Stop making everything about race when it’s clearly not. You are the problem

I am constantly learning new things from this podcast! I think Gene has always been great and I’m very happy with BA’s arrival to the team. My world has expanded and I look forward to continuing to learn!

I love this podcast. I just listened to the public housing episode. Fanta Kaba was so good!!! It really got me thinking about the question of who gets to live where. I am always learning when I listen. Thank you so much for all of your work!

Absolutely amazing. Football is my thing! Has been all my life. As a player, coach, student and historian of the game, this is a story I never knew. Thank you BA Parker and the whole team for bringing this piece of history to the world. Moreover, thank you to all the hosts and team for the amazing work you do with the Code Switch podcast. Your excellent work on a myriad of subjects is vitally necessary and so appreciated! Keep doing what you’re doing! We hear you and thank you!

I’m here for all B.A. Parker journalism. She’s so authentic and unique. Her storytelling leaves you wanting more.

I have enjoyed the show and topics of this show. I love the variety of the topics and subject matter and how informative it is.

why does EVERYTHING have be about RACE now???? America is a melting pot- literally everyone is a from a mixed culture- get over yourselves. It’s HYSTERICAL to me that anyone today in these modern times in America can talk about discrimination. Women, gay, blacks, jews, old, young, rich, poor - everyone- we’ve all been discriminated against in one way or another . it’s old already- the biggest problem and concern we all are facing today is the discrimination against AMERICANS. by continuing to talk and whine about how we be been treated by this or that - it’s only serving to divide us as a whole, to weaken our foundation as a country from which we all come from. Why isn’t anyone talking about how “whites” are being discriminated against? How my ancestors came here from italy and were discriminated against and treated like they were disposable? my ancestors suffered at the hands of colonial rule—JUST SHUT UP AND STOP THE VICTIM MENTALITY. JustTalk talk talk about race race race - THIS IS THE REASON THAT RACISM CONTINUES BC ITS ALL THATS TALKED ABOUT. We are ALL AMERICAN. We are all being denied our rights, being taken advantage of and being dictated to and controlled and we’re all subjected to suffering now. WE ALL BLEED THE SAME COLOR. THE ENEMY IS NOT YOUR NEIGHBOR- wake up.

WOW! I’m no Swiftie, but I know a mean girl take down when I hear one! It’s disturbing to hear women diminish or ignore the good that she’s done…while pontificating about what YOU think she SHOULD be & do. When you talked about the good… I could hear your eyes roll in that “what-evah“ way. Y’all damned her political involvement being late… then insinuated it was only done to make her look good. Talk about being damned if you do & damned if you don’t! My takeaway is this pod will celebrate women…but only IF they’re women of color. Since I’m not…I won’t be back. This divisiveness is disturbing & sad!

Highly subjective, not any sort of reportage. The bias against “whiteness” is very obvious. NPR should be ashamed.

Listened to one one taylor swift. I’m not a fan of hers, but I became concerned as it became increasingly critical if her not because of anything she said or did but rather that shes white, has too many fans and won too many awards. So the host has to take her down a peg. Such a cynical and misguided way to view the world.

“White people bad.” That’s the message of this podcast.

Thank you for bringing to light the complex issues of public housing in New York. The young journalist did a beautiful job of bringing forward the facts and the human issues that intertwine in the complex issue of housing. Thank you for lifting her up and giving her a chance to show her talent. I have a feeling, we will hear a great deal more from her in the future. The show is terrific.

Excruciating, simply excruciating. It’s never too late to do something meaningful with your life.

I’ve been a “Code Switch” fan for years, and the programming is always top notch and highly relevant. This particular episode is a great example of programming that goes to new heights. Thank you!

Thank you for the wonderful episode on the Montgomery Bus Boycott Women leaders and participants! Very beautiful and inspiring!

Thank you to the team for making such a quality podcast.

If you listened to the the Arkansas episode, and you care even a little about schooling, please read Dr. Bettina Love’s latest book, “Punished for Dreaming.” School reform, such as what is happening in this latest episode, is a part of a calculated attack on public education. Thank you for speaking up on this. Unfortunately, Arkansas is just the tip of the privatization iceberg.

Offering great perspective's on culture without centering whiteness! That’s what makes Code Switch an authentic listen. BIPOC thoughts, ideas, and cultures are highlighted and brought to the forefront of each narrative. We love to see it!

