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Why America Needs a Tech New Deal

by Nicol Turner Lee

The pandemic has shown that internet technology is key for how Americans work, connect, and access learning and services. Making access more equitable and widespread should be at the center of economic recovery programs following the example of the Tennessee Valley Authority. 

The Culture Warped Pop Music – For Good

Partly due to the way streaming service users listen, the structures of pop music songs have changed in recent years; although today's hits are built differently than those of the 1960s, it's part of a long pattern of change in pop. 

Aruká Juma, Last Man of His Tribe, Is Dead

As the last fluent speaker of the tribe’s language, Mr. Juma’s death means that much of the tribe’s language and many of its traditions and rituals will be forever lost.

How to Think About Classic Hollywood’s “Problematic” Movies

by Richard Brody

Critic Richard Brody asks whether efforts to put problematic Hollywood movies into context is adequate; there is a systematic lack of attention to characters of color in classic Hollywood that is much tougher to fix. 

The PRO Act Would Undo Decades of Southern Anti-Union Laws Rooted in Racism

by Olivia Paschal

By overriding state "right to work" laws and allowing unions to collect the equivalent of dues from non-members, the PRO Act passed by the House would undo a political movement that both squelched labor organizing in the South and maintained white supremacy. 

Podcast: Latinos Are a Huge, Diverse Group. Why Are They Lumped Together?

Multiple ethnic groups collaborated to convince the Census Bureau to include questions about Hispanic identity in 1980; the move shed light on the growth of a large demographic group, but obscured important divisions among Latino ethnicities. 

The Trouble with Charlotte Perkins Gilman

by Halle Butler

The resurrection of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's literary stature in the 1970s ran counter to the author's own self-understanding, summed up in her statement "I abominate being called a feminist." It also obscured her racist nativism. 

This Black Family Ran a Thriving Beach Resort 100 Years Ago. They Want Their Land Back.

The descendants of the Bruce family seek restitution for the taking of their family's beachfront land, which had been Southern California's first beach resort serving African Americans. Historian Alison Rose Jefferson says recreational access was an underappreciated facet of the struggle for justice. 

My Family’s Long-Gone Texas Land Shows How Black Wealth Is Won and Lost

by Jacqueline Simmons

A host of the Pay Check podcast introduces a new season that will examine her family's history of landholding in Texas as a lens on the historical roots of the black-white wealth gap. 

Army Continues to Honor Confederate Unit Histories, Even as Base Names Draw Scrutiny

The memorialization of the Confederacy in the US military extends much deeper than the naming of bases. 

For Democracy to Stay, the Filibuster Must Go

The New York Times editorial board has come out in favor of ending the Senate filibuster, calling it "a weapon for strangling functional government."

The Lynching That Black Chattanooga Never Forgot Takes Center Stage Downtown

"Even as the bridge became a central gathering place of the city, some Black Chattanoogans who know its history have refused to cross it."

Charles Hill, Detective Who Found ‘The Scream,’ Dies at 73

Charles Hill of Scotland Yard was without peer in recovering stolen art masterpieces. 

Is a Long-Dismissed Forgery Actually the Oldest Known Biblical Manuscript?

Idan Dershowitz claims that a manuscript fragment denounced as a forgery in 1883 is authentic and is a precursor document to the book of Deuteronomy. If he's right, it would be the oldest known biblical manuscript. 

Your Loved Ones, and Eerie Tom Cruise Videos, Reanimate Unease With Deepfakes

Emerging technology has captivated many with facial animations based on old photos, but it raises serious questions about the integrity of source materials and the news media, and about the way the technology could further destabilize trust in the news. 

France Eases Access, a Little, to Its Secrets

Historians of France's colonial war in Algeria have long been frustrated by the government's classification policies on documents related to the conflict. It is unclear how much this change will create transparency.   

The Truth Will Come Out: As With Nixon, Time Will Darken Views Of Trump And His Supporters

by Elizabeth Holtzman

The former New York Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman, who pushed for articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon, argues that that president's partisan supporters looked foolish when even more facts came to light. Will the same happen to Trump's congressional allies? 

SC Lawmakers Announce Legislation to Protect Monuments Statewide

"Democratic Representative Seth Rose says the controversial monuments like Ben Tillman, who was the former governor and known racist, need to come down."

St. Louis' Sumner High Facing Possible Closure; Tina Turner, Others Attended

Despite its importance to the history of education and its famous alumni (including Dick Gregory, Tina Turner, Chuck Berry, and several of the Tuskegee Airmen), the school may fall victim to declining enrollment and cost considerations. Alums are working to keep the building in use for other purposes.

Will Hong Kong’s Free Press Survive?

Security laws imposed by Beijing suggest that the Chinese government has lost patience for Hong Kong's traditionally active and frequently antagonistic press.