Race | WUNC

An illustration of a family portrait of a mixed race family in the 90s — specifically Anita's family. There are three kids in the foreground - Anita's older sister on the left, her baby brother in her mother's arms in the middle, and Anita, wearing a shirt that matches her sister's, on the right. Anita and her sister are elementary school-aged, and her brother is about 1. Behind them are her parents: her father is Indian with a mustache and glasses, and her mother is white wearing a headband and a necklace. There are dashes around Anita on the right and the word "Anita" with an arrow pointing to her above her head.

Growing Up Mixed Race: Biracial Child and Monoracial Parents Reflect

Kaia Findlay

In her college application essay, host Anita Rao described herself as a colorful parrot living in a cultural jungle — with her English and Indian sides occupying different realms. Now, she reflects on her biracial experience with her parents.

An illustration of host Anita Rao's family from a time when Anita was 6. From left to right, her older sister Priyanka in a blue shirt with matching headband; her dad Satish, an Indian man with a mustache, aviator-style glasses, a button-down and tie; her mother Sheila, a white woman with chin-length brown hair held back with a headband, wearing a dark blue blouse and necklace; her younger brother, Nikilesh, is a baby with short brown hair in her mother's lap; and Anita, in a blue shirt and headband that matches Priyanka's and shoulder-length brown hair. Text that says "Anita" point to her on the far right. The text "Mixed (Parent Edition)" sits over the portrait against a purple border.

Mixed (Parent Edition): The Rao Family Talks Racial Identity

Kaia Findlay

Anita invites her parents back to Embodied for a special bonus episode. She hears their take on our recent episode "Mixed," about growing up biracial. Then she turns the tables and puts herself in the guest seat as her parents ask her a few questions.

An illustration of a family portrait. One parent, on the left, is white and masculine-presenting with short, brown hair. The other parent, on the right, is Black and more femme-presenting with natural hair gathered in a ponytail. The white parent is holding and looking down at a young girl who presents as Black with kinky-looking hair in a bun on top of her head. She is looking at the camera and smiling. The Black parent is holding a little boy who has lighter brown skin and hair that looks wavier. Both parent and child are looking at the camera.

Growing Up Mixed: Identity, Race and Early Adulthood

Kaia Findlay

The number of people in the U.S. who identify as two or more races is on the rise. So what can help diminish the sense of unbelonging that is common for mixed folks?

Mixed: Owning Your Multiracial Story

Kaia Findlay

When Anita moved away to college, she experienced a big shift in her biracial identity. Turns out that the questions that emerged for her are ones that many mixed young adults still ponder today ...15 years later. She meets two college seniors and they talk through navigating everything from "Where do I belong?" to "How do I date?" Plus she hears wisdom from a life coach who helps mixed adults tell new stories about identity.

People - including UNC-Chapel Hill students - rally outside the Supreme Court

Education

Supreme Court strikes down affirmative action in college admissions, says race cannot be a factor

Associated Press

In a 6-3 decision, the court struck down admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively.

Race & Demographics

A Nash Central High School class takes a different approach to plantation field trips

Caitlin Leggett

Field trips to plantations look a little different for Nash Central High School's APUSH class.

Herman Johnson, Jr., director of the Mound Bayou Museum in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. He points to a 1955 photo display in the museum of Mamie Till, Cong. Charles Diggs, Dr. T.R.M. Howard and others. October24, 2022

Arts & Culture

'Till' forgotten at Oscars, but not in Mound Bayou, Mississippi

Leoneda Inge

Leoneda Inge speaks with the director of the Mound Bayou Museum in the Mississippi Delta and how it features articles and props from the "Women of the Movement" miniseries about the lynching of Black teenager, Emmett Till.

Race & Demographics

The debate about Fayetteville’s Market House goes beyond brick and mortar

Charlie Shelton-Ormond

Tested producer Charlie Shelton-Ormond recently spoke with Kristen Johnson, investigative reporter for The Fayetteville Observer, about her latest series about the past, present and future of the Market House.

Then-head coach Brian Flores talks with Miami Dolphins center Michael Deiter before the start of their game against the Patriots on Jan. 9.

Sports

Ex-Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores accuses NFL of racial discrimination in lawsuit

Sharon Pruitt-Young

Flores alleges that the league is "managed much like a plantation" charging that its 32 owners, none of whom are Black, profit from the labor of its players, 70% of whom are African American.

Gender Queer is a graphic memoir by Maia Kobabe that has been frequently challenged and banned in the last few months.

News

How a national debate over book censorship is playing out in North Carolina

Anisa Khalifa

In the last six months, the American Library Association has seen a spike in book challenges and bans in both school and public libraries, mostly targeting books that center on race and LGBT identity.