The Takeaway

What's Not So Funny About Dave Chappelle

The backlash against Dave Chappelle’s recent comedy special for Netflix continues with many Transgender individuals and groups speaking out against it. We're joined by Aryah Lester, deputy director of the Transgender Strategy Center and MX Dahlia Belle, a writer and comedian who penned "Dear Dave Chappelle, Transgender Comedians Can Take A Joke, But Why Are Yours So Unfunny” joined us to discuss the controversy and what Chappelle can and should do better.

Aging While Queer

Michael Adams is the CEO of SAGE, the country’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT older people. He discusses the many unique challenges facing our LGBTQ+ elders and what SAGE is doing to provide a life of dignity for this underserved community.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

The Deep Dive with Dorian Warren: Political Cruelty

Most of us tend to think of cruelty as individual actions motivated by personal hatreds, but Professor Cristina Beltran offers up a definition of civic and political cruelty. Beltran’s interest in cruelty was prompted by seeing and hearing what was happening at rallies for Donald Trump a few years ago. For the first Takeaway Deep Dive, host Melissa Harris-Perry and friend/collaborator Dorian Warren explore the phenomenon of political cruelty. 

 Additional segments:

San Fransisco Program Intends to Make Jury Pools More Diverse

Julius Jones Awaits Clemency Hearing

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

New Report Sheds Light on Police Foundations

The new Police Foundation Report from Color of Change, exposes how corporations support Black Lives Matter on one hand and are also giving private money to police foundations. There’s no record of how that money is being used to fund police departments around the country which are often a threat to black and brown lives. Scott Roberts, Senior Director of Criminal Justice Campaigns for Color of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization joins us to discuss their campaign for accountability and transparency as steps to ensure and redefine public safety.

Adults Jailed Black Children for a Crime That Doesn't Exist

New reporting from Meribah Knight, Nashville Public Radio and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica investigates Rutherford County, Tennessee where Black children are being jailed at an alarming rate. The investigation explores the arrest of four young girls after a YouTube video surfaced of three boys fighting on the school playground of Hobgood Elementary School. We talk to reporter Meribah Knight about the story of why these kids get arrested at alarming rates and what’s being done to stop it. 

Newark Replaces Nearly All of Its Lead Pipes

Two years ago, lead pipes tainted the drinking water of Newark, New Jersey. The city faced a water crisis on par with what has happened in places like Flint, Michigan, and a number of other cities across the U.S. For more on this, The Takeaway spoke with Karen Yi, reporter covering New Jersey for WNYC. 

Ruben Santiago-Hudson on the Joy of Bringing "Lackawanna Blues" to Broadway

Writer, director, and actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson's one-man show Lackawanna Blues tells the story of Santiago-Hudson’s childhood and finds him embodying the many characters who populated his youth, including Nanny, the woman who raised him. The Takeaway spoke with Santiago-Hudson about putting on the show during the pandemic and what his dreams are for the next stages in his career.

For transcripts, see individual segments pages. 

Debt Ceiling Deal Extended but For How Long?

Join us for this week's political round up with Michael Steele, former Lt. Gov. of Maryland and previous chair of the RNC and Christina Greer, Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University, co-host of podcast FAQ NYC, and author of the book “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration and the Pursuit of the American Dream." Michael and Christina share their thoughts about the debt ceiling extension and reproductive rights as well as the state of voting rights and the Democrat and Republican strategies ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

Why New York State Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas is Fighting for Immigration Reform

New York State Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas traveled to D.C. this week and was arrested while participating in that peaceful protest. She joined The Takeaway today to talk about why she's fighting for immigration reform.

Jason Rezaian Discuss his new podcast 544 Days

Jason Rezaian joins us to discuss his new Spotify Original Podcast 544 Days which chronicles his time in an Iranian prison and what it took to get him out.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Daniel Alarcón On Spanish-Language Media

Celebrated podcaster and writer Daniel Alarcón. Alarcón is the Executive Producer and host of NPR's Spanish language podcast Radio Ambulante. His podcast — which he started in 2012 — features a mix of investigative journalism and interviews, and covers a wide range of topics, from the refugee crisis in Venezuela to “killer bees” in Brazil. Alarcón is also a contributing writer at the New Yorker, a novelist, and he teaches at the Columbia Journalism School. His work dives deep into the social and cultural ties that connect Spanish-speaking populations across the United States and Central and South America. The Takeaway speaks to Alarcón about the importance of Spanish-language media and more.

When it Comes to Identity Which Word Wins?

Afro-Latinidad, Latino, Latinx and Hispanic are just a few of the terms used to identify people from a large portion of the world including Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. But which one of these is right? Michele Reid-Vazquez, an associate professor in the department of Africana Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, who also serves as the director of the Afro-Latin American and Afro-Latinx Studies Initiative, and Ed Morales a journalist and author of Latinx: The New Force in American Politics and Culture joined to discuss. 

U.S. Officials Announce That 23 Species Should Be Declared Extinct

Last week, U.S. wildlife officials recommended that 22 animals and one plant within the United States and Guam be marked extinct and gone forever. In total, the extinctions include eight freshwater mussels, 11 birds, two fish, a bat, and a plant. Within the next decade, the issue could get worse due to climate change, but especially due to people taking over or changing habitats and diminishing global biodiversity. For more on this extinction and biodiversity crisis, The Takeaway spoke with Catrin Einhorn, who covers wildlife and extinction for The New York Times.

