The State of Things

More than 2,000 women and girls were forcibly sterilized in the first two decades of North Carolina's state eugenics program from 1929-1950. While many governmental institutions and scientists propelled the movement forward, the new book "Bad Girls at Samarcand: Sexuality and Sterilization in a Southern Juvenile Reformatory" (LSUP/2016) traces the story of one reformatory's unexpected role in the process. The State Home and Industrial School in Eagle Springs, N.C. was initially created to house

Note: this program is a rebroadcast. While many types of jazz include some kind of improvisation, New Orleans-style jazz involves multiple performers improvising at the same time. It takes talent, trust, and rhythm--three things employed by the Second Line Stompers, a Triangle-based jazz group. The group performs jazz standards from the 1920s-1940s, including many made famous by Louis Armstrong. They perform at the Irregardless Café in Raleigh tomorrow and the Glenwood Club in Raleigh on Sunday.

The Republican Party has gathered in Cleveland to officially declare Donald J. Trump as the 2016 presidential nominee. While Trump supporters hope to "Make America Great Again," many GOP establishment politicians opted not to attend the festivities. And Ted Cruz’s refusal to endorse Trump draws criticism from the crowd.

As a young Muslim-American journalist, Yasmin Bendaas pays particular attention to how Muslim women are represented in the media. As international media coverage continues to put a spotlight on the Islamic State Group and American political rhetoric highlights religious stereotypes, Bendaas began to wonder how these representations of Islam have impacted the daily lives of Muslim-American women. She conducted a series of interviews with Muslim women from the South about their experiences and

In the 1960s, when a young woman named Violet has an accident that leaves her with a disfiguring scar, she sets off on a journey from her home in North Carolina to seek the help of a healing preacher in Oklahoma. Along the way, she meets two soldiers who help in her discovery of inner beauty, and guide in her understanding of racial divides in a new era for the American South. This premise of celebrated North Carolina author Doris Betts' book, "The Ugliest Pilgrim," is the inspiration for the

From Jungle Book to Jaws and Babe to The Lion King, the stars of the silver screen are often not humans but instead are our four-legged friends. Though no animal has ever won an Oscar, viewers have embraced animal actors and characters in film. Listeners share their favorites in this month's Movies on the Radio. Host Frank Stasio talks with Laura Boyes, film curator at the North Carolina Museum of Art, and Marsha Gordon, film professor at North Carolina State University about animal films. Check

In the past two weeks, violence by and against police has dominated headlines and rattled the country. Protests from movements like #BlackLivesMatter continue while celebrities use speeches and social media as a platform to make their voices heard. Meanwhile, the ESPN documentary series "O.J.: Made In America" looks at race relations since the 1960s through the life of former athlete O.J. Simpson. Host Frank Stasio talks with pop culture experts Natalie Bullock Brown, professor of film and

Knight was recently on The State of Things in advance of his appearance at the Durham Comics Fest. Keith Knight has considered himself a cartoonist since he was in diapers, doodling on the walls of his family home near Boston. While that spirit of creativity has not changed, the content of Keith's work has taken on more profound issues. Keith is known for drawing a weekly political cartoon called "(Th)ink" that often provides commentary on police brutality, racial profiling, and the black

Donald Trump announces Mike Pence will be his running mate in his bid for the White House. Trump delayed the decision last night in the wake of the attack in Nice, France. He revealed his choice of the Indiana governor on Twitter earlier today. His decision comes as the Republican party gears up for its convention in Cleveland. And on the Democratic side of the ticket, Bernie Sanders steps aside and endorses Hillary Clinton as the presidential nominee. Meanwhile, legal challenges to North

For much of the 20th century, Willie Otey Kay was a household name among the fashion-conscious in Raleigh. The designer and dressmaker crafted one-of-a-kind fashion for women to wear to weddings, debutante balls, and other formal events. But her own life was not always so glamorous. Her dressmaking career began out of necessity after she was widowed with five children. And despite her talent and creativity, Kay, an African-American in the Jim Crow South, had to navigate challenging racial