Under the Radar with Callie Crossley

More than 20 years ago, Stephen L. Carter’s debut novel, “The Emperor of Ocean Park” spent 11 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, raking up accolades and award nominations. Interest in the novel has continued, and now, “The Emperor of Ocean Park” has been adapted into a streaming series starring Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker. We speak with author Carter about the inspiration and un...

They came as housekeepers, whalers and indentured servants in the 19th century: Black families who settled permanently on Martha’s Vineyard. Their hidden history is uncovered in a new book, “Black Homeownership on Martha’s Vineyard: A History,” by authors Thomas Dresser and Richard Taylor. We speak with Dresser and Taylor about tracing the existence of Black people on the Vineyard to before the Re...

Two high-profile Indian American women – Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Usha Vance, wife of Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance, are shining a spotlight on South Asian women in politics. They’re just two of the 4.4 million Indian Americans in this country – the largest Asian demographic identifying solely from one country, and an increasingly powerful voting bloc....

Boston released “Dear Summer: Volume 1” last year – its first official summer mixtape and the country's only city-sponsored one. From hip-hop to rock to jazz, the new platform showcased the talents of local musicians and Boston’s rich musical heritage and legacy. Now “Dear Summer: Volume 2” is live featuring a new set of artists: six DJs and 17 artists (6-1-7, get it?) from the Greater Boston area...

In the days when professional baseball was segregated into white and Black teams, a Black woman named Toni Stone made history.  Stone was a sports phenom, and she rose through the ranks to become the first woman to play regularly in the Negro leagues, a series of men's professional baseball leagues. The teams attracted talented players including Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron. But S...

This week on Under the Radar 's Local News Roundtable — City Hall shifts, ballot questions, lifeguard news and more. Boston’s Environmental Chief is moving on . Rev. Mariama White-Hammond used her three-year cabinet tenure to amplify equity in the city’s environmental policies from expanding the city’s green jobs to reducing heat islands in neighborhoods. She left the position to focus on her role...

Mother expressions run the gamut of familiar advice. ”If everybody jumps off the bridge, will you do it, too?”  “I’m the mother; that’s why.”  “We have food at home.” These and other motherly quips have lasting resonance — not always positive. “If you came to my mom and told her you were bored, you got assigned a cleaning task. Can't be bored washing the windows, you know?” Carissa Burk, author of...

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court overturned legal segregation in America’s public schools in the landmark ruling, Brown v. Board of Education . The decision dissolved the “separate but equal” doctrine, effectively ending legal segregation in American education. The ruling 70 years ago was a defining moment for the country’s racial progress — it also marked the beginning of what turned out to be...

Author Suzanne Park's new rom-com, “One Last Word,” is a novel centered around a Korean tech entrepreneur — and what happens when her new app accidentally sends intimate messages to all the important people in her life. “Her goal is just to get from point A to point B. I've been conditioned to work hard and get good grades and work hard at work, and I'll get promoted, and my life will go in this t...

Organizations across the Bay State are joining together to take on a bold mission — eliminating hunger in Massachusetts. More than one million people in the state try to make ends meet with federal funds for food ; many of those include families with children. The new Make Hunger History Coalition includes leaders of food banks, legislators and other advocates for hungry residents whose stated goa...

America loves hot sauce. A 2021 Instacart survey found 74% of consumers eat hot sauce with their food , and when there was a shortage of the popular Huy Fong Foods' sriracha hot sauce last year, one bottle would go for as much as $52 on Amazon. Right now, they go for $9 .  But given Greater Boston’s reputation for cuisine that is the opposite of spicy (clam chowda, anyone?) you might be surprised...

Each year more than one million American women begin menopause — an experience many don’t understand and few talk about. Often referred to as “the change,” the most common symptoms include — hot flashes, brain fog and fatigue. “I had insomnia for years,” Dr. Tina Opie, a management professor at Babson College, told Under the Radar . “I was sweating profusely. I would be at work and forget my train...

