Race

Protesters gather for the Black Women Matter "Say Her Name" march on July 3 in Richmond, Va.

National

Being Black In America Today: Share Your Experience

6:35pm July 06, 2020

by NPR Staff

NPR would like to hear your experiences as a Black American as the nation engages in wide-ranging debates and protest over defunding police, racial profiling, public monuments and systemic racism.

Stands remain empty as family members of United States Military Academy graduating cadets are restricted from attending commencement ceremonies on June 13 in West Point, N.Y

West Point Graduates' Letter Calls For Academy To Address Racism

6:26pm July 06, 2020

by Heidi Glenn

Retired Capt. Mary Tobin, a West Point graduate, is mentor to some recent alumni who wrote an open letter to academy leaders. They're part of a long legacy of Black cadets addressing systemic racism.

Queue Listen Now

The Manhattan district attorney says he will prosecute Amy Cooper, who called police after a black man asked her to leash her dog in New York's Central Park.

National

Woman Who Called Police On Black Bird-Watcher In Central Park To Be Charged

5:04pm July 06, 2020

by Brakkton Booker

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office says it is initiating a prosecution of Amy Cooper over false reporting of an incident. In a cellphone video, she claimed a Black man was threatening her.

Ray Rosetta is a reluctant gunman for the movement. He said he still believes the pen is mightier; he'd rather be writing his poems.

National

An Uneasy July 4th In Richmond, Va., As Armed Groups Gather Warily

3:32pm July 06, 2020

by Hannah Allam

Black protesters and Boogaloo boys, both carrying weapons but offering radically different visions of America, assembled in the former capital of the Confederacy over the holiday weekend.

Queue Listen Now

A statue of the abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass, pictured here, was torn from its base in Rochester, N.Y., on the anniversary of his famous speech "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?"

National

Frederick Douglass Statue Torn Down On Anniversary Of Famous Speech

12:47pm July 06, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

The statue in Rochester, N.Y., where Douglass lived for decades, was installed two years ago as part of a commemoration of the abolitionist's 200th birthday.

Politics & Government

In Weekend Events, Trump Casts Himself As Defender Of American Heritage

11:24am July 06, 2020

by Ayesha Rascoe

In remarks over the Fourth of July holiday, President Trump warned of "angry mobs" erasing American history and values. But other factors are likely to play bigger roles in his reelection effort.

Queue Listen Now

Who Was Trump's 'Our Heritage' Rhetoric Aimed At?

7:52am July 06, 2020

NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Bernard Powers, professor emeritus at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, about President Trump's hostile messaging over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Queue Listen Now

Pictured from left to right: catcher O'Neal Pullen, pitcher Ajay Johnson, shortstop Biz Mackey and manager Lonnie Goodwin

Sports

Opinion: Outplaying Segregation, Negro National League Hits 100-Year Milestone

2:33pm July 04, 2020

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the 100th anniversary of the Negro National League as a response to segregation in major league baseball.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

D. L. Hughley: 'Everybody Knows' Independence Day Didn't Free Us All

2:30pm July 04, 2020

by Scott Simon

In his new book, Surrender, White People!, Hughley suggests we consider whether our national holidays speak to the entire nation — along with other bitingly funny ideas for addressing injustice.

Queue Listen Now

World News

China Suppression Of Uighur Minorities Meets U.N. Definition Of Genocide, Report Says

7:58am July 04, 2020

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with China expert Adrian Zenz about his research uncovering evidence of birth prevention and mass female sterilization of Uighur Muslims in China.

Queue Listen Now