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.
October 1, 2010 - MPR’s Tom Crann talks with NPR journalist Michele Norris, who speaks about her memoir “The Grace of Silence.” Norris describes finding out about her maternal grandmother’s Minneapolis job as an itinerant Aunt Jemima.
November 8, 2010 - On this Midday program, MPR’s Cathy Wurzer speaks with Supreme Court Justice Alan Page.
February 7, 2011 - MPR’s Chris Roberts profiles Minneapolis rapper and emcee Carnage the Executioner, aka Terrell Woods. Roberts interviews Carnage the Executioner about his personal life and album “Worth the Wait." Roberts also talks with others in the music industry about Carnage the Executioner’s talents.
March 24, 2011 - MPR News presents the series "Following the Firearms: Gun Violence in Minneapolis," which looks at where guns are coming from, and the impact of gun violence in Minnesota's largest city. In this report, MPR’s Laura Yuen how the gun war is affecting the area's African American community.
April 15, 2011 - MPR Presents "Writing Minnesota," a special program highlighting Minnesota writers and authors. Program showcases some of the exciting literary work coming out of the state.
February 3, 2012 - As part of Arts Week, MPR’s Marianne Combs has a conversation with scholar Paul Carter Harrison and Penumbra’s Lou Bellamy. The group discusses the history behind the Black Arts Movement and its impact.
May 4, 2012 - MPR’s Brandt Williams profiles a group of Minnesota parents as they reflect on the 40th anniversary of their efforts on school desegregation.
May 10, 2012 - Penumbra Theater is presenting James Baldwin's The Amen Corner at the Guthrie. Director Lou Bellamy says he's waited 30 years to do the show, but now he has all the elements he needs, including his own perspective.
May 18, 2012 - Is life better for an African American artist today living in the Twin Cities than it was twenty or thirty years ago?
August 31, 2012 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports that August is the deadliest month in Minneapolis for homicides, and most are African American men. Williams profiles a few young Black men trying to beat the odds by leaving the path that often leads to early death or prison.