Ideas

California Farmworkers Stand on Uneven Ground

I’ve Picked Broccoli and Tended Grapes in the Salinas Valley Since I Was 18. Sometimes I Wonder How Much Longer I Can Survive Doing It

This piece publishes as part of the Zócalo/The James Irvine Foundation public program and editorial series, “What Is a Good Job Now?” which investigates low-wage work across California. Watch the event “What Is a Good Job Now?” In Agriculture here.

I’ve worked in the fields of the Salinas Valley since I was 18, tending grapes and picking broccoli.

Agricultural work has many contradictions. It is both steady and uncertain. I work constantly but don’t have one job. Instead, I work different jobs for different contractors during the picking season.

I could not have survived …

by Araceli Ruiz |

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When Bite Marks, a Duel, and Jeering Crowds Marred the Paris Olympics

In 1924, Brits Called for an End to the Games After a Disappointing Performance Amid International Tensions

by Luke J. Harris |

“Olympic Games Doomed” and “No More Olympic Games,” read headlines published in London’s Times in 1924.

A century ago, British commentators called not only for their nation to withdraw from the …

Authors Aren’t Perfect. Why Should Readers Have to Be?

A Writer Wrestles With Separating the Art from the Artist

by Emily R. Zarevich |

In April 2024, British author J.K. Rowling appeared in the news for the same reason she’s been wont to gain attention lately—not for writing acclaimed new books, but for writing …

California Has Got This, America

Kamala Harris Survived San Francisco and the Golden State. She’s Ready for Three Months Against Trump

by Joe Mathews |

Don’t worry, America.

We got this.

By “we,” I mean California.

By “this,” I mean this presidential election.

And by “got,” I mean that we are sending you the best possible candidate to weather …

When the U.S.A. Was Neutral

For 150 Years, America Didn’t Take Sides—But the Nation Still Fought Plenty of Wars

by Pascal Lottaz |

Can we, and should we, ever really be neutral? In a new series, Zócalo explores the idea of neutrality—in politics, sports, gender, journalism, international …

Willie Mays smiles at the camera. He wears a black cap with the letters "SF" and a white baseball uniform with the large letters "Giants."

How Television Made Willie Mays a Star

His Astonishing Play Coincided With the Early Years of the Medium—And Made This White, Rural Georgia Boy a Lifelong Fan

by James C. Cobb |

Except for a fortunate few who got to see Willie Mays play in person, most Americans of my generation fell under his almost mesmerizing spell while watching him on TV.

Mays’ …


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