hmcghee Location: Online Time: noon–1 p.m. PST program Notes: Photo by Andreas Burgess.

Women’s History Month Kick Off Event: “LFG: Equal Play, Equal Pay” Film Screening, Panel Discussion and Wine Tasting See commonwealthclub.org/events for details.

Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: 3 p.m. PST program Notes: Co-presented by Michelle Meow and Women’s March San Francisco.

Wajahat Ali with Krista Tippett Wajahat Ali is an acclaimed journalist and lawyer whose writings cover the intersection of social justice, politics and race. His first book, Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American, details his Bay Area upbringing, his early career as a lawyer, and how he become

Jimmy Soni, Author, The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley Location: Online Time: 3 p.m. PST program

TUESDAY, MARCH 1 Ray Dalio: Why Nations Succeed and Fail See commonwealthclub.org/events for details.

Ray Dalio, Founder and Co-Chairman, Bridgewater Associates; Author, Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail Location: Online Time: 12:30–1:30 p.m. PST program

Elie Mystal: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution Elie Mystal is no stranger to telling people the truth and how it is. As a commentator and lawyer, Mystal is familiar with law and the power that comes with knowing how to use your words in a powerful way. In his first book, Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution, he does just that. He offers an easily digestible argument primer, offered so that progressives like him

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UPCOMING PROGRAMS FEBRUARY–MARCH 2022

Elie Mystal, Justice Correspondent, The Nation; Author, Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution; Twitter @ ElieNYC In Conversation with Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law, NYU School of Law; Co-host, “Strict Scrutiny” Podcast; Twitter @ProfMMurray Location: Online Time: 3–4 p.m. PST program

George Hammond: More Confidence than You Can Imagine It is hard for most of us to even imagine the confidence Socrates had. Or that Alexander or Mozart had. Much less live it. It is much easier, though, for us to imagine a top saleswoman’s confidence, even if we are inclined to blame it all on her over-praising mother. But there are patterns in the emotion we call confidence that make it clear this is not an unsolvable mystery—patterns that explain both the ephemeral confidence that leads to sales success and the seemingly unshakeable confidence that leads to political, military, artistic, scientific and intellectual high-end achievements. But even when the elements of this emotion are parsed (it is caused by perceiving oneself as virtuous), it is still not immediately obvious how to achieve it in daily life, due to the subtleties of both the process of perceiving oneself and the definition of virtue (using the ancient understanding of virtue as strength or skillfulness). George Hammond will clarify those subtleties so that you can shift how you perceive yourself sufficiently to immediately feel more confident. And to understand how to keep that trend going by shedding the habitual thinking patterns that usually undermine confidence—until you have developed more confidence than you can currently imagine. George Hammond, Author, Conversations

PHOTOS COURTESY THE SPEAKERS.

can tell the Republicans in their lives why they might be wrong. Mystal brings his trademark humor, snark, and legal expertise to topics as crucial to our politics as gerrymandering and voter suppression, and argues legal concepts such as the right to privacy and substantive due process are under threat from the conservative courts. Join us as Elie Mystal makes his case with humor and a sharp sense of humor.

George Hammond, 3.1

Laura Shin, 3.8

With Socrates A HUMANITIES MEMBER-LED FORUM PROGRAM Program organizer: George Hammond Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Toni Rembe Rock Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: 5 p.m. doors open & check-in, 5:30– 6:30 p.m. program (all times PST)

any other—and Laura Shin, who previously served as Forbes’ first mainstream reporter of crypto assets, is just the person you’ll want to hear tell it.

TUESDAY, MARCH 8 Laura Shin: Inside the First Cryptocurrency Craze Today, most people are familiar with the fascinating world of cryptocurrency, though some of us are more familiar than others. Many people only hear about it in the news and across social media platforms, while some individuals stake their livelihoods on investments in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. According to crypto journalist Laura Shin, the total value of crypto assets today is just shy of $2 trillion. But that’s far from the most interesting aspect of an increasingly prevalent crypto fever. Shin—”Unchained Podcast” host — will do more than explore the backgrounds of these uniquely decentralized currencies. She’ll hone in on Ethereum, the crypto network whose success has ignited the fire surrounding today’s cryptocurrencies, and the figures who made Ethereum’s success possible. From a child prodigy to a Goldman Sachs exec, the story of Ethereum’s rise is unlike that of

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

Laura Shin, Host, “Unchained” Podcast; Author, The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Cryptocurrency Craze; Twitter @laurashin Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: 5:15 p.m. doors open & check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing (all times PST)

MONDAY, MARCH 21 Rise: A Pop History of Asian America See commonwealthclub.org/events for details. Jeff Yang, Journalist; Co-Author, Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now Phil Yu, Founder, Angry Asian Man blog; Co-Author, Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now Philip Wang, Co-Founder, Wong Fu Productions; Co-Author, Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now Michelle Meow, Producer and Host, “The Michelle Meow Show,” KBCW TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors—Host A MICHELLE MEOW SHOW PROGRAM Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family

Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: 5:30 p.m. doors open & check-in, 6–7 p.m. program

TUESDAY, MARCH 22 A.J. Baime: White Lies Bestselling author AJ Baime returns to The Commonwealth Club to discuss his biography of Walter F. White, a civil rights leader who often passed for white in order to investigate racist murders. White led a double life: one as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance and the NAACP in the early 20th century, the other as a white newspaperman who covered lynching crimes in the Deep South at the height of racial violence. Born mixed race, with very fair skin and straight hair, White was able to “pass” for white. He leveraged this ambiguity as a reporter, bringing to light the darkest crimes in America and helping to plant the seeds of the Civil Rights Movement. He was simultaneously a second-class citizen subject to Jim Crow laws at home and a widely respected professional with full access to the white world at work. His life was fraught with internal and external conflict—much like the story of race in America. Starting out as an obscure activist, White became a prominent civil rights leader, but until now a character study of White’s life and career in all its complexity has never been told.

Reshma Saujani: Confronting the “Big Lie” of Corporate Feminism Women have been sold a mistruth—roll up your sleeves, smash the glass ceiling, and you too can have it all. Critics say the unspoken realities in this agreement are that many women must also do the majority of household work, childcare, and bear the burden of keeping this endless task list running in their minds. However, the inequity in unpaid work isn’t news to anyone. It is well-rooted and widespread, benefiting a system that has always been designed for the benefit of men. Flash to 2021, when women left or were pushed out of the workforce en masse resulting in the lowest proportion of women in the labor force since the late 1980s. This downturn was matched by a decline in women’s mental health and financial independence. Author, activist and lawyer Reshma Saujani is calling on corporations and their leaders to make vital changes to change this toxic and

BAIME PHOTO BY DEREK JOSEPH GIOVANNI. SAUJANI PHOTO BY ELENA SEIBERT.

A.J. Baime, Author, White Lies: The Double

Life of Walter F. White and America’s Darkest Secret A HUMANITIES MEMBER-LED FORUM PROGRAM Program organizer: George Hammond Location: Online Time: 3–4 p.m. PDT program Notes: This program is part of The Commonwealth Club’s Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Baime photo by Derek Joseph Giovanni.

worsening situation. Her rallying call: It’s time to pay up. Her forthcoming book Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work outlines her four-step action plan to realize this change and serves as a field guide for women, empowering them to demand what they deserve. Join us at INFORUM welcoming Saujani as she paints a picture of the future she sees for women.

Reshma Saujani, Founder, Girls Who Code and the Marshall Plan for Mom; Author, Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (and Why It’s Different Than You Think) Ina Fried, Chief Technology Correspondent, Axios—Moderator Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: 5:15 p.m. doors open & check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing (all times PDT) Notes: Photo by Elena Seibert.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23 Left Behind: The Democrats’ Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality See commonwealthclub.org/events for details.

Lily Geismer, Associate Professor of History, Claremont McKenna College; Author, Left Behind: The Democrats’ Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: 5:30 p.m. doors open & check-in, 6–7 p.m. program

THURSDAY, MARCH 24

A.J. Baime on Walter F. White, 3.22

Reshma Saujani, 3.22

Oded Galor: The Origins of Wealth and Inequality Join us to discuss with economist Oded Galor his grand unifying theory to explain human flourishing and economic inequality. In a captivating journey from the dawn of human existence to the present, Galor offers an intriguing solution to two of humanity’s great mysteries. Why are humans the only species to have escaped (quite recently) the subsistence trap, allowing us to enjoy a standard of living that vastly exceeds all others? And why have we progressed so unequally around the world, resulting in the great disparities between

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UPCOMING PROGRAMS FEBRUARY–MARCH 2022 nations that exist today? Immense in scope and packed with interesting connections, Galor explains how technology, population size, and adaptation led to a stunning “phase change” in human history a mere 200 years ago. But by tracing that same journey back in time and peeling away the layers of influence—colonialism, political institutions, societal structure, culture—he also arrives at an explanation of inequality’s ultimate cause: those ancestral populations that enjoyed fruitful geographical characteristics and rich diversity were set on the path to prosperity, while those that lacked it were disadvantaged in ways still influential today. As we face ecological crises across the globe, Galor concludes that gender equality, investment in education, and balancing diversity with social cohesion are the keys not only to our species’ thriving, but to its survival.

Oded Galor, Herbert H. Goldberger Professor of Economics, Brown University; Founder, Unified Growth Theory; Author, The Journey of Humanity: The Origins of Wealth and Inequality In Conversation with George Hammond, Author, Conversations With Socrates A HUMANITIES MEMBER-LED FORUM PROGRAM Program organizer: George Hammond Location: Online Time: 3–4 p.m. PDT program Notes: Galor photo courtesy the author.

John Markoff: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand Iconic counterculture icon Stewart Brand has been at the center of many of the social and cultural movements launched and nurtured in the Bay Area. Whether it be early computing, the Merry Pranksters and the hippies, the generation-defining Whole Earth Catalog, or the environmental movement, Brand has been at the center of them all. Yet many outside these movements only know him because Apple founder Steve Jobs quoted Brand’s famous mantra—stay hungry, stay foolish—in a famous Stanford University commencement speech. Legendary science and technology writer John Markoff hopes to elevate an understanding of Brand’s impact on our world. In his new book, Whole Earth: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand, Markoff provides the first serious biography of Brand, his impact and his many contradictions. A blond-haired WASP with a modest family inheritance, Brand went to Exeter and Stanford and was an army veteran, but in California in the 1960s he became an artist and a photographer in the thick of the LSD revolution. While tripping on acid on the roof of his building, he envisioned how valuable it would be for humans to see a photograph of the planet they shared from space, an image that in the end landed on the cover of his Whole Earth Catalog, the defining publication of the counterculture. He

married a Native American woman and was committed to protecting indigenous culture, which connected to a broader environmentalist mission that has been a through line of his life. He also was early to the promise of the computer revolution—nurtured in the pages and community of the Whole Earth Catalog—and helped define it for the wider world. Please join us as Markoff discusses Brand’s influential and remarkable California life and the impact he has had on millions of people. John Markoff, Writer-in-Residence, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence; Author, Whole Earth: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: 5:30 p.m. doors open & check-in, 6–7 p.m. program (all times PDT) Notes: This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Speaker photo by Leslie Terzian Markoff.

TUESDAY, MARCH 29 Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics See commonwealthclub.org/events for details.

Richard Hasen, Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science, University of California Irvine; Author, Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics—and How to Cure It Location: Online Time: 3–4 p.m. PDT program

SPEAKER PHOTO BY LESLIE TERZIAN MARKOFF.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 Jane McGonigal: Ready for Anything See commonwealthclub.org/events for details.

John Markoff (left) on Stewart Brand, 3.24

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Jane McGonigal, Future Forecaster; Reality Games Designer; Author, Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything—Even Things that Seem Impossible Today Location: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105 Time: 5:30 p.m. doors open & check-in, 6–7 p.m. program (all times PDT)

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THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN HARRISON PHOTOGRAPHY.

GLORIA DUFFY: Growing up on a plantation in the Philippines, fascinated by flying and travel, Maryles started her career as a flight attendant for Philippine Airlines, and she has over 40 years of experience in the travel industry. With tremendous determination, focus and grit, from a $1,500 startup to a $200 million company, her journey with Casto Travel has been a fascinating one. Her company grew as she worked—from the time they were startups—with Silicon Valley tech giants including Intel, Apple and Kleiner Perkins, and of course, with their colorful leaders like Steve Jobs and Andy Grove. Maryles, it seems that you used the pandemic time in a very productive way, to write your book and get it published MARYLES CASTO: Yes, I did. This was a book that I wanted to write many years ago, because of the experiences I really wanted to share. In many ways, it was a way of saying thank you to everybody that participated and made this journey of mine a really exciting one. DUFFY: So let’s start by asking you about the title, A Hole in the Clouds. What does that mean? CASTO: When I was a little girl, as you said, we were raised on a sugar plantation and my father had a small airplane. He would be flying from one place to the other, and he would take the children flying with him. None of my brothers and sisters really enjoyed flying as much as I did. So we would take off in this plane, and my father’s assignment to me was always to look for the hole in the clouds, because he felt that if we do that, we would go on a smoother flight and conditions were better and that we would do acrobatic maneuvers, which I loved. That became my love affair for air travel. That became a natural transition for me as I was growing up, that travel was going to be very much a part of my my life. As I grew up and I became a f light attendant, it was just normal; that was an easy transition, because at that time there were really no job opportunities for women at that age except being a flight attendant. I really wanted to serve people. And again, I loved flying. It just became very natural that that was the career I chose. DUFFY: I don’t want to lose the story of your childhood and growing up in the Philippines, but it does seem like a hole in the clouds is a metaphor for finding

opportunities and moving through them. So I want to get back to that. But tell us what it was like growing up. Your family had a sugar plantation and also a coconut plantation. And you had, what, seven kids in your family? CASTO: Yes. Three sisters and four brothers. But when we had to go to school, we really didn’t spend a lot of time [together], except during the summers and Christmas holidays, because we had to go to different provinces to get to school. But it was so much fun. My grandfather was from Switzerland;

But then my grandmother, after they had seven children, passed away. My grandfather went back to Switzerland. And lo and behold, the girlfriend he left behind when he moved to the Philippines was also widowed with seven kids. So he married her and brought her back to the Philippines, and she was the one who raised my mother. DUFFY: So what was that like again to grow up? You sort of ran around. You had the run of the countryside. And what about school? How did you go to school? CASTO: Really we did not until we were

