What the quarter-zip craze tells us about Blackness and respectability
What does the humble, boring quarter-zip sweater have to do with respectability politics and Blackness? Apparently, a lot! When two young Black men on TikTok brought the quarter-zip into vogue for you...
24 Jan 17min
How local police extend ICE's reach, even in sanctuary cities
Sanctuary policies have been described on both sides of the aisle as protecting immigrants. But in many ways, in practice, they have given rise to a specific kind of policing that gives ICE a much wid...
21 Jan 39min
Freedom through the eyes of foes: Rev. Martin Luther King and Sen. Barry Goldwater
In honor of MLK Day, we sit down with historian Nicholas Buccola, author of One Man’s Freedom, to re-examine the concept of "freedom" by comparing the legacies of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and c...
17 Jan 22min
Venezuela and the long tradition of US interference
The U.S. ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is just the latest chapter in a long, troubling history of American intervention in Latin America. NPR immigration correspondent Jasmine Garsd b...
14 Jan 33min
Jelani Cobb talks democracy, Trumpism, and the future of journalism
2026 is off to an intense start, but many of the events we're seeing play out today come out of dynamics that have been building for years. Jelani Cobb, a journalist, historian, and the Dean of Columb...
10 Jan 18min
How 'The Joy Luck Club' highlighted the complicated dynamics of immigrant families
Connecting across generations can be tough, even in the same family. This is at the heart of Amy Tan’s 1989 novel The Joy Luck Club. This week, we're bringing you an episode from NPR's Books We Loved ...
7 Jan 34min
Support for Israel is waning, but many White Evangelical Christians remain steadfast
Among the American public, support for Israel has fallen among almost every demographic group. But for many White Evangelical Christians over the age of 35, support has remained steadfast. And that su...
3 Jan 34min
From "CRT" to "DEI": A history of race and moral panics
A few years back, many politicians were raising the alarm about the dangers of "CRT" in schools. Today, the new risk to public education is "DEI." What do both of these moments have in common? They ha...
31 Dec 202539min
