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To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we look at the effect those events and their aftermath had on the U.S. and Afghanistan.

When Bethany Morrow was asked to write a new take on the beloved classic, she agreed on one condition: The new March family would look nothing like the old.

NPR's Phillip Martin reports on the National Urban League's annual assessment of African American progress. The "State of Black America" report shows home ownership at record highs, unemployment at all-time lows and surging college enrollment, especially among black women. But a disproportionate number of African American children live in poverty, more black men are imprisoned, and more black people die of AIDS, cancer and other diseases. Conversely, the reports says the black middle class continues to grow and the educated young experience fewer barriers than earlier generations.

Banning Eyre reports on the legacy of Nigerian bandleader and activist Fela Kuti. Kuti came from a talented and educated family. He was educated in England and spent time in America. In the 1970's, his jazz and funk-influenced music challenged the political and military leadership of Nigeria. His lifestyle reflected his sharp rejection of Western ideas. Kuti eventually died of complications from AIDS. But his life is attracting new attention here in the US as his son Femi tours with a band, and a new biography by Michael Veal details his life. (12:30) Please note, Fela: The Life & Times of an African Musical Icon, by Michael E. Veal is published by Temple University Press; ISBN# 1566397650, June 2000.

In celebration of Mexico's Independence Day, many people will eat the green, white and red dish of stuffed peppers in walnut sauce. Noted chef and cookbook author Pati Jinich is among them.

The BBC's Chris Simpson reports on a summit in Lusaka, where African leaders are demanding immediate implementation of provisions of an existing peace agreement between warring factions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Senator Joseph Lieberman met today with the Democratic National Committee's Black Caucus. The meeting came just a day after some in the caucus publicly questioned his fealty to affirmative action and other issues important to African American liberals. NPR's Cheryl Corley was at the meeting, and she spoke with Noah Adams from the downtown Los Angeles hotel.

When African slaves escaped from Brazil into Uruguay, they brought their Candomble religion and music, which metamorphosed into Condombe, a vibrant music embraced by black and white Uruguayans. It's now used in everything from the tango to protest songs. But some say Condombe's essence is being lost to commercialization. Reese Erlich reports.

Country singer Charley Pride will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this coming Wednesday, when he becomes the first African American artist so honored. He's won three Grammy Awards, had more than 50 singles on the charts and more than half in the Top 10, including the Number One hit "Kiss An Angel Good Morning". Host Jacki Lyden talks to him about his career.

Host Jacki Lyden speaks with James Perkins, the first African-American mayor of Selma, Alabama. The defeated mayor, Joe Smitherman, was the man who called out the National Guard on civil rights protesters in 1965.