MARYLES CASTO: A HOLE IN THE CLOUDS SHE BUILT HER TRAVEL BUSINESS FROM A $1,500 startup into a $200 million company, serving the needs of the tech industry. Here, she tells how she transformed her life from unemployed flight attendant into the CEO of one of the most successful travel companies in the country, and of the interesting characters she has met along the way. From the November 15, 2021 program “Maryles Casto: My Journey from the Clouds to Silicon Valley CEO.” Part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. MARYLES CASTO, Chairman and CEO, MVC Solutions; Author, A Hole in the Clouds: From Flight Attendant to Silicon Valley CEO In Conversation with Dr. GLORIA DUFFY, President and CEO, The Commonwealth Club of California he left Switzerland when he was 18 years old to find his fortune. He ended up in the Philippines and started the sugar plantation. During that time, it was tradition where the people on the farm would pay tribute to the patron. During Christmas, he was on the balcony receiving all the people and gifts. The daughter of the foreman sang to him, and he fell in love with my grandmother. That was my Filipino grandmother. Growing up, we used to see paintings of them in each side of the hallway.

boarders, so we had to go to different provinces. [The girls] went to Bacolod City to a girls’ school and the boys went to Ateneo, which is in Cagayan de Oro, and that’s where they were. We were all boarders, because there were no schools [near our home]. After that, my mother decided she was going to buy a house in Cebu City, and that’s where the family was. This is doing our high school days, but really mostly in the boarding class. We grew up in boarding

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“I GOT VERY RESTLESS IN CLASS AND I WAS VERY NAUGHTY. THEY WERE RUNNING OUT OF PUNISHMENTS FOR ME.” —MARYLES CASTO

schools. DUFFY: So you graduated from high school, and you said there were not opportunities for women at that point. What were your alternatives, and how did you go on to become a flight attendant? CASTO: My sister and my cousins were all flight attendants. My uncle was vice president of Philippine Airlines at that time, and there were no [other] job opportunities. And flight attendants at the time really had their stature. You know, everybody wanted to be a flight attendant, because you wear uniforms. At that time, we had two month’s training—not like today—on knowing how to address clients’ anticipation, and all the little details on wine and cheese and food and how you serve. It was a finishing school, very much, of the industry. By the time you finished, you really were adapted to taking care of clients. My love for personal service—really, it had enhanced the feeling I had of, This is really what I wanted to do. DUFFY: You had a little bit of a background as a rebel, if I recall. You have some stories about Catholic school. CASTO: I hated school. I really did. On the farm, my mother was really not very strict, but my sister was very strict, but we just had to run around. We did. We rode the water buffaloes, and we dived and we climbed trees. We were very wild in many ways and undisciplined. And then you go to school and the nuns were just very disciplinarian, and I didn’t like that. I mean, I got very restless in class and I was very naughty— very, very naughty. They were running out of punishments for me. One time I did something really bad, I’m sure. So the nuns were going to discipline me and had me run around with eight wood wastebaskets on top of my head, to shame me. But I decided, “You know what? I’m [not] going to have them shame me.” I just went to each of the classrooms, started dancing around and singing, and before I

knew it, everybody was participating. So that kind of discipline turned back. I always have this thing about no rules. I want to do it my way. That was showing my independence. DUFFY: You met a young man and you ended up coming to the U.S. Tell us that story. CASTO: Yes, I did. I had never dated an American. My girlfriend was one of the top models in the Philippines; she was dating a lot of Americans. She invited me to a party and I met him. I had seen a picture of him before—a very attractive man. And I just went, “Oh, wow, this is really somebody I want to meet.” So I did have a blind date with him, and we ended up just talking. It was just unbelievable. I had never really dated anybody aside from my group. He really listened. We had great conversation, and I just knew at the end of the day that I was going to marry him. Of course, he had no idea about that—women decide. I started to tell my father, “I think you need to pay attention to this young man that I’m going to marry.” And we did. We had the wedding in the Philippines, and then we moved to this country. And I have to tell you, I was very unprepared. You know, flying in the United States as a flight attendant, you saw things. But living here is actually very different, because I had to become an American wife; I learned all the things that I was unprepared for, learning how to cook, learning how to iron. Oh my God, I thought, “This is just [too much],” you know? We didn’t have a lot of money, because he was the student who was trying to get back to school. So I knew that I had to make some changes. My dad was very patient with me. He made it easier for me. I remember when we [had] an apartment down south and I would wait for him to come home because I had no friends. I was so lonely, and the only person

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

who made friends was the landlady who owned the apartment. She would come up every day and she would tell me, “Honey, it’s time.” And I would go downstairs and watch roller derby. [Laughter.] That was our entertainment. She was really kind. She was trying to teach me; a lot of the vocabulary she used were not things that she would normally say, but she was my friend and I will always remember her. She took an interest in me, trying to teach me. Then I decided I needed to do more. I needed to be independent, because I was very concerned about that. In the meantime, my parents came to visit and also to see how I was doing. I think my father, more than anything else, wanted to be sure that I was in the right place—and because he was so against this marriage. And then I think I wanted to show him that I can make it happen. And that’s really what we did. . . . I had to go back to work. I had no training except being a flight attendant. At that time, you couldn’t be married and fly. That’s why I would no longer be with the airlines when we moved to this country. I started working as an Avon lady and bought all the products. I ended up not selling anything, except I bought all [the products], because I was so petrified of going out and cold calling. Then I ended up working for Macy’s as a salesperson. I blew that, too, because I didn’t know how to gift wrap. I felt like, Oh my god, I’m so inadequate. Then a good friend of mine who was a flight attendant said, “Why don’t you think about being a travel agent,” which I never even thought about. I found an ad in the paper and I applied for it and I got hired. And that was really my first entry into the travel industry. DUFFY: Your first hole in the clouds. So you worked for an agency and then I think you bought an agency. CASTO: I did; I worked for three other

“SUE SAID, ‘IT’S NOT MARYLES; SHE’S NO LONGER HERE.’ AND ANDY GROVE SAID THE MAGIC WORDS, ‘FIND HER.’” —MARYLES CASTO

agencies. I was getting restless. The first agency was [run by someone who] didn’t need the business. I think he just enjoyed being in travel. But he was horrible with his clients. I learned a lot of what not to do in the last of the three companies that I worked for. I was always very obsessed about clients, that you had to anticipate clients’ moods, you had to learn about what they wanted. Pay attention to the little details. So those were really my people skills. I would sit at the airport and wait for people checking in and out, because I felt [it was important] learning how a passenger travels. You’ve got to look at how did they check in? What’s behind the counter? I mean, what are the challenges that they would [face]? All those little things that I felt would help me and educate me. I applied all those knowledge as I was starting to build my resume. The last agency I worked at was called Travel Planners. When I started, there were only three of us, and when I left there were 30 people. We started handling little accounts; we had a GE account and then Intel. They were like 100 people at that time. I learned that it was the travel assistants and secretaries that really were the people that I should get to know, because I didn’t know the passengers, but I knew those secretaries, and if I did a good job for them, I would take care of their travel needs as well. So I developed really strong relationships with a lot of the travel assistants. I was handling the corporate business— the company was divided into corporate business and the vacation business. My girlfriend, Lee, was in the vacation business. So between the two of us, we started talking about our frustration, because they weren’t taking care of the employees. So I knew that I could do a better job and I was really frustrated. So she and I talked about it, and again, my dad’s influence is very strong because he kept saying, “You can make

this happen.” She and I decided we were going to go. We were going to quit. We didn’t tell anybody. We just resigned. And so we did. We left, and then we ended up getting an office in Los Altos. We had no money, except what we invested—$1,500 each. We opened the office, and we bought our desks from the Repo Depot. We had ferns as decorations and old maps. And then nothing happened. We waited for the phone to ring. Nothing happened. So we started cold calling. I would go hit the pavement and just look and see what opportunities we have. I was walking down Great American Parkway, and I’ll remember this always. I had to always dress well, because I felt like I was representing myself and the company. I had on high heels. And oh my God, it was so hard. I was walking and broke my heels. I was watching this man from a window and he was paying attention. I thought, “Well, that’s the first person I’ve seen in that office, in the corner office. So maybe I just walk in,” and I did. I said to the receptionist, “I want to meet the man in the corner office.” She sa id, “Wel l, do you have a n appointment?” I said, “No, I don’t.” She said, “Well, let me see what I can do.” She called him and he came out. It was Ken Oshman from ROLM Corporation. DUFFY: As we used to refer to it, he was the O in ROLM. CASTO: That’s right. He was so nice. I didn’t get the business, of course, but he was so patient. And, you know, at that time in the Valley, everybody really knew each other. So I got the business after a while; they gave me some of the business, but not at that time. And the phone never rang, and my nextdoor person who lived across from the office was Sandra Kurtzig of ASK Computer. Sandy was one of the pioneers as well, and her office and company was just going crazy.

I wanted to learn something from her, so I went to visit with her. What I enjoyed about Sandy is, Sandy was who she was. She never changed. She was tough, but she knew her business. I thought, You know what? I’m going to be like Sandy, because I knew that I could. I knew that I was good. I was very, very good, and I believed in the running of the company. The company was going to be all right. DUFFY: And as you begin to make these connections and gain inroads into the new Silicon Valley companies, around what time was this? CASTO: I think probably in the ’80s. Finally, after two months, the phone rang and it was Sue McFarland saying something happened to Andy’s reservations. DUFFY: That’s Andy Grove of Intel. DUFFY: Andy Grove. He was at the time general manager, but then I think he became vice president. Andy’s question was, “How could Maryles have made a mistake?” Sue said, “It’s not Maryles; she’s no longer here.” And he said the magic words, “Find her.” So here I am. Sue calls me and she says “Andy wants you to handle the Intel department he’s in.” And I said, “Sue, that’s wonderful, but I don’t have the money.” We had to pay the airlines every week for tickets that we used. I said, “I don’t have the money.” He said, “Oh, my goodness, so what are we going to do?” I said, “I don’t know. I’d love to get the account, but financially I can’t afford it.” So they arranged for me to get $20,000 to put in their account. So that was my first fee. After I got that call, the second call was from Al Shugart of Shugart Associates [later CEO of Seagate]. The same thing: Al wanted me to handle his business. Again, the same thing, I said I have no money, so he said “I’ll pay you cash every time you deliver tickets.” So those two people really helped me get my business going. And then, of course, Apple came in.

commonwealthclub.org | THE COMMO N WE AL TH

KAL PENN: I’ve been seeing you everywhere the last couple of weeks, especially the last week and a half. We have the same [book publication] date, and I have been so excited to hear you tell your story. You sent me an early copy of the book. I was thumbing through just the photos at first. It’s the same photos that I have in my book [laughter] of the immigrant parents, and the ’70s, ’80s attire and the trips to South Asia. I feel like that experience of, at least what I felt was boundless possibility as a kid, going into this unlikely journey of entering worlds—mostly entertainment and then dabbling in public service; you’ve had this whole lifetime of public service. Were the parents an influence? What was the big insight that got you in there? HUMA ABEDIN: Kal, I want to gush about you for a minute, because I just want to tell you about you. [Holds up a copy of Penn’s book, showing many pages tabbed with page markers.] Look, these are my notes. PENN: Oh my god. ABEDIN: And yes, I compared early family photos. We’ve known each other in politics. I’ve obviously seen you—I’ve watched your shows. I know you’re super famous. But your story . . . I just opened the book, and I couldn’t put it down. I came away with such an extraordinary respect for your story.

COVER STORY

You asked about our immigrant parents and stories and grandparents: I opened my book with my grandmother. My father came from India, my mother came from Pakistan. Both immigrants, like your story. This notion of education being a religion of sacrifice—you know, the story you tell in your book about going to Gandhi’s ashram with your grandfather. And them not talking about being freedom fighters and all of that. I felt that very much in my family. My grandmother fought to go to school back in the time in India where girls were not sent—it was shameful to be sent outside the house. She would get on the back of an ox cart, in the back of the house [so as] not to bring shame to the family. Every time I think about those pinch-me moments that you and I have had in the White House [and] on Air Force One, I think about our grandparents and our parents and what they sacrificed to give us this extraordinary life of opportunity. PENN: I was one of those nerds in college and especially post-college who would Google “Why hasn’t Huma been doing all these interviews?” And then you realize it’s because of the nature of the role that you played and the type of public service you’ve done. I wanted to ask you whether, with your parents and the work that you chose, first of all, were they supportive of what you wanted to do early on? And was there a singular moment where they sort of said, “I’m proud of the work that you’re doing?” ABEDIN: I was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and

HUMA ABEDIN & KAL PENN THE AMERICAN DREAM CAN BE

HUMA ABEDIN, Former Vice Chairperson, Hillary Clinton 2016 Presidential Campaign; Author, Both/ And: A Life in Many Worlds KAL PENN, Actor; Former Principal Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement; Author, You Can’t Be Serious

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

PHOTO BY BRIGITTE LACOMBE.

realized by people following different paths, including immigrant family experiences, career changes, and lots of hard work. From the November 9, 2021, online Inforum program “An Evening with Kal Penn and Huma Abedin.”

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COVER STORY

I’m curious about you, because I laughed when I read the “auntie” conversations about “What college are you going to?” and “What are you doing?” So tell me your story, [about] your parents and whether you had these conversations with them, too. PENN: The focus on education is something that really came from my grandparents in our case and especially on my mom’s side. My maternal grandparents were especially active in the Indian independence movement. I was in a Hindu and Jain household, but incredibly secular. They would encourage us to go to mosque or temple or church with anybody who invited us; really a real Gandhian view of faith and otherness. I appreciated that. They were both teachers. So they made sure that there were never any excuses. My mom and her sisters and their brother had to get as much of an education as it was possible to get. That certainly was passed on to us. Especially in our case, I think. My dad came here with the equivalent of $12 in his pocket as part of the post-1965 wave of immigration. The sanitized version of that story as my dad came here with no money, and he really made it. And that’s true. He worked his butt off. But it’s so important to remember that there was a shortage of doctors and engineers in America at the time, and that’s one of the real reasons that so many Asian-Americans were able to come during that time—that he got into an engineering grad program. That’s why he knew that as the American dream and what it was like to build a better life. So here I come along. I’m terrible at math. My dad’s an engineer. My mom has a Masters in chemistry. How does this happen? Then I say I want to be an actor. And that’s not why they moved to America—so their first-born son can say he wants to be an actor. I felt a lot of that

pressure from the Indian community in ways that weren’t always polite. There were a lot of aunties and uncles who would say things like, “Are you not smart enough to go to medical school?” I mean, look, the answer is no. I was not smart enough to go to medical school, but just don’t say that. So you have this sense of community or the sense of family, and certainly there’s a lot of support there, but also a lot that I had to work through. And by the way, when you said the piece about in Victorian times, women who would write had to change their names—I remember in the late ’90s, early 2000s interning; there’s a chapter where I talk about one of the worst bosses I’ve ever had, who taught me how not to produce movies. But during that time, I remember that there were screenwriters, particularly women who wrote action and horror films, who would change the names on the front of their script to men’s names just to get the script to be read. So when you said Victorian times, I just think we often think of Hollywood as a more progressive, more liberal place. Yet when it comes to issues of diversity and inclusion, they’ve been fairly late to the game. ABEDIN: I love this notion of the Hindu, Jain, and that you were going to mosques because that’s definitely how we were raised as well. Curious about other [religions]. Both my parents are Muslims. Actually, it’s one of the reasons my parents were allowed to stay here in the ’60s, because back then, as you well know, an Indian man and a Pakistani woman could not have gone back to either country and sort of lived. And that’s how they got asylum here. But they really did encourage us and push us to be curious about other cultures and faiths and religions. I kind of had goose bumps when I read the opening story in your book about the experience that you had. I’d love for you to

“MY DAD’S AN ENGINEER. MY MOM HAS A MASTERS IN CHEMISTRY. THEN I SAY I WANT TO BE AN ACTOR. AND THAT’S NOT WHY THEY MOVED TO AMERICA—SO THEIR FIRST-BORN SON CAN SAY HE WANTS TO BE AN ACTOR.” —KAL PENN

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

PHOTO BY MAARTEN DE BOER.

