We’re uplifting Indigenous voices! First, Farai interviews Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on what she’s learning from the survivors and descendants of the Federal Indian Boarding School system. Then, Farai speaks with Deputy Director of Western Native Voice, Ta’jin Perez, on the fight for tribal sovereignty. Plus, we revisit a 2014 conversation about Native American media from the podcast, “One With Farai” featuring Bird Runningwater, co-executive producer of the forthcoming TV series "So...
Feb 10, 2023•49 min•Ep 125•Transcript available on Metacast Hagar Chemali, foreign policy expert and host of the YouTube Show "Oh My World”, facilitates a conversation with OBP creator and host, Farai Chideya and foreign policy enthusiast and creator of the “What in the World?” podcast, Bunmi Akinnusoto about what pro-Bolsonaro Brazilians storming their congress tells us about extremism here in the US and around the world.
Feb 03, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Farai interviews senior news writer and founding staffer at The Trace, Jennifer Mascia on the recent shootings in California, and what's going wrong with gun regulations in the US. Then, she speaks with the President of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Thema Bryant on how to identify individuals who are prone to committing acts of domestic terrorism, as well as how affected communities can heal from gun violence. Content Advisory: Mentions of various types of gun violence and suicide....
Feb 03, 2023•34 min•Ep 124•Transcript available on Metacast Want more 'Our Body Politic' Episode 123? Here's the full conversation between guest host and NPR Correspondent Cheryl Corley and Washington Post personal finance expert Michelle Singletary. They talk through the importance of choosing the right financial planner, what Black families need to know about wealth, and why it's never too late to learn financial literacy.
Jan 27, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast NPR Correspondent Cheryl Corley guest-hosts this week’s episode on the racial wealth gap and how Black Americans are working to narrow it. First, Corley speaks with former Alderwoman of Evanston, Illinois’s 5th Ward Robin Rue Simmons about how her organization, FirstRepair, is helping people across the nation in the fight for reparations. Corley also interviews the founder and executive director of Black Women Build Baltimore, Shelley Halstead, about how homeownership helps build wealth and comm...
Jan 27, 2023•49 min•Ep 123•Transcript available on Metacast Our Body Politic joined KPCC’s Public Radio Palooza for a special live taping featuring Farai in discussion with Dr. Safiya U. Noble, Professor of Gender Studies and African American Studies at UCLA, board member of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, and author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, about how to address inequities caused by the tech industry. Farai also interviews Julie Lythcott-Haims, New York Times best-selling author of How to Raise an Adult: Break ...
Jan 20, 2023•48 min•Ep 122•Transcript available on Metacast Farai interviews transmedia conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas and art curator, Rujeko Hockley about building an artistic legacy as life partners, and the role public and collaborative art plays in shaping our society. Then on our roundtable, Sippin’ the Political Tea, Farai is joined by Washington Post columnist, Karen Attiah and Entertainment Correspondent for Scripps News, Casey Mendoza to discuss the latest in entertainment and pop culture, including Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle’...
Jan 13, 2023•49 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast Two years after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Farai interviews Dr. Barbara F. Walter, Rohr Professor of Pacific International Relations at the University of California, San Diego, and author of the New York Times bestseller, How Civil Wars Start, on the serious threat factionalism poses to American democracy. Then, Farai talks to former FBI agent, counterterrorism expert, and Associate Senior Vice President of Homeland Security, Dr. Erroll G. Southers, who details how and why homegrown violent...
Jan 06, 2023•49 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast Our Body Politic celebrates the new year by re-airing our 100th episode. Farai reflects on some of the show’s most impactful moments of news and political coverage over the past two years with OBP regular contributors Karen Attiah, columnist for the Washington Post and Tiffany Jeffers, associate professor at Georgetown University Law Center. The trio examines the current political atmosphere, its origins, and reflect on how issues like reproductive rights, the COVID-19 crisis, and the aftermath ...
Dec 30, 2022•51 min•Ep 119•Transcript available on Metacast This week we re-air an episode from June 2022, featuring a past interview between Farai and the late intersectional activist, lawyer, educator, and author Urvashi Vaid who led movements for a range of progressive issues, including AIDS advocacy, LGBT rights, and prison reform. The pair discuss Vaid’s legacy as a leading figure in social change and what it truly takes to change the lived experience of everyone— to achieve lived equality. Then in our series, “Our Body Politics Presents…” we featur...
Dec 23, 2022•51 min•Ep 118•Transcript available on Metacast Farai is joined by Karen Attiah, Our Body Politic contributor and columnist for the Washington Post, and Dr. Sarah J. Jackson, Presidential Associate Professor of communications at the University of Pennsylvania and coauthor of Hashtag Activism: Networks of Race and Gender Justice, to discuss what Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover could mean for women of color users. Then, we reach into the archives for a past conversation between Farai and Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments about how race r...
