Race: Conversations around race and racial justice

Here are the latest on the fight against racism, voices calling for racial justice and in-depth stories on communities of color and other racial issues from MPR News.

Voices of Minnesota Calls for change across the state

Protests and pain The killing of George Floyd

Call To Mind Spotlight on black trauma and policing

Amplifying voices Share your experiences and hopes for the future

Activist, influencer Marley Dias speaks at annual MLK Breakfast
Marley Dias founded the 1,000 Black Girl Books initiative with the goal of increasing the number of books in school libraries with Black girls as a main character. Dias told the crowd at the annual MLK Breakfast that the recent debate around banning books about Black, LGBTQ+ and other identities from school libraries has taken her mission to a new level.
Read Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech in its entirety
Americans across the U.S. are celebrating King's legacy this weekend. One way to reflect on his life and message is by revisiting his celebrated 1963 speech delivered at the Lincoln Memorial.
Historic, all-woman St. Paul City Council sworn in and ready to work
The group of seven elected officials is majority women of color, and all the women on the council are under the age of 40, making them the city’s most racially diverse and youngest council ever.
Two Minnesota children's book authors on getting and giving a sense of belonging
Growing up is tough, but even more so when you feel like you don’t fit in. Hear two Minnesotan children’s authors of color talk about their paths to knowing and loving themselves — and how to teach that to children.
As mental health worries rise for Black Minnesotans, focus shifts to strengthening kids, caregivers
The well-being of young children and their caregivers is closely connected, and children struggle when adults struggle. For Black Minnesota kids and their families, poverty and racism compound those problems. Charting a path forward includes preparing kids for a “harsh world,” one expert says.
Q&A: Documentary looks at 2013 Hopkins High School walkout
Independent journalist Ralph L. Crowder III has directed a documentary, “Before Black Lives Mattered, the Kids Marched for Education.” He aims to highlight the influence the 2013 walkout had in a larger conversation about equality in education, as well as correct the narrative from media coverage at the time.
Power Pair: Lessons about friendship from Resmaa Menakem and Keith Ellison
MPR News host Angela Davis revisits her very first Power Pair conversation. Resmaa Menakem and Keith Ellison talk about how their friendship formed long before either of them were nationally known and how that friendship sustains their justice work.
Designer and entrepreneur Houston White has a singular vision: to create a vibrant Black middle class in Minneapolis. And it’s more than a plan. It’s already becoming reality.