Kat Chow
Kat Chow is a reporter with NPR and a founding member of the Code Switch team. She is currently on sabbatical, working on her first book (forthcoming from Grand Central Publishing/Hachette). It's a memoir that digs into the questions about grief, race and identity that her mother's sudden death triggered when Kat was young.
For NPR, she's reported on what defines Native American identity, gentrification in New York City's Chinatown, and the aftermath of a violent hate crime. Her cultural criticism has led her on explorations of racial representation in TV, film, and theater; the post-election crisis that diversity trainers face; race and beauty standards; and gaslighting. She's an occasional fourth chair on Pop Culture Happy Hour, as well as a guest host on Slate's podcast The Waves. Her work has garnered her a national award from the Asian American Journalists Association, and she was an inaugural recipient of the Yi Dae Up fellowship at the Jack Jones Literary Arts Retreat. She has led master classes and spoken about her reporting in Amsterdam, Minneapolis, Valparaiso, Louisville, Boston and Seattle.
She's drawn to stories about race, gender and generational differences
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If you're Native American, this controversial term about your blood can affect your identity, your relationships and whether or not you can become a citizen of your tribe.
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A listener asks: Should light-skinned Asian-Americans — like some East Asians — be able to call themselves "brown"? The answer is complicated, and has to do with how diverse "Asian-Americans" are.
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A video of a school resource officer throwing a student sparked a national debate about race, discipline and the role of law enforcement in schools.
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A federal judge has ruled in favor of descendants of enslaved people owned by members of the tribe in the 19th century. The tribe's attorney general says he does not intend to appeal the decision.
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When Bao Phi was a child, there was little literature about Vietnamese refugees in the U.S. Phi hopes to change that with his new poetry book Thousand Star Hotel and a forthcoming children's book.
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A Supreme Court ruling has re-ignited the debate over the use of racially offensive trademark registrations. Simon Tam says he's pleased by the victory, but he can see both sides.
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The Top Dawg singer's new album is as dreamy as we all hoped it would be. Code Switch and NPR Music tapped in a few members of the NPR fam to chat with us about how SZA and Ctrl resonates with them.
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You could say it's been a pretty turbulent week on the race beat.
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For years, advocates have pushed the Census Bureau for a box for people of Middle Eastern or North African descent. Now, the bureau recommends one. Some worry the data may be misused in surveillance.
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The Southern Poverty Law Center says there has been a rise in hate groups, including groups using anti-Muslim rhetoric. Some American Muslims are pushing back by running for office.