When Minnesota was a new state, thousands of settlers arrived, many of them from Europe. But in recent decades, the state has attracted large numbers of Hmong and Somali refugees. There are also thousands of people from India, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Mexico and the People’s Republic of China living in Minnesota.
The state has become more racially diverse in the last 10 years, and demographers said that's especially true among children. About 83 percent of Minnesotans were white, non-Hispanic for the 2010 census, compared to 88 percent in 2000.
July 6, 2000 - Wing Trahn has no memories of the small Vietnamese town where she was born, but thats about to change. The twenty-seven year old is leaving today for Cow Lahn Vietnam. There she will spend three weeks teaching English with a group from the Twin Cities based organization, Global Volunteers. Trahn fled Vietnam with her family when she was just two years old. She says today's plane flight to Vietnam will be dramatically different than her journey to the United States twenty five years ago:
July 7, 2000 - A group of Minneapolis middle school students has just returned from a 10-day trip to West Africa. They visited Senegal and Gambia as part of a program created by We Win Institute in Minneapolis to encourage academic and social success among African-American students. Part of the goal of their trip was to improve the relationship between African-American students and recent African immigrants in Minneapolis schools. The kids visited historical sites and experienced a traditional rites of passage ceremony. Two of them have come by the studio this morning.
July 11, 2000 - In its 15 years, the Center for Victims of Torture in Minneapolis has become a vital part of the internationa campaign for human rights. Where it once solely treated torture victims, it now does research, training, and advocates public policy. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports.
July 13, 2000 - MPR’s Lynette Nyman reports on a Minnesota visit of the The Lao Royal Family for several days hoping to garner support for democratic reform in Laos. Meetings are planned with local officials as well as the Lao and Hmong people.
July 26, 2000 - Minorities make up about a quarter of the country's population, but own only a tenth of all businesses. In part, that's because many minority-owned companies lack the capital and social networks that are critical to the success of any business. With that in mind, governor Jesse Ventura convened a working group of business people and academics to identify the special obstacles facing minority entrepreneurs -- and come up with ways to overcome them. The group will present a report to the governor next month. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.
July 28, 2000 -
August 14, 2000 - in Los Angeles. There will be no more suspense over the nomination than at the G-O-P convention two weeks ago, but Minnesota's 91 delegates say their convention will provide more substance. And they say it will offer more diversity. Nearly a quarter of Minnesota's delegates represent ethnic minorities. Democrats say that's in sharp contrast with the Republicans. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.
August 17, 2000 - The location of a proposed Hiawatha light rail station in Minneapolis' Cedar-Riverside neighborhood has placed business owners at odds with residents, and public housing dwellers at odds with their neighbors. Originally the station would have been located some distance from Cedar Avenue, farther from businesses and bus connections. A new redesign places the station closer to pedestrians and commerce, but residents of a nearby public housing complex say the station would be right in their front yard. Wednesday's public hearing gave residents a chance to try and influence the final choice. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.
August 28, 2000 - When Minnesota's Reform Party broke away to become the Independence party last spring, self-employed software developer and political newcomer Jim Gibson seemed assured of being its lone candidate for U.S. Senate. But in the meantime a more competitive primary race materialized within the party. Environmental activist Leslie Davis has joined the fray, as has Buford Johnson, a former party official and military veteran. And while the candidates in the D-F-L have similar views on many of the issues, the Independence party candidates have run more idiosyncratic -- if low-profile -- campaigns. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil has this report.
August 28, 2000 - A new state law that takes effect next year will make Minnesota the first state to require welfare and health care case workers to report illegal immigrants to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Legislators who wrote the bill say the policy will discourage immigrants from entering Minnesota illegally and gaining access to state welfare services. Critics say the law targets all immigrants, including those in Minnesota legally. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports