Code Switch
NPR
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 the subject of race with empathy and humor. We explore how race affects every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, food and everything in between. This podcast makes all of us part of the conversation — because we're all part of the story. Code Switch was named Apple Podcasts' first-ever Show of the Year in 2020.Want to level up your Code Switch game? Try Code Switch Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/codeswitch
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 19, 2022 • 25min
A whiteness that's only skin deep
We use words related to color to describe different racial categories all the time — Black, white, brown. But how much of race and identity actually has to do with the color of your skin? What if what appears to be "whiteness" is only skin deep? Today we're sharing stories from people of color with albinism whose experiences challenge what many people think they know about race.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jan 12, 2022 • 35min
They came, they saw, they reckoned?
It's now been more than a year since the so-called "racial reckoning" that marked the summer of 2020. The country, some said confidently, was having the biggest racial reckoning since the civil rights movement. But since then, the Code Switch team has been wondering...what was actually being reckoned with? And by whom? And what would the backlash be?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jan 5, 2022 • 50min
Nikole Hannah-Jones on the power of collective memory
What stories do we learn about the history of the United States? Who dreamed up those stories? And what happens when we challenge them? This week on the pod, our play cousins at NPR's Throughline podcast talk to journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones about the historical argument she tried to make with the 1619 project.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Dec 29, 2021 • 48min
Ask Code Switch: What Does Race Have To Do With Beauty?
This time of year, folks are being inundated with messages about how to become more beautiful. But beauty is an ever-changing goalpost that has everything do with race, class and power.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Dec 22, 2021 • 33min
What We Watched in 2021
Y'all, 2021 brought us a lot of TV. Some of it was even good! So this week, we're talking about the shows that had something interesting to say about race, from We Are Lady Parts to Reservation Dogs to City of Ghosts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Dec 20, 2021 • 35min
Bonus Episode: The blessing and curse of the '90s Latin Pop Explosion
Our play cousins at NPR's It's Been a Minute podcast reexamine the so-called "Latin explosion" of the late '90s: What it was supposed to be for audiences across the U.S., and what it actually came to represent.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Dec 15, 2021 • 35min
What Is 'Latin Music' Anyway?
The term 'Latin Music' can encompass everything from Celia Cruz to Bad Bunny to Selena Gomez to Los Tigres del Norte. It's rock, pop, hip hop, salsa, bachata, reggaeton, and so much more. So...what exactly is the connective tissue? Language? The ethnicity of the artist? Pure vibes? Or is it something else entirely?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Dec 8, 2021 • 33min
A Glimpse At 'How The Other Half Eats'
How do race and class affect the way we eat? What makes dollar store junk food different from organic junk food? And when did Whole Foods become such a polarizing grocery store? We're getting into all those questions and more with Priya Fielding-Singh, author of the new book, How the Other Half Eats.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Dec 1, 2021 • 32min
Imagining A World Without Prisons Or Police
When Derecka Purnell was growing up, the police were a regular presence in her life. Years later, the lawyer, activist, and author of the new book, Becoming Abolitionists, realized that her vision of a just society was radically different from the world in which she'd been socialized.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Nov 24, 2021 • 32min
Ask Code Switch: Thought For Food
It's Thanksgiving week, so we're bringing you a second helping of one of our favorite episodes, where we answer your questions about race and food. We're getting into the perceived whiteness of vegetarianism, what it means when H-Mart becomes a little too mainstream, and the etiquette around bringing pungent-smelling food to the (proverbial) office.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
