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.
April 4, 2001 - MPR’s Erin Galbally reports on the growing Somali immigrant population in Owatonna and the reflection of that number in the 2000 census. She speaks with Abdul Aziz Ahmed a cultural liaison at Owatonna High School who moved to the city in 1997. He speaks on the potential inaccuracy of the 2000 census in reflecting true numbers of Somali residents. Some Somali families are hesitant to respond to the census due to distrust of the government, large family sizes which may break housing code, or may respond inaccurately.
April 5, 2001 - Rwanda is in the midst of a weeklong commemoration of the 1994 genocide of at least 500,000 minority Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus by the then-ruling Hutu government. Flags are flying at half-staff and authorities are holding conferences to discuss how Rwandans can remember what led to the killing and work together to rebuild their country. Genocide survivor Alphonse Nkunzimana recalls fleeing his house as the violence escalated nearby. He says the rampage that followed is hard to forget:
April 6, 2001 - Saint Paul International Film Festival is upon us. A group of Ojibwe students from the Leech Lake wrote a play about a love story on the Reservation. Talking with Rob Nelson, a critic about what movies to see at the International Film Festival. Riffs is a play about African American life.
April 6, 2001 - Minnesota communities of color are disappointed in the racial profiling. There is a mandatory data collection option and a voluntary data collection option.
April 17, 2001 - THE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION HAS ANNOUNCED A NEW SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM THAT GIVES MONEY TO STUDENTS WHO GRADUATE ON TIME FROM A HANDFUL OF SCHOOLS IN BOTH MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL. THE SEVEN SCHOOLS WERE CHOSEN BECAUSE THEY ARE STRUGGLING ACADEMICALLY AND HAVE A HIGH NUMBER OF POOR STUDENTS, AND THOSE WHO DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH AS A FIRST LANGUAGE. A NEW BOOK BY A MINNEAPOLIS TEACHER GIVES US A GLIMPSE AT THE CHALLENGES AND REWARDS OF TEACHING A DIVERSE GROUP OF STUDENTS. JULIE LANDSMAN HAS BEEN TEACHING IN THE MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. HER BOOK, "A WHITE TEACHER TALKS ABOUT RACE" INTRODUCES READERS TO HER STUDENTS AND TO THE QUESTIONS OF RACIAL IDENTITY AND CULTURAL CONFLICT THAT COME UP IN HER CLASSROOM. LANDSMAN TALKED WITH MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S JULIE SIPLE. SHE SAYS IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHERE HER STUDENTS ARE COMING FROM.
April 18, 2001 - Just a few months after the Presidential election was finally decided, a new political season is already beginning. Mayoral campaigns are underway in the Twin Cities and a tough race is taking shape in Saint Paul, where incumbent Norm Coleman is not seeking re-election. Six D-F-Lers, no Republicans, and one independent are vying to succeed Coleman. D-F-Lers began their endorsement process last night (Tues) with party conventions in three of Saint Paul's seven wards. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen visited the Sixth Ward convention and has this report...
April 19, 2001 - Minnesota's American Indian tribes have won a 200-thousand-dollar award for promoting preventive health for the elderly. The University of Pennsylvania's Institute on Aging recognized the state's eleven tribal communities along with the Minnesota Board on Aging for developing the Wisdom Steps program which provides education and healthy-living activities. Minnesota was one of three recipients this year of the university's SHARE award. Mary Snobl, an Indian elder specialist with the Minnesota Board on Aging says it's important that her community focus on healthy practices because on average, American Indians live 8 to 10 years less than many Americans.
April 23, 2001 - A law enacted in the last days of the Clinton Administration has sent many illegal immigrants in Minnesota rushing to apply for permanent residency. Between now and April 30, the law grants permanent residency to people who entered the country illegally. People who have overstayed their period of admission in the U S may also be eligible. Minnesota Public Radio's Leticia (Le-tee-see-uh) Gonzales The Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act or the LIFE Act is not a general amnesty. But it is designed to keep immigrant families intact. It temporarily extends visas to spouses and children and allows some illegal immigrants a chance to seek citizenship without returning to their home countries. The LIFE Act would make it possible for 20-year-old Anna Jauregui (How-duh-hee) of St. Paul to remain in the United States with her husband and two children. Jauregui (How-duh-hee) is an illegal immigrant married to a U S citizen.
April 26, 2001 - The descendants of the Lakota leader Crazy Horse have settled a defamation lawsuit over the use of his name in the marketing of Crazy Horse Malt Liquor. Crazy Horse's descendants filed suit eight years ago trying to stop beer makers from using the chief's name on an alcohol product that was distributed to 32 states. The opposition to Crazy Horse malt liquor came in part, because Crazy Horse had denounced the introduction of alcohol to American Indians. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports:
April 30, 2001 - Hundreds of illegal immigrants in Minnesota are arriving at the Immigration and Naturalization Services Offices in Bloomington today. They're part of a nationwide rush to beat a midnight deadline for a special law that permits them to apply for permanent residency -- without first going back to their home country. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...