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Why tacos are as 'American' as apple pie
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The Code Switch Podcast

Why tacos are as 'American' as apple pie

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The hunger for Mexican food in the U.S. is longstanding — from the conquistadors' love affair with chocolate, to the classic San Francisco burrito. This week, we're exploring the history of Mexican food in the United States, and asking what it takes for a cuisine to become quintessentially "American."

Why tacos are as 'American' as apple pie

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Arab and Black communities are trying to reconcile after Trump's election
Jackie Lay

The Code Switch Podcast

Arab and Black communities are trying to reconcile after Trump's election

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Trump's win exposed political tensions between Arab-American voters — who were critical of Democratic support of Israel's war in Gaza, and Black voters — who remain the Democrats' most loyal supporters. That friction is especially pronounced in the majority Arab city of Dearborn, Michigan, and its majority Black neighbor, Detroit. This week, we go to a testy iftar dinner where Arab and Black folks sat down to begin having tough conversations.

Arab and Black communities are trying to reconcile after Trump's election

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40 years ago, Philadelphia police bombed this Black neighborhood on live TV
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The Code Switch Podcast

40 years ago, Philadelphia police bombed this Black neighborhood on live TV

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We're looking back on the day a Philadelphia police department helicopter dropped a bomb on a rowhouse in a middle-class neighborhood. Even though that bombing and the fire it set off killed eleven people and left hundreds homeless, it's been largely forgotten. So how did we collectively memory-hole an event this big? And what does that tell us about race and policing even today?

40 years ago, Philadelphia police bombed this Black neighborhood on live TV

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In the face of trans erasure, what can we learn from Marsha P. Johnson?
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Code Switch

In the face of trans erasure, what can we learn from Marsha P. Johnson?

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Marsha P. Johnson was a trailblazer in the fight for gay rights. But Johnson's legacy extends beyond her activism: "Marsha was a really full person who lived a vibrant life. She was a muse and model for Andy Warhol," and a performer in New York City and London. In this episode, we talk to activist and author Tourmaline about what we can all learn from Johnson's legacy in times of adversity.

In the face of trans erasure, what can we learn from Marsha P. Johnson?

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Why now is the time to find power in "otherness"
Hopper Stone/Harvard University Press

Code Switch

Why now is the time to find power in "otherness"

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Viet Thanh Nguyen came to the U.S. as a refugee from Vietnam when he was four years old. Growing up in San Jose, California, Nguyen remembers the moment he understood he was Asian-American. In his latest book, To Save and To Destroy: Writing as an Other, Nguyen examines the power in finding solidarity with other Others, especially in today's America.

Why now is the time to find power in "otherness"

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Revisiting the fight over the Lakota language as Trump targets "divisive narratives"
Jackie Lay

Code Switch

Revisiting the fight over the Lakota language as Trump targets "divisive narratives"

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As the Trump administration targets the Smithsonian Institute for "divisive narratives" and "improper ideology," it got us thinking about how we preserve our history and everything that builds it, like language. So we're revisiting an episode from last year from the Lakota Nation in South Dakota over language — who preserves it, who has the right to the stories told in it, and who (literally) owns it.

Revisiting the fight over the Lakota language as Trump targets "divisive narratives"

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Why Trump is sending Venezuelans to El Salvador

Juan plays a video of his son Carlos riding a bike, which Carlos purchased the day before being taken into custody, at his home in Cedar Park, Texas, on Jan. 29, 2025. Tamir Kalifa hide caption

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Tamir Kalifa

The Code Switch Podcast

Why Trump is sending Venezuelans to El Salvador

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One of President Trump's main campaign promises was carrying out mass deportations. We look at how the Trump administration is testing the U.S. legal system to make good on its promise, starting with the story of one family trying to find their 18-year-old son after immigration agents showed up at their doorstep.

Why Trump is sending Venezuelans to El Salvador

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Trump is banning diversity programs. What's lost in the DEI purge?
Jackie Lay

The Code Switch Podcast

Trump is banning diversity programs. What's lost in the DEI purge?

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President Trump has put diversity, equity, and inclusion in his crosshairs — but there's no consensus on what DEI even means. Some say that that fuzziness is the point, and that the current anti-DEI push is part of a larger plan to undo the gains made by the Civil Rights Movement.

Trump is banning diversity programs. What's lost in the DEI purge?

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With measles on the rise, what we can learn from past epidemics
Carleen Coulter

Code Switch

With measles on the rise, what we can learn from past epidemics

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As the U.S. health system grapples with new outbreaks and the risk of old diseases making a comeback, we're looking to the past to inform how people in marginalized communities can prepare themselves for how the current administration might handle an epidemic. On this episode, a conversation with historian and author Edna Bonhomme, about her latest book A History of the World in Six Plagues.

With measles on the rise, what we can learn from past epidemics

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What Mahmoud Khalil's arrest means for international students ... and everyone
Jackie Lay

The Code Switch Podcast

What Mahmoud Khalil's arrest means for international students ... and everyone

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Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident and Columbia alum, was detained by ICE for his role in leading pro-Palestinian protests at his former university last year. As Khalil's case has captured the nation's attention, free speech advocates see it as a test of the First Amendment. Meanwhile, the Trump administration argues they have the right to deport Khalil without charging him with a crime. On this episode, why Khalil's arrest should worry all of us.

What Mahmoud Khalil's arrest means for international students ... and everyone

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This Palestinian-American's debut novel may not be political — but her existence is

Author Betty Shamieh next to the cover of her new novel, Too Soon. Lisa Keating hide caption

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Lisa Keating

The Code Switch Podcast

This Palestinian-American's debut novel may not be political — but her existence is

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To be a Palestinian-American writer right now can lead to a lot of expectation to focus on identity and devastation, but in her debut novel, Too Soon, Betty Shamieh shares the story of three generations of Palestinian women trying to find love, purpose and liberation.

This Palestinian-American's debut novel may not be political — but her existence is

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A look at the human toll of the construction of the Panama Canal

Author Cristina Henriquez next to the cover of her new novel, The Great Divide Brian McConkey/Ecco hide caption

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Brian McConkey/Ecco

The Code Switch Podcast

A look at the human toll of the construction of the Panama Canal

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The Panama Canal's impact on the geopolitical stage far outreaches its roughly 51-mile stretch of land and water. This week, we're trying to understand the canal's murky future - from climate change to President Trump's threat to take it for the U.S. - by looking at its turbulent, cataclysmic birth.

A look at the human toll of the construction of the Panama Canal

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Black audiences see themselves centered in a brand new soap opera
Jackie Lay

The Code Switch Podcast

Black audiences see themselves centered in a brand new soap opera

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B.A. Parker digs into the historical connection between Black Americans and soap operas with the launching of "Beyond the Gates," the first ever soap focused primarily on a Black family.

Black audiences see themselves centered in a brand new soap opera

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The NFL's concussion problem beyond CTE
Jackie Lay

Code Switch

The NFL's concussion problem beyond CTE

by  ,  ,  ,  Jasmine Romero ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

In 2015, the NFL agreed to an uncapped settlement to pay former players diagnosed with brain disease. The agreement came after players sued the league for covering what it knew about the links between brain disease and football. But who's gotten paid and how much is affected by their race. On the final episode of our series on race and football, we speak with Will Hobson, investigative sports reporter at The Washington Post.

The NFL's concussion problem beyond CTE

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The Black enclave that could be lost to the Los Angeles wildfires

(Left) Margaret Larkin wears protective gear before visiting her former home. (Right) Larkin's grandson, Dejohn Jones Jr. inspects the damage at his childhood home. Jireh Deng hide caption

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Jireh Deng

Code Switch

The Black enclave that could be lost to the Los Angeles wildfires

by  Jireh Deng ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Altadena was the site of the Eaton fire, one of two major wildfires in Los Angeles County in January. The wind and flames destroyed more than 9,000 structures — and with them, the long-tenured Black community in the town. As efforts to recover and rebuild the town are underway, many residents are left wondering, what of their community will remain?

