Fresh Air

Historian Kerri Greenidge tells the story of William Monroe Trotter, a Black newspaper editor who was a forceful crusader for civil rights in the early 20th century. He built a national following in his time as a fierce advocate for the full citizenship rights that had been promised to former enslaved people after the Civil War. Trotter organized mass protests, confronted presidents, and openly challenged leaders such as Booker T...

Women are bearing the brunt of kids' virtual schooling and the increased household work associated with the pandemic. 'NYT' reporter Claire Cain Miller says many working mothers have scaled back on their hours or left the workforce entirely due to the pandemic — which could have lasting effects on gender and economic equity. "It took a very, very slow moving process from the 1970s until today to get women where they are professionally," Miller says...

In her book, 'The Sum of Us,' Heather McGhee examines the cost of racial discrimination in the U.S., and draws on a wealth of economic data to make the case that discriminatory laws and practices that target Black people also negatively impact society at large. McGhee says when racial barriers to voting, employment, and housing are broken down, white working people are among the beneficiaries...

For four years, Georgetown Law professor and human rights activist Rosa Brooks carried a badge and a gun and worked a minimum of 24 hours a month for the DC police department — all on a voluntary basis. "If you want to change something, you have to understand it," she says. Brooks writes about her experiences as with the police in 'Tangled Up in Blue.'

Guest host Sam Sanders talks with Spike Lee about 'Da 5 Bloods,' about four Black Vietnam War vets who return together to Vietnam. Lee also talks about working with late actor Chadwick Boseman.

Also, we remember Cloris Leachman and listen back to an excerpt of her 2009 interview. She co-starred in the Mel Brooks films 'Young Frankenstein' and 'High Anxiety,' won an Oscar for her role in 'The Last Picture Show.'

Only a few weeks into the new Biden administration, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci is encouraged by the president's approach to the pandemic. We'll talk about an early chapter of his career, during the AIDS crisis, when he was criticized for not making experimental drugs available to people with AIDS. Fauci listened to his critics and worked with them, leading to medical reforms that are benefiting us today, during the pandemic...

We remember Mary Wilson, one of the founding members of The Supremes. She died Monday at the age of 76. We'll listen back to our 1986 interview with her about the early days of the Supremes, when they were just starting out.

Also, we remember actor Christopher Plummer who died last Friday. Though he had a long stage and film career, he's best-known for his role as Captain von Trapp in 'The Sound of Music...

Jones filmed 'On the Rocks' shortly after her son's birth and her mother's death. She nearly turned down the role, and is glad she didn't. "This movie was kind of a salvation for me," she says. We talk about 'Parks & Rec,' the toxicity of fame, and growing up surrounded by musicians in her father, Quincy Jones', studio.

The world is on the precipice of cyber catastrophe, and everything is vulnerable, including our government, nuclear weapons, elections, power grid, hospitals, and cell phones. 'New York Times' cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth explains how the U.S. went from having the world's strongest cyber arsenal to becoming so vulnerable to cyber attack. "We have to stop leaving gaping holes in software that could be used by adversaries to pull off some of these attacks," she says...

'New Yorker' writer Elizabeth Kolbert talks about efforts to reverse some of the harm humans have done to the natural world. Her new book, 'Under a White Sky,' details visionary ideas, like scattering tiny particles into the stratosphere to block some sunlight and cool the planet. She also reports on current efforts, like the millions spent trying to control Asian carp imported to American rivers. "We're now intervening to counter the effects of our own intervention," Kolbert says...