Ep. 132-Journalism to action-my conversation with Chenjerai Kumanyika

Chenjerai Kumanyika is an assistant professor of journalism at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and an award-winning narrative audio creator whose work sits at the intersection of journalism, public history, and organizing. Kumanyika is the creator, executive producer, and host of Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD, a chart-topping series featured in The New York Times. He co-created and co-hosted the Peabody Award–winning podcast Uncivil and collaborated on Scene on Radio’s landmark series Seeing White. Across these projects, he blends archival research, field reporting, and character-driven storytelling to examine race and power, the political economy of media, and the histories shaping public safety today.

Beyond the studio, he builds impact campaigns that connect journalism to action — partnering with community organizations, labor groups, and educators to develop live events, teach-ins, and curriculum that move audiences from listening to engagement. He serves on the National Council of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), organizing around academic freedom and the future of higher education, and sits on the boards of Street Poets, Resolve, Hammer & Hope, and The Moth. In the classroom, he teaches interdisciplinary critical thinking about power and mentors emerging journalists through rigorous, ethics-forward training in reporting, interviewing, and sound design.

His current work expands this model through Unruly Subjects, a new project that pairs timely conversations with crafted documentary segments, music, and scene-based reporting. Across mediums, Kumanyika’s goal is consistent: tell unforgettable stories that clarify how power works and help listeners imagine, and organize for, something better.