Michele Norris: The Grace of Silence
All of us have secrets–things in our past we’d rather not discuss. NPR’s Michele Norris discovered a secret about her father, years after his death. Belvin Norris Junior was a native of Ensley. He served in the Navy during World War II. An African American man, he was shot by white police officers in downtown Birmingham in 1946. The injury was minor, but Belvin never discussed the incident with anyone. Michele Norris’ search for the truth about what happened to her father is the subject of her new book, The Grace of Silence. Norris tells WBHM’s Bradley George that her father’s secret was never meant to be the focus of her book.
In an extended interview, Michele Norris talks about spending summers in Birmingham as a child.
Why haven’t Kansas and Alabama — among other holdouts — expanded access to Medicaid?
Only 10 states have not joined the federal program that expands Medicaid to people who are still in the "coverage gap" for health care
Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing
Thousands of ordinary people who helped clean up after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico say they got sick. A court settlement was supposed to help compensate them, but it hasn’t turned out as expected.
Q&A: How harm reduction can help mitigate the opioid crisis
Maia Szalavitz discusses harm reduction's effectiveness against drug addiction, how punitive policies can hurt people who need pain medication and more.
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring a Community Engagement Producer
The Gulf States Newsroom is seeking a curious, creative and collaborative professional to work with our regional team to build up engaged journalism efforts.
Gambling bills face uncertain future in the Alabama legislature
This year looked to be different for lottery and gambling legislation, which has fallen short for years in the Alabama legislature. But this week, with only a handful of meeting days left, competing House and Senate proposals were sent to a conference committee to work out differences.
Alabama’s racial, ethnic health disparities are ‘more severe’ than other states, report says
Data from the Commonwealth Fund show that the quality of care people receive and their health outcomes worsened because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
