Lifestyle and Culture: Trending Stories from National Public Radio

Here is the latest Cultural News from NPR.

How The Narrator Of ‘Jane The Virgin’ Found His Voice
Anthony Mendez’s role as Jane‘s unseen narrator has garnered him critical acclaim. But before Mendez was able to turn his voice into a career, he was selling tombstones for the family business.

Mrs. Obama Saves The Cardigan: ‘The Obama Effect’ In Fashion
In fashion, most first ladies have worshiped at the altar of “The Suit.” Michelle Obama transformed American fashion by favoring dresses, moderately-priced brands, and simple basics like the cardigan.

It’s Gotten A Lot Harder To Act Like Whiteness Doesn’t Shape Our Politics
When we don’t acknowledge the role whiteness plays in how Americans vote, we’re essentially agreeing to misidentify some of the most important dynamics of this election cycle.

Obama Gets All In His Blackness At Howard
Some applauded the president’s speech at the historic black university as a break from “respectability politics” that demean African-Americans. Other saw it as more of the same.

The Code Switch Podcast Is Coming! Get A Sneak Peek!
You’ve been asking for it. We’ve been cranking on it. And now, it’s happening: the Code Switch podcast!

Churchill Downer: The Forgotten Racial History Of Kentucky’s State Song
“My Old Kentucky Home” is sung every year at the Kentucky Derby. Written in 1852 as an anti-slavery ballad, the song has a more sinister meaning upon closer examination.

A Long, Complicated Battle Over 9,000-Year-Old Bones Is Finally Over
The 1996 discovery of Kennewick Man, one of the oldest North American human skeletons ever found, erupted in an unprecedented fight between scientists and Native American beliefs.

From One Guatemalan’s Journey, A Whole Community Rises In Long Island
Riverhead, N.Y., is home to the area’s fastest growing Latino population. Many of the immigrants are from Guatemala, and can trace their journey to Long Island to a single man, decades before.

Do The Words ‘Race Riot’ Belong On A Historic Marker In Memphis?
On May 1, 1866, Memphis was home to a massacre that killed 46 African-Americans and injured many others. Now a historical marker shows an ongoing rift between white historians and black activists.

Was It Good, Bad, Or Ugly? Takes On Larry Wilmore’s Jokes At Correspondents’ Dinner
Some say the “Nightly Show” host utterly bombed his routine at Saturday’s White House Correspondents Dinner. Others say he simply had a different crowd in mind.

Join Us At 12pm EST Today For An #AirbnbWhileBlack Twitter Chat
Today, Code Switch’s Gene Demby and Hidden Brain’s Shankar Vedantam will be leading a Twitter chat to discuss what it’s like to be a person of color participating in the sharing economy.

The Mardi Gras Indian Of ‘Lemonade’
In “Lemonade,” Beyoncé’s much-discussed visual album, a girl resplendent in white plumage appears. It’s a nod to the pop star’s New Orleans roots and loaded with the region’s racial history.

Before Diving Into The Raging Flood Of New Beyoncé Thinkpieces, Read This
Beyoncé did a thing over the weekend, which means there are a million thinkpieces on the Internet today — on blackness and feminism and celebrity — for you to wade through. But start here.

‘Awoken’ By N.Y. Cop Shooting, Asian-American Activists Chart Way Forward
Peter Liang, who is Chinese-American, was sentenced to probation for the shooting death of an unarmed black man. The ex-NYPD officer’s case has sparked activism and debate among Asian-Americans.

I’m Not Sad About Prince, But Let Me Explain
I grew up in a conservative evangelical home in the Midwest. When Prince died and flashes of purple filled my social media feeds, I felt like an outsider watching a ritual I couldn’t fully join.

Everybody Has A Prince Story (Or Should). Here Are Ours
These stories are good for sharing any day, but they must be shared today, in honor of The Purple One’s passing.

Racial Awakening, Pride And Fear: One Latino Perspective On “The Obama Effect”
Growing up as the son of Mexican immigrants, Pablo Ramirez never really thought about race. For him, the Obama years meant finding pride and a new awareness of his own racial identity in college.

Reflecting On The Death Of Freddie Gray, One Year Later
A year ago, 25-year-old Freddie Gray died of injuries he sustained while in police custody. His family, neighborhood and the whole of Baltimore are still grappling with his loss.

How Social Media Smeared A Missing Student As A Terrorism Suspect
The documentary Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi explores what happened after a tweet misidentified a Brown University student as one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects.

A Point-By-Point Response To BuzzFeed’s Questions For Black People
A video titled “27 Questions Black People Have for Other Black People” misses a whole lotta history when it comes to black people in America.

Comic W. Kamau Bell On Standing Tall And Finding Humor In America’s Racism
The comedian attends a Ku Klux Klan rally and a cross burning on his new series, United Shades of America. He describes the series as a travel show that takes him to places where he’s afraid to go.

When It Comes To Terms Like ‘Colored People’s Time,’ Context Matters
Bill de Blasio’s been getting dragged for joking about “CPT.” Once more, with gusto: When it comes to terms like this, context matters. Who’s saying it, where and to whom?

On Policing In Baltimore, Activist DeRay Mckesson Gets Retweets. Can He Get Votes?
The Black Lives Matter activist is the city’s highest-profile mayoral candidate but low in polls. Voters, who say policing is a top concern, are looking to candidates with more experience.

Talking Housing Segregation And Chicago With WBEZ’s Natalie Y. Moore
A longtime Chicago reporter, and a native of the black South Side, digs into the ways segregation continues the shape the politics of her hometown, as well as her own life.

Some Blacks Did Support Bill Clinton’s Crime Bill. Here’s Why
Bill Clinton was right in saying that some African-Americans supported the 1994 crime bill. It was part of the response to the crack epidemic that devastated many black communities in the 1980s.

Child Migrants’ Harrowing Journey Brought To Life On Stage
Shelter is a play based on interviews with Central American kids about the violence that drove them to migrate north, and the experience of living in limbo in the U.S. It opens this weekend.

Central American Kids Recall Brutal Journey To U.S. In ‘Shelter’
Shelter is a play based on interviews with Central American kids about their harrowing experiences migrating north. NPR’s Code Switch team talks with the youth who inspired the play, the playwright and the actors about the production.

Roundup: Reactions To Bill Clinton’s Exchange With Black Lives Matter Protesters
Many found Bill Clinton’s reaction to protesters on Thursday awkward and offensive. But will it have a lasting effect on Hillary’s presidential campaign? Here’s what critics are saying.

A Reluctant King: Ta-Nehisi Coates Takes On Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’
NPR’s Audie Cornish talks to writer Ta-Nehisi Coates about his new series of Black Panther comics that explore the character of an African prince turned superhero.

‘Going Green’ Is Really ‘Going Native’: Western Apache Chef Nephi Craig
Chef Nephi Craig of the Apaches in the Kitchen blog reflects on what the “mainstream” culinary world has to learn about Native foodways.

Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis: The Latest “Badass” Black Man On Screen
Don Cheadle personifies jazz genius Miles Davis in his new film “Miles Ahead.” Badass black men rarely show up as leads in mainstream movies.

In California, A ‘Welcome Home’ For The Japanese-American Queer Community
Japanese-Americans in California have been working hard to strengthen ties between the API queer community and its friends, families and allies. This new conference series is a start.

Sex And ‘An African City’: A Steamy Ghanaian Show You Don’t Want To Miss
Five African women who came of age abroad make their way back to Accra, Ghana, as adult professionals looking for love — and end up grappling with where they fit into this place they call “home.”

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.