Poetry Jul 28 The 'existential wound' that fueled poet Natasha Trethewey's acclaimed career Natasha Trethewey is a two-time U.S. poet laureate and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for her collection “Native Guard.” Now, she has written a memoir about her childhood, the murder of her mother and her own career calling. Titled…
Arts Jul 21 Pandemic brings challenges, new opportunities for music industry The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a huge blow to the music industry. Large in-person concerts were among the first events to be cancelled and will likely be among the last to resume. And in a recent survey of small U.S.
Arts Jul 15 Hollywood turns scrutiny inward amid national discussion on race and policing In the weeks since the death of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests over police brutality, racial inequality and the legacy of slavery in this country, Hollywood has been having a reckoning of its own. Jeffrey Brown reports.
Arts Jul 14 How the 1st Black head of a major publishing house wants to change the industry In the wake of protests against systemic racism in the U.S., many industries are reexamining past practices and facing questions about their own racial biases. One new effort puts a spotlight on the world of publishing. Jeffrey Brown reports and…
Arts Jul 10 These Black Americans see a statue memorializing Lincoln in different ways Over the past few weeks, there has been extensive debate across the U.S. about statues depicting the Confederacy and other troubled aspects of American history. In the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., the Emancipation Memorial – also known as…
Education Jul 09 The 'unwise, disruptive policy' of shutting out international students New rules for foreign college students have stunned American academic institutions. The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday that all of the roughly 1 million international students currently enrolled in the U.S. must attend at least one in-person class this…
Arts Jul 01 Author Lauren Wilkinson answers your questions about 'American Spy' Lauren Wilkinson, author of our June pick for the NewsHour-New York Times book club, Now Read This, joins Jeffrey Brown to answer reader questions about “American Spy.”…
Arts Jun 26 On Broadway, Black artists push for racial equity As the Black Lives Matter movement strengthens nationwide, calls are increasing for equity in all sectors of American life -- including on Broadway. An all-star cast of Black theater artists has launched a new effort, Black Theatre United, that aims…
Arts Jun 24 Summer reading lists for young people at a time of crisis Amid dual national crises of a pandemic and outrage over racism and police brutality, books provide opportunities both to learn more and to find distraction from reality. Jeffrey Brown talks to writer Jason Reynolds, the Library of Congress’ ambassador for…
Nation Jun 23 What the future could hold for these symbols of the American past As the country faces a moment of reckoning about its treatment of Black Americans and other people of color, the display of memorials, monuments and statues is being reexamined. Some of these symbols are being torn down by protesters, and…