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

Comedian puts people skills to work at George Floyd's Square
For six months, residents — many out of work because of the pandemic — have put their skills to use maintaining an autonomous zone at the Minneapolis intersection where police killed George Floyd. They include a comedian, whose profession prepared them for much more than cracking jokes.
Activist who toppled Columbus statue at Capitol gets community service
Mike Forcia, who had faced felony criminal damage to property charges for the June incident, will do 100 hours of community service. “The consensus was that jail and prison time and conviction would not be what was the best response,” a county prosecutor said Monday.
Coronavirus takes toll on Black, Latino child care providers
Black and Latino child care providers have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic in an industry that has long relied on providers of color. Facing skyrocketing operating costs, reduced capacities and limited federal support, Black and Latino-owned child care centers across the country are at a higher risk for closing permanently.
 ‘I don’t wish this to anybody’: How COVID is disproportionately hitting Minnesota’s Latino community
The rising COVID-19 cases are startling everywhere, but the rates in the Latino community in Minnesota and across the country are particularly alarming. Many Latinos work essential jobs that can't be done remotely and are more likely to be exposed to the virus. And those who are not authorized to be in the country are in a particular bind: They don’t qualify for government benefits that can be a financial lifeline for families struggling during the pandemic.
Protecting the living while serving the dead, Hmong funerals adapt to COVID-19 times
Multiday ceremonies can draw hundreds for traditional rituals filled with feasting and song. To prevent coronavirus spread, community leaders and Minnesota health authorities have adopted streamlined funeral rites.
Eddie Benton-Banai, co-founder of the American Indian Movement, dies at 89
Eddie Benton-Banai co-founded the American Indian Movement and founded the Red School House, a St. Paul community school focused on Indigenous education. Benton-Banai was Anishanaabe Ojibwe from the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation. He died in Hayward, Wis., on Monday.
Making George Floyd's Square
A monthlong series looking at how the community has transformed the site of George Floyd’s killing — 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis — and at the people behind its transformation. It is the culmination of reporting over several months, and a partnership with South High School to engage neighborhood youth in telling their community’s story.
Preserving George Floyd's memorial: 'Allow these pieces to continue to protest'
As winter settles in, activity has only picked up at the memorial-turned-autonomous-zone in Minneapolis where George Floyd was killed by police in May. Jeanelle Austin is among the caretakers working to preserve the offerings left at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.