The Takeaway

The recent death of Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman whose words prompted the kidnapping, torture and brutal murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955, now means that the last person known to be involved in his kidnapping and murder…will never face accountability.

We speak with Timothy B. Tyson, author of The Blood of Emmett Till and senior research scholar at Duke University, and Keith Beauchamp, an award-winning filmmaker behind the documentary “The Untold Story of Emmett Till” and producer of the movie “Till” about what Bryant’s death means in the quest for justice in Emmett Till’s murder.

Millions of American high school students take Advanced Placement Courses and Exams every year. AP Courses are standardized, college-level classes that students can take in high school, ideally exposing them to the depth, breadth and intellectual rigor of content they’d encounter in the university. But the author of a new book argues that these courses and exams are instead shortchanging students out of the liberal arts education that the AP was initially founded to foster. We speak with Annie Abrams, high school English teacher and author of "Shortchanged: How Advanced Placement Cheats Students."

In response to a request for comment, The College Board, the nonprofit that runs the Advanced Placement Program, wrote:

The great strength of the AP Program is the community of talented, dedicated teachers who care about their students and feel passionate about their subjects. We hear from thousands of those teachers every year, and their insights help make AP more effective and more inspiring for students.

Annie Abrams' Shortchanged offers one, limited view, constrained by Abrams’ experience at a unique, highly selective high school. We find her examination of the AP Program not reflective of the experiences of the broader community of AP teachers and the students they serve. If she had consulted with any of the thousands of AP teachers educating across a variety of subjects, she would have found that students from all backgrounds can excel when they have the right preparation, a welcoming invitation, and a genuine sense of belonging.

 Teachers choose to take part in AP because they find that it helps students engage deeply in subjects as diverse as English Literature, Physics, Art History, and Computer Science. Educators and college professors work together to guide AP frameworks, create and score AP exams, and make thoughtful revisions to course content as different disciplines evolve. The AP Program facilitates that large-scale collaboration between K12 and higher education, creating a uniquely valuable experience for students.

 For schools across the country – urban and rural, large and small, well-resourced and economically struggling — AP provides a broad framework and a wealth of resources so that teachers at all levels can offer a college-level experience. AP frameworks are flexible by design so that teachers use their experience and creativity to expand and enhance the curricula. No two AP classes are alike, because they rely so thoroughly on the talent and commitment of individual teachers.

 AP allows hundreds of thousands of students to engage in college-level work, regardless of the schools they attend. It offers an opportunity to earn college credit in high school, helping students and families save money, and graduate on time. We're incredibly proud to support the teachers who make that possible.

Original Air Date: April 25, 2023

Only days after passing a measure that could dismantle Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs at public universities and colleges, the Texas State Senate passed a bill that would ban tenure offers to new professors at public colleges and universities in Texas.

The measure has been opposed by professors across the state who say that this is an attack on academic freedom. Senate Bill 18 now moves to the Texas State House.

We speak with Dr. Karma R. Chávez, Bobby and Sherri Patton Professor of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies and Department Chair, and Sergio Martinez-Beltran, reporter with The Texas Newsroom. 

Original Air Date: April 26, 2023

The sitcom Abbott Elementary has become a weekly favorite among all ages in the world of streaming and binge-watching TV. The network series created by Quinta Brunson is a comedy at heart set at a predominantly Black elementary school in Philadelphia, but under the brilliant writing and jokes, is a political commentary about the challenges faced by under-funded public schools.

In season 2 (spoiler alert!), the series introduces a new nemesis which is a charter school network – Legendary Charter Schools, along with the continuation of the artful slow burn of the “will-they-won’t-they” plot line between two young teachers.

We recap the season with Jessica Winter, an editor at The New Yorker and also writes about family and education, and dive into the tension between public schools and charters. 

Original Air Date: December 16, 2021

The Takeaway community is full of book worms and literary lovers, so we spoke with some incredible authors about their work and some titles to look out for.

Feminist AF: A Guide to Crushing Girlhood

Co-authored by Brittney Cooper , Chanel Craft Tanner , and  Susana Morris, this book walks us through their tips for surviving girlhood with a feminist flair. 

These Precious Days: Essays

New York Times bestselling author Ann Patchett reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays.

Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You!

Author, host and executive producer of Netflix's "Bookmark," and 2021 Ambassador for the National Education Association’s Read Across Campaign Marley Dias speaks to kids about her passion for making our world a better place, and how to make their dreams come true! We talked to Marley about #1000BlackGirlBooks, her recent acceptance to Yale University, and how she's using her Netflix platform to expand engagement with books, reading, and ideas.

WATCH: Melissa Harris-Perry & Marley Dias at ELLE Magazine

The Takeaway Book Report: 2nd Edition

Listen to the full episode here.

Original Air Date: December 30, 2021

Our host Melissa Harris-Perry spoke with some amazing guest about the books they've been reading and writing.

