Podcast appearances and mentions of kai wright

Decades before Covid-19, the AIDS epidemic tore through communities in the US and around the world. It has killed some 40 million people and continues to take lives today. But early on, research and public policy focused on AIDS as a gay men's disease, overlooking other vulnerable groups—including communities of color and women. “We literally had to convince the federal government that there were women getting HIV,” says activist Maxine Wolfe. “We actually had to develop treatment and research agendas that were about women.”This week on Reveal, reporters Kai Wright and Lizzy Ratner from the podcast Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows take us back to the first years of the HIV epidemic in New York City. One of the most influential activists for women with AIDS was Katrina Haslip, a prisoner at a maximum-security prison in upstate New York. In the 1980s, Haslip and other incarcerated women started a support group to educate each other about HIV and AIDS.Haslip took her activism beyond prison walls after her release in 1990, even meeting with leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One of the main goals was to change the definition of AIDS, which at the time excluded many symptoms that appeared in HIV-positive women. This meant that women with AIDS often did not qualify for government benefits such as Medicaid and disability insurance. The podcast series Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows is a co-production of The History Channel and WNYC Studios. This is an update of an episode that originally aired in February 2024. Support Reveal's journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/newsletter Connect with us on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This is the last episode of Notes from America with Kai Wright.If you've been with the show through its multi-year history and iterations as a NYC-based narrative podcast and local call-in show called The United States of Anxiety before becoming a nationally distributed program, then you may remember the conversation in this finale.It's with cultural historian, Columbia University professor and MacArthur fellow Saidiya Hartman, who introduces host Kai Wright to young women whose lives were obscured by respectability politics. Hartman is the author of "Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women, and Queer Radicals," which offers an intimate look into some of the Black people that have been seemingly erased from the history books. Through a series of readings, they explore the complicated role of Black intellectuals like W.E.B DuBois, the Black family and how a damaging moralism continues to inform the policing of marginalized communities, public space and American cultural politics today.This episode was originally published as “The ‘Beautiful Experiments' Left Out of Black History” on February 8, 2021.Find Notes From America's archive of episodes here, including the following companion listening for this episode:“Faith Ringgold Creates Space for Black Americans” (1/5/2023)Faith Ringgold's art is an intimate dialogue and debate between generations of Black women, stretching from the formerly enslaved to today. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

The drumbeat of Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area is not politics. It's go-go music.The genre developed by Chuck Brown in 1976 features syncopated rhythms, a large ensemble of musicians and a rich drum beat to create a live experience that has fans dancing 'till they can't dance no more. Go-go has been nurtured by D.C. natives for decades, from the time the District was considered a majority Black “Chocolate City,” and the music has significantly influenced the broader region into Maryland and Virginia, known as the DMV. Its influence can be seen from fashion to food to lingo, especially among Black residents of the region.Go-go became the official music of Washington, D.C. in 2020, and in early 2025 the Go-Go Museum and Café will open in the southeast neighborhood of Anacostia — the cultural heart of Chocolate City. However, it wasn't an easy road for go-go to become widely celebrated in the District. Its evolution mirrors the trials and transformations of a rapidly changing D.C. and the feeling of many Black people who have found it harder and harder to call Washington home.In this episode, host Kai Wright hands the mic to producer Siona Peterous, who grew up in the DMV and has spent much of her adult life immersed in D.C.'s vibrant arts and culture scene. With a deep love for go-go, Peterous sits down to learn more about it from the co-founders of the Go-Go Museum and Café, Ronald Moten and Dr. Natalie Hopkinson. She also talks with Chris Proctor, lead talker of the Take Over Band (T.O.B.), which will celebrate 20 years in the go-go scene this Christmas Day.This episode serves as a primer to the complex and rich history of go-go, taking listeners on a journey to explore how the genre was born, how it became a cultural touchstone during some of D.C.'s darker times, and breaking down the elements that make go-go so unique. Whether you're new to the sound or already a fan, this episode will help you better understand what makes go-go such a powerful, enduring force in the city's identity.After you listen to the show, check out our playlist of go-go essentials here. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

The public debate over policing has made more of us more familiar with ideas like defunding or abolishing the police, but these ideas are still often dismissed as infeasible. In this episode, host Kai Wright is joined by three experts who have seen communities sustain and improve public safety absent of law enforcement.First, we meet Dennis Flores, a Nuyorican multimedia artist, activist and educator born and raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He is the co-founder of El Grito de Sunset Park, a grassroots community-based organization that advocates around issues of discriminatory policing and housing rights. Flores is also the lead organizer of the Sunset Park Puerto Rican Day Parade, which, entering its third year, has created a celebration of Puerto Rican culture safe from police harassment. Flores shares how own experience with our justice system led him to find alternatives to police presence to keep his community safe.Next, Kai is joined by Philip V. McHarris, an assistant professor in the Department of Black Studies and Frederick Douglas Institute at the University of Rochester, and author of the book, “Beyond Policing.” McHarris breaks down the history of our police system and how learning about the white supremacist origins of law enforcement can help us discover better alternatives.Then Danielle Sered, executive director of the award-winning organization Common Justice, talks about developing and advancing solutions to violence that meet the needs of those harmed and foster racial equity without relying on incarceration. Sered is the author of “Until We Reckon: Violence, Mass Incarceration, and a Road to Repair” and her organization is at the forefront of alternatives to prison. She shares her takeaways from working on the frontlines — both with victims and perpetrators.Companion Listening: “People Feel Unsafe–and It's More Than Crime” (March 14, 2022)The social fabric is torn. People nationwide are scared, some going so far as to arm themselves. What can we learn from our history as we react to this fear? Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

