Affirmative Action

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Ida B. Wells was born into slavery in 1862 in Holly Springs, Miss. She grew up during Reconstruction and later became a journalist, suffragist and antilynching crusader. She was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize Special Citation in 2020 for her reporting on the violence against African Americans during the era of lynching.

Michelle Duster shares several amazing stories about her great-grandmother’s life in her new book, Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells. Duster is the keynote speaker for the National Federation of Press Women’s 2021 Conference, where she’ll discuss her book and great-grandmother’s legacy Friday.

Hosted by Arkansas Press Women, this year’s event is virtual and registration is still open.

We reached out to Michelle Duster ahead of her presentation to discuss her new book and to learn more about what it was like to grow up knowing she was related to such a famous woman. You can listen to our conversation at the top of this page.

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Multicultural librarians and community liaisons are working to connect communities of color with their local public libraries. In this episode, four librarians and community liaisons discuss programming they've developed for BIPOC Arkansans as well as some of the challenges they face in educating community members about the free resources provided by libraries.

Hate crimes against Asian Americans increased by 150 percent in 2020, prompting Arkansans to take action. In this episode, a group of activists and political leaders share their frustrations as well as advice for supporting the state's AAPI community.

The governor of Arkansas has signed a stand your ground bill into law. In this episode, we hear reaction to the new law as well as the possibility of passing hate crimes legislation in the state.

Black History Month is a time to recognize and honor the contributions of African Americans. IIn this episode, we speak with three African American women working in the field of history about the importance of celebrating Black history year-round.

It's been almost a year since the pandemic upended the lives of teachers, students and parents, creating a challenging and uncertain time for education. In this episode, we hear from three teachers who continue to learn new platforms and adapt to teaching remotely amid the pandemic.

It was a tough year, so we decided to end 2020 on a positive note. In today's episode, we listen to stories about Arkansans doing good in their communities. He'll hear how one neighborhood is supporting a North Little Rock family who received a racist note about their Black Santa decorations. Also, a Fort Smith woman is receiving national recognition for her work to feed thousands in her city.

From February to April, the number of active, Black, small business owners dropped by almost half. Today we'll explore how Arkansas business-owners are coping with the pandemic and if efforts to support Black-owned businesses have helped them.

Black-owned businesses are taking a beating during the pandemic. They received some assistance over the summer when the death of George Floyd prompted calls to support Black-owned businesses. In this episode, we’ll see if that support has continued as well as what steps Black Arkansans are taking to keep their businesses afloat.

According to the CDC, African Americans and Hispanics are more than 4.5 times more likely to be hospitalized after contracting COVID-19 than white Americans. In this episode, we examine some of the contributing factors and what can be done to assist minority communities during the pandemic.