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Race and Ethnicity

An overhead view of the 1964 World's Fair, showing the unisphere and surrounding pavilions.

The Story Behind the Failed Minstrel Show at the 1964 World’s Fair

The integrated theatrical showcase had progressive ambitions but lasted only two performances

Marian Anderson performing at the DAR Constitution Hall.

Four Years After Marian Anderson Sang at the Lincoln Memorial, D.A.R. Finally Invited Her to Perform at Constitution Hall

A benefit concert presaged the opera singer’s eventual rapprochement with the Daughters of the American Revolution

New Research

Language Discrimination Goes Beyond Just Grammar

Even when candidates are all equally qualified, employers pick native speakers over those born abroad

The Oberlin Rescuers at Cuyahoga County Jail in 1859.

The Invisible Line Between Black and White

Vanderbilt professor Daniel Sharfstein discusses the history of the imprecise definition of race in America

Population growth places the United States in a radically different position from that of Russia, Japan and Europe.

The Changing Demographics of America

The United States population will expand by 100 million over the next 40 years. Is this a reason to worry?

Charles Carl Lutz issued protective letters to 8,000 Hungarian Jews for emigration to Palestine.

Five Rescuers of Those Threatened by the Holocaust

Righteous good Samaritans came from across the world to save Jews and others from concentration camps

Students at Palenque’s Batata Dance and Music School perform a traditional dance with African roots.

Colombia Dispatch 4: Palenque: An Afro-Colombian Community

Four hundred years ago, escaped slaves formed Palenque. Today, the Colombian town celebrates its African roots

“The more race is not supposed to matter, the more it does,” says Packer (in her home office in Pacifica, California). “It’s one of the conundrums of living in America today.” She is currently working on a historical novel titled The Thousands, about the “forgotten masses of blacks who went West.”

Comedienne of Manners

Novelist ZZ Packer uses humor to point up some disconcerting signposts along America’s racial divide

There’s a misperception about prejudice, says Richeson, that “people do bad things because they’re bad people, and there are only a few of these bad apples around.” All of us have prejudices, she adds, but we also have the capacity to change.

The Bias Detective

How does prejudice affect people? Psychologist Jennifer Richeson is on the case

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