I used to enjoy this podcast, but the tone has changed. I just listened to part of a recent episode about cooking, and the author of the cookbook seemed overly entitled, blaming her struggles with the publishing industry on white people; publishing a book is competitive for everyone, and there is no recognition of this. I was interested in her cookbook because my boyfriend’s Punjabi mother has taught me recipes, and I’d like to learn simpler versions; but now I will not support this author. While some of the host’s comments are thoughtful, refreshing, and insightful, I hear a lot of derision and distaste for white people; unfortunately, such open hatred is only alienating people and contributing to increased racial tension these days, it’s not drawing people closer. I get that white people have often been privileged and often have had positions of power, which has created, understandably, a lot of resentment, but the open dislike of white people in this show is not professional. Sorry if my opinion is offensive to anyone; I try my best to not offend people, but I honestly don’t think this is contributing to improving relationships between races. Maybe that’s not the intention of the show though. I will be unsubscribing.

The opinions shared on Code Switch are almost always in line with current left-wing orthodoxy. I wish there were more viewpoint diversity. I want my views on race challenged, not just reinforced. I definitely wouldn’t say their conversations are “fearless.” The show is, however, well produced and a hosts are likable.

B.A. Parker is a fantastic host, and I’m so glad she joined the Code Switch team! I’m currently traveling and listening to her conversation about ‘ethical travel’ with Shahnaz Habib - a must-listen that’s helped illuminate why I feel so confused and awkward as a ‘tourist’ pretending to be a ‘traveler.’

I absolutely love this show. I learn something new every time I listen to an episode. The episode about Bad Bunny is particularly good. I lived on la isla for a few years. Did my best to integrate into the community and not live like a long term tourist. So many of the things he said I felt deeply and gained a new appreciation for him (and his music). Each episode I’ve listened to had an impact but none near as impactful as that episode.

The November 2023 podcast episode featuring the two Palestinian poets was so incredibly moving and poignant, in large part because Palestinian humanity and voices have been erased in western media. Thank you for giving these two poets the opportunity to share their lived experience, their stories, their humanity with your listeners. To be Palestinian is to be resilient.

Thank you for interviewing Ada Limón. I’ve loved your podcast for years, but this one is so amazing. Thank you for sharing her beautiful poetry.

I have many podcasts that I follow and loved many of them, but this is the first time I feel the need to rate a podcast because of how much it fills a void. Also I love the chemistry flow between the 2 hosts, their preparation, and the different perspectives they bring. I don’t always agree with what the experts say, but it doesn’t matter. The topics fill me like gonzo finding his brethren. I’m mixed-race, and multi-cultural. Special shout-out to the episode with Ada Limón on 10/24/23. Big thanks to the souls who put their hearts into creating the podcast and for NPR for supporting it! Love you more now.

And probably from folks who know nothing about true race relations in the US. I'm sure they know very little about culture to boot. The vernacular is sometimes street level, but make no mistake, your hosts are not uneducated "kids" (as one reviewer stated). Sometimes truth to power can be scary to those who have everything to lose, I guess.

This one hit me hard. Being a Black Hispanic American who retired as a US Army Infantry Officer, your guess was absolutely on point about the environment, access to the education, perception, and still small demographics for Black Combat Arms Officers. I was fortunate to have gone the internal route to becoming an Officer as a “Mustang” but definitely didn't make it any easier and potentially made it harder because most of my peers and superiors knew my background. Great Episode!

This is pretty easy and has nothing to do with the conspiracy theories favored by the hosts. For starters the Biden administration argued for a special exception to be made. And Roberts in his opinion said that it’s as reasonable to exclude the military academies as they were not a party to the case. In other words, if someone brings suit then there will be a better time and place to adjudicate the issue. And then there is just the basic issue that the military argument bears no resemblance to college campuses. Given the controversies and violence on college campuses today that difference may lessening. But even with that you have non state actors driving the violence. With respect to Harvard and UNC you had the state actors as the driver of the racism. And no mention of the simple fact that Harvard was caught dead to rights discriminating against Asians. Guess Asians don’t count.

One of the best podcasts available today, informative, entertaining, and definitionally enlightening. Thank you all for your work

This used to be one of my favorite podcasts. It had a really wide range of topics and there was a clear effort to include much more representation. Since Shereen left, it quickly devolved into a series of vapid stories that are poorly written, and the representation that was so refreshing has nearly disappeared.

Two morons reading propaganda scripts.

Clearly a comedy. Poorly written, and just down right ridiculous. If you have the time to waste give it your 💯 attention!!!! If you actually have a life, don’t bother with this podcast

Two less educated people I have not heard. Their take on world politics, and current events is tantamount to that of a fifth grader writing a report for his elementary school teacher..

There’s a reason people flee Africa to come to this country in record numbers. They seem to be unaware of how racist it is here given how well they do in their new home. However, for White progressives that listen to this nonsense my advice is to keep listening! There is always more work that needs to be done!

This may be the dumbest podcast I almost got through. At least get someone on this that you can understand. 🤪

NPR puts out this junk now? With these kids on mic who don’t even know how to talk or if they do they uptalk and vocal fry? Really? And the grammar - seriously? It’s not worth 2 mins more of my life. These kids need to find another profession flipping burgers and probably will be forced to.

The “Honoring our Ancestors” episodes are so conversational, honest, and graceful. I felt that while learning from your story, I was also being formed by how you told it. Thank you. May you feel the embrace of the Ancestors…Well done.

The day I stopped listening was during an episode on Black representation in film. They were discussing horror and how we always die first (so they were saying). Someone brings up Alien and says the “Black guy dies first in Alien.” Or something to that extent. The Black guy’s name by the way is Parker. He’s played by the awesome Yaphet Kotto, an outstanding actor and character in a strong ensemble cast. Spoiler alert: he doesn’t die first. Considering it’s Yaphet Kotto, you could just get this right. Revisiting this masterpiece, I had to leave a review. Alien and its place in film is far and away more important and more significant than this stupid podcast. I don’t think I’ve listened to an episode since.

This podcast is wonderful and deserves the highest recognition! This podcast was incredibly emotional!

Listened to one ep which was enough. The hosts were discussing an issue and positively tried seeing it from a LatinX, Black, and Indigenous people perspective. But as soon as they said “well what about Asians?” they immediately said no and implied that now essentially ‘it’s going too far and becoming ridiculous’ - when they literally were discussing the same issue with through the lens of other BIPOC! I don’t know why or how this show continues to exist. I had such high hopes for it.

Have listened from the beginning…what made the show so great was Gene and Shireen’s camaraderie, openness, and their ability to play off of each other’s strengths in knowledge, experience, and journalism. This remained true with other members of the Code Switch massive—Karen, Kumari, et al, but something isn’t clicking anymore. Really like what Parker and Lizaragga bring individually, but it’s been difficult to understand how they had to the crew. So many solo episodes now, and the ones where they are with Gene or another co-host, repartee is stilted and the stories feel fragmented. Rooting for the team, but will take a break for now, hopefully to check-in again to see a major improvement.

Just found this podcast and can’t stop binging it! Love these conversations. Alicia

Great episode but in Florida they (Hispanics) are still sleep. Hispanics ain’t woke as it pertains to the realities of how they are perceived by Republicans, and as it pertains to the positive impact they can have if they just WAKE UP and get involved. Wow! Once again you guys hit it out the park. I grew up in NOLA and lived that color thing on a daily basis. As it is even today 50 years later I find it amazing how Whites attempt to muddy the water by any means necessary to retain power. The “Browning” of America is a very scary thing to some White people. In a country that has such a strong history of people of color from its indigenous roots, to enslavement to migration it seems as though White people will go to any length to lessen the power, discredit and discriminate against people of color. What will they think of next? SMH.

Lori Lizarraga was such a great add to the crew!

This is by far your most relatable story as a Nigerian immigrant in America. We don’t call it that but it’s generally expected that you chip in to help your family. My dad had dozens of children and by the time I came around he had retired and had no money to raise me. My oldest sister paid for my school fees. When I graduated and started working I had to pay my youngest brother’s way through school.

I learn so much listening to this wonderful podcast. It’s a must listen.

If you look at everything through the lens of race and racism, you will find racism everywhere. Another reviewer described this as “a dark cloud of a podcast”. That’s pretty accurate. It’s really a shame, I remember when NPR was quality. Now we get propaganda like this. If you like Kendi and DiAngelo, you will love this, but really you should read John Mcwhorter first.

I really miss the original hosts. It’s just not the same anymore.

The show would benefit from more guests to share their perspectives because the hosts have a confusing, narrow, and sometimes contradictory point of view. Also Gene people email you bc you are a podcast host.

I truly appreciate the show. I love how much I’ve learned over the course of almost three years and the intentionality the host place on subject matters the show tackles. The intersectionality of culture, race, and socio-economics is the true gem of this show. But here is the but. Over the course of subjects tackled, on several occasions, the host present themselves as typical millennials. They pretend as if presented with the same situation, they somehow would have risen above the calamities as a change agent. And frankly, and this is of course an assumption, I don’t think they would have changed the outcome of some of the more dire topics. It’s easy to say what you would have done over a mic and several years later. My suggestion, stop pretending and be the good journalist you’ve shown yourself to be. Sorry, I don’t normally have such a visceral response, but BA Parker on the Black History’s Family Tree just brought me to this review.