Best Dance Rhetoric Podcasts (2025)

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Not Just Forgotten, but Erased From History: A Final Note from Notes from America 52:57

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9M ago52:57

52:57

This is the last episode of Notes from America with Kai Wright. If you’ve been with the show through its multi-year history and iterations as a NYC-based narrative podcast and local call-in show called The United States of Anxiety before becoming a nationally distributed program, then you may remember the conversation in this finale. It’s with cult…

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The Real Heartbeat of D.C. Isn’t Politics. It’s Go-Go Music. 51:54

9M ago51:54

51:54

The drumbeat of Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area is not politics. It’s go-go music. The genre developed by Chuck Brown in 1976 features syncopated rhythms, a large ensemble of musicians and a rich drum beat to create a live experience that has fans dancing ’till they can't dance no more. Go-go has been nurtured by D.C. natives for decades,…

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Dear Listener: A Celebration of Our Best Moments with You 50:04

10M ago50:04

50:04

Host Kai Wright celebrates the many years and iterations of Notes from America by revisiting some of the show’s most engaging listener moments. He’s joined by producer Regina de Heer to open up the listener mailbag of responses to recent episodes and highlights from live events and focus groups. Then, we listen back to a conversation with Lindsay K…

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A Year After Being Shot in Vermont, Palestinian Student Hisham Awartani Sets His Sights on Home 50:58

10M ago50:58

50:58

College student Hisham Awartani, 21, was visiting family in Vermont over Thanksgiving break in 2023 when he and two of his friends were shot. All three victims are of Palestinian descent and were wearing traditional Palestinian scarves when the attack happened. Awartani and the other two young men, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmed, all survi…

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We Could End AIDS. So Why Are People Still Dying? 49:59

10M ago49:59

49:59

This episode was originally published March 1, 2024. Host Kai Wright started his career covering the impact of HIV and AIDS on communities in America. A new project brings that experience full circle. Kai hosts the latest season of the Blindspot podcast, “The Plague In The Shadows,” which introduces listeners to people who were affected in the earl…

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Writer Ekow Eshun on James Baldwin’s History 30:29

10M ago30:29

30:29

Our guest on the final episode of “Notes on a Native Son” is British writer Ekow Eshun. He has been described as a cultural polymath. At a startlingly young age, 29, he became the first Black editor of Arena, a mainstream magazine in the UK. He continued to break new ground when he became the first Black director of a major cultural institution, Lo…

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An America Without Police is Safer Than You Think 50:43

10M ago50:43

50:43

The public debate over policing has made more of us more familiar with ideas like defunding or abolishing the police, but these ideas are still often dismissed as infeasible. In this episode, host Kai Wright is joined by three experts who have seen communities sustain and improve public safety absent of law enforcement. First, we meet Dennis Flores…

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Writer Hisham Matar on James Baldwin’s Patience 35:53

10M ago35:53

35:53

In the 10th episode of “Notes on a Native Son,” host Razia Iqbal sits down with writer and former architect Hisham Matar. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his profound and painful memoir, “The Return,” which chronicles his return to Libya after the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi. Gaddafi had his father Jaballa kidnapped and thrown into jail, never to be…

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Presenting This is Uncomfortable: Writer Hanif Abdurraqib on what it Means to “Make it” 36:34

10M ago36:34

36:34

This is Uncomfortable is a podcast from Marketplace. For their season premiere earlier in 2024, host Reema Khrais shared a conversation with one of our favorite writers, Hanif Abdurraqib, and we're excited to share it with you. He joins her for a wide-ranging conversation about the moral judgments we’re quick to make about people’s financial circum…

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It’s Trump’s Policy, But Both Parties Set the Stage for Mass Deportations 48:34

10M ago48:34

48:34

For nearly a decade, Donald Trump and his political allies have made it clear that one of their primary goals is mass deportation of undocumented people living in the U.S. After the election, this rhetoric is set to become a policy reality, affecting millions of people across all sectors of society. While Trump and right-wing conservatives have pro…

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Nikki Giovanni on James Baldwin's Anger 27:45

11M ago27:45

27:45

As a young woman, poet and writer Nikki Giovanni could see that no one was interested in a Black girl writing what was seen as militant and revolutionary poetry. So she formed a company and published it herself. Her second book was launched at the famous New York jazz venue Birdland as she was making a name for herself. When she was 28, she flew to…

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A Majority of Voters Have Endorsed Cruelty. So Now What? 50:15

11M ago50:15

50:15

What do the results of the presidential election tell us about our country? We asked a veteran movement organizer to reflect on what feels like a rejection of her core values. To help him make sense of all the post-election feelings, host Kai Wright gets advice from his mentor in the movement for racial and social justice, Rinku Sen. Sen is the exe…

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Author Colm Toibin on James Baldwin’s Interiority 29:30

11M ago29:30

29:30

Award-winning Irish writer Colm Toibin has long admired James Baldwin, ever since he read “Go Tell It on the Mountain" as a teenager, and has now written a book about him called simply “On James Baldwin.” When he picked “Go Tell It on the Mountain" from a shelf years ago, Toibin hadn’t heard or read anything about the novel, one of Baldwin’s most f…

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The Real Reason Why the Lies and Violent Rhetoric Won’t Stop On Election Day 50:05

11M ago50:05

50:05

Former President Donald Trump has spent the last days of his 2024 campaign casting doubt on the U.S. election system, even taking the stage at a rally in Pennsylvania to say he “shouldn’t have left” the White House in 2020. The rhetoric and lies coming from the Trump campaign have also included a false narrative that non-U.S. citizens are voting il…

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Biographer David Leeming on James Baldwin’s Teaching 40:35

11M ago40:35

40:35

In the seventh episode of “Notes on a Native Son" our guest is writer, philologist and James Baldwin biographer David Leeming. In the biography, Leeming tells us that almost from the moment h e met Baldwin, he recognized that he was in the presence of a highly complex and driven individual, who was more intensely serious than anyone he had ever enc…

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In Michigan, Arab Americans Weigh the Power of a Vote 43:03

11M ago43:03

43:03

This presidential election is likely to be a squeaker, decided by a handful of votes in some key swing states. In this episode from our friends at the podcast Code Switch, we visit one of them — Michigan — in order to hear from some of the most influential and misunderstood voters in the country: Arab Americans in Dearborn. Code Switch host Gene De…

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Live From Atlanta: GA Politics, a Growing Gender Gap and Scenes From Spelhouse Homecoming's Tailgate 49:55

11M ago49:55

49:55

With the 2024 presidential election right around the corner, all eyes are on the swing states. In this episode, host Kai Wright travels to Atlanta, the heart of one swing state where early voting numbers are at a record high, to hear about the historically large political gender gap. While the show was in town, Atlanta hosted homecoming festivities…

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Author and Playwright Caryl Phillips on James Baldwin’s Friendship 29:47

11M ago29:47

29:47

In the sixth episode of “Notes on a Native Son,” writer Caryl Phillips shares the experience of getting to know James Baldwin beyond the pages of his work. Phillips not only respected Baldwin as a writer, but regarded him as a friend and perhaps a mentor, too. Phillips was born on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, and moved to Leeds, in northern E…

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How Important is College to a Successful Career? 49:42

11M ago49:42

49:42

There is a longstanding, widely held belief that the best chance at a better future is to go off to college – especially for people from marginalized communities. Whether it was your teacher, general political rhetoric, or one of many sitcoms that reflect middle class American life, the message was to go to school or risk failure — dismissing milli…

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Novelist Elif Shafak on James Baldwin’s Compassion 29:52

11M ago29:52

29:52

In the fifth episode of Notes on a Native Son, our guest is Turkish-British writer Elif Shafak. She has published 21 books, 13 of them novels — including “The Forty Rules of Love” and her latest, “There are Rivers in the Sky” — and her work has been translated into 58 languages. Shafak is among those contemporary writers who are both lauded with aw…

