
Slate Race and Identity
The Slate Race and Identity feed features new episodes from a variety of shows in the Slate podcast network. From One Year, to What Next, to A Word...With Jason Johnson and more, you’ll get informative and thoughtful reporting and analysis on the many ways race and identity shape the world around us.
Latest episodes

Feb 19, 2025 • 1h 2min
Culture Gabfest: Congratulations! You Finally Got Your Severance.
On this week’s show, Slate Business and Tech reporter Nitish Pahwa sits in for Julia. The panel discusses Severance season 2 from Apple TV+. They then talk about the Oscar-nominated film No Other Land – a Palestinian documentary following a young activist fighting his community's mass expulsion by Israeli occupation. They end by discussing Nitish’s recent reporting on Buzzfeed’s upcoming AI-infused social media platform, BF Island.Endorsements:Dana: The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam ScottSteve: The Children’s Bach by Helen GarnerNitish: Work by the late author Tom Robbins, particularly Jitterbug Perfume, who recently died at 92 Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 12, 2025 • 1h 17min
Culture Gabfest: The SNL 50th Anniversary Industrial Complex
On this week’s show, the hosts reflect on 50 years of music, culture, and comedy with the 50th anniversary of SNL and QuestLove’s new documentary Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music. For that, the team is joined by Jason Zinoman, critic at large for culture at The New York Times. Then they discuss the Oscar-nominated animated film Flow – where we follow the adventures of an unlikely group of animals led by a curious black cat.Finally, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe joins to talk about Kendrick Lamar’s “double whammy” of a Super Bowl halftime show. Read her article reflecting on the performance here.In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel invites Jason Zinoman back to discuss his article on standup comedy’s move to soften the punchline in exchange for a long, humor-infused setup.Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements:Dana: Henry IV playing at the Theatre for a New Audience in New York and K.D. Lang’s SNL performance of Johnny Get Angry in 1989 (audio only, as the video performance has been removed) or this other performance of the song (with visuals) on UK’s Channel Four from 1991Julia: Vulture critic Craig Jenkins’ halftime show review – Kendrick Lamar Is Not Your Savior and Pom Pom makerSteve: Pope Francis’ letter to Vice President J.D. VancePodcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 29, 2025 • 1h 7min
Culture Gabfest: One of Them Movies About Women That Stuns Hollywood by Being a Hit
On this week’s show, Dan Kois sits in for Dana Stevens. First, the hosts discuss One of Them Days, a new buddy comedy starring Keke Palmer and SZA that’s quickly becoming a critical darling — and a box office success. Then, they dive into Asura, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Netflix show that’s about the dynamics between three sisters and is “totally uninterested in the rhythms of a TV show.” Finally, it’s time to explore the “manosphere.” The trio dissected a deftly reported package from Bloomberg, “The Second Trump Presidency, Brought to You by YouTubers.” Also, we’re looking for a new Production Assistant! Please send your resume and two ideas for segments to culturegabfestassistant@gmail.com. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel tackles modern TV title sequences and asks the age-old question: do you skip or play? This conversation was inspired by James Poniewozik’s article for The New York Times, “Why Do TV Title Sequences Have So Much… Stuff?” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements:Dan: Playworld by Adam Ross. Julia: A cookbook by Ben Mims, Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World. Steve: (1) Bar Merenda, a restaurant located right outside of Melbourne. (2) “For the Love of the World” by Daegan Miller for Poetry Foundation. Kat: Calmly Writer Online, a distraction-free text editor. Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 28, 2025 • 33min
What Next | Who Will Mourn DEI?
The Trump administration’s fight against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs is underway, and it’s proving to be even broader and further-reaching than anticipated. What’s at stake for these programs—and why are so many Americans glad to see them go?Guest: Farah Stockman, member of the New York Times Editorial Board, author of American Made: What Happens to People When Work DisappearsWant more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 15, 2025 • 1h 18min
Culture Gabfest: Babygirls and Nickel Boys
On this week’s show, Slate staff writer Nadira Goffe sits in for Stephen. First, the panel explores Babygirl and its kinks. The latest feature from Dutch writer-director Halina Reijn stars Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, and is fascinated by sex (mostly, as a concept.) Then, the three puzzle over Nickel Boys and the film’s audacious use of first-person point-of-view in filmmaker RaMell Ross’ adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Nickel Boys. Finally, what does a Hollywood smear campaign look like? The trio discusses the messy legal and PR conflict embroiling Blake Lively and former It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel checks in with Julia and production assistant Kat, as they share their experiences of the L.A. wildfires. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements:Nadira: Transa by Red Hot Org. Specifically, “Is It Cold In The Water” performed by Moses Sumney and ANOHNI.Julia: Niksa sleep masks.Dana: Exploring your local college radio stations. She likes WFUV (owned by Fordham University) and Columbia University’s WKCR. Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 6, 2025 • 34min
Care & Feeding Encore | Parenting Fearlessly, Onstage and Off
On this episode: Lucy sits down with actress and author Mandy Gonzalez for a wide-ranging conversation about parenting, building a creative mom group, and enduring cancer treatment with your head held high. Mandy also answers questions from our own budding Broadway stars.Lucy also shares a quick update about her mom's cancer journey - and Care & Feeding's production schedule in the new year.Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus to help support our work.Podcast produced by Maura Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 26, 2024 • 46min
Care & Feeding | Parenting in an Interfaith World
On this episode: it’s the day after Christmas and the first day of Hanukkah — so we thought there would be no better time than now to sit down to talk about parenting, faith, and the cultural traditions that we adopt, and craft, for our kids.Zak is joined by Slate writer and friend of the show Aymann Ismail and interfaith relationship and parenting expert Susan Katz Miller. Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get to hang out with us on the Plus Playground every week for a whole additional grab-bag of content — and you’ll get an ad-free experience across the network. And you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus – or try it out on Apple Podcasts.Podcast produced by Maura Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 21, 2024 • 39min
Gabfest Reads: The Life and Legacy of John Lewis
Slate Political Gabfest host David Plotz talks with author David Greenberg about his new book, John Lewis: A Life. They discuss how Lewis went from marching with Martin Luther King, Jr. to an iconic career as a politician, Lewis’s commitment to non-violence, how Greenberg uncovered never-before-seen documents, and more.Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 17, 2024 • 31min
What Next | How Shaboozey Broke the Mold
After a tepid embrace of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and a back-and-forth over Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” country music fans are all in on Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” How has this hip-hop-inflected country hit perched atop the charts for a record-tying 19 weeks? Guest: Chris Molanphy, chart analyst, pop critic, host of the Hit Parade podcast, and author of Slate's “Why Is This Song No. 1?” series and the book Old Town Road.Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 13, 2024 • 41min
A Word | Flash Black
All good things must come to an end. For now. After close to four years at Slate, A Word will be moving on. For today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson highlights some of the memorable conversations on the show, on issues from politics, police brutality, Afro-Futurism and more. Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices