Best Reluctant Debutantes Podcasts (2024)

1
Trump Assassination Attempt Exposes Security Concerns, Conspiracy Theories and a Democracy In Danger 51:38

16m 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 …

1
Trailer - Recovering Debs 2:20

1d ago2:20

2:20

Coming soon: Recovering Debs, a podcast that examines white debutante culture in North Carolina from the perspective of reluctant debutantes who have questions. What does this custom mean for parents? For the young women who participate? Who benefits and how?By Mary Lambeth Moore

1
What 100 Years Of Audio Can Tell Us About Black Americans and Belonging 51:36

7d 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…

1
Biden's Struggles, Trump's Lies and What Your Post-Debate Depression Means for November 50:36

12d ago50:36

50:36

When President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump shared the stage for the first presidential debate of the 2024 election season, it was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Namely, it displayed a concern of many Americans: Biden’s age and acuity. We watched two men, both in the late years of their lives, both of whom have already spent de…

1
Can American democracy ever be truly democratic? 50:34

19d ago50:34

50:34

Minority rule – by which a few get to decide the outcomes for many – is eroding American democracy at nearly every level, according to veteran journalist Ari Berman, author of Minority Rule: the Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People―and the Fight to Resist It. In this episode, host Kai Wright talks to Berman about how the U.S. has been in a p…

1
How Black People Built American Democracy: A Juneteenth Celebration 50:24

26d ago50:24

50:24

The promise of American democracy could not be fulfilled until all Americans were free. Following the moment of Black liberation marked by Juneteenth, Black Americans began the ongoing project of securing and protecting their rights to vote, and to lead. In this special Juneteenth episode, host Kai Wright traces the lineage of our democracy being a…

1
Message Received: Listener Questions About Trump, What ‘The Wiz’ Means and Stories About Summer 15:29

30d ago15:29

15:29

Back in April, some of our listeners told us they were “Trump curious.” A few months later, the former president is now a convicted criminal and other listeners have lingering questions. The Notes from America inbox is always teeming with interesting takes from our audience and in this episode, host Kai Wright is joined by producer Regina de Heer t…

1
Tony-Nominated Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins on Using Theater to Make Sense of Nonsense 45:27

1M ago45:27

45:27

Ten years after its original staging, “Appropriate” has received eight Tony Award nominations. Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins talks about the moments of his life that inspired it. The play tells the story of three siblings reuniting in their family home after the death of their father. Charged with going through his belongings, the children disc…

1
Still In Recovery From Being Shot, Hisham Awartani Commits To a Summer of Activism 15:18

1M ago15:18

15:18

Notes from America producer Suzanne Gaber returns to the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, for an update on Hisham Awartani, a 21-year-old student of Palestinian descent, who was paralyzed after being shot during a holiday break in Vermont in 2023. As Awartani continues to work on his physical recovery and navigating life in a…

1
Is Donald Trump's Historic Felony Conviction Just a Part of Our New Political Normal? 38:46

1M ago38:46

38:46

Last week, a jury in Manhattan handed down a guilty verdict in the hush money trial of Donald J. Trump for 34 counts related to falsifying business records to influence the 2016 election. Even though the verdict made Trump the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes, most American voters say the outcome of the trial doesn’t make muc…

1
What Does It Mean To Be Free? 50:11

2M ago50:11

50:11

Author Ayana Mathis' new novel, The Unsettled, is an intergenerational story centered around one Black family’s struggle to find freedom in the 1980s. Like her previous work, migration and movement are major themes in the book. But this time, her characters are at a crossroads, unsure of their next step in search of self-determination. Mathis joins…

1
Class Of 2024 Grads Reflect On Being Expected to Change the World 49:11

2M ago49:11

49:11

We should all know by now how foolish it is to underestimate youth. Gen Z, the generation of people born between 1997 and 2012, has already changed the world in ways that no one could have anticipated, from mass protests against gun violence to international movements to reckon with climate change. For members of this generation who are part of the…

1
Why Divestment Is At the Core of Student Protests 51:13

2M ago51:13

51:13

While news coverage has been justifiably focused on the aggressive police response to anti-war college protests at campuses around the country, it’s noteworthy that a handful of U.S. schools have agreed to come to the table with students and discuss their demands. At the top of the list for many campus activists: divestment. At Brown University, wh…

1
What ‘The Wiz’ Was And Is to Black Culture 49:56

2M ago49:56

49:56

The iconic musical “The Wiz” has returned to Broadway. The Black take on “The Wizard of Oz” debuted in 1974, featuring theater stars such as Stephanie Mills, André De Shields and Dee Dee Bridgewater. It was later adapted as a film starring Diana Ross, Lena Horne and Michael Jackson. After decades of countless local stage productions and bootleg VHS…

1
Tonya Mosley Reckons with a Dark Family Story and Holds Tight to Hope in the Podcast She Has a Name 50:28

3M ago50:28

50:28

Tonya Mosley's voice is familiar to millions of public radio listeners across the country. She co-hosted NPR's midday news show Here and Now for several years before becoming co-host of Fresh Air in 2022. Now, the award-winning audio journalist is taking listeners on a personal journey. Around two decades ago, Mosley was just at the start of her ca…

1
How This Passover Feels Different For Many Jewish Americans 49:37

3M ago49:37

49:37

Nearly seven months after October 7th and the start of the war in Gaza, emotions over the violence and devastation are still running hot here in the U.S, and inspiring an exercise in self-reflection for many Jewish Americans. It’s a confusing and anxious moment to celebrate Passover, marked this year by personal and communal crises over Israel, ris…

1
An Investigative Journalist Is Rocked By the ‘Inconceivable Truth’ Of His Own Identity 46:54

3M ago46:54

46:54

In this episode, we share the first part of the new podcast series Inconceivable Truth. It’s hosted by WNYC reporter Matt Katz, who has been searching for his biological father since he was a little kid. But it wasn’t until Matt was in his 40s that he realized he was on the wrong journey altogether. The true story is wrapped in confusion and secrec…

1
Amber Ruffin Talks ‘The Wiz’ Revival, Writing for ‘Late Night,’ and Representation in Comedy 50:41

3M ago50:41

50:41

Amber Ruffin is a comedy phenom. She’s spent a decade writing and performing on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and hosted her own show, “The Amber Ruffin Show.” She’s a co-author of bestselling books with her sister Lacey Lamar, with whom she co-hosts a podcast, The Amber & Lacey, Lacey & Amber Show. The Emmy and Tony nominee is now focused on a ne…

1
Voter Vibe Check: Why Trump Has More Support from Black Voters Than Ever 49:39

3M ago49:39

49:39

A February 2024 New York Times/Siena College poll reveals as many as 23 percent of Black respondents said they would vote for Trump if the election were held right then. The numbers are strikingly higher than they have been in the past — and they are notable for a community that has voted overwhelmingly for democrats and against Donald Trump specif…

1
Comedian Bassem Youssef’s Honest Reflection on Fame, the Pressure of Representation, and What it Means to be American 50:38

4M ago50:38

50:38

Egyptian American satirist and comedian Bassem Youssef was once known as “The Jon Stewart of Egypt,” after gaining notoriety for his criticism of the government during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. But it wasn’t long before the doctor-turned-comedian was forced to leave his home country and start over in the United States. Ten years later, as he en…

1
David Alan Grier Is Still Hitting Career Highs, More Than 40 Years After His Debut 52:34

4M ago52:34

52:34

David Alan Grier has been a mainstay on TV, Broadway and film since his initial acting debut in the acclaimed Broadway show “The First,” about Jackie Robinson’s life and legacy. That role, in 1981, earned him a Tony Award nomination, but he found a new level of fame as a core cast member on the classic 1990s sketch show “In Living Color.” His more …

1
Voter Vibe Check: Democratic Voters Are Torn Over Biden’s Gaza Policy 50:17

4M ago50:17

50:17

A movement is emerging among registered Democrats across the U.S. In Minnesota and Michigan, collectively, more than 150,000 voters chose “uncommitted” rather than selecting Joe Biden on their primary election ballots. Protest voting is a trend on the rise with many in the Democratic party expressing their frustration at U.S. policy as the war in G…

1
Kai Wright Presents Blindspot Episode 5: What If I Could Have Grown Old With My Brother? 40:41

4M ago40:41

40:41

In 1985, doctors at a methadone clinic in the South Bronx made the harrowing discovery: 50 percent of their patients had HIV. Three years later, in the same neighborhood, a pair of epidemiologists estimated that as many as one in five young men were positive for the disease. Those numbers made the South Bronx one of most critical hotspots for HIV i…

1
How Actor Danielle Brooks 'Already Won' Before The Oscars 50:32

4M ago50:32

50:32

Danielle Brooks, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress following her masterful portrayal of Sofia in the 2023 remake of “The Color Purple,” discusses her journey to the Oscars with host Kai Wright. Brooks was the sole representative at the 96th Academy Awards from last year’s film adaptation. The first time novelist Alice Walke…

1
Kai Wright Presents Blindspot Episode 4: Respectability Politics and the AIDS Crisis 49:51

4M ago49:51

49:51

By 1986, almost 40 percent of people diagnosed with AIDS in the United States were either Black or Latino. As the full contours of the crisis became apparent, a group of Black gay men began to organize in cities across the country, demanding attention and support for the people dying in their midst. This effort required them to confront big, import…

1
Are We Really Having a 'Migrant Crisis?' Depends Who You Ask. 49:19

4M ago49:19

49:19

Both President Biden and Donald Trump took campaign trips to Texas to visit the U.S. border in recent days. These simultaneous visits happened shortly after several polls found that immigration remains a top issue for voters. But the political discourse can often erase the lived experiences and realities of migrants throughout the country. In this …

1
We Could End AIDS. So Why Are People Still Dying? 49:15

5M ago49:15

49:15

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 early years of the HIV and AIDS epidemics. Decades later,…

1
Leading with Love: Care and Compassion in the Early Days of AIDS 52:03

5M ago52:03

52:03

The latest season of the Blindspot podcast, “The Plague In The Shadows,” brings listeners the voices of people who were affected in the early years of the HIV and AIDS epidemics. It includes stories like that of Kia LaBeija, an artist and activist who was diagnosed with HIV as a child soon after her parents both tested positive. LaBeija’s experienc…

1
It's Giving ‘Hell No’ — Danielle Brooks On Becoming ‘The Color Purple’s’ Sofia 9:16

5M ago9:16

9:16

There’s something about Sofia. The iconic character was first born within the pages of Alice Walker’s canonical 1982 novel, “The Color Purple.” She is a fierce, principled Black woman — friend to the protagonist Celie and wife to Celie’s stepson Harpo, who tarnishes their relationship with violence. But what is most notable about Sofia is that she …

1
A Palestinian-American Victim of American Gun Violence Becomes A Reluctant Poster Child 50:32

5M ago50:32

50:32

Hisham Awartani 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. While his friends made full physical recoveries, 20-year-old Awartani now has to grapple with a new life that…

1
Kai Wright Presents Blindspot Episode 3: ‘Women Don’t Get AIDS, They Just Die From It’ 46:39

5M ago46:39

46:39

From the very earliest days of the epidemic, women got infected with HIV and died from AIDS — just like men. But from the earliest days, this undeniable fact was largely ignored — by the public, the government and even the medical establishment. The consequences of this blindspot were profound. Many women didn’t know they could get HIV. But in the …

1
Intercultural Relationships Are More Common, But Are They Less Taboo? 49:22

5M ago49:22

49:22

We’re living in polarized times – particularly, when it comes to questions of identity, such as race and culture and gender. At the same time, our growing cultural diversity is at this point baked into the future. Within the next 20 years, the majority of Americans will identify as something other than white; that’s already the case in four states.…

1
Kai Wright Presents Blindspot Episode 2: If I Didn’t Have HIV, I Wouldn’t Have Met You 40:01

5M ago40:01

40:01

It’s the 1980s — Harlem, USA — and the 17th floor of the area’s struggling public hospital is filling up with infants and children who arrive and then never leave. Some spend their whole lives on the pediatric ward, celebrating birthdays, first steps and first words with the nurses and doctors who’ve become their surrogate family. Welcome to Harlem…

1
Voter Vibe Check: Anti-Trump Conservatives On Republican Party Politics In 2024 49:23

5M ago49:23

49:23

With the Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries behind us, the 2024 election cycle is well underway. Donald J. Trump isn’t the 2024 Republican presidential candidate yet, but his victories in Iowa and New Hampshire suggest that it will be smooth sailing to the GOP nomination for the former president once again — notwithstanding his severa…

1
Kai Wright Presents Blindspot Episode 1: Mourning In America 35:59

5M ago35:59

35:59

Valerie Reyes-Jimenez called it “The Monster.” That’s how some people described HIV and AIDS in the 1980s. Valerie thinks as many as 75 people from her block on New York City’s Lower East Side died. They were succumbing to an illness that was not recognized as the same virus that was killing young, white, gay men just across town in the West Villag…

1
What A Segregated Mental Asylum Can Tell Us About Health Care in the US Today 50:03

6M ago50:03

50:03

If you were Black with mental illness in the early 1900s, you couldn’t seek help just anywhere. You’d have to go to a segregated asylum like Maryland’s Crownsville Hospital, formerly known as the Hospital for the Negro Insane. The facility opened in 1911 when 12 men were brought into the woods outside of Baltimore and told to start working. They we…

1
Kai Wright Hosts Blindspot: The Plague In The Shadows 5:08

6M ago5:08

5:08

The latest season of the Blindspot podcast brings listeners voices of people who were affected in the early years of the AIDS epidemic, when so little was known about HIV, and so much was misunderstood. It’s also hosted by a familiar voice – Kai Wright, who has covered the impact of HIV and AIDS in communities of color throughout his career as a jo…

1
Doom. Denial. ‘Hopium.’ What About Climate Action? 49:43

6M ago49:43

49:43

The hottest year on record was 2023, but we're expected to make the same claim at the end of this calendar year. As the world warms and reports of historic flooding, wildfires, tornadoes and droughts continue to permeate the news, it's easy to feel burdened with anxiety about the future of our planet. But there are moments of hope to hold on to. Ar…

