Race

National

Why Our Feelings Toward Some African-Americans Change On MLK Day

7:51pm January 19, 2015

by Shankar Vedantam

Martin Luther King Day honors a great African-American leader — so you might think it's a day many Americans would also honor prominent African-Americans in our lives today. But you'd be wrong.

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Arts

Larry Wilmore's 'Nightly Show' Brings A New Voice To Late Night TV

1:22pm January 19, 2015

by Eric Deggans

The former Daily Show correspondent becomes the only black man to host an entertainment show on late night TV. And he starts on an important occasion; the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

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Elspeth Ventresca, center, and the rest of Carolyn Barnhardt's prekindergarten class at John Eaton Elementary School wear the crowns they made to celebrate Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.

What Does Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy Look Like To A 5-Year-Old?

12:07pm January 19, 2015

by Joanne Levine

Teachers all over the country are finding ways to talk about the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In one Washington, D.C., classroom, the lessons about race come alive.

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CSIT-In-3 students Daniel Diaz (left) and Brian De Anda map out options for reducing the size of a mobile app their team is building.

Tech Program Helps Put Latinos On A Path To Silicon Valley

7:03am January 19, 2015

by Krista Almanzan

A unique group of college students from California's Salinas Valley — many the children of farmworkers and immigrants — is working toward careers in major tech companies.

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Oscar Nominations Lack Diversity; 'Selma' Snubbed

10:59pm January 18, 2015

All 20 nominees in the actor and actress categories are white. The directors and screenwriters nominated are male. David Greene talks to Wesley Morris, who writes for the online magazine Grantland.

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Suzan Shown Harjo points to a signature on Treaty K at the National Archives. The document will be on display in 2016 at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian for an exhibit on treaties curated by Harjo.

Broken Promises On Display At Native American Treaties Exhibit

5:33pm January 18, 2015

by Hansi Lo Wang

A rare exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian explores the history of treaties between Native American nations and the U.S.

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World News

Reports Of Racism Fall Through France's Information Gap

12:57pm January 18, 2015

There were 1,274 incidents of racism in France in 2013, the nation's government reports, but it's not clear who was affected and how. NPR's Rachel Martin learns more from data analyst Mona Chalabi.

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Bernice King is in a protracted legal battle with her brothers over control of their father's bible and Nobel Peace Prize.

National

King's Family Builds Its Own Legacy Of Legal Battles

12:43pm January 18, 2015

by Gene Demby

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s children have feuded bitterly over his legacy for years. They're often criticized, but some believe their desire to tightly control their father's estate is fair.

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom cover detail

Books
Arts

Illustrated Memoir Recalls Marching In Selma At Just 15

6:59pm January 17, 2015

by NPR Staff

Lynda Blackmon Lowery was still a child when she joined the legendary 1965 march. Now she's written a book for young readers about the experience, called Turning 15 On The Road To Freedom.

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Desiree Akhavan plays Shirin in Appropriate Behavior. Akhavan says she chose the name Shirin because it means sweet in Farsi. "Even though she's insane, she has a sweetness," says Akhavan.

Arts

Iranian-American Filmmaker Breaks Out Of Boxes, Into The Box Office

4:25pm January 17, 2015

by Shereen Marisol Meraji

Desiree Akhavan wrote, directed and stars in the new comedy Appropriate Behavior. It's informed by her life as a bisexual Brooklynite, but the film, like its maker, defies easy categorization.