Arun Venugopal is a senior reporter for the WNYC Race & Justice Unit who focuses on issues of race and bias in our region. His reporting also tackles the topics of immigration, faith, and inequality. Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program.
Arun was the creator and host of Micropolis, a series about race and identity. He is a contributor to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air." He lives with his family in Queens.
Find Arun's latest reporting on Gothamist.
Arun Venugopal appears in the following:
A journalist revisits her parents' activism in 'They Said They Wanted Revolution'
Monday, June 06, 2022
Neda Toloui-Semnani shares the story of her parents, two Iranian students who met at Berkeley in 1969 and later, in Iran, worked to build a more democratic nation. Her father was executed in 1983.
Freed from a double-life sentence, a long-imprisoned New Yorker urges Albany to find relief for others
Friday, May 20, 2022
Gregory Mingo served nearly four decades behind bars for crimes he said he did not commit, before receiving a rare commutation.
A Historic Upper West Side Church Faces Demolition
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
The West Park Presbyterian Church is a landmarked building from the late 1800s, but it's now falling apart.
Ukrainians Displaced by War Are Arriving in New York
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Hundreds of Ukrainians displaced by war have arrived in New York, and the city is working to embrace them.
A cycle of violence keeps homelessness top of mind in Chinatown
Friday, March 18, 2022
The shooting deaths of homeless New Yorkers takes place against a backdrop of opposition to homeless facilities in Asian neighborhoods.
50 Years Since 'The Godfather'
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
On March 15th, 1972, "The Godfather" premiered in theaters in New York City.
'Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory, and Family'
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Bengali American author Madhushree Ghosh explores concepts such as identity and belonging as a South East Asian immigrant in her new food memoir.
Listening Party: The Dip, 'Sticking With It'
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Seattle-based soul and blues band The Dip have a new album out.
Institutional Racism on the College Campus in 'Master'
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
A new film uses elements of horror to shed light on the insidious nature of institutional racism on elite college campuses.
Supporters of reparations say it's New York's turn
Wednesday, February 09, 2022
As the movement for reparations gains traction in California and Boston, supporters hope the same will be true in New York.
The Past, Present and Future Of The Biden Administration 2022-01-21
Friday, January 21, 2022
How has the administration's achievements -- and failures -- measured up for voters?
NYC Law Granting Noncitizens the Right to Vote Concerns Some Advocates
Friday, January 21, 2022
A new law allowing roughly 800,000 noncitizens to vote in local elections went into effect in New York City. Some Democrats and immigration advocates don't see it as a win.
How Should the Media Be Covering Democracy At Risk?
Friday, January 21, 2022
Many news organizations have failed to communicate how much our democracy is under threat right now.
Russia's Potential Invasion of Ukraine
Friday, January 21, 2022
We speak with Dr. Kimberly Marten, professor of political science at Barnard College and faculty member at Columbia University about the developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Past, Present and Future Of The Biden Administration
Friday, January 21, 2022
How have his achievements -- and failures -- measured up for voters?
Despite Growing Power, Asian New Yorkers Confront Unending Violence
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Asian New Yorkers are experiencing a surge in political power, but the epidemic of anti-Asian harassment and violence is overshadowing the political gains.
Like So Many Other Fires, the Bronx Fire Was About Poverty
Saturday, January 15, 2022
Gothamist
Last week's devastating fire in the Bronx was a reminder of fires past, and of the crisis of burning buildings that gripped the borough in the 1970s.
Advocates Hope Hochul Delivers on Clemency Where Cuomo Failed To
Thursday, December 16, 2021
In the post-Cuomo era, advocates for criminal justice say there are reasons to hope for a more progressive approach to clemency petitions.
Rutgers Confronts Its History of Slavery, With Mixed Results
Friday, December 03, 2021
Five years after the debut of project examining the institution's ties to slavery, many Rutgers students are unaware of the work, or their school's history.
'1619 Project' journalist says Black people shouldn't be an asterisk in U.S. history
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Nikole Hannah-Jones says the contributions of Black people are often left out of the American story. Her mission is to reframe U.S. history through the lens of slavery.
