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An Immune System
Therrious Davis for NPR

Code Switch

An Immune System

While it's technically possible to win a civil lawsuit against police officers for wrongdoing, there's a reason it almost never happens: a legal technicality called qualified immunity. On this episode, we look at how a law meant to protect black people from racist violence gave way to a legal doctrine that many people see as the biggest obstacle to police reform.

An Immune System

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We Aren't Who We Think We Are
LA Johnson

Code Switch

We Aren't Who We Think We Are

Every family has a myth about who they are and where they came from. And there are a lot of reasons people tell these stories. Sometimes it's to make your family seem like they were part of an important historical event. Other times, it's to hide something that is too painful to talk about. That last point can be especially true for African American families.

We Aren't Who We Think We Are

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A Bittersweet Moment For Black Bookstore Owners

Katie Mitchell, co-owner of Good Books in Atlanta, runs an online and pop-up bookshop with her mom, Katherine. "Things are trendy for a while ... and then they're not," she says. Lynsey Weatherspoon for NPR hide caption

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Lynsey Weatherspoon for NPR

Code Switch

A Bittersweet Moment For Black Bookstore Owners

As Black booksellers race to meet increased demand for books about race and justice, many are dealing with complicated, sometimes painful feelings about what the new business means.

The Undocumented Americans

Author Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. Talya Zemach-Bersin hide caption

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Talya Zemach-Bersin

Code Switch

The Undocumented Americans

In her new book, The Undocumented Americans, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio writes about delivery men, housekeepers, and day laborers — the undocumented immigrants who are often ignored while the media focuses its attention on Dreamers. "I wanted to learn about them as the weirdos we all are outside of our jobs," she writes.

The Undocumented Americans

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DACA Decision: Check-In With Miriam Gonzalez

Miriam Gonzalez, shortly after the Supreme Court ruled that DACA could remain in place. Shereen Marisol Meraji/NPR hide caption

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Shereen Marisol Meraji/NPR

Code Switch

DACA Decision: Check-In With Miriam Gonzalez

When the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that DACA could remain in place, recipient Miriam Gonzalez was relieved. As a plaintiff in the case, she's been fighting to keep the program alive since 2017 and we've been following her story. In this bonus episode — an update on Miriam, and why this decision is such a big deal.

DACA Decision: Check-In With Miriam Gonzalez

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How DACA Has Transformed The Lives Of Dreamers — And Their Communities

DACA recipients, including Carolina Fung Geng, (3rd from left), plaintiff Martin Batalla Vidal (center) and Eliana Fernández (3rd from right) hold their fists in the air as they enter the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty hide caption

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Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty

Code Switch

How DACA Has Transformed The Lives Of Dreamers — And Their Communities

The 2012 executive order didn't just offer protection and open up opportunities for young undocumented people; it changed the landscape for entire family networks.

Why Now, White People?
LA Johnson/NPR

Code Switch

Why Now, White People?

The video is horrific, and the brutality is stark. But that was the case in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014 and Minnesota in 2016. This time, though, white people are out in the streets in big numbers, and books such as "So You Want to Talk About Race" and "How to Be an Antiracist" top the bestseller lists. So we asked some white people: What's different this time?

Why Now, White People?

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Jesus Was Divisive: A Black Pastor's Message To White Christians

The Rev. Lenny Duncan, here in May 2019, at the Metropolitan New York Synod Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Courtesy of Lenny Duncan hide caption

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Courtesy of Lenny Duncan

Code Switch

Jesus Was Divisive: A Black Pastor's Message To White Christians

by Isabella Rosario

Nationwide protests are forcing many Americans to think about race in new ways. A black pastor in one of Christianity's whitest denominations is asking his congregants to take an especially hard look.

Jesus Was Divisive: A Black Pastor's Message To White Christians

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Unmasking The 'Outside Agitator'
LA Johnson/NPR

Code Switch

Unmasking The 'Outside Agitator'

Whenever a protest boils up, it's a safe bet that public officials will quickly blame any violence or disruption on "outside agitators." But what, exactly, does it mean to be an agitator? And can these mysterious outsiders be a force for good?

Unmasking The 'Outside Agitator'

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1968-2020: A Tale Of Two Uprisings

LEFT: Leaders of a march of about 255 people stare at police officers who stopped the group from marching on city hall in Pritchard, Ala, on June 12, 1968. RIGHT: A protester shows a picture of George Floyd from her phone to a wall of security guards near the White House on June 3, 2020, in Washington, DC. Bettman / Jim Watson/Getty hide caption

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Bettman / Jim Watson/Getty

Opinion

Code Switch

1968-2020: A Tale Of Two Uprisings

I remember how tumultuous 1968 felt. Cops in riot gear and flaming storefronts are nothing new—but this time around, things feel even more dire.

A Decade Of Watching Black People Die

The rate at which black Americans are killed by police is more than twice as high as the rate for white Americans. This is a non-comprehensive list of deaths at the hands of police in the U.S. since Eric Garner's death in July 2014. LA Johnson/NPR hide caption

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LA Johnson/NPR

Code Switch

A Decade Of Watching Black People Die

The last few weeks have been filled with devastating news — stories about the police killing black people. At this point, these calamities feel familiar — so familiar, in fact, that their details have begun to echo each other.

A Decade Of Watching Black People Die

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Songs Giving Us (Much Needed) Life
Aurélia Durand

Code Switch

Songs Giving Us (Much Needed) Life

Talking about race can get real heavy, real fast. Listening to music is one way people have been lightening the mood and sorting through their feelings. So this week, we're sharing some of the songs that are giving all of us life during this especially taxing moment.

Songs Giving Us (Much Needed) Life

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COVID Diaries: Jessica And Sean Apply For A Loan
Dani Pendergast for NPR

Code Switch

COVID Diaries: Jessica And Sean Apply For A Loan

On March 1, two Los Angeles-based capoeira instructors realized a dream almost 15 years in the making — they opened up their very own gym. Two weeks later, California's stay-at-home order went into effect, and the gym shut its doors. This week, we follow the two of them as they navigate how to keep their dream alive in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID Diaries: Jessica And Sean Apply For A Loan

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Ask Code Switch: The Coronavirus Edition
Dion MBD for NPR

Ask Code Switch

Ask Code Switch: The Coronavirus Edition

by , Dianne Lugo

We take on some of your questions about race, the coronavirus and social distancing. The questions are tricky, and as usual on Code Switch, the reality is even trickier.

Ask Code Switch: The Coronavirus Edition

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What Does 'Hood Feminism' Mean For A Pandemic?
Patrick Thicklin/Penguin Random House

Code Switch

What Does 'Hood Feminism' Mean For A Pandemic?

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated issues that disproportionately affect women. So on this episode, we're talking to Mikki Kendall — author of the new book, Hood Feminism — about what on-the-ground feminism practiced by women of color can teach us that the mainstream feminist movement has forgotten.

What Does 'Hood Feminism' Mean For A Pandemic?

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