Counter Stories

This year, the Human Rights Campaign reported 18 transgender people were killed across the U.S. The majority of those killed were Black transgender women. The latest victim was Bee Love Slater. Her body was found in a burnt-out car in Florida.

Andrea Jenkins, the first African-American openly transgender woman elected to public office in the U.S., joins the Counter Stories team to highlight the barriers society has placed this vulnerable community.

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

We take a look at how some cities are trying to rebuild trust in communities by starting at the neighborhood level with community policing programs.

The Counter Stories hosts for this episode are:

Hlee Lee, owner of “the other media group”

Luz Maria Frias, executive coach and race equity strategist

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

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

Brandt Williams, reporter and correspondent at MPR News

The Counter Stories team discusses the links between anti-immigrant rhetoric and hate crimes. The Counter Stories hosts for this episode 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, reporter and producer at MPR News

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations

America has the world's worst gun problem. And now it's being forced to confront its hate problem.

In the span of 24 hours last weekend, two mass shootings — one in El Paso, Texas, and the other in Dayton, Ohio — left more than 30 people dead.

As the country reels from these tragedies, President Trump faces criticism over his anti-immigration language. In Dayton, protesters accused Trump of stoking violence with his racially-charged rhetoric. During his visit they held signs which read "Do Something" and "Hate not welcome here."

In his response to the shootings, the president said hate has no place in our country. But others say racial hatred is a through-line in our history.

The Counter Stories team looks at how communities of color are responding to the most recent mass shootings.

The Counter Stories hosts for this episode are:

Hlee Lee, owner of “the other media group”

Luz Maria Frias, executive coach and race equity strategist

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

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

Marianne Combs, reporter and producer at MPR News

The commemoration of 400 years since the first Africans were enslaved in the United States has reinvigorated efforts to change the hearts and minds of U.S. Congress and America about reparations.

Counter Stories hosts:

Anthony Galloway, executive director of Arts Us

Hlee Lee, owner of "the other media group"

Luz Maria Frias, attorney and legal consultant

Marianne Combs, arts reporter for MPR News

Guest:

Roy Taylor, artist and host Indigeneity Rising, KFAI

The Trump administration has set limits on how many people can claim asylum each day at ports of entry. With months-long waits for interviews, migrant families are instead attempting sometimes risky border crossings.

Even when they are processed, families are torn apart. Seven children have died while in U.S. custody, and that has led to questions about the treatment provided by U.S. authorities.

The Counter Stories team looks at America's history of immigration, and what's changed.

Hosts:

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

• Anthony Galloway, executive director of Arts Us

• Hlee Lee, owner of "the other media group"

• Luz Maria Frias, attorney and legal consultant

• Marianne Combs, arts reporter for MPR News

With guest Kara Lynum, immigration lawyer at Lynum Law.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

On June 19, 1865, the people of Texas were finally informed — two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation — that all enslaved people across the U.S. were no longer property of their masters.

This holiday commemorates the struggles of the past and shows the way to a more equitable future, as the White House threatens to undo advances in voting rights and affirmative action.

Counter Stories reflects on the legacy of Juneteenth and the community's continuous fight for equality and a different kind of freedom.

Hosts:

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

• Anthony Galloway, executive director of Arts Us

• Hlee Lee, owner of "the other media group"

• Luz Maria Frias, attorney and legal consultant

• Marianne Combs, arts reporter for MPR News

Special thanks to Lee Henry Jordan, state and Midwest regional director for the national Juneteenth celebration, and Josie Johnson, civil rights activist and education advocate.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

In the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite movement and the lack of diversity in TV and films, there are some writers, actors, and directors from diverse backgrounds who are changing the narrative.

Counter-Stories takes a look at Ali Wong's new film "Always Be My Maybe," an Asian-American rom-com with a twist: Ethnicity isn't central to the plot.

And Ava DuVernay's new four-part drama, which follows a group of black and Hispanic teenagers who were convicted (and later exonerated) in connection with the 1989 rape of jogger Trisha Meili, a 28-year-old white investment banker.

They look at how the media has perpetuated stereotypes and at times even perverted the course of justice.

Hosts are:

• Hlee Lee

• Luz Maria Frais

• Anthony Galloway

• Guest host Beverly Bushyhead from MN Urban Indian Advisory Board.

The midterm elections saw some states impose some of the most strictest voting laws. In Georgia more than half a million people -- 8 percent of registered voters, the majority African Americans -- were cut from the voter rolls. Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp adopted the "use it or lose it" policy where people who don't vote regularly are removed for the voter registry.

Advocates fear that "use it or lose it" purges could be used as a voter suppression tactic -- along with voter ID requirements. The Counter Stories team looks at how voting laws impact diverse communities and people on probation.

Hosts:

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

Anthony Galloway— executive director of Arts Us

Hlee Lee— owner of "the other media group"

Luz Maria Frias— lawyer and consultant

Marianne Combs— arts reporter for MPR News

Tierre Caldwell— Employment Specialist with the Power of People Leadership Institute.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

Take a moment to do an inventory on your friends. How much diversity is there in your social circle?

According to Public Religion Research Institute data, 75 percent of whites have a "network of people with whom they discuss important matters is entirely white, with no minority presence."

People of color didn't do much better. The data showed that they also practiced racial self-selection in their friend networks. So what does this tell us about society? And why should you consider diversifying your network of friends?

The Counter Stories hosts for this episode are:

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

Anthony Galloway, executive director of Arts Us

Hlee Lee, owner of "the other media group"

Luz Maria Frias, lawyer and consultant

Marianne Combs, arts reporter for MPR News