April 15, 2009 - Ahmed Samatar, dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College in St. Paul; and Hussein Samatar, founder and executive director of the African Development Center in Minneapolis, discuss the major concerns of Somalis living in Minnesota, including whether young men are being recruited to fight with terrorists. The two Somali men who are longtime Minnesota residents and U.S. citizens.
April 24, 2009 - MPR’s Laura Yuen profiles Somali activist Omar Jamal, who has both supporters and detractors inside his own community. Yuen tracks Jamal's media footprint and has this profile.
May 11, 2009 - Brandt Williams reports on nearly 200, mostly Hmong people, demonstrating in front of the U.S. courthouse in downtown St. Paul. They came to rally support for the family of Fong Lee, who was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2006.
May 29, 2009 - MPR’s Laura Yuen reports on the multiple killings of young Somali men in the Twin Cities, and the fight to stop the violence. The slayings represent a tragic irony for a community that escaped the bloodshed and clan warfare of its home country.
June 2, 2009 - Minnesota 5th District’s Keith Ellison, America's first Muslim member of Congress, reflects on his recent trips to the Mideast and previews President Obama's speech in Egypt. Ellison comments on how to rebuild U.S. relations with Muslim world and answers listener questions.
June 5, 2009 - MPR’s Sanden Totten reports that while legalized gay marriage is a topic of some states, many in the gay and lesbian community have another issue on their mind - what to do when they get old.
June 19, 2009 - As friends and colleagues mark the 25th anniversary of Joan Growe's 19-ballot DFL endorsement for the U.S. Senate in 1984, Growe joins Midday to talk about her career in politics. Growe also answers listener questions.
June 22, 2009 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports that unmarried couples can register as domestic partners in the city of Duluth. The city's official acknowledgement could help some couples qualify for benefits like health insurance that employers typically offer married couples. Duluth becomes the second Minnesota city to recognize domestic partnerships.
June 22, 2009 - MPR’s Toni Randolph profiles individuals from the last wave of Hmong refugees to the Twin Cities. Five years after their arrival in 2004, about 5,000 new Hmong residents have made their homes here. Life for them is very different from what it was in the refugee camp in Thailand. For some, the change has been very good, and for others it's been very challenging.
June 26, 2009 - MPR’s Annie Baxter reports on ways that recession can be even tougher for low-income families.