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.
May 3, 2001 - Dozens of schoolbuses will be pulling up to downtown Saint Paul's convention center later this morning (Thurs) for the start of the Festival of Nations. For the sixty-ninth year the festival will showcase foods, dances, crafts, and cultural traditions from around the world. Additions to the program this year include a Moroccan cafe and a Russian dance troupe. But many of the traditions on display have been standbys at the festival for decades. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen caught up with the man who's organized the Festival's Italian boccie ball demonstration for 22 years and has this report...
May 8, 2001 - The Dalai Lama made his first public appearance in Minneapolis this (Tues) morning. The holy leader of Tibet presented a lesson on basic Buddhist beliefs to a sold out crowd at the University of Minnesota's Northrop Auditorium. As Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports, reactions to the teaching range from inspired to confused.
May 9, 2001 - The assembly line brought a dramatic change to Twentieth Century manufacturing by allowing products to be mass produced. At the start of a new century, technology is again changing manufacturing by allowing more products to be custom-made. In an age of computers and robots, even the job skills needed to work in manufacturing are becoming more specialized. The St. Paul Port Authority held a ceremony today (Wed) on the shop floor of a Midway neighbhorhood business that has benefitted from the port's "Customized Job Training" program. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports...
May 10, 2001 - ((Ambiance at end goes for about :45 if you want it)) Politics, celebration and a determined plea for human compassion marked the Dalai Lama's final day in Minnesota. After addressing the legislature and meeting privately with the governor yesterday (Wednesday), the Tibetan Buddhist leader lectured at the University of Minnesota and participated in a roundtable discussion on religion with representatives of selected faiths. He's scheduled to leave for Salt Lake City this (Thursday) morning. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
May 23, 2001 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on the results of Minnesota’s U.S. census figures. Highlights include the state’s population is older than it was ten years ago; Minnesotan's are much more likely to own their homes than residents in the rest of the nation; and the dramatic increase in the state's Hispanic population is made up largely of people of Mexican heritage.
June 7, 2001 - "Take the advice of no one." This is the credo of August Kleinmann, 78 year old immigrant, self-made millionaire and central character of Ethan Canin's new novel "Carry Me Across the Water." Canin is currently on the faculty of the Iowa Writers Workshop, although he's probably the only MD on the staff. He took a brief sojourn into medicine as a backup in case his writing career failed to take off. Canin told Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Crann the novel is the story of his hero's journey to the US and then his journey of atonement late in life, when he reaches out to the family of a Japanese soldier he killed during World War Two:
June 13, 2001 - This week, people in Duluth are honoring the three black men lynched by a huge mob in 1920. The story is getting a lot of attention after decades of silence. But Duluth is still quiet about its *other* lynching. Two years earlier, at the tail end of World-War-One, a small mob tarred and feathered a Finnish working man in Duluth, and hanged him from a tree. To this day, few people in Duluth know the story. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin has this report.
June 14, 2001 -
June 20, 2001 - Census 2000 confirmed some common perceptions; that Mainstreet is showing its age. A population shift has brought young people into the booming urban economy, a trend that's already producing significant economic effects. As a rural workforce of farmers and factory workers settle into retirement, they are no longer replaced by their children. In the latest installment of our series "Aging Gracefully" Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally reports on the changes in store for rural Minnesota. BACKANNOUNCE: As our series "Aging Gracefully" continues, tomorrow a look at one small town on the North Shore coming up with creative ways to meet the needs of older residents. There's more information on our series, as well as images and statistics at MinnesotaPublicRadio.o-r-g
July 4, 2001 - The conflict in the Middle East continues with hundreds dead and real peace as elusive as ever. About 40 percent fewer students and tourists visited the region in the past year. Still, some Minnesotans continue to travel to Israel. Some are traveling on one-way tickets. Minnesota Public Radio's Kaomi Goetz has this report.