African-American Issues

James Farmer returns to Fresh Air to share memories of the 1961 Freedom Rides and later race riots that erupted during later that decade. His new memoir, Lay Bare the Heart, has just been published.

John O'Neal cofounded the Free Southern Theater, a company closely aligned with the black civil rights movement. Louise Anderson is a prominent African American storyteller. They are both featured in the National Festival of Black Storytellers at Philadelphia's Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum.

The musician talks to Terry Gross about the social and economic conditions that affect the place of African American musical traditions in American culture.

The trio of singers, who come from a family of 10 children, join Fresh Air's Danny Miller to talk about their faith, religious and musical upbringing, and admiration for soul and jazz singers of the '50s and '60s.

Davis is an avant-garde composer whose work draws heavily from jazz traditions. He wrote a new opera called X, based on the life of Malcom X. He performs the overture live in-studio.

Legendary writer James Baldwin is the author of modern classics such as "Notes of a Native Son," "Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone," and "Go Tell It On the Mountain." Here, Baldwin delivers a lecture and has a "rap" session with students at an event at Lehigh University.

Madeline Cartwright worked as a teacher in Philadelphia public schools from 1959 to 1978, before moving into administration. Currently she is the principal at Blaine Elementary School, in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia, and she has spent the last five years transforming Blaine from a typical low-income school into a community that sparkles. Cartwright's staff has nominated her for the John N. Patterson Award for Excellence in Public Education. Cartwright joins the show to discuss the problems that are facing Philadelphia schools and her approach to solving them.

Composer and pianist Anthony Davis has composed jazz and "new music" work with his ten-piece ensemble Episteme, directed plays, composed orchestral suites, and taught at Yale, where he also received his B. A. in music. His latest album with his band is called "Hemispheres." Davis has written an opera, "X," based on the life of Malcolm X. The libretto was written by his cousin and Village Voice writer Thulani Davis-Jarman, and the story was written by his brother CHRISTOPHER DAVIS.

Etheridge Knight began writing poetry while serving a sentence for robbery. He talks with Fresh Air producer Danny Miller about how he draws inspiration from his past experiences as a former prisoner and drug addict.

The civil rights leader is running for president as a Democrat on a platform of supporting racial minorities and the economically disadvantaged. Despite the appeal of his positions, many in his party doubt whether he has the ability to defeat Ronald Reagan.

The married couple joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross to discuss their experiences a black actors, the need for strong African American writers for theater and television, and their work to promote new works by and about marginalized groups.

Goode will be the first African American mayor in the city's history. He was elected on a platform of job growth, crime reduction, and an improvement of government services. WHYY City Hall reporter Tia O'Brien asks him how he plans to achieve his goals. Fresh Air listeners call in with their questions.

As the founder of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), which fought for civil rights using nonviolent tactics, Farmer organized 1961's Freedom Rides.

Gregg is one of the first and few African American in MLB's National League. He's also famous for his dramatic weight loss and appearance in television commercials.

Myrlie Evers' book about her late husband, the civil rights activist Medgar Evers, was recently adapted into a movie for public television. She talks about her upbringing in the South, her relationship with Evers, and her own work to advance African American civil rights.

Tenor saxophonist and composer Archie Shepp is known for his radical jazz and his radical politics. His recent work has emphasized interpreting the traditions from which his playing and writing is derived, including a blues and spiritual album with Horace Parlan and a tribute album to Charlie Parker "Looking at Bird." His latest album is "Mama Rose." Shepp is also a playwright, poet, and professor. Shepp moved to Philadelphia at the age of 7, and will perform a concert with McCoy Tyner at the Cool Jazz Festival.

Michael DiBerardinis is an organizer with the Kensington Joint Action Council (KJAC), an community group that attempts to unite Whites, Blacks, and Latinx to tackle neighborhood problems. DiBerardinis joins the show to discuss conditions, racial relations, and politics in the neighborhood. (INTERVIEW BY DAVE DAVIES)

Poet Gwendolyn Brooks was, in 1954, the first black person to receive the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Brooks has written over fifteen books, her poetry has been widely anthologized, and has received over forty honorary doctorates. Brooks is also the Poet Laureate of Illinois. Brooks is in the are to deliver the "Marion Moore Poetry Reading" at Bryn Mawr College. Brooks discusses her career and reads some of her poetry.

Marita Golden became part of a group of black radicals as student at American University in Washington, D.C. After graduating from the Columbia School of Journalism, Golden married a Nigerian and moved to Nigeria with him. Golden was shocked by the role of women and wives in the country, which she found stifling. Taking her son with her, Golden left her husband and returned to the United States. She discuss her life and experiences in her memoir "Migrations of the Heart."

Poet Nikki Giovanni joins the show to discuss her latest work "Those Who Ride the Night Winds," the life of a poet, African American poets, rap, and women poets.