Who Are We? A Conversation with Michele Norris about Race and Identity in America

The Stanford American Studies Program is pleased to present a public conversation with renowned Emmy and Peabody-winning journalist Michele Norris. Former host of National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and columnist for the Washington Post, Norris is now a senior contributing editor at MSNBC, as well as host of the interview podcast, Your Mama’s Kitchen.

The conversation, led by Professor Michele Elam, will build on Norris’s book, Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity (2024). The book grew out of The Race Card Project, which invited people to share their reflections on identity in six words and drew over a half million responses spanning the full spectrum of race, ethnicity, identity, and class.

The event will also include a spoken word performance by members of the Stanford community, drawing on The Race Card Project submissions.

Praise for Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity:

“Candid, unsettling and brilliant, the Race Card Project is a rare window into the enigma of race and the ways in which people make sense of it. In Our Hidden Conversations, Michele Norris has brought together a vista of personal truths that are as indelible as the issue they’re responding to.” - Jelani Cobb, Dean, Columbia Journalism School  

“Featuring photos and stories on race from people all over America, [Our Hidden Conversations] highlights the truths of the American experience — and shares everything, even the messy bits. It's an incredible read." - Michelle Obama 

“Norris offers crucial insight into how Americans think about race, combining the painful with the inspiring.” - Kirkus Reviews  

This event is co-sponsored by: H&S Dean’s Office, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education , Department of English, Stanford Humanities Center, Department of Communication,  Department of African and African American Studies, Center for Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity, American Studies from the Inside Out Research Workshop