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PODCAST

Notes from America with Kai Wright

Notes from America with Kai Wright is a show about the unfinished business of our history, and its grip on our future.

news news commentary

All Episodes

33:55

If You Go After Me, I'm Coming After You!

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/08/10

Former President Donald Trump’s latest indictment leaves a lot to unpack. We answer questions and take your calls. Brian Lehrer, host of The Brian Lehrer Show, talks to Charlie Sykes, founder and editor-at-large and host of a podcast at The Bulwark, MSNBC contributor and author of How the Right Lost Its Mind (St. Martin's Press, 2017). Brian also recently invited Kai and others on his show to read the full indictment. Listen to “Reading the Indictment of Donald Trump” here. Send us your song for our

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51:54

Critical Race Theory: What It Actually Means

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/08/07

Jelani Cobb, staff writer for The New Yorker, tells the fascinating story behind a provocative idea. Understanding the origins of Critical Race Theory is the first step in understanding the evolution of civil rights and whether racism could be a permanent fixture of society. Then, producer Regina de Heer shares some listener submissions to our summer playlist project. Send us your song for our summer playlist! What’s a song that represents your personal diaspora story? Go to notesfromamerica.org and

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24:13

When Barbie Stopped Being White

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/08/03

Until 1980, Barbie was always white. Mattel had made Black dolls before, but they were sidekicks to the brand’s main character with facial features that didn’t really distinguish them from the other dolls. Correspondent Tracie Hunte brings you the story of the first Black doll to have the name Barbie. Hear from: Kitty Black Perkins, Mattel’s first Black designer who brought her own style and preferences to the task of creating the doll. Lagueria Davis, director of Black Barbie: A Documentary, on

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51:34

The Misunderstood Era of Crack Cocaine

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/07/31

What do you think of when you hear the term, “crack cocaine?” The drug is at the heart of an epidemic in the 1980’s that destroyed lives. But for writer Donovan X. Ramsey, a lot of our assumptions and understandings about this era are actually mistruths. So he wrote When Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era. He tells Kai that the full truth reveals, “how deep the harm goes in America when it comes to anti-Blackness.” Send us your song for our summer playlist! What’s a song that

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19:20

A Punk Rock Guide to Making a Scene

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/07/27

James Spooner made a documentary in 2003 called “Afro-Punk.” It was a defining film for a generation of young Black people who felt like outsiders. This fall, he’ll publish a collection he co-edited with Chris L. Terry called Black Punk Now. Hear his place in the story of punk rock and the future he’s helping young Black artists pave for themselves. This episode is an installment of "Black History is Now." Send us your song for our summer playlist! What’s a song that represents your personal

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32:24

A Song to “Define the Most African Moment of My Life”

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/07/24

Our producer, Regina de Heer, wants to know which songs reflect your experience being part of a diaspora. For her, having to choose an entrance song for her engagement ceremony made a new connection with her Ghanaian heritage, and made her want to learn more about afrobeats. So she found an expert: Christian Adofo, author of A Quick Ting On: Afrobeats Send us your song for our summer playlist! What’s a song that represents your personal diaspora story? Go to notesfromamerica.org and click on the

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17:54

The Case for 29 Supreme Court Justices

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/07/20

When most people talk about expanding the Supreme Court, they're talking about adding a few justices. But Elie Mystal is not most people. He thinks we should just blow the lid and add 20 justices. Here's why. This is from Contempt of Court, a new podcast from Elie and The Nation. This episode is called "Elie's Court Packing Plan." Also, heads up that Elie drops the F-bomb in this episode. Send us your song for our summer playlist project! What’s a song that represents your personal diaspora story

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50:51

Lessons from Mom at a Magic Mike Show in Vegas

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/07/17

Listeners want to talk about moments from their past when they felt like they didn’t belong and who helped them through those moments. So Kai invites them to talk with Connie Wang, author of “Oh My Mother!” Connie’s most memorable moments with her mom have been when they were traveling: to their family timeshare in Mexico, family visits to China, and a Magic Mike liveshow in Las Vegas. Each of these adventures not only helped Connie understand her mom better, but also get comfortable with the

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28:20

Affirmative Action is About More Than Acceptance Letters

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/07/13

Everyone’s talking about affirmative action at elite universities. But they educate fewer than 5 percent of students seeking advanced degrees. So why should the other 95 percent care? Kai wants to know about the future of equity in higher education. So he talks to: -Dominique Baker, Southern Methodist University Associate Professor of Education Policy. -Imani Perry, Harvard University Professor of African and African American Studies, and Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality. Tell us what

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23:29

What Does “Color-Blind” Really Mean?

