Race

Kelsey Leonard speaks from the TED stage.

Environment

Kelsey Leonard: What If Lakes And Rivers Had Legal Rights?

9:08am August 07, 2020

by NPR/TED Staff

Water is life. Yet in the eyes of the law, it remains largely unprotected. Legal scholar Kelsey Leonard says granting water bodies legal personhood can transform how we value this vital resource.

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The public submitted nearly 3,000 proposals for a new Mississippi flag, featuring magnolias, stars, a Gulf Coast lighthouse and more. The designs were posted on Monday on the Mississippi Department of Archives and History website.

National

Magnolias, Beer Cans and Football: Mississippi Is Designing A New State Flag

6:06pm August 06, 2020

by Christianna Silva

The state was the last one to include the Confederate battle emblem on its flag. Reuben Anderson, chair of the redesign commission, discusses the proposals and what the change means for Mississippi.

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Artist Ekene Ijeoma on the set of "Deconstructed Anthems" at Houston's Day For Night Festival in 2017.

Arts

This Audio Portrait Of The 2020 Census Asks: Whose Voices Really Count?

5:38am August 06, 2020

by Neda Ulaby

Nigerian American artist Ekene Ijeoma is an MIT professor who draws on sound and data to explore representations of social justice. He's working on a "voice portrait" of the census called A Counting.

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The Louisiana Supreme Court denied Fair Wayne Bryant's request to review his life sentence for stealing hedge clippers. Bryant has already spent nearly 23 years in prison for the crime.

National

Louisiana Supreme Court Won't Review Life Sentence For Man Who Stole Hedge Clippers

8:46pm August 05, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

In a dissent, Chief Justice Bernette Johnson compared Fair Wayne Bryant's sentence to "Pig Laws" in the years after Reconstruction, which enacted harsh penalties for theft and other petty crimes.

California Struggles To Fix Zoning That Promotes Racial Inequity And Climate Change

6:06pm August 05, 2020

by Lauren Sommer

Around the U.S., cities have been grappling with how single-family zoning can exacerbate racial inequity and climate change. States like California are struggling to fix that.

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People gather near a hearse carrying Rayshard Brooks' body after his June 23 funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

National

Former Atlanta Police Officer Who Shot Rayshard Brooks Sues City Over Firing

3:18pm August 05, 2020

by Alana Wise

In the lawsuit, former police Officer Garrett Rolfe alleges that his firing turned him into a "public spectacle." He is charged in Brooks' killing in a Wendy's parking lot.

Louisville Protests For Racial Justice Continue, Even As Others In U.S. Fade

8:51am August 05, 2020

by Ryan Van Velzer (KPR)

In Louisville, racial justice protests have continued for months since police shot and killed Breonna Taylor inside her home during an overnight police raid. Protesters want the officers charged.

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How Seattle's Police Chief Has Navigated The City's Protests For Racial Justice

7:25am August 05, 2020

by Martin Kaste

Being a Police Chief in 2020 is precarious. Carmen Best, Seattle's first Black female chief, has some tactics for keeping her job and protecting her department from the "defund the police" movement.

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Arts

What's In A Name? The History Of Karens, Beckys And Miss Anns

6:13am August 05, 2020

by Karen Grigsby Bates

Before 2020, the Karen was known by other names. NPR's Code Switch looks at the evolution of the entitled white woman, how her name has changed, but her behavior – and its consequences – not so much.

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A law enforcement officer raises a baton and tear gas is fired during protests near the White House on June 1.

National

Amnesty International Documents 125 Incidents Of Police Violence Against Protesters

5:19pm August 04, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

The instances spanned 40 states and the District of Columbia, and allege excessive force by state and local police, and National Guard troops and federal agents against racial justice protesters.