For so many reasons, Americans are seething. Here, a protestor shouts as he holds an American flag after storming the Wisconsin State Capitol on in Madison, Wis., March 9, 2011 after Republicans in the state Senate voted to curb collective bargaining rights for public union workers.
Minny (Octavia Spencer) and Aibileen (Davis) are two domestics who team up with a writer to break the code of silence about the conditions they work under in 1960s Mississippi.
Credit Dale Robinette / DreamWorks
Davis tells Fresh Air that the history she imagined for Aibileen included a yearning to write — and a gift for words.
Actress Viola Davis has been nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of the maid Aibileen in the film The Help, set in 1960s Mississippi. But not everyone has applauded the film, which has been criticized for its portrayal of black domestic servants in the civil rights era.
During World War II, Roscoe Brown served with the Tuskegee Airmen, the U.S. military's first black fighter pilots. Recently, he worked as a consultant on the film, "Red Tails," depicting their story. As part of Tell Me More's series, In Your Ear, Brown offers up his personal play list.
Even for most avid political junkies, budgets can be as inspiring as watching paint dry. But in an election year, they can be used as a rallying point for both parties. Host Michel Martin discusses President Obama's new budget, and other political news with two of Tell Me More's top politicos.
Most history books teach that slavery in the U.S. ended with the Civil War, but a new documentary airing on PBS challenges that. The film, "Slavery By Another Name," explores a system of forced labor that brutalized many black Southerners up to World War II. Host Michel Martin speaks with the film's director and co-executive producer.