The civil rights movement saw a pivotal moment with Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech on Aug. 28, 1963. Fifty years later, President Barack Obama is scheduled to commemorate that moment with a speech of his own at the Lincoln Memorial. NPR's news programs will provide coverage throughout the day on Wednesday, Aug. 28. And listen for upcoming features on Weekend Edition, as part of NPR's series The Summer of '63.

 

NPR's CEO and president, Gary Knell, announced Monday, Aug. 19 that he's leaving the network in late November, after two years on the job. He's taking on the same role at the National Geographic Society, and told NPR staffers he couldn't refuse an offer to lead a larger, educational publishing and television organization. NPR's media correspondent David Folkenflik reported the story for his own employer. The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal also reported the story.

 

Deadlines have been extended in NPR's T-shirt Design Challenge in collaboraton with crowdsourcing vendor Threadless, inviting listeners to submit and vote for designs based on the theme My Sound World.

Participants can submit their T-shirt designs through Sept. 2. The winner will get $2000 in cash and a private tour-for-two of NPR HQ in Washington, DC, plus other gifts, and the satisfaction of seeing their work worn by NPR fans worldwide. You can see all the designs submitted so far and vote for your favorite through Sept. 9.

 

The departing director of the University of Oklahoma's Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art says 21st Century art will be shaped by music, video, and other mixed media to visually express ideas in new and exciting ways. Ghislain d'Humières spoke with World Views host and OU College of International Studies Dean Suzette Grillot in an exit interview of sorts; hear it tomorrow at 4 p.m. (repeated at 6:30 p.m.) on World Views, and see a slideshow at KGOU.org.

 

The Oklahoma political landscape has undergone a major shift to the right in the last 15 years. With Republicans having super-majorities in the state House and Senate, and every statewide elective office in GOP hands, the Democrats are now the minority party.

This political shift is the core of a conversation KGOU news director Kurt Gwartney recently had with former House Speaker Kris Steele (R) and former Senate minority leader Andrew Rice (D). The two leaders spoke before a small audience about their views on Oklahoma's political past, present and future, and their work in the non-profit sector after leaving the legislature. KGOU airs their conversation Monday, Aug. 26 at 11 a.m. on Oklahoma Voices.

 

Basil is a superstar in Italian cuisine, but often finds itself typecast -- locked into pesto, pastas, and caprese salads. Serri Graslie showcases basil's lesser-known 'indie' roles with recipes for gazpacho, sorbet, and a spicy Thai mojito, among others. It's all at the Kitchen Window.