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Mississippi Rebels fans cheer for their team prior to their game on October 18. The University of Mississippi has been in an ongoing effort to distance the state's flagship academic institution from its segregationist history.

Mississippi Rebels fans cheer for their team prior to their game on October 18. The University of Mississippi has been in an ongoing effort to distance the state's flagship academic institution from its segregationist history. Michael Chang/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Michael Chang/Getty Images

Around the Nation

'Ole Miss' Debates Campus Traditions With Confederate Roots MPB

The University of Mississippi is making an ongoing effort to remove potentially divisive and racially charged symbols to try and make the campus more welcoming, but not everybody welcomes the changes.

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Scene still from Bert Williams Lime Kiln Field Day Project. Bert Williams, Walker Thompson (standing center), John Wesley Jenkins (seated right). In a concession to white audiences, Williams, the lead, wore blackface, but the other black characters did not.

Scene still from Bert Williams Lime Kiln Field Day Project. Bert Williams, Walker Thompson (standing center), John Wesley Jenkins (seated right). In a concession to white audiences, Williams, the lead, wore blackface, but the other black characters did not. Museum of Modern Art hide caption

itoggle caption Museum of Modern Art

Code Switch

Rare Silent Film With Black Cast Makes A Century-Late Debut

A 1913 romantic comedy starring black actors is finally hitting the big screen, after decades in the Museum of Modern Art archives. It's paired with an exhibit called 100 Years in Post-Production.

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Real Housewives of Atlanta star Lisa Wu Hartwell gets a hair treatment at a "Curl Party" hosted by Carol's Daughter and theYBF.com in 2010.

Real Housewives of Atlanta star Lisa Wu Hartwell gets a hair treatment at a "Curl Party" hosted by Carol's Daughter and theYBF.com in 2010. Paras Griffin/Landov hide caption

itoggle caption Paras Griffin/Landov

Code Switch

A Black Cosmetic Company Sells, Or Sells Out?

Carol's Daughter was started to sell products for black women who wear their hair natural. But ever since L'Oréal bought the brand, folks are wondering if it can maintain the loyalty of its customers.

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Dontey Carter (from left), Mel Moffitt, Lenard Smith, Ned Alexander and Allen Frazier are all members of the Lost Voices group, formed after Michael Brown's death in August. They say they want to ensure justice for Michael Brown and other unarmed individuals killed by police officers.

Dontey Carter (from left), Mel Moffitt, Lenard Smith, Ned Alexander and Allen Frazier are all members of the Lost Voices group, formed after Michael Brown's death in August. They say they want to ensure justice for Michael Brown and other unarmed individuals killed by police officers. Cheryl Corley/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Cheryl Corley/NPR

Around the Nation

With Ferguson Protests, 20-Somethings Become First-Time Activists

Near Ferguson, Mo., young people are taking the lead in protesting police brutality. Many say they had never considered activism before, but saw Michael Brown's shooting death as a call to action.

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Paul Wong (Harry Shum, Jr.) leads the Green Dragons, a young, Asian-American gang that trafficked Chinese immigrants into the U.S. with help from the so-called "Snakehead Mama" (Eugenia Yuan).

Paul Wong (Harry Shum, Jr.) leads the Green Dragons, a young, Asian-American gang that trafficked Chinese immigrants into the U.S. with help from the so-called "Snakehead Mama" (Eugenia Yuan). Courtesy of A24 Films hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of A24 Films

Code Switch

A Tale Of Asian Gangs Unleashed In 'Green Dragons' Film

The film Revenge of the Green Dragons is based on the true story of a Chinese-American gang in New York City that helped traffic unauthorized immigrants in the 1980s and 1990s.

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Lacey Williams (from left), Mary Espinosa, Jaime Villegas, Armando Cruz Martinez and Elisa Benitez talk inside the offices of the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte, N.C. According to a 2011 Pew Hispanic report, the median age of Latinos in North Carolina is 24.

Lacey Williams (from left), Mary Espinosa, Jaime Villegas, Armando Cruz Martinez and Elisa Benitez talk inside the offices of the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte, N.C. According to a 2011 Pew Hispanic report, the median age of Latinos in North Carolina is 24. Andy McMillan for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Andy McMillan for NPR

Michel Martin, Going There

In North Carolina, Latino Voters Could Decide Tight Senate Race

Latinos make up 9 percent of the state's population and 2 percent of registered voters, and a new poll shows many are undecided. In Charlotte, Michel Martin learns more about their growing influence.

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Waverly Adcock, a sergeant and founder of the West Augusta Guard, prepares his company for inspection and battle at a Civil War re-enactment in Virginia. Sara Smith, whose great-great-grandfather was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg, holds the Confederate battle flag.

Waverly Adcock, a sergeant and founder of the West Augusta Guard, prepares his company for inspection and battle at a Civil War re-enactment in Virginia. Sara Smith, whose great-great-grandfather was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg, holds the Confederate battle flag. Courtesy of Jesse Dukes hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of Jesse Dukes

The Race Card Project: Six-Word Essays

Six Words: 'Must We Forget Our Confederate Ancestors?'

The Confederate flag is a sign of bigotry to some. For others, says reporter Jesse Dukes, it symbolizes family heritage and defiance — but also what he calls a "willful innocence" about U.S. history.

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Bryan Stevenson takes on cases to exonerate people wrongfully convicted. "One of the things that pains me is we have so tragically underestimated the trauma, the hardship we create in this country when we treat people unfairly, when we incarcerate them unfairly, when we condemn them unfairly," he says.

Bryan Stevenson takes on cases to exonerate people wrongfully convicted. "One of the things that pains me is we have so tragically underestimated the trauma, the hardship we create in this country when we treat people unfairly, when we incarcerate them unfairly, when we condemn them unfairly," he says. Tracy King/iStockphoto hide caption

itoggle caption Tracy King/iStockphoto

Author Interviews

One Lawyer's Fight For Young Blacks And 'Just Mercy'

When police pulled a gun on Bryan Stevenson as he was sitting quietly in his car in Atlanta, he knew he had to effect change. His memoir describes his attempts, including freeing men on death row.

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Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S., at a wedding in Ghana. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, where Duncan was being treated for the disease, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014 said Duncan has died.

Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S., at a wedding in Ghana. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, where Duncan was being treated for the disease, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014 said Duncan has died. Wilmot Chayee/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Wilmot Chayee/AP

Goats and Soda

Liberians Wonder If Duncan's Death Was A Result Of Racism

Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian national, died of Ebola in an American hospital. But white American patients have survived. Some Liberians believe racism is the reason for Duncan's demise.

Navajo presidential candidate Chris Deschene greets supporters ahead of a hearing in Window Rock, Ariz., to determine whether Deschene is fluent enough in Navajo to qualify for the presidency.

Navajo presidential candidate Chris Deschene greets supporters ahead of a hearing in Window Rock, Ariz., to determine whether Deschene is fluent enough in Navajo to qualify for the presidency. Felicia Fonseca/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Felicia Fonseca/AP

Code Switch

Navajo Presidential Race Shaken By Language Gap

Chris Deschene's run for president of the Navajo Nation has been challenged because he's not fluent in the Navajo language. The dispute highlights a split among Native Americans over language issues.