May 30, 1990 - It is the military service of men that is remembered by most people on Memorial Day. The military service of women doesn't come to mind except to those who have reason to know about their roles over the years. This report is on the voices of women recounting their thoughts on serving in WWII or the Vietnam War.
June 20, 1990 - A presentation of the MPR documentary "Season of Discontent: Migrants in the Red River Valley," which highlights Hispanic migrant farm workers who work the sugar beet fields.
August 24, 1990 - Soundprint documentary: a mother and daughter's recollection of life in Taiwan during World War II, including reminiscences, "sound poetry", and original music. Producer D. Roberts describes her mother's childhood in Taiwan and her own cross-cultural identity. "Mei Mei" is a 25 minute documentary that chronicles Dmae and her mother, Chu-Yin, as they travel to Taiwan together. Mei Mei is Chinese for "little sister" - a term of endearment for any younger girl. First produced in 1989, "Mei Mei" was highly personal and groundbreaking for its time - interweaving interviews and dramatizations to tell the story of a conflicted daughter and her mother who suffered abuse, starvation and the horrors of World War Two. "Mei Mei" has been broadcast on NPR, the BBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Peabody - Winner 1989 - D. Roberts, Independent Producer, American Public Radio's "Soundprint" Series The story of the relationship between the parents and children is as old as time itself, but we never tire of it because it is central to all. D. Roberts' documentary examines how personal boundaries can be complicated by cultural boundaries as here, where the mother is Taiwanese and her daughter is American. The pain of the mother, who was sold into servitude as a girl and suffered abuse and near starvation makes it very difficult for her to relate to her daughter with the warmth and affection that her daughter desires. Thus the two share an uneasy alliance with the daughter continuously trying to understand her mother and her mother's culture, an attempt that culminates with a trip to Taiwan to explore together her mother's roots. For an exceptional examination of personal relationships and for sharing them with the radio audience, a Peabody Award to D. Roberts for Mei Mei: A Daughter's Song.
September 1, 1990 -
November 8, 1990 - MPR’s Stephen Smith presents the documentary "Whom They Fear, They Hate," which explores the issue of hate crime in the U.S. by looking at two communities: Minneapolis/St. Paul and Portland, Oregon.
December 26, 1990 - On this Midday program, a documentary on Iceland satirical poet Kristjan Niels Julius, followed by an interview with author Barry Lopez.
February 20, 1991 - The first part of this reel is a documentary entitled "Children in a Cocaine Cage", which is about what happens as "crack babies" become children. The second part of this reel is Frances Moore Lappe talking about her latest work, "Rediscovering America's Values".
March 4, 1991 - Midday presents “Who's in charge in the 90s?” documentary series, which focuses on bio-medical issues facing the decade. Part three of series focuses on past Nazi Germany medical atrocities, the U.S. Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and how to keep sound ethics behind modern medical experimentation in the United States by utilizing peer review and informed consent.
March 4, 1991 - Who's in charge in the 1990s? Part two of three.
March 5, 1991 - The last two parts of a documentary series on biomedical ethics called "Who's in Charge in the 90s?" - produced by our Minnesota Public Radio stations in southeastern Minnesota. Part 2: "The Casualties of Cost" and Part 3: "Implications of Solving the Genetic Puzzle."