Race

Confederate Flag Ban At Marine Corps Opens Up Wider Conversation On Racism

8:49am June 24, 2020

by Steve Walsh

The Marine Corps recently banned the confederate flag on military bases. It was the first step toward what the marine corps commandant called a difficult conversation about racism in the corps.

Queue Listen Now

National

Senator Mike Braun Discusses Bill Reforming Police Qualified Immunity

8:43am June 24, 2020

Many Republicans consider GOP Senator Mike Braun's bill scaling back qualified immunity to be toxic. NPR's David Greene asks him how much support he can get from Congress and the White House.

Queue Listen Now

Sports

FBI Says Noose Left In NASCAR Racer Bubba Wallace's Garage Not Intended For Him

5:23am June 24, 2020

by Tom Goldman

Federal authorities said a noose found inside Bubba Wallace's NASCAR garage on Sunday was actually left there at least eight months ago. Wallace is the only black driver on the top circuit.

Queue Listen Now

National

Author James McBride Sees Hope In Recent Activism For Racial Justice

5:23am June 24, 2020

by Sam Sanders

In the midst of a pandemic, protests and racial unrest, best-selling author James McBride tells NPR's It's Been A Minute he is hopeful that Americans can come together.

Queue Listen Now

The facade of a former bank is turned into residential housing in 2018 in an "opportunity zone" in Newark, N.J.

Pandemic Stalls New Money For 'Opportunity Zones' As Neighborhoods Try To Recover

5:00am June 24, 2020

by Ayesha Rascoe

Economic uncertainty from the coronavirus pandemic is keeping potential investors in "opportunity zones" on the sidelines, according to a survey of people involved in the sector.

The words "and Providence Plantations" will be removed from many Rhode Island state documents under an executive order by Gov. Gina Raimondo. The state legislature will consider an official name change.

Politics & Government

What Is No Longer In A Name: Rhode Island Official Docs Shed Racially Loaded Moniker

10:12pm June 23, 2020

by David Welna

Officially, the tiniest state's name remains Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. But the governor jettisoned the latter phrase from state documents, with a vote on it likely to follow.

"It's fantastic to see the change [we] brought about," says University of Cincinnati pitcher Nathan Moore, who has been an outspoken proponent of renaming the university's Marge Schott Stadium.

Schott-Free: University Of Cincinnati Trustees Vote To Take Name Off Ballpark

5:14pm June 23, 2020

by Tom Goldman

The board cited Marge Schott's "record of racism and bigotry" in its decision. The late philanthropist and Cincinnati Reds owner was reviled for using racial and ethnic slurs and praising Hitler.

Readers wait in line at Macmillan booth at the Book Expo trade show in 2013.

Books
Arts

Macmillan CEO Steps Back From Day-To-Day Operations

4:53pm June 23, 2020

by Petra Mayer

John Sargent, CEO of Macmillan — one of the Big Five book publishing houses — has stepped back from day-to-day operations, after five employees organized an industry-wide protest against racism.

Sports

NASCAR: Its History Of Racism And Relations With The Confederate Flag

3:58pm June 23, 2020

NPR's Sarah McCammon speaks with Daniel Pierce, a NASCAR historian and a University of North Carolina, Asheville professor, about the history of racism and the Confederate flag in stock car racing.

Queue Listen Now

Politics & Government

How George Floyd's Death Made Republicans On Capitol Hill Shift Their Rhetoric

3:58pm June 23, 2020

by Kelsey Snell

Congressional Republicans have rapidly shifted their rhetoric and policy priorities in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. Some of them say that the Floyd video was a transformational moment.

Queue Listen Now