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Eyes On The Pride The Democratic Party, as assembled and packaged at its national convention, does not seem especially proud that it is about to become the first major American political party to nominate an African-American to be president. Strange Bedfellows Behind Anti-Obama 'Turban' Ad Who was behind the inflammatory ad that showed Obama wearing a turban? The answer could be the start of a joke: a hypnotherapist, an apolitical wedding videographer, and a felon now on the run. And they still haven't paid for the ad. Writer: Whites See Obama As A Black Exception In the latest installment of the series What If?, which explores the potential impact of a first-elected black president, writer and activist Tim Wise and writer Richard Rodriguez to discuss whether Sen. Barack Obama's popularity among whites does anything to change pre-existing negative perceptions of blacks in America. Minorities Get Little Respect On The Big Screen As the summer movie season draws to a close, Morning Edition commentator John Ridley weighs in on what he thinks has been a really bad spell for minorities at the multiplex — both for actors and moviegoers. What Rev. Sharpton Wants From Obama The media has a monolithic view of black leaders, says Rev. Al Sharpton. He explains what he wants to see from the Democratic presidential candidate and why he thinks it's dangerous to presume that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream has been achieved. West Adams High, A Model For The Future? Unlike teens that are dreading the return to high school, many seniors at L.A.'s West Adams Preparatory are looking forward to returning to school. The brand new institution — focused on helping students realize their dreams — hopes to buck trends at other L.A. public schools. Obama Candidacy Brings 'Pride and Hope' Tell Me More begins its series What If?, which explores the potential impact of a first-elected black president. Eric Holder, Jr., a pivotal voice in the Barack Obama campaign, gives thoughts on the Illinois senator's historic candidacy. The former deputy attorney also shares insight into the recent selection of Sen. Joe Biden as Obama's running mate. Race And Politics: A Movement, And Frustration As part of our Race & Politics series, we've invited two of our listeners to talk to Host Liane Hansen about how race has affected their political positions. This week, Betty Parker, of Pleasant Hill, Tenn., and Hubert Smith, of Jacksonville, Ore., discuss their contrasting views of race in America today and the changes that have taken place since the civil rights movement first began. A Democrat Heads To First Convention At 88 At 88, Bertha Means is a rookie. The Texas Democrat is a first-time delegate to the Democratic National Convention. She runs a taxi cab company in Austin, Texas. And she likes to call herself a "great-grandmama-for-Obama." The March On Washington — 20 Years Late When hundreds of thousands of people descended on the capital for the March on Washington 45 years ago this week, it was the largest political gathering the nation had ever seen. What's often overlooked is the fact that the march was supposed to have taken place more than two decades earlier. Immigration Study: 'Second Generation' Has Edge In much of the debate over immigration, there is an underlying question of whether immigrants today are assimilating as easily as past generations. In New York City, the answer is an unqualified "yes," according to a 10-year study involving more than 3,000 young men and women. Cuban Symphony Changes Tune The National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba has made the transition from a virtually all-white, male group to one featuring a number of black and female musicians. 1968 Chicago Riot Left Mark On Political Protests Democrats are gathering for their national convention in Denver with the party divided and the country mired in an unpopular war. The situation was similar 40 years ago when Democrats convened in Chicago, amid battles between protesters and police. What happened then still influences political protests today. Jesse's Story: An Urban Teen Beats The Odds Even though he was from a D.C. neighborhood that had a "thug mentality," Jesse Jean graduated from Ohio Wesleyan in June. Two tutors at a neighborhood center helped him turn around his grades — and he studied human behavior to help cope with his past. Restored Film Gives Life to Native American Story A landmark film about the lives of Native Americans in 1950s Los Angeles has been given a new life. Thanks to the efforts of filmmaker Charles Burnett and award-winning author Sherman Alexie, the 1961 film The Exiles has been restored. Burnett and Alexie speak about the film's significance and relevance more than 40 years after its release.