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Summer Of Racial Reckoning NPR Special: Part One

A June protest in Raleigh against police brutality and systemic racism.
A June protest in Raleigh against police brutality and systemic racism.

Months into a global pandemic, a loud cry for racial justice erupted around the country and the world. Protesters took to the streets demanding an end to police brutality and systemic racism and repeatedly echoed the names of three recently-killed Black Americans: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. NPR's Ailsa Chang and Rachel Martin share part one of the 'Summer of Racial Reckoning' special series.

In a new three-part series, NPR hosts Ailsa Chang and Rachel Martin look back at the past six months and report on how we got to where we are today. In episode one, they paint a portrait of the lives of Floyd, Taylor and Arbery before they became household names. Through conversations with friends and family who knew and loved the deceased, they uncover new facets of the story and explore one big question: What lit the match for the movement surging on today?

Copyright 2020 North Carolina Public Radio

Ailsa Chang is an award-winning journalist who hosts All Things Considered along with Ari Shapiro, Audie Cornish, and Mary Louise Kelly. She landed in public radio after practicing law for a few years.
Rachel Martin is a host of Morning Edition, as well as NPR's morning news podcast Up First.