logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2021
8m 45s

In 'The Matter of Black Lives,' generati...

NPR
About this episode
Back in June 2020, during a summer of protests for racial justice, the New Yorker republished 'Letter from a Region in my Mind," a seminal James Baldwin essay calling out the ignorance of liberal white Americans. In the following months, writer Jelani Cobb put together a collection of essays from the magazine that fit a similar theme: Black writers, including Toni Morrison and Ta-Nehisi Coates, who wrote pieces for the New Yorker about race and racism that still ring true today. In this interview, Cobb reflects on the essays and what it took for those Black writers to break into the magazine.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Today
Jordan Peele on his Black horror story collection 'Out There Screaming'
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror is a collection of scary stories curated by horror filmmaker Jordan Peele. In today's episode, Peele speaks with NPR's Brittany Luse about the Black horror stories in this collection and the unique motif of eyes in this genre, ... Show More
6m 53s
Yesterday
In 'The Eleventh Hour,' Salman Rushdie writes about morality, revenge and ghosts
Salman Rushdie lived for decades under a death sentence and survived a knife attack three years ago. His latest book The Eleventh Hour is his first work of fiction since that near-death experience. These short stories and novellas center around the end of life, what might come af ... Show More
12 m
Oct 16
'Nickel and Dimed' and 'The Case for Quitting' reconsider our relationship to work
Today’s episode features two books – one classic and one new – that might lead you to reconsider your relationship to work. Nearly 25 years ago, journalist and activist Barbara Ehrenreich went undercover as a nursing aide, waitress, hotel maid and retail worker to write Nickel an ... Show More
19m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2020
James Baldwin's Fire
In a moment when America is undertaking an uncomfortable reckoning with its racial inequality and violence, we wanted to look back at someone who concentrated on race in America his entire life. Considered to be one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, James Baldwin wrote ... Show More
45m 59s
Jun 2020
James Baldwin
James Baldwin was a brilliant essayist, one of the chroniclers of the Civil Rights Movement, and a powerful voice against racism. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
31m 47s
Jun 2020
Black in America
In this episode of 'This Is Palestine,' we shift our focus to the protests that have swept the nation, sparked by the tragic murder of George Floyd by police officers on May 25. We hear from three distinct Black American voices as they discuss systemic racism and what it means to ... Show More
57m 48s
Jul 2023
Fighting Racism In Publishing
This month over on Footnotes, Jemar has been talking with everyday individuals who are doing the work of fighting racism in their various fields. This week on Pass The Mic, Jemar and Ally tackle the topic of racism in the realm of publishing. To check out the 'Fighting Racism' se ... Show More
41m 55s
Nov 2024
Between the World and Me -Book Summary
<p>Ta-Nehisi Coates' <em>Between the World and Me</em>, a letter to his son exploring the realities of being Black in America. <strong>Key themes</strong> include the systemic nature of racism, the vulnerability of Black bodies, and the myth of the American Dream. The analysis of ... Show More
17m 25s
Jun 2020
This Is Not a Game
Maria and Julio get into how race and activism show up in sports - historically and in the current Black Lives Matter movement - with Howard Bryant, a senior writer for ESPN and correspondent for NPR’s Weekend Edition. They talk about Bryant’s recent book, Full Dissidence: Notes ... Show More
55m 22s
Oct 2021
BONUS: 'Nina' And 'Just Us' Offer Ways To Start A Conversation On Race
After the protests last year, we heard the phrase "racial reckoning" a lot, as some groups of people struggled to catch up with what's just been reality for many others. On this episode of NPR's new Book of the Day podcast, we've got two books that might help you reckon with that ... Show More
18m 40s