For nearly a decade, Donald Trump and his political allies have made it clear that one of their primary goals is mass deportation of undocumented people living in the U.S. After the election, this rhetoric is set to become a policy reality, affecting millions of people across all sectors of society.While Trump and right-wing conservatives have proudly embraced an anti-immigration stance, it's important to recognize that Republicans aren't the only party that set the stage for mass deportations. Over the years, Democrats have also shifted rightward on immigration, increasingly echoing the foundational principles of conservative immigration policies. After all, there's a reason President Obama earned the nickname "Deporter-in-Chief": 3 million people were deported during his presidency. As questions arise about what mass deportations will look like under a Trump administration, many wonder how it will differ from the current system. In our latest episode, host Kai Wright speaks with Jasmine Garsd, NPR's immigration correspondent and the host of The Last Cup, as well as Ronnie James, director of national community engagement for the UndocuBlack Network, an organization that supports Black migrants who are either currently or formerly undocumented. They explore how both parties have mishandled immigration over the years, the myths and misconceptions that shape immigration policy, the economic impacts of mass deportations, and what these policies could actually look like in practice. James also shares how people can get involved in efforts to push back against these policies.  Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

What do the results of the presidential election tell us about our country? We asked a veteran movement organizer to reflect on what feels like a rejection of her core values.To help him make sense of all the post-election feelings, host Kai Wright gets advice from his mentor in the movement for racial and social justice, Rinku Sen. Sen  is the executive director of the Narrative Initiative, which focuses on social movements working to root our multiracial democracy in equity and justice. She shares reflections and lessons from her own journey as an organizer and thinker.Plus, Kai turns to reporter Brandon Tensley, who covers national politics for Capital B News, to break down what we know and don't know about the incoming Trump Administration, and how he is preparing for what is to come professionally — and personally. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Kai Wright joins Alison to reflect on Election Night and we take listener calls.

Former President Donald Trump has spent the last days of his 2024 campaign casting doubt on the U.S. election system, even taking the stage at a rally in Pennsylvania to say he “shouldn't have left” the White House in 2020. The rhetoric and lies coming from the Trump campaign have also included a false narrative that non-U.S. citizens are voting illegally in large numbers, setting a stage to justify mass deportations or, if needed, declaring a stolen victory.To put it bluntly, there will likely be no simple resolution to the outcome of this election. Anne Applebaum, a staff writer for The Atlantic, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and co-host of the podcast Autocracy in America, joins host Kai Wright to discuss and dissect the ways the Trump campaign has laid the groundwork for distrust in the election results, no matter what they are.Plus, we hear from NBC News disinformation reporter Brandy Zadrozny about the spaces where these lies are spreading and how to weed through disinformation on Election Day and beyond. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

One aspect of the Vice-President's background that's relatively overlooked, and yet critical to understanding her, is her membership in the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. “In one of the bylaws,” the writer Jazmine Hughes tells David Remnick, “it says that the mission of the organization, among many, is to uplift the social status of the Negro.” Far from a Greek party club, A.K.A. "is an identity” to its members. When Donald Trump insinuated that Kamala Harris had “turned Black,” in his words, for political advantage, “a lot of people pointed to her time at Howard, and her membership in A.K.A., [as] a very specific Black American experience that they did not see from someone like Barack Obama.”  Jazmine Hughes's reporting on “The Tight-Knit World of Kamala Harris's Sorority” was published in the October 21, 2024, issue ofThe New Yorker. Plus, Kai Wright, who hosts WNYC's “Notes from America,” speaks with the choreographer Bill T. Jones. This week, the Brooklyn Academy of Music is re-mounting Jones's work “Still/Here,” which caused a stir when it débuted at BAM, thirty years ago: The New Yorker's own dance critic at the time, Arlene Croce, declared that she wasn't going to review it. Now “Still/Here” is considered a landmark in contemporary dance, and Jones a towering figure. 

With the 2024 presidential election right around the corner, all eyes are on the swing states. In this episode, host Kai Wright travels to Atlanta, the heart of one swing state where early voting numbers are at a record high, to hear about the historically large political gender gap.While the show was in town, Atlanta hosted homecoming festivities for Morehouse and Spelman Colleges, two of the nation's most famous historically Black schools — and the perfect campuses to talk politics with students and alumni in between the parties.Kai is joined by Omar Ali, a local Atlanta business owner and political organizer; Rose Scott, host of the daily news magazine Closer Look on WABE, Atlanta Public Radio; and Errin Haines, co-founder and editor-at-large of The 19th, a newsroom that covers the intersections of gender, politics and policy. Plus, listeners tell us how the candidates' appeals to their gender identity will affect their vote.Thanks to our station partner WABE for collaborating on this episode. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

