Race

Code Switch And Hidden Brain Teamed Up For An #AirbnbWhileBlack Twitter Chat

4:32pm April 29, 2016

by Leah Donnella

On Friday, Code Switch's Gene Demby and Hidden Brain's Shankar Vedantam led a Twitter chat to discuss what it's like to be a person of color participating in the sharing economy.

Though the Mardi Gras Indian who appears in "Lemonade" is a young woman, most people who mask and parade as part of the tradition are male.

The Mardi Gras Indian Of 'Lemonade'

2:18pm April 27, 2016

by Leah Donnella

In "Lemonade," Beyoncé's much-discussed visual album, a girl resplendent in white plumage appears. It's a nod to the pop star's New Orleans roots and loaded with the region's racial history.

What if we talked about politics the way we talk about Prince and Beyonce?

What Harriet Tubman, Prince And Beyonce Can Teach Us About Politics

2:29pm April 26, 2016

by Sam Sanders

What if we took some tips from think-piece culture in the way we talk about our politics?

Marvin Cheatham, president of the Matthew Henson Neighborhood Association, stands in front of a row of abandoned homes in West Baltimore. He would like to see them torn down and replaced by a food market, a senior center and a health clinic — all of whi

National

In Baltimore, Hopes Of Turning Abandoned Properties Into Affordable Homes

11:11am April 26, 2016

by Pam Fessler

The city has long suffered a dearth of decent housing. The recent collapse of vacant buildings — which in one case killed a man — has increased the urgency of finding a solution.

Queue Listen Now

Candidate for U.S. Senate Katie McGinty, D-Pa., shakes hands with attendees as she arrives for her roundtable discussion with seniors at the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers in Philadelphia last week.

5 Other Contests To Watch In Tuesday's Primaries

10:09am April 26, 2016

by Jessica Taylor

Among them: Two incumbent Pennsylvania congressmen are on the defense amid questions about their ethics and personal relationships; and Maryland candidates for Senate are divided by race and gender.

Airbnb host Synta Keeling rents two bedrooms in her house in Washington, D.C.'s predominantly black Anacostia neighborhood.

#AirbnbWhileBlack: How Hidden Bias Shapes The Sharing Economy

12:10am April 26, 2016

The sharing economy is making online transactions far more personal, which can lead to some unintended consequences.

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Billy Paul, the singer of "Me and Mrs. Jones" and other soul ballads, has died. He's seen here in 2006.

Beyond 'Mrs. Jones': Billy Paul's Music You Might Not Have Heard

7:36pm April 25, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Two things help explain Billy Paul's unique vocal style: his early dreams of playing saxophone, and his emulation of female jazz singers such as Billie Holiday.

Beyonce Returns To The Spotlight With New Album, 'Lemonade'

6:34pm April 25, 2016

NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Treva Lindsey, an assistant professor of women's, gender and sexuality studies at Ohio State University, about Beyonce's new album Lemonade, which was released as a visual album on Saturday night.

Queue Listen Now

Beyonce performs onstage during "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" in Los Angeles.

Before Diving Into The Raging Flood Of New Beyoncé Thinkpieces, Read This

3:46pm April 25, 2016

by Gene Demby

Beyoncé did a thing over the weekend, which means there are a million thinkpieces on the Internet today — on blackness and feminism and celebrity — for you to wade through. But start here.

A protester holds up a picture of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in a December 2014 demonstration in Washington, D.C.

National

Cleveland To Pay $6 Million To Settle Tamir Rice Lawsuit

3:27pm April 25, 2016

by Lauren Hodges

The city agreed to the settlement Monday in a civil rights suit brought by Tamir's family. The 12-year-old boy was shot and killed by a police officer in November 2014.