Code Switch
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Code Switch

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Ever find yourself in a conversation about race and identity where you just get...stuck? Code Switch can help. We're all journalists of color, and this isn't just the work we do. It's the lives we lead. Sometimes, we'll make you laugh. Other times, you'll get uncomfortable. But we'll always be unflinchingly honest and empathetic. Come mix it up with us.More from Code Switch »

Most Recent Episodes

Directors of the films "I am Not Your Negro," "Life, Animated," "13th," and "OJ: Made In America" are all up for Academy Awards in the Best Documentary Feature category. They are also all filmmakers of color. For the first time, African-American documentarians made up most of the nominees. Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures, A&E; IndieFilms, Netflix, and ESPN Films hide caption

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Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures, A&E; IndieFilms, Netflix, and ESPN Films

Oscars So Black...At Least, In Documentaries

A filmmaker of color is almost certain to win this year's Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. In fact, for the first time, African-American documentarians made up most of the nominees. We talk with Ava DuVernay, whose movie "13th," made her the first black female director to be nominated in this category. And the Emmy and Peabody award-winning documentarian Noland Walker, now of ITVS, tells us about how the film industry has responded to documentarians of color since he started as a production assistant on the landmark PBS documentary series, "Eyes On the Prize" in the late 1980s.

Oscars So Black...At Least, In Documentaries

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Protesters demonstrate as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi lead members of Congress during a protest on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

Encore Plus: Who Is A Good Immigrant, Anyway?

Shereen and Gene are joined by Code Switch's own Adrian Florido to revisit a conversation about how advocates are challenging the narrative of the "good" or "bad" immigrant. Adrian previously reported on what happens when advocates try to champion an undocumented immigrant who was convicted of a crime. For many people, "DREAMers," were considered the most sympathetic characters in the immigration reform drama. But a new administration is in the White House, and what was once a very complicated landscape is changing. Later, economist Ike Brannon from the CATO Institute joins the conversation.

Encore Plus: Who Is A Good Immigrant, Anyway?

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This week, Code Switch listeners share their concerns and frustrations for the first hundred days of the new presidential administration. Andrew Biraj/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Biraj/AFP/Getty Images

So, What Are You Afraid of Now?

Code Switch listeners join Shereen and Gene in talking about their concerns and frustrations during the first hundred days of President Trump's administration. Our guest is MacArthur "genius grant" recipient Ahilan Arulanantham of the ACLU of Southern California.

So, What Are You Afraid of Now?

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It's likely that Barack Obama will be known not only as the first black president, but also as the first president of everybody's race. Many Americans and people beyond the U.S. borders have projected their multicultural selves onto the president. Chelsea Beck/NPR hide caption

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Chelsea Beck/NPR

Obama's Legacy: Did He Remix Race?

We conclude our three part series of conversations on President Obama's racial legacy. It's likely that Barack Obama will be known not only as the first black president, but also as the first president of everybody's race. Many Americans and people beyond the U.S. borders have projected their multicultural selves onto the president. Gene and Shereen are joined by poet Richard Blanco, Angela Rye, head of the political advocacy firm IMPACT Strategies, and NYU history professor Nikhil Singh.

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We continue conversations on President Barack Obama's racial legacy--this time, we hear opinions on where he fell short or failed people of color. Chelsea Beck/NPR hide caption

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Chelsea Beck/NPR

Obama's Legacy: Callouts and Fallouts

Shereen and Gene continue our conversation on President Barack Obama's racial legacy. Where did the president fall short — or fail — people of color? We hear opinions about Obama's actions as they affected Latinos, African Americans, and Native Americans. Janet Murguia is president of the National Council of La Raza. Simon Moya-Smith is editor of Indian Country Today and a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation. Carla Shedd teaches sociology and African American studies at Columbia University; she wrote the book "Unequal City: Race, Schools, and Perceptions of Injustice."

Obama's Legacy: Callouts and Fallouts

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In the first of three conversations about President Barack Obama's racial legacy, Code Switch asks how much was race or racism drove the way the first black president was treated and how he governed. Richie Pope for NPR hide caption

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Richie Pope for NPR

Obama's Legacy: Diss-ent or Diss-respect?

In the first of three conversations about President Barack Obama's racial legacy,Code Switch asks how much race or racism drove the way the first black president was treated and how he governed. Did the president misjudge the state of race relations in America? Real talk about the Obama legacy is just a click away on this week's podcast. Gene and Shereen are joined by Jamelle Bouie, Slate's chief political correspondent, and Tressie McMillan Cottam, sociologist at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Obama's Legacy: Diss-ent or Diss-respect?

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Alex Hibbert and Mahershala Ali, from a scene in "Moonlight. David Bornfriend/Courtesy of A24 hide caption

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David Bornfriend/Courtesy of A24

Encore: Everyone Is Talking To Barry Jenkins, But Our Interview Is (Still) the Best!

We revisit Gene's conversation with filmmaker Barry Jenkins to close out 2016. Jenkins' latest movie is Moonlight. There's buzz for awards nominations, including the Oscars.

Encore: Everyone Is Talking To Barry Jenkins, But Our Interview Is (Still) the Best!

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Ah, pigs. So cute. So smart. So edible. Malte Mueller hide caption

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Malte Mueller

A Chitlins Christmas: Bah Humbug!

You know it when you see it or, maybe by the smell. It's the holiday dish no one really likes but someone always makes "because it's tradition." Not all food traditions are equally appetizing... but they often remind us who we are. We asked you to tell us about dishes you don't like, but that keep showing up during the holiday season. We check in with poet Kevin Young to find out why chitlins will always grace his table. And restaurateur Genevieve Villamora joins Gene and Shereen to talk about dinuguan ... a traditional Filipino pork stew with strong flavors (made with pig's blood). She avoided it as a kid, but now, it's served at her acclaimed Washington DC restaurant "Bad Saint."

A Chitlins Christmas: Bah Humbug!

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Chelsea Beck/NPR

Hold Up! Time For An Explanatory Comma

Gene and Shereen ask how much cultural context to give when talking about race and culture. So, how much context should you have to provide? Comedian Hari Kondabolu, co-host of the podcast Politically Re-Active, deals with these questions regularly, both in his stand-up routine and on his podcast.

Hold Up! Time For An Explanatory Comma

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Audie Cornish, who was a part of the METCO program when she was a kid, interviews Bryan Bailey and Robert Figueroa as they ride the bus Kieran Kesner for NPR/* hide caption

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Kieran Kesner for NPR/*

Audie and the Not-So-Magic School Bus

NPR's Audie Cornish was bused to an affluent suburban school outside Boston in a voluntary integration program. She reflects on her experiences with Gene Demby and talks about stories she recently reported on kids using the program today. Matthew Delmont joins the conversation. He teaches history at Arizona State University and wrote the book "Why Busing Failed."

Audie and the Not-So-Magic School Bus

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