The Black enclave that could be lost to the Los Angeles wildfires

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An NFL star on what the game costs those who play it

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Jackie Lay

Code Switch

An NFL star on what the game costs those who play it

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  Jasmine Romero ,  ,  ,  , 

Dominique Foxworth played in the NFL from 2005 to 2011. After he retired, he went on to become the head of the NFL Players' Association, the union that represents players in the league. In this conversation, he describes what it was like sitting across from the league's lawyers, advocating for things like players' health care at a time when the risks of playing football were becoming clearer.

An NFL star on what the game costs those who play it

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Untangling the history of Black rights on Native land

(from R to L) Michael Hill, Dietta Parker (Michael's mom), and Ron Jones II (Michael's attorney) outside of the Okmulgee County Courthouse after Michael's final day in court Allison Herrera hide caption

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Allison Herrera

The Code Switch Podcast

Untangling the history of Black rights on Native land

by  Allison Herrera ,  ,  ,  ,  Adreanna Rodriguez ,  ,  ,  , 

How the criminal legal system considers who is and isn't Native, and what that means for the Black people who are members of tribal nations. This reporting is part of an audio documentary from Audible called Tribal Justice: The Struggle for Black Rights on Native Land.

Untangling the history of Black rights on Native land

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From pee-wees to the pros, what football tells us about race in the U.S.
Jackie Lay

Code Switch

From pee-wees to the pros, what football tells us about race in the U.S.

The way football is played and who plays it — from the pee-wees to the pros — tells us so much about race, labor and power in the United States. In a conversation with cultural anthropologist Tracie Canada we explore how starting from young ages, Black players are nudged towards more physically taxing positions that require more strength, athleticism, speed. That affects who gets injured, how they're cared for and how they get paid.

From pee-wees to the pros, what football tells us about race in the U.S.

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Hip-hop is 'fight the power' but also advertises for the power
Islen Milien

The Code Switch Podcast

Hip-hop is 'fight the power' but also advertises for the power

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Critics point out the apparent hypocrisy of a pro-Black rapper like Kendrick Lamar headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, since the NFL isn't exactly an institution that's known for its support of Black lives. So on this episode, we're digging into the history of hip hop and how it's been co-opted.

Hip-hop is 'fight the power' but also advertises for the power

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B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
Jackie Lay

The Code Switch Podcast

B.A. Parker is learning the banjo

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Parker has been trying to find her place in the banjo world. So this week, she talks to Black banjo players like Grammy nominee Rhiannon Giddens about creating community and reclaiming an instrument that's historically already theirs.

B.A. Parker is learning the banjo

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The co-opting of MLK Jr. by...everybody

Author Hajar Yazdiha (left) wrote about Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy in her book, The Struggle for the People's King (right). PR Agency hide caption

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The Code Switch Podcast

The co-opting of MLK Jr. by...everybody

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Martin Luther King Jr. was relatively unpopular when he was assassinated. But the way Americans of all political stripes invoke his memory today, you'd think he was held up as a hero. In this episode, we hear how King's legacy got co-opted.

The co-opting of MLK Jr. by...everybody

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Why laughing while crying is so Korean

Youngmi Mayer poses next to her new book, I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying Photo credit: Fujio Emura hide caption

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Photo credit: Fujio Emura

The Code Switch Podcast

Why laughing while crying is so Korean

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Comedian Youngmi Mayer talks about how her Korean family uses humor as a tool for survival. She gets into the Korean comedic tradition and why the saddest stuff is what makes them laugh the hardest.

Why laughing while crying is so Korean

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