There is a longstanding, widely held belief that the best chance at a better future is to go off to college – especially for people from marginalized communities.Whether it was your teacher, general political rhetoric, or one of many sitcoms that reflect middle class American life, the message was to go to school or risk failure — dismissing millions of people who decided not to go to college and created viable, sustainable careers in trade professions, from manufacturing and welding to plumbing and software engineering.And now, as college costs continue to rise and more people want to develop a sense of financial stability, education and careers in the trades through vocational schools are becoming not only more accepted, but also encouraged across all factors of society. In our latest episode, host Kai Wright talks to ​​Maya Bhattacharjee-Marcantonio, co-founder of The Marcy Lab School in Brooklyn, New York, and Eric Kelderman, a senior writer at the Chronicle of Higher Education about the shifting cultural cachet around earning a 4-year college degree. We talk about what motivates some students to pursue vocational education, what this change might mean long-term for Americans across demographics, and why some still prefer a professional path that includes college.Support of WNYC's coverage of economic mobility and opportunity is provided in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information about how the Gates Foundation supports economic mobility and opportunity, visit usprogram.gatesfoundation.org. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson has always aspired to be a federal judge. In fact, the newest appointed associate justice of the United States Supreme Court wrote in her application to Harvard University that she wished “to attend Harvard Law School as I believed it might help me ‘to fulfill my fantasy of becoming the first Black, female Supreme Court justice to appear on a Broadway stage.'” She tells stories like these in her new memoir, "Lovely One."Justice Jackson joins host Kai Wright to discuss the bestselling book and more in a live conversation recorded at the U.S. National Archives in Washington D.C. They are accompanied by musical performances from the percussive and vocal group The Women of the Calabash.This episode was made in partnership with the March On Festival, telling stories that move, and AIDS Healthcare Foundation, through its We The People National Campaign, elevating the power of democracy for all Americans.Notes from America is a 2024 Signal Awards finalist! Community voting is now open for the show to earn a Listener's Choice honor for Best Live Podcast Recording, and we would be honored for you to take a minute to cast a vote our way. Click here to vote through October 17, and thank you for listening and supporting Notes from America! Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Americans under 30 years old have been through a lot in their young lives. Perhaps living through and witnessing the volatile political moment that was Donald Trump's presidency, a global pandemic, a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, and growing devastation due to war in the Middle East, has led to their reported lack of trust in several key political and social institutions. And yet, as we hear in this episode, Gen Z is deeply engaged with the issues and ideas that will improve their experiences as young adults who want their personal rights protected, and the ability to have safe communities and economic security. Gen Z voter voices are at the center of this conversation, hosted live by Kai Wright at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. We hear from journalist Rachel Janfaza, who covers the political culture of the Gen Z generation; Askar Mirza, commissioner of Ridgefield, N.J.; and Alexis Williams, who is a coder and a political and social justice content creator. They join Kai for a conversation about how they became engaged themselves and what they know about their peers' political priorities this election year.Special thanks to the entire staff at NJPAC, especially Donna Walker Kuhne, Kitab Rollins, Megan Barry and Shira Vickar-Fox. Thanks also to the following colleagues at WNYC: Brenda Williams Butts, Kristina Newman-Scott, Ed Haber, George Wellington, Aaron Cohen, Bill O'Neill, Jim Stagnitto, Robin Bilinkoff and Matthew Marando. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Come November, an estimated 36 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in the U.S. presidential election. Across the nation, there are Spanish language radio stations invested in them as an audience — and content on those stations is targeting listeners with disinformation about the candidates, the parties and political issues.In this special episode, host Kai Wright sits down with journalist Paulina Velasco to discuss “Frequency of Deception,” an investigation into the lies, rumors and propaganda that have been peppering Spanish language broadcasts in recent years. Velasco's reporting includes egregious examples of attempts to manipulate listeners, ideas about who and what is behind these nefarious efforts, and a look at the ongoing push to combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation among vulnerable communities.This story is part of Frequency of Deception / Radiofrecuencia de engaños, a six-part series on the spread of dis- and misinformation on Spanish-language radio in the U.S. by Feet in 2 Worlds in partnership with WNYC's Notes from America, palabra and Puente News Collaborative. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Come November, an estimated 36 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in the U.S. presidential election. Across the nation, there are Spanish language radio stations invested in them as an audience — and content on those stations is targeting listeners with disinformation about the candidates, the parties and political issues. In this special episode of WNYC's Notes from America, host Kai Wright sits down with journalist Paulina Velasco from Feet in 2 Worlds to discuss “Frequency of Deception,” an investigation into the lies, rumors and propaganda that have been peppering Spanish language broadcasts in recent years. Velasco's reporting includes egregious examples of attempts to manipulate listeners, ideas about who and what is behind these nefarious efforts, and a look at the ongoing push to combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation among vulnerable communities. This radio piece was produced as part of Frequency of Deception / Radiofrecuencia de engaños in collaboration with WNYC's Notes from America. Frequency of Deception / Radiofrecuencia de engaños is an in-depth investigative series into misinformation and disinformation on Spanish-language radio in the United States. This series was produced by Feet in 2 Worlds in partnership with WNYC's Notes from America, palabra and Puente News Collaborative.

The election is less than two months away and neither candidate has laid out specific terms or plans for environmental policies if they were to win the election. Here's what we do know.The Trump administration was vocally critical of policies meant to protect the environment and pursued policies that would retrace protective measures. Recently, it was reported that former president Donald Trump promised to ease regulations on big oil companies if they supported his campaign to the tune of $1 billion. Meanwhile, the Biden White House has been praised by some climate activists for its more progressive measures to implement pro-climate policies. It's easy to assume that Vice President Harris would follow in Biden's footsteps if she wins the election, however, no one is sure.In this episode, host Kai Wright discusses why there is lack of clarity on climate issues from the candidates with award-winning journalist Amy Westervelt, founder of the Critical Frequency Network. They also explore why there seems to be less discussion of climate change, not only from politicians, but from the general public as well.  Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

The Biden administration says it's putting forward its best and final proposal to Israel for a ceasefire deal that would pause the violence in Gaza and give regional leaders and global stakeholders the opportunity to work toward a resolution. But the Netanyahu government has not seemed interested in a deal, and it's likely that the next president-elect of the U.S. will find their leadership and legacy defined by what happens next in Gaza.This week, host Kai Wright gets on the call with Iranian author Arash Azizi to talk about who is advising Trump and Harris on Israel's war in Gaza, the spreading conflict and even to consider what would happen should a deal get done ahead of November.Perhaps you've noticed: the news is newsing in overdrive lately. Notes from America is meeting the moment with an extra podcast drop on Thursdays like this one. It's a pop-up series of conversations about politics, voters and democracy right now that we're calling “On the Call.” Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Dancers and romantic partners Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane stood out in the modern dance movement of the 1970s and 1980s as they explored a new vocabulary of movement that helped redefine the landscape of dance.  Zane died of AIDS-related complications in 1988, and Jones vowed to continue their work with the company they co-founded.Shortly after, he began convening workshops across America with people who were living with a terminal illness. Jones studied their words, their expressions and their movements, and created a work called “Still/Here,” which debuted on stage in 1994. Journalist Bill Moyers and filmmaker David Grubin produced a documentary about the dance and its making. The stories depicted by the company dancers included inspiration from people with breast cancer, cystic fibrosis, HIV and other diagnoses — and it was both critically acclaimed and controversial.Jones is returning to this work 30 years on, staging it at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) this fall. In this episode, he talks with host Kai Wright about his reflections of creating such an essential piece of performance art while grieving, what he learned from spending time with the “survivors,” and his response to the criticisms he received. Jones also shares how “Still/Here” has evolved for a new generation of audiences, and discusses his legacy in the world of dance.For more information about the forthcoming performances of “Still/Here” and to purchase tickets, click here. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

