The books, movies and music that shaped the Code Switch team

Code Switch

NPR

Society & Culture

4.6 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Once upon a time, members of the Code Switch team were just kids, learning about race and identity for the first time. So on this episode, we're sharing some of the books, movies and music that deeply influenced each of us at an early age — and set us on the path to being the race nerds we are today.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all.
0:11.5	On the web at theshmit.org.
0:15.3	What's good? You're listening to Code Switch, the show about racing identity from NPR. I'm Gene Demby.
0:20.3	And I'm B.A. Parker. Now, Gene, have you ever seen the movie Medicine for Melancholy?
0:27.6	Have I ever seen Medicine for Melancholy? I love medicine from Melancholy. What? I love
0:32.5	that movie when it came out. Listen, okay, I loved it too. Okay. But, you know, like a lot of people haven't seen it.
0:39.7	Okay, Parker, actually, before we go any further, you've got to explain for the people, the many people have not seen it what medicine for Malikali is.
0:46.7	Yeah, okay, so it's a little indie movie from like 2008.
0:51.4	It costs about $15,000 to make.
0:56.9	And it was the first feature from Barry Jenkins who would go on to direct and win an Oscar
1:00.0	for the movie Moonlight.
1:01.6	Yep, yep, yep.
1:02.6	And it's about two people who spend a weekend
1:05.0	awkwardly getting to know each other
1:06.9	after they hook up at a party.
1:09.2	Despite the fact that one of them
1:10.7	is in a relationship.
1:11.6	Is he white?
1:13.6	Does it matter?
1:16.6	Yes and no.
1:19.6	What if I told you he is white?
1:22.6	And we met in a volunteer program in Bayview.
	...

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