logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2020
39m 29s

“One Does Not Know Where an Insight Will...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode

The dean of Yale’s School of Management grew up in a small village in Guyana. During his unlikely journey, he has researched video-gaming habits, communicable disease, and why so many African-Americans haven’t had the kind of success he’s had. Steve Levitt talks to Charles about his parents’ encouragement, his love of Sports Illustrated, and how he talks to his American-born kids about the complicated history of Blackness in America.

Up next
Yesterday
How to Make Your Own Luck (Update)
Before she decided to become a poker pro, Maria Konnikova didn’t know how many cards are in a deck. But she did have a Ph.D. in psychology, a brilliant coach, and a burning desire to know whether life is driven more by skill or chance. She found some answers in poker — and she’s ... Show More
58m 7s
Jul 4
639. “This Country Kicks My Ass All the Time”
Cory Booker on the politics of fear, the politics of hope, and how to split the difference. SOURCES:Cory Booker, senior United States Senator from New Jersey. RESOURCES:"'When Are More Americans Going to Speak Up?'" by The New Yorker Radio Hour (2025)."Cory Booker’s Marathon Floo ... Show More
53m 46s
Jun 27
638. Are You Ready for the Elder Swell?
In the U.S., there will soon be more people over 65 than there are under 18 — and it’s not just lifespan that’s improving, it’s “healthspan” too. Unfortunately, the American approach to aging is stuck in the 20th century. In less than an hour, we try to unstick it. (Part three of ... Show More
54m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2020
3. Kerwin Charles: “One Does Not Know Where an Insight Will Come From”
The dean of Yale’s School of Management grew up in a small village in Guyana. During his unlikely journey, he has researched video-gaming habits, communicable disease, and why so many African-Americans haven’t had the kind of success he’s had. Steve Levitt talks to Charles about ... Show More
39m 29s
Feb 2023
Henry Louis Gates Jr. on 'Finding Your Roots'
Larry is joined by professor, historian, and host of the PBS series 'Finding Your Roots' Henry Louis Gates Jr. They begin their conversation by discussing how Henry's upbringing and the parental influence fueled his passion for storytelling and education. Henry then details how t ... Show More
1h 17m
Jun 2020
The Joys & Challenges of Black Fatherhood
Glen Henry loves everything about being a Black dad – and he’s eager to show others why. On his YouTube channel, Beleaf in Fatherhood, he turns the stuff of everyday life in the Henry household – with his wife, Yvette, and their four kids – into artful, loving, and insightful vid ... Show More
17m 32s
Mar 2020
The Oprah Show on Race In America - A 25-Year Look Back
From January 17, 2011: To commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Oprah looks back at “The Oprah Winfrey Show” episodes that centered around race. The moments include a visit to Forsyth County, GA, where no black person had lived since 1912, the reunion of seven of the ... Show More
34m 3s
Jun 2018
Phil Samba: I Am Not a Stereotype
At just 28, Phil Samba is already a legend. When he writes, we read and when he speaks, we listen. His openness about both his sexuality and his sexual health means he’s often inundated by other young Black men who want to know more about him — how he’s cultivated his openness, h ... Show More
1h 7m
Sep 2021
EP72: Letting Your Daughter Grow Up, The Great Chicago Fire and Cars As Material Culture
On this episode of Our American Stories, Stephen Rusiniak shares his story of watching his daughter grow out of her old toys and into a teenager; Chicago's cultural historian, Tim Samuelson, tells us how this city was rebuilt after disaster; and car collector Miles C. Collier exp ... Show More
38m 18s
Dec 2023
In Conversation with Author Charles Harding
Charles Harding was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, but attended preparatory and public school in the UK. He obtained an economics degree from the University of Sierra Leone followed by an LLB honours degree at what is now University of West London. In this episode Charles Hardin ... Show More
57m 54s
Feb 2024
James Baldwin's Shadow (Throwback)
James Baldwin believed that America has been lying to itself since its founding. An insightful commentator on Black identity, American democracy, and racism, he saw something deep and ugly and stubborn in American culture, and never hesitated to call it by its name — to bear witn ... Show More
44m 24s