Nashville's local news and NPR station

Race & Equity

This is where to find WPLN’s coverage of race and ethnicity, and of questions of equity relating to both. We strive to tell stories that reflect the diversity of Middle Tennessee, empower communities of color, and explain the systems that uphold inequitable power dynamics.

We as a newsroom are thinking deeply about what stories we choose to cover, who we talk to and about what, but we know we can always do better. Read more from our news director about the work we're doing and how to get in touch.

Quick links:

  • Sigue a Nashville Noticias, donde periodistas de WPLN comparten las noticias en español dos veces a la semana.
  • Listen to Breaking Points, a special series from summer 2020 that passes the mic to Black Nashvillians.
  • We're sharing our goals and progress with you on our WPLN News transparency page. Read our annual newsroom goals and how we're keeping track of source diversity.
  • Read our latest FCC quarterly report, which includes our source diversity numbers.
  • For coverage specifically on policing and criminal justice, please refer to our Criminal Justice topic page.

Spitting on Andrew Jackson’s grave with Rebecca Nagle

B.A. Parker~https://www.npr.org/people/1114056142/b-a-parker?ft=nprml&f=1210938384|Christina Cala~https://www.npr.org/people/580312943/christina-cala?ft=nprml&f=1210938384|Courtney Stein~https://www.npr.org/people/1251608193/courtney-stein?ft=nprml&f=1210938384|Jess Kung~https://www.npr.org/people/773152683/jess-kung?ft=nprml&f=1210938384|Xavier Lopez~https://www.npr.org/people/1209667949/xavier-lopez?ft=nprml&f=1210938384|Leah Donnella~https://www.npr.org/people/477473044/leah-donnella?ft=nprml&f=1210938384|Jasmine Romero|Gene Demby~https://www.npr.org/people/182264497/gene-demby?ft=nprml&f=1210938384|Lori Lizarraga~https://www.npr.org/people/1140931749/lori-lizarraga?ft=nprml&f=1210938384

That’s how Nagle begins her new book and how she frames the version of history she’s telling. The book digs into the past and future of Native sovereignty through the lens of one of the most significant Supreme Court rulings for Native Americans in over 100 years.

‘We want people to hear our voices’: Election Day inside a Nashville jail

Election Day is one week away for the majority of Nashvillians. But for people incarcerated in Davidson County’s jails, in-person voting happens one week earlier, on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

A Nashville judge restored her voting rights. Then the state stepped in.

A Nashville judge will soon decide if a group of disenfranchised voters can cast a ballot in this election. The order could pave the way for more people to restore their voting rights.

When can Metro Arts distribute this year’s grant money? A lot has to happen first.

Last week, the Metro Arts Commission announced it will give out grant money to artists and arts nonprofits before the end of the 2024-25 fiscal year in June. That’s after two months of confusion.

Mexican immigrant families plagued by grief, questions after Tennessee plant workers swept away by Helene

Hurricane Helene left a devastating mark on the small Latino community in Erwin, Tennessee. Six workers at a plastics factory were swept away, four of them Mexican Americans. Loved ones and supporters have been gathering for vigils, and question why Impact Plastics workers weren’t told to leave the job sooner.

Listen: After neo-Nazis target Black children, Nashville comes out to support them

To celebrate national United Against Hate Day of Action, kids got a special visit from Nashville’s major sports leagues.

It took a lot for Jackie Shane to get her documentary due

A new film called “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story” captures Shane as a powerhouse R&B performer and a Black, trans woman who got her start in Nashville, then took the Toronto scene by storm in the 1960s. She eventually stopped performing, and no one knew where she was.

Metro will demolish homes in a 40-year-old encampment, but won’t clear out residents

There are no plans to close an encampment near the Silliman Evans bridge. However, Metro does plan to demolish some larger dwellings in the camp.

Most Nashville seniors don’t have enough money to live on. A new program makes it easier to find help.

On Tuesday, the Metro government and group of nonprofits launched RESET, a new partnership to connect older adults with financial assistance.

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