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/07/10

Historian and best-selling author Ibram X. Kendi helps Kai understand the Supreme Court's ruling that ended race-based affirmative action in college admissions. Plus, Kai wants to know Dr. Kendi's personal reaction to the Court's ruling. He is devastated for a number of reasons. Tell us what you think. Instagram and Twitter: @noteswithkai. Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or going to Instagram and clicking on the link in our

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18:39

Black Life Resuscitated from the Ocean Floor

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/07/06

Tara Roberts walked through the National Museum of African American History when one photo stopped her in place. A group of divers – all Black women – preparing to search for the wreckage of slave ships. A short time later, Tara would find herself searching for those ships and discovering her own past. She chronicled what she found in “Into the Depths.” She tells Kai how deep our histories go. Tell us what you think. Instagram and Twitter: @noteswithkai. Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice

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33:16

Why It’s So Hard to Sound “American”

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/07/03

There’s one line of questioning our listeners ask more than any other: “What is America, and who gets to define it?” Kai can tell you these questions aren’t new. So he goes back in time to look at one story from the New Deal era and a culture war over what made patriotic music…patriotic. Turns out, it’s the same old song and dance. Sara Fishko, creator of “Fishko Files,” tells Kai the story. Tell us what you think. Instagram and Twitter: @noteswithkai. Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a

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19:27

The Coolest Music Parties You Didn’t Know Were Happening

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/06/29

Philippe Manasseh and Nadim Maghzal were two guys in a band called Wake Island. Music helped them process a lot about their lives: Where they came from, who they were, and where they were going. They realized music does that for a lot of people, especially if you’re from a diaspora. So they, along with partner Saphe Shamoun, created Laylit: the coolest music parties that celebrate the history, music, and culture of the SWANA diaspora. Listen to Philippe and Nadim talk to our producer, Regina de

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32:44

Why the Indian Child Welfare Act is the Gold Standard...

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/06/26

Allison Herrera, the Indigenous affairs reporter at KOSU, returns to the show to introduce us to Hodalee and Jamie Sewell, who are in the process of adopting their great niece– a baby girl. She’s a Cherokee Nation citizen, so that meant her social workers had to follow guidelines set out by the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Allison walks us through Sewell's adoption journey and what happens when ICWA works the way it’s supposed to. Later in the show, Claudette Grinnell-Davis, professor of social

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44:13

95 Unmarked Graves

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/06/22

In 2018, a few months into building a new school in Sugar Land, Texas, construction crews uncovered 95 unmarked graves. This wasn’t a serial killer’s dumping, but it was evidence of a particularly dark period in our country’s history - evidence many in Sugar Land wished had stayed hidden. This is the story of these 95 people. Who were they? What happened to them? It turns out their story is just as much about them as it is about the people who have been trying to control them for over a

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52:49

Juneteenth Is an Act of Bravery

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/06/19

On June 19th, 1865, roughly a quarter million enslaved people in Texas officially learned that they were free, years after the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation. It was the last place the Union delivered news. Kai wants to go to Houston to hear the history, music, and perspective from locals about how they celebrate. And he finds even more – how people create and claim their own freedom. - Zion Escobar, Executive Director at Houston Freedmen's Town Conservancy. Freedmen’s Town was the first

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19:02

Comedian Sam Jay Isn’t Afraid of Getting Canceled

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/06/15

Our former intern Vanessa Handy was watching reruns of Good Times with her family. It made her realize how important comedy was growing up – especially sitcoms centering Black families. So she called up Sam Jay to talk about comedy of the past, and what the future looks like to one comic who’s forging it. As you can guess, that comedy is tied to the identities we hold true for ourselves, and the universal identities that connect us to each other. Plus, hear Kai try to sing the Good Times theme song

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32:33

Billy Porter Doesn’t Need a Month to Celebrate Pride

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/06/12

He’s got an Emmy, a Grammy, a Tony. But early in his career, Billy Porter was relegated to roles of comic relief. Things didn’t change until he figured out how to show up authentically in every space. Kai sits down with Billy to hear that story. Tell us what you think. Instagram and Twitter: @noteswithkai. Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or going to Instagram and clicking on the link in our bio. “Notes from America” airs live

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18:25

Trust the Media? Yeah, Right.

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/06/08

According to Brooke Gladstone, host of “On The Media,” a lot of journalists think their job is to report “...fairly, accurately, and with principle.” But she also says that might be where we get in trouble. She and Kai and try to make sense of this mess the media feels today. Tell us what you think. Instagram and Twitter: @noteswithkai. Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or going to Instagram and clicking on the link in our

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32:23

January 6th Was Not a Secret Attack

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/06/05

Micah Loewinger, a reporter for On the Media, began monitoring militia conversations in early 2020. The potential for violence was immediately clear. And so when they staged an insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Micah was listening and recording. But when his reporting became part of the FBI’s case against the Oath Keepers, it raised difficult questions about his role as a journalist. Tell us what you think. Instagram and Twitter: @noteswithkai. Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a

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422 results

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