logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2022
51m 21s

Throughline Presents: School Colors

NPR
About this episode
School District 28 is located in one of the most racially and ethnically diverse places in the U.S.: Queens, N.Y. But the neighborhood served by this school district has two sides – a Northside and a Southside. To put it simply, the Southside is Black and the farther north you go, the fewer Black people you see. But it wasn't always like this.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Aug 21
The Queen of Tupperware
Who ushered housewives into the workforce and plastic storage containers into America’s kitchens? Today on the show, the rise and fall of Brownie Wise, the woman behind Tupperware's plastic empire — and a revolution in women’s work.Guests:Alison Clarke, author of Tupperware, the ... Show More
49m 11s
Aug 14
We the People: Succession of Power
The 25th amendment. A few years before JFK was shot, an idealistic young lawyer set out on a mission to convince people something essential was missing from the Constitution: clear instructions for what should happen if a U.S. president was no longer able to serve. On this episod ... Show More
47m 31s
Aug 7
We the People: Cruel and Unusual Punishment
The Eighth Amendment. What is cruel and unusual punishment? Who gets to define and decide its boundaries? And how did the Constitution's authors imagine it might change? Today on Throughline's We the People: the Eighth Amendment, the death penalty, and what cruel and unusual real ... Show More
47m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2022
School Colors Episode 6: "Below Liberty"
Though a lot of parents and educators agree there needs to be some change in District 28, the question remains: what kind of change? When we asked around, more diversity wasn't necessarily at the top of everybody's list. In fact, from the north and south, we heard a lot of the sa ... Show More
55m 30s
Sep 2021
Race and Education in an American Suburb
Over the past few decades, families have flocked to the affluent Dallas suburb of Southlake for its top-rated school system. But beneath the manicured lawns and gleaming fountains lie something Black families call “Southlake’s dirty secret."Less than three years ago, two videos o ... Show More
35m 42s
Jul 2023
Do we need more Afrocentric education?
The Children in Freedom School - which is based in Nakuru, Kenya – takes a slightly different approach to education. It prides itself on being the first “Afrocentric” school on the continent. Basically, they put African culture, identity and enrichment at the heart of everything ... Show More
20m 7s
Dec 2021
Ebony & Ivy
Although Harvard is one of the Blackest Ivy League schools, Black students still make up just 11 percent of the student body. Many Black students at Harvard experience a level of culture shock when they first arrive to such a historically white space. There’s the whiteness of the ... Show More
34m 38s
Nov 2020
Looking back; Moving Forwards: The History of Black Lives Matter
Wolfson College marks Black History Month 2020 with an engaging discussion with Britain's foremost experts on the history of black lives and communities in Britain. In this panel discussion we look at the deep and fascinating history of black individuals and communities in the UK ... Show More
1h 52m
Mar 2023
Helping Black Families Navigate the College Admissions Process
The college admissions process is treated as one-size-fits-all, but that's not always the case for Black families. Shereem Herndon-Brown and Timothy L Fields, co-authors of "The Black Family’s Guide to College Admissions," share their wisdom college admissions at the intersection ... Show More
45 m
Jun 2022
Robb Elementary School and Uvalde's History of Mexican-American Activism
So many people in Uvalde, Texas have a shared history. Some of that history runs right through Robb Elementary School, a place that was part of the Mexican-American community's struggle for racial equality. NPR's Vanessa Romo spoke with Eulalio Diaz, Jr. He was the coronor on dut ... Show More
10m 6s
Oct 2013
The Children's Crusade
Birmingham in Alabama was one of the most segregated cities in the USA in 1963. In May that year thousands of black schoolchildren responded to a call from Martin Luther King to protest against segregation at the height of racial tensions. It became known as the Children's Crusad ... Show More
9m 13s
Jul 2020
Schooling the System
It’s been over 60 years since the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. But in 2020, some classrooms are still pretty segregated. Don reflects on his own educational journey and speaks with Michigan State University’s Professor Shenek ... Show More
24m 11s