Social Issues

Alabama band director tased by police for not stopping his students' performance
Johnny Mims and his school band were wrapping up their last song when Birmingham police insisted the performance stop immediately. The confrontation ended with Mims tased in front of his students.
Journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault on 50 years covering Black lives
Hunter-Gault talked to MPR News host Angela Davis about her latest book, her conversation with Nelson Mandela, how she made history and why Black history needs to be told.
Surge of interest in K-12 Solar for Schools program
More K-12 school districts are installing solar energy systems, saving them thousands of dollars in utility bills. But initial startup costs can halt a lot of them in their tracks. A state grant program allows more districts to make the transition to solar energy.
Practitioner works to erase stigma some Black Minnesotans feel about mental health care
Adejoke Adedeji, owner of Nexus of Hope, started the psychiatric clinic after a personal experience with mental illness. Now, she serves as a vital resource for Minnesota Nigerians and other people of color seeking culturally inclusive mental health care.
First Rondo descendent buys home using St. Paul's Inheritance Fund
A young St. Paul man is the first person to buy a home using the city’s Inheritance Fund. The goal of the new program is to rebuild intergenerational wealth for the descendants of people in the historically Black Rondo neighborhood who lost their homes and businesses to Interstate 94 in the 1950s.
‘A step in the right direction’: Lake City returns 3 acres of land back to Prairie Island Indian Community
On Monday the city council of Lake City voted unanimously to adopt a decision to return 3 acres of land containing 11 burial mounds back to the Prairie Island Indian Community. The mounds are located within city limits near a residential district surrounded by houses.
Review: Portraits of women: 'The Chinese Lady' and 'Mary’s Wondrous Body'
Open Eye Theatre launched its season with “The Chinese Lady,” exploring America’s historical objectification of Asian American women; while Elision Playhouse presents “Mary’s Wondrous Body,” tackling reproductive rights and medical abuse.