I often think about sort of this notion of choice. When I was two, my father was diagnosed with renal failure and he was told he had 5 to 10 years to live. And it’s one of the first lines I wrote in my book: “My father was told he was dying, and so he went out and lived.” Two months later, we moved to Saudi Arabia. My parents were both professors, academics. We get on this plane for a oneyear sabbatical, and that was 42 years ago. I grew up in a conservative environment. I think anyone who knows anything about Saudi Arabia [knows it] is culturally and socially conservative. My mother, in particular, really struggled. She left Pakistan to study in the United States, then has to go to Saudi Arabia, and she can’t even drive. But they always told me . . . you can be three things in our part of the world: a doctor, a lawyer, engineer. And if you weren’t one of those three things, and if you were a girl, then you could get married and you could maybe [be] a teacher, but there were certain circumscribed professions. My parents always told me, “You can do whatever it is you want. All we require is that you be educated.” I believe my dad, who I was very close to when he died when I was 17, always thought I would be a writer. He would bring books back from his travels overseas, and one year when I was 10, he brought a book back called Silas Marner by George Eliot, and it was so over my head. When I read the introduction, I go to my dad—I used to call my dad Abu—and I said, “Abu, why did this woman, Mary Evans, have to write under a man’s name?” He said “Back in the Victorian era, women were not taken seriously as writers. So she wrote in a man’s name. But don’t worry; when you grow up, you’ll write your own book and you’ll use your own name. Everyone will take it seriously.” I think he always wanted to be a writer, and that’s the one thing I’m very grateful for.

commonwealthclub.org | THE COMMO N WE AL TH

tell us about it, but also because I actually had this notion myself in fifth grade, when my father had his kidney transplant. I went to school in Saudi Arabia [at] a very international school, but people, for the most part were kind of a mix. Most of us were Muslims. And . . . America could be this ideal for me. Every time we went on a trip, we would land and I would wake up and ask my mom, “Is it America yet?” Because to me, America represented this ideal. America was freedom. It was choice. It was opportunity. But I do write about this one experience in fifth grade, when my father had his kidney transplants. My parents kept us at the local public school in New Jersey for a period of time. I kind of struggled, I became the kid [who] knew all the answers, because I went to British schools in Saudi Arabia and I found that it was material I learned very quickly. Learning that the eye rolling, the nudging, the not understanding the American sports—I didn’t know the rules behind certain games. And it really did make me wonder if I wasn’t the kid bringing smelly Indian food or whatever. I’d love to talk a little bit about what that experience was, because my takeaway is one of the ways you sort of made your way through was these stories you told. I’m compelled by stories. Tell me about storytelling and what stories did for you— and tell us about The Wizard of Oz. PENN: The town that I grew up in in New Jersey was mostly white, but diverse within that whiteness. What I mean by that is that a lot of people spoke multiple languages at home. So there is a big Italian-American community. A lot of folks spoke Polish or German even. In middle school, there was a huge Jewish community, so every weekend was a bar mitzvah in seventh and eighth grade. So, the central New Jersey bar mitzvah scene I was pretty well versed in. But the bullying—and it’s funny that by 2021 standards, it’s called bullying, because back then we just knew it as middle school. When kids would kind of beat you up in the hallway or throw your books down the stairs, if you were brown, it was often accompanied with a little quote from either Apu from “The Simpsons” or Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. You know, some reductionist, stereotypical thing that was out there in some of the most popular film and TV shows that kids would watch at the time. And it was the first thing that struck me about, wow, people, especially kids, really take those images of what we see on TV and kind of convert them in an interesting way

COVER STORY

where those images really affect us. That same year, I played the Tin Man in The Wiz. Kids would be chastised by the soccer players throughout the year, especially, because we were putting up a play. There’s a phrase that you might have heard that actors use: “I was in the zone.” That means the character took over and you really didn’t have full control over what you were doing. That’s how into the character you were. At 14 I hadn’t experienced that before until The Wiz. So I’m doing this play in front of the whole school. There’s a scene where the Tin Man gets his heart, and he’s supposed to look at the audience and say, “All you fine ladies out there, watch out.” It’s meant to indicate that he’s capable of love. Instead, I was really nervous and I went into this zone and I got my heart and I said, “All you fine ladies out there,” and I did this gigantic pelvic thrust. And then I just said, “Watch out.” And the crowd went wild. All the girls started screaming. People applauded. And on the late bus home, all the soccer players applauded and said, “That was so funny. We really enjoyed it. Why didn’t you tell us that’s what you were doing?” My first reaction was, I was waiting for the second shoe to drop. I was waiting for the spitballs. I was waiting for that extra thing. And that never came, because they genuinely enjoyed [it]—whatever their preconceived notions were were evaporated with a silly joke that I made. That was the first time I realized, “Wait a second, I’ve seen the downside to these stereotypical representations. But there’s an upside to comedy that can bring people together in ways that I never had imagined.” That was one of the catalysts that made me say I want to be a storyteller for life. I want to bring characters to the stage or to the screen and make audiences feel amazing, beautiful things that they maybe hadn’t felt before. And one of the things, when I remember transitioning to my very brief public service career, always in awe of yours and always watching everything that you were doing— and this is a total non sequitur, but I know we crossed paths in Iowa and in several states during the whole campaign process. One of the things that I loved storywise about your book was when you were an intern. You write about Ramadan and sharing Ramadan with people and what that felt like, and even just being an intern and feeling accepted in a way that had not been the status quo in your life up until that point. I had a similar experience when I worked in

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

Washington. It wasn’t until I worked at the White House that I felt that, because I felt the opposite in Hollywood. Can you talk about what that was like and what that Ramadan was like? ABEDIN: It’s amazing. It sounds like you had a tremendous amount of confidence in your ability to tell stories and perform. I think I did, too. The only difference between you and me when we were younger is you were clearly very good, as evidenced by your Wizard of Oz experience. I was not. I would stand up at family parties and say, “I have a new poem. Who wants to hear it?” And all my siblings and cousins would be rolling their eyes, and my father would be clapping from the back saying, “That’s beautiful, beautiful.” And he always told me the greatest power was the power of my pen if I used it wisely. But—fast forward—I did make it to the White House. I walked in as a 21-yearold intern. Now I do want to note, Kal, that like you, I was rejected from one very special university that I thought I would automatically be accepted in, which is my parents’ alma mater. They met at the University of Pennsylvania. They were Fulbright scholars. So here I am thinking I’ve got to follow in my parents’ footsteps. I have to go to the University of Pennsylvania. I apply for early admission, and sure enough, I get a very skinny little letter saying I’m rejected. It made me think when I read your story about ending up at UCLA, I thought this was so similar, because I ended up going to George Washington University for college, and it was exactly the right place for me. Just before I left for college, it was the midst of the first Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm. I turned the TV on and I see this woman, and the minute I saw her and listened to her, I thought, I’m going to be her. That was Christiane Amanpour. PENN: Oh, amazing! ABEDIN: I watched women on TV in Saudi Arabia, they’re always covered; or you watched CNN and you didn’t see a lot of people who looked like me. So she was my moment of, I see that. You know what? Maybe I can be that. So I la nd in George Wa shing ton University thinking I’m at the center of the universe. This is where the next Christiane Amanpour is going to be born. I think you were similar in this way; I was very curious about different student unions when I was at school. I had a friend that I met through the Black Student Union; her name was

“WHEN I WALKED INTO THE CLINTON WHITE HOUSE IN 1996, I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IF I WAS A DEMOCRAT. BUT I KIND OF FELL IN LOVE WITH THE MISSION, THE WORK THE FIRST LADY WAS DOING.” —HUMA ABEDIN

Roneith. She comes up to me one day and said, “Listen, I have this great internship at the White House. I interned for Mike McCurry. You know, the blue curtain that the press secretary stands at—I sit in the office behind [the curtain].” Well, . . . wow, yes, of course. I never thought I would get the internship. I filled out the application form and sure enough, I’m shocked when I get in. And then I walked in and day one—this is September 1996; I’m 21 and I was actually disappointed because I was not assigned to the press office. I was assigned to the first lady’s office. I remember calling my mom from those brick cell phones we used to have back then and saying, “Mom, I’m not in the press office.” And she said, “Well, maybe plan A didn’t work, but you know, Plan B will be something to explore.” And it was amazing. When you tell the story about bringing Diwali to the White House when you were there—first of all, I’m shocked actually that there was not a Diwali celebration at the White House, so thank you for doing that PENN: There were, but never with the principal, never with the president. ABEDIN: When I walked into the Clinton

White House in 1996, I really felt like it I was surrounded—and by the way, Kal, I didn’t even know if I was a Democrat. Most of my family in New Jersey voted Republican. Lots of South Asians are fiscally and socially conservative. So back in the ’80s, you sort of automatically [voted for the GOP]. But I kind of fell in love with the cause, with the mission, the work the first lady was doing on behalf of women around the world, what President Clinton was doing, particularly with Middle East peace. So for me, like you brought Diwali, we had Ramadan celebrated in the White House, and it was the first time I really felt like I knew more than people in the room. It came with a great amount of confidence, and I felt very kind of welcomed and a lot of curiosity about my cultural and faith values. I think there was the benefit. Look, I had the honor of working for both the Clinton administration and the Obama administration. That was one thing both administrations did really well, which is this feeling of inclusivity and expanding the table so there are more seats. I really want to hear a little bit more about what you had to go through to be who

you became. Because there are shocking moments in this book. Can you share a little bit about that struggle and that assurance? PENN: Thank you for saying that. I think one of the subtexts of my book, hopefully, is how systems can and do change and the ways in which that’s possible. When I started out as an actor, I went to UCLA—after very dramatically shaving my head after getting rejected from Yale. But I ended up going to the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and being very excited that I was finally so close to the entertainment industry, so close to people who were working in the industry that I wanted to [work with]. So many of my classmates already had agents. They had agents who signed them and they were going out on auditions, and I wanted that. So for about two years, every Wednesday, I would put my headshot and resume together, sometimes with a tape of a student film or an audition tape that I had made and send them out to prospective agents. And nobody ever called. After about two or two and a half years, a wonderful actor named Jenna von Oÿ, who is still a dear friend of mine—she was on the

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COVER STORY

“HE SAID SOMEBODY WHO LOOKS LIKE YOU IS NEVER GOING TO WORK CONSISTENTLY ENOUGH IN HOLLYWOOD FOR HIM TO WANT TO MEET WITH YOU.” —KAL PENN

show “Blossom” back in the ’90s and “The Parkers” in the 2000—she had a real A-list manager and she said, “Why don’t I take your tape and your headshot and everything to my manager? He’ll at least meet with you, and you guys can talk about a good strategy. No guarantee that he’ll necessarily sign you. But probably.” I said “That would be amazing. What a big favor.” She goes and comes back to me about a week later and said, “He doesn’t want to meet with you. And I’m curious how much of the story you want to hear.” I said, “Look, hanging up the artist hat for a second, putting on the businessperson hat, I’d really like to know everything so that I know what to do differently on my audition tape or my submissions moving forward.” So she said, “OK, so two things. One, you should know that he really did like your tape. He said you were incredibly talented and he doesn’t just say that sort of thing. So I just want you to know it’s true.” And I said, “OK, thank you, but I feel like there’s a big but coming.” She said “Yes. He said, but somebody who looks like you is never going to work consistently enough in Hollywood for him to want to meet with you or even take

you on.” Agents and managers make a commission off of all of their clients. And if you’re not working enough, then it’s not worth their time. I was really disappointed for a number of reasons, but the biggest reason was that there was nothing that I could have done differently in my audition tape. There’s nothing I could have done differently on my head shot. My barrier to entry was the color of my skin, and I remember being confused. I had a lot more clarity on things like “Seinfeld” and “Friends,” two great shows that were very funny shows on the air around that time. You have to try really hard to make New York City look that white, right? I mean, there’s no doubt that those writers are incredibly talented. The producers are phenomenally funny. But you have to try hard to exclude most of New York City. Those things started to click with me, where I said, Wow, that’s right, these people are actually making a decision to exclude. So what do I do? What am I going to do to get my foot in the door? And when I finally did land an agent and started working toward those auditions, every audition early on was, “Can you put on an accent?” And to be clear, an accent itself doesn’t make

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

for a stereotype. It’s the reductionism that generally accompanies those types of things. So, you know, “Do you have an accent? Where’s your turban?” I said, “Well, I’m not Sikh, so I don’t have a turban.” I had a woman say, “Well, can you go home and put a bed sheet on your head or something? Because we need you to look like you have a turban?” So all of these things that back in the day kind of beat you down a lot. There were definitely times where I just thought maybe it’s not the right time. Maybe I’m not cut out for this. I have a brain. I can do other things. Slowly, over time, making the decision to take some of those roles that I found exhausting or stereotypical to build up a resume in the hopes that things would change down the line were sort of the starting point of my path. What I love now, looking back 20 years later, is how dramatically things have changed and how far yet we’ve still to go. But there are so many younger not even just South Asian, just actors of all diverse backgrounds who have not had those experiences that those of us who came of age in the ’90s had to deal with. And that’s a big sign of progress.