In 2021, a trio of retired U.S. military generals co-authored an opinion piece in the Washington Post. It warned that what happened on January 6, 2021, would happen again — that America must prepare for another coup attempt in the aftermath of the 2024 election, one they predicted will have more help and coordination from members of the U.S. military. But how can the nation be prepared for more political violence aided by those who are supposed to protect it?A group of veterans decided to run a simulation. It assigned unscripted roles to elected officials, government agents and military personnel to examine how they would coordinate on a strategy to diffuse a violent insurrection in 2025. Their work was documented in real-time and presented in a chilling film called “War Game,” which is making the rounds on the festival circuit.In this episode, host Kai Wright gets a call to speak with Tony Gerber and Jesse Moss, the co-directors of “War Game,” and with Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of Vet Voice Foundation and a producer of the documentary. They talk about the real world challenge of radical extremism within the military and what resources the U.S. government has to employ to counter an attempt at overthrowing American democracy.Perhaps you've noticed: the news is newsing in overdrive lately. Notes from America is meeting the moment with an extra podcast drop on Thursdays like this one. It's a pop-up series of conversations about politics, voters and democracy right now that we're calling “On the Call." Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Everything about the dynamic of the 2024 election changed when Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and endorsed Kamala Harris to take his place on the Democratic Party ticket. But are the polls looking much different now that there's a new match-up? This week, host Kai Wright gets Patrick Toomey on the call to talk about some of the latest survey data in critical parts of the country. Toomey is a partner at BSG, a consulting and research firm that has collaborated with Cook Political Report and GS Strategy Group on The Swing State Project, which aims “to better understand how voters in the seven key battleground states are evaluating the many cross-pressures of the presidential and down-ballot races in their states.”  Toomey discusses their findings, and whether Harris's infusion of fresh energy is enough to steady the swing in pivotal places.Perhaps you've noticed: the news is newsing in overdrive lately. Notes from America is meeting the moment with an extra podcast drop on Thursdays like this one. It's a pop-up series of conversations about politics, voters and democracy right now that we're calling “On the Call.” Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

The Vice President came of age inside collegiate institutions that have shaped Black, middle-class culture for generations. She says they imprinted deeply upon her as well. Kamala Harris's story is remarkable in numerous ways. If elected president, she'll be the first coming from several life experiences, including one that many Black commentators have noticed: She'd be the first president who's a graduate of an HBCU, and a member of one of the “Divine Nine” Black sororities and fraternities. She called her time at Howard University, and her membership in the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, an important part of her journey. So what can we learn about the would-be president by looking at those institutions?  In this episode, host Kai Wright discusses who the “Divine Nine” are and why they were created with Lawrence Ross, and then chats with historian Dr. Natalie Hopkinson. Political analyst Dr. Christina Greer gives us cultural context on how HBCUs like Howard shaped not only Harris, but a whole generation of Black university students. She talks about the influence of Black Greek life, and the nuanced politics of the 1980s. Every summer we crowdsource a Spotify playlist with our listeners built around a particular theme. This year, for the third edition of our seasonal soundtrack, we are asking you to contribute a song that represents your political identity or political priorities in 2024. See how the collection is shaping up so far, and add yours to the mix by leaving a message at 844-745-8255. Be sure to share your first name, where you're calling from and a little bit about what the song represents for you in the context of the 2024 election. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Slate staff writer Aymann Ismail gets “On the Call” with host Kai Wright to share his reporting on the “uncommitted” Democrats pushing Kamala Harris for an arms embargo on Israel — and the awkward scene he found at the Republican National Convention. Plus, they talk about the nominee's notorious “I'm speaking” moment at a rally in Detroit in response to interruptions from pro-Palestinian protestors, and the work the Harris-Walz campaign has to do to engage voters who are dismayed at the White House response to Israel's war in Gaza.Companion listening: A 9/12 Story: ‘I Forgot I Was a Muslim Kid'Ismail talks about his post-9/11 childhood in northern New Jersey, and what he learned about his identity as an adult. How did September 11, 2001, and its aftermath, affect the way anyone perceived as Muslim fit inside the American experiment?  Perhaps you've noticed: the news is newsing in overdrive lately. Notes from America is meeting the moment with an extra podcast drop on Thursdays like this one. It's a pop-up series of conversations about politics, voters and democracy right now that we're calling “On the Call.” Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

It's been a turbulent election year so far and artists at the forefront of the conversation match that energy. From Megan Thee Stallion debuting “Hotties for Harris,” to Sexxy Red sporting MAGA red, to Charli XCX declaring “kamala IS brat”, to Kid Rock's rally cry of “fight, fight” during his performance at the RNC — it's hard to imagine what song the candidates will be affiliated with next before their campaigns are over.In this episode, host Kai Wright is joined by two experts to break down what music can tell us about our current political moment. Noriko Manabe is professor and chair of music theory at Indiana University. Chris Willman is Variety's senior music writer and chief music critic. Together, they go song by song while taking your calls with submissions to our annual playlist.Every summer we crowdsource a Spotify playlist with our listeners built around a particular theme. This year, for the third edition of our seasonal soundtrack, we are asking you to contribute a song that represents your political identity or political priorities in 2024. See how the collection is shaping up so far, and add yours to the mix by leaving a message at 844-745-8255. Be sure to share your first name, where you're calling from and a little bit about what the song represents for you in the context of the 2024 election. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

