Podcast: Counter Stories, episode 1

Faces and voices
Smartphone snapshots from the Twin Cities Juneteenth in Minneapolis, Minn. Saturday, June 14, 2014. With stormy skies overhead, Twin Citians gathered for the annual Juneteenth at North Mississippi Regional Park. The event, which featured music, food and a variety of vendors, observes the 1865 proclamation abolishing slavery in Texas. Juneteenth is celebrated across the country, and the Twin Cities community event is one of the largest in the country.
Jeffrey Thompson/MPR News

"Counter Stories" is a new podcast from MPR News featuring discussion from four thinkers on life in Minnesota.

Your host is Toni Randolph from MPR News, with Anthony Galloway, West Metro Education Program learning specialist; Luz Maria Frias, a vice president at the Minneapolis Foundation; Don Eubanks, a Metropolitan State University assistant professor; and Hlee Lee, a video producer.

In episode one, we feature an exploration of what we think we know and what we really know about aspects of American culture and history. Often, it depends on what we've been taught or not taught in school, and what racial lens we're looking through.

Galloway leads the panel through what he calls an 'above the line, below the line' exercise on such topics as the haunting Billie Holiday song, "Strange Fruit," the origins of the "Juneteenth" celebration, and the story behind the "Trail of Tears." The panelists lay out what they know about the subject, and then explore what they don't know or never learned.

Then, Hlee and Luz take a turn with 'above the line, below the line.'

Subscribe to "Counter Stories" on iTunes

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