History

Virginia Governor Discusses His Decision To Remove Confederate Monument

5:04pm June 05, 2020

NPR's Sarah McCammon talks with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam about his decision to order the removal of a Confederate monument honoring Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Va.

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Books
Arts

Historian Eric Foner On The 'Unresolved Legacy Of Reconstruction'

1:42pm June 05, 2020

by Terry Gross

After the Civil War, the federal government promised former slaves equality and citizenship. Historian Eric Foner says the failed promises reverberate today. Originally broadcast Jan. 9, 2006.

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NPR's History Podcast 'Throughline' Explores Policing In America

7:56am June 05, 2020

Unrest was sparked across the nation after a black man in Minneapolis was killed in police custody. Tensions between African American communities and the police have existed for centuries.

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National

Similarities And Differences Of George Floyd Protests And The Civil Rights Movement

5:24pm June 04, 2020

by Karen Grigsby Bates

Protestors flooding the streets, chants calling for racial justice, tear gas filling in city squares — protests over George Floyd's death have a lot in common with the civil rights movement of 1968.

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The. Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, senior pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, speaks at a January 2019 service to remember the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy.

National

What The Civil Rights Movement Of The '60s Can Teach Atlanta Protesters Now

11:25pm June 03, 2020

by Mary Louise Kelly

Atlanta was the cradle of the civil rights movement in the '60s. As protests return to the city — this time in response to the death of George Floyd — what lessons can be taken from the past?

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Former President Barack Obama speaks Wednesday, during virtual town hall event with young people to discuss policing and the civil unrest that has followed the death of George Floyd.

Politics & Government

Obama Urges Young People To Keep Up Their Protests To Bring Change

9:37pm June 03, 2020

by David Welna

In a virtual town hall, the former president did not mention his successor. But he did extol the young demonstrators who he said give him hope the country will get better.

The Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument in Birmingham, Ala., seen here in 2016, has been the subject of legal controversy in recent years.

National

Confederate Monument Removed After Birmingham Mayor's Vow To 'Finish The Job'

1:38pm June 02, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

In Birmingham, Ala., protesters had felled one monument and were targeting another when Randall Woodfin stepped in, saying he'd ensure it came down. Still, its permanent removal is in question.

National

The History Of Protests In Los Angeles: What Has Changed Since The Rodney King Riots

4:22pm June 01, 2020

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Jody David Armour, criminal justice and law professor at the University of Southern California, about the ongoing protests in Los Angeles over George Floyd's death.

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Traditional Diné medicine practitioner Jeneda Benally, pictured here with her daughter Dahi, is trying to preserve cultural wisdom in danger of being lost during the pandemic.

Health & Safety

Navajo Nation Loses Elders And Tradition To COVID-19

11:28am May 31, 2020

by Laurel Morales

COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting older tribal members throughout Indian Country. The deaths of these elders means the loss of ceremonies, stories, language and cultural wisdom.

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Writer and activist Larry Kramer, here in 1989, was an unapologetically loud and irrepressible voice in the fight against AIDS.

Health & Safety

Opinion: Larry Kramer, A Remembrance Of A Fierce AIDS Activist

8:00am May 30, 2020

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon remembers AIDS activist Larry Kramer who died this week. He was 84.

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