History

What Barbie's professional history says about women in the labor force

6:08pm July 28, 2023

With more than 200 careers under her pink belt, Barbie has always been a hard worker. What can the types of professions Barbie's done tell us about women in the U.S. labor force? A lot, actually.

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National

Cultivating the next generation of Black farmers in Mississippi

5:40pm July 28, 2023

by Danny McArthur

Black farmers make up a small, aging part of the farming population. Some worry traditions may die with them. So there's an effort in Mississippi to cultivate the next generation of Black farmers.

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Gender rights activists demonstrate outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 30, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Many of the bans states passed this year against gender-affirming health care for youth are in federal court and may be on their way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Can states' bans on transgender care hold up in court? We break down the arguments

9:15am July 28, 2023

by Morgan Watkins

The 20 gender-affirming care bans states have passed are undergoing intense legal scrutiny and testing federal courts in new ways, setting up battles that may go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Arts

Is Barbie a feminist icon? It's complicated

7:54am July 27, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

The Barbie movie is being celebrated (and slammed) as a feminist film, with its themes of female empowerment and critiques of the patriarchy. Can the same be said for the doll at the center of it?

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Oppenheimer's forgotten victims of atomic testing push Congress for compensation

8:36pm July 26, 2023

by Nate Hegyi

As the movie Oppenheimer plays in theaters across the country, families affected by fallout from atomic testing in New Mexico are pushing Congress for compensation.

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The journey for the Emmitt Till and Mamie Till-Mobley national monuments

4:35pm July 25, 2023

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with executive director Patrick Weems on the announcement of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument.

American rapper, singer and songwriter Kurtis Blow, circa 1980.

Kurtis Blow breaks hip-hop nationally with his 1980 debut

1:04pm July 25, 2023

Hip-hop is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Commentator Kiana Fitzgerald is looking back at the albums that changed the game.

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Music & Culture

Kurtis Blow breaks hip-hop nationally with his 1980 debut

8:14am July 25, 2023

Hip-hop is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Commentator Kiana Fitzgerald is looking back at the albums that changed the game — starting with: 1980's "Kurtis Blow."

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Emmett Till, from Chicago, had traveled to Mississippi to visit his relatives when he was killed.

Politics & Government

Biden will designate a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother

1:47pm July 23, 2023

by Juliana Kim

The national monument, at sites in Illinois and Mississippi, will help protect places that tell Till's story, as well as reflect the activism of his mother.

In this Oct. 24, 2012 file photo, a pedestrian walks in Greektown in downtown Detroit. A state-appointed review team Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 determined Detroit is in a financial emergency, paving the way for Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to appoint an emergency manager who would need to come up with a new plan to get the city out of its fiscal crisis.

10 years ago Detroit filed for bankruptcy. It makes a comeback but there are hurdles

6:00am July 22, 2023

by Quinn Klinefelter

The "Motor City" has made significant progress since it became the largest municipality to file for bankruptcy a decade ago but still faces potholes in its recovery.