The history of Black History Month, one hundred years in
In so many spaces, celebrating Black History History month means learning a few fun facts about famous African Americans. But Black History Month was designed to be much more radical — it was an oppor...
4 Feb 35min
Americans are worried about crime. Here’s how politicians leverage it
"Fighting crime" is often used as a justification for many of the Trump administration's policies — from mass deportations to its actions in Venezuela to its crackdown in Minnesota — despite the fact ...
31 Jan 17min
What the history of U.S. protests illuminates about today
To the casual observer, it might seem like the U.S. has spent years in a constant state of protest — and they’re only getting more intense under the second Trump administration. So we’re revisiting ou...
28 Jan 28min
What the quarter-zip craze tells us about Blackness and respectability
What does the humble, boring quarter-zip sweater have to do with respectability politics and Blackness? Apparently, a lot! When two young Black men on TikTok brought the quarter-zip into vogue for you...
24 Jan 17min
How local police extend ICE's reach, even in sanctuary cities
Sanctuary policies have been described on both sides of the aisle as protecting immigrants. But in many ways, in practice, they have given rise to a specific kind of policing that gives ICE a much wid...
21 Jan 39min
Freedom through the eyes of foes: Rev. Martin Luther King and Sen. Barry Goldwater
In honor of MLK Day, we sit down with historian Nicholas Buccola, author of One Man’s Freedom, to re-examine the concept of "freedom" by comparing the legacies of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and c...
17 Jan 22min
Venezuela and the long tradition of US interference
The U.S. ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is just the latest chapter in a long, troubling history of American intervention in Latin America. NPR immigration correspondent Jasmine Garsd b...
14 Jan 33min
Jelani Cobb talks democracy, Trumpism, and the future of journalism
2026 is off to an intense start, but many of the events we're seeing play out today come out of dynamics that have been building for years. Jelani Cobb, a journalist, historian, and the Dean of Columb...
10 Jan 18min
