February 15, 2022 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Minneapolis activist and writer Junauda Petrus about her book “The Stars and the Blackness Between Them” being placed on a potenial banned books list in Texas. The book is the story of two black girls from very different backgrounds finding love and happiness in a world that seems determined to deny them both.
May 3, 2022 - On this segment of North Star Journey, MPR’s Peter Cox looks at how a growing class of young Hmong doctors, nurses, and public health leaders recognized COVID’s threat and worked to guide people toward science-based answers.
May 11, 2022 - MPR’s Kirsti Marohn reports on the tradition of spearing or netting fish on Minnesota lakes. Tribal members say the annual ritual of gathering fish through spearing or netting provides a vital food source for the community and preserves a cultural tradition. The spring harvest is an exercise of tribal treaty rights, and the result of a long-fought legal battle.
May 23, 2022 - On this segment of North Star Journey, MPR’s Catharine Richert looks into a reckoning the city of Rochester finds itself going through. New research into housing covenants provides evidence that the founders of Mayo Clinic — a giant in Minnesota and Rochester, viewed globally as a force for good — played a role perpetuating practices that favored all-white neighborhoods.
May 25, 2022 - MPR News with Angela Davis talks with two therapists about the waves of loss many people experienced over the past two years and how people can cope with prolonged grief and trauma. The murder of George Floyd, the pandemic, and mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and a Texas school are discussed.
June 24, 2022 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann speaks with Jean Tretter, a founder of Twin Cities Pride; and Roxanne Anderson, founder of Power to the People, about the 50th anniversary of the Pride festival in the Twin Cities.
July 21, 2022 - Over decades, thousands of Native American children in Minnesota have been separated from relatives, adopted by white families, often growing up with no knowledge of their identity and culture. As part of our North Star Journey series, MPR’s Dan Gunderson shares the path one family is traveling to discover and understand a new identity.
July 29, 2022 - On this segment of North Star Journey, MPR’s Dan Kraker profiles individuals that identify as both of Native American and Scandinavian descent. They share how they are finding connections and surprising parallels between the cultures.
August 11, 2022 - A milestone victory Tuesday night could send the first transgender person to Minnesota’s Legislature. MPR’s Brian Bakst interviews Leigh Finke, a video production company owner, who prevailed in her DFL primary for an open House seat in the St. Paul area. She’ll be the favorite heading into November’s election.
September 30, 2022 - MPR’s Tim Nelson profiles jazz pioneer Oscar Pettiford. Born 100 years ago and raised in Minnesota, Pettiford changed the sound of American music. He got his start on the stages of the Twin Cities, helping create a "Minneapolis sound" long before Prince. Pettiford’s innovations made him one of the most influential bass players of the bebop era. A century after his birth, that legacy endures.