Race

A demonstrator holds a sign saying "PROTECT VOTER RIGHTS!" at a 2021 rally in Washington, D.C., calling for Congress to pass new voting rights legislation.

Politics & Government

Voting rights advocates welcomed a Supreme Court win. But the fight isn't over

5:39pm June 24, 2023

by Hansi Lo Wang

An unexpected U.S. Supreme Court ruling has upheld a key section of the Voting Rights Act. But many voting rights advocates and legal scholars are bracing for new efforts to dismantle the law.

The AG Gaston Motel is part of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, a collection of landmarks associated with 1963 Birmingham Campaign events, like The Children's Crusade.

National

Birmingham honors the Black businessman who quietly backed the Civil Rights Movement

10:48am June 22, 2023

The National Park Service and the city are teaming up to restore the AG Gaston Motel built by Black entrepreneur AG Gaston. It served as a secure space for civil rights leaders to strategize in 1963.

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National

What reforms are needed after DOJ's scathing report on Minneapolis' police department?

6:14am June 20, 2023

NPR's Michel Martin talks to Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, after a Justice Department report accused the Minneapolis Police of widespread civil rights abuses against people of color.

Books
Arts

A new book celebrates the contributions of America's Black working class

1:31pm June 19, 2023

by Tonya Mosley

In Black Folk, Blair Kelley portrays generations of Black workers — Pullman porters, domestic laborers, USPS employees, COVID-19 essential workers — who have contributed to the nation's prosperity.

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Politics & Government

Morning news brief

5:32am June 19, 2023

Secretary of State Blinken is in China for meetings. Present Biden is reviewing tariffs on Chinese imports. Americans are celebrating Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday.

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On this Juneteenth: A reading of the Emancipation Proclamation

5:14am June 19, 2023

For the observation of the federal Juneteenth holiday, NPR examines and reads the Emancipation Proclamation.

Virginia Del. Sally Hudson's campaign for state Senate has held informal house parties, including this one in Charlottesville, Va. on June 12. Hudson, a 35-year-old economist, says she'd lead on progressive issues in a state Senate she argues is dominated by older white men.

For Democrats trying to retake Virginia legislature, fiery primaries are first hurdle

5:00am June 19, 2023

by Ben Paviour

It's nearly been two years since Virginia Democrats lost the governor's office and the House to the GOP. Before attempting a comeback this fall, they must first survive Tuesday's expensive primaries.

A young boy walks past a painting depicting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during a Juneteenth celebration in Los Angeles in 2020. Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure all enslaved people be freed, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

National

Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday, is gaining awareness

5:00am June 19, 2023

by Alana Wise

Monday marks the Juneteenth holiday — a date commemorating the fall of slavery in the United States. While it's a new federal holiday, it's been celebrated since the 1860s.

John Blake's story is about growing up as a Black kid in West Baltimore in the 1980s and learning painful secrets about his family.

Religion

He saw the ghost of his racist grandfather. It helped lead to meaningful healing

6:00am June 18, 2023

by Rachel Martin

John Blake's story is about growing up as a Black kid in West Baltimore in the 1980s, learning painful secrets about his white mother and, as he recalls, a ghost.

Books

A husband and wife reimagine fairy tales with Black children in mind

5:00am June 16, 2023

by Destinee Adams

In their latest book CROWNED: Magical Folk and Fairy Tales from the Diaspora, Kahran and Regis Bethencourt retell fairy and folk tales with Black children as the main characters.