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Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Journey to the Supreme Court Has Been a ‘Lovely One’ 55:56

12M ago55:56

55:56

Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson has always aspired to be a federal judge. In fact, the newest appointed associate justice of the United States Supreme Court wrote in her application to Harvard University that she wished “to attend Harvard Law School as I believed it might help me ‘to fulfill my fantasy of becoming the first Black, female Supreme Court…

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Writer Darryl Pinckney on James Baldwin’s Love 29:38

12M ago29:38

29:38

In the fourth episode of “Notes on a Native Son,” our guest is the writer and essayist Darryl Pinckney. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books and The Village Voice. Most recently, he's been the recipient of a highly prestigious award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters for his contribution to American liter…

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‘Imperfect Allies’: Processing a Year of War Across Communities 52:38

12M ago52:38

52:38

A year ago, the world was shaken when Hamas militants entered Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the kidnapping of hundreds more. It was one of the most devastating days for Israelis and Jewish communities around the world in decades. In the immediate hours after that attack, Israel launched an invasion of Gaza, resul…

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Writer Siri Hustvedt on James Baldwin’s Complexity 30:58

12M ago30:58

30:58

In the third episode of “Notes on a Native Son,” host Razia Iqbal sits down with the celebrated writer of novels and essays, Siri Hustvedt. When Hustvedt was invited to record a conversation for the podcast about her favorite passage from the work of James Baldwin, the timing in so many ways couldn’t have been worse — it turned out to be the last f…

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Gen Z’s Political Priorities Feel Both Fresh and Familiar 54:38

12M ago54:38

54:38

Americans under 30 years old have been through a lot in their young lives. Perhaps living through and witnessing the volatile political moment that was Donald Trump’s presidency, a global pandemic, a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, and growing devastation due to war in the Middle East, has led to their reported lack of trust in several key poli…

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Civil Rights Lawyer Bryan Stevenson on James Baldwin’s Courage 39:41

1y ago39:41

39:41

Host Razia Iqbal sits down with the celebrated civil rights lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson, a man as dedicated to his chosen profession as James Baldwin was to his. Stevenson is the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, based in Montgomery, Alabama, which has not only transformed the conversation about the disproportionate numbers of incarc…

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The Way Candidates Have Historically Approached the Latino Vote Won’t Fly in 2024 48:02

1y ago48:02

48:02

More than 36 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in the 2024 presidential election. Who they will support in November is still very much in play — and this year, the candidates’ approach to seeking that support can’t be copied from playbooks of the past. In this episode, guest host Janae Pierre is joined by Mike Madrid and Chuck Rocha, co-host…

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Ta-Nehisi Coates on James Baldwin's Words 41:27

1y ago41:27

41:27

In the debut episode of “Notes on a Native Son,” host Razia Iqbal sits down with essayist and novelist Ta-Nehisi Coates to discuss one of his favorite passages from the works of writer James Baldwin. His choice comes from Baldwin’s essay “On Being ‘White’…And Other Lies,” published in Essence Magazine in 1984. Coates shares why this piece resonates…

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A Flood of Claims From Rikers Island Amplify the Pervasive Problem of Sexual Assault in Jails 57:36

1y ago57:36

57:36

Warning: This episode contains profane language and detailed descriptions of sexual assault allegations. More than 20 women say a man who went by Officer “Champagne” sexually assaulted them while they were held at the Rikers Island women's jail. Their allegations span decades and they are now suing the city for more than $500 million. But the Depar…

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How Spanish Language Radio Became a Platform for Spreading Misinformation and Disinformation 50:53

1y ago50:53

50:53

Come November, an estimated 36 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in the U.S. presidential election. Across the nation, there are Spanish language radio stations invested in them as an audience — and content on those stations is targeting listeners with disinformation about the candidates, the parties and political issues. In this special epi…

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Presenting: ‘Notes on a Native Son,’ A Celebration of James Baldwin at 100 3:41

