March 23, 2015 - With the passing of Bruce Kramer, Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer takes a look back at her conversations with Kramer as he battled ALS. Bruce Kramer would always say he was, first and foremost, a teacher. He said that ALS taught him many things, and as difficult as those lessons were, he was grateful for them.
March 25, 2015 - MPR’s Laura Yuen, Sasha Aslanian, and Mukhtar M. Ibrahim report on three young men from southern Twin Cities suburbs who made a path to Syria in hopes of joining the terrorist group ISIS. One is now presumed dead in Syria, the other two intercepted by Federal agents at airports and charged with conspiring to assist a foreign terrorist organization.
April 23, 2015 - On MPR News with Tom Weber, Kao Choua Vue previews Quia Dab Neeg Film Festival, held at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul. The sixth-annual Hmong film festival showcases films produced by Hmong artists from Minnesota, around the country, and from Laos.
April 24, 2015 - On the segment of MPR News with Tom Weber, a discussion on the book "It's Okay to Ask,” which is for people who aren't disabled, but might not know exactly how to interact when they meet someone who looks different. The book tells the stories of five children who have disabilities or medical conditions and are asked about things like their wheelchair or leg braces by other children. Weber interviews Richard DiPrima, a neuropsychologist at Gillette Children's; and Ellie Goodman, a teenage patient at the hospital.
May 19, 2015 - On this episode of Minnesota Sounds and Voices, MPR’s Dan Olson profiles Native American activist and White Earth band member Clyde Bellecourt.
June 12, 2015 - MPR News host Tom Weber discusses social justice, police reform, and the 50th anniversary of Malcolm X’s assassination with Twin Cities journalist and activist, Mel Reeves, who is planning a conference around his practices and social justice at Harvest Prep School in Minneapolis.
July 16, 2015 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann talks with Jack Baker and Michael McConnell, who made history in 1970 when they walked into the Hennepin County Courthouse and became the first same-sex couple in the country to apply for a marriage license.
July 30, 2015 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on tensions between the police and many people of color, who say they're being targeted by officers. Some black residents of north Minneapolis appreciate the extra attention their area gets from police…others resent it.
August 4, 2015 - MPR’s Marianne Combs reports on Penumbra’s Summer Institute which focuses on social justice and activism.
August 26, 2015 - MPR’s Doualy Xaykaothao reports on critical reactions to local St. Paul talk-show host Doua Chialy Her’s commentary on divorced women in the Hmong community. Hmong community activists and women support groups are voicing their anger at what they see as harmful to women and Hmong culture.