Racial Justice

Following the U.S. Supreme Court reversing the 50-year precedent of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. House overwhelmingly passed a bill protecting same-sex and interracial marriage amid fears that the court may revisit other cases.

There are many origins to the Black Power Movement, but political scientist Charles V. Hamilton and his colleague Stockley Carmichael elevated it with their 1967 book Black Power: the Politics of Liberation in America. Hamilton says Black Power can organize Black people’s rage and force answers to hard questions.

The 1619 Freedom School in Waterloo is a free after-school program designed to help students improve their literacy and develop a love for reading through a curriculum centered on Black American history.

The Des Moines Metro Opera’s production of Porgy and Bess will be Simon Estes’ final opera before he retires at age 84.

On the fifth episode of From the Archives, a member of the Kerner Commission discusses the findings of the report at Grinnell College during a memorial symposium honoring the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

In October 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at Grinnell College, six months before his assassination. King encourages people implores the audience to "remain awake during the revolution."

Black artists from across Iowa perform, discuss the meaning of the Juneteenth celebration and talk about how their experiences as Black Iowans fuel their music.

Charity Nebbe and guests discuss the history of Juneteenth and the recent swell of Juneteenth celebrations in Iowa. Later on, journalist Ty Rushing shares his new documentary on Iowa PBS that tackles how to end racism.

La familia de Michael Williams pide que se reformen las leyes de delitos de odio de Iowa.

Almost two years after the murder of Michael Williams in Grinnell, his family still hopes for recognition of his death as a lynching.