Civil Rights

85 Stories

Race & Identity

The FBI monitored Aretha Franklin's role in the civil rights movement for years

The agency surveilled Franklin and those around her to gauge how deeply she was involved in organizations tied to Communism, the civil rights movement and the Black Power movement.
Ayana Archie
Arts & Life

Josephine Baker is the first Black woman to be inducted into France's Pantheon

The trailblazing U.S.-born star and civil rights activist was given France's highest honor on Tuesday when she was inducted into the Pantheon. She first achieved fame in Paris in the 1920s.
Eleanor Beardsley
Technology

Facebook will examine whether it treats Black users differently

Black users, and even some of the company's own employees, have accused the social media giant of racial bias for years.
Shannon Bond
Law & Courts

Sasha Issenberg tells the surprising story of how marriage equality was won

It has been just over six years since the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling. In his new, exhaustively researched book The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage, author Sasha Issenberg shares many of the stories and successful strategies that led to marriage equality.
John O'Brien
Technology

Senate Democrats Urge Google To Investigate Racial Bias In Its Tools And The Company

The senators say products like Google Search and YouTube may "perpetuate racist stereotypes" and the tech giant may not be a safe workplace for Black employees.
Shannon Bond
Race & Identity

Race, reckoning, and redemption: Michael Eric Dyson’s message to White America

“How far are we willing to go? Are we prepared to sacrifice tradition and convention for genuine transformation?”
John O'Brien
January 20 | Can we find unity in a Biden Presidency?

President Joe Biden stated a need for unity in his inaugural address. He assured the nation of examples of unity, 'enough of us have come together to carry all of us forward' he said. We speak with former policy advisor Eric Liu about how we move forward. A conversation on a civil right probe in special education at Seattle Public Schools. And we learn more about an investigation on abuse and coercion by a local artist Raz Simone.
Bill Radke
National

Facebook Taps Former Obama Official As Vice President Of Civil Rights

Roy Austin Jr. will fill the new position, which was created by Facebook after a scathing audit released in July 2020 concluded the company's policies had caused "serious setbacks for civil rights."
Brakkton Booker
National

Religious Freedom Arguments Give Rise To Executive Order Battle

Legislative remedies prove ineffective in reconciling religious freedom claims with concerns about discrimination, so the battle is waged via executive orders.
Tom Gjelten
National

Are Paramilitary Extremists Being Normalized? Look To Idaho For Answers

The arrests of militiamen who allegedly plotted to kidnap Michigan's governor echo loudly in the Idaho Panhandle, a region long synonymous with anti-government extremism.
Kirk Siegler

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