Hi folks. We are so glad that you're listening to Our Body Politics. We just hit our 100th episode. Woohoo. So to help us celebrate,

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This is Our Body Politics. I'm Farai Chodea. I am really grateful to be here with you, as I am every single

week, but listen up. Today is a new milestone on our part. This is our 100th show. Our Body

Politics has been on the air on public radio and podcasting for nearly two years now through a presidential election and

insurrection, a pandemic, and far more. We've also been here for the joy, healing, and community

that we've all manifested during these trying times. None of this would be possible without you,

the listeners and community that we made this show for. I've been a reporter most of

my life covering America and the world. I've sat in the house of a clan leader so I could tape his

story and also sat with President Nelson Mandela in his home after 9-11, tape recording as he spoke

to a small group of journalists. So I thought I'd seen a lot, until now,

when democracy is so clearly in peril. This era has really tested me emotionally, including the

way I think about what journalism can and can't do. Because of my years of reporting on extremism,

I saw January 6 coming, which I've talked about probably too many times on this show.

I've been frustrated that we didn't do more as a society to read the tea leaves and prevent this

crisis of democracy. Now, I believe journalism has impact, but that impact is often indirect. It

takes a long arc to achieve. So I've realized more than ever

while doing our body politic that we want to talk about key issues like insurrection,

voting rights, and reproductive justice. And we also want and need to talk about mental health,

...