MPR Archive presents a selection of stories tied to various the aspects, history, and battles for civil rights of individuals and groups within the State of Minnesota.
December 31, 1998 - After a decade of litigation, the country's first class-action sexual harassment lawsuit has been settled. The settlement, for an undisclosed amount, comes just days before a jury was to consider damages in the case. In 1988 a group of women sued their employer, Eveleth Mines in northeast Minnesota, for sexual harassment and sex discrimination. The Eveleth Mines lawsuit is little-known, but it set a precedent for class-action lawsuits based on a hostile work environment, including the Mitsubishi Motors settlement earlier this year. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports. The women who sued Eveleth Mines in 1988 -- and its owner Ogleby Norton -- were some of the first to integrate northeast Minnesota's all-male min
March 25, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger reports that Mille Lacs Ojibwe leaders called for cooperation and friendship after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of treaty rights. The decision affirmed an 1837 agreement allowing eight tribes to fish and hunt without state regulation in east-central Minnesota.
April 13, 1999 - MPR’s Eric Jansen reports on community complaints regarding Minneapolis Police Department’s CODEFOR program. Minneapolis’ mayor and police chief say CODEFOR has dramatically reduced crime in the city. Critics and civil rights groups claim the computer-assisted program that targets neighborhoods based on crime patterns encourages police harassment and makes some residents feel like prisoners in their own homes.
May 3, 1999 - Midday presents a Mainstreet Radio special report "Hidden Rainbow: The Changing Face of Minnesota." Program presents a series of reports on the state's growing minority population in outstate Minnesota.
May 3, 1999 - On this segment of Mainstreet Radio’s Rural Diversity series, Tom Robertson looks at Minnesota's 'hidden' population -- rural minorities.
June 21, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” This segment is the story of journalist Eva McDonald. Her work exposing the harsh conditions endured by women in the new factories propelled her into the forefront of the very male world of labor politics.
November 29, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” This segment is the story of Fredrick McGhee, a civil-rights advocate and Minnesota's first black lawyer, who left an important local and national legacy.
December 22, 1999 - MPR’s Marisa Helms reports on Kinpride, a cable-access show in St. Cloud that takes a closer look at homosexuality. The show's creator and host says the program is designed to educate people and, hopefully, lead to a greater acceptance of a wider range of lifestyles in Minnesota.
July 27, 2000 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on Minnesotans with disabilities are marking the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In South Minneapolis, nearly a thousand people visited the Anne Sullivan School to take part in a day long celebration of the signing of the legislation. Disability rights activists say the ADA literally opened doors and businesses to millions of Americans, but they say more needs to be done.
August 22, 2000 - The United Way of Minneapolis is sticking by its committment to give money to local boy scout troops. The charity considered revoking the scouts' gift after the Supreme Court upheld a ban on gay troop leaders earlier this year. Nationally, seven United Ways have stoped giving money to the Boy Scouts. Terri BUH-RAY-ROH is the Senior Director of Community Service for the United Way of Minneapolis. She says reaction to the Supreme Court decision has been low-key: