The threat to public media has grown. Act now with a donation to sustain our work!

DONATE NOW
What I Hear When You Say show's poster

Code Words

What I Hear When You Say is a video series that explores how words can both unite and divide us depending on our own perspective, experience, and interpretation. Each episode covers a different phrase or term that challenges what we think we know about race, class, gender, and identity.

Code Words

Season 1 Episode 8 | 6m 38s | CC

Examine the current function and long history of American’s use of “code words.” Artist Bayeté Ross Smith looks at how media shapes our perceptions. Comedian Hari Kondabolu thinks the media knows exactly what they are doing. Professor Pedro Noguera studies the history of coded language and its effects on all of us to this day.

Related stories

Outdoor Recreation
Durango students celebrate Indigenous culture through traditional games
On Indigenous Peoples' Day, the Durango School District invited children and community members to participate in traditional Indigenous games, including Double Ball, Arrow Throw, and Scream and Run.
 | Ziyi Xu
Rocky Mountain PBS
Culture, kimchi and community at 9,000 feet
The Korean Cultural Heritage Camp offers adopted children from South Korean and their adoptive families a chance to learn more about South Korean culture and community.
 | Chase McCleary
Rocky Mountain PBS
Juneteenth celebration upholds ‘crown jewel’ of Black culture in Denver
Nearly 30,000 people celebrated Juneteenth in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. The festival’s organizers said it’s an anchor of Black culture and celebration.
 | Alison Berg

What I Hear When You Say

Watch more episodes

See more
See more