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.
February 6, 2002 - When Africans immigrate to America they confront racism, perhaps for the first time. The longer they live in this country and become African Americans, they realize they are identified more by the color of their skin than by their nationality. In the last part of a series on the relationship between Africans and African Americans, Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams looks at how race can complicate the process of assimilation for African immigrants.
February 6, 2002 - This year, police in many Minnesota communities are tracking the race of every person they stop. A proposal to require race data collection was defeated in the last legislative session. Instead, police and sheriffs departments were offered incentives to volunteer for a pilot project. Participating agencies will get video cameras for squad cars. Sixty five agencies have been gathering data for about a month. Mainstreet Radios Dan Gunderson reports.
February 12, 2002 - As part of the American RadioWorks project called "Radio Fights Jim Crow," MPR’s Brandt Williams talks with older African Americans in Minnesota about their memories of segregation in the feature “Up South.”
February 12, 2002 - The president of St. Cloud State University will meet today the EEOC released the findings of an investigation into antisemitism and racial bias at St. Cloud State. University officials say the report acknowledges the school suffers mainly from an image problem, and is already making important changes. Those who've been complaining say it highlights systemic problems the school is still doing very little to fix. Mainstreet Radio's Jeff Horwich reports.
March 7, 2002 - The federal government has deported ten Somalis with five more facing possible deportation. Federal officials say the Somalis, along with Somalis from other states, were flown to Mogadishu in mid-February. Officials say 8 of the ten deportees from Minnesota had been arrested from 1999 through Janaury of this year for offenses ranging from sex crimes to drugs to assaults. The other two had allegedly entered the U.S. illegally. U.S. attorney Tom Heffelfinger says all of those deported had broken the law.
March 7, 2002 - TWIN CITIES SOMALI COMMUNITY LEADERS SAY THEY ARE VERY CONCERNED THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS DEPORTED TEN SOMALIS...WITH FIVE MORE FACING POSSIBLE DEPORTATION. FEDERAL OFFICIALS SAY THE INDIVIDUALS WERE TAKEN, WITH OTHER SOMALIS, AND FLOWN TO MOGADISHU FEBRUARY 14TH. OFFICIALS SAY 8 OF THE TEN DEPORTEES FROM MINNESOTA HAD BEEN ARRESTED FROM 1999 THROUGH JANAURY OF THIS YEAR FOR OFFENSES RANGING FROM SEX CRIMES TO DRUGS TO ASSAULTS. THE OTHER TWO HAD, ALLEGEDLY, ENTERED THE U-S ILLEGALLY. OSMAN SAH-HAR-DEE, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE SOMALI COMMUNITY OF MINNESOTA, SAYS HE'S STILL TRYING TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATIONS ABOUT THE DEPORTATIONS.
March 12, 2002 - Somali community leaders in Minneapolis are appealing to the African American community to join them in protesting the police shooting and killing of a mentally ill Somali man last weekend. Minneapolis officials say the officers acted in accordance with police regulations. But the Somali leaders told a predominantly African American crowd this morning Tuesday the death of Abu Kassim Jelani is a case of police brutality. Some members of the African American community said they can sympathize with the Somalis. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams reports.
March 18, 2002 - Low income residents of the Red Lake Indian Reservation say the local electric cooperative is discriminating against the Ojibwe band. A complaint filed with the state Public Utilities Commission alleges the cooperative's customer service practices and fee requirements are unfair and illegal. Cooperative officials deny the charges. Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson has the story... {
March 21, 2002 - Confrontration over the police killing in Minneapolis last week of an armed, mentally ill Somali man has turned into pledges of cooperation. A Somali spokesman Wednesday joined Minneapolis Police Chief Robert Olson in promising to repair relations strained by the shooting of Abu Kassim Jeilani. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.
March 22, 2002 - The Consul General of Mexico will be in St. Paul this weekend to provide official i.ds for about 1,000 undocumented Mexicans. The Mexican government is working with Wells Fargo and US Bank to allow Mexican nationals to open bank accounts. Officials with the Immigration and Naturalization Service say the i.d. cards won't affect their work. Legally, they can't interfere with undocumented workers who are applying for them. The faith-based organization ISAIAH invited the Consul General to the Twin Cities to distribute cards. Jim Kielkopf is a volunteer spokesman for ISAIAH. He says the card grants Illegal immigrant greater security: