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Race. In your face.
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Rolling the dice on race in Dungeons & Dragons
Thumy Phan for NPR

Code Switch

Rolling the dice on race in Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is one of the most popular tabletop roleplaying games of all time. But it has also helped cement some ideas about how we create and define race in fantasy — and in the tangible world. We take a deep dive into that game, and what we find about racial stereotypes and colonialist supremacy is illuminating.

Rolling the dice on race in Dungeons & Dragons

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In 50 years, the Pell Grant has helped over 80 million people go to college

The Pell Grant has helped 80 million students go to college. Josie Norton for NPR hide caption

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Josie Norton for NPR

Code Switch

In 50 years, the Pell Grant has helped over 80 million people go to college

The cost of college has been on everyone's minds, especially with student debt cancellation. Pell Grants are one way many low income students have managed to pay for college. And they exist in large part because of one Black woman who often goes unmentioned.

In 50 years, the Pell Grant has helped over 80 million people go to college

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What does it mean to "inherit whiteness?"

Author Baynard Woods writes about his family's history in South Carolina in his book Inheritance: An Autobiography of Whiteness. J. M. Giordano/XYZ Book Publisher Company hide caption

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J. M. Giordano/XYZ Book Publisher Company

Code Switch

What does it mean to "inherit whiteness?"

In Baynard Woods' new memoir, Inheritance: An Autobiography of Whiteness, Woods reflects on how growing up white in South Carolina impacted his life. He argues that it is crucial for white people in the U.S. to reckon with their personal histories.

What does it mean to "inherit whiteness?"

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What makes a good race joke?

Comedians Brian Bahe, Maz Jobrani and Aparna Nancherla. Brian Bahe, Storm Santos and Aparna Nancherla hide caption

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Brian Bahe, Storm Santos and Aparna Nancherla

Code Switch

What makes a good race joke?

When a comedian of color makes a joke, is it always about race, even if it's not about race? In part two of our comedians episodes, Code Switch talks to comedians Aparna Nancherla, Brian Bahe and Maz Jobrani about how and why race makes an appearance in their jokes.

What makes a good race joke?

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Three comedians share their thoughts on what makes a great joke about race

Comedians Ziwe, Joel Kim Booster and Anjelah Johnson-Reyes. Myles Loftin/SHOWTIME, Taylor Miller and East 2 West Collective hide caption

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Myles Loftin/SHOWTIME, Taylor Miller and East 2 West Collective

Code Switch

Three comedians share their thoughts on what makes a great joke about race

What makes a great joke about race? In the first of two episodes, Code Switch talks to comedians Ziwe, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes and Joel Kim Booster about their favorite race joke they tell: What's its origin story? Why is it so funny? And what does it say about race in America?

Three comedians share their thoughts on what makes a great joke about race

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Into the glittering neon universe of 'P-Valley' with Katori Hall

The cast of the Starz TV series P-Valley. Pari Dukovic/Courtesy of Starz hide caption

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Pari Dukovic/Courtesy of Starz

Code Switch

Into the glittering neon universe of 'P-Valley' with Katori Hall

The Starz hit show P-Valley takes audiences to a strip club in a fictional town in the Mississippi Delta. Part soap opera, part Southern Gothic, the show focuses on the interior lives of the Black women who work at the club — and the complex social dynamics that shape their lives.

Into the glittering neon universe of 'P-Valley' with Katori Hall

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Lost In Translation

Left, Emmett Chen-Ran and his mother, Yanfei Ran. Right, siblings Max and Isabella Bloom play together. Courtesy of the Chen-Ran and Bloom families hide caption

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Courtesy of the Chen-Ran and Bloom families

Code Switch

Lost In Translation

by Elena Neale-Sacks , Isabella Bloom ,

Today on the show, we're bringing you the stories of two families grappling with how best to communicate across linguistic differences. In the first story, a young man sorts through how to talk to his parents about gender in Chinese, where the words for "he" and "she" sound exactly the same. Then, we follow a family who was advised to stop speaking their heritage language, Japanese, based on some outdated and incomplete research.

Lost In Translation

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Meet B.A. Parker — our new co-host!

The new voice — and face — of the Code Switch podcast! Courtesy of B.A. Parker hide caption

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Courtesy of B.A. Parker

Opinion

Code Switch

Meet B.A. Parker — our new co-host!

Fam: We finally have a new co-host of the Code Switch podcast! And we're just a *tiny bit* excited. So today on the show, we're introducing you to B.A. Parker. Gene chats with Parker about who she is, what drew her to the race beat, and how her encyclopedic knowledge of Oscars trivia will be an asset to Code Switch listeners.

Meet B.A. Parker — our new co-host!

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Who belongs in the Cherokee Nation?

Marilyn Vann, President of the Descendants of Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes Association and the African Indians Foundation Courtesy of Marilyn Vann hide caption

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Courtesy of Marilyn Vann

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Who belongs in the Cherokee Nation?

In 1866, the Cherokee Nation promised citizenship for Black "freedmen" and their descendants. But more than a century later, the descendants of the freedman are calling foul on that promise being fulfilled. This episode, from our friends at The Experiment podcast (produced by WNYC and the Atlantic) gets into the messy history and fraught present.

