Counter Stories

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:

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

In this edition of Counter Stories, the team looks at why people struggle to pronounce unfamiliar names. Getting a name wrong seems innocuous, but when the name of someone with non-European ancestry is "dumbed down" for a white speaker or mispronounced repeatedly, it can have a lasting impact.

The Counter Stories hosts for this episode are:

Counter Stories team kicks off a new season with an in-depth look at inequalities of college admission.

In the wake of the recent scandal where wealthy parents, including celebrities Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman allegedly paid to get their children admitted into elite colleges, our hosts look at the double standards for students of color who have found their qualifications questioned when they arrive at elite campuses.

They talk about how the scandal exposed the fact that there is a misplaced emphasis on so-called affirmative action inequities, rather than privilege.

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, president and CEO of YWCA Minneapolis

- Marianne Combs, arts reporter for MPR News