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 28, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil profiles Harry Yang, a Hmong immigrant who decided to leave Twin Cities for Walnut Grove and Southwest Minnesota, home of "Little House on the Prairie." Yang says he finds more freedom and peace of mind here, though challenges remain.
August 30, 2004 - Life's not easy for small businesses. Either a big corporation is squeezing your future or you're scratching for money to fix some machine. Survive ten years and you're an old-timer. Last 144 years and you're a legend. The August Schell Brewing Company of New Ulm has managed that trick. The family owned business has survived war, prohibition, the Great Depression and cut-throat beer competition. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports.
September 1, 2004 - Officials in Minneapolis and St. Paul are resistant to a request by Governor Tim Pawlenty to repeal or change laws in those cities prohibiting police officers from asking about a person's immigration status. Pawlenty sent a letter urging the cities to change the laws because he says they compromise security. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
September 3, 2004 -
September 23, 2004 - A plurality of Minnesotans believe that immigrants to this state cost more than they give back. In the latest Minnesota Public Radio/St. Paul Pioneer Press poll, 42 percent said they believe the cost of absorbing immigrants and helping them get established outweighed the economic, social and other contributions they make. Thirty-seven percent in the poll said the contributions immigrants made do outweigh the costs. Measuring the precise costs and contributions immigrants offer is a complicated and sometimes controversial endeavor. Kathy Fennelly teaches courses on immigration and public policy at the University of Minnesota. She says many attempts have been made to accurately portray the trade-offs.
September 23, 2004 - MPR’s Toni Randoplh looks into a Minnesota Public Radio-Pioneer Press poll that shows many state residents believe that the cost of helping immigrants get established here outweighs their contribution.
September 24, 2004 -
September 27, 2004 - Any way you look at it, students of color aren't doing as well in school as their white classmates. The academic disparities among racial groups are known collectively as "the achievement gap." Each round of test scores puts the problem in sharp focus. It's a persistent, national problem. But recent reports have shown an especially wide gap in Minnesota. There's no single cause or a clear solution. Still, schools are under increased pressure to close the divide. All this week, Minnesota Public Radio is examining the issue. Reporter Tim Pugmire begins our series, The Education Achievement Gap: Minnesota's Embarrassment, with this overview.
September 28, 2004 - Students from around the world are finding it increasingly difficult to study in the United States. Colleges and universities in Minnesota, and throughout the country, have reported a slowdown in foreign student applications. Higher education officials say new anti-terror laws have made it much harder to get a student visa. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.
October 1, 2004 - Augsburg College History Professor and former Minneapolis School Board member Bill Green.