On the Road to Freedom: Understanding the Civil Rights Native American Voices North Dakota, South Dakota & Colorado Movement September 11 - 19, 2022 With Discussion Leader Danielle Ta’Sheena Finn

Bismarck

Standing Rock

Keystone

Pine Ridge

Denver

Ignacio

Discussion Leader Danielle Ta’Sheena Finn

The Hon. Danielle Ta’Sheena Finn is a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. She is Hunkpapa Lakota, Inhanktowan Dakota, Assiniboine, and Metis. Her Lakota name is Wicahpi Sakowin Win, which in English means the Seventh Star Woman. Judge Finn is from Porcupine/ Bismarck, North Dakota. Currently, Judge Finn serves as an Associate Judge for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, but still enjoys speaking at engagements, working on her artistry, dancing at powwows, and participating in Indigenous activism. She was Miss Indian World 2016, a four day competition that tests one’s knowledge of their tribe’s culture, language and skills.

What to Expect Please note that our itinerary involves some time driving from city to city, as well as, a fair amount of walking around the sites including some stairs and uneven terrain. Most days have an earlymorning start and include a full day’s schedule of activities. Participants must be in good health and able to keep up with an active group. Drive times average is between 3-4 hours per day, sometimes over winding roads. The longest day of driving is 7 hours total with stops for touring along the way. In September the temperatures in the region average in the 60- 70s (°F) during the day, and 40- 50s (°F) in the evenings. This program will be covering topics that include violence, and that may be difficult for children. Therefore, we do not recommend this program for people under 16.

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA

Sunday, September 11 Arrive in Bismarck and make your own way to the hotel. Meet in the hotel lobby at 2.00pm to depart for an afternoon visit to the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum. Dakota Wind Goodhouse, an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and a Native American Studies instructor at the United Tribes Technical College, a Native American owned and operated college, will guide us through the museum. Before dinner meet with discussion leader Danielle Ta’Sheena Finn, for a trip overview and briefing. Enjoy a welcome reception and dinner with fellow travelers. Radisson Hotel R,D

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA

Monday, September 12 Depart the hotel and drive to Knife River Indian Village, a National Parks Service site, which preserves the historic and archaeological remnants of bands of Hidatsa, Northern Plains Indians. This area was once a major trading and agricultural area and the remains of hundreds of earth lodges are clearly visible. Continue on to the Double Ditch Indian Village, a large earth-lodge community inhabited by the Mandan Indians for nearly 300 years, and once a center of trade between the Mandan people, their nomadic neighbors, and later, EuroAmerican traders. After lunch meet with Cheryl Kary, co-founder of the Sacred Pipe Resource Center (SPRC) whose mission is to maintain a home-away-from-home for off-reservation Native Americans living in the area while respecting the sovereign nature of their individual Tribal citizenship.

End the day meeting staff from the Indian Affairs Commission of North Dakota. Radisson Hotel B,L,D

KEYSTONE, SOUTH DAKOTA

Tuesday, September 13 En route to Standing Rock this morning drive by Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, the last home of General Custer. Continue driving along the Standing Rock Scenic Byway, an 86-mile route that climbs up and down the Missouri River, past buffalo herds and eagle’s nests. History comes alive on this journey where the great Lakota spiritual leader Sitting Bull lived and died. Enter the Standing Rock Reservation, home to the Lakota and Dakota people. Stop at the community of Cannon Ball where we will meet with Phyllis Young, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux and one of the founders of the resistance camps of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) protests. Continue on to nearby Fort Yates, the main town of Standing Rock and enjoy a locally cooked lunch at the Community Center. After lunch, visit the original burial site of Sitting Bull who was assassinated on the western part of the reservation. We will stop at the Cheyenne River Reservation to meet with Julie Garreau, executive director of the Cheyenne River Project. Drive about three hours to our Keystone hotel, tucked deep in the Black Hills. Dinner at our hotel. K Bar S Lodge B,L,D

KEYSTONE, SOUTH DAKOTA

Wednesday, September 14 This morning drive about an hour and a half to the Red Cloud School, a school founded by Jesuits which incorporates Lakota studies as a vital part of the curriculum. Visit the recently built Oglala Tribe Justice Center which houses courtrooms, a short term holding facility, offices for law enforcement and justice officials and a “peacemaking” room for family and group disputes. This first of its kind arrangement saw the Bureau of Indian Affairs fully fund the project which allowed the Oglala tribe to hire their own design, architecture, and engineering firms. Head towards the town of Pine Ridge stopping at the site of the Massacre of Wounded Knee. The 1890 “battle” was actually a mas-

For more information or to make a reservation, contact: Commonwealth Club Travel Telephone: (415) 597-6720, Email: Travel@commonwealthclub.org

sacre where hundreds of unarmed Lakota women, children, and men, were shot and killed by U.S. troops.

can Indian College Fund which invests in Native students and tribal college education to transform lives and communities.

Enjoy lunch in the home of Bette Black Elk, a descendant of the famous Oglala Lakota medicine man Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota visionary and healer.

Depart Denver and drive through spectacular landscapes stopping at the Great Sand Dunes National Park, home to the highest sand dunes in North America. The mountains, forests, and dunes in the park are sacred to the Apache, Navajo, Ute, and Pueblo Indians. Drive on to Del Norte and the Windsor Hotel, one of Colorado’s oldest hotels. Windsor Hotel B,L,D

Visit with members from the Thunder Valley Community, a Lakota-run grassroots Community Development Corporation. Learn how they are “building a community” to create systemic change on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Meet with Star Means, enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Nation. Return to Keystone and before dinner meet with Sequoia Crosswhite, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and a descendant of Chief War Eagle and Chief Swift Cloud. He is an accomplished musician, grass dancer and historian, and his handmade flutes and musical recordings uphold the traditions of his Lakota ancestors. K Bar S Lodge B,L

DENVER, COLORADO

Thursday, September 15 This morning drive by Mt. Rushmore and through the Black Hills National Park to the Wind Cave National Park for a visit. This site is central to the Emergence Story of the Lakota people. Continue to Denver making a stop in Longmont to meet with Michael Roberts, president of the First Nations Development Institute which improves economic conditions for Native Americans through technical training, advocacy, and direct financial grants. First Nations is the most highly-rated American Indian nonprofit in the nation. Continue to Denver and checkin to our hotel. Dinner at leisure. Downtown Renaissance Hotel B,L

DEL NORTE, COLORADO

Friday, September 16 Morning meeting with Sarah Ortega, an artist, actress and dancer whose piece titled, “Home is Where the Heart Is” is in the Denver Museum of Art and who is featured in the PBS Film, “The Art of Home”, which aired nationally in November 2019. Continue on to the offices of the Ameri-

IGNACIO, COLORADO

Saturday, September 17 This morning drive about two hours to Chimney Rock, an intimate, off-the-beaten path archaeological site located at the southern edge of the San Juan Mountains. The site was home to the ancestors of the modern Pueblo Indians. Enjoy lunch nearby before driving to Durango and Fort Lewis College where about a third of students are Native American or Alaskan Native. Meet with Michael Watchman, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and alumnus. Continue on to Ignacio and the Sky Ute Casino Resort, located on the Southern Ute Reservation. The oldest continuous residents of Colorado are the Ute Indians. End the afternoon at the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum and meet with director Susan Cimburek to view the Permanent Gallery chronicling the story of the Ute. Sky Ute Casino Resort B,L

IGNACIO, COLORADO

Sunday, September 18 This morning meet with Linda Baker, a member of the Southern Ute Tribe and a Sky Ute Tribal Council member. Apart from having a wealth of experience and knowledge about the Southern Ute tribe, Linda is a talented beader and she specializes in Ute regalia and Bear Dance accessories for men, women, and children. After lunch at the Fox Fire Farms winery, meet with staff at the Southern Ute Drum, the tribe’s biweekly community newspaper. This evening enjoy a farewell dinner. Sky Ute Casino Resort B,L,D

DEPART

Monday, September 19 Independently transfer to the Durango–La Plata County Airport for flights home. B

Please note this tinerary is subject to change

Tour Price Per Person: $4,995 Single Supplement: $980 Based on minimum of 15 travelers Maximum 24 travelers, not including staff.

Tour Price includes:

• Accommodations and meals as per itinerary • All sightseeing in an air-conditioned coach • Bottled water on the bus • All entrances and events as listed • Discussion Leader to accompany the group • Pre-departure materials and reading list • The services of a tour manager to accompany the group • Gratuities

Does not include:

• Airfare to Bismarck and back from Durango • Alcoholic beverages except for wine and beer at welcome and farewell events • Excess luggage charges • Trip Insurance • Items of a purely personal nature

Native American Voices: North Dakota, South Dakota & Colorado September 11 - 19, 2022 Mail completed form to: Commonwealth Club Travel, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105. For questions or to sign-up contact us at (415) 597-6720 or travel@commonwealthclub.org. _______________________________________________________ Traveler Name 1

_______________________________________________________ Traveler Name 2

_______________________________________________________ Address / City / State / Zip 1

_______________________________________________________ Address / City / State / Zip 2

_______________________________________________________ Home and/or Mobile Phone 1

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_______________________________________________________ E-mail Address 1

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SINGLE TRAVELERS ONLY: If this is a reservation for one person, please indicate:

We require membership in the Commonwealth Club to travel with us. Please check one of the following options:

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PAYMENT: Here is my deposit of $________ ( $1,000 per person) for _____ place(s). ___ Enclosed is my check (make payable to Distant Horizons) OR ___ Charge my deposit to my credit card listed below. ________________________________________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ Card Number Expires Security Code ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________ Authorized Cardholder Signature Date _____ I / We have read the Terms and Conditions for this program and agree to them. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________ Signature Date

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Medical Information: Participation in this program requires that you be fully vaccinated and in good The Commonwealth Club (CWC) has contracted health. All travelers will be expected to comply with with Distant Horizons (DH) to organize this tour. any local COVID requirements in place and sign a Reservations: A $1,000 per person deposit, along waiver agreeing to abide by these requirements. It is with a completed and signed Reservation Form, will essential that persons with any medical problems and reserve a place for participants on this program. The related dietary restrictions make them known to us balance of the trip is due 60 days prior to departure well before departure. and must be paid by check. Itinerary Changes & Trip Delay: This itinerary

respective services. CWC and DH shall not be held liable for (A) any damage to, or loss of, property or injury to, or death of, persons occasioned directly or indirectly by an act or omission of any other provider, including but not limited to any defect in any aircraft, or vehicle operated or provided by such other provider, and (B) any loss or damage due to delay, cancellation, or disruption in any manner caused by the laws, regulations, acts or failures to act, demands, orders, or interpositions of any Cancellation and Refund Policy: Notification of is based on information available at the time of cancellation must be received in writing. At the time printing (November 2021) and is subject to change. government or any subdivision or agent thereof, or by acts of God, strikes, fire, flood, war, rebellion, we receive your written cancellation, the following We reserve the right to change a program’s dates, terrorism, insurrection, sickness, quarantine, epidempenalties will apply: staff, itineraries, or accommodations as conditions ics, theft, or any other cause(s) beyond their control. warrant. If a trip must be delayed, or the itiner•90 days or more before departure: $250 per person The participant waives any claim against CWC/ ary changed, due to bad weather, road conditions, •61-89 days before departure: $1000 per person DH for any such loss, damage, injury, or death. By transportation delays, airline schedules, government •60-30 days before departure: 50% of fare intervention, sickness or other contingency for which registering for the trip, the participant certifies that •29-1 days before departure: No refund he/she does not have any mental, physical, or other CWC or DH or its agents cannot make provision, The tour can also be cancelled due to low enrollcondition or disability that would create a hazard for the cost of delays or changes is not included. The ment. Neither CWC nor DH accepts liability for him/herself or other participants. CWC/DH shall not minimum group size of this departure is 15 paying cancellation penalties related to domestic or internabe liable for any air carrier’s cancellation penalty participants, should the number of participants fall tional airline tickets purchased in conjunction with incurred by the purchase of a nonrefundable ticket below this number, a small group surcharge and/or the tour. to or from the departure city. Baggage and personal revised staffing will apply. effects are at all times the sole responsibility of the Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance: Limitations of Liability: CWC and DH its Owners, traveler. Reasonable changes in the itinerary may be We strongly advise that all travelers purchase trip Agents, and Employees act only as the agent for made where deemed advisable for the comfort and cancellation and interruption insurance as coverage any transportation carrier, hotel, ground operator, well-being of the passengers. against a covered unforeseen emergency that may or other suppliers of services connected with this force you to cancel or leave trip while it is in progprogram (“other providers”), and the other providers The Commonwealth Club (CST# 2096889-40) and Distant ress. A brochure describing coverage will be sent to Horizons (CST #2046776-40) are California Sellers of Travel are solely responsible and liable for providing their and participants in the California Travel Restitution Fund. you upon receipt of your reservation.

