Our Body Politic

On Sippin’ the Political Tea, Farai Chideya  goes through the most important news of the week with contributors Errin Haines of the 19th and Jess Morales Rocketto of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Farai welcomes Trymaine Lee of MSNBC’s podcast “Into America” to talk about his coverage of the centennial of the Tulsa Massacre. Social justice advocate Tamika Mallory shares her family’s legac...

Farai Chideya talks with Dr. Anthea Butler, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, about the role white evangelical Christians play in maintaining racist systems in the U.S. Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani shares why she started the Marshall Plan For Moms, to support working mothers trapped by poor child care systems and the Covid-19 financial fallout. Documentary filmmaker Loira Limba...

Farai Chideya talks with political advisor and long-time conservative Tara Setmayer on repudiating Donald Trump from the beginning, and where she fits in our divided body politic. Valerie Jarrett, Board Chair of the non-profit Civic Nation, shares what they're doing to get more disproportionately impacted people vaccinated. Our public health contributor Dr. Kavita Trivedi is back with an update on...

Farai Chideya talks with Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawai’i about opposing Donald Trump vociferously, her bill to tackle anti-Asian hate crimes, and her new memoir. Our Body Politic legal analyst Tiffany Jeffers explains the Supreme Court’s latest decision on life imprisonment for minors, and updates Farai on voting rights across the country. Dr. Jenn Jackson and Dr. Diane Wong, research analysts at...

This week Farai Chideya looks at what makes it into our history books—and why—with New York Times investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 Project. Then she talks with poet and philanthropist Elizabeth Alexander about how monuments and public spaces also shape our historical narrative. Dr. Mary Bassett of Harvard University shares what she thinks it will take to truly addr...

This week Farai Chideya talks with DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on why she’s fighting to make DC a state. Public opinion researcher Tresa Undem shares how attitudes about race, gender, and power influenced voters in 2020. Retired Major General Linda Singh of the National Guard talks about how the insurrection on January 6th highlighted the need to focus on domestic terrorism, and discuss...

This week Farai Chideya talks with Samaria Rice, mother of Tamir Rice and founder of the Tamir Rice Foundation, on what justice looks like to her. Our Body Politic contributor Dr. Kavita Trivedi reminds us how to keep children safe until they’re eligible for Covid-19 vaccines. PBS NewsHour White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor reflects on the responsibility of covering whoever is in power. An...

This week Farai Chideya talks with Representative Val Demings about Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, the continued threat of domestic terrorism, and her thoughts on George Floyd’s murder as a former officer of the law. Cannabis entrepreneur Khadijah Adams talks about what it would take to give people of color an equal opportunity in the industry they helped create. And Dianna Houenou of New...

This week Farai Chideya talks with Representative Lauren Underwood about how the federal government can tackle the Black maternal health crisis. Dr. Rachel Hardeman of the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity explains why she focuses on the impact of racism on health. Farai shares the latest findings that Black women are over three times more likely to die of Covid-19 than white men or...

This week Farai Chideya talks with Nse Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project, and Tiffany Jeffers, Our Body Politic legal analyst, about the ramifications of Georgia’s restrictive new voting law. House Majority Whip James Clyburn on the need to still work across the aisle. Farai asks EunSook Lee, director of the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund, about the growing political power of Asian-American women....

This week Farai Chideya talks with Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley about her legislative priorities, holding fellow members of Congress accountable for the insurrection, and what keeps her going in the fight for justice. Georgia State Senator Dr. Michelle Au decries anti-Asian American hate and wants fellow politicians to treat gun violence as a public health issue. TransLash Media fou...

This week Farai Chideya talks with WNBA star Layshia Clarendon about their role in pushing the league to engage with politics, and why it’s important for them to proudly share their identity as a Black, trans and nonbinary, Christian person. Marian Liu of the Washington Post examines the shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, that left six Asian women dead, and how race, gender, and immigration underscore...

This week Farai Chideya dives into the consequences of zero-sum thinking around race with Heather McGhee, author of “The Sum of Us.” Marissa Tirona recounts her harrowing experience with Covid-19, one year after her hospitalization in New York City. Our Covid Update looks at vaccination rates among people of color. Our Body Politic national security contributor Holli Draines breaks down what we ne...

