Our Body Politic

Host Farai Chideya talks with award-winning writer Edwidge Danticat about why it’s important to tell specific stories that complicate the immigrant narrative in the U.S. Writer Zeba Blay shares insights from her new book about Black women in pop culture, “Carefree Black Girls.” TV and filmmaker Felicia Pride discusses her focus on Honeys in her work in entertainment. And on Sippin’ the Political Tea, foreign policy expert Hagar Chemali and Leah Wright Rigueur of Johns Hopkins University, a leading expert on Black Republicans, join Farai to discuss the significance of the death of one of the last moderate Black conservatives, Colin Powell.

EPISODE RUNDOWN

1:40 Author Edwidge Danticat on complicating immigrant narratives

12:37 Culture critic Zeba Blay on her new book “Carefree Black Girls”

22:30 TV and filmmaker Felicia Pride on celebrating Black women over 40

31:28 Sippin’ the Political Tea: foreign policy expert Hagar Chemali and Leah Wright Rigueur, a leading expert on Black conservatives, examine the complicated legacy of Colin Powell

Host Farai Chideya talks with Anita Hill thirty years after she first testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her. She discusses what we can do to address sexual assault in her new book, “Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence.” Nicol Turner-Lee of the Brookings Institution explains why private tech companies should not go unregulated. Polly Irungu shares why she founded Black Women Photographers to provide new pathways into  her industry. And on Sippin’ the Political Tea, Errin Haines of The 19th and legal analyst Tiffany Jeffers of Georgetown Law join Farai to discuss the week’s news.

EPISODE RUNDOWN

0:35 Professor Anita Hill on ending gender violence in the U.S.

12:36  Nicol Turner-Lee on the real impact of an unregulated digital economy

25:20 Polly Irungu on investing in Black women and non-binary photographers

31:09 Sippin’ the Political Tea: legal analyst Tiffany Jeffers and political contributor Errin Haines discuss the future of the GOP, abortion laws, and mask mandates in schools

Host Farai Chideya talks with author Minda Harts about the moment she made a difficult decision to leave a racist work environment and prioritize her mental health. Journalist Adam Serwer shares why he felt it was important to write about the Trump Presidency, even if he lost the 2020 election. Farai and business of entertainment contributor Casey Mendoza nerd out about the women of color making waves in science fiction and fantasy fandoms. And in a special episode of Sippin’ the Political Tea, retired Major General Linda Singh and Navy veteran Tashandra Poullard open up to Farai about the challenges of coming home from war, and how they’d like to see the U.S. military evolve beyond the “forever wars.”

EPISODE RUNDOWN

0:22 Author and executive Minda Harts on healing from racial trauma in the workplace

13:03 Journalist Adam Serwer on tracing the genealogy of racism and eugenics

21:14 Casey Mendoza on the women of color making their mark in sci-fi and fantasy

31:55 Sippin’ the Political Tea: a special roundtable on the future of the U.S. military with two female women of color veterans

Host Farai Chideya celebrates the show’s first anniversary  with a conversation on Black homeownership and the importance of housing policy with 2021 MacArthur fellow and historian Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. The data scientists at the GenForward survey dissect the anxiety and optimism of millennials of color around their financial futures. Farai talks with the three filmmakers behind “My Name is Pauli Murray,” a new Amazon documentary about the trail-blazing activist and lawyer. And on Sippin’ the Political Tea, contributors Karen Attiah of the Washington Post and Jamila Michener of Cornell University examine the U.S.’s responsibility towards Haitian migrants, and how the infrastructure debate on the Hill impacts women of color.

To help celebrate our anniversary, you can fill out our listener feedback form here.

EPISODE RUNDOWN

1:21 MacArthur fellow Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor on the history of Black homeownership

12:50 The latest GenForward survey on the financial lives of millennials of color

23:16 A new documentary explores the influential life of Pauli Murray

31:44 Sippin’ the Political Tea: contributors Karen Attiah of the Washington Post and Jamila Michener of Cornell University discuss the week’s news

Host Farai Chideya shares her experience at the “Justice for J6” rally and talks about how extremists view the media with reporter Chris Jones of the outlet 100 Days in Appalachia. Wes Moore, who’s running for governor in Maryland, says his ancestors facing white supremacists inspires his political career. Rue Mapp of Outdoor Afro helps others realize that “nature never closes.” And in a special roundtable, Anthea Butler and Robert P. Jones, two experts on religion and politics, explore how white evangelical Christianity is linked to extremism in the U.S.

EPISODE RUNDOWN

0:45 Farai discusses her experience at the “Justice for J6” rally with fellow extremism reporter Chris Jones

12:42 Wes Moore on his campaign priorities as he runs for Governor of Maryland

23:31 Rue Mapp of Outdoor Afro on ways to take advantage of nature

31:28 Sippin’ the Political Tea: Anthea Butler and Robert P. Jones on the intersection of religion and politics in the U.S.

Farai Chideya talks with Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington about her decision to have an abortion years ago, and her experience of the January 6th insurrection. Our Body Politic’s new economics analyst Jamila Michener of Cornell University discusses important policy changes that could benefit workers. Public health contributor Dr. Kavita Trivedi gives practical advice for families with unvaccinated children as kids go back to school. On Sippin’ the Political Tea, Errin Haines and Jess Morales Rocketto join Farai to talk about the week’s news, and of course, AOC’s “Tax the Rich” dress.

EPISODE RUNDOWN

0:52 Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal gets personal about abortion rights

12:56 Economics analyst Jamila Michener dissects job numbers for people of color

21:30 Public health contributor Dr. Kavita Trivedi on Covid for kids under 12

31:25 Sippin’ the Political Tea: Errin Haines of the 19th and Jess Morales Rocketto of the National Domestic Workers Alliance on the week’s news

Farai Chideya talks with Latina veteran Pam Campos-Palma about the role of the U.S. military in a changing geopolitical climate. Our legal analyst Tiffany Jeffers breaks down the new abortion and voting laws in Texas, and what she sees as a Republican tactic to chip away at constitutional rights. The Washington Post’s Tracy Jan details her team’s investigation into where $50 billion corporations  pledged last year to address racial inequality went. On Sippin’ the Political Tea, Hagar Chemali of “Oh My World” and Sonya Ross of Black Women Unmuted ponder the aftermath of  the attacks of September 11, 2001.

EPISODE RUNDOWN

0:00 Latina veteran Pam Campos-Palma on the end of the U.S. war in Afghanistan

0:00 Legal analyst Tiffany Jeffers on the abortion ban and voting restrictions in Texas

0:00 Washington Post reporter Tracy Jan on corporate accountability for money pledged to address racial inequality

0:00 Sippin’ the Political Tea: Hagar Chemali of “Oh My World” and Sonya Ross of Black Women Unmuted on the 20th anniversary of 9/11

Farai Chideya talks with Dr. Leana Wen about how public health can save lives, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, and about her book “Lifelines.” Lydia X.Z. Brown explains how important it is to have a safe learning environment, especially with the return to in-person teaching. The new chief curator at the National Gallery of Art, E. Carmen Ramos, talks about elevating Latino and Latin American art in mainstream museums. On Sippin’ the Political Tea, Errin Haines of The 19th and political scientist Christina Greer of Fordham University join Farai to discuss the real-life ramifications of the abortion ban in Texas, and the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

EPISODE RUNDOWN

0:49 Public health expert Dr. Leana Wen answers listener questions about Covid-19

12:30 Disability justice advocate and lawyer Lydia X.Z. Brown on the anxiety around returning to in-person teaching

25:15 The National Art Gallery’s new chief curator E. Carmen Ramos on spreading her love of Latino art

31:16 Sippin’ the Political Tea: Errin Haines of The 19th and political scientist Christina Greer discuss the week’s news, including the abortion ban in Texas

Farai Chideya talks with Nadia Hashimi, an Afghan-American pediatrician and novelist who advocates for Afghan women, about what she’s hearing from people on the ground there now. Tech contributor Mutale Nkonde explains how average social media users are being pulled into a network of disinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine. New York Times reporter Somini Sengupta makes the case that there’s still a lot we can do to mitigate climate disaster. On Sippin’ the Political Tea, Errin Haines of The 19th and Brittany Packnett Cunningham of the podcast Undistracted join Farai to discuss voting rights, New York’s new Governor, and why we need to reframe #MeToo as a social justice issue.

EPISODE RUNDOWN

0:20 Afghan-American author Nadia Hashimi on the urgency to evacuate Afghan women

12:32 Tech contributor Mutale Nkonde on how disinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine is spreading

22:07 New York Times reporter Somini Sengupta on the latest climate science

31:21 Sippin’ the Political Tea: Errin Haines of The 19th and Brittany Packnett Cunningham of the podcast Undistracted join Farai to talk about the week’s news

Farai Chideya talks with journalist Dana Coester about her extensive reporting on how extremists recruit rural youth online. Carol Alvarado of the Texas Senate shares what it took to stage a 15-hour filibuster of a state law that would make it harder for people to vote. New York Times editor Veronica Chambers highlights the joy and lessons from the Black Lives Matter movement in her new children’s book “Call and Response: the Story of Black Lives Matter.” On Sippin’ the Political Tea, Eliza Anyangwe, editor at CNN’s “As Equals” series, and foreign policy expert Hagar Chemali who hosts “Oh My World” on YouTube, analyze the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and the Western narratives around it.

EPISODE RUNDOWN

0:51 Award-winning journalist Dana Coester on how extremists recruit rural youth online

12:53 Texas state Senator Carol Alvarado on her 15-hour filibuster to defend voting rights

20:55 Veronica Chambers of the New York Times on her new children’s book ““Call and Response: the Story of Black Lives Matter.”

31:42 Sippin’ the Political Tea: Eliza Anyangwe of CNN and Hagar Chemali of YouTube channel “Oh My World” on the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan