Truth Be Told

Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics — with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens. Welcome to Political Breakdown 29 January,2018Marisa Lagos Explore: News, … Continue reading Welcome to Political Breakdown →

A young black woman starts her dating life with an outright racist.

'When I'm moving through the world, it's like I'm responsible for more than just me, and I'm making a point to be an example.'

What is it like being a mixed-race person of color who's always perceived as white? For one young woman it can make for a life that’s just meshugenismo. Maya Cueva of Berkeley, California tells us her story of learning to live between two worlds. Special thanks to Youth Radio for bringing us Maya's story.

What do you do when your in-laws, make you feel like an outsider? If the rift is racial, it might mean having a very uncomfortable family conversation. It all started at Christmastime, with the announcement of a new baby on the way. But not all the in-laws cheered when the happy, interracial couple showed the ultrasounds. How do you say your piece, and keep the peace, when a family dispute involves race?

Housing discrimination is illegal in this country… but housing harassment? One black man in San Francisco says he learned that still goes on, in unexpected ways.

You can’t pick your family, but if you’re from a multiracial family you have to pick your battles. Which battles do you fight over people who can’t pronounce your name, people who don’t know what social box to put you in, people who say stupid things to you because they just don’t know what to say? Meet four people who are dealing with the challenges of interracial marriages, multiethnic families or adopting children of another ethnicity.

Here are two things that should never go together: racism… and alcohol. Especially at the company holiday party. Imagine someone in the office having one too many and making a thoughtless, racially charged remark. And we all know how subtle drunks are! How would you handle it? Hear about a real-life encounter just like this from NPR Correspondent Karen Grigsby Bates.

What does it mean to be white? If you've never thought about it… you’re not alone. People of color wrestle with racial issues all the time. In this hour, white people: it's your turn. We’ll hear from whites who are trying to support racial equality, struggling with their own identities, or realizing how little they know about America's racial landscape.

If you encountered outright racism in your workplace, then you would probably speak up and take action. That’s obvious. What’s not obvious is how to handle the many other encounters that are racially charged in subtle ways. The ones that make things awkward, embarrassing or just ugly. In this hour we’ll explore your personal stories of encounters with race at work, and try to figure out how to handle these situations better.

They say that love is blind. What does it take to make love colorblind? Dating and marriage can be tough enough without bringing race into the equation. In this hour, we’ll hear from people who confronted their racial stereotypes, explored matchmaking through traditional cultures in modern times, and learned to celebrate their love: whether others understood it or not.

Here’s a little more about this series.