From Oscar-winning movies like “Parasite” and the Oscar-nominated “Past Lives,” to the innovative modern fashion and the thumping beats of K-pop groups like BLACKPINK and BTS, South Korean culture has risen to global prominence. It’s known as the Korean Wave, or Hallyu. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts is highlighting Korean culture with “Hallyu! The Korean Wave” a new 250-piece exhibit which includ...

This year 21 anti-transgender laws have passed nationwide with hundreds more under consideration. But Maine’s legislature has gone against the trend, instead approving a new “ shield law ” protecting health care workers who provide gender-affirming care. It is headed to the desk of Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. It is incredibly important “to protect states where care is legal because providers are...

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion rights were pushed into a blazing spotlight. The intense fallout from the 2022 decision resulted in new state-sponsored legal limits to abortion access as well as the successful blocking of would-be abortion bans in states like Kansas.  Despite the highly charged ongoing national debate about abortion, national surveys show Americans’ attitud...

Rhode Island taxpayers are feeling sticker shock as they may shell out over $130 million in debt payments for a soccer stadium in Pawtucket. One reporter noted it was similar to the amount the government of Pakistan is charged to borrow money. Plus, the bids are in for major offshore wind projects that could bring energy and jobs to Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, where New Bedford an...

"Relinquished" is an industry term used to describe the process where parents give up their children for adoption.  The term is also the title of author Gretchen Sisson's new book, “Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and The Privilege of American Motherhood” which profiles the stories of birth mothers and breaks down the myths and misunderstandings about the American adoption process. For many...

Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder and the Jonas Brothers have joined more than 200 U.S. musicians in an open letter demanding protections against artificial intelligence. The group argues the new tech could undermine or replace human artists. Plus, Beyonce’s record-breaking album, “Cowboy Carter” is pushing boundaries in country music highlighting the genre’s Black artists and Black history. And comedi...

March Madness wraps up this week as top college basketball players compete for the coveted NCAA championship . Some of the most talented collegiate players will go on to join the pros in the NBA — and while it's likely they want to play like superstars LeBron James, Jason Tatum and Stephen Curry, to name a few, more and more it appears they also want to dress like them. "There was a lot of resista...

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the national hunger crisis across the country. In Massachusetts, the number of households struggling with food insecurity more than doubled, from about 8% pre-COVID to a record high of 19% during the pandemic. Emergency food access programs, food pantries and even targeted pandemic food subsidies did not eliminate the hunger emergency. That inspired some communiti...

From immigration to reproductive rights, issues that ignited the country in the last presidential election will be re-litigated in the rematch between President Biden and former President Trump. As the contest heats up, former President Trump’s speeches are reaching new levels of violent rhetoric — at a recent rally he predicted a " blood bath " should he lose. And Gov. Maura Healey opposes a pote...

How did Ella Fitzgerald become the legend she was? That’s the question author Judith Tick asks and answers in her new biography on the famed vocalist, “Becoming Ella Fitzgerald: The Jazz Singer Who Transformed American Song," our March selection for Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club. Jazz and history buffs know about the young Ella Fitzgerald’s first nervous performance at Harlem’s famed A...

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have officially clinched the required delegates for their Democratic and Republican presidential nominations. With the unofficial general campaign underway, both parties are eager to win the Latino vote. Now, a Republican strategy to shore up Latino support is becoming clear as they are aligning with Latin American politicians — far-right popul...

Greater Boston is home to one of the largest populations of Puerto Ricans. It's a local community that expanded by the thousands after World War II, when about six million islanders from the US territory made their way to the mainland looking for better economic opportunities. They enriched the nation’s cultural melting pot with aspects of indigenous customs and traditions. Today, with an even gre...

From the 1500s through the Civil War, more than 10 million Black men, women and children were enslaved in America. Slavery deemed them property. They were listed on bills of sale; their family members were sold away and their names were changed. After emancipation and the Civil War, the formerly enslaved found many of the familial threads of connection buried or lost. It’s why their African-Americ...