His book reveals how the pursuit of gold shaped the development of America from the Wild West to debates over slavery in the Western territories, to the resulting chaos caused in Washington. The scramble for wealth reshaped our ideas of freedom, labor and belonging and by enabling the rise of California, pushed a fractured nation toward Civil War.

Ilyon Woo, the New York Times best-selling author of “Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom” moderates the conversation.

Cambridge Forum]]> 2836 13822David Brinkman National Book Award winner Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea and Mayflower, discusses his new book, The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World.Cambridge Forum web@cambridgeforum.org (dl)noNational Book Award winner Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea and Mayflower, discusses his new book, The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World.Cambridge ForumCambridge,Forum,Harvard,Square,forums,discussion,ideas,public,debate,technology,art,science,literature,history,public,dialog https://cambridgeforum.org/crisis-of-the-common-good/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:50:00 +0000 https://cambridgeforum.org/?p=13741 Cambridge Forum]]> Cambridge Forum recorded Harvard Book Store’s event with  Senator Chris Murphy—lawyer, author, and politician serving since 2013 as the junior United States senator from Connecticut. Senator Murphy discusses his new book, Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America.with Heather Cox Richardson—professor of history at Boston College and bestselling author of Democracy Awakening.

Cambridge Forum]]> 1739 13741Mary Stack Senator Chris Murphy discusses his latest book, Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America with Heather Cox Richardson.Cambridge Forum web@cambridgeforum.org (dl)noSenator Chris Murphy discusses his latest book, Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America with Heather Cox Richardson.Cambridge ForumCambridge,Forum,Harvard,Square,forums,discussion,ideas,public,debate,technology,art,science,literature,history,public,dialog https://cambridgeforum.org/resisting-erasure-the-role-of-indigenous-people-in-american-identity/ Fri, 05 Dec 2025 17:54:40 +0000 https://cambridgeforum.org/?p=13327 Cambridge Forum]]> As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, we are called upon to consider a profound and often overlooked truth: this nation was built on the backs of many and perhaps the greatest cost was borne by Native peoples. Sadly, today’s indigenous communities represent just 1% of the population, but their names, images and traditions are woven into the fabric of American culture — from place names and sports mascots to art and spiritual wisdom. How is it that the Native presence is so ubiquitous yet “unseen”, and its collective voice so marginalized?

Cambridge Forum will unravel the contradictions at the heart of American identity. We will examine how Indigenous knowledge and ways of life have been borrowed and celebrated by mainstream culture, even as Native peoples have faced dispossession, exclusion and erasure. We will also highlight how, despite all efforts to eradicate them over the centuries, Indigenous communities have continued to survive and exercise their sovereignty and sacred cultural ways.

Our distinguished panelists bring their unique knowledge and first-hand experiences to this conversation:

Rhonda Anderson, Western Massachusetts Commissioner on Indian Affairs, an advocate for Indigenous visibility and representation in regional and state policy.

Lawrence Baca, retired lawyer from the U.S. Justice Department, whose career has focused on advancing Native rights within the legal system.

Brad Lopes, Education Manager for the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribal Education Department, who works to preserve and share Wampanoag history and culture.

We hope to provide an opportunity to confront our past and envision a more honest and comprehensive rendering of the cost of securing our American identity.

Our guest moderator is former GBH journalist, Phillip Martin.
Join the conversation.

Cambridge Forum]]> 1739 13327David Brinkman Even as Indigenous knowledge and ways of life have been borrowed and celebrated by mainstream culture, Native peoples have faced dispossession, exclusion and erasure. How, despite all efforts to eradicate them over the centuries, have Indigenous communities continued to survive and exercise their sovereignty and sacred cultural ways?Cambridge Forum web@cambridgeforum.org (dl)noEven as Indigenous knowledge and ways of life have been borrowed and celebrated by mainstream culture, Native peoples have faced dispossession, exclusion and erasure. How, despite all efforts to eradicate them over the centuries, have Indigenous communities continued to survive and exercise their sovereignty and sacred cultural ways?Cambridge ForumCambridge,Forum,Harvard,Square,forums,discussion,ideas,public,debate,technology,art,science,literature,history,public,dialog https://cambridgeforum.org/what-are-we-up-to-in-space/ Fri, 21 Nov 2025 19:46:38 +0000 https://cambridgeforum.org/?p=13277 Cambridge Forum]]> Back in the 1950s, NASA set lofty and noble ambitions for humanity: to “explore the unknown in air and space, to innovate for the benefit of humanity, and to inspire the world through discovery.” And for the past 75 years, it is true that NASA has made the seemingly impossible, possible. However, the agency’s agenda has shifted dramatically over the ensuing years with the advent of Star Wars and the creation of commercial enterprises that carried research payloads into space on board the shuttle, for profit.

This Forum will provide a reality check on our current role in space, to consider what is really motivating our actions, driving our expensive excursions to Mars, and shaping our international satellite placement industry. Have we really considered our role, responsibility, and stewardship in space alongside the potential profits to be made? We are joined by two astrophysicists: Nathalie Cabrol, Director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute and author of The Secret Life of the Universe; and Erika Nesvold, former researcher at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and author of Off-Earth: Ethical Questions and Quandaries for Living in Outer Space.

Cambridge Forum is excited to announce guest moderator Curt Jaimungal, a Toronto-based scientist who hosts Theories of Everything, one of the most popular science podcasts which explores physics, consciousness, and AI. The show attracts 500,000 subscribers and its guests have included Noam Chomsky and Roger Penrose. Jaimungal prides himself on making complex ideas accessible without dumbing them down – a skill recognized by O’Shaughnessy Ventures, which awarded him a 2024 Fellowship for “creators who bridge depth and reach”. A University of Toronto graduate, Curt balances his days parsing quantum mechanics with channeling Kurt Cobain in his free time. He believes that the best conversations happen when wonder meets rigor.