Dec 16, 2022•51 min•Ep 117•Transcript available on Metacast This week in our Political Remix series, we’re bringing back some of Farai’s key interviews with three women of color exploring the impact of gun violence and policing in the U.S. First, Farai speaks to activist, therapist, and mother, Nelba Marquéz-Greene on the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting. Then, we get reflections from Samaria Rice, mother of Tamir Rice, on policing and justice right after the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Plus, Farai speaks to former ...
Dec 09, 2022•50 min•Ep 116•Transcript available on Metacast Farai interviews Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry, award-winning journalist, author, and host of WNYC’s “The Takeaway”, on reimagining how we view U.S. history and politics, specifically regarding how Black women in media and academia shape our nation’s progress. Then, Farai speaks with Tiffany Dufu, founder of The Cru, a peer coaching platform that provides women with community and resources to achieve professional goals and advance their careers.
Dec 02, 2022•50 min•Ep 115•Transcript available on Metacast This week we revisit an episode from our archives. First, a past conversation between Farai and author of Sign My Name to Freedom, Betty Reid Soskin, who retired at age 100 from her work as a National Park Ranger and community historian. Then in “Our Body Politics Presents,” we hear from Tonya Mosley’s podcast “Truth Be Told” where she speaks to Ayanna Brown, a mother who graciously details her cycle of loving, losing, grieving, and persevering. And on “Sippin’ the Political Tea” Farai speaks wi...
Nov 25, 2022•51 min•Ep 114•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Farai interviews Jemele Hill, contributing writer for the Atlantic and author of the new book, Uphill: A Memoir on how her upbringing informs her impassioned writing and reporting. Then we receive insights on the 2022 midterm election results from political reporters across the nation such as Alex Nguyen with the Texas Tribune, Hibah Ansari with Minnesota’s Sahan Journal, and Lauren Gibbons of Bridge Michigan. And on our weekly political roundtable, Sippin’ the Political Tea, Farai is...
Nov 18, 2022•51 min•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Farai interviews Tia Mitchell, Washington Correspondent for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and chair of the National Association of Black Journalists about the U.S. midterm election results in Georgia and what they tell us about the nation’s political atmosphere. And on this week’s roundtable foreign policy expert, host of “Oh My World” on Youtube, and Our Body Politic guest host, Hagar Chemali, is joined by Ash Sarkar, contributing editor for UK-based media company Novara Media, an...
Nov 11, 2022•50 min•Ep 112•Transcript available on Metacast This week on the show we’re presenting a midterms special where we highlight different races across the nation. Farai interviews Cheri Beasley, former Chief Justice of North Carolina’s Supreme Court on her race to replace retiring Republican senator Richard Burr. We hear from Tene Darby, chairperson of the Lancaster City Democratic Committee in Pennsylvania, on the midterm races happening in her state. Then, Farai speaks with Democratic state representative Dr. Yadira Caraveo on what she hopes t...
Nov 04, 2022•51 min•Ep 111•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Farai interviews Kiara Imani, Esq on how navigating “Black disprivilege” throughout her life led her to write her debut memoir “Therapy Isn’t Just for White People”. Then, Farai speaks to affirmation musician, Toni Jones, about how she uses music as a tool for healing. And on the weekly segment, Sippin’ the Political Tea, Farai is joined by Dr. Kali Cyrus, psychiatrist, activist and co-founder of Gemma and Adriana Alejandre, trauma therapist and founder of LatinX Therapy on the state ...
Oct 28, 2022•51 min•Ep 110•Transcript available on Metacast This week Farai talks to Wisconsin’s Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes about what inspired his run for the U.S. Senate, and how he sees the politics of division. Then, foreign policy expert Hagar Chemali interviews Firuzeh Mahmoudi, co-founder and Executive Director of United for Iran, about the youth and woman-led protests for bodily autonomy in Iran. And on our weekly segment, ‘Sippin’ the Political Tea,’ Farai is joined by Michelle Singletary, financial columnist at The Washington Post and Bryan Gr...
Oct 21, 2022•52 min•Ep 109•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re offering another political remix of some of our most enlightening political conversations to provide context ahead of the 2022 Midterms. We bring back Farai’s interview with Tara Setmayer CNN political commentator and contributor to ABC News on why she chose to break her loyalty with the Republican party. Then, Farai speaks to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton about the fight for D.C. Statehood and Yamiche Alcindor, anchor and moderator of Washington Week on PBS and Washington...