1
Reclaiming Woke: Celebrating The Legacy Of Martin Luther King Jr. Live At The Apollo 50:57

6M ago50:57

50:57

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final Sunday sermon was titled, “Remaining Awake Through A Great Revolution.” In other words, he was advising us to stay woke. Today, that term has become a political slur. “Woke” is at the very center of our culture wars – especially as we enter a contentious election year. But like a lot of slang words, woke has an or…

1
What the Ozempic Craze Means for Our Personal Health 49:28

6M ago49:28

49:28

Interest in Ozempic as a way to lose weight has only been outmatched by demand for the drug, which has been in short supply as celebrities and social media influencers continue to popularize its use. The Type 2 diabetes treatment, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2017, has become a catch-all term for a class of medications …

1
Raoul Peck Fights for Justice With His Movies 49:46

7M ago49:46

49:46

Raoul Peck became known for his filmmaking and fight for racial justice with the released of his Academy Award-nominated film I Am Not Your Negro which attempts to complete James Baldwin's unfinished book about the assassinations of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and Medgar Evers. It was followed by another documentary series, Exterminate All the B…

1
I Was A Child of Dread 50:43

7M ago50:43

50:43

In Safiya Sinclair’s new memoir, “How to Say Babylon: A Memoir,” the award-winning poet and essayist is revisiting her youth as a Rastafari girl. Being Rasta is about so much more than what shows up in American pop culture — it’s an anti-colonial, pro-Black way of life that was deeply important to Safiya’s father. But for her, it was a set of rules…

1
Why NYC’s Move to Privatize Public Housing Could Impact the Rest of the Country 50:19

7M ago50:19

50:19

When Fanta Kaba was growing up, her family moved around a lot: Harlem, Queens, the Bronx, even North Carolina for a while. But when they moved into public housing, they finally found stability. Now, a controversial plan is changing the way public housing operates — and a lot of residents are scared about the future of their homes. On this week’s sh…

1
Remembering Rapper Prodigy As A Cure For Sickle Cell Emerges 29:42

7M ago29:42

29:42

The FDA’s approval of gene-editing therapy to effectively treat sickle cell disease has many people hopeful while also thinking about the many lives lost to the disease. One of the most high profile people in the entertainment world with sickle cell was hip-hop artist Prodigy, who died of related complications in 2017. Kai invites you to listen bac…

1
What the New Cure for Sickle Cell Disease Really Means 50:21

7M ago50:21

50:21

The Food and Drug Administration has approved gene therapy as a treatment for sickle cell disease, effectively making a cure available to many people affected by the genetic disease. Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders and is the most common form of an inherited blood disorder. In this episode, Kai is joined by Ashl…

1
Bias in A.I. and the Risks of Continued Development, with Dr. Joy Buolamwini 50:29

8M ago50:29

50:29

This week on Notes from America, host Kai Wright talks with Dr. Joy Buolamwini, a computer scientist who uses art and research to illuminate the social implications of artificial intelligence. The self-described “poet of code” warns that A.I. could write the biases of today’s world into algorithms and even regress the progress of U.S. civil rights …

1
Out of hope? Maybe stop for a sandwich and a song. 50:43

8M ago50:43

50:43

Playwright Lynn Nottage says it’s in her nature to be optimistic. And if it’s true what they say that you can manifest good things by thinking positively, well, it’s worked out for her in myriad ways. Nottage is the first and only woman to have won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice, and she’s one of today’s most produced playwrights. Her work, thoug…

1
How Boston’s Big Dig built our expectations of American infrastructure 51:03

8M ago51:03

51:03

Boston's Big Dig started as a vision for a large-scale highway tunnel system that became a cautionary tale about American infrastructure. Guest host Nancy Solomon speaks with Ian Coss, host of The Big Dig podcast from WGBH and PRX, which dives into the history behind some of the most notable infrastructure projects in the Greater Boston area leadin…

1
Nikki Giovanni and Kimberly McGlonn on space travel, sustainable fashion and Black liberation 50:38

8M ago50:38

50:38

Guest host Janae Pierre sits down with legendary poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, who is the subject of a new documentary, Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project. Giovanni reflects on the legacy of Black storytelling, gospel music, what she describes as original libraries, and why she’s working to get more Black women involved in space travel. …

1
Black Lives Matter, 10 years later 51:34

8M ago51:34

51:34

It’s been 10 years since the Black Lives Matter was founded iin response to the acquittal of the man who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Kai Wright speaks with organizer Chelsea Miller about the impact the movement has had on a generation of young people. She makes the case for why we must keep telling the story of Black life and death in …

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Reluctant Debutantes Podcasts

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