Eric Deggans' story highlights the many heartbreaking challenges the virus presents as numbers continue to rise.

Long before women just showed up every week for a wash and set and a side of gossip, hair salons were the birthplace of political activism.

(The Root) — NPR’s board of directors has approved hiring a law firm to review the network’s handling of the termination of Juan Williams’ contract, and the network has taken steps to address concerns raised by journalists of color.  NPR has hired a second African American on-air reporter, Alex P. Kellogg of the Wall Street Journal, plans […]

(New York Times) — In the latest dispatch from the war between Juan Williams and NPR, Vivian Schiller, its chief executive, apologized to her colleagues for how she handled Mr. Williams’s firing for remarks he made about Muslims. But she did not apologize for the firing itself.  “While we stand firmly behind that decision, I […]

(New York Times) — Of the thousands of complaints that have saturated NPR in the wake of Juan Williams’s firing earlier this week, some of the most telling have been from callers describing themselves as long-time “viewers” of NPR who warn that they are going to “stop watching.”  NPR, of course, does not have viewers, […]

(New York Times) — NPR has terminated its contract with Juan Williams, one of its senior news analysts, after he made comments about Muslims on the Fox News Channel.  NPR said in a statement that it gave Mr. Williams notice of his termination on Wednesday night.  The move came after Mr. Williams, who is also […]

Al Letson discusses his unexpected career as a voice on NPR.