Sam talks to Kim Tran , an anti-racist author and consultant, about her article in Harper's Bazaar on how the diversity, equity and inclusion industry has strayed from its movement roots. Plus, what's an NFT? And why are people buying them? And what are they again? Sam breaks it all down with tech reporters Bobby Allyn and Erin Griffith to explain the phenomenon of the non-fungible token — and whether it can last. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsa nders@npr.org. ...
Apr 02, 2021•43 min
Hanif Abdurraqib 's latest book is A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performanc e . In it, Abdurraqib researches the impact of Black performers on American culture throughout the past several hundred years, touching on everything from minstrel shows to Soul Train, the concept of the "Magical Negro," and playing spades. Sam talks to Abdurraqib about lesser-known performers like Ellen Armstrong, the first Black woman magician, and they revisit the mythology of household names lik...
Mar 30, 2021•26 min
It might have seemed like mass shootings were down last year, but 2020 was actually one of the deadliest years for gun violence in decades. Sam talks to Abené Clayton , reporter for The Guardian , about why some shootings get more coverage than others. Plus, Sam talks to Shirley Li , staff writer at The Atlantic , about Minari and the way stereotypes inform how white audiences view the performances of Asian actors. Then, Hannah Giorgis , also of The Atlantic , joins Sam and Shirley to play Who S...
Mar 26, 2021•38 min
There are few paths to freedom for people serving life sentences in prison on federal drug charges. Guest host Ayesha Rascoe talks with Brittany K. Barnett , lawyer, entrepreneur and author of A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom , about her role in the fight to free incarcerated people from these sentences. They talk about high profile clemencies, how life sentences are handed down even without physical evidence of drugs, and the wealth of Black love. You can follow us on ...
Mar 23, 2021•26 min
In the wake of Tuesday's mass shooting in Atlanta, guest host Ayesha Rascoe talks to critical race theorist and professor Jennifer Ho about the history behind anti-Asian racism and what it means to be an Asian woman in America. Then, Ayesha chats about her latest obsession, the reality dating show Married at First Sight , with fellow devotees Delece Smith-Barrow , education editor at Politico, and Brittany Luse , former co-host and executive producer of The Nod . You can follow us on Twitter @NP...
Mar 19, 2021•35 min
A special episode from our friends at NPR's Planet Money : A show all about the things we're obsessed with. Sam joins Planet Money co-host Karen Duffin to dig into obsessions including the Beyoncé of economics, an actual musician, Lubalin , finding deep inspiration in shallow web posts, and curried chicken. Also, we stage an intervention, and, we bring you Planet Money's first ever meditation to help you breathe deeply and let go. Just let it go. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and ...
Mar 16, 2021•19 min
We take stock of a year that challenged us emotionally, culturally and politically. Sam talks to Hira Deol , a former contestant on Big Brother Canada , about what it was like to learn about the pandemic while sequestered away from the outside world. Plus, Sam chats with culture writer Anne Helen Petersen about the gradual return to our "normal" lives — and just how messy it's going to be. — Read the poem from this episode: "Small Kindnesses" by Danusha Laméris You can follow us on Twitter @NPRI...
Mar 12, 2021•31 min
Sohla El-Waylly called out her previous employer, Bon Appétit , during the magazine's racial reckoning last summer and resigned. The chef and food star is now a columnist at Food52 and star of the YouTube series Off-Script with Sohla . She and Sam talk about racism in the food media industry (and everywhere else), The Cheesecake Factory, and certain kinds of mushrooms. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsa nders@npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our ...
Mar 09, 2021•26 min
Sam joins the Pop Culture Happy Hour team to talk about the French Netflix series Lupin with culture writer Bedatri D. Choudhury and co-hosts Aisha Harris and Glen Weldon . They discuss the twisty caper's exciting (if implausible) plot, dissect its take on race and class, and gush over Omar Sy's performance. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsa nders@npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to man...
