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Code Switch Ever find yourself in a conversation about race and identity where you just get...stuck? Code Switch can help. We're all journalists of color, and this isn't just the work we do. It's the lives we lead. Sometimes, we'll make you laugh. Other times, you'll get uncomfortable. But we'll always be unflinchingly honest and empathetic. Come mix it up with us.
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Code Switch

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Ever find yourself in a conversation about race and identity where you just get...stuck? Code Switch can help. We're all journalists of color, and this isn't just the work we do. It's the lives we lead. Sometimes, we'll make you laugh. Other times, you'll get uncomfortable. But we'll always be unflinchingly honest and empathetic. Come mix it up with us.More from Code Switch »

Most Recent Episodes

Getting A Foot In the Door

Leonissa Duarte, 18, left, and Freddy Tijerino, 18, star in director Anali Cabrera's film Luna at Moonlight, set at the Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale, CA. Courtesy of Anali Cabrera hide caption

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Courtesy of Anali Cabrera

Getting A Foot In the Door

Anali, a young woman from Los Angeles, wants to break into the film industry. A local program taught her the skills of the trade and the language, but will any of that that matter in an industry that runs mostly on connections?

Getting A Foot In the Door

Listen · 23:51
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From Blackface To Blackfishing

A sheet music poster from 1937 of Amos 'n' Andy, a popular radio show. Ric Francis/Associated Press hide caption

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Ric Francis/Associated Press

From Blackface To Blackfishing

Okay, news cycle: you win. We're talking about blackface. This week, we delve into the hidden history of "blackening up" in popular culture — from a certain iconic cartoon mouse's minstrel past to Instagram models trying to pass as black.

From Blackface To Blackfishing

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We're Going To Start A Dialogue...Again.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam speaks during a news conference in the governor's mansion in Richmond, Va. Steve Helber/AP hide caption

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Steve Helber/AP

We're Going To Start A Dialogue...Again.

Another week of racial controversies, another week of calls to "start a dialogue on race." What does that even mean? We talk to two veterans of one high-profile attempt at a national conversation on race, who have different views of its effectiveness.

We're Going To Start A Dialogue...Again.

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Pretty Hurts

It's not easy being beautiful. No matter what they say. LA Johnson hide caption

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LA Johnson

Pretty Hurts

Some may think of beauty as frivolous and fun, but on this episode, we're examining a few of the ugly ways that its been used to project power.

Pretty Hurts

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Intrigue At The Census Bureau

Steven Dillingham is the newly appointed director of the Census. He has his work cut out for him. Bill Clark/Getty Images hide caption

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Bill Clark/Getty Images

Intrigue At The Census Bureau

Another day, another drama: Last week, a federal judge ruled against the Trump administration's decision to add a controversial citizenship question to the 2020 census. But if the Justice Department has any say, the fight will go on...all the way to the Supreme Court.

Intrigue At The Census Bureau

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Perfect Son

Jason Kim and his father. Jason Kim hide caption

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Jason Kim

Perfect Son

Jason Kim and his father were once very close, but drifted apart after the family came to the United States from Korea. They drifted even further after Jason came out to his parents as gay. But after a health crisis, Jason and his father try to reckon with the silence between them. This week, a story about a family's hopes, dreams, and obligations, brought to us by the dope folks at WNYC's Nancy podcast.

Perfect Son

Listen · 38:09
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The Return
Alex Charner

The Return

Meet one of the people caught up in the Trump Administration's hard-line stance on immigration: Javier Zamora. He was living in the US legally under Temporary Protected Status but when the White House threatened to take it away, Javier went back to El Salvador to apply for a new visa. He didn't know if he'd ever return to the US, his home of nearly twenty years.

The Return

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America's Other Anthems
Angela Hsieh/NPR

America's Other Anthems

This week, we're uncovering the stories behind three American Anthems. First, we hear from two musical greats about their respective versions of "Fight the Power." Next, we learned about the transformation of the children's choir staple, "This Little Light of Mine." Finally, we took a trip down "Whittier Blvd."

America's Other Anthems

Listen · 30:32
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Race Underneath The Skin
Christina Chung for NPR

Race Underneath The Skin

Spit into a tube and get in touch with your ancestors! Or not. This week we're revisiting a conversation about DNA, and what it tells us about who we are.

Race Underneath The Skin

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Code Switch Goes To College

Professor Martina McGhee jokes with some of her students in her office on the campus of University of Texas San Antonio. Leah Donnella hide caption

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Leah Donnella

Code Switch Goes To College

A professor at the University of Texas San Antonio designed a college course based around episodes of the Code Switch podcast! In it, her students learned how to have tough conversations about race and identity, using Shereen and Gene as an example. But after an incident on campus involving the police made national news, their theoretical classroom discussions stopped being polite and started getting real.

Code Switch Goes To College

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