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.
November 28, 2000 - Saint Cloud State University has made headlines over the past five years for at least a dozen discrimination lawsuits brought against the school. One of the longest standing cases - a sex discrimination class action lawsuit -- has been in the courts for almost four years and is now entering settlement talks. Typically, plaintiffs in such actions are advised to not speak out about their case. But the latest discrimination case against St Cloud State is getting attention because the complainant is willing to speak out. Israeli-born Arie Zmora Helms reports.
November 29, 2000 - The Mayflower church in southwest Minneapolis has sponsored boy scout troop 187 for over 70 years, almost as long as the church has been in existence. The church also has one of the most liberal policies toward welcoming gay and lesbian members, and ordaining gay clergy. So in the months since the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the right of the Boy Scouts of America to ban gay scoutmasters, church members and others involved with the troop say their values are in conflict, and they're wondering how best to seek changes in the policy. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.
December 5, 2000 - A Lutheran church in St. Paul voted this week to ordain a lesbian pastoral minister who has been with the congregation since 1983. The decision by St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church defies a rule by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that prohibits the ordination of gay or lesbian pastors living in committed relationships. Pastor Paul Tiedaman says the congregation took the action after many years of waiting for the ELCA to change its position. But he says ELCA officials finally ruled last month that they would not approve Anita Hill's ordination.
December 7, 2000 - A tenative settlement has been reached in a class action sex discrimination lawsuit against St. Cloud State University. The suit had alleged the school paid women less money than men, denied them valid promotions, and allowed sexual harassment to occur. The proposed settlement would affect between 200 and 250 female faculty members and ends more than four years of litigation. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports:
January 15, 2001 - The theme at 2001 Martin Luther King Day rally and march in St. Paul was progress in race relations. But many of the speakers gave their view of the distance to go before equity and justice are achieved.
January 22, 2001 - The number of Muslim cabdrivers serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has grown rapidly in recent years. Muslims .... mostly from Somalia.....now make up 70 percent of the airport's 800 drivers. Some drivers say the Metropolitan Airport Commission's refusal to accomodate their special needs amounts to religious discrimination. Minnesota Public Radio's Jae Bryson reports.
January 24, 2001 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports that the likeness of one of Minnesota's most notable former citizens has been immortalized by the United States Postal Service. The USPS Roy Wilkins Black Heritage stamp was unveiled on the campus of the University of Minnesota, Wilkins' alma mater. Williams summarizes the celebration, which included speeches and performances.
February 13, 2001 - (OPEN WITH TRACK 1 "Je cherche un homme"... fade under after "or Tom...." 20 secs in.... run under until the tape starts) To those who have heard the voice before, she is instantly recognizable. To many others -- just say "Catwoman" and they'll reply -- "Eartha Kitt." Thirty years after she appeared on the Batman TV show it's still her most famous role... and she doesn't seem to mind. Her sex kitten image endures even into her 70s. But there is much more to Eartha Kitt both as a person and a performer. Born the daughter of South Carolina sharecroppers, her family was abandoned by her father when she was 2...her mother died when she was 6. After being passed from neighbor to neighbor for a couple of years she was taken in by an aunt living in Harlem. It was there she began showing her talent for language and dance, which, despite having to repeatedly overcome the barriers of discrimination, was eventually to lead Eartha Kitt to international acclaim as a singer, and a star of stage and screen. In the Rogers and Hammerstein's production of "Cinderella" opening tonight at the Historic State Theatre in Minneapolis, Kitt plays the fairy godmother. But she believes she has more in common with Cinderella.
March 6, 2001 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports that educators throughout Minnesota have criticized Governor Ventura's proposed budget as insufficient for public schools, but supporters of the state's Indian Education programs are not complaining. Ventura wants to double the current funding targeted to American Indian students in an attempt to lower one of the state's highest drop out rates.
March 8, 2001 - The accomplishments of girls and women are being celebrated worldwide today in honor of International Women's Day. University of Minnesota law professor Barbara Frey (FRY) thinks that women's everyday acheivements often go unrecognized.