Everyday Ambassador welcomes cultural anthropologist Miranda Hallett for a deep dive into El Salvador’s past and present. She explains the legacy of dispossession, U.S. intervention, the rise of MS-13, and President Bukele’s authoritarian turn. Hallett also shares stories of Salvadoran migrants in the U.S. building community and practicing “fugitive citizenship,” finding hope and democracy in the margins.

In this episode of Everyday Ambassador, Annelise Riles speaks with historian Naoko Shimazu about the 1955 Bandung Conference. The gathering of newly independent Asian and African nations marked the rise of the non-aligned movement and showed how informal diplomacy—conversations, relationships, and pageantry—can reshape the world. Their discussion explores what Bandung teaches us about building bridges in a divided world today.

On the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Mayor Shiro Suzuki joins Everyday Ambassador to share his personal story as the son of Hibakusha and his mission to create a world without nuclear weapons. He discusses the work of Mayors for Peace, the power of cultural connection, and why even the smallest steps toward peace matter.

To mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing, the St. Paul Civic Symphony traveled to Nagasaki for a powerful joint concert with their sister orchestra. Host Annelise Riles speaks with conductor Jeff Stirling and composer Steve Heitzeg about Green Hope After Black Rain—a new symphony that honors survivors, confronts injustice, and plants seeds of peace through music.

When a 1970s cultural exchange between St. Paul and its Sister City, Nagasaki, sparked the idea for a Japanese garden, no one could have predicted the decades-long journey that would follow. In this episode, Bill Pasek shares how he and the original designer, Mr. Masami Matsuda, worked across languages, cultures, and continents to restore the garden's true vision—with the help of passionate volunteers and a community united by peace and purpose.

From pruning trees to shaping hills with sand, this is the story of how a garden became a living symbol of diplomacy, beauty, and friendship.