What's CODE SWITCH? It's the fearless conversations about race that you've been waiting for. Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles... more
Kai Cheng Thom is no stranger to misanthropy. There have been stretches of her life where she's felt burdened by... more
Traveling is supposed to open your mind and expand your horizons — but what if it doesn't? In her new... more
The word "reservation" implies "reserved" – as in, this land is reserved for Native Americans. But most reservation land actually... more
On this week's Code Switch, we hear from two Palestinian American poets who talk about what it's like to be... more
OK, not exactly a computer — more like, the wild array of technologies that inform what we consume on our... more
We're bringing you something special from our play cousins over at Embedded: the first episode of a three part series... more
More than a decade since B.A. Parker last dabbled in the Black punk scene, she heads to a punk a... more
Ada Limón is many things: the U.S. Poet Laureate, a recently named MacArthur "Genius," a Latina, a summer person becoming... more
Being a new parent is exhausting at the best of times. There are diapers to change, bottles to fill, screaming... more
In her memoir Rivermouth, author Alejandra Oliva recounts her experiences working as a translator and interpreter for people seeking asylum... more
South Baltimore has some of the most polluted air in the country. Local teenagers are fighting polluters back, and slowly... more
In the past decade, the problem of mass incarceration has gotten increased attention and thought. But in his new book,... more
In June, the Supreme Court banned affirmative action at colleges and universities across the country, with one glaring exception: military... more
For centuries, the idea of the "American Dream" has been a powerful narrative for many immigrant communities. But for just... more
This week, the NFL is gearing up for the start of its 104th season. But as this new chapter begins,... more
Bad Bunny, the genre- and gender norm-defying Puerto Rican rapper, is one of the biggest music stars on the planet.... more
When a comedian of color makes a joke, is it always about race, even if it's not about race? Code... more
When Richard J. Lonsinger's birth mother passed away in 2010, he wasn't included in the distribution of her estate. Feeling... more
For hip-hop's not-official-but-kind-of-official 50th birthday, we dig into its many contradictions. From the legend of the South Bronx block party... more
Dungeons & Dragons is one of the most popular tabletop role-playing games of all time. But it has also helped... more
There are race books, and there are beach reads, and never the twain shall meet. You know that old truism,... more
Gene Demby and NPR's Huo Jingnan dive into a conspiracy theory about how "global elites" are forcing people to eat... more
Brian de los Santos always thought of Mexico as his "home" — despite not having been able to return to... more
This week, we're sharing the first episode of "Buffalo Extreme," a three-part series from our play cousins at NPR's Embedded.... more
In the second of two episodes, Code Switch co-host B.A. Parker is figuring out what kind of descendant she wants... more
Code Switch co-host B.A. Parker digs into what it means to maintain the legacy of her ancestors. In part one... more
How do you participate in a faith practice that has a rough track record with racism? That's what our play-cousin... more
On this week's Code Switch, producer Kumari Devarajan finds her demographic clone in actor and comedian D'Lo. Kumari found that... more
Ava Chin's family has been in the U.S. for generations — but Ava was disheartened to learn that so much... more
One of the most pivotal moments in Japanese American history was when the U.S. government uprooted more than 100,000 people... more
The Supreme Court is about to decide on a case arguing that the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) discriminates against... more
"Three springs ago, I lost the better part of my mind," Naomi Jackson wrote in an essay for Harper's Magazine.... more
K-pop disrupted pop culture in South Korea in the early 1990s, and later found fans around the world. Vivian Yoon... more
In 2017, comedian Hari Kondabolu called out Hollywood's portrayals of South Asians with his documentary The Problem With Apu. The... more
"You can't meditate yourself out of a 40-hour work week with no childcare and no paid sick days," says Dr.... more
You finally get through the confusing, stressful work of doing your taxes only to hear back from the IRS: you're... more
The male gaze objectifies, consumes and shames people for not fitting into a mold. This week, we're looking at how... more
Utang na loob is the Filipino concept of an eternal debt to others, be it family or friends, who do... more
We've all heard about Rosa Parks and her crucial role in the Montgomery bus boycott. But Parks was just one... more
Host B.A. Parker talks to Jasmin Savoy Brown, of the recently-released Scream 6, about playing a queer Black girl who... more
For decades, the ingredients, dishes and chefs that are popularized have been filtered through the narrow lens of a food... more
This week, we revisit an episode from 2018 that looks into how discrimination not only degrades your health, but can... more
Brett Woodson Bailey grew up knowing he was the descendant of "the father of Black history," Carter G. Woodson. He... more
From the dance floors of weddings and bar mitzvahs to the Billboard Hot 100, chances are, you've enjoyed some merengue... more
The large majority of NFL players are people of color. The coaches on the sidelines? Not so much. In this... more
In this week's episode, we dive into the traditions and stories that shape Lunar New Year, and why violence and... more
In this episode we turn to late 1960s Chicago, when three unlikely groups came together to form a coalition based... more
Bad Bunny, the genre- and gender norm-defying Puerto Rican rapper, is one of the biggest music stars on the planet.... more
From the world of local TV news, meet Code Switch's newest co-host, Lori Lizarraga! Before she was born, her mother... more
How do race and class affect the way we eat? What does it mean to "eat like a white person?"... more
Whether you're from Ushuaia or East Los Angeles, you've likely heard cumbia blaring from a stereo. From our play friends... more
It wasn't until Lisa Phu had her own child that she started unlocking her mother's history. In her new 5-part... more
There are a lot of TV shows to watch out there - so the Code Switch team isn't trying to... more
Republican officials in Louisiana want to change how Black people are counted in voting maps. If their plan is successful,... more
So many of our perceptions of race have to do with color. How does that change if you've lived in... more
Bear Carrillo grew up knowing only a few details about his birth parents: when he was born they were university... more
This episode is excerpted from the Code Switch Live show at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, featuring special guests José... more
From BTS to Squid Game to high-end beauty standards, South Korea reigns as a global exporter of pop culture and... more
Code Switch's host B.A. Parker, introduces us to our play cousin It's Been a Minute's new voice, Brittany Luse! In... more
It's that time of year again: celebrations of the macabre hit a little too close to home and brush up... more
More than 10,000 Native human remains are currently sitting in a storage facility in a Maryland suburb. This week, how... more
Why build a fantasy world that still has racism? B.A. Parker moderates a discussion on Black science fiction and fantasy... more
NPR's Alt.Latino gets a reboot, and for its first episode, they speak with R&B darling Omar Apollo. Apollo shares what... more
Dungeons & Dragons is one of the most popular tabletop role-playing games of all time. But it has also helped... more
Recently, Republican governors have been sending migrants from the southern border to cities they deem more liberal under false pretenses.... more
Nearly 20% of Americans turned to therapy in 2020. That had us wondering: What exactly can therapy accomplish? Today, we're... more
The cost of college has been on everyone's minds, especially with student debt cancellation. Pell Grants are one way many... more
In Baynard Woods' new memoir, Inheritance: An Autobiography of Whiteness, Woods reflects on how growing up white in South Carolina... more
When a comedian of color makes a joke, is it always about race, even if it's not about race? In... more
What makes a great joke about race? In the first of two episodes, Code Switch talks to comedians Ziwe, Anjelah... more
The Starz hit show P-Valley takes audiences to a strip club in a fictional town in the Mississippi Delta. Part... more
Today on the show, we're bringing you the stories of two families grappling with how best to communicate across linguistic... more
Fam: We finally have a new co-host of the Code Switch podcast! And we're just a *tiny bit* excited. So... more
In 1866, the Cherokee Nation promised citizenship for Black "freedmen" and their descendants. But more than a century later, the... more
Over the course of this season, we've explored a rich history and complicated present, but what about the future? In... more
This week, we're talking about the podcasts that podcasters listen to. These are the shows that members of the Code... more
Pat Mitchell is the longtime principal of P.S. 48 – an elementary school in Jamaica, Queens. And while she cares... more
Many immigrants have described the feeling of being different people in different places. Maybe in one country, you're a little... more
When the District 28 diversity planning process came around, many Chinese parents had already been activated a year earlier by... more
Tens of thousands of children were adopted from other countries by parents in the U.S., only to discover as adults... more
In some ways, this entire season was prompted by the parents who organized against diversity planning in School District 28.... more
It's the second year that Juneteenth has been a federal holiday — which means it's getting the full summer holiday... more
Though a lot of parents and educators agree there needs to be some change in District 28, the question remains:... more
A new book by Linda Villarosa looks at how racial bias in healthcare has costs for all Americans. Spoiler: Poverty... more
Code Switch's Kumari Devarajan found an unlikely demographic doppelganger in D'Lo, a comedian and playwright whose one-person show about growing... more
Until recently, School District 28 in Queens, N.Y., was characterized by a white Northside, and a Black Southside. But today,... more
In the wake of violence and tragedies, people are often left in search of ways to feel safe again. That... more
So much of the present day conversation about District 28 hinges on the dynamic between the Northside and the Southside.... more
Millions of Syrians have been displaced by ongoing civil war. In her new book, Refuge, Heba Gowayed follows Syrians who... more
In the early 1970s, Forest Hills, Queens, became a national symbol of white, middle class resistance to integration. Instead of... more
Utang na loob is the Filipino concept of an eternal debt to others, be it family or friends, who do... more
School District 28 in Queens, N.Y., has a Northside and a Southside. To put it simply, the Southside is Black... more
In 2019, a school district in Queens N.Y., one of the most diverse places on the planet, is selected to... more