The Harris for President 2024 Campaign made its latest political move by announcing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as Kamala Harris' choice for vice president. The selection of Walz signals that, for Democrats, this election is about more than just defeating Donald Trump, says author and political commentator Anand Giridharadas.He joins host Kai Wright in this episode of “On The Call,” our political pop-up series, to talk about how a Harris-Walz ticket sends a message about America's future that is sorely needed, and why this pairing gives off “vibes” that shouldn't be underestimated on the political stage this year.What are you vibing to this summer? We're building a playlist and we'd love your help! Leave a message at 844-745-8255 and tell us what's a song that speaks to your political priorities or your political identity this election year? We're growing this song collection all summer long and we'd love to add your selections to the mix! Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Kamala Harris's nomination for president is historic and unprecedented. But one thing that has followed Harris since her initial campaign for president in 2019 are the many questions around her record as a prosecutor, district attorney and eventually the Attorney General of California. These questions have come to a head through the lens of the brutal, high profile killing of Sonya Massey at the hands of an officer on July 6 just outside Springfield, Illinois. Massey thought someone was breaking into her home and called the cops. She was actually in the midst of a mental health crisis, and when two officers showed up, the situation got much worse despite the officers acknowledging that they knew Massey may be in mental distress. Body camera footage ultimately revealed a horrific scene in which Deputy Sheriff Sean Grayson shoots Massey in the face, then refuses to provide aid as she dies. Grayson has been indicted on murder charges and denied pretrial release. Massey's story broke into national news just days before Kamala Harris became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee for president.  So what, if anything, in her extensive career can provide insight on what a potential Harris administration could or even would do to end this cycle of police killings?In this episode, host Kai Wright discusses the juxtaposition of Sonya Massey's life and death and candidate Harris's record on police violence specifically and law enforcement generally with Christina Carrega,criminal justice reporter at Capital B, and Jamilah King, editorial director at Mother Jones. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

On August 2, 1924, a baby boy was born at Harlem Hospital in New York City — one who would grow up to become one of the most celebrated writers and thinkers of the 20th century. James Baldwin's novels, essays and ideas were captivating and controversial. They challenged society's ideas of race, power, sexuality and belonging through politics that were rooted in his personal experiences as a Black, queer man in America, and later as an expatriate in other nations.In this episode, host Kai Wright reveals his own connection to the works of James Baldwin, and speaks with Razia Iqbal, a professor of journalism at Princeton University. Iqbal is also the host of the forthcoming podcast series “Notes on a Native Son,” which features interviews with modern-day writers and activists who have been inspired by Baldwin. The six-part series will be featured on Notes from America starting on September 7.Craving more James Baldwin? Check out these episodes from our sister shows at WNYC:Meshell Ndegeocello's Ode to James Baldwin on NYC Now100 Years of 100 Things on The Brian Lehrer Show Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

President Joe Biden says he has a plan to reform the Supreme Court — one that will keep presidential power in check. Political commentator Elie Mystal says it's about time. Mystal is the justice correspondent for The Nation magazine and someone who has been advocating (at the top of his lungs) for SCOTUS reform for years. In this episode of “On the Call,” our political pop-up series, host Kai Wright talks with Mystal about what Biden is proposing, why the judicial reform push is coming now that the president has decided not to seek re-election, and how Vice President Kamala Harris is positioned to pick up the baton and make change a part of her political legacy.Perhaps you've noticed: the news is newsing in overdrive lately. Notes from America is meeting the moment with an extra podcast drop on Thursdays like this one. It's a pop-up series of conversations about politics, voters and democracy right now that we're calling On the Call. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu's July 24th address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress was skipped by roughly half of the Democratic caucus, including the party's new presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. This marks a shift in Democratic Party politics around Israel and Palestine after nearly 10 months of mass protests across the country in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. For many, it has been a first introduction to the U.S movement for Palestinian rights, but for Arab Americans across the country, it is the latest in a very long story of Arab American political engagement and its connection to U.S. policy in the Middle East.Arab American civil rights lawyer Abdeen Jabara was born in the small town of Mancelona, Michigan in 1940. Over the course of his life, he watched the Arab American community grow into a political group now at the forefront of the 2024 presidential election. In this episode, Jabara joins host Kai Wright and producer Suzanne Gaber to share the history of the community's political organizing and its complicated relationship with the U.S. government – a history that includes how he discovered the government was illegally surveilling him and more than 150,000 other Arabs in the U.S.Find Notes From America's 2024 Summer Playlist, Your Politics Through Song, here. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Perhaps you've noticed: the news is newsing in overdrive lately. Notes from America is meeting the moment with an extra podcast drop on Thursdays starting today. Welcome to On the Call, a pop-up podcast series of conversations about politics, voters and democracy right now.While most of America was still processing the news that President Joe Biden would not seek re-election, Black women across the nation were receiving notifications to join a Zoom call in support of the person Biden endorsed to replace him as the Democratic nominee: Vice President Kamala Harris. In the end, an estimated 44,000 people joined that virtual meeting, which managed to raise more than $1 million dollars in a matter of hours. One person on that call was CNN national politics correspondent Eva McKend, who says at times it was more like a prayer circle than a political event. In this episode, she joins host Kai Wright from the campaign trail to reflect on the meeting, what's happened since with organized efforts in support of Harris, and what these investments of energy in a new contender mean for the 2024 election. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

“The call was coming from inside the house,” says Fordham University political scientist Christina Greer about the pressure campaign Democrats applied to President Joe Biden in the weeks since his debate against Republican contender Donald Trump. Biden's fitness for another four-year term had been called into question, and although he seemed determined to stay in the race, his late-July announcement that he'd suspend his re-election campaign came with little surprise. That decision also came with an endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the new Democratic nominee, which prompted anxiety from Biden devotees, excitement for some Democrats who hoped for a (younger) infusion of energy into this campaign, and vicious attacks from the right. In this episode, host Kai Wright is joined by Greer, who is also host of The Blackest Questions podcast, and by Joan Walsh, national affairs correspondent for The Nation magazine, to discuss Biden's choice and electability politics as they relate to a likely new Democratic ticket with Kamala Harris at the top. They also hear from Americans around the country as they process the new dynamics of a volatile campaign year. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Federal investigators are charged with uncovering how a 20-year-old man was able to use an automatic rifle from a rooftop just outside of a campaign rally for Donald Trump to open fire, killing one attendee and injuring others, including the former president. The horrific images from the rally flooded social media timelines, followed by conspiracy theories, misinformation and more concerning narratives that demonstrate how trust in politicians and media alike has eroded.In this episode, host Kai Wright unpacks the violence and the fallout with a panel of expert guests. Joining him are:Juliette Kayyem, professor of national security at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, CNN senior national security analyst, former United States Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, and author of “The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters.”David Gilbert, reporter for WIRED who covers disinformation and online extremism.Jacob Ware, research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who studies domestic and international terrorism and counterterrorism. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

