Tell Me More

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. You've probably heard that the Supreme Court is set to rule sometime soon on an important case about affirmative action in higher education. We decided we wanted to find out more about the young woman whose name is on the case, Abigail Fisher. That's coming up later in the program.

The Supreme Court is weighing a decision on Abigail Fisher's affirmative action case against the University of Texas. Host Michel Martin speaks with ProPublica writer Nikole Hannah-Jones about Fisher's motivation and what's behind the landmark case.

In 1961, Phyllis Richman started applying to graduate school at Harvard. But she was discouraged when a professor asked how she would balance her professional life with 'responsibilities' to her husband. Host Michel Martin speaks with Richman about a response letter she wrote 52 years later.

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Among the many explosive issues the Supreme Court is expected to take on this year is the issue of same-sex marriage: whether same-sex couples should have the same benefits as straight ones. But one of the most sensitive aspects of that issue is the element of race. Documentary filmmaker Yoruba Richen takes on both of those issues in a new documentary called "The New Black."

(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY "THE NEW BLACK")

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: