Son of radicals, Zayd Ayers Dohrn grew up underground & on the run
"From my very first memories, I knew that the FBI was chasing us," Zayd Ayers Dohrn says. "My parents tried to explain it in terms [like] we were like Robin Hood or we were like the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars. So I knew in the way a kid knows that our lives were precarious."
His mother, Bernardine Dohrn, was a leader of the '60s radical student group Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), which opposed the war in Vietnam and racism. Along with his father, Bill Ayers, she helped found the Weather Underground, a group committed to armed resistance against the government.
Dohrn spoke with Terry Gross about his radical childhood on the run, visiting his mom in prison, and the questions he needed to ask his parents. His book is ‘Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground.’
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
His mother, Bernardine Dohrn, was a leader of the '60s radical student group Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), which opposed the war in Vietnam and racism. Along with his father, Bill Ayers, she helped found the Weather Underground, a group committed to armed resistance against the government.
Dohrn spoke with Terry Gross about his radical childhood on the run, visiting his mom in prison, and the questions he needed to ask his parents. His book is ‘Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground.’
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
2026-05-18
44 min
Transcript
Available Results
Generated results are saved to the knowledge database for reuse and search.
No generated results are available for this episode yet.
Extract Knowledge
Pick what you want extracted first. Model, scope, and chapter options appear after a template is selected.
Generated results for public episodes are saved to the knowledge database so they can be reused and searched later.
Transcript
Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Son of radicals, Zayd Ayers Dohrn grew up underground & on the run : Fresh Air "From my very first memories, I knew that the FBI was chasing us," Zayd Ayers Dohrn says. "My parents tried to explain it in terms [like] we were like Robin Hood or we were like the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars. So I knew in the way a kid knows that our lives were precarious." His mother, Bernardine Dohrn, was a leader of the '60s radical student group Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), which opposed the war in Vietnam and racism. Along with his father, Bill Ayers, she helped found the Weather Underground, a group committed to armed resistance against the government. Dohrn spoke with Terry Gross about his radical childhood on the run, visiting his mom in prison, and the questions he needed to ask his parents. His book is ‘Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground.’ Fresh Air NPR Fresh Air LISTEN & FOLLOW NPR App Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music iHeart Radio YouTube Music RSS link Son of radicals, Zayd Ayers Dohrn grew up underground & on the run May 18, 2026 2:24 PM ET By Terry Gross , Audrey Bentham Son of radicals, Zayd Ayers Dohrn grew up underground & on the run Listen · 44:12 44:12 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed < iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5825924/nx-s1-mx-5825924-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> "From my very first memories, I knew that the FBI was chasing us," Zayd Ayers Dohrn says. "My parents tried to explain it in terms [like] we were like Robin Hood or we were like the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars. So I knew in the way a kid knows that our lives were precarious." His mother, Bernardine Dohrn, was a leader of the '60s radical student group Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), which opposed the war in Vietnam and racism. Along with his father, Bill Ayers, she helped found the Weather Underground, a group committed to armed resistance against the government. Dohrn spoke with Terry Gross about his radical childhood on the run, visiting his mom in prison, and the questions he needed to ask his parents. His book is ‘Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground.’ Sponsor Message Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor
Chapters
No chapters available.