WNYC, the most listened-to public radio station in America and the production home of this podcast, turns 100 years old this year. Its audio archives are full of gems from history — including voices, interviews and performances from some of the most well-known Black Americans of the 20th century.In this episode, host Kai Wright digs through some of the audio and discovers moments that illuminate the Black experience through the words of legends like Josephine Baker, Malcolm X, Dick Gregory and Shirley Chisholm. He's joined by Christina Greer, an associate professor of political science at Fordham University and the host of the podcast The Blackest Questions. Together, they listen through time and discuss a shared goal of these influential figures: making the promise of America work for them.Special thanks to the WNYC Archives, The Municipal Archives and to archivist Andy Lanset for preserving and cataloging the historical audio contained in this episode. To learn more about WNYC's centennial anniversary, click here. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

When President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump shared the stage for the first presidential debate of the 2024 election season, it was memorable for all the wrong reasons.Namely, it displayed a concern of many Americans: Biden's age and acuity. We watched two men, both in the late years of their lives, both of whom have already spent decades as rich and powerful people, both of whom have already been president, and neither of whom can conceive of a future in which they aren't in charge. Many in the Democratic Party were left angry and terrified, and the event prompted an op-ed from The New York Times' Editorial Board calling for Biden to remove himself from the race.In this episode, host Kai Wright is joined by New York Times columnist Lydia Polgreen to talk about the calls for Biden's removal and her own suggestion that Vice President Kamala Harris step in instead. They also sit down with Christopher Ojeda, a political scientist at the University of California, Merced, and author of the forthcoming book “The Sad Citizen,” to hear about his research on how politics impacts our mental health and what that in turn means for elections. Plus, we hear why some of you are starting to feel anxious, depressed, and angry about the upcoming presidential election.Companion listening for this episode:Voter Vibe Check: Anti-Trump Conservatives On Republican Party Politics in 2024  (2/5/2024) Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Minority rule – by which a few get to decide the outcomes for many – is eroding American democracy at nearly every level, according to veteran journalist Ari Berman, author of Minority Rule: the Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People―and the Fight to Resist It. In this episode, host Kai Wright talks to Berman about how the U.S. has been in a push-and-pull between oligarchy and democracy since 1787 when the Founding Fathers put systems in place, like the Senate and the Electoral College, to prevent the will of the people from having too much influence in national government. Berman explains how these systems have laid the foundation for modern day partisanship, making the future of America's democracy seem increasingly shaky as right-wing political leaders engage with authoritarian ideals, and as the will of the people is curtailed by the wants, fears and needs of white, wealthy Americans.Berman is the national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones and a reporting fellow at Type Media Center. His previous books include Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America and Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

The promise of American democracy could not be fulfilled until all Americans were free.Following the moment of Black liberation marked by Juneteenth, Black Americans began the ongoing project of securing and protecting their rights to vote, and to lead. In this special Juneteenth episode, host Kai Wright traces the lineage of our democracy being actualized to the period after Emancipation, when political leadership like that of late Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan emerged and began to shape the potential and the power of the Black vote on our nation.Recorded live at Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church where Jordan was a member, Kai welcomes Rev. Ronald Bell, the church's senior director of membership, and scholar Mary Ellen Curtin, author of the forthcoming biography "She Changed The Nation: Barbara Jordan's Life and Legacy in Black Politics," to reflect on the first Black person elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Black woman from the South to serve in Congress. They're also joined by  Sonny Messiah-Jiles, CEO and Publisher of Houston's Defender Media Group, a Black community news organization, to discuss how Black voters continue to shape politics in an election year that's crucial to the sustainability of our democracy.Special thanks to event partner AHF through its We The People Coalition, marching forward to protect democracy. Thanks also to Houston Public Media, Rice University and the community of Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church including Pastor D.Z. Cofield, Linda Whitley, Mark Taylor, David Donaldson, Daniel Williams, Ian Chestnut and Travis Rucker.Companion listening for this episode: "Juneteenth is an Act of Bravery" (6/19/2023) Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Back in April, some of our listeners told us they were “Trump curious.” A few months later, the former president is now a convicted criminal and other listeners have lingering questions.The Notes from America inbox is always teeming with interesting takes from our audience and in this episode, host Kai Wright is joined by producer Regina de Heer to go through the various messages the show has received in recent months. They include notes about this year's presidential election, one listener's chance interaction with a performance of “The Wiz” in a historic town, and a touching response to our request for your stories about summer. By the way, it's not too late to send in your summer stories! Do you have a summer tradition that you will be breaking this year, for whatever reason? Will you make an intentional change to your seasonal routine, whether big or small? If so, we want to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 844-745-8255 with your name, location and the story of what you're doing differently. Or you can record a voice memo on your device and email it to us at notes@wnyc.org. Regina just may reach back out to you for a more detailed version of your shifting summer experience. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Last week, a jury in Manhattan handed down a guilty verdict in the hush money trial of Donald J. Trump for 34 counts related to falsifying business records to influence the 2016 election. Even though the verdict made Trump the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes, most American voters say the outcome of the trial doesn't make much difference to how they'll show up to the polls in November.In this episode, host Kai Wright is joined by award-winning journalist Andrea Bernstein, who has covered five of Trump's trials in New York for NPR, including this latest one, and who is the author of a book about Trump's enterprises called “American Oligarchs: the Kushners, the Trumps and the Marriage of Money and Power.” Bernstein is also the co-host of the podcasts Trump Inc., Will Be Wild and We Don't Talk About Leonard. She shares her takeaways from the New York courtroom where the former president was found guilty, and looks ahead to his sentencing and the series of legal challenges facing Trump in the months to come. Plus, callers from around the country share their reactions to the historic verdict, and their questions about what this outcome means for the rest of this election year.Companion listening for this episode: Voter Vibe Check: Why Trump Has More Support From Black Voters Than Ever (4/8/2024)A new poll says if the presidential election was held today, 23 percent of Black voters would cast their ballot for Trump. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Author Ayana Mathis' new novel, The Unsettled, is an intergenerational story centered around one Black family's struggle to find freedom in the 1980s. Like her previous work, migration and movement are major themes in the book. But this time, her characters are at a crossroads, unsure of their next step in search of self-determination. Mathis joins host Kai Wright to reveal the questions that torment the characters in her gripping novel, and discuss her own journey grappling with those themes.During this episode, Kai refers to a previous episode about our Future of Black History series featuring Saidiya Hartman, which can be found here.This episode was originally published September 25, 2023. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

We should all know by now how foolish it is to underestimate youth. Gen Z, the generation of people born between 1997 and 2012, has already changed the world in ways that no one could have anticipated, from mass protests against gun violence to international movements to reckon with climate change. For members of this generation who are part of the graduating class of 2024, a series of unfortunate and unprecedented events have shaped the way they engage in political, social and cultural issues. Many of them missed the opportunity to walk the stage of their high school graduation as Covid-19 swept over the world. That same year, they witnessed and participated in massive uprisings in support of Black lives, only to see a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol a few months later. Now, some of their college graduation ceremonies are being shaped by protests in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, or — much like high school — canceled altogether.Amidst all these challenges, these graduates and their peers have been burdened with the expectation that they are the generation that will change the world. Yet, they are often dismissed as lazy, selfish and overly sensitive. In this episode of Notes from America, host Kai Wright is joined by Gen Z educator and podcast host Taylor Coward and several class of 2024 graduates, including “Cee Kay” who participated in a walkout protest during their commencement and Gabe Fleisher, author of the WakeUp2Politics newsletter, which he started in elementary school. They talk about how their experiences have influenced their outlook and optimism about the future, and about the societal pressures they face as they enter the workforce and a world in turmoil.   Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET., and listeners to the broadcast and podcast are invited to join the conversation at 844-745-TALK(8255). Podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

While news coverage has been justifiably focused on the aggressive police response to anti-war college protests at campuses around the country, it's noteworthy that a handful of U.S. schools have agreed to come to the table with students and discuss their demands. At the top of the list for many campus activists: divestment. At Brown University, where protests against Israel's war have been occurring since the fall of 2023, students want the administration to cut ties with companies that do business with Israel's occupied territories. As student negotiator Isabella Garo explains, it's less about hurting the companies financially and more about being a moral model for academic institutions, large and small. In this episode, Garo joins host Kai Wright to talk about taking on her university over a contentious issue, and where she sees the role of Brown Divest in the larger Free Palestine movement. Click here to read a statement from a Brown University spokesperson about why the school agreed to negotiate with students and take a vote on the issue of divestment in October 2024.Then, Kai discusses how the current calls for divestment echo previous student-led protest movements on campuses with Chris Marsicano, assistant professor of educational studies at Davidson College. Marsicano breaks down the history of university divestment and why it can be a complicated ask, particularly at state schools and elite colleges.Companion listening for this episode:A Palestinian-American Victim Of American Gun Violence Becomes A Reluctant Poster Child (2/19/2024)Brown University student Hisham Awartani processes his injuries, and the trauma of his community back home in the West Bank. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Amber Ruffin is a comedy phenom. She's spent a decade writing and performing on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and hosted her own show, “The Amber Ruffin Show.” She's a co-author of bestselling books with her sister Lacey Lamar, with whom she co-hosts a podcast, The Amber & Lacey, Lacey & Amber Show. The Emmy and Tony nominee is now focused on a new project: writing the book for the revival of the beloved 1975 musical, “The Wiz.” She joins host Kai Wright for an honest reflection on the art of “translating funny” for different audiences and different formats. She and Kai roast, joke and reflect on the cultural and personal significance of “The Wiz,” her journey coming up as a Black female comedian, and the importance of seeing diverse representations of Black people in comedy (including Black people being silly). We also want to hear about your own relationship with “The Wiz” — whether it's the stage version or the movie, or if you've been fortunate enough to catch the revival. Do you have a memory associated with “The Wiz”? Do you have a favorite number or version of a song? Leave us a voicemail about it at 844-745-8255. You can also record a voice memo and email it to notes@wnyc.org. We look forward to hearing from you!  Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here. Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Egyptian American satirist and comedian Bassem Youssef was once known as “The Jon Stewart of Egypt,” after gaining notoriety for his criticism of the government during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. But it wasn't long before the doctor-turned-comedian was forced to leave his home country and start over in the United States.  Ten years later, as he ends the U.S. leg of a world tour for his new stand up show, he's gained a whole new crowd of supporters and critics — not for his comedy, but for his biting critique of U.S. policy in Gaza.  In this episode, Youssef sits down with host Kai Wright to tell the story of his turbulent ride as a political satirist in both the U.S. and Egypt — and the pressures he faced to be the voice of a movement.  Plus, we open our listener mailbag and get your responses to some of our recent shows.   Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here. Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

David Alan Grier has been a mainstay on TV, Broadway and film since his initial acting debut in the acclaimed Broadway show “The First,” about Jackie Robinson's life and legacy. That role, in 1981, earned him a Tony Award nomination, but he found a new level of fame as a core cast member on the classic 1990s sketch show “In Living Color.” His more recent projects spotlight the actor's range: he stars in the 2023 musical film adaptation of “The Color Purple,” and in this year's “The American Society of Magical Negroes,” a satirical fantasy film that's introducing Grier to a younger generation of fans. In this episode, he sits down with host Kai Wright to talk about the highs and lows of navigating the industry, while also sharing reflections on his past work, and what he thinks about his legacy going forward as he reaches new audiences. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here. Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts. 