1y ago3:41

3:41

“Notes on a Native Son” is a new, limited audio series about how and why the writer James Baldwin continues to matter. We hear from people who turn to his words again and again for ideas and inspiration, including Ta-Nehisi Coates, Nikki Giovanni, Bryan Stevenson and many more. Hosted by journalist Razia Iqbal, each episode explores a Baldwin passa…

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Kamala Harris’s Debate Style Was a Master Class in Rhetoric for the Trump Era 29:28

1y ago29:28

29:28

Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation, joins host Kai Wright “On the Call” to break down how Vice President Kamala Harris used classic trial lawyer tactics to take apart former president Donald Trump in their ABC News debate. Perhaps you’ve noticed: the news is newsing in overdrive lately. Notes from America is meeting the…

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Why Climate Change Isn’t a Top Ticket Issue in 2024 49:44

1y ago49:44

49:44

The election is less than two months away and neither candidate has laid out specific terms or plans for environmental policies if they were to win the election. Here’s what we do know. The Trump administration was vocally critical of policies meant to protect the environment and pursued policies that would retrace protective measures. Recently, it…

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What the Next U.S. President Must Face in Gaza 39:54

1y ago39:54

39:54

The Biden administration says it’s putting forward its best and final proposal to Israel for a ceasefire deal that would pause the violence in Gaza and give regional leaders and global stakeholders the opportunity to work toward a resolution. But the Netanyahu government has not seemed interested in a deal, and it’s likely that the next president-e…

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The Gifts of Mortality and Movement, According To Dance Legend Bill T. Jones 50:42

1y ago50:42

50:42

Dancers and romantic partners Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane stood out in the modern dance movement of the 1970s and 1980s as they explored a new vocabulary of movement that helped redefine the landscape of dance. Zane died of AIDS-related complications in 1988, and Jones vowed to continue their work with the company they co-founded. Shortly after, h…

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The Next Insurrection Could Be Led By Extremists in the U.S. Military. Are We Ready? 31:46

1y ago31:46

31:46

In 2021, a trio of retired U.S. military generals co-authored an opinion piece in the Washington Post. It warned that what happened on January 6, 2021, would happen again — that America must prepare for another coup attempt in the aftermath of the 2024 election, one they predicted will have more help and coordination from members of the U.S. milita…

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Everything Is Too Damn High: Facts vs Feelings on Harris and Trump's Economic Plans 50:09

1y ago50:09

50:09

The 2024 Democratic National Convention was a spectacle filled with rhetoric around the middle class and the goal of creating an “opportunity economy.” But what does that actually mean for millions of Americans concerned about the cost of housing, childcare, gas and groceries in their communities? Host Kai Wright is joined by Today, Explained co-ho…

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Who’s Winning the Swing States? Let’s Check the Polls. 28:14

1y ago28:14

28:14

Everything about the dynamic of the 2024 election changed when Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and endorsed Kamala Harris to take his place on the Democratic Party ticket. But are the polls looking much different now that there’s a new match-up? This week, host Kai Wright gets Patrick Toomey on the call to talk about some of the latest sur…

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How Greek Life and HBCUs shaped Kamala Harris and a Generation of Black Students 48:48

1y ago48:48

48:48

The Vice President came of age inside collegiate institutions that have shaped Black, middle-class culture for generations. She says they imprinted deeply upon her as well. Kamala Harris's story is remarkable in numerous ways. If elected president, she’ll be the first coming from several life experiences, including one that many Black commentators …

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Gaza Is Kamala Harris’s Moral Challenge, and Also Her Opportunity 33:44

1y ago33:44

33:44

Slate staff writer Aymann Ismail gets “On the Call” with host Kai Wright to share his reporting on the “uncommitted” Democrats pushing Kamala Harris for an arms embargo on Israel — and the awkward scene he found at the Republican National Convention. Plus, they talk about the nominee’s notorious “I’m speaking” moment at a rally in Detroit in respon…

