A Nation Built by Immigrants Who Feel Like They Don’t Belong

The debate over who counts as an American and who doesn’t is as old as the natio...

Could A City’s Form of Reparations Become a Model for the Nation

Evanston, Illinois is planning to pay some Black residents for the harm it cause...

Nikole Hannah-Jones: America has been multiracial since 1619, but the country has been led by a white elite

Nikole Hannah-Jones sits down with Soledad O'Brien to break down the 1619 Projec...

Revelations: A married couple share what is like being pastors to two different congregations

A husband and wife are both pastors in North Carolina. But one of them has a pre...

'Be proud. Be true. Keep dancing': Sweetheart dancers are breaking barriers

A young couple says acceptance is the first step as they break down barriers in ...

How the prison system has destroyed the American Dream for many

Numerous studies have shown how Black Americans have been negatively impacted by...

'You are not less than': Lydia X. Z. Brown shares a powerful message to those who feel like they don't belong

Lydia X. Z. Brown knows what it's like to be marginalized on multiple fronts.

A Dream Deferred: How economics and social justice impact everyday Americans

Soledad O’Brien and her guests, Edgar Villanueva and Valerie Wilson, discuss how...

Ilyasah Shabazz shares that her father, Malcolm X, said this generation would demand change in America

The daughter of Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X explains how her father believed...

Is success in America tied to your zip code? An economist says yes

An economist says that in 99% of blocks in America, white kids, and in particula...

Watch: Soledad O’Brien Hosts “To Be an American: Identity, Race and Justice”

'I don't think the floor is level': Comedian Gina Brillon challenges the idea of the American dream

Gina Brillon shares how the American dream is used to coax Latinos to immigrate,...

We asked you to take the U.S. citizenship test. Here’s how you did

Tens of thousands participated in the U.S. citizenship test we posted on our web...

Historians fill in the gaps of American history and explain the history behind U.S. citizenship

Some of the history we were taught as children were actually myths. Two prominen...

Jose Antonio Vargas gives his perspective as an undocumented ‘citizen’

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas shares his thoughts around...

Chinese laborers helped build America. Then they were excluded from citizenship

Chinese laborers assisted in the building of what America is today. But they wer...

'My people have always been here': A Native American wants you to know her American dream

Native American and indigenous peoples were the first citizens of this land, but...

How did our political identity become our American identity? An expert explains

There is a growing and contentious divide in our country among political party l...

The Fred Korematsu Story: The man who defied internment camps for Japanese Americans

Karen Korematsu is the daughter of civil rights activist Fred Korematsu. She sha...

What factors determine a sense of belonging in America? This college professor crafted a study to find out

What is "Americaness" and who feels like they have a sense of belonging in Ameri...

We drove down Interstate 70 and asked people about their American identity. Here were their responses

Do you feel like you belong in America? Do you feel overlooked in America? We dr...

Can you pass the U.S. Citizenship test? Take it now

For those born into U.S. citizenship, there are no tests, boundaries or barriers...

Perseverance leads to Pulitzer Prize for New York Times journalist

Ever wonder what holds America together? Or for that matter, what it means to be...

Philanthropist Edgar Villanueva talks about being able to live in 'multiple identities'

Ever wonder what holds America together? Or for that matter, what it mea...

Professor Lilliana Mason explains her 'complicated' American identity

Ever wonder what holds America together? Or for that matter, what it means to be...

Ilyasah Shabazz shares what people expected from the daughter of Malcolm X

Ever wonder what holds America together? Or for that matter, what it means to be...

'You don't exactly belong here': Soledad O'Brien shares her thoughts on her American identity

As the Matter of Fact team puts together the second presentation of the Listenin...

Combating Real and Perceived Bias in the Media

Every journalist faces the same challenge. How do we bring our backgrounds and p...

How Conscious and Unconscious Bias Create Stereotypes

Conscious and unconscious bias is wired directly into our brains. That affects o...

Mira esta cobertura especial de Matter of Fact: La Verdad de la Parcialidad

*Closed captioning available in Spanish - Select it in the video player* The ...

Strangers watch viral videos that show racial bias. Then they met each other in person to talk

This segment is from The Matter of Fact Listening Tour hosted by Soledad O’Brien...

Black mother sees implicit bias through son's eyes

This segment is from The Matter of Fact Listening Tour hosted by Soledad O’Brien...

Defining moments that impacted their lives

This segment is from The Matter of Fact Listening Tour hosted by Soledad O’Brien...

Why saying 'I'm not racist' isn't productive

The above segment is from The Matter of Fact Listening Tour hosted by Soledad O’...

A look into how movies, TV shows and food labels push racist stereotypes

The above segment is from The Matter of Fact Listening Tour hosted by Soledad O’...