In 1985, doctors at a methadone clinic in the South Bronx made the harrowing discovery: 50 percent of their patients had HIV. Three years later, in the same neighborhood, a pair of epidemiologists estimated that as many as one in five young men were positive for the disease. Those numbers made the South Bronx one of most critical hotspots for HIV in the country. Joyce Rivera was born and raised in the South Bronx. She watched as heroin flooded into her neighborhood followed by HIV. When Rivera's brother died in 1987, she decided to do something. Working with a heroin dealer and a local priest, she defied the law and set up an illegal needle exchange in an attempt to prevent the transmission of HIV among injection drug users. And she largely succeeded. But what if this country had treated drug addiction like a public health issue instead of a criminal problem? Listen to more episodes and subscribe to Blindspot here. Blindspot is a co-production of The HISTORY® Channel and WNYC Studios, in collaboration with The Nation Magazine. Tell us what you think. Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here. We're also on Instagram and X (Twitter) @noteswithkai.

Danielle Brooks, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress following her masterful portrayal of Sofia in the 2023 remake of “The Color Purple,” discusses her journey to the Oscars with host Kai Wright. Brooks was the sole representative at the 96th Academy Awards from last year's film adaptation. The first time novelist Alice Walker's story met the silver screen, directed by Steven Spielberg, it earned 11 Academy Award nominations but notably took home no gold. “The Color Purple” later evolved into a musical, premiering on Broadway in 2005. Brooks stepped into the role of the brazen and spirited Sofia for the 2015 revival of that show, all while playing Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson in the Netflix series “Orange is The New Black.”  Brooks talks about her rise to fame, overcoming impostor syndrome in Hollywood and her next film project, which is quite a departure from projects she's taken on before. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here. Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET., and listeners to the broadcast and podcast are invited to join the conversation at 844-745-TALK(8255). Podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

By 1986, almost 40 percent of people diagnosed with AIDS in the United States were either Black or Latino. As the full contours of the crisis became apparent, a group of Black gay men began to organize in cities across the country, demanding attention and support for the people dying in their midst. This effort required them to confront big, important institutions in both the medical establishment and the government — and it meant they had to stare down racism in the broader LGBTQ+ community. But perhaps their most pressing and consequential challenge was the most difficult to name: the rejection of their own community. As men, women and children within the Black community began falling ill, essential institutions — the family, the church, civil rights groups — which had long stood powerfully against the most brutal injustices, remained silent or, worse, turned away. Why? What made so many shrink back at such a powerful moment of need? And what would it take to get them to step up? In this episode, we meet some of the people who pushed their families, ministers and politicians to reckon with the crisis in their midst. We hear the words of a writer and poet, still echoing powerfully through the decades, demanding that he and his dying friends be both seen and heard; and we spend time with a woman who picked up their call, ultimately founding one of the country's first AIDS ministries. And we meet a legendary figure, Dr. Beny Primm, who, in spite of some of his own biases and blindspots, transformed into one of the era's leading medical advocates for Black people with HIV and AIDs. Along the way, we learn how one community was able to change — and we ask, what might have been different if that change had come sooner? This episode contains a brief mention of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, there's help available. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is open 24 hours a day by calling or texting 988. There's also a live chat option on their website. Blindspot is a co-production of The HISTORY® Channel and WNYC Studios, in collaboration with The Nation Magazine. Listen to more episodes and subscribe to Blindspot here. Tell us what you think. Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here. We're also on Instagram and X (Twitter) @noteswithkai.

Both President Biden and Donald Trump took campaign trips to Texas to visit the U.S. border in recent days. These simultaneous visits happened shortly after several polls found that immigration remains a top issue for voters. But the political discourse can often erase the lived experiences and realities of migrants throughout the country.  In this episode, local reporters in some of the country's major migration hotspots join host Kai Wright for a discussion on what migration looks like in their respective cities. We learn how migrants are navigating their first initial entry into the U.S. in the city of El Paso, and later, how they are coping with trying to get work, find shelter and integrate into America — all while still awaiting proper work authorizations — in Chicago and New York.   Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here. Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET., and listeners to the broadcast and podcast are invited to join the conversation at 844-745-TALK(8255). Podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

HIV/AIDS changed the United States and the world. It has killed some 40 million people and continues to kill today. This week, reporters Kai Wright and Lizzy Ratner from the podcast Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows take us back to the early years of the HIV epidemic in New York City and show how the virus tore through some of our most vulnerable communities while the wider world looked away.  Wright begins by looking at the initial media coverage of HIV, as well as the first health bulletins circulated by the medical community. Both focused on the spread of the virus within the gay men's community, creating a feedback loop that resulted in other vulnerable groups being overlooked – including women, communities of color and children. Then Ratner tells the story of Katrina Haslip, a prisoner at a maximum-security prison in upstate New York in the 1980s. Haslip and other incarcerated women started a support group to educate each other about HIV and AIDS. The group was called ACE – for AIDS Counseling and Education – and it advocated for women, minorities and prisoners who were being overlooked in the nation's response to the epidemic. In the final segment, we learn how Haslip took her activism beyond prison walls after her release in 1990. She joined protests in Washington and met with leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. One of the main goals was to change the definition of AIDS, which at the time excluded many symptoms that appeared in HIV-positive women. This meant that women with AIDS often did not qualify for government benefits such as Medicaid and disability insurance.  The podcast series Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows is a co-production of The History Channel and WNYC Studios. Support Reveal's journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/newsletter Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Journalist Michele Norris has spent the last 14 years collecting what she describes as "an archive of the human experience" with The Race Card Project. She wanted to see how Americans really talk and think about race, so she asked people to share their thoughts in six words. Norris adapted the project into a memoir called Our Hidden Conversations. Also, we'll hear from Kai Wright, host of the WNYC podcast Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows about the early years of the AIDS epidemic, when so little was known about HIV, and so much was misunderstood.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Kai Wright's WNYC podcast, Blindspot, revisits the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, focusing in particular on populations that are frequently overlooked — including the pediatric patients at Harlem Hospital.