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DEMOCRACY IN DANGER

ONE YEAR TO THE DAY

that a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol with deadly consequences, our political roundtable examines the state of our democracy. Has enough been done to prevent a repeat? From the January 6, 2022, Week to Week program “January 6 and the Insurrection: A Week to Week Political Roundtable Special.” MELISSA CAEN, Political Analyst; Attorney FRANCIS FUKUYAMA, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow, Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law; Director, Ford Dorsey Masters in International Policy, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University

JOHN ZIPPERER, Producer and Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable; Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club—Host JOHN ZIPPERER: We’re gathered here— virtually—at the beginning of a new year, and the reason for this special program is because of something I suspect we’ll go on commemorating for years to come. I refer, of course, to the NFL playoffs, and as someone who grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, I was pleased yesterday when

PHOTO BY ANDY FELICIOTTI @SOMEGUY / UNSPLASH

T I M M I LLE R , F o un d e r, L i g h t Fu s e Communications; Contributor, The Bulwark; Communications Director, Jeb Bush 2016;

Founder, America Rising

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

I saw the term Green Bay Sweep trending on Twitter, because I was sure it referred to the Green Bay Packers sweeping the NFL playoffs. That could still happen. But it turns out the term refers to the plan by former Trump aide Peter Navarro to reverse the results of the presidential election. I’m sure the Vikings would like to reverse the results of Sunday’s game against the Packers. That’s not going to happen, but today we’re going to talk about whether reversals in American elections and even democracy itself is possible or even probable. In his speech this morning, President Joe Biden said that Donald Trump prepared for January 6 for months, building up the Big Lie about a stolen election. Tim, what do we know about what led up to January 6 in terms of planning or actions that were taken? TIM MILLER: A significant amount. A lot of folks, particularly on the right, particularly my former colleagues in what used to be the establishment of the Republican Party,

want to downplay this for obvious reasons. [They] want to kind of provide a cover story that this was a one-off, that this was a rally that got out of hand—you know, this was not a legitimate attempt to overturn our democracy, that we shouldn’t overreact. We shouldn’t be commemorating it in this way. You’ve seen a lot of commentary to that effect today on the center-right. And that’s just not true. The events of January 6 were an inevitable consequence of a series of actions the thenpresident of the United States was taking, along with an entire media ecosystem that supported him. There was a Stop the Steal tour, that had members of Congress participate in it, that had an official podcast from the president’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon. There were efforts within the state legislatures. Obviously, the president was lobbying various state legislatures to overturn elections in their states. Obviously, there were the works being done in the courts. We later learned in the

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Department of Justice officials looking for ways to overturn the election [such as Acting U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division] Jeffrey Clark. And as you pointed out, John, in the lead, I’m working for next week on an article for The Bulwark about Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro and their so-called Green Bay Sweep. They planned it out in the open. They admitted that they planned it out in the open, that their strategy was maybe kind of dumb, which I think is why some people want to minimize it today. It was not a plan that was very likely to work, given how much Joe Biden won the election by. But it was a real plan, and they wanted to buy enough time to challenge the election results, send the results back to the states in the hopes that in some of these states there would be enough gridlock that it would throw the election to the House of Representatives, where Republicans had a majority of states. The plan to overturn the election was multifaceted. In addition to the incitement and the riling up of millions of people to convince them that the election was being stolen from them, that they should show up on the Capitol that day to try to pressure the vice president, that was a concerted media and communications effort. So it was multi-pronged. To be honest, despite what happened on January 6, all of that at varying levels is ongoing today, and there remain millions of people who believe that the election was stolen from them. Donald Trump continues to tell them that. We are certainly not out of the woods. This anniversary is not an end date to look back at something in the past. It’s a look at something that’s ongoing. ZIPPERER: Frank, you wrote in The New York Times this week, “the Republican Party, far from repudiating those who initiated and participated in the uprising, has sought to normalize it and purge from its own ranks those who are willing to tell the truth about the 2020 election as it looks ahead to 2024, when Mr. Trump might seek a restoration.” Could you talk a bit more about that and maybe give us a kind of report card on the health of this party and system in terms of dealing with this type of insurgency? FRANCIS FUKUYAMA: Well, the report card for the Republican Party is an F. I don’t know if you can get a lower grade than an F, and that’s really the most discouraging thing. You know, these incidents of extremism have happened in the past. It’s not the first time that you’ve had kind of right-wing nationalists that have done crazy things. You

had Joe McCarthy in the 1950s; you had Richard Nixon trying to abuse the system. But in both of those earlier [examples], the adults from the Republican Party eventually decided “Enough is enough, and we’re going to have to repudiate all those actions.” In Nixon’s case, they walked away such that he was forced to resign. What’s happened is the opposite this time around. A number of Republicans — Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy—all condemned what had happened on the day itself, but then one by one, they all flipped in the coming days and months and started to minimize the attack or claim that it was actually inspired by Antifa. All these other ridiculous theories. The reason they were doing it was not that they actually believed any of this. They saw that the Republican base had been completely converted by Donald Trump into this belief in this false narrative about the stolen election. I think the single biggest challenge that we face, which is an ongoing constitutional crisis, is the fact that Republican legislators in many states like Texas, Florida, Arizona and so forth are changing the laws in a couple of ways. They’re trying to restrict access to the vote, especially on the part of African Americans and other likely Democratic voters. And they’re trying to change the rules under which the electoral slates will be determined in the next presidential election. That would basically award themselves the ability to overturn a popular vote. So in other words, they’re planning a repeat. Not only have they not repudiated January 6; they’re actually planning for a contingency where they may have to do it again in 2024—and this time they’re not going to fail, because they’ll have appointed all of the key election officials with loyalists. And that’s really the clear and present danger that the country is in right now. ZIPPERER: Melissa, I know you’ve been researching and delving further into the U.S. Constitution. What safeguards are there that might be used to prevent such a future thing? Or what built-in elements are exacerbating some of these problems, [such as] the issue of the states having so much responsibility and control over the elections for many reasons? Is there stuff that Congress can do without changing the Constitution? Or can they protect the votes of people who need to vote? Can they change the way states [choose] their electoral votes? MELISSA CAEN: Well, to some degree, yes, but they don’t have carte blanche to do that kind of thing. And I don’t want to

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“THIS ANNIVERSARY IS NOT AN END DATE TO LOOK BACK AT SOMETHING IN THE PAST. IT’S A LOOK AT SOMETHING THAT’S ONGOING.” —TIM MILLER put words in Dr. Fukuyama’s mouth about this, but I think in terms of a constitutional crisis, the issue is that the Constitution does not really provide guardrails. Just as the states will figure out the electors and let us know, in part, that was because, remember, the Constitution itself was basically sort of a power grab at the time from the states. So they couldn’t be too heavy handed with the states. They really gave the states a lot of leeway to determine how they come up with their Electoral College votes. So however the states do it is kind of going to be left alone unless it runs into a particular right under various amendments to the Constitution. For example, we had certain voting rights laws that were in place to protect African Americans, because there was an equal protection problem, when basically the Congress had found that there was a violation of people’s federal rights under

certain state laws. So they were allowed to intervene there. But aside from demonstrated instances of disenfranchisement that violates equal protection laws or other kinds of rights under the Constitution, there really isn’t a lot of place for the federal government to step in now. They’ve tried to in the past, and they are trying right now with a bill that’s been held up—I think there’s going to be a renewed push for [its passage], but that will probably be challenged legally as well. So the crisis may be the fact that there aren’t a lot of guardrails in the Constitution. The push may be to put some of that into the Constitution and maybe give the federal government a little more power when it comes to state rules around the nitty gritty of Election Day.

“THE SINGLE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WE FACE IS THAT REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS IN MANY STATES ARE CHANGING THE LAWS IN A COUPLE OF WAYS.” —FRANCIS FUKUYAMA

ZIPPERER: Recently, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown told The New York Times that San Francisco’s vaunted Democratic Party machine has no bench. It has lots of people with ideas, but none able to carry them out, I guess after the mayor; it’s kind of a weak bench. Tim, speaking nationally, is the Democratic Party up to the task of waging what could be a long-lasting battle for the heart and soul of America? MILLER: I’m concerned about that. I think that in some ways there’s kind of this parallel to what a lot of climate activists feel, that we’re in this existential crisis and that sometimes the Democratic politicians pay lip service to the fact that we’re in an existential crisis. But then their actions don’t sort of meet that. There’s a parallel here, too. I think a lot of us who are deeply concerned about democracy in this country feel that we are facing right now a very dangerous moment, looking ahead to the 2024 election and 2028 elections; and that Democrats in Washington and a lot of cases are going along with it as business as usual, you know? I feel like this moment calls for a party that is both extremely aggressive in pushing back against the authoritarian threat, and welcoming and broad to people that are part of a pro-democracy coalition and willing to maybe sacrifice some of your typical interestgroup D.C. politics in service of maintaining a broad popularity so that they can keep out Donald Trump. You look at Hungary, for example, this election coming this year. I defer to Dr. Fukuyama on this as the expert; but you have this coalition of literally like quasifascists and socialists and free marketers and moderates who are pushing back against [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orbán. I would like to see that here, and it doesn’t feel like the Democratic Party is trending that direction. The other thing is just to speak to what Melissa is bringing up, which is that there are some narrow things on vote counting that the Democrats could do. There was an 1876 election that got thrown into the House [of Representatives]. After that, they wrote this really convoluted Electoral Count Act that helps people figure out how we go about counting the votes. This doesn’t address some of what Dr. Fukuyama is talking about, about voting rights, but it does address maybe our more pressing, urgent threat, which is that there is a repeat of 2020 in 2024 and the Republicans try to monkey with the count. I think not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good and making some changes and

adding whatever safeguards we can within the scope of the power that Democrats have right now, I think would be smart, because the clock is ticking on that. We’re about 11 months away from very likely the Democrats not being able to do anything about this. FUKUYAMA: Actually, if I could interject; as a political scientist, it seems to me pretty clear that the single biggest political threat we face in America right now is the attempt to corrupt the integrity of future elections, and that really ought to be the overriding objective of the Democrats and then of any of the Republicans that are actually still on board with protecting American democracy. The problem they face, though, is that what may be clear to an activist or to a political scientist is just not clear to a lot of Americans. This is not at the top of anybody’s list of things that need to be done. They’re worried about crime, they’re worried about inflation, they’re worried about the border. They’re worried about a lot of other issues. The coming midterm elections and the 2024 election [are] not going to be won by a kind of resounding support for future electoral integrity. That’s just not what’s going to win the Democrats elections. So in a sense, the stakes could never have been higher as to how these elections are going to turn out. But the grounds on which they’re going to be contested are going to be sort of politics as usual, because that’s really how ordinary voters are thinking about things. And so it’s a very difficult kind of tactical question for the Democrats to negotiate as to how much emphasis they want to give this issue—which objectively is important, but as a practical political matter, may not be their path to power. ZIPPERER: Let’s talk about the House Select Committee on the January 6th Attack. Here at The Commonwealth Club, we’ve had programs in the past year separately with committee members Liz Cheney and Zoe Lofgren, and we heard about the committee’s goals and processes. There were complaints toward the end of 2021 about, “Are they doing anything?” “They need to be more aggressive!” And then near the end of the year, we started getting a slew of subpoenas and talk of criminal contempt and such. I’d like to hear from each of you and starting with you, Melissa, what do you think of the work of the committee so far? And then kind of what do you think we can expect in this next? CAEN: There’s been some criticism that the indictments—these are indictments by the DOJ, not the committee—there have been

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a lot of indictments against the sort of folks who were there and stormed the Capitol, . . . but that the people who called for it, the people who sort of arranged for the people who planted those seeds and incited it have yet to be really called out or charged with anything for their involvement. So one of the things the committee has done is really uncover a lot of that involvement. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen, because every day something is bananas—I don’t know about y’all, but I did not see those text messages coming. [The committee released text messages from GOP members of Congress and Fox News stars to Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows unsuccessfully imploring him to get the president to stop the attack on the Capitol.— Ed.] That was crazy. So it seems like every time we peel, something comes out that is just wow. But I think a lot of people are watching to see what the committee can do to inform charges against or expose people who were not there necessarily in the Capitol, but people who are sort of behind this effort. I think that’s what people are sort of looking to this committee to help with. FUKUYAMA: Well, there is a poll—I forget, by Pew or [another] organization—in the past week about whether people were actually following the committee’s work and whether they have been persuaded by any of the evidence that had come out that there was actually an active conspiracy; it was very discouraging because there didn’t seem to be much movement on that front. That if you believe the election was stolen or you’re a Trump supporter, almost nothing that the committee had put forward had really changed your mind. So this is part of this phenomenon of motivated reasoning that’s been plaguing our politics, that you want to believe something and you can’t be deterred by any amount of empirical evidence away from that. That’s today. I do think, however, that there may be such an accumulation of further facts that will come out that it will penetrate to some extent. You’re obviously not going to get the hardcore MAGA supporters, but you know, there are a lot of people that are not heavily committed in that direction that may still be approachable by evidence. So that would be the hope, and I think the committee probably could do a lot more to get some of this stuff out there. I mean, they’ve been talking about holding the hearings in prime time, and that might work. MILLER: I want to give the committee some leeway to do their job.

“THESE ARE CHARGES THAT CARRY 10–20 YEARS IN PRISON AS PUNISHMENT. SO THEY HAVE A PRETTY BIG STICK TO WIELD TO GET FOLKS TO PLEAD OUT OR NEGOTIATE A DEAL.” —MELISSA CAEN I thought that Congress made a mistake by not rushing through the second impeachment. There might have been a window where they could have gotten more Republican votes, before all the Republican senators realized that their voters wanted them to stand with Trump or whatever. You know, you saw this change with the Lindsey Grahams of the world over the course of the week. It was so clear what happened on January 6; you didn’t need to do investigation and possibly could have rushed through impeachment. Once that window was missed, now I think the January 6 committee has to actually do their job and get all the facts that they can get. I was encouraged by the subpoenas. You know, some of this is going to take longer than people want. [Steve] Bannon obviously stands in contempt of court, for one example. That trial is not I think until July. So you have to be patient with some of the stuff. What I’ve heard is that they’ve gotten better cooperation than you might think out of some people from within the White House. And I think their main job now is to detail for the public just how unconscionable the former president’s actions were on that day, because I think there’s a lot we don’t know still about what President Trump was doing between his speech on the Mall and that very, very late video that came out, half praising the rioters, half telling them to go home. So I think their job is to hold as many of the organizers as they can accountable to this point and focus on them to reveal as much as they can about Trump’s actions that day and to publicize that and use that as

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a cudgel against all of those who have been enabling them. That’s this committee’s job over the next 10 months. If they do that well, then I think we can look back and think this is a worthwhile endeavor. If we’re in the same place in October that we are today, I think we’ll feel like it didn’t do its purpose. ZIPPERER: Melissa, talk about the Justice Department’s role in this. As was mentioned, there’s stuff the committee can do and can recommend, but they’re, of course, not prosecuting people. The Justice Department is prosecuting more than 700 defendants, said to be the largest prosecution in its history. Do you think just literally the prosecution of the 700 people will have some deterrent effect, at least from the folks who are kind of in the Johnny Tremain cosplay wing of the country? Or does it matter that they’re not going after the ringleaders and the planners and financiers, etc.? CAEN: Well, all that is going to help, but even just for the people on the ground, one of the things that’s really kind of startling about a lot of these charges is that some —defacing federal property and attempting to, with criminal intent, impede federal proceedings and official proceedings—these are charges that carry 10 to 20 years in prison as punishment. So they have a pretty big stick to wield to get folks to plead out or to negotiate a deal. Then what you’ve seen, because these penalties are pretty dramatic, potentially, is that people have really groveled, frankly, in front of federal judges, saying, “I’d lost my mind.” “I was following Donald Trump.” That’s been a big defense, as I was doing what my president told me to do, so how can it possibly be an interference with federal proceedings? And that’s been an interesting one as well. But [these proceedings have been] really forcing them to very publicly state that they were wrong and that they were mistaken and it did not have the desired effect, etc. It can’t hurt to have the people who were that fired up be forced to at least make the arguments, whether it’s genuine or not, that they suffered from some kind of temporary insanity. So you got to believe that didn’t hurt. It might not have helped as much as people would have liked. But I think at least going after the rank and file, for starters, is something that I know people watching— people like me, who are totally horrified by what happened—are like, “Good, I’m glad to see that people are being dealt with who were actually the ones breaking and defiling our Capitol.”

