What 100 Years Of Audio Can Tell Us About Black Americans and Belonging
WNYC, the most listened-to public radio station in America and the production home of this podcast, turns 100 years old this year. Its audio archives are full of gems from history — including voices,...
View ArticleWe Could End AIDS. So Why Are People Still Dying?
Host Kai Wright started his career covering the impact of HIV and AIDS on communities in America. A new project brings that experience full circle. Kai hosts the latest season of the Blindspot podcast,...
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Leading with Love: Care and Compassion in the Early Days of AIDS
The latest season of the Blindspot podcast, “The Plague In The Shadows,” brings listeners the voices of people who were affected in the early years of the HIV and AIDS epidemics. It includes stories...
View ArticleLessons from Mom at a Magic Mike Show in Vegas
Listeners want to talk about moments from their past when they felt like they didn’t belong and who helped them through those moments. So Kai invites them to talk with Connie Wang, author of “Oh My...
View ArticleAffirmative Action is About More Than Acceptance Letters
Everyone’s talking about affirmative action at elite universities. But they educate fewer than 5 percent of students seeking advanced degrees. So why should the other 95 percent care? Kai wants to know...
View ArticleWhat Does “Color-Blind” Really Mean?
Affirmative action is gone. Ibram X. Kendi tells us the history leading up to this moment and what could be next. Historian and best-selling author Ibram X. Kendi helps Kai understand the Supreme...
View ArticleGood Things: Battling Water Chestnuts
Invasive water chestnuts, already a problem in much of the Northeast, are attempting to take over some of New York City’s waterways, but in Van Cortlandt Park, a small team of volunteers is making a...
View ArticleWhy It’s So Hard to Sound “American”
A culture war from our past: Before he could define America’s sound for the next century, Aaron Copland had to overcome conflict over what “America” meant. There’s one line of questioning our listeners...
View ArticleThe Coolest Music Parties You Didn’t Know Were Happening
Arab Americans around the country are celebrating their diaspora. And it starts with two guys in a band blasting music at underground parties in Washington, D.C. Philippe Manasseh and Nadim Maghzal...
View ArticleWhy the Indian Child Welfare Act is the Gold Standard in Family Law
Allison Herrera, the Indigenous affairs reporter at KOSU, returns to the show to introduce us to Hodalee and Jamie Sewell, who are in the process of adopting their great niece– a baby girl. She’s a...
View Article95 Unmarked Graves
In 2018, a few months into building a new school in Sugar Land, Texas, construction crews uncovered 95 unmarked graves. This wasn’t a serial killer’s dumping, but it was evidence of a particularly dark...
View ArticleComedian Sam Jay Isn’t Afraid of Getting Canceled
At least not anymore. That confidence comes from her purpose, her identities, and how comedy has evolved from the sitcoms she used to watch as a kid. Our former intern Vanessa Handy was watching reruns...
View ArticleBilly Porter Doesn’t Need a Month to Celebrate Pride
He celebrates Pride all year long through art – and that’s been the journey of a lifetime. He’s got an Emmy, a Grammy, a Tony. But early in his career, Billy Porter was relegated to roles of comic...
View ArticleNo, We Can’t Stop Saying Their Names
Ask a group of highschoolers, “who was Trayvon Martin?” and you’ll see some tragically blank stares. But replace that with “George Floyd”, and you’ll see heads nod. Kai’s struggling with how we...
View ArticleGood Things: Helping The American Chestnut
It’s been over a century since a blight wiped out the thousands of American chestnut trees that filled New York City’s parks. But in Brooklyn, one volunteer is helping the trees make a shaky comeback.
View ArticleClarence Thomas and his Hotep Supreme Court
The Supreme Court’s most senior member writes opinions that have an outsized impact on U.S. law. Our listeners call in to understand what really shapes Justice Thomas, and what we should expect from...
View ArticleHomelessness Hides in Plain Sight. So Does Its Fix.
One in every 14 Americans experiences homelessness at some point. Our listeners who know about it firsthand talk to us. Plus, - Michael Kimmleman, architecture critic for The New York Times. His...
View ArticleJoy Harjo and Native Stories
Before she was the 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo’s journey as an artist began at a federal Indian boarding school. She reveals an unexpected perspective about her experience.Joy Harjo is an...
View ArticleIndian Boarding Schools Are Not Ancient History
From 1819 and 1969, the U.S. removed thousands of Native children from their homes and tried to strip them of their culture. What would a reparations program for this history look like? The U.S....
View ArticleMoney Shame, and How To Overcome It Through Financial Literacy
The world of finance can be confusing for people who weren’t born into it – more often, that’s people of color. Berna Anat is a “Financial Hype Woman” on a mission to fix that. The freelance...
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