"Before she fell asleep, Kizzy decided that however base her baby`s origins, however light his color, whatever name the massa forced upon him, she would never regard him as other than the grandson of an African."

The book “Roots” changed how Americans talk about race and history. Gov. Bill Lee designated it as an official Tennessee state book in 2024. Now 50 years later, it`s become the target of a book ban in Knox County, Tennessee.

As education reporter Camellia Burris reports, the county school board reversed its decision to remove “Roots” from library shelves after public backlash. It was one of more than 100 titles banned because of content that was deemed inappropriate.

Alex Haley’s “Roots” is about the horrors of the slave trade in America. It was removed because the Knox County school board said that a passage depicting the rape of an enslaved woman violated the state’s Age Appropriate Materials Act. But many say that students need books like “Roots” to understand the impact of slavery. Others are also criticizing the state law for being too vague and subjective. And now, the Knox Conty school board is asking that the law be slightly revised.

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Ready to play the HealthQ quiz with @caraanthony and @flakebarmer?

Here’s the deal: More than a dozen kinds of cancer are on the rise in American adults under 50. Colorectal and breast cancers have increased the most, and colorectal is now the deadliest cancer for Americans ages 18 to 49.

So what does this mean for you? At-home testing kits, which vary in accuracy, can provide additional information ... but not enough to replace personalized medical advice. If you’re concerned about cancer — because you have a family history, or because you have disturbing symptoms — you gotta talk to a doctor.

HealthQ is a project from Nashville Public Radio and @kffhealthnews designed to boost your healthcare know-how. Hosts Cara and Blake are your approachable guides to an unapproachable healthcare system.

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Illustration: Candice Evers

Did you see Brad Paisley talking about the proposed data center near the Nashville Zoo? Lots of people did.

And hundreds of people stood in line for hours on Thursday to speak at the city’s first public hearing on proposed regulations for data centers, reports Caroline Eggers. Many people voiced opposition to a data center proposed near the Nashville Zoo, which created a petition earlier this month that now has nearly 400,000 signatures. Some people also expressed concern about the data center proposed at Fisk University.

Data centers are rapidly spreading across our nation, and the greater Nashville area has at least 27 facilities in operation. More proposals are in progress. Amid public backlash, the city is considering a five-month moratorium on data centers while officials weigh how to define and regulate them.

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It wasn`t country music`s current popularity that motivated the LGBTQ+ chorus Nashville In Harmony to devote this Sunday`s concert to country songs.

Senior Music Writer Jewly Hight reports that Wesley King, the group`s artistic director, noticed a troubling trend of the country music industry retreating from recent efforts to diversify. He wanted the singers he leads to stake their claims to Kacey Musgraves, Chicks, Beyoncé and Little Big Town songs that pushed against mainstream boundaries, and lend their 120 voices a couple of queer country artists who aren`t yet household names: Lauren-Michael Sellers and Brent Snyder.

Country music stardom has been Snyder’s lifelong dream.

Snyder set it aside for half a decade when he came out at the age of 25. But country music is such a part of him that he returned to performing. And after hearing that other “out” country singers and allies call Nashville home, made the move himself.

After years of networking, hustling for gigs, refining his songcraft and cutting independent recordings in his rippling tenor, the work is still hard. Bookings have become harder to come by, and he’s had conversations with industry contacts that yield little more than the suggestion that he should play Pride events.

The invitation to perform with Nashville In Harmony brings welcome recognition. It’s also Snyder’s first opportunity to give one of his songs the choral treatment, “something that I’ve always wanted,” he says. The group will sing on “Michigan,” a brand new ballad examining wounds caused by conditional love and acceptance.

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Does Team Japan have the juice to go all the way this year in the World Cup? Fans believe it. One goal, one play. is all it would take for the Samurai Blue to be in the top teams, despite the recent retirement of injured captain Wataru Endo.

This week in 90 degree heat, traditional taiko drums thundered as Japan’s World Cup team took the pitch in Geodis Park in Nashville and fans screamed in delight.

Justin Barney reports that people flew in from Austin and New York. They drove in from Indiana. And all were elated to meet players Wataru Endo, the “second Messi” Takefusa Kubo and maybe the biggest star, Japan’s former player now coach, Hajime Moriyasu. Jerseys, shoes, flags, and signs were signed by the Japanese players as the crowd yelled for attention and encouragement. As disappointed as Endo fans may be, Mike Woitalla, executive editor of Soccer America noted the Samurai Blue is "a dynamic team and very skill-based. Every player in a Japanese system is expected to be technically good with their feet." Fans agree noting that "they collaborate very well with good pressure."

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