Alexis Madrigal on Globalization and the Battle for Oakland’s Soul

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 17 March 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Pacific Circuit comprises the vast system of trade routes, cargo ships and relationships connecting Asian manufacturing and American consumers. And it all starts at the Port of Oakland. In his new book “The Pacific Circuit: A Globalized Account of the Battle for the Soul of an American City,” Forum co-host Alexis Madrigal charts how the port shaped Oakland’s history and how, in turn, the global commerce it enabled helped create the problems plaguing Oakland and every other U.S. city today. As he writes, “Oakland has a way of concentrating the power and problems of our country.” In this special hour of Forum, co-host Mina Kim talks to Alexis Madrigal about how the port and global trade have affected the city and its longtime residents. Guests: Alexis Madrigal, co-host of Forum, KQED; author, “The Pacific Circuit: A Globalized Account of the Battle for the Soul of an American City” ; Also a contributing writer at The Atlantic, where he co-founded the COVID Tracking Project Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for Forum comes from Rancho La Puerta, a wellness resort in Baja, California, just an hour from San Diego.
0:07.6	Three, four, and seven-night summer packages include fitness classes, hiking, live music, mindfulness, and culinary adventures, featuring fruits and veggies straight off the vine.
0:18.9	Special rates and offers are available for summer stays and first-time guests.
0:23.8	Saver summer at Rancho LaPuerta, rancho LaPuerta.com.
0:28.3	Support for Forum comes from Broadway SF, presenting Parade, the musical revival based on a true story.
0:35.7	From three-time Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown comes the story of
0:40.0	Leo and Lucille Frank, a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in Georgia. When Leo is
0:46.9	accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice,
0:54.1	and devotion.
0:55.8	The riveting and gloriously hopeful parade plays the Orpheum Theater for three weeks only, May 20th through June 8th.
1:04.2	Tickets on sale now at Broadway, sF.com.
1:09.0	From KQED.
1:29.7	Music from KQED. From KQED. From KQED, in San Francisco, I'm Nina Kim, in today for Alexis Madrigal, because Alexis is on book tour.
1:36.0	That's right, my co-host and your regular 9 a.m. host has written a book called The Pacific Circuit, all about how Oakland's port has played a central role in global commerce, and how global commerce
1:41.5	has helped create the problems that Oakland and so many other U.S. cities experience today.
1:47.0	So join Alexis this hour, not as host, but as guest, to talk about why Oakland, as he writes, has a way of concentrating the power and problems of our country.
1:56.2	Forum is next, right after this news.
2:12.3	Thank you. next right after this news. Welcome to Forum. I'm Nina Kim, in for Alexis Madrigal. Because today's forum guest is Alexis Madrigal.
2:19.9	Alexis has spent the last nine years or more
2:22.1	researching and writing the book we'll be talking about today,
2:25.1	called the Pacific Circuit, a globalized account
2:28.1	of the battle for the soul of an American city.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KQED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KQED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.