Race
Letter from Lusanga
Can an Artists’ Collective in Africa Repair a Colonial Legacy?
Its founders believe that they can use the tools of the Western art world to help heal the effects of more than a century of plunder.
The Art World
Fault Lines in America and Ukraine
A clamorous retrospective of the painter Robert Colescott, and “Women at War,” a show of contemporary Ukrainian artists, unsettle and inspire.
Personal History
The Truth About My Father
My mother was a white woman. Until I was sixteen, I believed that, on my father’s side, I was descended from the enslaved people who had crossed the Atlantic in chains.
Road Trips
Night Driving
“What if this strange officer who has refused to say why he stopped me shoots me? What if he says I jumped out and pursued him to the back to attack him?”
Essay
The Many Afterlives of Vincent Chin
Chin’s killing, forty years ago, has inspired documentaries, television, young-adult books, and countless works of scholarship. What do we want from his story, and the people who tell it?
Personal History
A Time Line of My Arrest
Putting a sticker on a lamppost while Black leads to a memorable evening behind bars.
Cover Story
Elizabeth Colomba’s “157 Years of Juneteenth”
The artist discusses Harlem and the necessity of painting Black bodies into historically white spaces.
The Front Row
“Armageddon Time,” Reviewed: A New York Childhood in the Crucible of American History
Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong star in James Gray’s furious new film, an autobiographical drama about white privilege in school and at home.
A Critic at Large
Race, War, and Winslow Homer
The artist’s experiences in the Civil War and after helped him transcend stereotypes in portraying Black experience.
Comment
The Ketanji Brown Jackson Hearings May Be Only the Beginning
The final Senate confirmation vote of 53–47 sparked joy and relief that the ugly part was over, at least for Jackson. The rest of the country may not be so lucky.
The New Yorker Interview
Cornel West Sees a Spiritual Decay in the Culture
A conversation with the prominent philosopher about democracy, disagreement, and how to stay upright in a fallen world.
American Chronicles
Did George Washington Have an Enslaved Son?
West Ford’s descendants want to prove his parentage—and save the freedmen’s village he founded.
A Critic at Large
Aleshea Harris Stages Black Life
The playwright explores the myths of community, love, and violence.
Our Columnists
The Politics of the Supreme Court Shortlist
President Biden has promised to nominate a Black woman at the same moment when the Court is likely to ban most race-conscious selections.
The Political Scene Podcast
Black Thought Takes the Stage
The legendary rapper of the Roots turns to musical theatre with “Black No More,” which is based on a novel from the Harlem Renaissance.
Persons of Interest
How Bernardine Evaristo Conquered British Literature
In a new memoir, the writer describes how she was long excluded from the halls of literary power, and how she finally broke in.
The Theatre
“Skeleton Crew” Traces Power Dynamics at a Factory
Dominique Morisseau’s new play, set in a Detroit automotive plant, is, among other things, about the subtle and ever-shifting class distinctions among Black people.
Annals of Justice
A Daughter’s Quest to Free Her Father’s Killer
Katie Kitchen wanted to live up to her progressive ideals. Her own family tragedy presented a chance.
Books
The Many Visions of Lorraine Hansberry
She’s been canonized as a hero of both mainstream literature and radical politics. Who was she really?
Cultural Comment
The Meaning of Sidney Poitier’s Historic 1964 Oscar
The actor felt trapped in his role as the one Black actor whom Hollywood would accept.