Who belongs in the Cherokee Nation?

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School Colors Episode 9: 'Water Under The Bridge'

by , , Soraya Shockley , , Ilana Levinson

Over the course of this season, we've explored a rich history and complicated present, but what about the future? In the final episode, we catch up with parents who became activated on both sides of the debate over the diversity plan. And, since the diversity plan never came to fruition, we ask...what now?

School Colors Episode 9: 'Water Under The Bridge'

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Code Switch's playlist for a summer road trip
Aurélia Durand

Code Switch

Code Switch's playlist for a summer road trip

This week, we're talking about the podcasts that podcasters listen to. These are the shows that members of the Code Switch team cannot tear our ears away from. We think they'd be great for a long car ride, plane ride, or just regular day of vegging out. They get into everything from old people to food to the human body to Oprah. And — surprise, surprise — they all have a whole lot to do with race and identity.

Code Switch's playlist for a summer road trip

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School Colors Bonus: 'Ms. Mitchell's Pandemic Diary'

School Colors Bonus: "Ms. Mitchell's Pandemic Diary" Cassandra Giraldo hide caption

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Cassandra Giraldo

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School Colors Bonus: 'Ms. Mitchell's Pandemic Diary'

by , , Soraya Shockley , , Ilana Levinson

Pat Mitchell is the longtime principal of P.S. 48 – an elementary school in Jamaica, Queens. And while she cares deeply about her students and her work, she has struggled with the growing challenges faced by her school community. In this bonus episode, we look at the pandemic through the eyes of one elementary school principal, and how Covid-19 rocked education in the district – especially on the Southside.

School Colors Bonus: 'Ms. Mitchell's Pandemic Diary'

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'Wherever you go, there you are'

Miguel Macias at various stages of life. Courtesy of Miguel Macias hide caption

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Courtesy of Miguel Macias

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'Wherever you go, there you are'

Many immigrants have described the feeling of being different people in different places. Maybe in one country, you're a little goofy, a little wild. In another, you're more serious — more of a planner. In this episode, which originally aired on Latino USA, Miguel Macias explores how his identity has been shaped by both Spain and the United States, leaving him in a state of limbo.

'Wherever you go, there you are'

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School Colors Episode 8: 'The Only Way Out'

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School Colors Episode 8: 'The Only Way Out'

by , , Soraya Shockley , , Ilana Levinson

When the District 28 diversity planning process came around, many Chinese parents had already been activated a year earlier by the fight to defend the Specialized High School Admissions Test.

School Colors Episode 8: 'The Only Way Out'

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Waiting In No Man's Land
Dion MBD for NPR

Code Switch

Waiting In No Man's Land

Tens of thousands of children were adopted from other countries by parents in the U.S., only to discover as adults a quirk in federal law that meant they had never been guaranteed American citizenship. Much like the Dreamers, these adoptees are now fighting for legal status to ensure they can stay with the only homes and families they've ever known.

Waiting In No Man's Land

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School Colors Episode 7: 'The Sleeping Giant'

School Colors Episode 7: "The Sleeping Giant." LA Johnson hide caption

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LA Johnson

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School Colors Episode 7: 'The Sleeping Giant'

by , , Soraya Shockley , , Illana Levinson

In some ways, this entire season was prompted by the parents who organized against diversity planning in School District 28. So in this episode, we're going back to that one ugly meeting, where they unleashed their fear and anger into the rest of the community. So who are these parents, what do they believe and why? Moreover, why were they ready to fight so hard against a plan that didn't exist?

School Colors Episode 7: 'The Sleeping Giant'

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On Food, Mattress Sales, and Juneteenth

Beloved Black cookbooks for Juneteenth. LA Johnson/NPR hide caption

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LA Johnson/NPR

Code Switch

On Food, Mattress Sales, and Juneteenth

It's the second year that Juneteenth has been a federal holiday — which means it's getting the full summer holiday treatment: sales on appliances, branded merchandise, and for some, a day off of work. But on this episode, we're talking about the origin of the holiday — and the traditions that keep its history alive for Black folks around the country.

On Food, Mattress Sales, and Juneteenth

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School Colors Episode 6: 'Below Liberty'
LA Johnson

Code Switch

School Colors Episode 6: 'Below Liberty'

by , , Soraya Shockley , , Ilana Levinson

Though a lot of parents and educators agree there needs to be some change in District 28, the question remains: what kind of change? When we asked around, more diversity wasn't necessarily at the top of everybody's list. In fact, from the north and south, we heard a lot of the same kind of thing: "leave our kids where they are and give all the schools what they need."

School Colors Episode 6: 'Below Liberty'

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The impact of COVID-19, a million deaths in

Author Linda Villarosa pictured next to her book, Under the Skin. Nic Villarosa hide caption

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Nic Villarosa

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The impact of COVID-19, a million deaths in

A new book by Linda Villarosa looks at how racial bias in healthcare has costs for all Americans. Spoiler: Poverty counts — but not as much as you'd think.

The impact of COVID-19, a million deaths in

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