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Why I revel in the joyful sound of JuneteenthJuneteenth is an opportunity聽to educate Americans about Black history. But our columnist hopes that joy and community remain central to the holiday.
They came to the US against their will. Their descendants returned to Africa for them.The last enslaved people to arrive in the U.S. from Africa tried to get home after they were emancipated. More than 150 years later, their descendants make the journey for them 鈥� and consider the legacy they left.聽
鈥業nside Out 2鈥� offers all the feels 鈥� and a great time at the movies鈥淚nside Out 2,鈥� the first box-office smash of 2024, offers a welcome return to form for Pixar.
First LookWoman-led productions and surprise guests make for a historic 77th Tony AwardsThe 77th Tony Awards recognized the best theater productions of the year and spotlighted female directors and scorewriters.聽鈥淭he Outsiders" won best new musical,聽Maleah Joi Moon won best leading actress, and聽Jeremy Strong took home聽best lead actor in a play.
The Sundarbans mangroves hold a treasure-trove of natureWe loved every second of our day trip to the world's largest mangrove聽forest, which straddles Bangladesh and India.
A visit to 鈥楪iants鈥� offers reflections on Black art 鈥撀燼nd livesOur cultural commentator tours a power couple鈥檚 art collection at the Brooklyn Museum to see what effect the exhibit, 鈥淕iants,鈥� has on the understanding of Black art and everyday life.聽
A Civil War hero got a new statue. Her name is Harriet Tubman.Civil War statues have been in the news in recent years. But a new one in Beaufort, South Carolina, honors a different kind of military leader 鈥� and the story only starts there.
She needed a notary. How a Holocaust survivor became a friend.A routine notary task blossomed into a beautiful friendship with my neighbor Ann, a Holocaust survivor.聽
These English PhDs helped train Google鈥檚 AI bot. Here鈥檚 what they think about it now.Half a dozen English Ph.D.s who worked on Google Gemini share their experiences training AI with the Monitor.
This Namibian park has skyscraper-high dunes and a spectacular view of dawnA trusty guide in love with the smallest of beings draws attention away from the impossibly high mounds of sand in the Namib-Naukluft National Park.
In Big Sur, smaller wonders take the spotlightBig Sur鈥檚 nooks and crannies, the intricate details I would have missed had I gone looking for the 鈥渂igger鈥� shots, spoke to me.聽聽
Ann Powers was writing Joni Mitchell鈥檚 life story. She found her own.With her new biography about Joni Mitchell, NPR music critic Ann Powers says she wanted to challenge the idea that there鈥檚 only one definitive story of a life.聽
Old-timey organ-grinders try to keep pace with modern Mexico CityThe music of organ-grinders is a 鈥渃lassic sound鈥� of Mexico City. Despite these deep roots, today the tradition is at risk.
The grass wasn鈥檛 greener 鈥� turning my lawn into a garden ate my time and freed my mindSo what if my turf-free lawn is labor-intensive? The zen I find puttering in my garden is priceless.聽
Bangladesh鈥檚 cycle rickshaws bloom with bespoke designs. But for how much longer?On the streets of Bangladesh, designs once painted by hand to adorn聽the backs and sides of cycle rickshaws are increasingly printed by machine.
On D-Day鈥檚 80th anniversary, volunteers knit for victory with 鈥楾he Longest Yarn鈥�The 3D tapestry 鈥� 80 panels stretching 80 meters 鈥� depicts scenes from D-Day and was completed by over 1,000 volunteers from the U.K., the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand.
This Boston artist creates murals that have a message: 鈥榃e鈥檙e still here鈥�With buildings as her canvas, Boston muralist Rixy explores the intersection聽of art and identity.聽
Empty nest, full heart: My adventures in cat-sittingWhen my kids flew the coop, I turned to cats. It turns out caring for cats is a lot like parenting adolescents.聽
鈥楻obot Dreams鈥� review: This animated delight explores friendship and lossWhen an animated film is invested with the full range of feeling, the result is 鈥淩obot Dreams.鈥� The movie is a tribute to the beauty and frailty of friendship, our critic writes.聽
California鈥檚 desert bloom comes alive on nature鈥檚 scheduleFor the intrepid willing to chase down the desert blossoms, an endless carpet of yellow goldfields is the reward.
