Counter Stories

Earlier this month the Minnesota Department of Health released the names of 32 nursing homes and assisted-living facilities facing outbreaks of COVID-19. Eubanks’ mother, Isabelle, lived in one of the named facilities. In this episode, Don recalls his experience learning his mother had tested positive for COVID-19, and the pain and anger he felt as he could not hold her or say goodbye. 

The Counter Stories co-hosts also talk about how the virus is preventing people both from mourning with their families and observing important cultural traditions.

Hosts are :

Donald Eubanks, associate professor at Metropolitan State University and cultural consultant

Hlee Lee, owner of The Other Media Group

Luz Maria Frias, equity coach and founder of The Savvy Coach

Anthony Galloway, senior partner at Dendros Group

Marianne Combs, correspondent for MPR News

Screenshot by Hlee Lee

The coronavirus may be keeping our hosts apart, but it won’t stop the conversations. Producer Jo Erickson (top left), and co-hosts Hlee Lee, Marianne Combs, Luz Maria Frias (bottom left) and Anthony Galloway create the show while staying at home.

On this episode of Counter Stories:

Early data suggests black people are contracting and dying of COVID-19 at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. We look at the history behind health disparities in the African American community, and how those disparities are making them more vulnerable today.

Plus misinformation about the coronavirus has fueled a wave of racist attacks on Asian Americans. Counter Stories host Hlee Lee shares how glares and verbal abuse from strangers have driven her family to find alternative ways to shop for food.

Meanwhile, all of our hosts are working to dispel myths about the pandemic that are circulating in their communities and on social media.

And, the pandemic has revealed that many jobs typically filled by immigrants are actually essential to keeping the country running. But few workers are getting the protective gear they need to keep themselves safe.

Today’s hosts are:

Hlee Lee, Owner of The Other Media Group

Anthony Galloway, Executive Director of Arts-US

Luz Maria Frias, Equity Coach and Founder of The Savvy Coach

Marianne Combs, Correspondent, MPR News

Counter Stories looks at three news stories and their impact on communities of color.

The spread of the coronavirus across more than 100 countries now qualifies as a global pandemic. The U.S. has over 1000 reported cases. Communities of color, especially Southeast Asians, are concerned about attacks based on a fear of coronavirus. This week, New York City has put in place a hate crimes task force to assist the NYPD in investigating coronavirus-related assaults against Asians.

We look at how the St. Paul teachers strike impacts other workers including teacher assistants, school bus drivers and canteen workers.

And in our tribute to Women’s History Month, we celebrate the achievements of women of color.

Hosts

Don Eubanks, associate professor at Metropolitan State University and cultural consultant.

Anthony Galloway, executive director of Arts-US Center for the African Diaspora.

Hlee Lee, owner of “the other media group”

Luz Marie Frais, Equity Coach and Founder of The Savvy Coach

Close to 100,000 Minnesotans are on probation, some of them for sentences of 20 or 30 years. And simple technical violations — such as missing a meeting with their parole officer — could land them back in prison.

According to a recent study, 31 percent of Minnesota’s prison population is made up of people who violated their probation.

Last month the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission approved a five year cap on probation sentences — but that cap is not retroactive.

In this episode of Counter Stories, the hosts talk with three guests who are working to reform Minnesota’s parole and probation policies.

Guests:

Kelly Lyn Mitchell is the Executive Director of the Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, and is also co-director of the Institute’s Sentencing Guidelines Resource Center

Philip Holmes and David Boehnke, members of Decarcerate Minnesota, a grassroots organization working with the Twin Cities Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee

Hosts:

Luz Maria Frias, Equity Coach and Founder of The Savvy Coach

Anthony Galloway, Executive Director of Arts-US

Jo Erickson, Producer, Counter Stories

With so many stories in the news involving race, racism and cultural appropriation, the co-hosts of Counter Stories decided to make this week’s show a “grab-bag” of sorts, including:

Meghan Markle's experience with British media forced her and Prince Harry to exit the royal family - the Counter Stories team looks at the outright racism displayed by both tabloids and such mainstream outlets as the BBC.

