Race

Walter Leonard, Pioneer Of Affirmative Action At Harvard, Dies At 86

6:48pm December 17, 2015

NPR's Ari Shapiro and Harvard University President Emeritus Derek Bok remember Walter Leonard. Leonard helped pioneer affirmative action for Harvard University, a model that rippled across other colleges in the country. He died this week at the age of 86.

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National

Prosecutors Consider Retrial For Baltimore Officer Charged In Freddie Gray Death

4:19pm December 17, 2015

by Jennifer Ludden

The mistrial in the first case in the death of Freddie Gray has left Baltimore residents shocked, disappointed, and still deeply distrustful of the justice system. But legal analysts say the case was never a good fit to address the issues that have been driving national protests around police brutality.

Race

Piedmont Immigrants Concerned About Backlash

11:35am December 17, 2015

by Neal Charnoff

Triad residents are expressing concern about a backlash directed toward immigrants. That was the topic of a community conversation Wednesday night in Greensboro.

Kenya Barris, the creator and writer of Black-ish, in his office on the ABC lot in Burbank, Calif., in December. Black-ish is now in its second season, airing on ABC.

Arts

Kenya Barris Creates An 'Absolutely Black' Family for Prime Time

3:48pm December 15, 2015

by Karen Grigsby Bates

"We're kind of taught to give your kids more than you had. But in giving them more, what do they lose?" asks the creator of Black-ish.

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Arts

Kenya Barris Creates An 'Absolutely Black' Family for Prime Time

1:47pm December 15, 2015

by Karen Grigsby Bates

"We're taught to give your kids more than you had. But in giving them more, what do they lose?" Kenya Barris, creator, Black-ish

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National

Jurors Begin Deliberations In Freddie Gray Death Trial

5:40pm December 14, 2015

by Merrit Kennedy

A Baltimore jury is deliberating whether a police officer is guilty of manslaughter and assault in an incident that sparked protests and raised questions about police negligence.

Yasmine Al Massri as Raina Amin, the hijab-wearing sister on ABC's Quantico.

We Asked Young Muslim Women To Weigh In On 'Quantico"s Hijabi Character

12:59pm December 14, 2015

by Lakshmi Gandhi

Viewers say Nimah and Raina, twin sisters on ABC's Quantico, reflect the many ways one can be a Muslim woman in America today.

Dev (Aziz Ansari) tells Ravi (Ravi Patel) that the "Indian" actor Ravi's admired is actually a white guy in brown face.

National

TV's Challenge For 2016: Taking Immigrant Stories To The Next Level

11:06am December 14, 2015

by Kat Chow

It has been delightful to see so many immigrant coming-of-age stories in American pop culture this year, but it's also time to leave the Immigrant Kid Handbook behind.

Bonnie Schaan talks to her daughter Cheyeanne Fitzgerald, 16, as she cries at Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, Ore., on Thursday, November 19, 2015.

#NPRreads: 3 Stories To Linger Over This Weekend

4:58pm December 12, 2015

After a mass shooting, a 16-year-old survivor struggles to heal. A white woman grapples with her indebtedness. And sports writers think back to when they discovered the darkness in the beautiful game.

Music & Culture

'One More' For Sinatra, Who Took A Stand In Gary, Indiana

9:03am December 12, 2015

by Scott Simon

Frank Sinatra was born 100 years ago. NPR's Scott Simon remembers a moment when the singer tried to stop a strike by white students in Gary, Indiana who didn't want their high school to be integrated.

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