For Father's Day, Priscilla Preciado writes about the ways racial profiling has impacted her father’s life—and how ICE raids targeting Latinos today have made her connect more deeply to his story. zps.la/4efLNeP

Spanish-speaking audiences in the U.S. have been following soccer matches en español since the 1970s. Author Javier Marin on the Mexican media execs who bet big on the beautiful game in the U.S.: zps.la/43tZdxF

TOMORROW: Join Zócalo at Arte Américs on Thursday, June 11, in Fresno, CA, where we’ll explore the question “How Does the Central Valley Harness Its Power?” Moderated by @fresnoland.bsky.social’s founder and editor-in-chief @danibergstrom.bsky.social. RSVP here: zps.la/centralvalley

“In a world built on ideas and technology, democracy is public infrastructure, as much as any school or sewer,” writes @californiajoe.bsky.social. Which is why he calls for California and local communities to create a new financial instrument: democracy bonds. zps.la/4e5OmPa

Scholars José M. Alamillo (@josealamillo.bsky.social) and José Luis Collazo Jr. tell the story of the 1970s Los Angeles Aztecs, which reflects the ways U.S. soccer has sidelined Latinos. Will this year’s World Cup change anything? zps.la/4vwQjvg

Want to learn how Fresno leaders are transforming the region for the better? Join @zocalopublicsquare.bsky.social this Thursday at Arte Américas in Fresno, or watch the livestream on YouTube: bit.ly/3QjxJrf

"Shark Island Mule-Deer" by Paola Valenzuela is our latest #poem, selected by June poetry curator Sarah Gzemski. zps.la/4ufyzDu

It is more than a year into Trump's immigration enforcement push, and tens of thousands of people are imprisoned with no rights. This is what their lives are like: www.zocalopublicsquare.org/this-is-life...

If you missed our recent guided bus tour program, “Will Wilshire Blvd. Take L.A. Back to the Future?,” read our recap and check out the photos: zps.la/bustour

For nearly two decades, @californiajoe.bsky.social has asked California governors to make him lieutenant governor, an easy gig with no serious responsibilities and a big paycheck. Not anymore. Read how the state’s easiest political job just got dangerous: zps.la/4uPaXXq

The ancient art of astrology is booming in today's uncertain times. Too bad the stories it tells us are misleading, writes science journalist @carlosorsi.bsky.social. zps.la/3SalC0c

"Drawn Near to Nothing" by Lauren Camp is our latest #poem. Read (or listen to it) here: zps.la/49tdqON

Can today’s Park La Brea offer a better vision for L.A.? Longtime resident of the community Jude Schneider on the apartment complex's history and where it's headed: zps.la/4ocPmG5

The 2028 Olympics could bankrupt Los Angeles city and melt its government. And maybe it’s just the renewal the city needs, writes @californiajoe.bsky.social. There’s only one mayor for that job: zps.la/49j2AL4

The rapid expansion and militarization of Mexico's National Guard raises the question: What tradeoffs will civilians accept for real, or perceived, safety? Public policy scholar @alexandrahelfgott.bsky.social writes about President Claudia Sheinbaum's security gambit. zps.la/4umzS4d

For her Sketchbook, illustrator Kaayla Lee visits the animal kingdom to explore familial bonds. zps.la/4wW2zHh

Open your mail ballot. There, you’ll see 61 Californians running for governor. This isn't an election. It's a clusterf—k, writes columnist @californiajoe.bsky.social. zps.la/4wEoEd3

Who supports the women who support incarcerated loved ones? Journalist @joshuasharpe.bsky.social writes about the moms, sisters, and partners in the U.S. who are doing what they can to help from the outside with little help or resources: zps.la/42zq2Qv

Downtown Los Angeles has a world-class collection of about a dozen bridges spanning the L.A. River. Photographer Kevin Break tells their story: zps.la/4tD9Jgl

Over the years, we've had compelling thinkers and doers from a wide range of fields stop by Zócalo. Check out their interviews in the green room, including interviews from our most recent program, “What History Lies Beneath DTLA’s Bright Lights?” zps.la/4gBFRLp

As California becomes an essential defender of human rights in America, columnist @californiajoe.bsky.social makes the case for the state to consolidate its independence: zps.la/49suV1r

An Argentina fútbol fan will be watching the World Cup this year—but his heart is at Almansor Park in Alhambra, where he plays pick-up soccer with a collective that plays by four rules...including that the score is always 2-2: www.zocalopublicsquare.org/for-the-love...

