B.A. Parker

Join Joseph McGill Jr., a passionate history and culture preservationist, as he shares insights on the Slave Dwelling Project, which honors the legacy of enslaved individuals. B.A. Parker offers a personal connection to her family's history linked to a North Carolina plantation, highlighting the importance of understanding one's roots. Charles Blow engages in a powerful discussion on Black power and reverse migration to the South, advocating for political empowerment. Together, they explore how recognizing ancestral pasts can pave the way for a brighter future.

This week, B.A. Parker, co-host of NPR's Code Switch, Dr. Kendra Calhoun, a linguistics scholar, and TikTok creator Christian Devine dive deep into the world of 'algospeak.' They discuss how creators use coded language to bypass algorithm suppression, revealing examples like 'unalive' and 'orange.' Calhoun highlights how past platform moderation drove self-censorship, while Devine shares his experiences with shadow banning. Together, they explore the impact of these linguistic innovations on marginalized voices navigating TikTok's complex environment.