Oct 14, 2022•51 min•Ep 108•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re spotlighting a powerful voting bloc: Generation Z. First, Farai interviews Maxwell Alejandro Frost, Democratic nominee for Florida’s 10th Congressional District, about how his Afro-Cuban identity and work as an organizer and musician help shape his political platform and views. Then Farai is joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and host of MSNBC’s “Into America” Trymaine Lee who shares what he’s learned about the political interests of young Black voters attending histori...
Oct 07, 2022•51 min•Ep 107•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Farai speaks with reporter and WAPT-TV news anchor Troy Johnson on Jackson, Mississippi’s recurring water crisis, and why catastrophes like this so often happen in communities of color. Then, we share again Farai’s conversation from April with Carmen Yulín Cruz, former mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, about how she guided her people through the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. And on our weekly segment, Sippin’ the Political Tea, Farai is joined by Kim Wehle, law professor and advisor at ...
Sep 30, 2022•51 min•Ep 106•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re re-airing some of Our Body Politic’s most noteworthy and illuminating political interviews from the past two years. In preparation of the 2022 Midterms, we’re looking at how some of the most pressing political issues continue to shape our nation by revisiting conversations with key public officials like New York Attorney General Letitia “Tish” James, who shares insights on holding Jan 6 insurrectionists accountable, scholar Geraldo Cadava, who breaks down the history of Hispanic...
Sep 23, 2022•50 min•Ep 105•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Farai interviews Dr. Sayu Bhojwani, civic entrepreneur and founder of Women’s Democracy Lab, about what it takes to create a more inclusive democracy and what current intraparty tensions reveal about the election field ahead of the midterms. Then, we re-air a conversation from “One With Farai” featuring Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry and her 2011 book “Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America.” And in this week’s segment of ‘Sippin’ the Political Tea’, Farai interviews...
Sep 16, 2022•50 min•Ep 104•Transcript available on Metacast This week on Our Body Politic, creator and host Farai Chideya interviews Anita Kumar, longtime reporter and first-ever senior editor of Standards & Ethics at POLITICO, on the 2022 midterm elections landscape. Farai and Kumar delve into how issues like political violence and extremism, abortion rights, and even media coverage are playing for the upcoming elections. Then, Farai interviews Carmen Rita Wong, writer, journalist, finance expert and author of the new memoir “Why Didn’t You Tell Me?” Wo...
Sep 09, 2022•51 min•Ep 103•Transcript available on Metacast This week on Our Body Politic, creator and host Farai Chideya interviews Bryan Greene, consulting producer on the Oscar-winning documentary, “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” and Vice President of Public Advocacy at the National Association of REALTORS. Farai and Greene discuss how events like the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival serve as opportunities for Black Americans to thrive in the face of social and housing discrimination. Then in our series, “Our Body Poli...
Sep 02, 2022•51 min•Ep 102•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Farai interviews Steven Thrasher, LGBTQ scholar, journalist and author of “The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Diseases Collide.” Thrasher offers insights from his new book on how systematic marginalization determines who is most affected by public health crises like HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and now – monkeypox. Then, Farai speaks to Howard Polskin, president and founder of “TheRighting,” a newsletter, site and social media feed that compiles and disseminates far-right ...
Aug 26, 2022•51 min•Ep 101•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Our Body Politic celebrates its 100th episode. Host Farai Chideya reflects on some of the show’s most impactful moments of news and political coverage over the past two years with OBP regular contributors Karen Attiah, columnist for the Washington Post and Tiffany Jeffers, associate professor at Georgetown University Law Center. The trio examines the current political atmosphere, its origins, and reflect on how issues like reproductive rights, the COVID-19 crisis, and the aftermath of...
Aug 19, 2022•51 min•Ep 100•Transcript available on Metacast This week, host Farai Chideya interviews longtime TV and film producer and now co-director of the Sundance award-winning documentary Aftershock, Tonya Lewis Lee and one of the film’s featured subjects, reproductive justice advocate Shawnee Benton-Gibson. Benton-Gibson’s daughter died in October 2019 after giving birth – one more fatality in a long epidemic of Black maternal mortality. Farai also speaks to Lewis Lee one-on-one about how her work in media and experience as a children’s author led ...
Aug 12, 2022•50 min•Ep 99•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Our Body Politic re-airs a timely episode from November 2021. Host Farai Chideya talks with author and China expert Leta Hong Fincher about how feminists face up to the country’s authoritarian regime and the similarities with gender-equality struggles in the U.S. Sixto Cancel, CEO of the non-profit Think of Us, shares his experience in the foster care system and what their organization is doing to reform it. Chef Kia Damon explains why she prefers the term “food apartheid.” On Sippin’...
Aug 05, 2022•50 min•Ep 98•Transcript available on Metacast 
