KFAI's MinneCulture Presents

The Jayhawks  Live from Minnesota  A very special (and amazing ) small venue show for local heroes the Jayhawks . Recorded live at St. Paul's cherished Turf Club . Featuring Gary Louris on guitar and lead vocals; Marc Perlman on bass; Tim O'Reagan on drums; Kraig Johnson on guitar; Jessy Greene on violin; Karen Grotberg on keyboards; and John Jackson on mandolin. Produced by Tom Garneau . Mason Jennings Live from Minnesota  Mason Jennings is now celebrating 20 years of making music in Minnesota . In this recording, Jennings performs at Sacred Heart Music Center in Duluth. This show features classic favorites and new selections from " Wild Dark Metal ," his newest album. The band consists of Jennings on acoustic and electric guitar, Jacob Hanson on bass and Scott McPherson on drums. Recorded, mixed, and produced by Tom Garneau .

William's Leap For Freedom by SueMedia Productions Hosted by Dion Graham , this one hour radioplay is based on the life of freed slave William Wells Brown . The performance was recorded live and stars Mirron E. Willis as Wells Brown, and features Barbara Rosenblat (of Orange is the New Black  fame ) along with a multi-voice cast. It is a two part drama; a play within a play. Beginning with a fictionalized conversation between William and a historian, and selected portions of " The Escape or Leap for Freedom ," a play written by William Wells Brown in 1858.

As Black As We Wish To Be by Lu Olkowski State of the Re:Union visits a tiny town in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio where, for a century, residents have shared the common bond of identifying as African-American despite the fact that they look white. Racial lines have been blurred to invisibility, and people inside the same family can vehemently disagree about whether they are black or white. It can be tense and confusing. As a result, everyone’s choosing: Am I black ? Am I mixed race? Or, am I white?

Bayard Rustin: Who Is This Man?  produced by Tina Antolini This week, for  Black History Month , we will be presenting an  episode  of Al Letson's award-winning State of the Re:Union  which uncovers the words and wisdom of an unsung hero who changed the course of American history. MLK Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech has become the shorthand of the Civil Rights Movement - but we might never have heard it, if it were not for another man, who has largely been purposefully forgotten by history: Bayard Rustin . Rustin mentored Dr. King, helped to engineer the March on Washington, and frame the Montgomery bus boycott. Over  this hour , we  explore  the life and legacy of Mr. Rustin, a black, homosexual, pacifist who brought Gandhian non-violent protest to America.