Race

National

Chicago Mayor On Racial injustice And Protests In Her City

4:42pm August 17, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot about her response to protests in her city and a scheduled conversation on racial justice with Joe Biden at the Democratic convention.

Queue Listen Now

Protesters march in downtown Brooklyn over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police officer on June 5, 2020 in New York City.

National

Summer Of Racial Reckoning: The Match Lit

6:39pm August 16, 2020

In Part 1 of a three-part special, NPR examines how George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery became part of a rallying cry that has led the U.S. to confront the racism of its past and present.

National

How Mt. Vernon's History Is Being Retold

5:40pm August 15, 2020

by Esther Ciammachilli

The history of George Washington's plantation is being retold to focus on the people who were enslaved there.

Queue Listen Now

Politics & Government

Black Representation In Politics Is Poor Nationwide, Except In State Houses

7:57am August 15, 2020

by Mallory Noe-Payne

Eighty-nine percent of elected office holders nationwide are white. But a new analysis of elected office holders shows that Black representation is close to parity in one place.

Queue Listen Now

Music & Culture

Wutang Clan's RZA On The Racist History Of A Popular Ice Cream Jingle

7:57am August 15, 2020

Scott Simon talks with rapper and producer RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan about his new ice cream jingle to replace "Turkey in the Straw," which has links to minstrel shows.

Queue Listen Now

Slam poet and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Emi Mahmoud performs at the Sziget Festival in Hungary in 2019.

A World Champion Slam Poet Pivots To Medicine

7:00am August 15, 2020

by Sonia Narang

Sudanese American Emi Mahmoud achieved massive success as a spoken word artist. Now she's switching things up and pursuing a career in science.

Arts

Sharing Black Joy: Photographer Documents Sibling Bond

7:00am August 15, 2020

by Emily Bogle

Photographer Nadiya Nacorda captured the bond between her younger siblings in her new book, "A Special Kind of Double." One goal was to create an archive for Black youth to see themselves in images.

Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin is seen struggling to force George Floyd into the back seat of a police SUV, in newly released body camera video recorded by officer Tou Thao. Both Chauvin and Thao were fired, along with two other officers involved in Fl

National

Body Camera Video Of George Floyd And Police Offers New Details Of Deadly Encounter

3:25pm August 14, 2020

by Brakkton Booker

In the police video, Tou Thao seems to get increasingly agitated as the crowd becomes more vocal, with onlookers repeatedly asking him why Floyd's vital signs weren't being checked.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) is the first Black woman and first person of Indian descent to be a presumptive nominee on a presidential ticket by a major party in U.S. history.

As Harris Launches Candidacy, Conservatives Take Aim At Her Black And Indian Heritage

2:03pm August 14, 2020

by David Folkenflik

Kamala Harris is the first Black woman and the first South Asian to be chosen as a vice presidential candidate by a major party. Many conservative commentators are picking apart her identity.

Queue Listen Now

Black leaders say a prayer with President Trump as they end a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in February.

Politics & Government

Trump Campaign Trying To Win Over Black Voters, But President Remains A Tough Sell

12:06pm August 14, 2020

by Ayesha Rascoe

The president's campaign had begun holding "Black Voices for Trump" events, but the coronavirus pandemic shut down in-person campaigning for months. During that time, the election landscape shifted.