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Aisha Harris
Harris in 2015
BornJanuary 11, 1988
Connecticut, U.S.
Alma materNorthwestern University
New York University
Occupation(s)Writer, editor, podcaster
EmployerSlate
ParentFrank Harris III
FamilyZakiya Dalila Harris
Websitewww.aishaharris.com

Aisha Harris is an American writer, editor, and podcaster. She was a staff writer, editor and podcast host at Slate before moving to the New York Times in 2018 as an editor. Since 2020, she has been a co-host and reporter for the NPR show Pop Culture Happy Hour.

Early life and education

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Harris was born and raised in the state of Connecticut.[1][2] Her father, Frank Harris III, is a professor and former journalist for the Hartford Courant.[3][4][5] Her sister is author Zakiya Dalila Harris.[6]

Harris earned a bachelor's degree in theater from Northwestern[7] and a master's degree in cinema studies from NYU.[8]

Career

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Harris was a staff writer and editor at Slate from 2012 through 2018.[9] She hosted the Slate podcast Represent from 2016 to 2018; the podcast covered media created by and/or about women, people of color, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community.[10][11][2]

Harris moved to the New York Times in 2018; first working as an assistant editor TV at the culture desk, and later as an editor and contributor to the Opinion section of the paper from 2019 to 2020.[12][13][14] While at the Times, she joined a number of her colleagues at both the NYT and the Philadelphia Inquirer in a one-day walkout over issues in the newspapers' coverage of racial justice protests in 2020.[15]

Since 2020, Harris has been a co-host of the NPR podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour with Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, and Glen Weldon.[16][17][18]

Santa Claus and Megyn Kelly

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In December 2013, Harris wrote a piece for Slate examining the cultural origins of Santa Claus and suggesting that the near-ubiquitous representation of Santa as white could be eschewed in favor of a wider symbol, such as an animal.[19] In response to Harris's piece, Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly responded by asserting on her program The Kelly File that "Santa just is white", and stating that the same was true for Jesus Christ. Kelly's comments drew heavy criticism from a variety of news outlets;[20][21] in response, Kelly accused her criticizers of "race-baiting".[22][23][24] Harris appeared on CNN and criticized Kelly's response, stating that Kelly's statements simultaneously played the role of victim and that Kelly downplayed the comments as a joke after the initial backlash.[25][26]

References

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  1. ^ "Aisha Harris". NPR.
  2. ^ a b "Aisha Harris Is A Writing Ass Chick We Love". The Root. September 10, 2015.
  3. ^ Harris, Aisha (June 8, 2018). "On Represent's Final Show, Two Generations of Journalists Discuss Covering Representation". Slate Magazine. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  4. ^ "Frank Harris III | Southern Connecticut State University". www.southernct.edu. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  5. ^ Harris III, Frank (December 18, 2013). "Santa's Just The Way We Imagine". courant.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  6. ^ "Zakiya Dalila Harris And 'The Other Black Girl' : It's Been a Minute". NPR.org.
  7. ^ "Aisha Harris | Northwestern School of Communication". communication.northwestern.edu. September 14, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  8. ^ Radio, Southern California Public (May 31, 2016). "The Black Film Canon: Slate picks 50 of the greatest films by black directors". Southern California Public Radio. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  9. ^ "Aisha Harris". Slate Magazine. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  10. ^ "Represent". Slate Magazine. July 23, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  11. ^ "Represent on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "Aisha Harris - The New York Times". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  13. ^ Says, Gregory Johnson (August 16, 2019). "Aisha Harris named op-ed culture editor at the New York Times". Talking Biz News. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  14. ^ "Aisha Harris Named Culture Editor, Opinion". The New York Times Company. August 15, 2019.
  15. ^ O'Hara, Mary Emily. "Why Journalists Are Walking Out of Newsrooms in Protest".
  16. ^ "NPR Lightens Up Its Weekday Podcast Lineup As 'Pop Culture Happy Hour' Goes Daily". Insideradio.com. August 28, 2020.
  17. ^ "Media Moves at NPR & CNN Digital, Chicago Sun-Times Names Chief Political Reporter". Cision.
  18. ^ "'Pop Culture Happy Hour' Goes Daily, Welcomes Aisha Harris As Fourth Co-Host". NPR. August 27, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  19. ^ Harris, Aisha (December 10, 2013). "Santa Claus Should Not Be a White Man Anymore". Slate Magazine.
  20. ^ "Hey, Megyn Kelly, we deserve a Santa for the people, not just white folks". Los Angeles Times. December 14, 2013.
  21. ^ Ikard, David (October 19, 2017). Lovable Racists, Magical Negroes, and White Messiahs. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-49277-3.
  22. ^ Gold, Hadas (December 13, 2013). "Megyn Kelly: Santa reaction was race-baiting". POLITICO.
  23. ^ "Megyn Kelly Says Her 'White Santa' Critics Are Race-Baiting". TheWrap. December 14, 2013.
  24. ^ Hefner, Joseph McNamara (October 1, 2020). "When Bad Journalists Rebrand". Medium.
  25. ^ "Writer responds to 'White Santa' firestorm - CNN Video".
  26. ^ "WATCH: Megyn Kelly Accused Of 'Playing The Victim'". HuffPost. December 16, 2013.
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