Singer and rapper Lizzo graced the cover of the February issue of Rolling Stone magazine. But the photo shoot, which had her posing both as a Mexican saint and in Southeast Asian ceremonial dress, sparked a conversation about cultural appropriation.

Plus, The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it's legal to refuse jobs to people with dreadlocks... A TSA agent plays with a Native American woman's braids. And fears around the coronavirus fuel anti-Asian rhetoric.

Black, Native American, Hmong and Latino women share their experiences of coping with the loss of their child during pregnancy in a new book, “What God is Honored Here.”

The worst nightmare for any parent is the loss of a child. As a society we are uneasy and reluctant to talk about death and certainly not about the death of a child. The trauma can be devastating as parents quietly cope with their loss. But when fetal loss happens at a significantly higher rate for Black and Native American women, the community looks for answers.

The Counter Stories team looks at the effect of implicit bias and institutional racism on women of color’s reproductive health, and at the greater historical narrative of native women and women of color being continually separated from their children.

Hosts are:

Don Eubanks, associate professor at Metropolitan State University and cultural consultant.

Anthony Galloway, executive director of Arts-Us, Center for the African Diaspora.

Marianne Combs, correspondent for MPR News.

With special guests: Shannon Gibney and Kao Kalia Yang, co-editors of “What Gold is Honored Here? Writings on miscarriage and infant loss by and for Native Women and Women of Color.”

The debate over the name change of Lake Calhoun to Bde Maka Ska is now before the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Justices will consider whether the Department of Natural Resources has the power to make that change. The lake was named for U.S. Vice President John Calhoun, who defended slavery.

Dakota public historian Kate Beane joined the Counter Stories team to discuss restoring Native American names to well known landmarks.

Beane has been one of the leading voices in the campaign to restore the Dakota name Bde Maka Ska. For Native Americans a name can give a sense of home and history, connecting people to the land and their ancestry. And it’s a step toward correcting the stories and practices that erased Indigenous people’s history and culture.

This episode’s co-hosts are:

Hlee Lee, owner of “the other media group”

Don Eubanks, associate professor at Metropolitan State University

Anthony Galloway, Art-Us

Marianne Combs, MPR correspondent

And guest Kate Beane, Flandreau Santee Dakota and Muskogee Creek and public historian

The last few months Counter Stories has put a spotlight on the issue of violence against women. In this episode we look at murder-suicide in the Hmong community and the underlying cause of these deaths.

Hlee Lee, owner of “the other media group” Luz Maria Frias, executive coach and race equity strategist

Anthony Galloway, Art-Us Marianne Combs MPR correspondentDon Eubanks, associate professor at Metropolitan State University and cultural consultant

And guest:

Dr Pang Yang-Rhodes, marriage and family therapist

Counter Stories hosts are:

Hlee Lee, owner of “the other media group” Luz Maria Frias, executive coach and race equity strategistDon Eubanks, associate professor at Metropolitan State University and cultural consultant

Anthony Galloway, Art-Us Brandt Williams MPR correspondent

Steve Karnowski | AP Photo

Rep. Mary Kunesh-Podein, D-New Brighton, speaks at a news conference at the state Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019 in St. Paul. Kunesh-Podein was flanked by several women holding red shawls that symbolize the plight of missing and murdered indigenous women.

In the second in our series about missing and murdered women, the Counter Stories team puts a spotlight on the underreported issue of missing, murdered and trafficked indigenous women.

For years, survivors and advocates have asked the state, law enforcement officials and the media to take the issue more seriously. Recently, Mary Kunesh-Podein, DFL-New Brighton, authored legislation that created the state’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force. That task force will evaluate the systemic causes behind the problem.

Rep. Kunesh-Podein joined the Counter Stories team for a conversation about why the issue has often been invisible — and what it will take to fix it.

The Counter Stories hosts are:

Hlee Lee, owner of “the other media group”

Luz Maria Frias, executive coach and race equity strategist

Don Eubanks, associate professor at Metropolitan State University and cultural consultant

Marianne Combs, MPR News reporter

Use the audio player above to listen to the segment.

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