Preview of the Upcoming SCOTUS Term

Ian Millhiser, a senior correspondent at Vox, discusses some of the cases the Supreme Court is hearing this term. Its conservative leaning court will consider the fate of abortion rights, gun control, and the power Congress has over government agencies like the EPA and the Department of Labor.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages. 

Whistleblower Exposes Facebook's Prioritization of Profit Over People

The Takeaway discussed Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen’s testimony and about regulating big tech with Cecilia Kang, a national technology reporter for The New York Times. She is the co-author of “An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination.” 

The Hidden Biases of Search Engine Algorithms 

Dr. Safiya Noble is an Associate Professor at UCLA in the Departments of Gender Studies and African American Studies and she’s also the author of a best-selling book Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. In her research, she has extensively detailed the negative impacts that come from rarely having women of color, particularly Black women, programming algorithms for popular search engines. Dr. Noble joined The Takeaway to discuss her research.

Afro-Latino Representation in Children's Books

Many Afro-Latinos are taking up the call to make sure the next generation sees representations of themselves in one of the first places they experience images and stories, in children’s books. The Takeaway talks with Sulma Arzu Brown, author of "Pelo Malo, No Existe" (Bad Hair Does Not Exist), Charles Esperanza, author of "Boogie Boogie, Y’all," and Yesenia Moises, author of "Stella’s Stellar Hair."

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Detainees Detail Troubling Conditions within New York City Jails

At least 12 people detained in New York City’s jail facilities have died this year, amid rising Covid-19 cases and a reported spike in violence and self-harm. At the end of September, Mayor Bill de Blasio toured the Rikers Island jail complex and claimed that the changes the city has made within Rikers are already having a “real impact.” George Joseph, law enforcement reporter for WNYC, has been reporting on conditions within Rikers and he joined The Takeaway to discuss the latest.

What Does a Political Leader Look Like?

Far too often the images we see in the world around us reinforce a gendered vision of the political world.We asked our listeners what comes to mind when they think of the word "political leader." Evoking narrow, gender-specific definitions of political leadership has very real consequences. We speak with Zoe Oxley, researcher at Union College and author of a new study about girls and political leadership.

Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message

Award-winning historian and New York Times best-selling author Keisha Blain joins us to discuss her new book, Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Enduring Message to America and the relevance of the civil and voting rights icon today.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.  

Anita Hill's Fight to end Gender-based Violence

We talk to Professor Anita Hill about her new book, Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence.

For transcript, see individual segment page.

Congress Avoids a Government Shutdown 

Congress has been racing to avoid a government shutdown. Thursday was the final day for lawmakers to pass a funding bill to prevent the government from that fate, and luckily, the House and Senate passed a stopgap measure before the midnight deadline. Also on Thursday, President Joe Biden’s massive trillion dollar infrastructure bill got its final vote in the House. Plus, Democrats and Republicans are still split on whether or not to raise the debt ceiling. Nicholas Wu, Congressional reporter for POLITICO, and Pablo Manriquez, Capitol Hill correspondent for Latino Rebels, explained the latest in politics. 

Climate Change Influences Voters' Urgency in German Election

On Monday, Germans cast the largest share of votes for the Social Democrats, led by Olaf Scholz instead of supporting Armin Laschet, the successor in Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic party. So why did the German people opt for change? We get answers and analysis from Yasmeen Serhan, staff writer for The Atlantic.

Dangerous Smoke from West Coast Wildfires is Affecting the Whole Country

A recent analysis of federal satellite imagery by NPR’s California Newsroom and Stanford University’s Environmental Change and Human Outcomes Lab found that dangerous smoke from West Coast wildfires is being carried thousands of miles across the country, and the number of days that some communities are exposed to this toxic smoke is increasing. A reality that could impact all of our health. The Takeaway spoke with Alison Saldanha, an investigative data reporter for NPR’s California Newsroom.

For transcripts, see full segment pages.

Is Noise Pollution a Public Health Crisis?

Rick Neitzel, professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan, joined The Takeaway to discuss the toll of noise on our bodies and the environment, and what can be done to mitigate the harm.

Music or Noise?: The Story of Go-Go in a Gentrifying Neighborhood in D.C. 

In 2020, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a bill that made go-go the official music of D.C. after a resident from a luxury apartment building across the street from a Metro PCS phone store known for loudly bumping go-go music — a funky, hip-hop music rooted in Black culture which was born in D.C. The resident allegedly threatened to sue the owner of Metro PCS, which is T-Mobile. This summer, D.C. officials unveiled a go-go themed mural on the side of that same apartment building where the 2019 noise complaint was made. Natalie Hopkinson, an Associate Professor of Communication, Culture and Media Studies at Howard University and co-Founder of “Don’t Mute DC” Movement, talks with The Takeaway all about go-go. 

Allure's New and First Black Editor-in-Chief

We talk with Jessica Cruel the new and first Black editor-in-chief of Allure magazine about her new gig, diversifying the coverage in the beauty game, and her plans for the magazine going forward.

The Importance of Mentoring for Black Girls

Susan L. Taylor founder and CEO of the National Cares Mentoring Movement and Dr. Monique Morris, CEO of Grantmakers for Girls of Color, joined me to discuss the importance of mentoring young Black girls at the individual level and at the community level to provide the proper foundation for them to succeed. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.