Mary Tyler Moore stands for Minneapolis

Even if you haven’t seen an episode of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in years, you can probably picture it via a single freeze-frame. You know the one: Mary Richards, smiling brightly amid the herd gathered at a crowded Minneapolis intersection, suddenly whirls and flings her tam-o’-shanter into the air. Probably the most famous frozen moment in film and TV, that carefree toss tells us everything about a woman determined to live happily ever after, on her terms.

In Mary’s hometown, women stand up for themselves...