Race, Ethnicity and Culture: Trending Stories from National Public Radio

Here is the latest Culture News from National Public Radio.

On Who Gets To Be A ‘Real American,’ And Who Deserves A Helping Hand
With a pair of provocative pieces about white working-class Trump supporters, the National Review has essentially redrawn a line in the sand.

How The Obama Presidency Has — Or Hasn’t — Shaped Latino Identity: You Weighed In
Our most recent #NPRObamaEffect chat explored how — or whether — the Obama years have shaped how Latino communities and people across the country think about identity today.

Learning — And Unlearning — To Be An ‘Ambassador’ For Islam
Since she was a little girl, Beenish Ahmed has felt called on to represent all Muslims in an often Islamophobic country. But how?

Ta-Nehisi Coates On The Fight Over ‘Nina Simone’s Face’
Many people have decried the casting of Zoe Saldana in upcoming biopic Nina, but Ta-Nehisi Coates digs deep into why this choice struck a nerve.

The ‘Criminal’ Black Lesbian: Where Does This Damaging Stereotype Come From?
Black lesbian women have long endured a stigma of violence, and the roots of this perception go way back.

The ‘Obama Effect’ And Latino Identity: Join Our Twitter Chat
Join us on Friday, March 18 for a Twitter conversation on how Latino identity has evolved over the past eight years, using #NPRObamaEffect.

K.A.A.N. Is The Answer To All Of Your Rap Desires
If you enjoy rap, allow Brandon Perry, aka K.A.A.N., to make your day.

In Tackling Bias In Policing, ‘Zootopia’ Veers Into The Uncanny Valley
The hit animated Disney movie is an ambitious look at racial profiling and policing. It’s also evidence that these issues don’t neatly lend themselves to pop culture.

What Would It Mean To Have A ‘Hapa’ Bachelorette?
ABC is set to announce a new lead for The Bachelorette Monday night. But would choosing Caila Quinn, who is Asian and white, be a sign of progress in casting diversity or something else?

Jelani Cobb On His Epic ‘New Yorker’ Piece On Black Lives Matter
NPR’s Kelly McEvers spoke with Jelani Cobb, who has charted the genesis and evolution of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Watching A Brown ‘Hamilton’ With A White Audience
The hit musical recasts the Founding Fathers as people of color engaged in rap battles. But on a recent night, ticket buyers largely look the way Broadway audiences have always looked. What gives?

An Emerging Entry In America’s Multiracial Vocabulary: ‘Blaxican’
As our mixed-rice population grows, more people are searching for ways to identify. A newly popularized term is giving people who are black and Mexican a way to connect — with themselves, and others.

History Of Slavery, Future Of Diversity Still At Issue At Harvard
Student protesters calling themselves Reclaim Harvard Law School say a recommendation that a slavery-tainted symbol be retired is not enough to end their occupation of a student center.

Restored ‘Race Films’ Find New Audiences
Some of the earliest movies by African-American filmmakers from the 1910s through 1940s have been in film archives over the years on poor-quality film prints. Some have been digitally restored.

Don’t Miss Jay Caspian Kang On Asian-Americans, Whiteness, And Peter Liang
Protests over the conviction of police officer Peter Liang in the shooting death of an unarmed black man show that Asian-Americans have something to say about race and policing. But what, and how?

Combing Through 41 Million Tweets To Show How #BlackLivesMatter Exploded
A new study by three media scholars reveals how the social protest movement spread on Twitter, with some fascinating — and sobering — findings.

For Better Or Worse, Chris Rock Made The Oscars As Black As He Possibly Could
Despite the fact that no black actors were nominated in any high-profile categories, Academy Awards host Chris Rock kept race at the center of the event.

Brazilian Singer Seu Jorge: On Music, Race, And Luck Versus Hard Work
The celebrated musician stopped by NPR’s Alt.Latino to chat about his incredible musical journey.

Google Cultural Institute Expands Black Radio History Collection
The Google Cultural Institute has added audio and photos from the Golden Age of black radio to its archives. It contains recordings from black radio stations that started popping up in the 1940s.

#OscarsSoWhite, #ForSoLong
Protests around the Oscars’ trouble with racial representation feels like a fresh, contemporary controversy, but they go back almost a half-century.

Here’s What People Are Doing Sunday Night Instead Of Watching The Oscars
Oscars too white for you? Here are some alternative ways to celebrate film — and people of color in film — on Hollywood’s big night.

Muhammad Ali And Malcolm X: A Broken Friendship, An Enduring Legacy
The new book, Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship Between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, explores how faith brought two African-American icons together, and eventually tore their relationship apart.

