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.
August 25, 1975 - MPR’s Gary Eichten interviews columnist and author Jim Klobuchar, who discusses diversity, immigration, and racism in Minnesota.
October 9, 1975 - Borlaug says it?s an honor, as a 4th generation Norwegian American, to be participating in this ceremony honoring the 150th anniversary of the landing of the 1st Norwegian immigrant to this country.
October 12, 1975 - The king of Norway is in the Twin Cities as part of a tour to commemorate the first wave of Norwegian immigrants 150 years ago in 1825. Some 800,000 Norwegians left to come to the U.S. due primarily to overpopulation and lack of tillable land. A spokeswoman with the King?s press entourage, Anna Bagatier (sp?), says as Minnesota is the state with the most people of Norwegian descent, this was a natural place for the king to visit. Many people in Norway have relatives here. One spectator, Mrs. Anna Henland (sp?), came to the U.S. from Norway in 1956 for a trip and decided to stay and settle here. Spectators waved flags as the Air Force jet with the king arrived; the Augsburg band played (fanfare music). The king received roses and later left for the Leamington Hotel. He?ll be in Minneapolis for several days.
November 25, 1975 - MPR's Kevin McKiernan's inside story on the Menominee Indian takeover of the Alexian Brothers monastery in Gresham, Wisconsin. McKiernan is the only reporter to have gotten in and out of the monastery during the occupation with useable recorded material. He lets the Indian faction tell their story.
February 28, 1978 - St. Paul City Council considers the petition for the repeal of gay rights to appear on ballot in city election. City Council president Rober Sylvester and Councilman Dave Hosa oppose the petition. The council rules to accept the petition, thus the question will appear on the city election ballot on April 25th. The St. Paul gay rights repeal attempt will be the first since the controversial Dade County, Florida repeal last year.
February 16, 1979 - MPR reporter Dan Olson speaks with with Gregory Reed of the Afro-American Cultural Arts Center in Minneapolis about the history of Black people in Minnesota.
March 17, 1979 - On this special regional public affairs program, Midday presents an examination of causes, agents, and consequences of Irish immigration to America and Minnesota in history, interview, and song.
April 3, 1979 - Almost a year has passed since one of the most divisive election campaigns in St. Paul’s history. The attempt to repeal gay rights in St. Paul at first became a part of, and then completely overshadowed, the city’s mayoral and city council elections. The repeal effort brought theologians, civil rights experts, lawyers, entertainment personalities and media from all over the country. When the ballots were counted the citizens of St. Paul had voted overwhelmingly against the right to affectional or sexual preference. The question of initiative or referendum status has come before the Minnesota Supreme Court.
March 28, 1980 - MPR’s Tom Meersman reports on a conference about refugees resettling in Minnesota and how Laotian refugees are dealing with the many obstacles in adapting and thriving in United States. Economic, generational, and equality issues are topics highlighted in report.
July 15, 1980 - MPR’s Tom Meersman reports on English as a Second Language (ESL) school programs in the Twin Cities. Teachers work with refugee students from varied background languages, including Hmong, Cambodian, Thai, Laotian, and Vietnamese.