January 24, 2001 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports that the likeness of one of Minnesota's most notable former citizens has been immortalized by the United States Postal Service. The USPS Roy Wilkins Black Heritage stamp was unveiled on the campus of the University of Minnesota, Wilkins' alma mater. Williams summarizes the celebration, which included speeches and performances.
February 13, 2001 - (OPEN WITH TRACK 1 "Je cherche un homme"... fade under after "or Tom...." 20 secs in.... run under until the tape starts) To those who have heard the voice before, she is instantly recognizable. To many others -- just say "Catwoman" and they'll reply -- "Eartha Kitt." Thirty years after she appeared on the Batman TV show it's still her most famous role... and she doesn't seem to mind. Her sex kitten image endures even into her 70s. But there is much more to Eartha Kitt both as a person and a performer. Born the daughter of South Carolina sharecroppers, her family was abandoned by her father when she was 2...her mother died when she was 6. After being passed from neighbor to neighbor for a couple of years she was taken in by an aunt living in Harlem. It was there she began showing her talent for language and dance, which, despite having to repeatedly overcome the barriers of discrimination, was eventually to lead Eartha Kitt to international acclaim as a singer, and a star of stage and screen. In the Rogers and Hammerstein's production of "Cinderella" opening tonight at the Historic State Theatre in Minneapolis, Kitt plays the fairy godmother. But she believes she has more in common with Cinderella.
March 6, 2001 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports that educators throughout Minnesota have criticized Governor Ventura's proposed budget as insufficient for public schools, but supporters of the state's Indian Education programs are not complaining. Ventura wants to double the current funding targeted to American Indian students in an attempt to lower one of the state's highest drop out rates.
March 8, 2001 - The accomplishments of girls and women are being celebrated worldwide today in honor of International Women's Day. University of Minnesota law professor Barbara Frey (FRY) thinks that women's everyday acheivements often go unrecognized.
March 20, 2001 - St. Paul NAACP and Chief Finney meet to discuss racial profiling in the city.
March 22, 2001 - Minnesota Author Evelyn Fairbanks has died at the age of 72. Fairbanks wrote "Days of Rondo," a memoir about growing up in St. Paul's largest black neighborhood in the 1930's and '40's. The Rondo neighborhood was razed in the 1960's to make way for interstate 94. Fairbank's book was published in 1990 and is now in its fourth printing. In 1991, Fairbanks gave up city life and moved to the outskirts of tiny Onamia, Minnesota, where she operated a 20 acre tree farm. In a 1995 interview with Minnesota Public Radio's Beth Friend, Fairbanks described why she was drawn to the country:
March 26, 2001 - The Equal Rights Amendment is getting another chance in Congress. Last week, more than 160 members signed onto the legislation... which would give women equal protection under the consitution. The E-R-A was first introduced in 1923, and despite its repeated RE-introduction, has never achieved the level of support necessary for ratification. 4th district representative Betty McCallum is one of the bill's sponsors this session. She says its time to make the E-R-A a reality:
April 6, 2001 - Saint Paul International Film Festival is upon us. A group of Ojibwe students from the Leech Lake wrote a play about a love story on the Reservation. Talking with Rob Nelson, a critic about what movies to see at the International Film Festival. Riffs is a play about African American life.
April 6, 2001 - Minnesota communities of color are disappointed in the racial profiling. There is a mandatory data collection option and a voluntary data collection option.
April 16, 2001 -