Entering the 2025-2026 school year, Massachusetts, like many states, struggles with dwindling literacy rates among its youth. To better understand the issues happening in and outside the classrooms, Paris invited GrubStreet Black Teaching Fellows, Jonathan Todd and Toni Bee, to unpack their teaching methodologies and experiences working with the underserved youth of the greater Boston area.

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NPR’s first national race-relations correspondent—discussed his retirement and the legacy of a career defined by fearless reporting on race, justice, and inequality. Martin, a multi-award-winning journalist,, shared personal reflections on his journey from Detroit to Boston, the formative experiences that shaped his voice, and his commitment to storytelling.

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In this powerful episode of GBH News Rooted, host Paris Alston sits down with Imari P. Jeffries and José C. Massó III to explore the vibrant spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month and the transformative energy behind the Embrace Con Salsa Festival. Together, they unpack how joy, music, and cultural celebration serve as acts of resistance—especially in communities of color facing systemic challenges like ICE crackdowns. This conversation is a tribute to resilience, heritage, and the power of coming together in defiance and delight.

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Black women lose over $1 million in lifetime earnings due to pay disparities and are routinely charged more for everyday goods—just for being who they are. In The Double Tax, Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman breaks down this brutal economic reality with sharp analysis and lived insight. She joins Paris Alston on Rooted to unpack the data, the history, and the truth behind why women of color are overcharged and underpaid.

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You've already got the news, but have you gotten to the root of it? Join Paris Alston weekly on Rooted where she explores topics in Black culture, navigating the news through nuance and politicizing pop culture.

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Basic Black discusses the upcoming Super Tuesday primaries/caucuses and the presidential election. While the 2024 election cycle is underway, it is hard to tell. Will voters turn out, given voter fatigue and low enthusiasm? Questions about Biden’s age (Trump’s too), whether Biden can hold on to Black and young voters are a growing concern. Plus, many people believe the presidential candidates have already been decided, so why bother to vote. How can the candidates and political parties energize Black and Brown voters and why voting matters?

Panelists:

Renée Graham, Associate Editor, Opinion Columnist, and author of the weekly newsletter, Outtakes, The Boston Globe.

Diana Hwang, founder and executive director of The Asian American Women’s Political Initiative (AAWPI).

Phillip Martin, Sr. Investigative Reporter, GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting.

State Senator Liz Miranda, representing the Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Suffolk district.

Tanisha Sullivan hosts.

The new GBH News podcast, What is Owed?, a 7-part podcast examines reparations in Boston, nationally and internationally. The first episode, When a City Tries to Heal Itself was recently released.

Panelists:

Jerome Campbell, senior producer for the GBH News podcast, "What Is Owed?"

Saraya Wintersmith, politics reporter for GBH News, and host of the new podcast, "What Is Owed?"

Kellie Carter Jackson, Chair of the Africana Studies Department at Wellesley College, and author of, "Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence."

George “Chip” Greenidge, member of the Boston Task Force on Reparations and the Founder and Director of Greatest MINDS.

Phillip Martin hosts.

Black dolls have been around since the 1800’s, created in different shapes, sizes and styles, but Black or multiethnic dolls were hard to come by. Over the years finding a Black or multicultural doll has improved. Children of color seeing and having a doll that looks like them in skin tone and hair texture is empowering and celebratory, as dolls can aid in a child’s development, their ability to imagine and comprehend their individuality. Dolls can also offer a reflection or point of view in society. The well-known doll study by Kenneth and Mamie Clark was pivotal during the Brown v. Board of Education case. In this episode celebrating Black History Month, this episode discusses the history of dolls, dollmakers, dolls in pop culture, beauty, race, gender and identity. Kristen L. Pope hosts.

Panelists:

Widline Pyrame, Founder and CEO of Fusion Dolls.

Debra Britt, Founder and Executive Director of the National Black Doll Museum of History & Culture in North Attleborough, Mass.

Lisa Simmons, Artistic Executive Director of the Roxbury International Film Festival.

Dr. Tahirah Abdullah-Swain, Associate Professor of Psychology, UMass Boston.