Of the 53 million Catholics in America, about 3 million are African American. The history of Black Catholics in the United States spans from colonization and enslavement to Black parishes founded by the church during the Jim Crow era. And throughout that history, Black Catholic communities have found ways to make the oldest form of Christianity their own. In honor of Easter, we examine Black Catholicism in Boston and beyond.

*This segment originally aired in April 2025*

The "I Dream A World" Youth Choral Showcase is bringing together three groups of talented young local singers to perform a variety of pieces centering the work of Langston Hughes and Boston’s own Phillis Wheatley, the first published African-American poet. The performance includes the world premiere of a composition by B.E. Boykin performed by all three choirs combined. We speak with Boykin, the showcase's organizer and a young singer who will take the stage at the showcase.

A Pittsfield manufacturer has more than $5 million in contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. State leaders and activists are urging the company to reconsider more collaborations with ICE. Hampshire College is at risk of losing its accreditation due to financial issues and declining enrollment. Does the institution have a future? And this year marks the 20th anniversary of the landmark healthcare legislation known as Romneycare! It’s all on our Massachusetts news roundtable!

This spring – it’s lavender over matcha! Cabbage, cinnamon rolls and grandmacore are trending in kitchens this year. And move over rose – it’s “blouge” wine’s time to shine! It's our food and wine roundtable!

Last month, we kicked off our new "How We Love" series with a conversation about romance fanfiction. But what's it like to go from fanfic to the New York Times best-seller list? In this podcast-exclusive interview, Callie speaks with Christina Lauren (Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings), authors of celebrated romance novels like "The Unhoneymooners," "The True Love Experiment," "Love and Other Words" and "The Paradise Problem," among many others. Their new book, "The Romance Revival" comes out in July. They tell us more about how "Twilight" brought them together and how their work in fanfiction prepared them for the traditional romance-publishing world.

March is Women’s History Month -- time to reflect on the incredible women who shaped American history, many of whom were based in Massachusetts. Often left out of portrait galleries, forgotten in walking tours or passed over when considering honorary statues, two local women leaders are finally putting their stories on display.

Dr. Toyoima Ufot is in trouble. The Harvard scholar is accused of plagiarizing. Now the middle child of Abasiama and Disciple Ufot is struggling to defend herself without losing her emotional footing. That’s the core of the storyline in “Lifted,”  the seventh play of the nine-part Ufot Family Cycle. We speak with the playwright and two actors from the cast about this unique, work-in-progress production.

Immigrants get a financial boost for services like legal aid and advocacy through a new public-private partnership, frustrated lawmakers and laid-off residents wrestle with the state’s unemployment system, and what makes a “gateway city”? It’s our local news roundtable!

It’s been a miserable slog of cold, snow and ice this winter. Spring is coming, but we’re not there yet. So what better time to embrace some end-of-winter communal joy with 10 days of singing and dancing? That's the goal of Maine's first Mudfest. We speak with two of the creators of the event, happening from March 22 through March 29.

In recent awards seasons, Asian-centric films have twice dominated the Academy Awards,  with “Parasite” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once” taking home the top prizes. This year, Chloe Zhao's "Hamnet" is a Hollywood darling on the big-screen, while Asian actors like Greta Lee and Hudson Williams are shining on the small-screen. So has the roaring success of Asian and AAPI media continued? Our two experts return for a special hour-long conversation on Asian representation in media!

• Get your tickets now to our Bookmarked: LIVE! event at Lovestruck Books in Cambridge on Thursday, March 12, at 7 p.m.: https://bit.ly/miasosaUTR