Counter Stories

The crew is joined by the St. Paul Parks & Rec Director, a BIPOC hometown boy, to talk about the importance of rec centers and staying active. They reminisce about using rec centers as kids and discuss recent advances in accessibility and safety. Andy Rodriguez, St. Paul Parks & Rec

Juneteenth is now a federal and state (Minnesota) holiday. With celebrations throughout the state, the crew is joined by Lee Jordan, the Midwest and State Director for the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, to talk about the history of and how people celebrate the holiday. Lee Jordan, Juneteenth Speaks  

It’s time we checked in with the crew. Spring is finally here and the crew takes a glance at what they’re looking forward to this summer. From frolicking to camping, the crew discusses what they’re weary of when making summer plans as well as how they best relax as themselves. 

The crew is joined by local author David Mura, whose most recent book is “The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself: Racial Myths and our American Narratives." The book takes a deep look at White/BIPOC relations in America. For example, Lincoln was a good American and a racist. We can’t forget the racism that happened hundreds of years ago in America, because it continues to exist today, even in the most...

What is the truth when it comes the University of Minnesota and its history with the Indigenous peoples of this area? Members of all 11 Minnesota reservations worked together with the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council and the U of M to answer that question with The TRUTH Report. The results? Not surprising. There has been and continues to be persistent and systemic mistreatment of Indigenous people...

March Madness is behind us, but one story remains. That of a Black athlete making a gesture toward a White player who came under fire by sports professionals and social media; even though that same White player made that same gesture just days before. The crew unpacks this (racial and sexist) double standard that doesn’t only exist in sports. 

On this Grab Bag episode, we talk about book bans and other brans coming out of Florida. The crew ask and attempt to answer several questions, including: Why are these bans happening? Is this in response to the browning of America? How can we get away from talking points and focus on what’s happening on the ground? We also had yet another school shooting and check in with our hosts. 

Cohost Anthony Galloway recently traveled to Israel and Palestine with a group of religious leaders, artists and educators. Duluth-based Indigenous artist Moira Villiard, who was among the group, joins the crew this week. They share their experience with the complex political issues in the area, what surprised them most, and what they took away from the trip. Guest: Moira Villiard 

On this special episode, Hlee Lee is joined by three strong women making change in community. The group discuss what it’s like to a proud woman of color, identity crises, and how there’s still a lot of work to be done for justice. Guests: Beverly Bushyhead, Minnesota Peacebuilding  Leadership Institute Deanna Reder, Dabinoo’lgan Emergency Domestic Violence Shelter Sagal Ali, Ayada Leads  

The last few years have been hard on everyone, especially our young people. The loss of connection to community may be part of why we’ve seen so much violence among young people as of late. How do we, as adults, learn the new rhythm of young people to understand a community code? How can young people work with and in societies that are not trauma-informed? If we’ve learned anything from the recent...

Minnesota’s Hmong population lost a Secret War Veteran this month after Saint Paul Police shot and killed him in his apartment complex. The man, Yia Xiong, who only spoke Hmong and was hard-of-hearing, died when he did not respond to commands made by police. The crew finds themselves, yet again, talking about the unnecessary loss of a BIPOC person at the hands of the police, and are joined by comm...

“Pretendians” is a term new to many of us. Really, it’s another term for fraud and cultural appropriation, specific to the Indigenous communities. From academia to the arts, non-Native peoples are faking their cultural background in order to gain recognition and work. Pretendians and cultural frauds cause more harm to the communities they appropriate than just taking away work opportunities. Guest...

On this special episode of Counter Stories, producer Hlee Lee is joined by members of the Asian-Pacific Islander community to talk about Lunar New Year and how it’s celebrated differently throughout the world. They also collectively process the recent mass shootings that involved members of the California API community. Guests: May Esperanza Losloso, Kai Hsu, Maryanne Quiroz, and Kurt Rakim 

*trigger warning* With recent shootings in Minnesota (at Washington Tech School, Jerry Lee Rec Center, Mall of America), the crew discusses how these incidents are impacting our lives and our views on what’s happening in community. We ask why people are so willing to kill and how we can, if we can find and make change, while also understanding our own trauma.  

On this special episode, we bring you the keynote speech at the Duluth Martin Luther King Jr Day celebration by none other than Counter Stories’ co-host Anthony Galloway. The day’s celebration included joining the annual national MLK Breakfast (virtually), a march and rally, and speeches and panels featuring community members. Special thanks to the NAACP Duluth chapter.  

The crew talks Hollywood and what movies are on their must-see list, some dating as far back as the 1920s. Movies that make a statement, are inclusive of our communities, resonates with us, and open conversations between communities. Some of our communities have seen Hollywood success, while others are just now being made. 

Is it possible to be your full, unapologetic, authentic self while being a creditable person in your community? The crew talks about what it looks like when people within (and outside) your community look at you as a leader or changemaker while you are simultaneously discovering yourself and how you fit into society. 

We’re happy to present our first Unplugged show – a show we didn’t plan, it’s really just the four of us talking about what’s on our minds. We talk about the families struggling at the border, the scarcity mindset in this country, and this season of “giving.” But who to give to? When there are so many charities, fundraisers, nonprofits and people in need, how can we select who to give our money an...

2022 was the year many strong, talented Asian women finally got flowers. With Michele Yeoh killing it on the national stage, locally, Hmong photographer Pao Houa Her has gained recognition for her photography work and was named Star Tribune ’s Artist of the Year. 

People celebrate a variety of things during this time of year. For us, the time off many people get during this time, allows for more gatherings within our communities, keeping culture at the center of it. The excitement of seeing family, eating some good food and hearing historic family stories is sometimes still being overshadowed by COVID. 

Guest co-host Sindy Morales Garcia leads the crew through a conversation about hustling, or as some of us know it, surviving. From youth, many of us have experienced working to help make ends meet for our families, be it working under the table or being a part of mass production from home as children. As adults, we continue to hustle during the gig economy often at the cost of our mental health an...

What does reparations mean? People often believe it’s payment for past displacements, but there’s so more to it. In a system that was built against BIPOC folks, the City of St. Paul’s Reparations Legislative Advisory Committee, worked to address reparations. A draft ordinance for permeant repartitions in the city was presented to the city council with public hearings scheduled before the end of th...

Lots of things coming up for us this week, things in the news and community and all the issues below the line. How diverse is too diverse in higher education? From a U of M regent questioning the diversity of Morris’ campus and how that relates to another attempt to overturn affirmative action. Additionally, with the first Dia de los Muertos alter displayed in the state capitol, the crew discusses...

As election day nears, several things weigh heavy on the minds of voters. There is real fear about the safety of getting their ballots counted, voter intimidation, political parties attempting to staff polling locations, and more. 

With the midterm election just weeks away, the crew talks about why voting is important and what may be causing young people to not vote. We also discuss the barriers making it harder to vote, lack of information, and redistricting. Guest: Victor Yang