New Memoir from Former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs Reflects on the People Who Shaped Him

KQED's Forum

Overcoming adversity has been the hallmark of Michael Tubb’s eventful life. When he was six, his father was sentenced to a near-life term in prison. At 22, Tubbs was elected to Stockton’s city council while still a student at Stanford. At 26, he became the city’s youngest and first black mayor. Along the way he founded programs to help underserved youth get to college, taught in high school, and introduced Universal Basic Income to the city. It has not all been easy as he reflects in his new memoir, “The Deeper the Roots.” Tubbs grapples with the survivor’s guilt that comes from seeing family murdered and friends caught up in poverty and violence. We’ll talk to Tubbs about his book and the stories and people who have shaped his life so far.