Recent Free Public Talks
Video Archive
2021 (January-December)
A place to meet and talk unmediated by corporations, official spokespeople, religion, political parties, or dogma.
All events are free.
At 518 Valencia Street, near 16th, in San Francisco (close to 16th Street BART)
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Thursday, November 18
An Irish Catholic Liberal: Bishop Mark J. Hurley and the 1968-69 Strike at State
An Irish Catholic Liberal: Bishop Mark J. Hurley and the 1968-69 Strike at State
Countless Irish ancestry Catholic liberals helped shape the political culture of urban America in the twentieth century. San Francisco's Auxiliary Bishop Mark J. Hurley brokered the settlement of the longest student strike in United States history, but his role in bringing peace to the campus and thus enabling the establishment of ethnic studies at the college was unsung at the time and has been forgotten since. The story of Bishop Hurley and the strike at State is an important chapter in a genuinely inclusive history of the city of San Francisco. Featuring guest speaker William Issel, History Professor Emeritus, SF State University.
Video here.
Saturday, November 6, Noon
Glen Canyon to Sutro Forest
Glen Canyon to Sutro Forest
An urban forum "walk 'n talk" starting at Glen Park BART station, and meandering up through Glen Canyon, onto Portola Drive and west to Panoramic off Twin Beaks Blvd to the entry point to the Laguna Honda Trail. Coursing along behind the public hospital, the trail eventually runs westerly along an ivy-filled canyon that is directly above the MUNI Twin Peaks tunnel, leading eventually to a Clarendon Avenue exit. From there we went up and up to enter the Sutro Forest trail system, reaching the summit and then descending on the Historic Trail to the exit at Stanyan and 17th. Featuring Bob Siegel of the Crosstown Trail project!
Video here.
Saturday, October 9
Bayview Hill & Candlestick Point State Recreation Area
Bayview Hill & Candlestick Point State Recreation Area
To the top of a rarely visited hill with incredible views, then amble down and around to the only urban-located State Park.
Video here.
Saturday, September 18
Eureka Valley
Eureka Valley
Discover a half dozen stairways, open spaces, and incredible views and gardens all across the upper slopes of Eureka Valley and Corbett Heights, above the Castro, and below Twin Peaks.
Video here.
Saturday, August 28
Grandview Peak and Golden Gate Heights
Grandview Peak and Golden Gate Heights
Grandview Peak offers incredible views of western San Francisco, the ocean, and Marin County. Navigate southward along the side of Golden Gate Heights to discover wildlife corridors, tiled staircases, and more.
Video here.
Saturday, June 26
Dogpatch, Pier 70, Warm Water Cove
Dogpatch, Pier 70, Warm Water Cove
Explore the ecological, architectural, and social history of the oldest industrial enclave in San Francisco, now taking on new life adjacent to Mission Bay with thousands of residents and businesses pouring in.
Video here.
Saturday April 10
Presidio: Crissy Field to El Polín Spring
Presidio: Crissy Field to El Polín Spring
El Polín Spring and the area around it is a great example of how National Park stewardship has brought history to life. Follow the water through MacArthur Meadow, the Tennesee Hollow watershed, to the Crissy Field marshes—including the newly restored Quartermaster Reach. With Lew Stringer, Joel Pomerantz, LisaRuth Elliott, and Chris Carlsson.
Video here.
Saturday March 6
Bernal Heights and the Bernal Cut
Bernal Heights and the Bernal Cut
Visit earthquake shacks, WPA stairways, and the Bernal Cut Path. Discover traces of the Spring Valley Water Company. Plus incomparable views, and the new Esmeralda Steps extensions on both sides of the hill.
Limited capacity, RSVP required: shaping@foundsf.orgVideo here.