The Story of Jelani Day 2021-10-19

The Story of Jelani Day

In August, Jelani Day went missing and his car was found with no license plates or keys several days after he was reported missing. Ten days later, Jelani’s body was found in the Illinois River 60 miles from his campus in a town where less than 1 percent of the population is Black and he had no known connections. It's important to note that Jelani was an avid swimmer who’d competed on his school’s swim team. The Takeaway talks with Linda Foster, President of the Bloomington-Normal NAACP and James E. Wright II, assistant professor at Florida State University, specializing in policing, about the story of Jelani Day.

Jury Selection in the Trial of Ahmaud Arbery's Accused Killers Began Monday

Like the murder of George Floyd and so many others, Arbery’s death sparked a wave of racial justice uprisings across the U.S. in the summer of 2020. It also prompted the state of Georgia to make changes to its criminal justice law, including the passage of a hate crimes statute. For more on the trial, The Takeaway spoke to Nicole Lewis, senior editor of Jurisprudence at Slate. 

Christian Missionaries Held Captive by Haitian Gang

17 Christian missionaries building an orphanage in Haiti remain captive after they were abducted by the 400 Mawozo gang on Saturday, October 16th. Kidnappings in Haiti continue to rise counting 328 during the first 8 months of 2021. We discuss the situation in Haiti leading up to the kidnappings and what we can anticipate with Jaqueline Charles, Caribbean and Haitian correspondent for the Miami Herald.

The Life and Legacy of Colin Powell

Colin Powell, the first Black U.S. Secretary of State, passed away on Monday due to complications from Covid-19 at the age of 84. Powell, a 4-star Army general, was also the first black national security advisor and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. We look back at his life of public service and his role in leading the U.S. into the Iraq War.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.