2/20/2012 MinneCulture

Five stories from our 10,000 Fresh Voices series:

1. Black Storytellers Alliance
Produced by Katey DeCelle
Minneapolis' Black Storytellers Alliance is a nonprofit organization made up of master storytellers, educators and community supporters who use African-based storytelling methods to reach their audience. They perform for all ages--pre-schoolers to seniors--and emphasize values such as honesty, friendship, love, integrity, manners and self-determination.

2. Obsidian Arts
Produced by Michelle Alimoradi
Obsidian Arts is a collective located in the Pillsbury House in South Minneapolis. For more than eight years, Obsidian has supporting and promoting artists of color, challenging them to push creative boundaries. KFAI producer Michelle Alimoradi spoke to the Obsidian's director, Roderick Southall.

3. Louis Alemayehu: Poet, musician and elder
Produced by Dixie Treichel
Louis Alemayehu is a poet, musician, educator and community elder. Born in Chicago of African and Native heritage, he developed artistically during the Black Arts Movement of the 1970s. Now a Minnesota resident, Louis is a founding member of Twin Cities music group Ancestor Energy--a group he's performed with for more than 25 years.

4. Chemist Jeannette Brown
Produced by Will WrightJeannette Brown was the first African-American woman to earn a degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota. She spoke to KFAI producer Will Wright about her experience at the U of M in the 1950s, and her book, "African American Women Chemists."

5. Toki Wright
Produced by Cristeta Boarini
Twin Cities hip-hop artist Toki Wright is a dynamic force on stage and in the recording studio. He's also an instructor at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul. KFAI producer Cristeta Boarini caught up with Toki to talk about his latest projects.