May 24, 2021 - On this MPR Special Report, Host Angela Davis explores how George Floyd changed us in a collection of personal interviews and commentary.
August 18, 2017 - The Minneapolis City Council chambers erupted in applause and a standing ovation Friday morning, as Medaria Arradondo was appointed the city's first African American police chief. One of the dozens of supporters in the chamber today was civil rights legend Dr. Josie Johnson. MPR’s Brandt Williams asked Johnson what Arradondo's appointment signals to members of the city's African American community.
December 23, 2016 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on Lyndale Community School’s Kwanzaa celebration. Twenty years ago, Titilayo Bediako, a Minneapolis public school teacher started telling her students about Kwanzaa - the week-long African centered celebration of black heritage and values which begins the day after Christmas. She discovered that the underlying principles of the non-religious holiday resonated with students from diverse backgrounds. Now that early classroom lesson has grown into an institution which hosts an annual musical Kwanzaa recognition.
December 4, 2015 - All Things Considered presents an MPR Special Report on the shooting of Jamar Clark in Minneapolis. Segment includes a chronology of shooting, history of Minneapolis police shootings, community reaction, and the many questions that have followed in Clark’s death.
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 31, 2012 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports that August is the deadliest month in Minneapolis for homicides, and most are African American men. Williams profiles a few young Black men trying to beat the odds by leaving the path that often leads to early death or prison.
May 4, 2012 - MPR’s Brandt Williams profiles a group of Minnesota parents as they reflect on the 40th anniversary of their efforts on school desegregation.
March 25, 2011 - MPR News presents the series "Following the Firearms: Gun Violence in Minneapolis," which looks at where guns are coming from, and the impact of gun violence in Minnesota's largest city. In this report, MPR’s Brandt Williams travels to the Washington DC-area and examine how gun trace data have become the center of a national political fight over guns.
March 23, 2011 - MPR News presents the series "Following the Firearms: Gun Violence in Minneapolis," which looks at where guns are coming from, and the impact of gun violence in Minnesota's largest city. In this report, MPR’s Brandt Williams talks to a gun offender now serving time, and explains what law enforcement officials are doing to try to reduce gun violence and keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons.
March 22, 2011 - MPR News presents the series "Following the Firearms: Gun Violence in Minneapolis," which looks at where guns are coming from, and the impact of gun violence in Minnesota's largest city. In this report, MPR’s Brandt Williams examines the sources for guns on the streets of Minneapolis.