PHOTO BY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

THE NEXT COUP THE THREAT TO AMERICA’S

electoral system did not end when the U.S. Capitol was cleared. From the January 6, 2022, program “The Next January 6.” This program is part of the Club’s Future of Democracy Series. BARTON GELLMAN, Staff Writer, The Atlantic ROY EISENHARDT, Lecturer, University of California Berkeley School of Law—Moderator ROY EISENHARDT: Let’s start with the intuition you had back in October 2020 to foresee that there was not going to be—for the first time in our history, unless you count 1877—a peaceful transition of power from

the former executive to the recently elected executive. Were did that intuition come from? BARTON GELLMAN: It started with a pretty simple proposition. It seems obvious to me and to lots of people that Donald Trump under no circumstances was going to concede the election if he lost. He simply doesn’t have it in him. It’s not in his personality. It’s not in his political strategy. He was going to insist that he had won no matter what and forever. Once you start with that proposition and ask yourself, What tools does he have available to him to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power, to prevent the election from being decided against him? It turns out that it’s very complicated, and there are a lot of commonwealthclub.org | THE COMMO N WE AL TH

possibilities, and I went through as many of them as I could think of. Fundamentally, his objective was always going to be to get the state legislatures in Republican controlled states that Biden won—and those were the essential swing states—to appoint electors for Donald Trump, even though Biden had won that state election. EISENHARDT: Let’s drill down on that point. It’s a little nerdy to start citing articles in the U.S. Constitution, but in this case, I think it’s important that we understand that it’s not a baseless notion from outer space to suggest that state legislatures could, on their own, choose how electors vote, which leads us to unfortunately what we’re calling these days the independent state legislature theory. Perhaps you could explain that. GELLMAN: You’re right. Article 2 of the Constitution states that each state in the Union will appoint electors for president in the manner of the legislature’s own choosing. They have complete autonomy on that. In the days of the Founders, American citizens did not vote directly for president. They voted for their state representatives, and the state representatives voted for president. It’s been more than 150 years since every state transitioned to a popular vote choice. So what we’re accustomed to now and what we think of as pretty fundamental to democracy is that you and I each get a vote for president and our votes determine the appointment of electors in our state. The idea that Trump’s people had was that the legislature in a state like Wisconsin or Michigan or Pennsylvania or Arizona, all of which are Republican-controlled and voted for Biden, could take back the power to appoint electors. Now there’s no doubt that a state legislature could pass a law stating that from now on in Wisconsin, the people don’t get to vote anymore, and we in the legislature will choose our electors beginning with the next election. It would not be a very popular thing to do. I don’t think that any politician would think they could get away with it. But they have that power under the Constitution. It’s much less clear whether they have the power—and actually more than less clear, it’s highly dubious—whether they have the power after an election takes place, after the popular votes have been cast to say, “Never mind, we’re going to fire the voters. We are no longer interested in their opinion. We’re going to appoint electors by our own lights.” There are intermediate positions that you could take on that, and the independent state legislature doctrine states that the power of

the legislature is plenary, or unlimited and unbounded, to appoint electors; therefore, if, for example, county election authorities make any tiny change in the administration of elections that wasn’t explicitly authorized by the state legislature, then the legislature can hold that the election did not proceed lawfully and then take back the power to appoint electors. It is a fringe theory, I would say, [that] is being pushed right now by lawyers affiliated with The Federalist Society. It is taking advantage of the strategic fact that six or seven of the most important swing states in the country for presidential elections are governed by Republican state legislatures. So if you give them the power, you are tipping the balance decisively in favor of the Republicans. There are four Supreme Court justices who have shown some sympathy with the independent state legislature doctrine. In cases where it wasn’t directly on point, but in dicta, or in dissent, they’ve shown sympathy for the idea, and we don’t know what Amy Coney Barrett thinks. She’s never been called upon to opine. So it could be that it comes back to the Supreme Court and something shifts in that direction. EISENHARDT: Justice Thomas feels that the doctrine is grounded in the 10th Amendment, as opposed to anything in Article 2, which basically says that powers not expressly granted to the federal government are reserved to the states. So if that were the applicable theory, that would give very wide sweep and credence to the right of the state legislature, whether they’re Democratic or Republican, to just bypass the popular vote and legislate their own set of electors. [This is] one of the underlying theories that stimulated a group of people around Trump to feel as though there was a way to bypass what we’ll call the Electoral Vote Count Act and have Pence basically certify the election for Trump. But that took a lot of people to be complicit. Some of it was [that] they just wanted to stay in power and keep their job. But a lot of the support was external to that day of certification one year ago today; [it] was the theory the election was stolen. . . . What were the demographics of the people who actually found the motivation to go to the Capitol and at least at the minimum protest and at the maximum sit in Nancy Pelosi’s office with their feet up on the table? GELLMAN: Well, it’s an interesting group, and you have to distinguish between what Trump supporters believe and what their elected leaders, the leaders of the Republican Party, believe. I’m quite convinced that if you were able to administer truth serum

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to Republican senators and members of Congress and governors and state legislators, the vast majority of them understand that Joe Biden won the last election. And they are either afraid to say so or opportunistically leaping upon the bandwagon of the stolen election in order to curry favor with the Trump electorate. But a great many— tens and tens of millions—of Trump supporters have been driven honestly to believe that the election was stolen. They are convinced by the floodgates of propaganda that have come out of their their leadership and have come out of Fox News and One America News and the social networks that they’re part of. I spent weeks and weeks in conversation with this one Trump supporter for my latest magazine piece, when I was trying to plumb the roots of his belief on this; and it was unshakable no matter how much evidence I brought to him that his reasons were incorrect. So the people who came to the Capitol were, number one, true believers. They were not typical of the profile of politically violent people in the past. In U.S. history, including quite recent U.S. history and actually around the world, according to experts who study this, political violence is committed largely by young men in their twenties, disproportionately unemployed, low educated, poor prospects in society. That is not at all what we saw on January six. What we saw was very much a middle class, educated, employed, mean age was 42 years old, which is wildly out of sync with history on this thing. What it shows is that we have a politically violent mass movement in America now for the first time since about 100 years ago, with the rise of the second Ku Klux Klan. You have tens of millions of Americans who are prepared to tell pollsters that violence is justified to restore Trump to power. That is a terrifying figure to me and one that shows a considerable degree of collapse of our governing institutions. EISENHARDT: What about where these people live, the committed people who went to the Capitol that day? Conventionally, on a multiple choice test, I would have checked they’re from rural, predominantly red states. I gather that actually is the wrong answer. GELLMAN: It is the wrong answer, and it’s fascinating. There’s a group at the University of Chicago called CPOST that went through all the records and other public records and found the home county for each of the now more than 700 defendants in the Capitol cases. They are much more urban than rural.

“WE HAVE A POLITICALLY VIOLENT MASS MOVEMENT IN AMERICA FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE . . . THE RISE OF THE SECOND KU KLUX KLAN. YOU HAVE TENS OF MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WHO [ SAY] VIOLENCE IS JUSTIFIED TO RESTORE TRUMP TO POWER.” —BARTON GELLMAN They are not likely to come from heavy Trump-voting counties; they’re likeliest to come from counties where the vote was very close and they’re frustrated. Many of them came from Biden counties, where Biden had won by a small margin. And if you go through all the demographics and characteristics of the counties that [they’re from]: Maybe they come from counties where unemployment is high. No, not true. Maybe they come from counties where education is low. No, not true. What they come from is counties where the proportion of the white non-Hispanic population is on the decline. If there are fewer white people now in your county than there were 5 or 10 years ago, you are much more likely to have come from there and headed to the Capitol and taken part in the insurgency on January 6h. That fits with polling data that shows that people who share the beliefs of the January 6 insurgents—there are two key beliefs, one being that Joe Biden stole the election and the other being that violence is justified to set that right—they also, by a super majority, believe that black and brown people are replacing white people in terms of position, power and status in this country. They’re a believer in the religious part in a theory called the great replacement, which has been, for example, pushed by Tucker Carlson on Fox News. The idea that in his version of it, that Democrats are deliberately trying

to increase the number of so-called Third World immigrants to this country to replace white voters and to change the nature of this country. Of the 21 million people who agree with the January 6 insurgents, two thirds of them believe in the great replacement. So there is a significant amount of racial resentment behind all this. EISENHARDT: Let’s assume that we are trying to formulate policies—we being the Democrats, the Republicans, the independents—policies that are going to bring some kind of a reconciliation of this polarized world. Similar to the way Lincoln approached the end of the Civil War, it was not to put all of the Confederates in jail and make Robert E. Lee a criminal. It was to give them their horse and their gun and say, “Go home and let’s form a new nation.” In an optimal, perhaps naive view of what could be the best future, it would be some kind of a reconciliation like that. But how does the Democratic Party— because they’re the only functioning party right now—develop a political strategy that can embrace those people rather than saying, “Oh, you’re stupid, you believe this, that’s so obviously false. How can you think that?” And basically shaming them. In other words, we have to find a policy that doesn’t shame but recalibrate how we look at our social responsibility to each other. GELLMAN: That calls for an extraordinary

kind of political leadership that I don’t see immediately on the horizon. But I wonder about your analogy. And I’m making this up on the fly, so that’s probably a mistake. But our situation now is not like the one in which North and South fought about whether slavery was good or bad or acceptable or necessary. It’s almost as though right now we’re fighting about whether slavery even existed. And you have half the country saying, “What slavery?” Yeah, because you have 40 percent [of the country] that says, despite all the evidence, that Joe Biden lost the last election and believes fairy tales that are completely departing from the empirical world about what really happened with, you know, Italian satellites and dead Venezuelan dictators changing votes and taking over election machinery and nonsense like that. If you have polarization on the basic foundations of knowledge, it’s a very hard thing to see how to bridge those gaps. EISENHARDT: I agree with your polite qualification of my parallel, because the Confederacy did not deny Lincoln was elected. They just didn’t like Lincoln’s policies. That’s a different paradigm. But we’re not going to win back the health of democracy by making one side admit they were wrong and misled and stupid. We’re going to win it back by having people realize that, fundamentally as a nation, we have to live with the fact that we have disagreements. And we have to live with the fact that some of the problems for democracies to solve, like economic inequality or the effects of globalization, are challenging and neither side really has the answer to it. But that has to be a common goal to use an agreed upon system of government. What I worry about is if people are so embedded in the correctness of their position, people like you or Anne Applebaum or George Packer or many of the other authors at The Atlantic can write very erudite articles describing the problem, but how many people’s minds will you change by describing the problem? GELLMAN: The political scientists who study this right now say that although there are significant differences in policy among Americans on the two sides, they are not as fundamentally split on policy questions on what we should be doing. Yeah, they are split affectively. That is to say they hate each other, the polarization of hatred is much stronger than the polarization of policy, to the point where many people are convinced that only violence can solve the problem.

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MARINE BIOLOGIST, POLICY

expert and writer Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, winner of 2021’s Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication, exemplifies the rare combination of superb scientist and powerful communicator. From the December 8, 2021, Climate One program “Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: The 2021 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication.” AYANA ELIZABETH JOHNSON, Ph.D., Marine Biologist; Founder and President, Ocean Collectiv; Founder, Urban Ocean Lab GREG DALTON, Founder and Host, Climate One— Moderator

GREG DALTON: Today, we’re honoring the recipient of an award we give out each year to an accomplished climate scientist and communicator. Established in honor of Dr. Stephen H. Schneider, one of the founding fathers of climatology, Climate One’s Schneider Award recognizes a natural or social scientist who has made extraordinary scientific contributions and communicated that knowledge to a broad public in a clear, compelling fashion. This year’s recipient is marine biologist, policy expert and writer Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. She’s co-founder of the Urban Ocean Lab and co-creator of the All We Can Save Project. In 2019, Johnson floated the idea of a Blue New Deal in an op-ed piece. The idea caught the attention of Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign, which then invited her to formalize it. Johnson says this is the piece of climate communication she’s most proud of, though she speaks about it infrequently now. AYANA ELIZABETH JOHNSON: The idea came to be

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PHOTO BY RYAN LASH / TED

AYANA ELIZABETH JOHNSON

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just over a lunch with Chad Nelsen, who is the CEO of Surfrider [Foundation]. We were both talking about having read the Green New Deal resolution, and you get to page 10 or 11 out of 14—for those who haven’t read it, it is short; it is double-spaced and large font; it’ll take you like 5 or 10 minutes—I thought, Wow, this is really ambitious and exciting, but they left out the ocean and so it will not work. Because the ocean has absorbed 90-plus percent of the heat we’ve trapped with greenhouse gases. It’s absorbed over about a third of the carbon dioxide we’ve emitted. It is buffering us from the impacts, it is providing all the solutions in terms of protecting shorelines and renewable energy. So we leave out the ocean, then we’re leaving out what a report that came out earlier this year calculated [to be] about 20 percent of the climate solutions available to us. Chad Nelsen and I thought, “Well, how can we help to make sure the ocean is included,” and we ended up connecting with Bren Smith, a regenerative ocean farmer who co-founded a nonprofit called GreenWave, who was also working on the same concept. The three of us put our heads together for that op-ed in Grist.com, called “The Big Blue Gap in the Green New Deal.” That sort of became a policy memo with data for progress, and that caught the eye of the Warren campaign and then with Maggie Thomas, who was her climate advisor who is now chief of staff in the White House on climate, working with Gina McCarthy. She and I led the effort to craft that policy plan. Those ideas keep moving forward. And that’s something that I’m working on now through Urban Ocean Lab, the policy think tank that I co-founded. I think being able to interject the ocean into the climate narrative is something that I’m always trying to do; that is the core of my scientific training. Just consistently raising my hand and saying, “Hey, don’t forget about the ocean when we’re talking about climate solutions and climate policy.” DALTON: Right. And I think without the oceans there would be some mind-blowing amount of surface temperature warming— JOHNSON: Like 97 degrees hotter or something like that. DALTON: I can’t even imagine. So the Biden administration has proposed 30 x 30—conserving 30 percent of land, 30 percent of oceans. But as you just said, ocean seemed often to get left

out; it tends to be land-centric. Are they balancing the oceans and the lands, with the oceans often overlooked? JOHNSON: The United States actually has quite a large percentage of its exclusive economic zone—the waters that we have jurisdiction over—in protection. It’s actually over 15, maybe 20 percent, something like this, but it’s mostly very remote areas. It’s the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. It is these faraway places where there aren’t a lot of people, where there is not a lot of extraction happening. So what I would like to see when we think about this goal of protecting 30 percent of nature by 2030, is that we’re also protecting nature near where people live. It wasn’t until the last few years that there was any sort of significant protection in the Northeast United States waters, until we had the Northeast Seamounts and Canyons National Monument created. I think there’s a lot of work to do in terms of making sure we have representative proportions of each ecosystem protected, not just faraway places that people will never get a chance to visit and which are in many ways de facto protected. That’s kind of what I’m looking at and going to be advocating for when it comes to establishing more protected areas in the United States; not just 30 percent overall, but 30 percent of each ecosystem type as well. DALTON: They’re the ones that are more at risk. More than 120 million people live in coastal counties in the United States. How will climate disruption impact the lives of those people? Is that mainly a story of risk loss and grief? JOHNSON: That’s a very well put question, and I think the grief part absolutely. I have a friend who reminds me that in part what we need to do to deal with the climate crisis is grieve; mourn the things that are lost, that are being lost, so that we can only metabolize what’s happening and then move on, because we don’t really have the cultural norms or traditions for saying goodbye to things that are being lost because of climate change. So we need to think about how do we as a culture create the new traditions that we need, the ceremonies and some sense that we need. Because the place where you learn to swim, the place where you went fishing with your father, the place where you had your first kiss or learn to ride a bike might all be underwater, or those ecosystems might be unrecognizable from what they

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were a few decades ago, if not already. So figuring out how to deal with that much change emotionally and culturally is something that I do not feel equipped to lead on, but I know a lot of people are helping us think through that. But to your broader question, I think this term of coastal elite is a real pain in the butt, because as you described about 40 percent of Americans live in coastal counties. About 30 percent live in coastal cities, which is why the work of Urban Ocean Lab is focused on how do we make policy change in coastal cities, because it’s not an elite issue, it is 1-in-3 or 4-in-10 Americans, depending on which geographic scope you’re using to think about that. So, figuring out what are the policy changes that we need to deal with. The extreme weather events that we’re already seeing and which will become more frequent is absolutely a critical need, and there’s so much that we can do. I just want to be clear that I’ve been talking a lot about of how bad things are, and all of that is true. But what gets me out of bed in the morning, what makes this work of communicating about climate science and policy so important, is that we have such a huge spectrum of possible futures available to us. Which one we get depends on what we do. We’re not going to have a pristine planet with 8 billion people living on it and all of the changes that have already happened, but we could have like a really, really terrible future or we could have like an actually pretty good and interesting one. I often get pegged as being an optimist or somebody that’s really hopeful. Those are titles that I actually don’t relate to at all, because both of those words have in their definition that you expect a good outcome. I’ve no expectation or assumption that the outcome for humanity is necessarily going to be good. But I know that it could be much better than it would otherwise be if we sort of get our act together and move with immense speed and welcome as many people as possible into this work and show people that there really is a place for everyone in this transformation. DALTON: Marine protected areas are sometimes pointed to as like, when people get out of the way, nature comes back quickly. What’s a positive story you can point to? Because it’s one thing to say good things can happen in the future if we choose this path, but what good things have already happened that you can point

to and say, “Ah, this is possible. Let’s do more of these.” JOHNSON: Absolutely, marine protected areas is one. Dr. Jane Lubchenco, who is a previous winner of this award, probably can rattle off these facts more eloquently and robustly than I can at this point—it’s been a while—but you have like several hundred percent increase in fish biomass for example, within 5 or 10 years of establishing a marine protected area in place. If we leave nature alone, if we give it a break, it can in fact replenish itself. If we just figure out how to back off a little bit. Those kinds of things are very exciting to know about. Absolutely the resilience of nature is a major source of inspiration for me. And lately I’ve been reading this new book called Required Reading: Climate Justice, Adaptation, and Investing in Indigenous Power. It’s right here on my desk. It’s an anthology of essays by indigenous leaders who are working on climate solutions, who are working on the cultural- and policy- and communitylevel transformations that we need. I keep using that word transformation, because that’s the only way I can think about the magnitude of change that’s really needed. I’m finding this book to be incredibly inspiring, because so often we do our land acknowledgment, we talk about the value of indigenous wisdom in addressing environmental issues, but it’s something that I think not very many of us actually read about and study that wisdom in any detail. So it’s something that I have started to dedicate more of my time to. And overall the answer to your question is “I don’t know.” That’s actually the next project that I’m working on. I’m writing a book with the tentative title of What If We Get It Right. Because I feel like it is so important for us to know what we are running toward, what all this work will get us if we do charge ahead with the transformations around electricity and transportation and buildings and manufacturing and agricultural and land use—what do we get? Show me that it’s worth it. Show me that there’s a place for me in this future. Show me that the work can be joyful and exciting along the way. So that’s what I am working to put together now. DALTON: You are the recipient of the Climate One Award in memory of Stephen Schneider, a pioneering climate scientist

whose last book was Science as a Contact Sport. Did you know science was going to be a contact sport when you started to pursue a Ph.D. in marine biology? Did you anticipate how rough it would be? JOHNSON: No. But I also did not anticipate in any sense the role that I would end up playing. I never aspired to or expected to be any sort of public figure. DALTON: Lots of scientists don’t. That’s not why people go into science, right? JOHNSON: Exactly. DALTON: You want to be in your lab and do your work. JOHNSON: I also never thought I would be in the lab. My first job out of college was working in the policy office at the Environmental Protection Agency in D.C. My major as an undergrad was environmental science and public policy. So I always wanted to work at this intersection of science and policy. For me it was just a matter of how can I get this advanced degree in science in order to make sure that all the best science is used to inform policymaking, even if I’m not the one doing that science. I will have the training to be able to interpret it and convey the importance of it in the context of how we form policy. So I guess the answer is no, but because I never thought of myself really as having a career as a research scientist and I never thought of myself as having a public profile

in any significant way. I thought I would just be a policy wonk who had a bunch of science training that made me useful in a different way. Because some of the best advice I ever got was that there are a lot of lawyers doing policy, there aren’t as many scientists doing policy; I could help build the bridge from the other direction. I kind of thought I would stay out of the fray. DALTON: These days it feels like extreme weather is bringing the climate emergency home almost every week—with severe f loods, hurricanes, wind storms and wildfires. How [does] that increased sense of urgency affect [you] and [your] work. JOHNSON: I feel very lucky that my brain chemistry doesn’t tend toward anxiety and depression. That is just a luck of the draw of how I was constructed at birth. I know that it’s much harder to do this work if you’re more susceptible to those things. So I’m really grateful that I have a mind that tends toward, “It’s really bad; what are we going to do? Who’s the team? What’s the strategy? Let me make a checklist,” like “Let me just chip away at this” is my immediate instinct when faced with even a problem of the magnitude of the climate crisis. But even I am stopped in my tracks by the horrors in the news, because we’re seeing the impacts of climate change all around us on a day-to-day basis now. We’re seeing how people’s lives and livelihoods and cultures

“WE HAVE SUCH A HUGE SPECTRUM OF POSSIBLE FUTURES AVAILABLE TO US. WHICH ONE WE GET DEPENDS ON WHAT WE DO.” —AYANA ELIZABETH JOHNSON commonwealthclub.org | THE COMMO N WE AL TH

and communities are at such extreme risk. And I’m not a robot. I feel those things and I feel them in a way that I think is different from a lot of people. We hear so often that what we need in climate communication is more compelling storytelling, more narratives about people and how individuals are impacted and dealing with this and how individuals are working on solutions. But I think in part because of my training as a scientist, while I value that kind of journalism and communications work, the stuff that hits me the hardest is actually the graphs. I read the United Nations report on oceans and cryosphere and I looked at the graphs of the scientific projections of sea level rise and ocean temperature and ecosystems and sea ice and all of these things. I was on the New York City subway a few years ago reading it, and I was crying in public, because I knew what those numbers meant. I had the same experience just a month ago writing an essay on the ways in which the ocean has been impacted by climate change, even though I’d known for a long time about ocean acidification, about the risk to coastal ecosystems like coral reefs, which I studied for my Ph.D. about how coastal ecosystems are such an important buffer for the impacts of climate change for coastal communities and how sea level rise is affecting people and hurricanes. All that stuff is not new to me, but having to go back into the scientific literature, read the peer-reviewed studies to make sure I was including the most up-to-date statistics, that barrage of scientific details about exactly how bad it is, really just [affected] my spirit for a few weeks there. So the thing for me is always thinking about how do we sort of race through the bad stuff—I mean, acknowledge and absorb just how high the stakes are so that we can know that we are grounded in that reality in order to move forward. But then I instantly want to switch from “Okay it’s bad, it’s worse than we can imagine, it’s coming faster than we thought. But who does what and how quickly can we make this transformation from a fossil fueled and extractive economy to a more regenerative one?” DALTON: In an article you wrote in 2020 in The Washington Post, you said, “I’m a Black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet.” In it you quote Toni Morrison saying “The very serious

function of racism is distraction; it keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining over and over again your reason for being.” And I get that and so, part of me doesn’t want to ask you about this and yet I feel an obligation to do so as a white guy with a show. Can we spend a little bit of time talking about that? JOHNSON: I guess the thing that I wish more people understood at this intersection of race and climate is that people of color already care and get it—in fact, are more concerned about climate than their white counterparts in the U.S. And we have to thank for this knowledge last year’s recipients of this very award, Dr. [Anthony] Leiserowitz and Dr. [Edward] Maibach, whose polling of Americans shows us that it’s about 49 percent of white Americans who are concerned about climate change, 57 percent of Black Americans and about 70 percent of Latinx Americans. So when we think about how are we going to address this crisis, it’s how do we build the biggest, strongest team? And how do we then welcome in the people who already get it, who already care, who are already disproportionately more likely to want to be a part of the solutions, to want their elected representatives to be more active on pushing forward climate legislation, who are more likely to volunteer, who are more likely to call their members of Congress? To me, one of the most important findings of their research and polling is that it’s not just because communities of color are more heavily impacted by climate change and extreme weather events that are fueled by climate change. That’s what we think; we think it’s because they’re getting pummeled and they see it more viscerally that they are

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more concerned. The answer is actually that especially for Latinx communities in the U.S. it’s because they have a more egalitarian worldview. It’s because they have the sense of needing to be a part of the solution of this responsibility to your community as opposed to a more individualistic worldview, which tends to be what more of the white people have in America in terms of this context around climate. So I think there’s a really important lesson there that it’s not just about climate justice in terms of who is the most heavily impacted, which is where we normally focus our efforts on all the injustices associated with climate change—and it’s absolutely critical to address those and make sure those do not become more extreme and in fact are reversed. But it’s also really important to think about who do we need at the table if we’re gonna work on solutions effectively. If we need these transformations in every community all over the world, who’s going to be leading those transformations in every sector, in every town, in every part of our economy, in every corporation, in every level of government? We need leaders who can lead their communities, and that means we need a broad diversity of leaders. We need a lot of ideas at the table. And when I say “diversity,” I don’t just mean racial diversity. I mean age diversity, I mean gender diversity, I mean geographic diversity. Diversity in areas of expertise, diversity in ways that we think and approach problems. So a lot of the work that I do in terms of climate communication really aims to say “You are welcome in this work, you are needed in this work, let’s think about where you will fit in, people who maybe didn’t

think there was a place for them before.” DALTON: Yeah, welcoming rather than kind of guilt or other way coming into it. As co-founder of the All We Can Save Project, you focus on nurturing a climate community rooted in the work and wisdom of women. We have a [Climate One podcast] episode titled “The Feminist Climate Renaissance” that features you, your coeditor Katharine Wilkinson, and four women featured in that book. For those who haven’t heard that show, how was the work and wisdom of women, particularly BIPOC women, different from white men so needed and what we need on climate now? JOHNSON: Katharine and I were inspired to create this anthology, because we were just so frustrated with seeing who was controlling the narrative, who had the mics, who have the financial resources to do their work. And in the U.S., it was largely white

men controlling what we see when we think about climate, who are the leaders— DALTON: Steve Schneiders of the world, right. This award may be perpetuating that. JOHNSON: I actually don’t think of that as a problem. I mean, I’m so honored to be following in his footsteps and the footsteps of all who have received this award before me. I was like literally jaw-dropped, gobsmacked to be in this company. It’s not about pushing aside the leadership of white men. It’s about having more leaders, right? What we need is a leader-full movement as Black Lives Matter sort of thinks about it. We need just more leaders as well as different leaders. The way that Katharine and I sort of framed that in the opening essay of “All We Can Save” was to identify a few key features of the leadership that we were seeing of women that was different and remarkable and important and worth uplifting.

And of course they’re characteristics that anyone can embody, so it’s this clear focus on making change rather than being in charge, right? It’s the shift in the ego. It’s the commitment to responding to the crisis in ways that heal systemic injustices rather than keeping them. It’s this appreciation for heart-centered, not only head-centered, leadership and integrating the two. And it’s the recognition that building community is a requisite for building a better world, that we’re in this together, that this is not about a hero, that this is not about yelling the most facts or having the best science. It’s about how we actually implement the solutions in a way that works for people. I know implementation is not maybe the sexiest word, but for me it’s extremely exciting, because we have most of the solutions we need and the question is how are we going to make them all happen in the world?

“IT’S NOT ABOUT PUSHING ASIDE THE LEADERSHIP OF WHITE MEN. IT’S ABOUT HAVING MORE LEADERS.” —AYANA ELIZABETH JOHNSON

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NEW BAY AREA ARTISTIC LEADERS DISCUSS

theatre in the age of COVID. From the December 1, 2021, Arts Member-Led Forum program “(Re)Filling Those Seats: California Theatre Challenges.” SEAN SAN JOSE, Artistic Director, Magic Theatre JOHANNA PFAELZER, Artistic Director, Berkeley Repertory Theater KHALIA DAVIS, Artistic Director, Bay Area Children’s Theatre TIM BOND, Artistic Director, Theatreworks BRAD ERICKSON, Executive Director, Theatre Bay Area—Moderator BR AD ERICKSON: I went to your websites to figure out when you [took on your currrent positions], it’s all been something of a blur. And Johanna, I think you were the first; [you] came on in the fall of

2019, and we had no idea that any of this was going to be in front of us. Talk about what that was like, up into your first full season at Berkeley Rep, only to have the brakes hit a little bit into the season.

