Race

'James' is a retelling of Mark Twain's 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,' but this time the story is told by Huck’s companion, Jim or James. James is an enslaved man who flees when he learns that he is at risk of being sold. Expert readers Rachelle Chase, Faye Dant and Jocelyn Chadwick discuss their reading experiences for this episode of the 'Talk of Iowa' book club. Please be advised: a portion of this show references racist language used in the book. (This episode was originally produced on Feb. 11, 2025.)

Kendal Wright, editor in chief of the University of Alabama's Nineteen Fifty-Six magazine, reacts to the suspension of two student publications amid a federal crackdown on campus DEI policies.

A new book examines the racist background of the last public hanging in the U.S. when tens of thousands of people came to watch in a small Kentucky town.

Rappahannock Chief Anne Richardson and Upper Mattaponi Chief Frank Adams talk about preserving Virginia's Indigenous history and correcting long-held myths on their podcast.

A new Trump-backed voting map reopens Kansas City's racial divide along Troost Avenue.

A Native American woman from Arizona was nearly deported by federal immigration officials after a clerical error at the Polk County Jail. The woman's family had to scramble to prove she was Indigenous and shouldn't be turned over to ICE.

Jo Erickson of Colorado Public Radio tells the story of Jason McBride's mission to steer teens away from gun violence in the podcast Systemic.

At New York City's Tenement Museum, high schoolers explore the American experience through the eyes of one 1860s-era Black family.

Rev. Yehiel Curry succeeds Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, who served for 12 years and was the first woman to lead the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

For the first seven years of her life, Alonzo lived in an abandoned diner in a south Texas border town. Her new Netflix stand-up special is called Upper Classy.