Maya Angelou dies at 86
Poet and activist Maya Angelou, best known for her memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, has died after a long illness at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was 86.
Angelou grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and Stamps, Arkansas. She had a varied career as a dancer, singer, teacher, actor, producer and a political activist. But she’s probably best known as the author of 30 books of prose and poetry. Angelou writes about her life with brutal honesty, an honesty that reflects the courage of someone determined to rise above her meager beginnings.
In 2009 Angelou spoke in Birmingham at an event for the UAB Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center. In an interview with Greg Bass for WBHM she reflected on her humble roots.
India (and its kids) are out to conquer the world of chess
Chess is seeing a global resurgence, sparked by The Queen's Gambit and the pandemic impact on leisure time. India is an emerging power player, with 85 grandmasters and intense chess schools for youth.
Colombian Presidential hopeful shot at Bogotá rally
A Colombian Presidential hopeful in critical condition after being shot during a campaign rally in Bogotá on Saturday. The assassination attempt is having a chilling effect in Colombia where security has been backsliding recently.
How a network of women in Latin America transformed safe, self-managed abortions
An underground network of feminists and activists developed new models of care for abortion that eventually helped legalize abortion in countries across Latin America.
NPR readers share stories of love and adversity in honor of Loving Day
June 12th is Loving Day, a holiday that commemorates the Loving v. Virginia case, which allowed interracial marriage in all parts of the U.S. NPR readers share how the case changed their lives.
Chile’s Indigenous fishermen say the salmon industry threatens their way of life
Salmon farming is big business in Chile, and the U.S. is one of its largest markets. Yet the fish are not native, and fishermen say salmon are damaging ecosystems and an Indigenous way of life.
Recovery Failure: Why we struggle to rebuild for the next storm
NPR and the PBS series Frontline investigate the forces keeping communities from building resiliently, and the special interests that profit even when communities don't.