History

Wilbert Lee Evans (left) and Alton Waye were executed in 1990 and 1989. NPR obtained tapes that recorded their deaths. You can hear them below.

National

NPR uncovered secret execution tapes from Virginia. More remain hidden

4:40pm January 19, 2023

by Chiara Eisner

Four tapes mysteriously donated to a library reveal uncertainty behind the scenes of the death chamber — and indicate the prison neglected to record evidence during an execution gone wrong.

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The State Department launches a new way for ordinary Americans to resettle refugees

1:17pm January 19, 2023

by Joel Rose

With refugee resettlement organizations stretched thin, the U.S. is trying a different approach. The new private sponsorship program will allow groups of regular people to sponsor refugees.

Abortion was once common practice in America. A small group of doctors changed that

5:10am January 19, 2023

The 50th anniversary of the Roe V. Wade decision is Jan. 22. NPR's podcast Throughline examines the debate about abortion, which wasn't always controversial. (Story aired on ATC on June 6, 2022.)

National

For Black homeowners in LA, the City National settlement is just a start

6:13pm January 18, 2023

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with realtor Mark Alston about the DOJ's record-breaking settlement with City National Bank after it was accused of redlining and racially discriminatory mortgage practices.

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, addresses marchers during his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. On Monday, his daughter Bernice King said, "My father's 'dream' wasn't palpable to the white masses, including politicians."

National

Maine newspaper apologizes for running a redacted version of 'I Have a Dream' speech

5:00am January 18, 2023

by Vanessa Romo

Critics of the Bangor Daily News said the redacted version promotes a whitewashed and sanitized version of Martin Luther King Jr. that does not convey his radical views and work as an activist.

National

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Where the U.S. and schools stand with segregation

6:39pm January 16, 2023

by Alana Wise

King and Segregation: We take a look at King and the famous "I have a dream" speech and the call for an end to segregation — and how schools are a key example of how intransigent segregation remains.

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Books
Arts

Want to understand the U.S.? This historian says the South holds the key

12:27pm January 16, 2023

by Dave Davies

Imani Perry says the South can be seen as an "origin point" for the way the nation operates. Her book South to America traces the steps of an enslaved ancestor. Originally broadcast Jan. 25, 2022.

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Treasure hunters look for mammoth bones in NYC river

6:59am January 16, 2023

A legend has spread tha artifacts found in Alaska were donated in the 1940s to the American Museum of Natural History, and the lower quality bones were allegedly dumped in the river.

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Boston unveils a sculpture of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King

6:59am January 16, 2023

by Phillip Martin, GBH News

Coretta Scott King was a young woman living in Boston when she met Martin Luther King. GBH took a closer look at her life as part of the unveiling of a monument commemorating the couple's meeting.

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Biden is the first sitting president to deliver a Sunday sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Biden becomes the first sitting president to deliver a Sunday sermon at MLK's church

6:52pm January 15, 2023

by Giulia Heyward

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. served as a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta until his assassination.