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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

19:04

Padma Lakshmi’s Low-Key Subversive Food Show

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/06/01

Kai’s a legit fanboy of Padma. One reason why: She explores who we are…through what we eat. So Kai gets her on the mic to ask what food can tell us about the American immigrant story. You’ll hear from: Padma Lakshmi, Host of Hulu’s Taste the Nation & Bravo’s Top Shelf 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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33:07

No, We Can’t Stop Saying Their Names

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/05/29

Ask a group of highschoolers, “who was Trayvon Martin?” and you’ll see some tragically blank stares. But replace that with “George Floyd”, and you’ll see heads nod. Kai’s struggling with how we memorialize anti-Black violence when we “say their names” – is that an effective response to anti-Black violence? So he talks to: Chelsea Miller, activist and co-founder of Freedom March NYC. Tell us what you think. Instagram and Twitter: @noteswithkai. Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice

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58:15

How the Supreme Court Got So Supreme

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/05/25

Our friends at More Perfect dove into Clarence Thomas’s past to make sense of his ideology today. You’ll hear from: Juan Williams — Senior Political Analyst at Fox News Corey Robin — Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center Angela Onwuachi-Willig — Dean of Boston University School of Law Stephen F. Smith — Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School The More Perfect team inspired us to do our own deep-dive: Unearthing Thomas’s ideological roots, and

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50:54

Clarence Thomas and his Hotep Supreme Court

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/05/22

The Supreme Court’s most senior member writes opinions that have an outsized impact on U.S. law. Our listeners call in to understand what really shapes Justice Thomas, and what we should expect from SCOTUS as the 2023 term comes to an end. Plus, - Elie Mystal, Justice Correspondent for The Nation and Supreme Court scholar. - Corey Robin, Author of The Enigma of Clarence Thomas. For more, check out our colleagues at More Perfect, the show about “how the Supreme Court got so Supreme.” The first

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26:44

Who’s Responsible for Jordan Neely’s Death?

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/05/18

Jordan Neely’s death raised deep, fundamental questions about our society; about what kind of people we are, and why? Our colleagues at The Brian Lehrer Show talked with Elie Mystal from the Nation to confront these questions. Last week, our show talked about homelessness. “Homelessness Hides in Plain Sight. So Does Its Fix.” is available in your feed. We recommend listening alongside this episode. Tell us what you think. Instagram and Twitter: @noteswithkai. Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us

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50:40

Homelessness Hides in Plain Sight. So Does Its Fix.

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/05/15

One in every 14 Americans experiences homelessness at some point. Our listeners who know about it firsthand talk to us. Plus: - Michael Kimmleman, architecture critic for The New York Times. His article, “How Houston Moved 25,000 People From the Streets Into Homes of Their Own,” was published in his Headways column of the Times, from June 14, 2022. - Ana Rausch, Vice President of Operations for Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County. Tell us what you think. Instagram and Twitter:

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19:00

Joy Harjo and Native Stories

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/05/11

Before she was the 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo’s journey as an artist began at a federal Indian boarding school. She reveals an unexpected perspective about her experience. Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She served three terms as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States from 2019-2022. Her new children’s book, Remember (Penguin Random House, 2023), is an adaption of her famous poem by the same name. That poem was one of the

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31:27

Indian Boarding Schools Are Not Ancient History

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/05/08

From 1819 and 1969, the U.S. removed thousands of Native children from their homes and tried to strip them of their culture. What would a reparations program for this history look like? The U.S. Department of the Interior has begun finally wrestling with the history of the Indian boarding school program. In 2021, the department’s head, Secretary Deb Haaland, launched the  Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative to not only document the history, but to understand its ongoing impact. Last year, the

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31:44

Money Shame, and How To Overcome It Through Financial...

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/05/04

The world of finance can be confusing for people who weren’t born into it – more often, that’s people of color. Berna Anat is a “Financial Hype Woman” on a mission to fix that. The freelance writer-turned-financial education content creator is deeply skeptical of capitalism and dedicated to empowering first-generation Americans and people of color to thrive in the system. Anat shares the lessons she’s learned in her book, "Money Out Loud: All the Financial Stuff No One Taught Us." It investigates

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20:12

How Assata Shakur Became One of America’s Most Wanted

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/05/01

A deadly encounter fifty years ago between the New Jersey State Police and a group of Black activists turned Assata Shakur into a cultural icon – and an enduring political villain. In May 1973, activist Assata Shakur and two members of the Black Liberation Army were pulled over by state troopers on the New Jersey Turnpike. Tragically, guns were fired, people were killed, and in the aftermath, a political standoff between Shakur and state law enforcement began. On the fiftieth anniversary marking

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16:52

Tucker Carlson, Rupert Murdoch, and the Future of Fox...