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Megan Thee Stallion, Kid Rock, and the Musical Politics of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump 39:39

1y ago39:39

39:39

It’s been a turbulent election year so far and artists at the forefront of the conversation match that energy. From Megan Thee Stallion debuting “Hotties for Harris,” to Sexxy Red sporting MAGA red, to Charli XCX declaring “kamala IS brat”, to Kid Rock’s rally cry of “fight, fight” during his performance at the RNC — it’s hard to imagine what song …

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Kamala Harris and Tim Walz Caught the Vibe of 2024. What Will That Change? 39:15

1y ago39:15

39:15

The Harris for President 2024 Campaign made its latest political move by announcing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’ choice for vice president. The selection of Walz signals that, for Democrats, this election is about more than just defeating Donald Trump, says author and political commentator Anand Giridharadas. He joins host Kai Wrig…

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The Juxtaposition of Sonya Massey's Killing and Kamala Harris' Presidential Run 50:53

1y ago50:53

50:53

Kamala Harris’s nomination for president is historic and unprecedented. But one thing that has followed Harris since her initial campaign for president in 2019 are the many questions around her record as a prosecutor, district attorney and eventually the Attorney General of California. These questions have come to a head through the lens of the bru…

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James Baldwin's Words Continue to Challenge us 100 Years After His Birth 27:53

1y ago27:53

27:53

On August 2, 1924, a baby boy was born at Harlem Hospital in New York City — one who would grow up to become one of the most celebrated writers and thinkers of the 20th century. James Baldwin’s novels, essays and ideas were captivating and controversial. They challenged society’s ideas of race, power, sexuality and belonging through politics that w…

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Kamala Harris Is a ‘Supreme Court Realist.’ So Will She Reform It? 41:14

1y ago41:14

41:14

President Joe Biden says he has a plan to reform the Supreme Court — one that will keep presidential power in check. Political commentator Elie Mystal says it’s about time. Mystal is the justice correspondent for The Nation magazine and someone who has been advocating (at the top of his lungs) for SCOTUS reform for years. In this episode of “On the…

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A History of the Palestinian Solidarity Movement Through One Activist's Life Story 51:46

1y ago51:46

51:46

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu’s July 24th address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress was skipped by roughly half of the Democratic caucus, including the party's new presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. This marks a shift in Democratic Party politics around Israel and Palestine after nearly 10 months of mass protest…

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Did 44,000 Black Women Just Close Dems' 'Enthusiasm Gap' in One Zoom Call? 22:25

1y ago22:25

22:25

Perhaps you’ve noticed: the news is newsing in overdrive lately. Notes from America is meeting the moment with an extra podcast drop on Thursdays starting today. Welcome to On the Call, a pop-up podcast series of conversations about politics, voters and democracy right now. While most of America was still processing the news that President Joe Bide…

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Biden Was Their Candidate. How Are Americans Feeling Now That Kamala Harris Is Poised To Replace Him? 50:15

1y ago50:15

50:15

“The call was coming from inside the house,” says Fordham University political scientist Christina Greer about the pressure campaign Democrats applied to President Joe Biden in the weeks since his debate against Republican contender Donald Trump. Biden’s fitness for another four-year term had been called into question, and although he seemed determ…

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Trump Assassination Attempt Exposes Security Concerns, Conspiracy Theories and a Democracy In Danger 51:38

1y ago51:38

51:38

Federal investigators are charged with uncovering how a 20-year-old man was able to use an automatic rifle from a rooftop just outside of a campaign rally for Donald Trump to open fire, killing one attendee and injuring others, including the former president. The horrific images from the rally flooded social media timelines, followed by conspiracy …

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What 100 Years Of Audio Can Tell Us About Black Americans and Belonging 51:36

1y ago51:36

51:36

WNYC, the most listened-to public radio station in America and the production home of this podcast, turns 100 years old this year. Its audio archives are full of gems from history — including voices, interviews and performances from some of the most well-known Black Americans of the 20th century. In this episode, host Kai Wright digs through some o…