Race

Taraji P. Henson, left, and Terrence Howard star as Cookie and Lucious Lyon in the Fox TV show Empire.

Arts

The Success Of Fox's 'Empire' Reveals A Few Do's And Don'ts For TV

11:12am February 02, 2015

by Eric Deggans

Fox's hip-hop drama is a growing hit that could rescue the network. In a fragmented marketplace, the TV industry is learning the value of creating shows for underserved audiences.

New apartment buildings are replacing empty lots in Mantua, one of Philadelphia's poorest neighborhoods.

University Re-Imagines Town And Gown Relationship In Philadelphia

5:40am February 02, 2015

by Hansi Lo Wang

Drexel University is taking a hands-on approach to redeveloping one of Philadelphia's poorest neighborhoods with a new center designed to serve not just students but mainly local residents.

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Danny Glover plays Mr. Walker, the head of the black family held hostage by a white supremacist, in Supremacy.

Sports
Arts

Former Basketball Player Scores As A Filmmaker

6:30pm January 31, 2015

by Priska Neely

While Deon Taylor was playing professional basketball in Germany, he had an epiphany: he wanted to make movies. The self-taught director's latest film, Supremacy, was released this Friday.

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Why A Black Man's Murder Often Goes Unpunished In Los Angeles

7:51pm January 30, 2015

by NPR Staff

From witnesses to reluctant gang members, Jill Leovy says, "everybody's terrified." Her book, Ghettoside, uses the story of one murder to explore the city's low arrest rate when black men are killed.

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#PubRadioVoice brought together our listeners with African-American and Latino radio journalists in a discussion on whether the voices on air truly represent the "public" in public radio.

National

Is There A #PubRadioVoice That Sounds Like America?

5:24pm January 30, 2015

by Kenya Downs

Earlier this week, we hosted a Twitter chat that tackled questions about diversity in public radio and the pressure some journalists of color feel to sound "white."

Sen. McCaskill On Ferguson: 'We're Going To Get All The Facts'

10:39am January 30, 2015

Tess Vigeland speaks with Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill about the week of violence and tension in Ferguson, discussing the way forward for the community.

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These students and three fellow activists were sentenced to 30 days of prison labor for their protest against segregation at a Rock Hill, S.C., diner in 1961. Wednesday, a judge formally cleared them of their trespassing convictions.

National

Judge Throws Out Friendship 9's Civil Rights-Era Conviction

7:56pm January 28, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The nine men integrated a whites-only lunch counter in Rock Hill, S.C., in 1961, and refused to pay a fine. Their "jail, no bail" strategy became a rallying cry against Jim Crow.

A Saint With A Mixed History: Junipero Serra's Canonization Raises Eyebrows

6:08pm January 28, 2015

by Jasmine Garsd

Pope Francis announced he will elevate the influential missionary to sainthood when he visits Washington, D.C. But Native American groups say Father Serra was far from saintly.

National

Judge To Exonerate 'Friendship 9' Activists 54 Years After Arrest

8:09am January 28, 2015

by Debbie Elliott

The "Friendship Nine" were college students arrested for a sit-in at a South Carolina lunch counter in 1961. A judge is set to clear them of a five-decades-old trespassing conviction.

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Miss Universe contestants congratulate fifth-place-finisher, Kaci Fennell of Jamaica. Many pageant watchers on social media argued that Fennell should have won.

World News

Miss Colombia Wins Pageant; Miss Jamaica Wins Twitter?

7:25am January 28, 2015

by Kenya Downs

Days later, bad feelings linger among the Miss Universe pageant viewers who believe that the wrong contestant won. Many watchers on social media say Miss Jamaica should be wearing the crown.