Wes Lowery, Alicia Garza on news handling protests

This segment is from The Matter of Fact Listening Tour hosted by Soledad O’Brien...

Comedian Trae Crowder makes a point on different portrayals of riots

This segment is from The Matter of Fact Listening Tour hosted by Soledad O’Brien...

This rapper turned white supremacy symbols into activism

The above segment is from The Matter of Fact Listening Tour hosted by Soledad O’...

From Kaepernick to NFL Moment of Unity, how America reacts when athletes protest

This segment is from The Matter of Fact Listening Tour hosted by Soledad O’Brien...

Why philanthropy alone can't solve social inequality

This segment is from The Matter of Fact Listening Tour hosted by Soledad O’Brien...

How the words of James Baldwin in 1968 connect to America present-day

This segment is from The Matter of Fact Listening Tour hosted by Soledad O’Brien...

Listening Tour: Strangers watch viral videos that show racial bias. Then they met each other in person to talk

This segment is from The Matter of Fact Listening Tour hosted by Soledad O’Brien...

Listening Tour

*Mira esta cobertura especial de Matter of Fact: La Verdad de la Parcialidad ...

Policing in America: Fighting Implicit Bias in Law Enforcement

Since George Floyd died in police custody last month, Americans all across the c...

The Low Country of South Carolina: Preserving the Rich Past of the Gullah People

South Carolina is home to the heart of the low country, home of the Gullah peopl...

Why South Carolina’s Presidential Primary Matters

This week the 2020 race for the White House shifts to South Carolina - the first...

Protecting Charleston From the Rising Tides

Last year, the United States spent more than $45 billion dollars after weather a...

The New Space Race Giving a Boost to the Space Coast

A new space race is breathing new life into the space coast. When NASA retired t...

Florida’s I-4: The Highway That Picks Presidents

Florida, the biggest battleground state, is something of a political conundrum c...

Puerto Ricans Are Fleeing to Florida. What Does That Mean for 2020?

Thousands of Puerto Ricans are fleeing the island after suffering a series of da...

The politics of pot are changing with Illinois predicted to expunge an estimated 800,000 marijuana convictions

In January, Illinois will become the first state to legalize the possession and ...

Poisoned Politics: The ongoing fight to clean up Chicago's 'toxic doughnut'

Our listening tour rolls into Chicago. Altgeld Gardens, a housing project once d...

There Grows the Neighborhood: Meet the 2019 MacArthur Fellow transforming Chicago’s South Side

Emmanuel Pratt started the Sweet Water Foundation to literally grow a better nei...

Will President Trump win Michigan in 2020? Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist gives his take

President Trump flipped Michigan red in 2016 by a slim majority, but can he pull...

Lift Every Voice: Why black women are a political force in Michigan

As part of our ongoing Listening Tour, we examine the political power of black w...

Trade Wars and Climate Change: Farmers in rural Michigan get candid about their struggles

In rural Michigan, farmers are struggling with climate change and trade wars. Th...

Pennsylvania Politics: The message one county sends to Washington

Pennsylvania is a critical battleground state in the upcoming 2020 Presidential ...

Will Pennsylvania be red or blue in 2020? Former Governor Ed Rendell gives his take.

Perhaps no one is better at understanding Pennsylvania voters than former Govern...

State of Inequality? Why are so many in California struggling to get by on a six-figure income

Californians struggle with some of the highest home prices in the country with a...

Paradise Lost: California town struggles to recover after deadliest fire in history

California has the fifth largest economy in the world. However, the Golden State...

Former Governor Jerry Brown talks about climate change and the future of California

Former Governor Jerry Brown sits down for a one on one with Soledad O'Brien. Gov...

Music in Puerto Rico: An Expression of Frustration After the Hurricane

In the wake of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans have found new strength in an old ...

Can Solar Power Keep the Lights On When the Next Hurricane Hits?

When Hurricane Maria made landfall, it left 3,000 dead, caused $100 billion in d...

Gov. Rosselló: Puerto Ricans Are Tired of Being “Second Class Citizens”

Hurricane Maria made landfall in 2017 and the promised relief funding is slowly ...

Landowners In the Border Wall’s Path: We Won’t Go Down Without a Fight

“Build a Wall,” was President Trump’s signature campaign promise in 2016. He eve...

More Undocumented Migrants Are Caught Here Than Anywhere Else. It’s Also Ground Zero for Migrant Deaths.

More than 70 miles north of border is one of Border Patrol’s last lines of defen...

Migrant Caretaker: God Calls Us To Help Our Brothers and Sisters

On a busy day, up to 500 migrants seeking asylum pass through the Catholic Chari...

Troops at the Border: A Stunt or Needed?

The Rio Grande Valley in South Texas is the busiest border crossing for undocume...