Coming soon to the Code Switch feed: School Colors, a limited-run series about how race, class and power shape American... more
Some call it a riot. Some call it an uprising. Many Korean Americans simply call it "Sai-i-gu" (literally, 4-2-9.) But... more
How can anything be more important than what's happening right now? That's the question a woman named Evelyn Wang is... more
In the 70s and 80s, Fashion Fair was an iconic cosmetics company designed to create makeup for Black women of... more
What do you do when all your options for school kind of suck? That was the question some folks on... more
Lindy Hop is a dance that was born in Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s — created and performed by... more
It is probably the most radioactive word in the English language. At the same time, the N-word is kind of... more
This week marks the one year anniversary of a deadly shooting spree in Atlanta, where eight people were killed. Six... more
Gene Demby and comedian Hari Kondabolu are both new fathers, and they're both learning to raise kids who will have... more
Figure skating has always been about flair and drama. But what happens on the ice is nothing compared to what... more
At the height of his career, Bill Cosby was one of the most famous men in the United States. He... more
In 2020, nearly 20% of Americans turned to therapy. Many of those people were looking for a space to process... more
Live from your computer screens, it's Code Switch! Guest hosts Ayesha Rascoe and Denice Frohman joined us to talk poetry... more
In Canada, tensions between indigenous fishermen and commercial fishermen have been simmering for decades. On today's bonus episode, from our... more
It's Black History Month, which is likely to bring boundless stories of Black Excellence and Black Firsts. So today on... more
We hear the phrase "unapologetically Black" thrown around a lot. But what does it actually mean? In this bonus episode... more
People lie about being Native American all the time – on college applications, on job applications, in casual conversation. But... more
Since he died this week, André Leon Talley has been described over and over again as "larger than life." But... more
We use words related to color to describe different racial categories all the time — Black, white, brown. But how... more
It's now been more than a year since the so-called "racial reckoning" that marked the summer of 2020. The country,... more
What stories do we learn about the history of the United States? Who dreamed up those stories? And what happens... more
This time of year, folks are being inundated with messages about how to become more beautiful. But beauty is an... more
Y'all, 2021 brought us a lot of TV. Some of it was even good! So this week, we're talking about... more
Our play cousins at NPR's It's Been a Minute podcast reexamine the so-called "Latin explosion" of the late '90s: What... more
The term 'Latin Music' can encompass everything from Celia Cruz to Bad Bunny to Selena Gomez to Los Tigres del... more
How do race and class affect the way we eat? What makes dollar store junk food different from organic junk... more
When Derecka Purnell was growing up, the police were a regular presence in her life. Years later, the lawyer, activist,... more
It's Thanksgiving week, so we're bringing you a second helping of one of our favorite episodes, where we answer your... more
You already know we love books here on Code Switch — and given that we're smack dab in the middle... more
When 'Soul Train' first aired in 1971, there had never been a show like it. Fifty years later, that's still... more
If you're Native American, there's a good chance that you've thought a lot about blood quantum — a highly controversial... more
Or do they? This week, we're answering some of your toughest questions about race and your parents. How do you... more
The 2020 census data is finally here! At first glance, it paints a surprising portrait of a changing United States:... more
In a small suburb of Washington, D.C., a non-descript beige building houses thousands of Native human remains. The remains are... more
If you've been paying attention to the news over the past couple years, you know what a so-called 'Karen' is:... more
Black women have always faced immense pressure to make their bodies look a certain way. But if done the "wrong... more
Kacen Callender started out as a kid in St. Thomas writing fan fiction. Today, they are the author of multiple... more
But seriously, who? Because while it is Hispanic Heritage Month, the notion of a multiracial, multinational, pan-ethnic identity called "Hispanic"... more
For two decades, many Americans have seen Afghanistan depicted primarily through the lens of war. But that's not the full... more
Twenty years ago, during the dog days of summer , a fledgling journalist named Shereen Marisol Meraji — maybe you've... more
What moral panics reveal about the ongoing freakout over critical race theory in schools.
Kat Chow was 13 when her mother died, and with that loss came profound and lasting questions about identity, family... more
OK, they're not all kids. But they're all students, they're all amazing, and frankly, we're concerned that they might be... more
It's hot out, places are shutting down again, and things might just be feeling a little bit slow. So in... more
We talk a lot on this show about people who have been killed by police officers. But there is so... more
For much of her childhood, Ashley Ford's father was incarcerated, and her mother struggled to raise her while grappling with... more
Some of the best books can make you feel free — free from your daily grind, free to imagine a... more
But seriously, who? Because while it is Hispanic Heritage Month, the notion of a multiracial, multinational, pan-ethnic identity called "Hispanic" is a... more