Our Body Politic

Guest host Natasha Alford, in for Farai Chideya, explores political coalition building through three lenses. From the national stage - to hotly contested state races - to local politics - elected officials owe a duty of care to the constituents they serve. But how do politicians at all levels of government communicate with marginalized communities and how do those communities get their voices hear...

Guest host and Washington Post Columnist Karen Attiah sits down with writer, historian, and scholar Jelani Cobb at the 2023 Just Economy Conference to discuss the challenges facing journalists of color in today’s media landscape.

Guest host Hagar Chemali, foreign policy expert and Creator and Host of the YouTube show "Oh My World!" looks closely at the latest in international policy, from the conflict in Ukraine to US and China Relations, and finally, the recent election in Africa’s largest democracy, Nigeria.

Another OBP Extended Edition! Guest host Natasha Alford speaks with former Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes on the hotly contested election for State Supreme Court in Wisconsin.

This week, we share a panel from the 92nd Street Y’s State of America Summit. Host Farai Chideya asks: who defines America’s Values? We discuss the power of storytelling and civil society with Bird Runningwater, CEO of Cloud Women Media, award-winning author and Harvard Professor Suketu Mehta, author Anna Malaika Tubbs, and Washington Post Contributing Columnist Danielle Allen.

Guest host and ESPN executive Marsha Cooke continues a conversation about black women in the media. Panelists share how they focus on building inclusive content for Black audiences including expanding coverage to undercovered topics and communities. The guests are Mary Annaïse Heglar, Co-creator and Co-host of the Hot Take podcast Lauren Williams, Co-Founder and CEO of Capital B.

Three years after the first lockdowns in the US, we look at how public health has changed and how we have changed with it. Plus a new book, “Black Women Will Save the World: An Anthem,” explores black women’s contributions to the Biden administration.

The Turkish government's weak response to the region’s devastating earthquakes may signal the beginning of a political shift away from the current administration. We speak with Prof. Ali Tekin, a political scientist on the ground. Then we pivot to a conversation about apologies–how to give and how to receive– with co-authors of the book “Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies", Marjorie...

When the College Board removed concepts like “intersectionality, mass incarceration, reparations, and the Black Lives Matter movement” from its Advanced Placement African American Studies course, both educators and students were alarmed. These changes are just one of the results of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ 'Stop “Wrongs to our Kids and Employees” Act,’ otherwise known as the Stop W.O.K.E. Ac...

There are at least 18 documented gangs inside the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. Farai speaks with award-winning reporter Cerise Castle about her 15-part investigative series that explores the complex history of ‘deputy gangs.’ Her reporting finds that this group has terrorized and murdered Angelenos for decades with litigation related to these cases costing the County just over $100 million ov...

We’re uplifting Indigenous voices! First, Farai interviews Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on what she’s learning from the survivors and descendants of the Federal Indian Boarding School system. Then, Farai speaks with Deputy Director of Western Native Voice, Ta’jin Perez, on the fight for tribal sovereignty. Plus, we revisit a 2014 conversation about Native American media from the podcast,...

Farai interviews senior news writer and founding staffer at The Trace, Jennifer Mascia on the recent shootings in California, and what's going wrong with gun regulations in the US. Then, she speaks with the President of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Thema Bryant on how to identify individuals who are prone to committing acts of domestic terrorism, as well as how affected communities...

Hagar Chemali, foreign policy expert and host of the YouTube Show "Oh My World”, facilitates a conversation with OBP creator and host, Farai Chideya and foreign policy enthusiast and creator of the “What in the World?” podcast, Bunmi Akinnusoto about what pro-Bolsonaro Brazilians storming their congress tells us about extremism here in the US and around the world.

NPR Correspondent Cheryl Corley guest-hosts this week’s episode on the racial wealth gap and how Black Americans are working to narrow it. First, Corley speaks with former Alderwoman of Evanston, Illinois’s 5th Ward Robin Rue Simmons about how her organization, FirstRepair, is helping people across the nation in the fight for reparations. Corley also interviews the founder and executive director o...

Want more 'Our Body Politic' Episode 123? Here's the full conversation between guest host and NPR Correspondent Cheryl Corley and Washington Post personal finance expert Michelle Singletary. They talk through the importance of choosing the right financial planner, what Black families need to know about wealth, and why it's never too late to learn financial literacy.

Our Body Politic joined KPCC’s Public Radio Palooza for a special live taping featuring Farai in discussion with Dr. Safiya U. Noble, Professor of Gender Studies and African American Studies at UCLA, board member of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, and author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, about how to address inequities caused by the tech industry. Farai also...

Farai interviews transmedia conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas and art curator, Rujeko Hockley about building an artistic legacy as life partners, and the role public and collaborative art plays in shaping our society. Then on our roundtable, Sippin’ the Political Tea, Farai is joined by Washington Post columnist, Karen Attiah and Entertainment Correspondent for Scripps News, Casey Mendoza to di...

Two years after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Farai interviews Dr. Barbara F. Walter, Rohr Professor of Pacific International Relations at the University of California, San Diego, and author of the New York Times bestseller, How Civil Wars Start, on the serious threat factionalism poses to American democracy. Then, Farai talks to former FBI agent, counterterrorism expert, and Associate Senior Vi...

Our Body Politic celebrates the new year by re-airing our 100th episode. Farai reflects on some of the show’s most impactful moments of news and political coverage over the past two years with OBP regular contributors Karen Attiah, columnist for the Washington Post and Tiffany Jeffers, associate professor at Georgetown University Law Center. The trio examines the current political atmosphere, its...

This week we re-air an episode from June 2022, featuring a past interview between Farai and the late intersectional activist, lawyer, educator, and author Urvashi Vaid who led movements for a range of progressive issues, including AIDS advocacy, LGBT rights, and prison reform. The pair discuss Vaid’s legacy as a leading figure in social change and what it truly takes to change the lived experience...

Farai is joined by Karen Attiah, Our Body Politic contributor and columnist for the Washington Post, and Dr. Sarah J. Jackson, Presidential Associate Professor of communications at the University of Pennsylvania and coauthor of Hashtag Activism: Networks of Race and Gender Justice, to discuss what Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover could mean for women of color users. Then, we reach into the archives fo...

This week in our Political Remix series, we’re bringing back some of Farai’s key interviews with three women of color exploring the impact of gun violence and policing in the U.S. First, Farai speaks to activist, therapist, and mother, Nelba Marquéz-Greene on the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting. Then, we get reflections from Samaria Rice, mother of Tamir Rice, on policing and justice right af...

Farai interviews Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry, award-winning journalist, author, and host of WNYC’s “The Takeaway”, on reimagining how we view U.S. history and politics, specifically regarding how Black women in media and academia shape our nation’s progress. Then, Farai speaks with Tiffany Dufu, founder of The Cru, a peer coaching platform that provides women with community and resources to achieve p...

This week we revisit an episode from our archives. First, a past conversation between Farai and author of Sign My Name to Freedom, Betty Reid Soskin, who retired at age 100 from her work as a National Park Ranger and community historian. Then in “Our Body Politics Presents,” we hear from Tonya Mosley’s podcast “Truth Be Told” where she speaks to Ayanna Brown, a mother who graciously details her cy...

This week, Farai interviews Jemele Hill, contributing writer for the Atlantic and author of the new book, Uphill: A Memoir on how her upbringing informs her impassioned writing and reporting. Then we receive insights on the 2022 midterm election results from political reporters across the nation such as Alex Nguyen with the Texas Tribune, Hibah Ansari with Minnesota’s Sahan Journal, and Lauren Gib...