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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In 1948, eight African-American men joined Atlanta's police force. Those pioneer officers — who couldn't drive squad cars or even step foot in headquarters — inspired Thomas Mullen's new novel. -
In Charcoal Joe, Mosley brings his iconic private eye Easy Rawlins into the haze of the late '60s, extending a literary odyssey through the transformation of black Los Angeles. -
Some police shooting victims like Alton Sterling and Philando Castile become national symbols. Their faces are splashed across the media, and their names become hashtags. So why are others forgotten? -
Many African-Americans keep guns for self-defense, dating back to Emancipation. But the shooting in Dallas, and recent killings of black men by police, have raised hard questions for black gun owners. -
African Americans have always kept guns for self defense. The recent shootings in Dallas, and the killings of young black men by police, are once again raising questions about who should own guns.
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Brown was one of the last surviving "Red Tail" pilots of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. These African-American pilots served in World War II, laying the foundation for integrating the U.S. armed forces. -
In her new novel, I Almost Forgot About You, McMillan's heroine confronts midlife malaise by reconnecting with men from her past. -
Juneteenth, the day when many African-Americans mark the end of slavery, is also associated with traditional foods from the black community. One woman wants to revive a traditional treat: tea cakes. -
It wasn't what you think, but it was certainly a story. I was lucky enough to meet him a few times over several decades, but the first time was the most memorable. -
He was a great athlete and humanitarian. He was also a symbol of defiance for black men around the world.
