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 29, 2001 -
December 17, 2001 - Gwendolyn Cates was 11 when her father first took her to visit a Navajo reservation. Her father had set out to learn the local language, and made friends on the reservation. Gwendolyn continued to visit as she grew older. Later she became a professional photographer. It was almost a natural when she was asked by the Men's Journal to travel to ten reservations around the country to document Indian Country. A book "Indian Country" grew from the assignment. It contains dozens of portraits, including many from Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Wisconsin. Cates told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr she wanted to dispel misconceptions about native people. The book includes pictures of many well known and not so well known Indians. One is a portrait of Leonard Peltier who is serving a life sentence for murder at the Federal Prison in Leavenworth, Kansas.
December 20, 2001 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports on a legislative commission vote on the divisive issue of same-sex domestic partner benefits. The panel voted 7-to-5 to let the House and Senate decide for themselves whether to provide coverage for the same-sex partners of legislators and their staffs. The discussion foreshadows a larger debate in the upcoming session, with some lawmakers saying they'll vote to reject two union contracts that include the coverage.
January 8, 2002 - Chief Executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Melanie Benjamin, says the community is being threatened. Benjamin gave her annual state of the band address today (Tuesday). And while Benjamin shared several successes, she also addressed challenges the band faces. Among them, a potential lawsuit against the tribe by Mille Lacs County. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post reports.
February 5, 2002 - There are more Somalis in Minnesota, than any other African immigrant group. Like nearly all newcomers to America, Somalis have faced racial and ethnic discrimination in their new surroundings. That reality comes as no surprise to African Americans who have experienced racism all their lives. But clashes between Somalis and African Americans caught both communities off guard and was particularly troubling to those who feel the two groups have much in common. Now, groups of Somalis and African Americans are coming together to bridge cultural differences. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams has the second report in our series on the relationship between Africans and African Americans.
February 14, 2002 - MPR’s Marianne Combs profiles acclaimed playwright Lee Blessing's new play Thief River, which portrays two gay men growing up in rural Minnesota who choose very different paths in life. Over the next fifty years they remain in contact; their experiences reflect the changing attitudes toward homosexuality in America.
February 19, 2002 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews author Paul Nelson about his book, Fredrick L. McGee: A Life on the Color Line.
March 12, 2002 - Ahmed Samatar, director of the International Studies Program at Macalester College and native of Somalia; and Omar Jamal, spokesman for the Somali Justice Advocate Center, discuss some of the challenges and problems facing Somalis in the Twin Cities.
April 3, 2002 - MPR's Brandt Williams looks at the life of Minnesota civil rights pioneer Nellie Stone Johnson, who passed away on April 2nd, 2002. Johnson spent the majority of her life fighting for social causes, especially those focused on the rights of labor unions, African Americans, and women. Those who knew her say that her activism was a testament to her passion for equality.
April 3, 2002 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer talks with historian Hy Berman about Nellie Stone Johnson, an influential leader in civil rights and labor movements, who passed away on April 2nd, 2002. Johnson was 96 years old.