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Farai Chideya
Farai Chideya (458544567).jpg
Born (1969-07-27) July 27, 1969 (age 56)
Education Harvard University (BA)
Occupation Writer, journalist, radio personality, author

Farai Chideya is an American writer, journalist, and radio host. She was born on July 27, 1969, in Baltimore, Maryland. Farai is known for her work in radio and online journalism.

She created and hosted Pop and Politics with Farai Chideya. This was a radio show about politics that ran for 15 years. She also created and hosts the podcast Our Body Politic, which started in September 2020.

Since 2012, Farai has been a special writer at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University. There, she teaches classes about making radio shows and how media businesses work.

Farai Chideya's Early Life

Farai Chideya was born on July 27, 1969. Her mother is from Baltimore, and her father is from Zimbabwe.

She went to Harvard College and earned a degree in English literature. She graduated from Harvard in 1990 with high honors.

Farai Chideya's Career

Farai Chideya has had a long and interesting career in media. She was part of a comedy group called The Immediate Gratification Players. In 2000, Harvard University recognized her as one of their most successful former students.

Journalism and Online Work

Farai started one of the first pop culture blogs in the United States, called PopandPolitics.com. For 15 years, this website helped train young journalists who wanted to write about arts and culture.

Besides her radio and online work, Farai often appears on TV news channels. She shares her thoughts on politics on channels like CNN, MSNBC, and ABC News. In 2015, she became a senior writer for the website FiveThirtyEight. She wrote about important topics, including the 2016 presidential election.

Books by Farai Chideya

Farai Chideya has written several books. In May 2009, her first novel, Kiss the Sky, was published. This book tells the story of a Black female rock musician trying to restart her career in New York. The story happens just before the events of 9/11.

She has also written three non-fiction books. These books are about race and politics. Their titles are Don't Believe the Hype, The Color of Our Future, and Trust: Reaching the 100 Million Missing Voters.

Radio and Other Media

Before 2009, Farai hosted the National Public Radio show News & Notes. Before that, she hosted Your Call. This was a daily radio call-in show on KALW public radio in San Francisco.

She began her journalism career working for Newsweek magazine and MTV News. She also worked for the Oxygen network. Farai has written articles for many well-known publications. These include The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and Time magazine.

From 2014 to 2015, Farai hosted a podcast called One with Farai for Public Radio International (PRI). On this podcast, she interviewed many interesting people. They shared their stories and different opinions.

Awards and Recognition

Farai Chideya has received many awards for her work.

  • In 2008, she won a special award for her reporting on AIDS.
  • In 2007, she received an award for her reporting on Skid Row.
  • She won a North Star Award in 2006 for covering communities of color.
  • In 2004, she was honored by the Black Entertainment and Telecommunications Association.
  • Her website PopandPolitics.com won awards in 2001.
  • Her book The Color of Our Future was named one of the New York Public Library's Best Books for Teens in 2000.
  • She also won awards in 1996, 1995, and 1994 for her journalism.

Farai has given speeches all over the world. She talks about topics like voting, digital media, and race. She has spoken at many universities and museums. These include Syracuse University, Stanford University, and Harvard University.

In 2023, Farai Chideya was a judge for the American Mosaic Journalism Prize.

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