Dasani Showed Us What It’s Like to Grow Up Homeless. She’s Still Struggling.

“Invisible Child,” by the New York Times reporter Andrea Elliott, expands on her much-admired 2013 series, following the lives of a New York City child and her family, as they strive to stay together and make ends meet.

National Endowment for the Humanities Awards Covid Relief Grants

The American Rescue Plan Act, with its $87.8 million in funding, will support projects at nearly 300 cultural and educational institutions in the country.

What Should I Do With My Portrait of a Slaveholding Ancestor?

The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on how to handle articles of history from a difficult past.

The Privilege of Mediocrity

For creators of color, the perceived need to be exemplary can be artistically stultifying. Instead, true freedom may lie in being allowed to be fine — or to fail.

Opinion | How R. Kelly Got Away With It

The singer’s abuse of Black women and girls was hiding in plain sight.

French Court Convicts Magazine Over Racist Portrayal of Black Lawmaker

The magazine caused an outcry last year after it published a fictional narrative depicting the legislator as an enslaved African.

They Were Promised a Chance at Parole in 10 Years. It’s Been 50.

Relief could be imminent for several of Louisiana’s longest-serving inmates, whose cases have drawn renewed attention generations after the state changed their parole eligibility requirements.

With Every Stroke, Gaining Confidence In and Out of the Water (Published 2020)

As a Black woman with anxiety, swimming was more than technique. It opened new worlds to me and helped my stress fall to the side.

Telling Stories of Black Life Rescued Him

The designer Ron Norsworthy explores his own experiences of marginalization in his textiles, installations and quilts.

UMass Amherst Hires Cybersecurity Firm to Investigate Racist Emails

The university’s vice chancellor told students the emails, which targeted Black students, were part of a rise in “anti-Black racist incidents” on campus this academic year.

Authorities Searched Exhaustively for Gabrielle Petito. What About Others?

The news media was fascinated with the disappearance of Gabrielle Petito. But the families of many women who go missing, especially women of color, struggle for attention.

A Congresswoman’s Story: Raped at 17, ‘I Chose to Have an Abortion’

After a legal setback for abortion rights, three Democratic representatives and one Republican shared their personal stories with a House panel.

Does Building Better Jails Go Far Enough?

As New York looks to replace Rikers Island, some say a focus on more humane jail design is largely beside the point.

A Historic Night as the Metropolitan Opera Tries to Ensure Its Future

With Terence Blanchard’s “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” the Met came back from its long pandemic shutdown more determined to draw new and more diverse audiences to opera.

It’s Never Too Late to Publish a Debut Book and Score a Netflix Deal

Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, at 50, is not the average age of a debut author. But the public school teacher describes herself as a “literary debutante” with the October publication of “My Monticello.”

Opinion | The World Expects Black Men to Make Themselves Smaller. My Brother Never Did.

Even when I feel there is nothing more any of us can say about our collective grief for the fragility of Black life, there can be a way forward.

In Oak Bluffs, Strangers Become Family

A first-time visitor to this Martha’s Vineyard town, long cherished by generations of Black travelers, finds that after a devastating year, warm welcomes, a strong sense of pride and the spirit of family remain constants.

Finding Redemption and Rebirth on the Road to Broadway

The “Pass Over” playwright’s bold decision to alter her play’s ending was essential, she said, to convey the message that “we as a people need to heal.”

Opinion | What’s Missing From the Conversation About Systemic Racism

Often-cited examples of redlining and police shootings don’t tell such a simple story.

Obama Breaks Ground on Presidential Center in Chicago After Lengthy Discord

The project has been bogged down by legal challenges and a federal review. Barack Obama’s presidential papers won’t actually be housed there — they’ll be digitized, another point of contention.