Mar 08, 2021•26 min
A new case before the U.S. Supreme Court could jeopardize the power of the Voting Rights Act. Sam talks to Mark Joseph Stern , staff writer for Slate, about what's at stake and how so much of the current debate goes back to Reconstruction. Sam also chats with contributing writer for The Atlantic and podcaster Jemele Hill about how tv viewership across almost all sports has tanked during the pandemic. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsa nders@npr.org. See pcm.adswiz...
Mar 05, 2021•45 min
Torrey Peters ' new book Detransition, Baby , is about navigating identity, commitment, parenthood and divorce. The three main characters, a pregnant cis woman, her partner who is a detransitioned man, and his ex, a trans woman, are all considering how they might come together to create a family. Sam talks to Torrey about writing for trans readers, creating flawed characters and how the COVID-19 pandemic can be viewed through a trans lens. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email u...
Mar 02, 2021•35 min
What's an awards season when many theaters are still closed and it's harder to track which movies and shows deserve buzz? Louis Virtel and Ira Madison III , co-hosts of Keep It chat with Sam about who's being selected and who's being overlooked, and whether the pandemic further exposes awards' irrelevance or not. Plus, Sam talks with Maria Garcia about her podcast, Anything for Selena , and why honoring Selena is political. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsa nders...
Feb 26, 2021•35 min
A special episode from our friends at NPR's history podcast Throughline : Octavia Butler's alternate realities and 'speculative fiction' reveal striking, and often devastating parallels to the world we live in today. She was a deep observer of the human condition, perplexed and inspired by our propensity towards self-destruction. But along with her warning is her message of hope - a hope conjured by centuries of survival and persistence. For every society that perishes in her books comes a story...
Feb 23, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Will the vaccine make me feel sick? Is it OK if I see grandma if she's vaccinated but I'm not? And what's the deal with double masking? Listeners had questions about the coronavirus and vaccines, Sam and NPR Short Wave host Maddie Sofia have answers. Sam also talks to his Aunt Betty about her experience getting her COVID-19 vaccination. Then, the view on coming out to the other side of the pandemic with health journalist Bridie Witton in New Zealand. — Learn more about masks: A User's Guide To M...
Feb 19, 2021•33 min
Sam talks to filmmaker and activist Abigail Disney , daughter of Roy E. Disney, about her views on inequality in the U.S., corporate greed and why, despite her last name, she's become one of the more vocal and prominent critics of The Walt Disney empire. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy...
Feb 16, 2021•22 min
An Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, has become ground zero in a battle that could change Amazon as we know it. Sam chats with a worker about his experience, and labor reporter and organizer Kim Kelly talks about what the fight for unionization in Amazon's warehouses means for the future of workers' rights. Plus, Sam talks to Nick Cho , known as Your Korean Dad on TikTok, about becoming the internet's favorite dad. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsa ...
Feb 12, 2021•38 min
Desus Nice and The Kid Mero went from calling up "anyone in their phone book" in the early days of their podcast Bodega Boys , to booking big names in politics like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and President Barack Obama on Desus & Mero , their late-night show airing on Showtime. Covering a mix of pop culture, politics, headlines and internet hijinks, Desus and Mero talk to Sam about keeping their show's vibe while working from home, how their view of politics has evolved as their platform has g...
Feb 09, 2021•30 min
What would you do if a truck full of money flung its doors open right in front of you? Our friends at the Snap Judgment podcast tell six stories that will make you question your own conscience. You can follow 'It's Been a Minute' on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy...
Feb 08, 2021•36 min
Why does Whitney Houston's 1991 Super Bowl national anthem still resonate 30 years later? Sam chats with author and Black Girl Songbook host Danyel Smith about that moment of Black history and what it says about race, patriotism and pop culture. You can follow 'It's Been a Minute' on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR ...
Feb 05, 2021•24 min
Sam sits in the Fresh Air host chair to chat with actor Angela Bassett . She talks about her most recent film, Disney and Pixar's Soul , what drew her to acting as a young person growing up in Florida, whether Hollywood has changed for Black creatives and which of her past roles define her as a performer. You can follow 'It's Been a Minute' on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsor...