Guest in this episode include:

Constance Grady, senior culture writer at Vox, talked about her picks for 2021.

Treva B. Lindsey, author of America, Goddam: Violence, Black Women, and the Struggle for Justice discussed her upcoming book.

Deep Dive co-host and co-president of the Center for Community Change Dorian Warren told us his favorite books of the year. 

Kaitlyn Greenidge discussed her new work Libertie, a work of historical fiction that is one of the most buzzed about books of the year. 

Torrey Peters author of Detransition, Baby discussed her national bestselling novel which tells the story of three people, transgender and cisgender, whose lives intersect thanks to an unexpected pregnancy.

In recent months, franchisees of companies from the Hilton Inn to Subway have been pushing back against their corporate franchisors, claiming they are being squeezed out of profits. And a new study from the Government Accountability office found that franchisees tend to lack basic control over the operational side of their local storefronts, which can make turning a profit difficult. Yet despite these problems, many franchisees forgo reporting the deceptive and unfair practices of their franchisors. 

We speak to Lydia DePillis, an economics reporter at the New York Times, to discuss the relationship between franchisees and their franchisors and the ongoing hurdles for regulatory franchise legislation. We also speak to Dr. Marcia Chatelain, Professor of history and African American studies at Georgetown University and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, about how the struggle for civil rights and the growth of the fast-food industry in America have shaped one another. 

Thousands of New York Times contributors signed an open letter this February that raised concerns about alleged imbalance and bias in the paper’s coverage of trans people and issues. This month, the co-authors released another letter — this time addressed directly to Times’ publisher A.G. Sulzberger. Contributors continue to criticize both the Times’ coverage of trans people and issues, which they say is biased and harmful, as well as the Times’ response to the letter. Staffers who signed the letter in support have reported being disciplined, and anti-trans activists and lawmakers have continued to cite Times coverage in their justifications for bans on gender-affirming care.

We speak again with Harron Walker, freelance journalist and letter co-author, about the state of the Times. Listen to our previous conversation with Walker about the letter here.

Democratic Senator from California Diane Feinstein has spent more than three decades in the U-S senate. Her tenure has won her praise from allied politicians like former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The lawmakers have defended Senator Feinstein as questions arise surrounding her ability to serve. Despite the backing of some defenders, Senator Feinstein is facing calls to step down from within her own party. Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips and California Representative Ro Khanna have openly called for Feinstein’s resignation.

Senator Feinstein made efforts to slow the calls for her resignation by asking Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for a temporary replacement in her role on the Senate Judiciary Committee. But the brouhaha over Senate Feinstein brings more to mind than the current gerontocracy. It calls into question power in the Senate: who has it, how it operates, and how much of a senator’s work output is dependent on the staffers surrounding them. 

We speak with Jerry Goldfeder, professor of Election Law and Director of the Voting Rights and Democracy Project at Fordham Law School, for more.

An autopsy conducted by an independent examiner in March found Tortuguita's hands were in a raised position. A second autopsy report -conducted by the DeKalb County Medical Examiner-found no gun residue on Queer, Indigenous-Venezuelan activist Manuel Teran AKA Tortuguita's hands but only upon visual inspection.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation ran a gun residue kit, confirming gun residue was found on Tortuguita's body. The report noted that "it is possible for victims of gunshot wounds, both self-inflicted and non-self-inflicted, to have GSR present on their hands.” Some experts believe this means Tortuguita fired on officers first, and an absence of solid evidence has created speculation about what exactly sparked the gunfire exchange. The officers involved were not wearing body cameras, and questions about the nature of the officers' actions and the activist's death linger.

Initial reports claimed Manuel Teran had been killed by 14 gunshot wounds after firing on an officer. An official autopsy from the DeKalb Medical Examiner's office shows Tortuguita's body suffered at least 57 gunshot wounds. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.

We speak with Matt Scott, a member of the Atlanta Community Press Collective, which is a nonprofit media collective that’s been doing research on the development of cop city and providing community-embedded reporting.

Matt joins us for an update on the situation in Atlanta after attending the City Council Subcommittee on the project and some bond hearings for some of those charged with ‘domestic terrorism.'

You can listen to our other segments on cop city below:

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 6:18 PM ET.

You can listen to our other segments on cop city below:

Cop City ; Cop City: Forest Defender Killed; Cop City: Welcome to RIOTSVILLE, USA; Cop City: Week of Action

For transcripts, click the links above and visit our homepage.

When the dot-com bubble burst back in 2000, Allison Hemming was one of the many laid-off employees. At the time, she planned a get together and networking event with fellow-laid off employees to swap career advice, commiserate, and meet with recruiters, and this meetings turned into what she dubbed “pink slip parties.” Now, as more than 100,000 employees in the tech and media industries have faced layoffs over the past year, we talk to Allison Hemming, CEO of The Hired Guns, a tech-recruiting firm, about pink slip parties, advice for people facing layoffs, and how companies and CEOs can make these difficult moments better for their employees.