November 1, 2005 - The death of civil rights icon Rosa Parks has reminded America of the racism in its not-so-distant past. During the days of the Jim Crow South, Minnesota was thought of as an island of tolerance…Was it? Midday’s Gary Eichten talks with W. Harry Davis and Janabelle Taylor, two well-known Black community figures in the Twin Cities.
March 23, 2006 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports on a "People of Faith” rally at the Minnesota State Capital, where opponents of a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman gathered at the state Capitol.
March 24, 2006 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Scott Coooper, a lobbyist for OutFront Minnesota -- an advocacy organization for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community. Cooper says amendment would cut off discussion on gay marriage issue.
March 31, 2006 - The debate in Minnesota over gay marriage was prompted by a court decision three years ago in Massachusetts. The Supreme Court there decided the Massachusetts constitution allowed same sex couples to marry, and gay couples have been getting married there for the past two years. But that has not ended the debate over the decision and whether it should be allowed to stand. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck visited Massachusetts and has this story.
April 4, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports that a committee in the Minnesota Senate has rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and its legal equivalents in Minnesota.
April 18, 2006 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann talks with Jacob Reitan, director of the Soul Force Equality Ride; and Jay Barnes, Bethel University's Provost, about a visit of the cross-country bus tour by gay-rights activists to Bethel University.
August 11, 2006 - MPR’s Lorna Benson looks at the life of W. Harry Davis, Minneapolis civil rights activist and educator, who passed away on August 11th, 2006. Davis rose from humble beginnings in a poor, segregated north Minneapolis neighborhood to prominent business and civic leadership in the Twin Cities.
September 18, 2006 - MPR’s Stephen Smith moderates a civil rights panel discussion with an author, an activist, a teacher and a former vice president of the United States at the Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis.
April 17, 2007 - Years after the 9/11 attacks, many Minnesotans say they are still feeling uneasy around one another. A new study by Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights documents both overt and subtle discrimination against the state's minority groups. Minnesota Public Radio's Roseanne Pereira reports the study's findings are being spread in a number of ways.
October 23, 2007 - MPR’s Tom Crann interviews Wabasha native Nelson Peery, who describes growing up Black in Minneosta, his path to the Minnesota Communist Party, and his book "Black Radical."