This week we’re recharging and planning ahead. So we’ve curated some of the most interesting conversations Farai Chideya has had with our guests in the last few months. Senator Tammy Duckworth talks about how her service in the military inspires her political leadership, including her advocacy for veterans and people with disabilities. Investor Nathalie Molina Niño explains why it makes business s...

This week, Farai Chideya talks with Senator Elizabeth Warren about why she still pushes for student debt relief and an increased minimum wage, and why she believes these are racial-justice issues. Epidemiologist and Our Body Politic contributor Dr. Kavita Trivedi takes our most pressing questions about Covid-19 vaccinations. Film producer and author Tanya Selvaratnam discusses her new book “Assume...

This week, Farai Chideya talks to Charles Blow, New York Times opinion columnist and author of “The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto,” about his proposal for building Black political power in the South. Dr. Ashish Jha of Brown University explains why vaccinating against Covid-19 must be a global effort, and Dr. Debra Furr-Holden of Michigan State University says getting Black Americans vacc...

This week, Farai Chideya and her guests talk about whistleblowing in the tech industry, how ecofascism happens, and the second Trump impeachment trial. Ifeoma Ozoma, founder of Earthseed, talks about the discrimination she says she experienced as a Black woman working at Pinterest, and what she’s doing to protect more whistleblowers through a new California amendment. Technology contributor Mutale...

This week, Farai Chideya and her guests discuss the Covid-19 vaccine, a Golden Globe-nominated film, and the future of the Republican Party. Businesswoman Bertica Cabrera Morris and Professor Geraldo Cadava share the diversity of the conservative Hispanic experience. Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious diseases specialist and epidemiologist, explains why the lack of public health infrastructure, esp...

This week, Farai Chideya and her guests talk about the challenges and victories of Covid vaccination efforts, and dive into the administration’s plans to reverse course on four years of Donald Trump. Dr. Grace Lee of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices describes what must be done to distribute vaccines equitably. “Vaccine Vixen” Ashley Nealy explains why as a Black woman she wanted to...

This week, Farai Chideya and her guests discuss the new administration and the historic role of Vice President Kamala Harris. Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters discusses what her party wants to accomplish now that it controls the legislative and executive branches. Political strategist Glynda Carr of Higher Heights wants to elevate more Black women to political leadership roles. Activist and...

This week, Farai Chideya and her guests dissect the aftermath of the January 6th coup attempt at the Capitol.  New York AG Letitia James shares the values that guide her work, which includes investigating President Trump.  Boston Globe reporter Jazmine Ulloa reflects on her first-hand experience of the Capitol siege. As transition director of Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris’ team, political str...

This week, Farai Chideya and her guests dissect political news across the country, from the Senate races in Georgia to the violence in our nation’s capital. And we welcome new contributor and legal analyst Tiffany Jeffers. Impact investor Nathalie Molina Niño takes on the exclusion of women of color in finance. Business reporter Ruth Umoh takes stock of corporations’ promises to invest in racial e...

This week, Farai Chideya spends more time with the sparkling roster of Our Body Politic contributors. Errin Haines of the 19th predicts the most important political stories of 2021 for women of color. Mutale Nkonde of AI for the People shares her secrets to envisioning success. Psychologist Dr. Ryan DeLapp offers advice to parents about having conversations on race and resilience with their childr...

This week, Farai Chideya talks with Nse Ufot of the New Georgia Project about the power of organizing the vote. Air Force Sergeant Tamika Hamilton on what inspired her to run in California, and Varshini Prakash of the Sunrise Movement connects racial inequity and the climate crisis. Saru Jayaraman of One Fair Wage explains the pandemic's effect on service workers.  Alejandra Gomez of Living United...

This week, Farai Chideya talks with Representative Veronica Escobar about Covid and immigration in her district of El Paso. Gina Pérez of the Texas State Board of Education explains how continued cuts to school programs inspired her to take action. Our political contributor Errin Haines brings updates from the political world, and business contributor Ruth Umoh analyzes Black homeownership. Medica...