About Charlayne
Charlayne Hunter-Gault joined the then-MacNeil/Lehrer Report in 1977. Her assignments included substitute anchoring and field reporting from various parts of the world. During her association with the broadcast, she was recognized with numerous awards, including two Emmys as well as a Peabody for excellence in broadcast journalism for her work on Apartheid's People, a NewsHour series about life in South Africa.
After leaving the NewsHour in 1997, Charlayne moved to South Africa where she was chief correspondent in Africa for National Public Radio until 1999 when she became the Johannesburg bureau chief for CNN.
Charlayne is currently a special Africa correspondent for NPR and is completing a book, "New News Out of Africa," expected to come out in June 2006. According to her publisher, Oxford University Press, the book will offer a "fresh and surprisingly optimistic assessment of modern Africa."
Charlayne’s Recent Stories
Nation Apr 14
The common ground between law enforcement and activists’ call to ‘defund the police’As the nation watches the trial of Derek Chauvin, we return to the debate that George Floyd's death ignited. Special correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault spoke with current and former law enforcement officers about "defunding the police," and what reforms they believe…
Arts Feb 25
Looking back in history to help inform and improve future race relationsDaily reports of disturbing racial incidents and what appear to be deepening racial divisions within the country leave many looking for answers. Special correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault recently spoke with Dr. Ronald Crutcher, a classical musician and president of the University…
Arts Jan 14
Civil rights pioneer Ruby Bridges on activism in the modern eraIn the 1960s, Ruby Bridges became the first African-American student to integrate into an entirely white public school system in New Orleans. She joins Charlayne Hunter-Gault, who followed in Bridges' footsteps 60 years ago and desegregated the University of Georgia…
Politics Jul 01
Reasons for hope amid America’s racial unrestAs the United States grapples with the novel coronavirus, nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd insist the country must confront a second epidemic: racism. Despite a longstanding belief that we are a nation divided, some say there…
Nation Jun 03
The critical role white parents play in shaping racism — and eradicating itStructural racism is now sharing the American cultural spotlight with COVID-19. While solutions to racial disparities in police treatment, health care and education will likely require policy changes, some experts say decisions at the family and individual levels matter just…
Education Nov 19
How these Oregon teachers are fighting back against white nationalismThe FBI reports that hate crime violence in the U.S. is at a 16-year high. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, meanwhile, says the highest percentage of hate incidents since the 2016 election occurred in elementary and secondary schools. Special…
Nation Nov 05
Derek Black grew up as a white nationalist. Here’s how he changed his mindAccording to the FBI, hate crimes are on the rise in the U.S. Studies also suggest white nationalist and white supremacist ideologies are spreading. Derek Black was raised in a household that espoused such beliefs, but during college, his views…
Nation Sep 12
To narrow toxic divides, students build bridges between faithsAs part of the Interfaith Youth Core, students and educators from colleges around the nation are coming together to find common ground while respecting differences. Special correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault sits down with founder and president Eboo Patel to examine how…
Nation Aug 29
This training uncovers the implicit bias in all of us. Can it change police behavior?Against the backdrop of simmering tensions over race and police violence against African Americans, police departments like the NYPD have introduced a relatively new training program aimed at teaching officers about implicit bias. Special correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault reports on the…
Nation Mar 27
How National Geographic is facing its racist historyNational Geographic has long provided a unique lens to view the world -- one that has sometimes distorted the lives of people of color. Now the 130-year-old magazine turns the lens on itself, with an issue devoted to the topic…