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/04/27

The state of Fox News today is thanks to Rupert Murdoch. A look inside the Murdoch media empire shows how media outlets can turn into right-wing political influence machines. Famed Fox News host Tucker Carlson got fired. The story is still unfolding, but initial reports claim that the decision came straight from media tycoon Rupert Murdoch after vulgar language and messages were attributed to Carlson. In a recent episode, our colleagues at On The Media took a moment to consider Murdoch’s history

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50:16

Why Ralph Yarl Was Shot

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/04/24

A history of anti-Black fear has left everyone unsafe in a nation full of anxious gun owners. There are more guns than there are people in the U.S., and a lot of people seem to be afraid. According to historian and Emory University African American studies professor Carol Anderson, our nation’s history with guns is directly related to its legacy of anti-Black racism. She explains this history in her 2021 book, “The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America.” Anderson joins host Kai Wright

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18:49

The Joy and Pain of Little Richard

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/04/20

Filmmaker Lisa Cortés tells the inspiring and painful story of the Black, queer inventor of rock and roll–Little Richard. Richard Wayne Penniman launched rock and roll into pop culture and wrote a new set of rules for what it meant to be free as an American, but his own freedom is a much more complicated story. Filmmaker Lisa Cortés set out to capture his tale in her new documentary, Little Richard: I Am Everything. She joins host Kai Wright to discuss the inspiration behind the film and how the

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31:56

Tell Me Your Politics–But Do It In Verse

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/04/17

In a world that feels divided, two storytellers invite people to share what shapes their politics through poetry, using the prompt “Where I’m From.” Host Kai Wright–inspired by a listener voicemail–considers poetry as a potential vehicle for facilitating challenging conversations. He’s joined by poet and filmmaker Bob Holman, owner of the Bowery Poetry Club and original slam master of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and Steve Zeitlin, author of “The Poetry of Everyday Life: Storytelling and the Art of

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19:06

The Week That Changed America’s Cities

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/04/13

On the 55th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, one journalist examines the 1968 Holy Week which he calls one of the most consequential weeks in U.S. history. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was buried on April 9, during what's commonly called Holy Week. In the runup to Easter Sunday and nothing about life in America would be the same after that week. Vann R. Newkirk II is a writer for The Atlantic and host of the new podcast

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32:22

How a Young, Black Progressive Won in Chicago

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/04/10

Brandon Johnson's mayoral election could change the national conversation about crime, schools -- and an aging Black establishment in big city politics. Chicago’s recent mayoral election saw two Democratic candidates–Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas–fight for their very different visions of how the windy city should be run. The race centered debates on crime and schools, issues with inevitable implications on race and class. Chicago-native Natalie Moore, WBEZ’s reporter for race, class and

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19:01

Grieving Loss From Gun Violence

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/04/06

A recent mass shooting at a school in Nashville added to the toll of death and injuries from the nation’s gun violence crisis. A reporter wonders if we’re grieving properly – or at all. Two mothers lost their daughters to gun violence but received disparate levels of attention. Now, they’re using their stories – and their grief – to inspire others. WNYC correspondent Tracie Hunte introduces host Kai Wright to Nelba Márquez-Greene and Celeste Fulcher, whose stories of loss teach us about the exacting

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32:54

Of Tech Moguls and Gold Miners: A Capitalist History

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/04/03

In Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse, one writer sees a model for amassing obscene wealth, pioneered in 19th century California, finally nearing its limits. Silicon Valley is notorious in the global economy and the American psyche. According to author Malcolm Harris, the Bay Area tech hub and California at large are a laboratory for the worst consequences of capitalism–centuries in the making. Harris unpacks this theory in his book “Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World.” He

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28:41

Trump, the GOP, and a New Confederacy

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/03/30

White supremacist myths turn defeated leaders into heroic victors. Are Donald Trump and the MAGA movement the next Lost cause? Donald Trump is the lead contender for the Republican nomination for President once again. And with pending indictment looming in the headlines, the opportunity arises for the former president to yet again, control the narrative of his defeat. If we turn to history, we’ll see that this story isn’t unfamiliar. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Dr. David Blight, author of

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49:20

Ramadan: A Month About Much More Than Fasting

Notes from America with Kai Wright ·

2023/03/27

Ramadan Mubarak! We check in with people of the Muslim community, their intentions, traditions and plans for making the most of this holy month. Ramadan has begun, which means that close to two billion people worldwide will be abstaining from food and water from sunrise to sunset. But Ramadan is about much more than fasting. It is one of the most sacred periods for Muslims. The vastly diverse global community of Muslims spends the month of Ramadan exploring the deeper and personal meaning of their

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