Race

This undated portrait shows Emmett Till, who was killed in Mississippi in 1955.

Emmett Till and his mother honored with the Congressional Gold Medal

11:54am December 24, 2022

by Giulia Heyward

The 14-year-old was killed by two white men in 1955 after a white woman accused him of flirting with her. The medal will be on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Three bronze panels at one of the entrances to Bartlett Hall, at West Point depict the history of the United States. In coming days, the U.S. military academy will begin taking down memorials commemorating figures of the Confederacy.

National

West Point will remove Confederate symbols from its campus

6:10pm December 22, 2022

by The Associated Press

The storied military academy will take down likenesses of Robert E. Lee as part of a Department of Defense directive to do away with installations that "commemorate or memorialize the Confederacy."

Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan speaks in support for the Equal Rights Amendment at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 21, 2021. McClellan has won the Democratic nomination to succeed the late A. Donald McEachin in Congress, party officials said.

Jennifer McClellan is poised to become Virginia's first Black woman in Congress

2:18pm December 22, 2022

by The Associated Press

The Virginia state senator has overwhelmingly won the Democratic nomination to succeed the late A. Donald McEachin in Congress.

Artist Bryce Cobbs stands next to the drawing he created of Henrietta Lacks, which was unveiled in Roanoke, Va., on Monday. The drawing will be used in the design process of a larger-than-life bronze statue.

Henrietta Lacks' hometown will build statue of her to replace Robert E. Lee monument

7:23am December 22, 2022

by Giulia Heyward

A statue of the woman, whose cells were taken without her consent and became integral in several major medical breakthroughs, will be built in Roanoke, Va.

Attendees applaud after New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul announced actions to combat hate crimes at her office in New York City in November 2022. Hochul has formed a new unit to combat hate and bias across the state that will focus on education, early detection and mobilizing support in areas where a bias-related incidents have occurred.

New York residents have mixed feelings about yet another statewide anti-bias program

5:01am December 20, 2022

by Jonathan Franklin

The new unit is a broader effort by Gov. Kathy Hochul to address hate crimes and violence across the state in response to Buffalo's deadly mass shooting that killed 10 Black people.

Why Meghan and Harry's marriage story is resonating with people

5:06pm December 18, 2022

NPR's Michel Martin talks with psychologist Sarah Gaither about the outside pressures of being in an interracial marriage and why people are relating to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's story.

Purdue University Northwest Chancellor Thomas L. Keon mocked Asian languages in a commencement speech Saturday.

A university chancellor apologized after mocking Asian languages in his speech

5:07am December 16, 2022

by Giulia Heyward

Purdue University Northwest Chancellor Thomas L. Keon apologized for "offensive and insensitive" remarks he made onstage during a commencement ceremony.

A marble bust of Chief Justice Roger Taney is displayed in the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the U.S. Capitol on March 9, 2020.

Congress votes to remove a bust of the Dred Scott decision's author from the Capitol

1:51pm December 15, 2022

by Ashley Ahn

The bill calls for replacing the bust of former Chief Justice Roger Taney, who wrote the decision upholding slavery, with one of Thurgood Marshall, the first Black person to serve on the high court.

Counter-protesters carrying Black Lives Matter flags walk past a group of Trump supporters at the Michigan State Capitol building in November 2020 in Lansing, Mich.

National

Man who threatened Black Lives Matter supporters pleads guilty to hate crime charges

5:01am December 15, 2022

by Jonathan Franklin

The case was investigated by the FBI, as the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case. The suspect, Kenneth Pilon, will be sentenced in March 2023.

The U.S. Postal Service said on Tuesday that the stamp "celebrates the life and legacy" of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis.

National

U.S. Postal Service honors the late civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis with a stamp

5:47am December 14, 2022

by Vanessa Romo

The civil rights icon spent nearly 60 years in public service, including more than three decades representing the Atlanta area. Now, the USPS is paying homage to his years of work.