Minnesota Unraveled: Pulling on the Threads of Minnesota History

Silence was once a form of survival for many in the LGBTQIA+ community. But in Minnesota, a group called Telling Queer History set out to change that, by creating spaces where people across generations could share their stories openly, often for the first time.

So how did Telling Queer History transform silence into language and action? What made those spaces feel safe, welcoming, and worth the risk of vulnerability? And why is intergenerational storytelling vital to LGBTQIA+ history?

In this episode, host Chantel Rodríguez and her guests – TQH founder RJ Lawrence, and members Harry Waters, Jr., José Maria Herrera Tamayo, and Jayce Wepplo – dig into those questions, and explore how storytelling is an act of making history.

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Between 1880 and 1930, St. Anthony Falls helped establish Minneapolis as the flour milling capital of the world. But the story of the falls is about more than the economy and hydropower. People from many backgrounds have also been drawn to the falls for its cultural and spiritual power. To the Dakota people, it is known as Owámniyomni, a place of spirit, story, and connection. To Reiko Weston, founder of Fuji Ya Restaurant, it became a way to bridge cultural divides between Japan and Minnesota.

In this episode of Minnesota Unraveled, Dr. Chantel Rodríguez and her guests–Deacon DeBoer, Carol Weston Hanson, and Shelley Buck–pull on the threads of two seemingly unrelated stories that are, in fact, deeply woven together in the rich tapestry of St. Anthony Falls’ history as a site of cultural, spiritual, and economic power.

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In the summer of 1860, Eliza Winston fought for her freedom in a Minneapolis courthouse. Eliza made history as the first enslaved person to do so in the state of Minnesota. But Eliza herself is noticeably absent from the story. She left behind almost no paper trail. In this episode of Minnesota Unraveled, host Dr. Chantel Rodríguez and her guests search for answers–who was Eliza Winston? Why was she in Minnesota, and what did her fight for freedom look like? Through the powerful words of poet Mary Moore Easter, the historical research of Dr. Christopher Lehman, and the curiosity of Jason Benjamin’s fourth grade class, Eliza is here now, finally taking center stage in her own story.

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Stargazing is a timeless, shared activity that connects us across cultures and generations. But have you ever considered that when you look up at the night sky, you’re actually looking at history? Because light takes time to travel across the vastness of space, the starlight reaching your eyes is coming from the past.

Host Dr. Chantel Rodríguez speaks with three keepers of star knowledge to explore how communities have connected to the cosmos. Ron Schmit and Dr. Cindy Blaha talk about western astronomy and the role of observatories in stargazing and time-keeping. Jim Rock shares Dakota cosmology and the science of Indigenous sky observation. Join us as we look up, get curious, and ask big questions: Why do we look to the stars? What is our role in the cosmos? And how has star knowledge been passed down through generations? 

For more information on Dakota star knowledge, please watch this video from Jim Rock and Dakota artist Marlena Myles.

At the southeast corner of Lexington Parkway and Interstate 94 in St. Paul sits the Oxford Community Center, bustling with a water park, playground, and gyms. But behind its walls and athletic fields lies a deep history of community resilience that has remained untold – until now. A group of Rondo community members and elders has teamed up with an oral historian to preserve the story of Oxford through an oral history project.

To learn more about Rondo’s connection to Oxford and the project itself, host Dr. Chantel Rodríguez sits down with members of the Oxford team. Two are Rondo community legends: Lisa Lissimore, a trailblazing Oxford athlete, and Frank White Jr., an Oxford coach and Rondo historian. Chantel also speaks with Kim Heikkila, the project convener and a professional oral historian. They are joined by voices from the Oxford Oral History Project, including Bill Peterson, the formidable coach and director of Oxford.

Together, they honor the Rondo community’s resilience in transforming Oxford from a rocky playground into a sports powerhouse and a cornerstone of the community.

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