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.
November 8, 2017 - On Tuesday, NOV 7th, 2017, voters elected two out transgender candidates to the Minneapolis City Council, marking the first such victories for transgender people in a major American city council race. Report includes an interview with then-candidate Andrea Jenkins.
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.
August 8, 2017 - MPR’s Brandt Williams looks back at Janeé Harteau's groundbreaking tenure as the first woman to serve as Minneapolis police chief…and the first openly gay chief.
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.
December 12, 2012 - MPR’s Brandt Williams talks with U.S. Marshal Sharon Lubinski, the first openly gay Minneapolis police officer; and Lt. Rob Allen, the first openly gay male Minneapolis police officer, about the change in culture over gay and lesbians within the police department since they came out in the 1990s.
October 25, 2012 - Minnesotans are involved in a passionate debate about marriage during 2012 election season. The two sides began squaring off more than 40 years ago. This project draws from MPR's extensive audio archive to explore the origins of this election day showdown over same-sex marriage.
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.