Feb 02, 2021•37 min
What does immigration look like under President Biden? Sam talks to Caitlin Dickerson , staff writer at The Atlantic , about the likelihood Biden can push through policies that other administrations from both parties tried and failed to do. Plus, Sam chats with former federal prosecutor Preet Bharara about his new podcast, Doing Justice , and how the nation's ideas about rules and law have changed in the past few years. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsa nders@npr...
Jan 29, 2021•36 min
Hello, sweatpants. With scaled-down Fashion Weeks, department stores hurting, and more and more people opting for loungewear rather than workplace attire... where does that leave the fashion business in 2021? Sam talks to Robin Givhan , senior critic-at-large at The Washington Post, about how the very harsh reality of the pandemic has shifted an industry largely built on fantasy. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information...
Jan 26, 2021•26 min
How will the response to far-right extremism compare to the response after 9/11? Sam talks to Hannah Allam , NPR national security correspondent, about the security and civil liberties debate over taking a "war on terror" mindset to today's far-right threat. Also, Sam chats with sisters Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar, co-authors of the book You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey, about their inexplicable, sometimes hilarious, but always horrifying stories of everyday racism. You can follow us...
Jan 22, 2021•35 min
What will happen to Fox News after President Trump leaves office? Fox News is facing Trump's anger for not being sufficiently "loyal," and it's seeing new competition as viewers head to conservative networks like Newsmax and One America News Network. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik and Sam discuss how the feuds of cable news fuel our politics and how the whole news industry adapts to life after Trump. Follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org . See pcm.adsw...
Jan 19, 2021•23 min
A lot of the pro-Trump extremism behind the attack on the Capitol flourished online. Sam talks to Bobby Allyn and Shannon Bond , who both cover tech for NPR, about social platforms and the actions they've taken since the siege, the implications for free speech and whether the internet could fundamentally change. Also, Sam talks to Devon Price , author of the book Laziness Does Not Exist , about the lie of laziness and what it means for productivity. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin a...
Jan 15, 2021•36 min
History has a way of repeating itself. Last week's storming of the U.S. Capitol has parallels to an incident dating back to 1874, when a paramilitary force of ex-Confederates seized control of the Louisiana state house. Their goal? To depose a governor who won the election and replace him with his opponent. Sam revisits this history with Jamelle Bouie , columnist at The New York Times. They explore why the path toward political unity in our time might actually be through division. Follow us on T...
Jan 12, 2021•23 min
With the pro-Trump insurrection at the U.S. Capitol this week, at the same time that Congress was set to certify the presidential election results, 2021 is off to a rocky start. Sam checks in with NPR congressional correspondent Susan Davis and NPR White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe on the Capitol breach and the week in politics. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy P...
Jan 08, 2021•36 min
Sam revisits his conversation from 2020 with actress Pamela Adlon. Adlon is the writer, star, director and co-creator of the acclaimed comedy-drama Better Things on FX. The series follows Adlon's character, Sam, as a divorced actress, raising three kids in Los Angeles - all things that mirror Adlon's real life. Sam talks to Adlon about her career, seeing your parents as real-life people, and the awful, crazy, beautiful experience of being a parent yourself. See pcm.adswizz.com for information ab...
Jan 05, 2021•28 min
After a year that offered many moments of reflection—from the coronavirus pandemic, to protests for racial justice, to the long election season—acclaimed poet Claudia Rankine 's latest book offers a framework to process it all. That book is called Just Us: An American Conversation , and in this episode, we revisit her chat with NPR's Audie Cornish. In the book, Rankine has conversations about race with friends and strangers—and learns about herself in the process. You can follow us on Twitter @N...
Jan 01, 2021•31 min
Sam sits in the Fresh Air host chair to talk with writer and director Aaron Sorkin. His latest film The Trial of the Chicago 7 covers the events at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago when several prominent anti-war activists were accused of conspiring to start a riot. Wanna show your love for 'It's Been a Minute'? Support your local NPR station: donate.npr.org/sam See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your ...
Dec 29, 2020•39 min
