Social Issues

Everyone's talking about marriage these days. The debate rages from pulpits to the Legislature. Most of the discussion centers on who can get married -- whether gays and lesbians should have that right. We wanted to back up a step and ask, What is marriage? MPR's Chris Julin presents a discussion among several gay and straight couples about the meaning of marriage.
MPR's Chris Julin presents a discussion among several gay and straight couples about the meaning of marriage. It's called "Talking about Marriage."
MPR's Chris Julin presents a discussion among several gay and straight couples about the meaning of marriage. It's called "Talking about Marriage."
To uncover views on marriage, we asked visitors to our Web site to submit their perspectives. Below is a sample of those letters. New submissions are added as they come in.
The news is full of stories about same-sex marriage this week. But gay men and lesbians don't speak with one voice on the subject. Some of them don't want to get married. And even those who do have different ideas about what marriage is. MPR's Chris Julin got together with three couples recently to talk about marriage.
Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court struck down the concept of separate but equal as it had been used to justify segregation in American schools. But despite the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, many schools have failed to fully integrate. We'll find out what the legal landmark has meant for Minnesota.
As many as 2,000 poor people in Minnesota risk losing their housing by this summer. The federal Housing and Urban Development agency has cut the money it spends on a rental assistance program called Section 8. Federal officials say they're following Congress' order to cap a program whose costs are increasing 30 percent a year. The reduction is causing local housing officials to scramble for ways to avoid forcing people out of their homes.
The Twin Cities is one of the top music towns in the nation. But the same local scene that gave birth to Hüsker Dü, Prince and the Jayhawks has also spawned one of the nation's biggest labels for "white power" music. Panzerfaust Records operates quietly from its home base in St. Paul, sending out racist CDs and merchandise for more than 300 bands. A look at one of Minnesota's lesser known exports.
A special Justice Talking program about the 50 years since the Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education ruling. While many hail the profound importance of the desegregation ruling, others openly question if the reality lives up to the promise.