Black Stories. Black Truths.

We've probably said it a hundred times on Code Switch — biological race is not a real thing. So why is race still used to help diagnose certain conditions, like keloids or cystic fibrosis? On this episode, Dr. Andrea Deyrup breaks it down for us, and unpacks the problems she sees with practicing race-based medicine.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Author Hajar Yazdiha discusses the distortion of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, highlighting how his radicalism has been appropriated by political agendas. The episode explores the whitewashing of King's image, the influence of the Civil Rights Movement on modern protests, and the importance of reclaiming his true legacy amidst commercialization and political exploitation.

A civil lawsuit has been filed against rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs by his ex-girlfriend and former protégé Cassie Ventura. She alleged to have suffered years of emotional and physical abuse during the course of their relationship. Diddy denied the allegations and settled the suit quickly, but other damning claims have resurfaced in its wake. His reputation seems to have been tarnished — at least for the moment. And it has us wondering: Is this a crucial turning point for a long-awaited reckoning within the music industry? Or merely a blip in the routine of business as usual?Listen to more Pop Culture Happy Hour at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The prince of pranks, Eric André, changed the comedy landscape with his long-running series on Adult Swim, The Eric André Show. After a 3-year hiatus, the show is back. Brittany Luse sits down with André to talk about the new season, his pranks on Amber Rose and Jaleel White, and why his humor seems to always flip the script of figures of authority and create heroes out of average Joes.Listen to more It's Been A Minute at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Juneteenth commemorates the day that enslaved Texans found out — more than two years after Emancipation Day — that they were free. It's also a day known for celebratory meals and red drinks. And the holiday, originally celebrated mostly in Texas, is gaining popularity around the country; in fact, on June 15, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill that would make Juneteenth a legal public holiday. But as the Juneteenth becomes more widespread, we wondered: Is there a risk that certain people (and corporations) will try to keep the food and lose the meaning?Listen to more Code Switch at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Tracee Ellis Ross is an icon. From playing the premiere Black bachelorette, Joan Carol Clayton, on Girlfriends to becoming America's mom as Bow Johnson on Black-ish, she's spent the past two decades portraying a paragon of Black womanhood on screen. More recently, Tracee's turned her focus toward uplifting the stories of real people – on her Hulu documentary Hair Tales, and with her new podcast, I Am America. Host Brittany Luse talks with Tracee about her long and varied career, how she tackles storytelling through documentary and what it means to have rich auntie energy.Listen to more It's Been A Minute at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The start of a new year can push us to think about how we take care of ourselves – our bodies or our minds. And for some people that can mean seeking help for mental health issues like depression and anxiety. In some ways, being open about pursuing treatment for mental health concerns is becoming more commonplace. But for men who are socialized not to express vulnerability and keep emotions in check, seeking therapy may feel taboo. Black men must also contend with the long history of neglect and abuse that has influenced how generations of African Americans feel about health services, a lack of Black mental health professionals, and the understanding that shielding emotions is a way to face the pressures and dangers of racism. Host Michel Martins talks with writer Damon Young, author of What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays, and psychologist Earl Turner of Pepperdine University, on making therapy more accessible for Black men.Listen to more Consider This at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

One in ten Black people living in the U.S. is an immigrant, and many Black immigrants—particularly those born in African nations—have settled in the South, according to a Pew Research report from 2022. This statistic caught Code Switch editor Leah Donnella's eye. She wanted to know: How have Black immigrants redefined their sense of identity in the South, while confronting American racism? In this episode of The Sunday Story, Leah tells host Ayesha Rascoe about the people she met in Tennessee.Listen to more Up First at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Montgomery bus boycott lasted from December of 1955 through December of 1956. What people often remember of that moment in history is that when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, it sparked a bus boycott that was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But what that retelling leaves out are all the women who organized for years to make that boycott a reality and who helped sustain it for 13 long months. In this episode, the women behind the boycott tell their own story.Listen to more Code Switch at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Former first lady Michelle Obama's most recent memoir, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, offers insight on a wide range of topics: feeling seen, dealing with fear, and making new friends. But a throughline of the book is advice about relationships – with our partner, our kids and ourselves. She draws from her own experiences with her husband, former President Barack Obama, her daughters Sasha and Malia, and her mother, Marian Robinson, to illustrate how she's helped each of her relationships thrive. The key, she tells NPR's Juana Summers, is that "you have to evolve with it." Listen to more Life Kit at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy