Race: Conversations around race and racial justice

The May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody has ignited an urgent push for racial equality across Minnesota and the United States. 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

A man in a mask walks past people on the street.

State officials expect virus to take greater toll on racial minorities

April 15, 2020 4:00 AM

By Brandt Williams

COVID-19 is more deadly for African Americans than it is for whites, according to early data from several states and major metropolitan areas. So far, Minnesota has not detected racial differences in deaths from the virus. But given the state’s well-documented disparities in health and access to health care, experts suspect the pandemic will hurt people of color the most.

Zoom has become an essential tool for millions during the pandemic, but civil rights groups say the company must act aggressively to stop harassment on its platform.

Racial slurs and swastikas fuel civil rights pressure on Zoom

April 10, 2020 6:21 AM

By Shannon Bond

Civil rights groups warn that white nationalists and others are using the video-meeting platform Zoom to target people based on their race, sexuality and religion.

A man wearing a shirt that says 'I am not a virus."

‘I don’t have the virus’: Asian Americans in Minnesota confront a COVID-19 backlash

March 25, 2020 4:00 AM

By Riham Feshir and Hannah Yang

Asian Minnesotans say they’re facing increased hostility amid the COVID-19 crisis. Incidents range from name-calling to other forms of discrimination that appear to blame Asian Americans for the spread of the disease.

In the 1970s, professor Peter Kranz asked what would happen if students went around the room and said what they really thought about people of the other race.

What 10 students learned from having to say their worst thoughts on race out loud

March 16, 2020 6:54 PM

In 1973, five black students and five white students were told to go around the room and say what they really thought about people of the other race. It bonded them in ways they never expected.

A woman stands behind a podium, four men stand around her listening.

Strike slavery clause from Minnesota’s constitution, officials urge

February 20, 2020 11:11 AM

Language in the state constitution still allows for slavery as punishment for a crime. On Thursday, Minnesota lawmakers, along with St. Paul’s police chief, called for that language to be purged by voters.

Les Ouchida holds a 1943 photo of himself (front row center) and his siblings taken at the internment camp his family was moved to in Jerome, Ark. He and his family were forced to move from their home near Sacramento in 1942. This photo was taken last week at the California Museum in Sacramento.

California lawmakers apologize for U.S. internment of Japanese Americans

February 20, 2020 9:35 AM

By Laurel Wamsley and Colin Dwyer

The bill's sponsor says he was "disturbed by the striking parallels" between the treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II and current U.S. immigration policy.

White supremacist propaganda spreading, anti-bias group says

February 12, 2020 7:40 AM

By The Associated Press

The Anti-Defamation League has found that some white supremacist groups are using gauzier language about "patriotism" to mainstream their message of discrimination that has targeted Jews, LGBT people and other minority communities.

Kids do calisthenics before starting a baseball clinic in Washington, D.C.

Baseball makes an early pitch to catch the interest of black players

February 12, 2020 4:00 AM

By Esther Ciammachilli

Baseball is having trouble attracting African American players, so to increase participation, leaders are trying to get kids interested early, before other sports grab their attention.

A woman wearing a gray blazer in front of a blue wall.

Redefining beauty: Advocates work to make skin lightening a public health issue

February 11, 2020 4:10 PM

The Minnesota Department of Health doled out four grants to two nonprofit groups and two counties to help educate communities of color about the potential health risk of using cosmetics that lighten skin.

Beyoncé with Blue Ivy Carter in New York City in 2014.

From breastfeeding to Beyoncé, 'Skimmed' tells a new story about black motherhood

February 11, 2020 11:29 AM

By Beandrea July

Book author Andrea Freeman discusses the history of breastfeeding among black women, and why media portrayals of black moms matter.