Some of My Best Friends Are

Pushkin Industries
undefined
Jul 21, 2025 • 33min

Introducing Charlie’s Place: A Cultural Haven That Brought People Together Through Music

Here’s a preview from a new podcast, Charlie’s Place. How did a Black man in 1940s Jim Crow South open a club where Black and white people danced together? Charlie’s Place was revolutionary, and that meant it was dangerous. Host Rhym Guissé explores the unbelievable true story of Charlie Fitzgerald, a mysterious Black businessman whose nightclub became an unlikely site of integration in 1940s Myrtle Beach. Charlie broke down racial barriers through the power of music and dance, hosting some of the greatest musicians of our time: Little Richard, Count Basie, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, and many more. But who was Charlie? How did he rise to power? And what price did he pay for achieving the impossible—an integrated club in the Jim Crow South? This is a story of joy and passion that erupted into violence and changed a community forever. Listen to Charlie’s Place wherever you get your podcasts. Binge the entire season early and ad-free by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Charlie's Place show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
undefined
Aug 16, 2023 • 54min

Thank You For Being Some of Our Best Friends

Chicago poet laureate avery r. young discusses the story behind the podcast's theme song 'Lil Lillie' and how racial justice influences his work. The hosts reflect on their time working on the show and reminisce about their long-standing friendship. They also discuss the impact of music, powerful visual and performance art, the power and legacy of Emmett Till, and Avery's role as poet laureate of Chicago.
undefined
Aug 9, 2023 • 43min

Samantha Irby is Quietly Hostile & Raucously Funny

Author and TV writer Samantha Irby joins Ben and Khalil to discuss her latest book Quietly Hostile and how she uses comedy as therapy. They also touch on her work on the Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That... and explore the challenges of inclusion and racism in TV shows.
undefined
Aug 2, 2023 • 44min

The End of Affirmative Action

The Supreme Court recently issued a decision banning race-conscious admission in higher education. In this episode, Ben and Khalil talk with Anurima Bhargava, who served in the Civil Rights Division of Obama’s Department of Justice focusing on education. Anurima also went to high school with Ben and Khalil at Kenwood Academy in Chicago. They talk about what’s great about going to a diverse school, as well as how the conservative movement plotted to get rid of affirmative action and what is lost as a result. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
undefined
Jul 26, 2023 • 50min

Fantastic Future: Reimagining the American City

This week, Ben and Khalil are talking about the future of cities. Their guest, Toni Griffin, is an architect, urban planner, and artist. She teaches at the Harvard School of Design, where she leads the Just City Lab, a team focused on community revitalization in city planning. Toni joins Ben and Khalil to talk about centering people in urban design, and her new show at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale that imagines "fantastic futures.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
undefined
Jul 19, 2023 • 50min

From The Last Archive: Acting Out

Here’s a special episode from another Pushkin show we love -- The Last Archive. In the 1930s, at a women's reformatory in upstate New York, an upstart social scientist made a study that launched the field of social network analysis. It was revolutionary, but missed something happening at the same time at the same school, something we know now in part from the story of the school's most famous inmate: Ella Fitzgerald. To hear the rest of the season, visit The Last Archive show page on Apple Podcasts, at pushkin.fm, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
undefined
Jul 12, 2023 • 48min

America’s Poverty is by Design

America is the richest country on earth, and yet we have the highest levels of poverty of any advanced democracy. Why is that? And what should we do about it? Matthew Desmond joins Ben and Khalil to discuss the rousing arguments of his new book Poverty, By America: we are all culpable for this problem, and it’s on us to fix it. Additional links: Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond Correction: Parole, Prison and the Possibility of Change by Ben AustenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
undefined
Jul 5, 2023 • 37min

Ben and Khalil Go South

Ben and Khalil take a trip down South to Sewanee University, otherwise known as the University of the South. The school’s history is rooted in the Confederacy, and Ben and Khalil look at how that history belongs to all of America. Through various conversations and excursions, they explore what it means to be Southern, whether that identity can be made more expansive, and why the region defines every American. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
undefined
Jun 28, 2023 • 51min

The FBI’s War on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. needs no introduction. The man changed the course of American history, and paid the ultimate price for his work. But in Jonathan Eig’s biography, King: A Life, we learn more about his personal life and struggle to overcome his own doubts about the Civil Rights movement. Eig joins Khalil and Ben to discuss his book and the new stories he uncovered from FBI documents about the life of Dr. King. Additional links:King, A Life by Jonathan EigSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
undefined
Jun 21, 2023 • 44min

Immigrants Aren't the Problem

The podcast explores the ongoing humanitarian crisis of immigration, discussing current policies and their impact on cities and resources. It also highlights the connection between the climate crisis and immigration, and proposes a more humane and sensible immigration policy. The episode features immigration lawyer and artist Carolina Rubio-MacWright, who shares her advocacy work and the importance of taking action at the local community level.

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app