Code Switch

What does it mean to be judged before you walk through the door? What are the consequences? This week, TED speakers delve into the ways racism impacts our lives, from education, to health, to safety. Guests include poet and writer Clint Smith, writer and activist Miriam Zoila Pérez, educator Dena Simmons, and former prosecutor Adam Foss.

"Shouldn't you help out your own community first?" That's the question we're exploring this week via our play-cousins at Latino USA. A black celebrity is criticized for helping a Latino immigrant. On this episode, that celebrity makes his case.

Mariana vive sola en una casa en Tijuana y de vez en cuando le alquila habitaciones a turistas o viajeros. Un día, uno de esos visitantes cruzó los límites de su privacidad. Ella decidió actuar, pero no de la manera en la que se esperaría.

We experience powerful emotions all of the time, but what are they exactly? Where do they come from? This hour, TED speakers invoke history, language, science and music to help us think about the way we feel. Guests include writer John Koenig, cultural historian Tiffany Watt Smith, psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett, developmental researcher Kang Lee, and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.

In February 2017, Srinivas Kutchibhotla fell victim to an alleged hate crime. In the aftermath, his widow, Sunayana Dumala, had her life and her immigration status thrown into question. Now, she's trying to figure out what it means to stay — and find community — in the small Kansas town where her husband was killed.

Alexis Figueroa está dispuesto a hacer lo que para muchos sería impensable con tal de conseguir el autógrafo de una celebridad. En este episodio lo seguimos en su intento de conseguir el que le falta: la firma de una estrella de rock en franca decadencia que se la he escapado por más de una década. ¿Lo logrará o se estrellará en el intento?

It's hard to change habits, but a gentle push can move us in the right direction. This episode, TED speakers offer deceptively simple "nudges" for managing our kids, our health, and our aspirations. Guests include behavioral economist Richard Thaler, psychiatrist Judson Brewer, psychologist Carol Dweck, Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani, and economist Sendhil Mullainathan. (Original broadcast date: June 24, 2016)

All four of the Gonzalez kids grew up under one roof, in Los Angeles, Calif. But when the oldest was in middle school, she realized that she and her siblings might have drastically different lives. That's because she comes from a mixed-status family, where some members are free to work, and others are constrained by the fear of deportation.

Dos de las ciudades más violentas del mundo se encuentran en Honduras. ¿Cómo puede ser la vida cotidiana en un lugar prácticamente consumido por la violencia? ¿Hasta qué punto es posible tener una vida "normal" cuando la inseguridad dicta tu día a día?

Why do we harshly judge certain behaviors or conditions, making it harder to talk honestly about them? This hour, TED speakers confront stigmas around addiction, depression, HIV and sex work. Guests include journalist Johann Hari, TV/film producer and mental health advocate Nikki Webber Allen, HIV awareness educator Arik Hartmann, and sex worker and activist Juno Mac.