MPR has been recording decades of material that reflect the Black experience in Minnesota directly from the voices of members in the community. The wide-ranging subject matter of civil rights, politics, arts & culture, sports, music, education, and business are captured in the stories, memories, commentary, and speeches.
August 12, 2005 - MPR’s Dan Olson profiles Minneapolis big band saxophonist Charles Beasley. In interview with Olson, 80-year-old Beasley reflects on the change in race relations in this country and his experiences in big band.
August 18, 2005 - Renowned Twin Cities tenor saxophonist Irv Williams shares his appreciation for the classical composition “Paris, A Night Piece - The Song of a Great City" by Frederick Delius.
September 9, 2005 - MPR’s Chris Roberts profiles West St. Paul jazz saxophonist Irv Williams, who at 86, still plays gigs and has CD releases. Roberts interviews Williams about his music style and longevity, and others in the music industry about Williams’ talent.
September 23, 2005 - MPR’s Karl Gehrke reports on Seattle composer Stehen Newby’s “Rondo Oratorio,” It is a multi-movement work for large chorus, chamber orchestra, rhythm section, soloists and narrators that captures the spirit of the people who lived in St. Paul's long-gone Rondo neighborhood.
November 17, 2005 - MPR’s Mark Steil looks back at the origin story of the Floyd of Rosedale trophy, which goes each November to the winner of the Minnesota-Iowa game. On one level, the bronze pig is just another collegiate prize. But few people know it had its origins in a 1934 game with racial overtones.
December 2, 2005 - MPR’s Tom Crann meets with the Steele family in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Music Studio to discuss family and Christmas. The Steeles also perform various Christmas songs.
December 7, 2005 - The Twin Cities are home to two of the nation's preeminent ethnic theaters. Voices of Minnesota profiles Lou Bellamy, director of the African American Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul; and Rick Shiomi, director of Minneapolis' Mu Performing Arts, which presents Asian-American theater and traditional Japanese Daiko drumming.
March 3, 2006 - MPR’s Chris Roberts reports on Minneapolis-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Douglas Ewart, who places his focus on the creation of sustainable music. Roberts interviews Ewart and others about the sounds and designs behind Ewart’s instruments and performances.
March 24, 2006 - MPR’s Chris Roberts reports on MInneapolis’s Mixed Blood Theater production called "Point of Revue," which has 15 African American writers interpret the state of Black America in 2006.
May 12, 2006 - MPR’s Chris Roberts profiles Twin Cities rapper Omaur Bliss. Roberts interviews Bliss about the optimism in his music and on growing up in East St. Paul. Segment also includes comments from Steve McPherson, music editor of Pulse.