Out In The Open

We tend to be more confident in our memories than we should be. And yet, memory is still held to be such an important decider in the criminal justice system, social conversations and everyday life. This week, Piya explores just how much you can really trust your memory.

We have systems in place to bring justice to those who've been wronged. But we also know these systems aren't perfect, and even when a decision is meted out, it may not feel like justice to some. This week, Piya asks: Where do you turn when you believe the justice system has failed?

We tend to glorify occasions when families are reunited. But those moments are just the start of what can often be long, difficult paths. This week, Piya explores the reality of what happens after the movie moment of family reconnection.

Soon after Paris's Notre-Dame Cathedral burned, a global fundraiser was launched to rebuild it. The effort sparked debate among those who believed in preserving the historic structure, and those who contend we should move on and use the money for other needs. This week, Piya dives into that tension, asking: What's worth holding onto... even when it's almost gone?

From the scores of people who've declared #MeToo, to whistleblowers calling out politicians from the inside, we're in a climate where speaking out and speaking truth to power is often celebrated. But sometimes, we have reason to keep quiet. This week, Piya explores what leads people to silence themselves... and what impact that can have on us all.

Between natural disasters, targeted attacks, and everyday run-of-the mill accidents, we hear about crises happening to other people on the news all the time. This week, Piya speaks with people who were there when crisis struck, to find out how they responded... and what their reaction says about them.

Sessi Kuwabara Blanchard identifies as a transgender woman. But when she walks down the street, she says people often see her as a woman who was assigned female at birth (also known as cisgender). Blanchard tells Piya how passing can be liberating for her, but can also carry dangerous risks... and why the mere term is so controversial among transgender people.

No matter how confident you are in your own skin or how experienced you are at what you do, both in work and in life, many of us have times when we feel like we're faking it. This week, Piya asks: How do you deal with feeling like an impostor?

DNA tests have exploded over the past few years. And while they have a scientific basis, their accuracy is debatable. But what the results have led some people to discover has been truly life-changing. This week, Piya asks: How much does family DNA really matter?

By choice and by circumstance, Ibram X. Kendi has devoted his life to this thing we call race. As a black man, he says he's both experienced and perpetrated racism throughout his life. As an author and historian, he's come up with a case to overcome it. This week, Piya speaks with Kendi about "How to Be an Antiracist", his rallying cry for all of us to reframe how we think about racism in order to remedy it. If we don't, Kendi says racism may well threaten our very existence.