Race

In 2014, BookCon responded to the We Need Diverse Books campaign by inviting it to form its own panel. Pictured here (from left): I.W. Gregorio, Mike Jung, Matt de la Pena, Grace Lin and Jacqueline Woodson.

Books
Arts

A Year Later, #WeNeedDiverseBooks Has Left Its Mark On BookCon

3:10pm May 29, 2015

by Lynn Neary

The Twitter campaign was born out of the controversy around the lack of diverse voices in the event's panels. This year, one organizer says, the first panel they booked was with that campaign.

Queue Listen Now

David Oyelowo plays an American Army veteran living with his mother in HBO's Nightingale.

Arts

David Oyelowo On Acting, His Royal Roots And The One Role He Won't Take

10:06am May 29, 2015

The British-born Nigerian actor talks about playing an American veteran in Nightingale, the reasons he stays in character for weeks at a time and his aversion to playing "the black best friend."

Queue Listen Now

National

BuzzFeed's Saeed Jones Wrote A Beautiful Thing On Being Black In The Book World

1:59pm May 28, 2015

by Kat Chow

"Combing through mastheads and tables of contents for the names of writers who are not straight white men can make you feel crazy. And it is crazy that doing so is still necessary."

This summer brings many excellent books from writers of color.

The Worst Kind Of Groundhog Day: Let's Talk (Again) About Diversity In Publishing

11:57am May 28, 2015

by Roxane Gay

As a writer and critic, I am not just bored with this conversation. I am sick of it. I have written these sentences before. I will write them again.

National

Officer's Acquittal Highlights Tense Police, Community Relations In Cleveland

2:51pm May 27, 2015

by David C. Barnett

There were relatively peaceful protests after a white police officer in Cleveland was acquitted Saturday in the deaths of two unarmed black motorists in a barrage of police gunfire in 2012.

Queue Listen Now

The new African Burying Ground Memorial Park was dedicated on Saturday in Portsmouth, N.H.

National

In New England, Recognizing A Little-Known History Of Slavery

2:50pm May 27, 2015

by Emily Corwin

A burial ground including the remains of 18th century African slaves was uncovered in 2003 in Portsmouth, N.H. Over Memorial Day weekend, the city dedicated the grave site as a special memorial park.

Queue Listen Now

National

In Darren Wilson's Testimony, Familiar Themes About Black Men

12:46pm May 27, 2015

by Frederica Boswell

Wilson's descriptions of Michael Brown reminded some people of negative depictions of African-Americans in history. Recent studies suggest these perceptions have deeper psychological roots.

Myles Johnson and Kendrick Daye are raising money on Kickstarter to publish their children's book Large Fears.

Lovely Illustrations From The Story Of A Black Boy Who Dreams Of Going To Mars

5:48pm May 26, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

The authors — who are black and queer — didn't see a lot of kids like them in children's books growing up. They wanted to help change that.

Oil Boom Brings Diversity To States Out West

6:45pm May 25, 2015

by Leigh Paterson

Wyoming has long been one of the whitest states in the country, but over the last few years its black population has more than doubled. African-Americans still make up a tiny percentage of the state's population, but the substantial shift is largely a result of the oil boom of the last few years. But with oil prices so low, layoffs are looming.

Queue Listen Now

The 1979 Chevrolet Malibu that was caught in a hail of gunfire after a 23-minute chase in 2012. Two unarmed suspects were killed.

National

Cleveland Officer Acquitted In 2012 Fatal Shooting Of Unarmed Suspects

1:23pm May 23, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Michael Brelo was one of 13 officers involved in the incident that included 137 shots and killed Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams after a high-speed car chase.