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 14, 2020 - MPR’s Nina Moini spent an evening walking with a Minneapolis violence prevention group, called “violence interrupters.” Members of group share purpose behind efforts and the challenges they face.
December 28, 2020 - MPR’s Catharine Richert profiles Jeanette Rupert, a South Minneapolis nurse who spends her days between ICU and neighborhood health effort as pandemic ravages communities of color.
February 23, 2021 - On this MPR News Presents program, a broadcast of local 2020 Habitat for Humanity event in with longtime civil rights activist Josie Johnson and her granddaughter Josie Duffy Rice. The two talk about the importance of "passing the activism torch." Johnson says that not only do we need more justice, fairness, and opportunity...but we need a commitment to believing that social justice work matters and is long-lasting.
May 24, 2021 - On this MPR Special Report, Host Angela Davis explores how George Floyd changed us in a collection of personal interviews and commentary.
August 20, 2021 - MPR’s Catherine Richert profiles Minneapolis resident, Stacey Danner, who died of COVID-19 at the age of 46. Richert looks at reasons behind Danner’s decision in not getting a vaccination, and the greater hesitation of some in Black community towards COVID-19 vaccine.
September 16, 2021 - MPR’s Dan Kraker reports on the efforts in Duluth to address a problem known as the ‘Adventure Gap.’ Various groups in the city are trying to provide BIPOC children oppurtiunities to experience and enjoy outdoor sports in the area.
February 15, 2022 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Minneapolis activist and writer Junauda Petrus about her book “The Stars and the Blackness Between Them” being placed on a potenial banned books list in Texas. The book is the story of two black girls from very different backgrounds finding love and happiness in a world that seems determined to deny them both.
May 23, 2022 - On this segment of North Star Journey, MPR’s Catharine Richert looks into a reckoning the city of Rochester finds itself going through. New research into housing covenants provides evidence that the founders of Mayo Clinic — a giant in Minnesota and Rochester, viewed globally as a force for good — played a role perpetuating practices that favored all-white neighborhoods.
June 24, 2022 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann speaks with Jean Tretter, a founder of Twin Cities Pride; and Roxanne Anderson, founder of Power to the People, about the 50th anniversary of the Pride festival in the Twin Cities.
September 14, 2022 - On this segment of North Star Journey, MPR’s Simone Cazares profiles Tina Jackson and her soul line dancing class at Oxford Community Center in the heart of St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood.