The State of Things

When Mary D. Williams was a kid growing up in Garner, North Carolina, she often visited her grandparents in Johnston County. She remembers passing a sign that said, “You are in the heart of Klan country” along the way. The sign was a visible example of the racism her grandparents endured in rural North Carolina. As she got older, Williams listened to her grandmother sing African-American spirituals as a way to cope with racial prejudice. Over time, she absorbed the message of the spirituals and

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is under fire for corresponding with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 election. The revelations are leading to more calls for a special prosecutor to investigate the Trump administration's ties to Russia.

Hundreds of thousands of individuals move to Mexico from the United States each year. This number includes both those who are deported and those who choose to return. Many of those individuals spent their formative years in the United States and experience distinct challenges upon return to Mexico, including extreme culture shock, depression and mental illness, and barriers to accessing employment and education in Mexico.

Gov. Roy Cooper has rolled out his budget proposal for the next two years. The governor emphasized setting aside money for teacher salary increases, expanding Medicaid, and investments in economic development. The recommendation is largely a symbolic gesture as Republican majorities in the legislature will ultimately approve the state budget. Meanwhile, a bipartisan effort to repeal House Bill 2 has stalled because of opposition from both parties. Host Frank Stasio talks with WUNC Capitol Bureau

For decades, politicians have used coded language to talk about race without addressing it explicitly. Terms like "welfare queen," "illegal aliens" and "thug" are used to elicit responses from target audiences without directly addressing race. The practice is known as "dog whistle politics." However, critics of President Donald Trump argue his rhetoric is antagonistic and divisive when it comes to issues of race and inequality. Host Frank Stasio talks with Ian Haney Lopez, John H. Boalt

Teachers are a common subject in Hollywood films. Portrayals of teaching range from the unorthodox style of Robin Williams’ character in “Dead Poets Society” to the dull and droning econ teacher in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” A new documentary film about a veteran North Carolina teacher explores how popular culture’s portrayals of the teaching profession are a far-cry from what happens in most classrooms around the country day-in and day-out.

A gun-slinging cowboy on a mission of revenge takes down the enemy in a quick-draw duel. He then rides off on his trusted steed with the setting sun casting long shadows on the rugged landscape. This is one of the iconic narratives in Western film, a genre which has gone through a massive evolution since its “good versus evil” and “cowboys versus Indians” days. In this episode of Movies on the Radio, listeners discuss their favorite Western films. Host Frank Stasio talks with experts Marsha

Hundreds of residents from Winston-Salem joined prayer services at three mosques in the Triad area on Friday. The outpouring of support for the Muslim community was a reaction to violent, anti-Islamic speech that emerged from a meeting between far-right conservative activists held in Kernersville, North Carolina. Jordan Green, senior writer for the Triad City Beat was at that meeting. He speaks with host Frank Stasio about what he heard, plus he talks about how the Federal Bureau of

Lovie Beard Shelton was a pioneer in her field. As the first registered nurse-midwife in North Carolina, she helped birth more than 4,000 babies born to mothers from diverse backgrounds. Folklorist Lisa Yarger first met Beard Shelton in 1996 and spent the following 20 years documenting her life. “Lovie: The Story of a Southern Midwife and an Unlikely Friendship” (UNC Press/2016) is the culmination of that journey. Host Frank Stasio speaks with Yarger about her book and her relationship with

Makeba Wilbourn has been immersed in the subtleties of language since she was a child. As the daughter of a northern white mother and southern black father, she constantly changed the way she spoke to her own family. And as she grew older, she realized she had to be an expert at code-switching in order to succeed as a biracial woman. Today, Makeba studies how children develop those differences in language, and how that might contribute to our racial biases. Host Frank Stasio talks with Wilbourn,