Karen Grigsby Bates
Karen Grigsby Bates is the Senior Correspondent for Code Switch, a podcast that reports on race and ethnicity. A veteran NPR reporter, Bates covered race for the network for several years before becoming a founding member of the Code Switch team. She is especially interested in stories about the hidden history of race in America—and in the intersection of race and culture. She oversees much of Code Switch's coverage of books by and about people of color, as well as issues of race in the publishing industry. Bates is the co-author of a best-selling etiquette book (Basic Black: Home Training for Modern Times) and two mystery novels; she is also a contributor to several anthologies of essays. She lives in Los Angeles and reports from NPR West.
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Two new books published Tuesday tell the story of Harlem. The first features the white women involved in the Harlem Renaissance. And the second profiles three black female artists during World War II.
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That sweltering August day in 1963, when almost a quarter-million people thronged the National Mall, women were relegated to the background, even as they played major roles in the movement. -
After an editor asked him to tone down his racial politics, the first-time author walked away from his book deal, moved to a smaller press and eventually published two books to critical acclaim. He hopes his story helps make the case for why publishers should welcome different voices to the table. -
James Van Dyke Evers was only 3 when his father, civil rights leader Medgar Evers, was shot and killed in the family's driveway. Van Evers chose not to follow in his father's footsteps — at what cost? -
Sally Liuzzo-Prado was just 6 when her mother, Viola Liuzzo, was killed by Ku Klux Klansmen following marches in Alabama. The death of Liuzzo, the only white woman protester to die during the civil rights movement, captured the nation.
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Most Americans think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a brilliant young minister who was one of the architects of the civil rights movement, and who was martyred for it in 1968. But to the revered leader's eldest son, Martin Luther King III, the famous man was just "Daddy." -
The photographer behind a touching photo of five children that gained a lot of attention recently says that it is "good to know that even in this day and age, when we are bombarded by imagery from every direction, that one photograph can matter to someone." -
In 1955, it was virtually unheard of for a black man to testify against a white person. Willie Reed, who changed his last name to Louis after fleeing to Chicago, died last week at 76. -
A popular Spanish-language radio show hosted by Eddie Sotelo, also known as Piolín or "Tweety Bird," has been abruptly canceled by Univision. -
Many African-Americans are pleased that President Obama spoke frankly about the inequities experienced in this country by blacks. They say understanding the distress over the Zimmerman verdict is key to honest discussions about race.
