Farai Chideya has combined media, technology, and socio-political analysis during her 20-year career as an award-winning author, journalist, professor, and lecturer. She is currently a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, as well as a Senior Writer covering politics and data at ESPN's FiveThirtyEight. She has given thousands of speeches and hosted hundreds of events around the globe.
With deep knowledge in a variety of disciplines, including the future of work, politics, culture, race, and technology, Chideya frequently appears on public radio and cable television, and has commented on or worked as a host for CNN, MSNBC, Fox, CBS, ABC, BET, NPR, and other media. Co-moderating a Democratic Presidential Debate during the 2004 election cycle, Chideya is also the former longtime host of National Public Radio's News & Notes. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Chideya graduated with a B.A. from Harvard University, where she was elected Chief Marshal, the highest honor accorded to a member of the graduating class at their 25th reunion. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Chideya is the author of six books, the first of which was Don't Believe the Hype: Fighting Cultural Misinformation About African-Americans, and the most recent of which is 2016's The Episodic Career: How to Thrive at Work in the Age of Disruption.
Farai Chideya has honed her powerful speaking skills over the course of her twenty years in journalism. For her, lectures are not just a chance to speak, but also to listen, to engage, share and learn. Her speeches include deep-dives into issues such as generational divides in use of mobile technology, US politics, or African-American history and culture, as well as motivational speeches about finding your right livelihood and living with integrity in a world that often rewards expediency. She can bring up issues that people generally don’t want to talk about in a way that encourages openness and new understandings within communities, campuses and workplaces.
Since 1995, when she began appearing on cable news as an analyst for CNN, Farai Chideya has given thousands of speeches and hosted hundreds of events. Her bookings have included Ivies Harvard and Yale, large state universities and regional colleges, events at the United Nations and on Capitol Hill, and business associations. Her lecture topics range from current events to women’s issues to technology, and she also has moderated forums including TEDxOilSpill (on the Deepwater Horizon crisis). Farai also facilitates private brainstorming sessions for people who need expertise on using content and building community for their company or nonprofit.