Agents for Change Dec 07 Historically denied ‘pivotal’ loans, Black farmers still struggle to get support For decades, Black farmers have been excluded from federal farm programs — a systematic pattern of discrimination that the U.S. Department of Agriculture acknowledged decades ago. Yet proposals to compensate farmers for past wrongs have languished in controversy and red…
Agents for Change Dec 01 India extends door-to-door vaccine campaign as omicron variant worries officials The trajectory of omicron infections is being watched closely in India, where the official death toll from COVID-19 is approaching half a million. The true toll is likely much higher. Memories are still fresh of the devastation caused by the…
Agents for Change Oct 29 Minneapolis residents split on reducing police role, establishing public safety department Voters in Minneapolis will head to the polls next week for the first city election since a police officer killed George Floyd, in a race that could be the most expensive in the city's history. And as special correspondent Fred…
Education Oct 27 How Minnesota’s lack of teachers of color hurts students, and what reform could look like Many schools across the United States are grappling with ways to close the achievement gap between white students and students of color. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on those efforts in Minnesota, which has some of the worst…
World Oct 21 Uganda’s Batwa tribe, considered conservation refugees, see little government support The Batwa people are one of the oldest surviving Indigenous tribes in Africa. They live high in the mountain forests, straddling several East African countries. The Batwa are now also called conservation refugees, as governments scramble to cope with the…
Health Oct 20 Pilot oxygen backup system offers new hope for Ugandan hospitals plagued by power cuts The pandemic is bringing new attention to a critical health care challenge plaguing many countries: A shortage or unreliable supply of medical oxygen. It’s also prompting many medical providers to look at ways to fix the problem. Special correspondent Fred…
World Sep 28 Many Ugandan children forced into hard labor, sex trafficking as COVID closes schools The effects of the pandemic on children vary dramatically depending on the country. With schools still shuttered in Uganda and other developing nations, many children have no choice but to work to survive. In Africa, more than one-fifth of children…
Health Sep 23 Lack of access, infrastructure and government accountability hurt Ugandan vaccine goals The U.S. plan to donate 500 million vaccines to developing countries aims to address the lopsided distribution and exacerbated impact of the virus. In Africa, Uganda is still struggling to vaccinate those most at-risk. It has recorded more than 120,000…
Health Aug 31 This dissolvable pacemaker could make heart surgery less invasive Millions of Americans spend weeks recovering from heart surgery and other operations to repair brain and bone injuries every year. As special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports from Chicago, researchers are working on a novel approach to aid in…
Nation Aug 13 How the Twin Cities is trying to close the racial gap in home ownership The Twin Cities is one of the most affordable metropolitan areas of the country. Its longstanding racial disparities in home ownership are also among the worst. Just 25 percent of Black residents in Minneapolis and St. Paul own their homes,…