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

A bill to study reparations for slavery had momentum in Congress, but still no vote
Legislation to create a commission to study reparations faces steep odds in the evenly divided Congress. Advocates say they want the House take up the bill, or for President Joe Biden to act on his own.
Low blood supply hampers sickle cell treatment efforts
The Red Cross is trying to triple the number of African American blood donors over the next five years. Donated blood is particularly crucial to those who have sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder which disproportionately affects people of African descent.
Racist video brings calls for action at Prior Lake High School
A video that targeted a Black 14-year-old freshman includes racial slurs and urges the girl kill herself. The police chief of Savage called the video “horrific, hateful, racist” and said an investigation is underway.
Defense calls for mistrial as Kyle Rittenhouse takes the stand in his homicide trial
Kyle Rittenhouse, the 18-year-old who shot and killed two demonstrators at a racial justice protest last year in Kenosha, Wis., took the stand in his highly-watched homicide trial to say he feared for his life when he fired his rifle.
New podcast examines racial inequality on the North Shore
"It Happens Here," a new podcast from Grand Marais community radio station WTIP, seeks to uncover the roots of racial inequality on the North Shore. The producers of the podcast, Staci Drouillard and Leah Lemm, joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to discuss the project and share the first episode.
RISE for Youth works to address racial disparities for young people
RISE for Youth, a new collaboration between Mayo Clinic and the Rochester, Minn., branch of the NAACP, is working to create equitable pathways for Black and underrepresented students.
Four takeaways from the first week of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial
Nearly three hours of testimony came from a video producer for a right-wing news site who filmed Rittenhouse in Kenosha, Wis. Prosecutors also called two men who said they wanted to "protect" businesses.
Trial in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery opening in Georgia
A trial is opening in Brunswick, Ga., for three white men charged with murder in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery. The killing of the 25-year-old Black man in February 2020 caused a national outcry after video was made public.
How the jury in the Ahmaud Arbery case ended up nearly all white — and why it matters
Eleven jurors in the case are white, and one is Black. While the judge acknowledged "intentional discrimination in the panel," he said he was unable to reinstate any jurors who had been dismissed.