Kai Wright

Host & Managing Editor, Notes From America with Kai Wright

Kai Wright appears in the following:

The Week That Changed America’s Cities

Thursday, April 13, 2023

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. 

How a Young, Black Progressive Won in Chicago

Monday, April 10, 2023

Brandon Johnson's mayoral election could change the national conversation about crime, schools--and an aging Black establishment in big city politics.

Grieving Loss From Gun Violence

Thursday, April 06, 2023

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.

Of Tech Moguls and Gold Miners: A Capitalist History

Monday, April 03, 2023

In Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse, one writer sees a model for amassing obscene wealth, pioneered in 19th century California, finally nearing its limits.

Trump, the GOP, and a New Confederacy

Thursday, March 30, 2023

White supremacist myths turn defeated leaders into heroic victors. Are Donald Trump and the MAGA movement the next Lost cause? 

Ramadan: A Month About Much More Than Fasting

Monday, March 27, 2023

Ramadan Mubarak! We check in with people of the Muslim community, their intentions, traditions and plans for making the most of this holy month.

The Truth Behind the Religious Right

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Some believe that the religious right’s roots begin with Roe v. Wade. But there was an earlier court decision about the rights of segregated schools that first mobilized them.

The History Behind New Waves of Anti-Trans Legislation

Monday, March 20, 2023

State lawmakers across the country are introducing new waves of legislation targeting the transgender community. What’s behind this movement? 

The Rocky Statue: A Famous Monument to a Fictitious Hero

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Why do millions of people from around the world flock to Philadelphia, PA, to visit a statue….of a fictional character? We ask Paul Farber, host of the WHYY podcast The Statue.

Revising History, One Monument at a Time

Monday, March 13, 2023

Artist Michelle Browder lives in a city that is increasingly being altered by monumental works…including one she created herself.

Preserving Untold Oral Histories

Thursday, March 09, 2023

Our national story comprises all of us. We hear stories from listeners and The HistoryMakers founder Julieanna Richardson that capture the living history that often goes unmentioned.

Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Hollywood

Monday, March 06, 2023

We continue our Black History Is Now series with Gina Prince-Bythewood, director of the hit films “The Woman King” and “Love & Basketball,” among others that center Black voices.

Celebrating Terrance McKnight’s ‘Every Voice’ Podcast

Thursday, March 02, 2023

Terrance McKnight, evening host on WQXR, unearths the hidden voices that shape our musical traditions in the new podcast "Every Voice with Terrance McKnight.” 

How Respectability Politics Erased Young Women From History

Monday, February 27, 2023

We mark the end of Black History Month with a conversation about the people who are too often left out when we celebrate the past. 

Black History Is Now: How Misty Copeland Went From Different to Special

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Continuing our Black History Month series, ballet sensation Misty Copeland shares her journey to believing she was special.

The Battle Over Black Studies

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Black studies is not about inclusion. It’s about disruption – which is why some fear it.

How Black People Remade Mississippi

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Down in the Mississippi Delta, the Lester Family made a space for themselves and claimed their land–and they didn’t need “40 Acres and a mule” to do it. 

American Political Myths Have Consequences For Us All

Thursday, February 09, 2023

From the “Southern Strategy” to the civil rights movement, we’re surfacing what is true about our nation’s past, and what is propaganda masquerading as history.

The People's State Of The Union

Tuesday, February 07, 2023

Brian Lehrer hosts a conversation ahead of President Biden's State of the Union speech, in which listeners describe what they'd like to hear prioritized. 

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Black Music’s Most Memorable Moments With Emil Wilbekin

Monday, February 06, 2023

In the spirit of the Grammys, Emil Wilbekin, a founding editor of VIBE, offers a first-person history of Black popular music, from Soul Train to Beyoncé.