Boston Public Radio

NPR reporter Aarti Shahani joined Boston Public Radio to discuss her new book, which details her family’s decade-long fight to remain in the U.S.

A judge ruled Harvard doesn't discriminate against Asian Americans.

CNN has started carrying graphic that fact-check the president as he speaks live on air.

Our weekly news quiz featured Shakespearean shenanigans.

When Botham Jean’s brother Brandt took the stand at the sentencing of his brother’s killer Amber Guyger, he had an unusual request for the judge. On the stand, Brandt forgave Guyger for killing his brother, and asked the judge if he could hug her. The judge allowed it.

Harvard's admissions process passes muster in federal court, but isn't perfect, Reville said.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Media maven Sue O’Connell talked about J.K. Rowling’s controversial stance on transgender issues, and the commencement address to a Kansas college from Ivanka Trump. We opened lines to talk with listeners about everything that’s going on around police reform, coronavirus, and election 2020. We aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Friday press conference. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko talked about Microsoft’s ban on police use of their facial recognition technology, and explained how to “protest-proof” your phone. Under the Radar host Callie Crossley discussed President Trump’s scheduled Juneteenth rally in Tulsa, Okla., and a new charity founded by LeBron James to protect the voting rights of Black Americans. Joe Spaulding, president and CEO of the Boch Center, talked about plans for the theater’s gradual reopening, and previewed their “Ghost Light Series" that’ll be streaming in the fall.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd talked about President Trump’s scheduled rally in Tulsa, Okla. on Juneteenth, and whether Democrats will be able to win back the Senate in the November election. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed concerns around U.S. voting protections, and what Black Lives Matter protesters mean when they call to defund the police. We aired live audio from Gov. Baker’s Thursday press conference. Former Mass. Education Secretary Paul Reville discussed challenges for teachers and school administrators in adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ways that students of color stand to be disproportionally impacted by those challenges. Quentin Palfrey, chair of the Voter Protection Corps, discussed Tuesday's voting debacle in Georgia, and the myriad of issues around voter protections ahead of the November election. WGBH Arts Editor Jared Bowen discussed an open letter from 300 prominent actors condemning racism within the theater industry, and talked about the decision by HBO Max to remove “Gone With the Wind” from their catalogue.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to talk with listeners about your thoughts on defunding the police. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed whether left-leaning media was hypocritical in criticizing anti-lockdown protests, and talked about pro-life opposition to a COVID-19 vaccine made using stem cells. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed the bullish legacy of AG Bill Barr, and Sen. Mitt Romney’s decision to join Black Lives Matter protests. Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco called in for another edition “Village Voice,” where he read a selection of poems about the act of protest. Drake University professor and author Jennifer Harvey discussed her writing on white privilege, and what she describes as “white silence” amid racism and police brutality in the U.S. Food writer Corby Kummer talked about the importance of supporting Black-owned restaurants, and why he’s no longer using food delivery services like Grubhub. We reopened our lines to talk with listeners about our interview with Jennifer Harvey, and the concept of white silence.

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke with Boston Public Radio *on Wednesday about food magazine Bon Appetit's recently exposed structural racism. "The Me Too movement came for sexism, and now the moment is coming for racism," he said. "The editor of Bon Appetit, Adam Rapoport, was discovered in an old photo dressed up in Puerto Rican bling, and his assistant said [Rapoport] liked the picture so much that he had it framed on his desk." The photo itself was appalling, but even more appalling was the culture of racism that has now been described at Bon Appetit, Kummer noted. "The terribly white culture of the Test Kitchen at Bon Appetit has made millions...and that's why I think this culture went unchallenged," he said. "So the editor resigned and the Bon Appetit staff posted something today saying the culture is going to change and that they're going to right the pay inequity." *Kummer is a *senior editor at The Atlantic*, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Tuesday press conference. Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell called in to talk about the reforms she’d like to see Boston make to its policing system. We opened lines to ask: what changes would you like to see when it comes to police reform? Former Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick discussed his experience dealing with racism in Massachusetts as a Black teenager, and talked about his impressions of the recent Black Lives Matter protests. Journalist and author Devin Leonard discussed his book “Neither Snow Nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service,” and why he believes government leaders won't let the USPS go under. Playwright and painter Ryan Landry talked about the response of art institutions to the Black Lives Matter movement, and how he think communities should deal with statues of racist historical figures.