JOHANNA PFAELZER: Yeah, I started at Berkeley Rep in September 2019. I had what in retrospect seems like an incredibly blissful five, five-and-a-half months with all of the challenges attendant in taking over an organization. My predecessor, Tony Taccone, had led Berkeley Rep as artistic director for 22 years and as the associate artistic director for eight years before that. So I thought the challenges ahead of me were simply coming into a new company, learning what it wanted and needed of me, what my agenda was going to be for it. All of those things that at the time seemed plenty challenging. Only to find that within a few months—because when I think back, it was really in February that we all started to get a sense of this impending potential threat. So

(RE)FILLING T

California Theatre Chal

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we started having conversations about health protocols and hand-washing. We weren’t even in the land of things like masking yet. And I’d never heard of Zoom. By the middle of March we, like everybody, had fully shut down. That was the context of my first year on the job. So I’ve now been in a leadership position at Berkeley Rep for three times as long in COVID times as I have in normal times. I’m incredibly relieved and proud to say that we started live performances in our actual theater a few weeks ago. This has totally felt like we’re all really in this together as a community. It feels like for me to go through the experimentation of opening up our doors and figuring out what those protocols are and how our

audiences are responding, the beautiful part of this time is that I feel like we’ve all been in conversation in a way that I think is really, really unprecedented. So as thrilled as the four of us [panelists are] to see each other today, it’s in part because over the last 20 months we have been in conversation together—first precipitated, I think, by total crisis and then by the opportunity of what it was as a community to think how we were all going to walk through this together. And I say that in relationship both to the COVID pandemic, but also to this real call for change in terms of anti-racism and in rethinking what our relationships were to social justice. And it’s meant that there have been incredibly rich and rigorous conversations that have happened among arts

leaders. So I have colleagues now in these three people with whom I get to spend time today, but also across the Bay Area in ways that I never had anticipated. ERICKSON: Tim, you came in late in March 2020, right? So you were on your way. Obviously, you were ready to take those reins. Was there a show up and running when you came on, and did you have to close it down? Or was it already? Where where were you in that timeline? TIM BOND: I started officially full time in March, but it was going to be remote from the beginning anyway, because I was still finishing my time in Seattle. And then COVID reared its head and I decided to just move here in April, because all my other shows—I had four other shows going on

THOSE SEATS PHOTO BY STOCKSNAP/PIXABAY.

llenges Post-Pandemic

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throughout the nation, the Guthrie, the Kennedy Center, all these places—and they all, of course, within a couple of weeks shut down. So I just decided, Well, I’m just going to move now and get there. Theatreworks at that time [was running] a production called They Promised Her The Moon, which was a world premiere. It opened and closed—opened on a Saturday and closed on Wednesday the next week. So then Robert Kelley, [who founded Theatreworks 50 years ago], was still officially in charge through the rest of that season. They made the decision to stream that show. They were able to capture it archivally and then run that video, so our subscribers and audience members who had bought tickets were able to see it. That sort of started the whole pandemic. Then Kelley and I worked together to figure out all of the different virtual productions we’ve done since then, which was 28 through last year. A number of them are readings, and some of them were films that we made. Others were shorts. We’ve learned a lot [laughter]. ERICKSON: How did your audiences respond to to that? Were they engaging? And I’ve heard you’re also getting audiences all over the country, because you don’t have to necessarily be in Palo Alto or Mountain View to see it. BOND: That’s true. Our initial audience was very happy to have this stream of that show. And then as we started to do other productions, there were good feelings. But as time has gone on, I think people are having fatigue of looking at this, in terms of our traditional theater-going audience. But we have found other audience members throughout different states, actually internationally, who have tuned in and seen it, but not in numbers that are significant enough to make it fill the gap and in us feeling we’re having truly the reach that we want to have. But it has been heartening to know we’ve had people from the Philippines and from Germany and from wherever tuning in to see our productions. And when we did Pride and Prejudice, which ironically had just been filmed by the playwright Paul Gordon and [the] composer for that piece, which we did in December of 2019—they had done a major five-camera shoot of it, national theater-level video of it, which we can’t afford. That went out and was seen by like hundreds of thousands of people and is now able to be gotten on Amazon Prime. So that’s an unusual and really incredibly far-reaching project; to be able to replicate that again and again for us, going into our current season, is beyond our

“OUR INITIAL AUDIENCE WAS VERY HAPPY TO HAVE THIS STREAM OF THAT SHOW. BUT AS TIME HAS GONE ON, I THINK PEOPLE ARE HAVING FATIGUE, IN TERMS OF OUR TRADITIONAL THEATER-GOING AUDIENCE.” —TIM BOND

means right now. But we are streaming. We have streamed our first show. We opened our first production in October, Lizard Boy. We had quite a few viewings of that, and that was very good. But again, not enough to make up our total audience size. We’re getting ready to have our first preview tonight of It’s a Wonderful Life, which we will also be streaming in about two weeks and we’re hoping we get good viewage for that. ERICKSON: Khalia and Sean, you came on to your jobs during the shutdown. To come on, take the reins—what was that like? KHALIA DAVIS: My trajectory into the position that I now hold as artistic director at Bay Area Children’s Theater is a little special, because right before Nina Meehan, the CEO and founder of the company, offered me this position, she actually came to me back in the start of May with a book called A Kid’s Book about Racism, by Jelani Memory, and was so excited about this. She said, “I feel like this book needs to be adapted. You need to be the one to adapt it, and I want you to direct it. And I don’t want any of the producing entities in our industry to bother you,” which is very rare. So I was already so excited about the fact that even after I knew they had shut their doors, they were still thinking of innovative ways to create theatrical programing for young audiences, that also—Johanna started to talk a little bit about this—bring to light the need for more specific, intentional social justice and anti-racism media and programing, especially for our young people. So I was already very excited about that type

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of work that they wanted to do and that they wanted to bring me into it. So I put a lot of my heart and soul into making it happen. We put that show up real quick. I called it a kid’s play about racism, and we were one of the first to utilize the now very famous method of taking theatrical storytelling and putting it into a film medium. We also were one of the first two young audience programs that Broadway on Demand featured. And Tralen [Doler], who worked for Broadway on Demand, actually was so excited about the numbers that we received. Tim was speaking to streaming; we actually streamed very well, [enough] that we were extended, and then that produced that new wave of young audience programing that they now have an educational programing. They actually have sections on Broadway on Demand for that reason. So we’re really happy to see that even though this shutdown caused a lot of pain and harm and hurt, it also opened up further opportunities for expansion in the ways in which young audiences are able to receive the type of work that we were producing ahead of time. And also think about how are they consuming this now. We are also an organization that really likes to test our boundaries and take risks. And so when I jumped in, they were already talking about an at-home theater experience called Play On, and Play On is our at-home theater kit. It’s a screen-free audio musical adventure that comes in the mail. In the box that you receive, you have different items that can help in the storytelling experience. They’re items that just enhance the experience for a kid. It’s

not necessarily needed, but it’s fun and kids love to have things in their hands and then they’re listening to the adventure. And the kids are a part of the adventure. And that is actually the genesis and the catalyst to what we’re excited about launching into in the New Year, which is having more official, interactive and immersive experiences for young people live, because we recognized how fun it was to have them be at the center of our work through the Play On series. ERICKSON: That’s really interesting. I think that’s part of the conversation, too— the way that having to do things differently and having to do this video and film and whatnot and just reach audiences in different ways, how will that linger on? And maybe Johanna and Tim, you’re saying that you’re ready to kind of just get the audiences back in and go on with live show on stage. But we have learned these other ways in the streaming that’s happening to continue to reach audiences. It’s interesting to see the kind of the ongoing learning and changes that will happen because of the pandemic and the ways that we were forced to do things differently. PFAELZER: Yeah, actually, I don’t think I’m saying that we’re 100 percent reverting just to in-person programing. I think the commitment we made early on in this was that everything was going to be an experiment. Everything was going to be things we were trying for the first time. The reason to invest in those experiments was so that at the end of this, whenever the end may be, we would come out of it with new skills, with some new practices, with some different modes and means of engaging with audiences, whether they are our subscription

audience or, as Tim and Khalia said, we have had this incredible opportunity to be essentially in conversation with people who are in Paris and in London and in Montana, and some of the people who had relationships to Berkeley Rep pre-pandemic or maybe even decades before, and this was a chance for them to reconnect to an organization that had been really meaningful to them, as well as new people who were responding, perhaps to a particular piece of programing. So forgive me—I’m now going to speak for all of us, interrupt me when I’m wrong, friends—but I think all of us are figuring out how we’re going to take the things that we’ve learned, positive and negative, and use them as we move forward. I don’t think anybody is like, “Oh, business as usual. We’re going back to the before” in any form. ERICKSON: Yeah. Sean, I’m going to jump over to you, because you’ve taken the lead at this legendary Bay Area theater company and you are making some changes there on the cusp of reopening. Talk to us a little bit about about that and your vision and some of the changes already underway. SEAN SAN JOSÉ: Yeah. Thanks, Brad, and thank you for gathering us together. Thank you, [Club program organizer] Anne [Smith] for doing this. I miss the [Club] gavel, is the only things [laughter]. I’m excited to hear what you all are talking about. I come from a group that’s been here in San Francisco that has kind of specialized in just reaching community. So a very particular focus always has been the luxury of what we get to do and the passion of what we get to do. And now having this new opportunity, as you say, Brad, as a bigger platform at Magic Theater.

It’s been helpful for me in a weird way to come into it where our land beneath us is unsettled, because I’m hoping that we can use this time to to reshape the landscape. I mean, we [are] long overdue for it, class wise, race wise, culture wise, language wise, phenotype-wise. What ever wise there is, and especially in the Bay Area, where our cities are getting swooped asunder by these unknown mega-corporations, and every block you go down gets changed before you. So how do we hold on to what we have, which is power of community, power of storytelling, power of seeding conversations that if it doesn’t make political change at least it plants dialog for for civic thought. I say all that sort of highfalutin’ stuff to say that coming into this, it’s been helpful to be able to wipe away and go, What do we want to focus in on and how do we want to approach it? Because my whole approach to even having the honor of being at a theater like this, but also accepting something to work in a white organization, a white institution when I’m interested in rightfully centering people of color throughout everything—it helps to have a wider open focus, if that makes sense, so that it doesn’t feel like a total dismantling. And as we know, race stuff, class stuff—it’s all fear-based. So as soon as you start to make one move forward, everyone’s like, Why do you want to break that? And I don’t want to break anything. I want to redefine things so they have resonance for more people. So in that way, I think coming into a new position and saying, “Hey, we want to do a whole bunch of new things here” has been been exciting. That sounds weird to say “exciting” in

“ALL OF US ARE FIGURING OUT HOW WE’RE GOING TO TAKE THE THINGS THAT WE’VE LEARNED, POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE, AND USE THEM AS WE MOVE FORWARD. I DON’T THINK ANYBODY IS LIKE, ‘BUSINESS AS USUAL.’” —JOHANNA PFAELZER commonwealthclub.org | THE COMMO N WE AL TH

a time that has been full of madness. And you know, as [Pfaelzer] alluded to, too, I think the biggest mistake for any of us moving forward is not even the form that we’re going to use, but for us not to look at the near-racial reckoning as it is some grave informer of where we go with the work that we do would be just the biggest continuation, perpetuation of the madness that we’ve been living through. So if we don’t take that and go, What are we going to do with it and how do we implement it into the daily activity of our community? Because that’s what we’re doing. We commune. So for us to sort of use that as an old newspaper would be the biggest error we can make. But what we can do is to look at it and look around and start to build some new things together. You know, it’s hard to say new things, though, with people, and it’s hard to say race things, because it’s always received as sort of a divisive thing. It’s not that at all. It’s looking at the reality of it and saying, Well, now we recognize these things, why don’t we build on it? Why don’t we expand on it? We’ll only grow from it. All of us that came into the theater performance-making practice learned from all our predecessors and all our ancestors, all of our mentors and teachers, and we expanded on that. We didn’t replicate that. That doesn’t do anything. For the . . . live performance, it’s about today. This whole time has been like this extended pressure cooker of a great informing period. And it’s so weird to think that we’re at the end of 2021 when we kept thinking like,

Man, if we make it to 2020, we gonna be cool. And then all of a sudden I just looked up, I was like, “What? We’re about to end 2021 and we’re still in this madness.” Though I say all that stuff and talk extralonger than anybody else, I do feel so hopeful moving forward with it, because I think we’re an empathetic industry, we’re about community, we’re about gathering. And I think we can learn a lot and grow a lot from it. ERICKSON: Some of what you’re just saying now, Sean, is making me think about how are people actually responding to being back in the theater, to seeing what you’ve got on stage? What’s it been like? How are they responding? DAVIS: I’m going to jump in, because I would love to share, as the person in charge of an organization that provided in-person programing and what that experience was like. But then I also got to go and witness Wintertime at Berkeley Rep, which is playing right now. It’actually was my very first live show, since I had moved from New York City. I’d been living in New York City for the last three and a half years. So Six, the Broadway musical, was my last show I saw before the pandemic—I saw it in previews. Bay Area Children’s Theater this past summer—because we like to do things a little kooky and crazy—we did Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, by Mo Willems and Deborah Wicks La Puma. It’s a musical and we actually did it on a bus. And we did it outside. And so Sean probably saw us, because we were in Fort Mason for a lot of that time. We also were able to utilize Cal

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

Shakes, who were very generous, and then we were on a cute little farm in San Ramon. But the whole thing was that we were outside, and families were able to experience the joy of theater again in a safe environment. It was just really heartwarming to see how easy it was for them to fall back into what it meant to share that experience as a family together and the fact that even though our actors were masked as well—we had puppets, it was a record, the whole show was prerecorded, so there’s a lot of big gestures, but they themselves were not actually physically talking to the kids—there still was this sense of magic and wonder and joy that I saw in all the faces. It was very sweet. On the flip side, being able to be in space with other people and get to share the experience of just seeing live performance— Berkeley Rep is so smart in bringing a show to us during a time period that is Wintertime, and also, though, a show that was very bizarre. We needed just a little bit of whimsy, a little bit of zany and also just something very solid to hold onto story-wise. But it was just very fun. If you haven’t seen Wintertime, I’m going to plug it. It’s a wild ride. [Laughter.] Stay to the end. It was a really beautiful experience for me as an audience member. That felt good to be like, Oh yeah, this is what it’s like to share this time with other people who are complete strangers. But now we have something in common that we got to experience together. It was really nice. PFAELZER: Have you all met Khalia, my new PR person? [Laughter.]

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THE BIG PICTURE

THE COMMO N WE AL TH | February/March 2022

December 13, 2021 was just another typical day at the Club with“RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” winner Alaska (right) interviewed by Honey Mahogany, chair of the San Francisco Demo-

cratic Party and co-founder of Compton’s Transgender Cultural District—oh, and Honey was also a contestant on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” (Photo by Sara Gonzalez/peopletography.com.)

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The Commonwealth February/March 2022

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Democracy in Crisis

The Next January 6

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Huma Abedin and Kal

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