Did Obama Inspire A Big Debate On Identity? You Weighed In
As President Obama wraps up his time in office, we take a moment to look around and see how his presidency has changed us and the way we see each other.

Hey, Sci-Fi And Comics Fans: It’s Time To Embrace The Dark Side
Why fans have nothing to fear — and everything to gain — from diversity in science fiction and fantasy.

‘Rent-A-Minority’ Promises A Satirical Solution To Diversity Problems
Behind the laughs, there’s a serious discussion about what it really means to create a diverse workplace, and whether just changing the faces around the table is enough.

If You Like Code Switch, You’ll Probably Like These 5 Food Blogs
Here are five food blogs that take the cake on exploring food, culture, and identity.

America Is Obsessed With Identity. Thanks, Obama?
In this final year of the Obama administration, Code Switch will investigate “The Obama Effect” on identity and culture.

Photos: Three Very Different Views of Japanese Internment
An exhibit at L.A.’s Skirball Cultural Center features photos that three photographers — Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams, and Toyo Miyatake — took at the Manzanar internment camp.

Misty Copeland Achieves #SquadGoals In The Documentary ‘A Ballerina’s Tale’
Misty Copeland talks body image, ballet, and blackness in the new PBS documentary A Ballerina’s Tale.

Study: When It Comes To Identifying As Multiracial, Gender Matters
A new study shows that women with parents of different background are more likely to consider themselves “multiracial” than men.

I Guess We Gotta Talk About Macklemore’s ‘White Privilege’ Song
You won’t have any thoughts about the rapper’s new song about racial inequality, and his place as a white dude in hip-hop, that you didn’t have before, in part because he plays it so safe.

Film Portrays A ‘Perfect Storm’ That Led To Unwanted Sterilizations For Many Latinas
About 40 years ago, Consuelo Hermosillo went to the hospital for an emergency cesarean section. Against her will, she left unable to have more children. No Más Bebés airs tonight on PBS.

Dear White Artists Making Music Videos In India: Step Away From The ‘Holi’ Powder
Yes, this is about the new Beyoncé-Coldplay music video for “Hymn for the Weekend,” which also features levitating sadhus, a child painted blue to resemble Hindu gods, and fire-breathing.

American Muslim Women Explain Why They Do — Or Don’t — Cover
For an American Muslim woman, deciding whether or not to wear the headscarf — or hijab — isn’t a choice to be taken lightly.

From Football To Opera: Singer Morris Robinson Takes Center Stage
Once Morris Robinson dreamed of fame on the football field. Now, he’s moving audiences across the world with the power of his voice, and changing the face of opera.

In Conversation About Diversity In Hollywood, Where Does Sundance Fit In?
Sundance may be just one part of a much bigger puzzle, but filmmakers of color say it has an important role to play.

Got A Second For ‘Haikus With Hotties’? Now You Can Enjoy Them All Year
“Haikus with Hotties” is more than just a cheeky calendar — it’s challenging the way Asian-American men are portrayed in the media.

Roundup: Here’s What People Are Saying About Barbie’s Diversity Makeover
Mattel is rethinking how the Barbie brand could represent women of all colors, shapes and sizes. Some are buying it. Others, not so much.

A Year On, Did NFL Anti-Domestic Violence Efforts Work?
After a tumultuous season, the NFL condemned domestic violence in its ranks, and put a spotlight on the issue during the last Super Bowl. A year later, it’s unclear whether that has made a difference.

How Will Host Chris Rock Treat The Oscars’ Lack Of Diversity?
Since it was revealed that all 20 of this year’s Academy Award acting nominees are white, everyone’s waiting to see how the host — a comedian who never pulls punches — will handle it.

Not Ready To Stop Obsessing Over Beyoncé And ‘Formation’? We Got You
So you’ve watched the music video, and the halftime show, eleventy million times. Now, let these smart takes help you parse all the feels.

In Beyoncé’s ‘Formation,’ A Glorification Of ‘Bama’ Blackness
Beyoncé’s latest song is for the black Southern woman, says National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward, who’s from Mississippi. It’s a message she needed to hear.

Video: UCLA Gymnast Sophina DeJesus Whips, Nae Naes And Slays
The viral video of DeJesus’ routine doesn’t show an athlete dominating in a traditionally white sport despite her race. She’s an athlete celebrating her identity in the sport she loves.

Shaken By Shooting, North Carolina Muslims Emerge ‘Proud’ One Year Later
A year after a gunman killed three young Muslim-Americans in Chapel Hill, many in the local Muslim community have responded by being more vocal and visible around issues of faith.