Race

Why transforming concrete schoolyards into parks could make for healthier cities

5:29pm June 15, 2023

by Maria Godoy

Living near parks can boost health. But low-income communities of color often have less access than their wealthier, white counterparts. One project aims to change that by revamping schoolyards.

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New York Army National Guard Sgt. William Henry Johnson, circa 1919.

National

The U.S. Army renames a base in honor of Sgt. William Henry Johnson, a Black WWI hero

1:47pm June 14, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Louisiana's Fort Polk became Fort Johnson, the latest Army base to replace its Confederate name. It now honors a soldier who earned a Medal of Honor a century after the night that made him a hero.

Politics & Government

GOP presidential candidates of color walk a 'tightrope' as they discuss race

11:07am June 14, 2023

by Ashley Lopez

The Republican presidential field is the most diverse it has ever been, raising questions about race, identity and immigration for candidates of color in an overwhelmingly white party.

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State courts in every state highlighted on this map have cited cases involving enslaved people in the 1980s or later.

National

Slave cases are still cited as good law across the U.S. This team aims to change that

6:36am June 14, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Michigan State law professor Justin Simard says 18% of all published American cases are within two steps of a slave case. His team has spent years documenting them, hoping to force a legal reckoning.

Civil rights advocates say laws need to catch up with AI technology

5:12am June 14, 2023

by Geoff Brumfiel

Law enforcement is increasingly using artificial intelligence to investigate crimes, but some civil rights advocates want limits on the technology.

The Catholic Church profited from slavery — 'The 272' explains how

1:27pm June 13, 2023

by Terry Gross

"You don't hear about enslaved people at Mass or in Sunday school," says Rachel Swarns. Her new book tells the story of 272 enslaved people sold in 1838 to help save what is now Georgetown University.

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Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones is a co-founder of The Ida B. Wells Society. She's pictured above in New York in December 2021.

Ida B. Wells Society internships mired by funding issues, says Nikole Hannah-Jones

11:14am June 13, 2023

by Neda Ulaby

Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones says administrative delays have made it impossible to carry on with several academic projects intended to foster the careers of young Black investigative journalists.

How one medical school diversified its student body under an affirmative action ban

4:56pm June 12, 2023

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Dr. Mark Henderson about how UC Davis' medical school worked around the state's ban on affirmative action to increase diversity in its student body.

A studio portrait of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers taken in the early 1960s.

60 years ago, Medgar Evers became a martyr of the Civil Rights Movement

4:18pm June 12, 2023

by Julian Ring

On June 12, 1963, Evers was assassinated at his home in Jackson, Miss., by a Ku Klux Klan member. While other leaders pushed for equality across the U.S., Evers focused on his native Mississippi.

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The power of names

5:08pm June 11, 2023

An excerpt from Ten Thousand Things, a podcast about modern-day artifacts of Asian American life.