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Race. In your face.

Wednesday

The Rise Of The BBL
LA Johnson/NPR

Analysis

Code Switch

The Rise Of The BBL

Black women have always faced immense pressure to make their bodies look a certain way. But if done the "wrong way," achieving that idealized figure can lead to just as much scrutiny and critique. So today, we're talking about the cosmetic procedure known as a Brazilian Butt Lift, and what its rise in popularity illustrates about the type of bodies that do and don't get valued.

The Rise Of The BBL

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Friday

The Dramatic Life Of The American Teenager

Kacen Callender, author of middle and young adult novels, including Felix Ever After and Hurricane Child. Ashley Cain hide caption

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Ashley Cain

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The Dramatic Life Of The American Teenager

by  ,  , 

Kacen Callender started out as a kid in St. Thomas writing fan fiction. Today, they are the author of multiple middle grade and young adult novels full of empathy, learning, and a healthy dose of high school drama.

The Dramatic Life Of The American Teenager

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Wednesday

Who You Calling 'Hispanic'?
Chelsea Beck/NPR

Analysis

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Who You Calling 'Hispanic'?

But seriously, who? Because while it is Hispanic Heritage Month, the notion of a multiracial, multinational, pan-ethnic identity called "Hispanic" is a relatively recent — and somewhat haphazard invention — in the United States. So on this episode, we're digging into how the term got created and why it continues to both unite and bewilder.

Who You Calling 'Hispanic'?

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Wednesday

The Making And Remaking Of Afghanistan
Isabel Seliger for NPR

Analysis

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The Making And Remaking Of Afghanistan

For two decades, many Americans have seen Afghanistan depicted primarily through the lens of war. But that's not the full story — not even close. Afghanistan has a long, rich, complex history and culture. A lot of it flies in the face of the images those of us in the U.S. are exposed to. So this week, our friends at Throughline are helping us understand the fuller story.

The Making And Remaking Of Afghanistan

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Sunday

Little Women Remixed, But Not Reimagined

The cover of Bethany C. Morrow's new book, So Many Beginnings. Jonathan Barkat hide caption

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Jonathan Barkat

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Little Women Remixed, But Not Reimagined

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When Bethany Morrow was asked to write a new take on the beloved classic, she agreed on one condition: The new March family would look nothing like the old.

Little Women Remixed, But Not Reimagined

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Friday

Thursday

Meet Alexis Nikole Nelson, The Wildly Popular 'Black Forager'

Alexis Nikole Nelson is behind the popular TikTok and Instagram videos based on her experience and advice on foraging. (Photo by Tim Johnson) Tim Johnson/Columbus Monthly Magazine hide caption

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Tim Johnson/Columbus Monthly Magazine

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Meet Alexis Nikole Nelson, The Wildly Popular 'Black Forager'

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Nelson has brought in a TikTok following of more than 2 million people by talking about food, culture, and how to "eat plants that do not belong to [her.]"

Wednesday

The Lost Summer
Photo illustration by LA Johnson/NPR

Analysis

Code Switch

The Lost Summer

by  ,  ,  , 

Twenty years ago, during the dog days of summer , a fledgling journalist named Shereen Marisol Meraji — maybe you've heard of her? — headed to Durban, South Africa. Her mission: to report on a meeting of thousands of organizers and ambassadors gathered at a global conference on racism. The conference filled Shereen with hope and optimism — all of which would soon be wiped away.

The Lost Summer

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Wednesday

Tuesday

Saturday

Indian Boarding Schools' Traumatic Legacy, And The Fight To Get Native Ancestors Back

This cemetery on the grounds of Carlisle Barracks holds the remains of students from the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Scott Finger/U.S. Army War College Photo Lab hide caption

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Scott Finger/U.S. Army War College Photo Lab

Code Switch

Indian Boarding Schools' Traumatic Legacy, And The Fight To Get Native Ancestors Back

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After discoveries of more than 1,300 bodies at Canada's residential schools, the U.S. is now facing a crucial moment of reckoning with its own history of Native American boarding schools.

Indian Boarding Schools' Traumatic Legacy, And The Fight To Get Native Ancestors Back

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Wednesday

'Seeing Ghosts' Across Generations

Seeing Ghosts, a memoir by Kat Chow. Grand Central Publishing hide caption

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Grand Central Publishing

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'Seeing Ghosts' Across Generations

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Kat Chow was 13 when her mother died, and with that loss came profound and lasting questions about identity, family and history. In her memoir, Seeing Ghosts, the author and former Code Switch reporter explores how her mother's death has haunted her through the years, in ways that are profound, tragic and, sometimes, darkly hilarious.

'Seeing Ghosts' Across Generations

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Saturday

Thursday