Notes from America with Kai Wright

The drumbeat of Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area is not politics. It’s go-go music.The genre developed by Chuck Brown in 1976 features syncopated rhythms, a large ensemble of musicians and a rich drum beat to create a live experience that has fans dancing ’till they can't dance no more. Go-go has been nurtured by D.C. natives for decades, from the time the District was considered a majority Black “Chocolate City,” and the music has significantly influenced the broader region into Maryland and Virginia, known as the DMV. Its influence can be seen from fashion to food to lingo, especially among Black residents of the region.Go-go became the official music of Washington, D.C. in 2020, and in early 2025 the Go-Go Museum and Café will open in the southeast neighborhood of Anacostia — the cultural heart of Chocolate City. However, it wasn’t an easy road for go-go to become widely celebrated in the District. Its evolution mirrors the trials and transformations of a rapidly changing D.C. and the feeling of many Black people who have found it harder and harder to call Washington home.In this episode, host Kai Wright hands the mic to producer Siona Peterous, who grew up in the DMV and has spent much of her adult life immersed in D.C.'s vibrant arts and culture scene. With a deep love for go-go, Peterous sits down to learn more about it from the co-founders of the Go-Go Museum and Café, Ronald Moten and Dr. Natalie Hopkinson. She also talks with Chris Proctor, lead talker of the Take Over Band (T.O.B.), which will celebrate 20 years in the go-go scene this Christmas Day.This episode serves as a primer to the complex and rich history of go-go, taking listeners on a journey to explore how the genre was born, how it became a cultural touchstone during some of D.C.'s darker times, and breaking down the elements that make go-go so unique. Whether you’re new to the sound or already a fan, this episode will help you better understand what makes go-go such a powerful, enduring force in the city’s identity.After you listen to the show, check out our playlist of go-go essentials here. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at [email protected]. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Host Kai Wright celebrates the many years and iterations of Notes from America by revisiting some of the show’s most engaging listener moments.He’s joined by producer Regina de Heer to open up the listener mailbag of responses to recent episodes and highlights from live events and focus groups. Then, we listen back to a conversation with Lindsay Kimball, program director for Minnesota Public Radio’s renowned music station The Current, accompanied by a holiday music playlist curated with the help of listeners (who also graced us with some impromptu live performances).Dear Listener, thank you for always spending time with us and adding your voice to our show.Check out our original holiday playlist here!Companion Listening:“Nikki Giovanni and Kimberly McGlonn on space travel, sustainable fashion and Black liberation” (November 13, 2023)Guest host Janae Pierre sits down with legendary poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, who is the subject of a new documentary, “Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.” Giovanni reflects on the legacy of Black storytelling, gospel music, what she describes as original libraries, and why she’s working to get more Black women involved in space travel. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at [email protected]. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

College student Hisham Awartani, 21, was visiting family in Vermont over Thanksgiving break in 2023 when he and two of his friends were shot. All three victims are of Palestinian descent and were wearing traditional Palestinian scarves when the attack happened. Awartani and the other two young men, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmed, all survived. However, Awartani was left paralyzed from the waist down and over the past year, he’s been learning how to live a new life that involves using a wheelchair.Over that year, Notes From America has spent time with Awartani, following his physical recovery and the emotional hurdles he’s grappled with at Brown University where he became a reluctant poster child of the movement for the university to divest from companies associated with the Israeli military. As Awartani prepares to return home to the West Bank for the first time since his injury, producer Suzanne Gaber takes us through his year in recovery and what he hopes for next as the war in his homeland continues to escalate.CORRECTION: A previous version of this piece incorrectly attributed an anecdote about the Awartani family in the Middle East being forced to leave their homes in 1948 when many Palestinians, including the family, were pushed out during an expansion of Israeli territory. The story is in reference to a 1967 evacuation of their village and the piece has since been updated to reflect the correct year.Series Coverage of Hisham Awartani's Story:A Palestinian-American Victim of American Gun Violence Becomes A Reluctant Poster Child (February 19, 2024) Still In Recovery From Being Shot, Hisham Awartani Commits To a Summer of Activism (June 6, 2024)  Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at [email protected]. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

This episode was originally published March 1, 2024.Host Kai Wright started his career covering the impact of HIV and AIDS on communities in America. A new project brings that experience full circle. Kai hosts the latest season of the Blindspot podcast, “The Plague In The Shadows,” which introduces listeners to people who were affected in the early years of the HIV and AIDS epidemics. Decades later, AIDS is still with us and its status as an epidemic remains accurate. In this episode, we learn why that is from two women whose careers have centered around this disease in different ways. Journalist Linda Villarosa is the author of “Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation;” and June Gipson, Ph.D. is the director of the organization My Brother’s Keeper, which works on both HIV prevention and access to treatment in Mississippi. They discuss the medical achievements in the field of HIV and AIDS treatment, as well as the barriers to eradication. Plus, listeners from across the country weigh in with their own stories and we hear from one of the people you meet in the Blindspot podcast, Victor Reyes, who was born with HIV in Harlem in 1989. To hear more of Blindspot: The Plague In The Shadows, listen and subscribe here. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at [email protected]. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.