Race

The end section of a balance beam is pictured. The 2022 incident was widely viewed on social media and condemned by many, including U.S. gymnast Simone Biles.

Irish gymnastics group apologizes after a Black girl was skipped at a medal ceremony

1:58pm September 26, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

Gymnastics Ireland has apologized for the incident. But the girl's mother says the group hasn't done enough. Video shows an official giving medals to a line of girls except the only Black participant.

Mayra Herrera, one of the women who gathered to celebrate the International Day of Afro-descendant Women in Tamiahua, in the state of Veracruz, Mexico.

Women of the Sea: Afro-descendants honor their heritage in Mexico

4:01pm September 25, 2023

by Koral Carballo

Through portraits and interviews with activists and artists, Koral Carballo sought out an answer to the question of what it means to be an Afro-Mexican woman today.

Maj. Gen. Janeen Birckhead serves as Maryland's 31st adjutant general — making her the only Black woman who leads a state military in the U.S. Here, Birckhead sits inside NPR's studios for an interview with NPR's Jonathan Franklin.

She's currently the only Black woman leading a state military. Here's how it happened

2:02pm September 24, 2023

Maj. Gen. Janeen Birckhead of Maryland only became a soldier to help pay for college. Three decades later, she's risen to the top military position in Maryland, leading a force of 4,600 soldiers.

Protestors in Florida read from banned books, defying the state's education policies

8:00am September 24, 2023

by Will Brown

Academics, activists and Black history advocates were in Jacksonville, Fla. last week where they showed defiance of educational policies that ban books and discourage knowledge about Black history.

Light shines through new stained-glass windows with a theme of racial justice during an unveiling and dedication ceremony at the Washington National Cathedral for the windows on Saturday, Sept. 23 in Washington.

National Cathedral unveils racial justice-themed windows, replacing Confederate ones

8:11pm September 23, 2023

by Juliana Kim

The windows, titled "Now and Forever," were created by artist Kerry James Marshall. They show a group of protesters holding up large signs that read "Fairness" and "No Foul Play."

Minnesota housing program aims to mend years of economic damage in black neighborhood

4:30pm September 22, 2023

by Matt Sepic

A housing program in St. Paul aims to reverse the economic damage caused by the construction of a highway that ran through and decimated a Black neighborhood.

Michael Harriot's 'Black AF History' could hardly come at a better time

3:13pm September 22, 2023

by Ericka Taylor

This engaging, well-researched, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny history places the Black experience at center stage with stories that should have already been part of our collective memory.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell (left) along with NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson (right) signed an agreement this week outlining ways in which the two organizations will work together to center equity in disaster preparedness and response efforts.

NAACP signs agreement with FEMA to advance equity in disaster resilience

2:46pm September 22, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

As part of the collaborative effort, the NAACP's Emergency Management Task Force will regularly meet with FEMA to advance its progress on equity within disaster preparedness.

Darryl George, a 17-year-old junior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, has been suspended for not cutting his hair.

A Black Texas student's suspension over his hair renews focus on the CROWN Act

5:07am September 22, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

The high school student has been suspended for more than two weeks for wearing a natural hairstyle that officials say violated a dress code. So far, 24 states have signed the CROWN Act into law.

Carl Day is a pastor at Culture Changing Christians in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood.

Philly's 'pastor of the hood' Carl Day weighs in on the 2024 election

4:15pm September 20, 2023

by Kai McNamee

Carl Day joined NPR to weigh in on the Biden campaign in 2020. We caught up with him to hear what he's thinking heading into 2024.

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