Race

Helmeted New York City police carry away a rioter at West 130th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem on July 19, 1964.

National

New York's 'Night Of Birmingham Horror' Sparked A Summer Of Riots

7:54pm July 18, 2014

by Hansi Lo Wang

The shooting death of a black teenager by a white police officer in New York City led to six days of rioting in Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant — the first in a series of violent protests in 1964.

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Arts

The Force Is With The Navajo: 'Star Wars' Gets A New Translation

1:30pm July 14, 2014

by NPR Staff

If you've ever wondered how to say "May the Force be with you" in Navajo, you're in luck. On July 3, a new translation of the 1977 classic will be unveiled on the Navajo Nation reservation in Arizona.

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A Role Model Pipeline For Young Black Men

1:20pm July 07, 2014

by Anya Kamenetz

Young male African-American teacher trainees learn to "embody hope" for their students.

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The NYPD recently launched a study into what's causing a rise in shootings in the city. Commissioner William Bratton says it will examine a lot of factors, not just stop-and-frisk.

National

Top NYPD Cop: Stop-And-Frisk Is Not 'The Problem Or The Solution'

6:41pm July 03, 2014

by Joel Rose

It's been nearly a year since a court ruling curtailed the New York Police Department's controversial practice. Today, Police Commissioner William Bratton says the city can be just as safe without it.

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Hugo Pascual Tomas Manuel, 15, attends English classes at the Guatemalan-Maya Center in Lake Worth, Fla. He grew up speaking Q'anjob'al, or Kanjobal, an indigenous Mayan language.

National

Language Barriers Pose Challenges For Mayan Migrant Children

7:43pm July 01, 2014

by Hansi Lo Wang

Indigenous children from Guatemala who arrive at the border speaking little or no Spanish present complications to officials and attorneys who are better primed to serve Spanish-speaking immigrants.

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Keone Nunes, a Native Hawaiian tattoo artist, says prayers to "awaken" the tattoo tools and bless the ink. Two "stretchers" pull the skin tight on the chest of Kaiola Farin to enable Nunes to tap straight lines.

Honolulu Police Chief's Ban On Visible Tattoos Sparks Criticism

7:37pm July 01, 2014

by Wayne Yoshioka

Native Hawaiians on the police force have criticized the ban. Many say tattoos are part of their cultural heritage and should remain in plain sight.

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Spike Lee directed, wrote and starred in "Do the Right Thing." The landmark film prompted a national conversation about racial tension.

'Do The Right Thing' Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary

4:22pm June 30, 2014

by Shereen Marisol Meraji

The film tells the story of how an Italian-owned pizzeria becomes a flashpoint for racial unrest in one of New York City's poorest neighborhoods, the heavily black and Puerto Rican Bedford-Stuyvesant.

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Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party delegates and supporters stage a demonstration on the boardwalk in front of the Atlantic City Convention Center in 1964.

Books
Arts

'Freedom Summer' And 'The Watsons': Powerful TV About A Civil Rights Journey

4:15pm June 30, 2014

by Eric Deggans

This story in the "Book Your Trip" series features NPR TV critic Eric Deggans on two books turned TV shows about civil rights: PBS's Freedom Summer and Hallmark Channel's The Watsons Go to Birmingham.

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Freedom Summer activists sing before leaving training sessions at Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio, for Mississippi in June 1964.

National

50 Years Ago, Freedom Summer Began By Training For Battle

6:51pm June 26, 2014

by Hansi Lo Wang

Thousands of civil rights activists descended upon Mississippi in 1964 to help register African-American voters. For many, the first stop was intensive training — including how to take a beating.

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Rep. Charles Rangel, a Democrat from New York, speaks during a June interview in New York.

Congressman Rangel Battles For Political Survival

8:13pm June 23, 2014

by Brigid Bergin

The New York representative runs a real risk of losing to Dominican-American rival Adriano Espaillat in Tuesday's Democratic primary. Rangel is one of the longest-serving members of Congress.

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