Society & Culture

Reagon, who died July 16, was one of the powerful singers who helped galvanize the civil rights movement in the 1960s as a member of the Freedom Singers quartet. Originally broadcast in 1988.

Nicholson says when strangers recognize her on the street, they're never quite sure how they know her: "They might think I sold them kittens, or I work in the ice cream shop."

Novelist and memoirist Jill Ciment. Her new memoir, "Consent," begins when she was 17 and fell in love and had a sexual relationship with her married art teacher. He was 47, 30 years older than her. Even though he epitomized her romantic archetype and she wanted the relationship, she now wonders if a 17-year-old is capable of consent and if in today's language, he would have been considered a predator.

Brodesser-Akner's novel centers on the kidnapping of a rich businessman, and the impact, decades later, on his grown children. Her previous book is Fleishman Is In Trouble.

The hugely popular Netflix reality show Love is Blind purports to be an experiment where contestants have a chance to fall in love -- sight unseen. But some members have accused the show's production company of exploitation, and two former cast members have formed a group to help connect reality show contestants to legal and mental health resources.

Stand-up comedian, actor and author Michelle Buteau. She stars in the new movie "Babes" alongside her real-life friend, Ilana Glazer. It's a comedy about friends who have grown up together and confide in each other as they take different paths toward motherhood. Michelle Buteau also stars in the semi-autobiographical series "Survival Of The Thickest," which has been picked up for a second season on Netflix.

The award-winning playwright talks about his provocative Slave Play, which earned 12 Tony nominations. A new HBO documentary chronicles the making of the production. Originally broadcast June 2023.

Von Furstenberg and filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy teamed up to produce Woman in Charge, a Hulu documentary about the fashion designer's meteoric rise in the '70s.

Oyelowo plays a formerly enslaved man who went on to become one of the nation's first Black Deputy U.S. Marshals in the Paramount+ series Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Oyelowo also produced the series.

Journalist Alexia Fernández Campbell says some freed men and women were given titles to land following the Civil War — but after President Lincoln's death, the land was taken back.

In a new memoir, Dunne writes about growing up in a family of storytellers, his complicated relationship with fame and the trauma the family experienced after the 1982 murder of his sister, Dominique.

Yohance Lacour tells the story of Lenard Clark, a 13-year-old Black boy who was beaten into a coma after riding his bike into a predominantly white neighborhood — and the importance of the case today.

Writer Carvell Wallace. He's written a new memoir called "Another Word For Love," which is about growing up in the '80s, unhoused for a time, separated from his mother, in adulthood building a life of stability for himself and his children through writing.

Co-founder of the feminist punk rock riot grrrl movement, musician, writer, and artist Kathleen Hanna. Her new memoir is called "Rebel Girl," which is also the name of one of the best-known songs by her band Bikini Kill. Kathleen Hanna spoke about her life and work with FRESH AIR's Ann Marie Baldonado.

When it comes to Black Twitter, filmmaker Prentice Penny says "no one is above being joked on." His Hulu docuseries charts the voices and movements that made it a force in politics and culture.

Congress and President Biden say TikTok must shed its financial ties to China or face a ban in the U.S. But Washington Post tech reporter Drew Harwell says selling the company is complicated.

Ringgold, who died April 12, portrayed themes of Black life and culture through her quilts, paintings, dolls and books. Her work was exhibited in many major museums. Originally broadcast in 1991.

Author Nancy Nichols says that for men, cars signify adventure, power and strength. For women, they are about performing domestic duties; there was even a minivan prototype with a washer/dryer inside. Her book is Women Behind the Wheel: An Unexpected and Personal History of the Car.

Writer and actor Jenny Slate. Her new comedy special, "Seasoned Professional," is streaming on Amazon.

The Emmy-winning host of RuPaul's Drag Race describes himself as "an introvert masquerading as an extrovert." He reflects on the first 40 years of his life in the memoir The House of Hidden Meanings.