Race

National

Key Witness Against Emmett Till's Killers Led A Quiet Life

5:43pm July 25, 2013

by Karen Grigsby Bates

In 1955, it was virtually unheard of for a black man to testify against a white person. Willie Reed, who changed his last name to Louis after fleeing to Chicago, died last week at 76.

Queue Listen Now

When Gene Krupa's orchestra was cast in 1941's Ball of Fire, trumpeter Roy Eldridge's presence was not negotiable.

How Musicians Helped Integrate The Silver Screen

12:28pm July 25, 2013

by John McDonough

America's first Freedom Riders may well have been the black musicians who, in the '30s and '40s, broke ground in Hollywood. Those could have been milestone moments, but the industry responded to provincial concerns and allowed Jim Crow markets to cut out integrated scenes.

Queue Listen Now

The Los Angeles Police Department helped launch the Watts Bears, a team of the Pee Wee division of Pop Warner football, in 2012. The players come from the neighborhood and practice at a park that's considered a neutral site between local gangs.

National

After Years Of Violence, L.A.'s Watts Sees Crime Subside

10:48am July 25, 2013

by Kirk Siegler

For decades, the Watts neighborhood has been notorious for gang violence and strained relations between residents and police. But violent crime and homicide have fallen dramatically in recent years, and a community policing effort is helping to ease tensions between cops and the community.

Queue Listen Now

Being In The Minority Can Cost You And Your Company

11:59am July 24, 2013

by Shankar Vedantam

Social scientists recently made an interesting discovery: The wage gap between blacks and whites (working identical jobs) varies greatly by location.

Queue Listen Now

Remembering The North's First Black Civil War Unit

5:13pm July 22, 2013

The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry fought a historic battle Civil War battle 150 years ago, historic in part because it was the first all-black regiment from the North to do battle in the war to end slavery. Host Jacki Lyden discusses the assault on Fort Wagner with historian Steven Hill.

Queue Listen Now

Researchers say it may be possible to temporarily reduce racial biases.

How To Fight Racial Bias When It's Silent And Subtle

8:00pm July 19, 2013

by Shankar Vedantam

New research suggests that racial disparities and other biased outcomes in medicine, the criminal justice system, and other areas, can be explained by unconscious attitudes and stereotypes. But how do we get rid of subtle racial biases?

Queue Listen Now

40 Years Later, A Black-And-White Photo Gets New Life

6:38am July 19, 2013

The Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman case and the issues of race surrounding it got photographer Joseph Crachiola thinking about a picture he took almost 40 years ago of a group of black and white children playing happily together in the streets of a Detroit suburb. Renee Montagne talks to Crachiola about the photo, which has gone viral since he posted it on Facebook after the Zimmerman verdict.

Queue Listen Now

More than 50 people have reported being victims to the "blessing scams" in San Francisco over the last year. Their losses topped $1.5 million.

Economy

Chinatown 'Blessing Scams' Target Elderly Women

4:52pm July 18, 2013

The scam plays off cultural superstitions among older Chinese residents. In San Francisco alone, more than 50 victims have come forward since 2012, with losses that total more than $1.5 million.

Queue Listen Now

National

Holder: It's Time To Examine 'Stand Your Ground' Laws

5:08am July 17, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was speaking at the NAACP's annual convention in Orlando, Fla., a short distance from where unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin was shot and killed last year. More than two dozen states have laws that allow people to use deadly force to defend themselves if they believe they are under attack.

Queue Listen Now

National

Zimmerman Verdict Feels Personal For Some In Service Sorority

7:54pm July 15, 2013

The verdict in the Travyon Martin case is reverberating at the annual gathering of Delta Sigma Theta, a prominent service sorority that has long focused on African-American civil rights.

Queue Listen Now