Every Friday, Zócalo publishes a new poem. Read "Oakclove" by Oak Morse. zps.la/4tolveF

"When my mother and I lost our Culver City home, the only thing more painful than not knowing where we would sleep was wondering what we would eat." Ryan J. Smith of St. Joseph Center, on hunger: zps.la/42OV1bg

ICYMI: Congratulations to @anandian.bsky.social, author of "Something Between Us," and the winner of the 2026 Zócalo Book Prize! Read our interview with him and check out the full details of our upcoming Book Prize event: zps.la/bpwin26

Travel to a small town on the Florida coast with "Letter from Indialantic" by @deborahager.bsky.social, winner of the 2026 Zócalo Poetry Prize, which Zócalo awards annually to the U.S. writer whose original poem best evokes a connection to place: zps.la/ppwin26

Every Friday, Zócalo publishes a new poem. Read "It Is Makar Sankranti" by Shilpa Kamat. zps.la/4tQyJly

Can art and blindfolds unlock creativity? Yes, says Gabriel Kahan, who’s using them to bring LAPD officers, AI technologists, Hollywood writers, neighborhood activists, and city officials together in conversation: zps.la/4mTHJDJ

Ethnic studies lessons here can ultimately resonate far beyond the classroom—for Asian Americans and the entire U.S., writes historian and activist @scottkurashige.bsky.social. zps.la/4sWSp5R

Congratulations to Cecilia Woloch whose poem "Boy in a Cherry Tree: Is It Gone, This Place of Sweet Blossoming?" was named a runner-up in the 2026 Zócalo Public Square Poetry Prize contest! zps.la/4d2pMPK

For Earth Day, writer @evelynmcdonnell.bsky.social introduces readers to an early 20th-century "hermit history-maker" who modeled a life of coexistence with nature. zps.la/4cp5Lmr

Who launched the bomb that hit a Minab school? How many protesters did the Iranian government kill? Which state is censoring the most information? "Arguments like these have created a toxic, fractured, and paranoid global Iranian community," writes Samine Joudat. zps.la/4mIqghh

Congratulations to Jonathan Otamere whose poem "Raid" was named a runner-up in the 2026 Zócalo Public Square Poetry Prize contest! zps.la/4sMemEM

Rubber tapping—the labor-intensive process of drawing rubber sap from trees—has hardly modernized since the late 1800s. A view of tree-human symbiosis: zps.la/4sAi8k8

Columnist @californiajoe.bsky.social wants to say he is sorry—so very sorry—to America and @nytimes.com for being part of a state that dares to advance beyond late-19th-century election conventions. zps.la/4chMHoQ

No better time to support Zócalo than now. Every dollar you give will be matched up to $10K, doubling your impact. Help us tell stories that matter, bring people together, and keep our work free for all. Donate today. zps.la/donate

As religious leaders and civil rights defenders fight to keep the U.S. from sliding into authoritarianism, Rev. Heist’s story resonates anew, writes @jonrvh88.bsky.social. zps.la/4c3GcXN

Congratulations to Despy Boutris, whose poem "'California Poem'" is a runner-up in the 2026 Zócalo Public Square Poetry Prize contest! zps.la/47RVuwt

Historian and Angeleno India Mandelkern knows her L.A. streetlights. Follow her DTLA guide to these anchors of the city's past: zps.la/41oNDml

Zócalo has kicked off a spring fundraising campaign! Consider giving today. Your support keeps our events and journalism free for all. www.zocalopublicsquare.org/support-zoca...

Tributes to Chuck Norris are omitting his low-budget California trucking film "Breaker! Breaker!" For @californiajoe.bsky.social, it’s a perfect encapsulation of John Locke's 17th-century concept of the right to revolution. zps.la/4sjoft9

In the 1960s, the U.S. created a migration pipeline from Mexico. In the 1970s, Mexico came up with a plan to stop the flow. The U.S. rejected long-term economic partnership in favor of unilateral punishment: zps.la/4sTACxf

Zócalo is launching a spring giving campaign. Everything we do is free—no paywalls, no ticket sales. Your support makes it possible. Make a one-time or monthly gift. Keep the public square alive. zps.la/donate

Congratulations to Houley Koundourou, whose poem, "The Women Who Had Me" was named a runner-up in the 2026 Zócalo Public Square Poetry Prize contest. zps.la/4shuf5v

Mexican journalists know when their work will be dangerous. Covering the cartel violence after El Mencho's death was something different—in terms of the levels of risk, predictability, and government protection, writes @luoach.bsky.social: zps.la/484ORXy

NASA has launched Artemis II! As we think back to the U.S.’s first steps on the moon in1969, revisit marketing and PR expert Richard Jurek’s 2016 essay on how we almost missed out on televising the event. zps.la/41IA4hA

Today, the Supreme Court listened to arguments on the legality of Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship. Revisit columnist @joemmathews on Sen. John Conness, a staunch supporter of birthright citizenship: zps.la/417iILQ

Two top California gubernatorial contenders make their homes in two of the state's most successful and fastest-growing cities. But they aren’t talking about this. Read @californiajoe.bsky.social's dispatch on a race that’s become more about Trump than governance: zps.la/3NZu6FY

Wandering is an integral part of the Passover story, writes immigration reporter @danielagerson.bsky.social: "It reminds us what people are capable of enduring in that space, what they are forced to do to survive it." zps.la/4bWx6e1

ICYMI: Read (or listen to) "Cucumber Salad" by Dallas Raquel Klein. zps.la/4sNK1WQ