Join the conversation.

Cambridge Forum]]> 1739 13277David Brinkman Two astrophysicists provide a reality check on our current role in space, to consider what is really motivating our actions, driving our expensive excursions to Mars, and shaping our international satellite placement industry. Have we really considered our role, responsibility, and stewardship in space alongside the potential profits to be made? Cambridge Forum web@cambridgeforum.org (dl)noTwo astrophysicists provide a reality check on our current role in space, to consider what is really motivating our actions, driving our expensive excursions to Mars, and shaping our international satellite placement industry. Have we really considered our role, responsibility, and stewardship in space alongside the potential profits to be made? Cambridge ForumCambridge,Forum,Harvard,Square,forums,discussion,ideas,public,debate,technology,art,science,literature,history,public,dialog https://cambridgeforum.org/november-16-folk-music-at-50/ Sun, 27 Nov 2016 16:00:00 +0000 https://cambridgeforum.org/?p=3505 Cambridge Forum]]> Cambridge Forum celebrates the legacy and future of folk music as it marks its 50th anniversary.

Music and memories from the early days of the Harvard Square folk scene to the current state of the Americana genre. Betsy Siggins, raconteur extraordinaire, recalls her early days at the legendary Club 47 in Cambridge when Joan Baez performed. Folklorist Millie Rahn joins the conversation, along with live music from  multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Jake Armerding.

Back in the late ’60s, Club 47 was the place to play for folk musicians in the Boston area and all the greats performed there, including Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, and Muddy Waters.  The space eventually morphed into today’s Club Passim, which has given rise to some of the top musicians in the folk world, like Shawn Colvin and Suzanne Vega.

The music scene has changed greatly over the past 50 years, when Cambridge Forum first captured the spirit of the times. But Harvard Square and Club Passim continue to turn out fresh and exciting talent, that reflect many influential trends in today’s music industry. In the tradition of the Club 47 legends, musician Jake Armerding embodies the consummate, hard-working troubadour. He hails from a Massachusetts family of musicians, in which he honed his songwriting skills, while also becoming an accomplished fiddle, mandolin, and guitar player.

For those interested in brushing up on the what’s been happening on the folk scene over the last few decades, here’s a *short* bibliography courtesy of  folklorist Millie Rahn.

• Baby, Let Me Follow You Down: The Illustrated Story of the Cambridge Folk Years, by Eric von Schmidt and Jim Rooney. Originally published 1979; updated and republished by the University of Massachusetts Press, 1994.
• Between Midnight and Day: The Last Unpublished Blues Archive by Dick Waterman; preface by Bonnie Raitt; introduction by Peter Guralnick. Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2003. Bluegrass: A History by Neil Rosenberg. University of Illinois Press,1985.
• “Cambridge, Club 47, and the 1960s Folk Revival,” chapter by Millie Rahn in A City’s Life and Times: Cambridge in the Twentieth Century. Published by the Cambridge Historical Society, 2007.
• Country Music, U.S.A. by Bill C. Malone and Jocelyn R. Neal. Originally published 1968; University of Texas Press, 1985.
• In It for the Long Run: A Musial Odyssey by Jim Rooney. University of Illinois Press, 2014.
• The Face of Folk Music: Essential Portraits from America’s Folk Music Revival. Photographs by David Gahr; text by Robert Shelton. The Citadel Press, 1968.
• “The Folk Revival: Beyond Child’s Canon and Sharp’s Song Catching,” chapter by Millie Rahn in American Popular Music: New Approaches to the Twentieth Century. University of Massachusetts Press, 2001.

Films

• Festival!, by Murray Lerner. The Newport Folk Festivals 1963-1966. Produced by the Newport Festival Foundation, 1967.
• For the Love of the Music: The Club 47 Folk Revival by Ezzie Films & Blue Star Media, 2012.

Cambridge Forum]]> 1736 3505DL Music and memories from the early days of the Harvard Square folk scene to the current state of the Americana genre.Cambridge Forum web@cambridgeforum.org (dl)noMusic and memories from the early days of the Harvard Square folk scene to the current state of the Americana genre.Cambridge ForumCambridge,Forum,Harvard,Square,forums,discussion,ideas,public,debate,technology,art,science,literature,history,public,dialog https://cambridgeforum.org/phil-ochs-song-night/ Mon, 04 Oct 2010 19:38:41 +0000 https://cambridgeforum.org/wordpress/?p=18 Cambridge Forum]]> Sonny Ochs, sister of the songwriter Phil Ochs, brings together a group of musicians, including Fred Small, to perform her brother’s songs and keep his music alive today. Phil Ochs’ political songs helped shape the social consciousness of the protest movements of the 1960s. These performances are a vivid expression of the power of music to move us and change the world.

Cambridge Forum]]> 1739 18DL Sonny Ochs, sister of the songwriter Phil Ochs, brings together a group of musicians, including Fred Small, to perform her brother’s songs and keep his music alive today. Cambridge Forum web@cambridgeforum.org (dl)noSonny Ochs, sister of the songwriter Phil Ochs, brings together a group of musicians, including Fred Small, to perform her brother’s songs and keep his music alive today. Cambridge ForumCambridge,Forum,Harvard,Square,forums,discussion,ideas,public,debate,technology,art,science,literature,history,public,dialog