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.
September 14, 2022 - On this segment of North Star Journey, MPR’s Simone Cazares profiles Tina Jackson and her soul line dancing class at Oxford Community Center in the heart of St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood.
December 12, 2022 - St. Paul resident Jean-Nickolaus Tretter, who was involved in the launch of Twin Cities Pride and began one of the few Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender archival collections in the country, passed away at the age of 76.
May 5, 2023 - MPR’s Alex V. Cipolle profiles St. Paul artist Liz Sexton, who is elevating papier-mâché to high art. Sexton creates lifelike papier-mâché animal masks and sculptures for her solo exhibition "Liz Sexton: Out of Water" at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, highlighting environmental issues through her unique art form.
June 6, 2023 - On this segment of ChangeMaker series, MPR’s Nina Moini interviews Davin Sokup, the first trans man elected to office in greater Minnesota. Sokup, 36, has served Northfield as an at-large council representative since January 2023. He’s also a Minnesota State Senate staffer as well as a woodworker and carpenter. Sokup speaks to getting involved in public service and for people to begin dialog with a trans individual to better understand each other.
August 28, 2023 - MPR’s Alex V. Cipolle presents a profile of Jim Denomie, an Ojibwe painter who died in 2022. Cipolle visits Minneapolis Institute of Art to view “The Lyrical Artwork of Jim Denomie,” which has transformed into a posthumous survey of the latter half of the famous colorist’s career; one that skewered mainstream histories and purveyors of injustice, from Fort Snelling to Standing Rock, while championing the joy and resilience of Native communities.