Race

The Way Teachers Cover Race And Privilege Could Have Big Consequences In Tennessee

5:00pm August 09, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Beth Brown, the president of the Tennessee Education Association, about the new state guidelines which limit how teachers can address race, sex and privilege in class.

Wrestler Is 1st Black U.S. Woman To Win Gold After Years-Long Journey And 'Freak Out'

4:57pm August 04, 2021

Texan Tamyra Mensah-Stock became just the second woman to win gold in wrestling for the United States at the Tokyo Olympics. She's the first Black American woman to ever win gold in the sport.

Arts

'Pass Over' Covers Modern Issues In A Blend Of The Bible And 'Waiting For Godot'

4:57pm August 04, 2021

by Jeff Lunden

The first play to open on Broadway in over a year, Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu's Pass Over tells the story of two young Black men dreaming of a better tomorrow in a world of police violence.

Books

'Until Justice Be Done,' Examines Northern Free States So-Called Black Laws

7:28am August 03, 2021

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to historian Kate Masur about how northern states tried to avoid Black migration in the years before the Civil War.

Politics & Government

Black Leaders Question Whether Biden Will Fulfill Campaign Promises To Black Voters

8:12am August 01, 2021

by Juana Summers

Some Black leaders are questioning whether President Biden truly has their community's back on issues like police reform and voting rights.

Lara Downes talks with Elaine Welteroth and Jonathan Singletary.

Music & Culture

Pandemic Lessons: Elaine Welteroth And Jonathan Singletary Talk With Lara Downes

5:00am July 31, 2021

by Lara Downes

The creative couple, who married in 2020, thrive on gratitude, community and the new approaches they've taken in the wake of the pandemic.

Helen Hoang, author of The Kiss Quotient.

Author Helen Hoang Talks Sex, Autism And Freedom

5:30pm July 30, 2021

by Alyssa Jeong Perry

This summer, Code Switch is laser-focused on books that teach us about freedom. Today, we're in conversation with a romance novelist whose own identity helped inform a rich cast of characters.

Listen Back To A 1993 Interview With The Late Civil Rights Pioneer Bob Moses

2:02pm July 30, 2021

by Terry Gross

In the 1960s, Moses led efforts to organize and register Black residents to vote in Mississippi and brought national attention to the state's entrenched white supremacy. Moses died Sunday at age 86.

Queue Listen Now

Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., has been one of the lead Democrats trying to forge an agreement over a policing bill.

Rep. Bass Downplays Role Of Qualified Immunity In Stalled Police Reform Bill

9:52pm July 29, 2021

by Alana Wise

Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., a lead negotiator trying to forge an agreement over a policing bill, talked about the status of the legislation.

Johnson & Johnson is facing tens of thousands of lawsuits over claims that its talcum-based products caused users to develop cancer. The company says its powder products are safe.

Health & Safety

Johnson & Johnson Targeted Black Women With Products Linked To Cancer, Lawsuit Says

5:53pm July 29, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

The complaint claims the New Jersey-based company made Black women a "central part" of its business strategy but failed to warn them about the potential dangers of the powder products it was selling.