The Take

Surfing has long been viewed as a white-dominated sport, but one woman is working to change the face of surf culture. From the shores of Dakar, Senegal, Rhonda Harper is training Black girls to become professional surfers through her organization Black Girls Surf. We’re diving into the swell to hear about the limitations, and triumphs of redefining the sport.

In this episode:

Rhonda Harper, founder of Black Girls Surf.

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When Abiy Ahmed became Ethiopia’s Prime Minister in 2018, the country was full of promise and excitement for a better future. But this year, hope has turned to horror as headlines of ethnic violence and war have superseded those of peace-making. The conflict in northern Ethiopia has already lasted two weeks, and it threatens to destabilize the entire Horn of Africa.

In this episode:

Zecharias Zelalem (@ZekuZelalem), freelance journalist.

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Poland has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. So when a Polish court tried to restrict abortion even further, it led to mass protests — the largest the country has seen since the fall of communism. Members of Poland’s emboldened feminist movement walk us through the protests and tell us what to expect next.

In this episode:

Scholar and writer Agnieszka Graff; Gosia Wochowska and Wiktoria Sakowicz of Gals4Gals Lodz; student and activist Kajetan Chlipalski.

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There are millions of olive trees in the Occupied West Bank, and they're a main source of the territory's agricultural income. But the olive harvest is often a source of conflict between Palestinians and Israeli settlers, and this season, that conflict was worse than usual.

In this episode:

Ibrahim Husseini (@husseiniibrahim), freelance journalist in Jerusalem; Sayel Kanan, Palestinian from Burqa.

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After the reprinting of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad and a series of isolated and brutal attacks, French President Emmanuel Macron has become embroiled in controversy. He proposed a new bill to defend France's secular values against what he called “Islamist radicalism" and said the religion was "in crisis" all over the world. The backlash he received after his declaration included anti-French demonstrations in Muslim countries and the boycott of French goods. But French Muslims are concerned Macron's words are aimed at sympathizing with the country's far right ahead of the 2022 presidential elections.

In this episode:

Rim-Sarah Alouane (@RimSarah), French researcher, legal scholar and PhD candidate at the University of Toulouse.

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Activists in Thailand have been pushing for a change of government for months now, but a coup is not what they originally had in mind. It is, however, what many people in the capital Bangkok are preparing for. Rumors are circulating at a time when protesters are bolder and more organized than they've seen in years. Could democratic stability be on the horizon for a country that’s had 12 coups and 20 constitutions in the past century?

In this episode:

Scott Heidler (@ScottHeidler), Al Jazeera journalist covering Asia Pacific.

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It’s three days after the US election, and there will be plenty of time to talk about how the election was lost or won. But today, we’re zooming in to look at how these few days of uncertainty panned out for some of the many people who’ve spoken to The Take during a long and turbulent year of election coverage.

In this episode:

Marco Gutierrez (@MarcoGutierrez) of California, co-founder, Latinos for Trump; A. Raphael Johnson (@Ulitave), writer and consultant in Minneapolis; Aleesha Shaik (@aleeshaik627), doctor at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City; Nima (@nima_ab), PhD candidate in Tehran.

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With key swing states still counting votes, the US Presidential election is too close to call as of Wednesday evening. But there's a lot to unpack already, and guest host and longtime Washington, D.C. journalist Ray Suarez joins The Take to talk through some big takeaways with reporters and editors from Al Jazeera — and what the path to victory could look like for either candidate.

In this episode:

Ray Suarez (@RaySuarezNews), journalist and author; Patricia Sabga (@patriciasabga), managing business editor, Al Jazeera; Steve Chagaris (@stevechaggaris), political editor, Al Jazeera; Zahra Rasool (@RXahra), editorial lead, AJ Contrast; Jennifer Glasse (@JenniferGlasse) Americas editor, Al Jazeera.

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It's the day after Election Day in the United States, but the US isn't the only country counting votes. We're taking you on a three-continent tour to fill you in on a few other contests — and the mixed results.

In this episode:

Dotto Mnyadi (@dottoa), Tanzanian journalist; Azat Asambaev, Kyrgyz journalist; Lucia Newman (@lucianewman), Al Jazeera Senior Correspondent and Latin America Editor.

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For the first time in US history, Latinx, Latina, Latino and Hispanic voters are projected to exceed the number of Black eligible voters in a presidential election, making this the largest ethnic minority voting group. Since his time as a candidate for the presidency in 2016, Donald Trump's language towards the Latino immigrant community has been charged.

Though, not all voters are focusing on immigration reform at the ballot box. We're hearing from members of the community on what their key voting issues are, and what a Joe Biden win, or a second Trump presidency will mean to them.

In this episode:

León Krauze (@LeonKrauze), Univision anchor, Washington Post columnist, and a podcast host for Slate; Jens Manuel Krogstad (@jensmanuel), a senior writer and editor at Pew Research Center.

Join The Take on Election Night:

Watch Malika Bilal (@mmbilal) LIVE on the Al Jazeera Instagram feed (@aljazeeraenglish) discuss the 2020 presidential race at the top of each hour from 4 pm ET (9 pm GMT) to 8 pm ET (2 am GMT).