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Code Switch What's CODE SWITCH? It's the fearless conversations about race that you've been waiting for! Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race head-on. We explore how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and everything in between. This podcast makes ALL OF US part of the conversation — because we're all part of the story.
Code Switch

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Code Switch

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What's CODE SWITCH? It's the fearless conversations about race that you've been waiting for! Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race head-on. We explore how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and everything in between. This podcast makes ALL OF US part of the conversation — because we're all part of the story.

Most Recent Episodes

Is Trump Really That Racist?
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Is Trump Really That Racist?

We know his rhetoric has been described as boundary breaking when it comes to race. But U.S. presidents have been enacting racist policies forever. So as President Trump wraps up his first (and maybe only) term in office, we're asking: In terms of racism, how does he stack up to others when it comes to both words and deeds?

Is Trump Really That Racist?

Listen · 35:35
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Let's Talk About Kamala Harris
Photo illustration: LA Johnson/NPR; Photo: Saul Loeb/Getty Images

Let's Talk About Kamala Harris

The VP candidate's biography and heritage allow people to project all kinds of ideas onto her, and to see what they want to see. But Kamala Harris's identity is a very important lens into not just her own politics, but also Black politics around crime and punishment more broadly.

Let's Talk About Kamala Harris

Listen · 41:30
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Hip-Hop, Mass Incarceration, And A Conspiracy Theory For The Ages

Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden of NPR's new podcast "Louder Than A Riot" Christian Cody and Joshua Kissi/NPR hide caption

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Christian Cody and Joshua Kissi/NPR

Hip-Hop, Mass Incarceration, And A Conspiracy Theory For The Ages

Why are hip-hop and mass incarceration so entangled in the U.S.? That's the question that our play cousins at NPR Music, Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael, set out to answer on their brand new podcast, Louder Than a Riot.

Hip-Hop, Mass Incarceration, And A Conspiracy Theory For The Ages

Listen · 59:00
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A Treaty Right For Cherokee Representation

The artist's depiction of how the Trail of Tears is related to the Treaty of New Echota. Weshoyot Alvitre for NPR hide caption

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Weshoyot Alvitre for NPR

A Treaty Right For Cherokee Representation

On this week's episode of Code Switch, we talk about the relevance of a 200 year old treaty — one that most Americans don't know that much about, but should. It's a treaty that led to the Trail of Tears, but also secured a tenuous promise.

A Treaty Right For Cherokee Representation

Listen · 27:25
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A New Look For The Fashion Industry?

Code Switch interviews senior critic-at-large Robin Givhan about the uptick in magazine covers featuring black women this September. NPR hide caption

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A New Look For The Fashion Industry?

Fall is the time for glossy fashion magazines, full of dazzling looks and the seasons hottest looks. But this year, we noticed something unusual: The covers of a bunch of major magazines fashion magazines featured Black folks. So we called up fashion critic Robin Givhan to talk about fashion's racial reckoning...and how long before it goes out of style.

A New Look For The Fashion Industry?

Listen · 19:12
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Is It Time To Say R.I.P. To 'POC'?
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Is It Time To Say R.I.P. To 'POC'?

Suffice it to say, we use the term "POC" a lot on Code Switch. But critiques of the initialism — and the popularization of the term "BIPOC" — caused us to ask: Should we retire POC? Or is there use in it yet?

Is It Time To Say R.I.P. To 'POC'?

Listen · 38:18
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Battle Of The Books

A collage of the books featured in the episode: Catherine House; Take a Hint, Dani Brown; Real Men Knit; and Mexican Gothic. LA Johnson/NPR hide caption

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Battle Of The Books

The Code Switch team has been mired in a months-long debate that we're attempting to settle once and for all: What kind of books are best to read during this pandemic? Books that connect you to our current reality? Or ones that help you escape it?

Battle Of The Books

Listen · 37:32
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The Protests Heard 'Round The World

Protesters throw a statue of slave trader Edward Colston into Bristol harbour, during a Black Lives Matter protest rally, on Sunday, June 7. Ben Birchall/AP hide caption

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Ben Birchall/AP

The Protests Heard 'Round The World

How did a police killing in Minneapolis lead people thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean to pull down the statue of a slave trader who's been dead for nearly three centuries? On this episode, we're going to the city of Bristol to tell the surprising story.

The Protests Heard 'Round The World

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The Kids Are All Right

Students behind the Flossy Podcast: Joshua Bovell, Jaheim Birch-Gentles, Brianna Johnson, Jamar Thompson, Ieszan McKinney, and Kamari Murdock in Canarsie, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Not pictured - Isaiah Dupuy.) Kholood Eid for NPR hide caption

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Kholood Eid for NPR

The Kids Are All Right

Adults often find it really hard to talk about race. But kids? Maybe not so much. NPR received more than 2,000 entries in this year's Student Podcast Challenge, and we heard from young people all over the country about how they're thinking about race and identity in these trying times.

The Kids Are All Right

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Balls And Strikes

The Black Lives Matter logo is seen on an empty court as all NBA playoff games were postponed. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Balls And Strikes

Matilda Crawford. Sallie Bell. Carrie Jones. Dora Jones. Orphelia Turner. Sarah A. Collier. In 1881, these six Black women brought the city of Atlanta to a complete standstill by going on strike. The strategies they used in their fight for better working conditions have implications for future generations of organizers — and resonances with the professional sports strikes happening today.

Balls And Strikes

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