Excerpts of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I've Been to the Mountaintop' speech
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr's birthday, we play excerpts from one of his acclaimed speeches.
Race
Remembering Rabbi Israel Dresner, a Freedom Rider in the civil rights movement
One of the original Freedom Riders has died. Rabbi Israel Dresner was arrested and jailed multiple times for his activism. He was among those who answered Martin Luther King Jr.'s call.
More Black students are headed to medical school, but finances are still a major issue
Medical schools are reporting a record increase in Black students. Across the U.S., the number of first-year African Americans is way up – 21 percent — an unprecedented spike since 2020.
How a WWII veteran's act of voting inspired a teenage Martin Luther King Jr.
In 1945, U.S. Army veteran Maceo Snipes returned home to Taylor County, Ga., where he became the first African American to cast a vote in his county's primary. A day after he voted, he was murdered.
Iowa town translates its diverse population into a majority Latino city council
West Liberty is Iowa's first majority Latino town and now has its first majority Latino city council. Other small towns may see it as a model for promoting a new type of political engagement.
Sculptor Edmonia Lewis is on the next stamp in the Black Heritage series
The U.S. Postal Service is making 19th century sculptor Edmonia "Wildfire" Lewis the face of its 45th stamp for the Black Heritage series. The stamp will debut later this month.
Dutch king won't use a royal carriage that's been criticized for a colonial image
The king ruled out using, for now at least, the "Golden Carriage," which bears a painting that critics say glorifies the Netherlands' colonial past, including its role in the global slave trade.
Sidney Poitier: actor, activist, and trailblazing heartthrob
Tributes have cascaded in since Sidney Poitier died. And so they should have. He was an unparalleled actor, a committed activist, and a beloved family member. He was also, frankly, a heartthrob.
Virginia's first Black woman lieutenant governor says we need to move on from slavery
Winsome Sears, a Republican, will be sworn into office Saturday in Virginia alongside Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin. Sears ran, in part, on the idea that the country's racial reckoning has gone too far.
The life of Yao Pan Ma, who died of an attack prosecutors say was racially motivated
Yao Pan Ma, 61, died on New Year's Eve of injuries from an April 2021 attack. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with his family's spokesperson Karlin Chan about ongoing violence against Asian Americans.