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 15, 2005 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on Minneapolis DFL convention results. A 12-hour convention for the Minneapolis DFL party over the weekend failed to produce an endorsement for either Mayor R.T. Rybak or challenger Peter McLaughlin. After five ballots, McLaughlin was leading 53 percent to Rybak's 45 percent before the delegates voted to award no endorsement. The two candidates now head for the primary.
May 17, 2005 - Syttende Mai is a big deal here in Milan because so many of its residents are the decendants of Norwegian immigrants. Professor Shackleford says people came here from Norway for a number of reasons.
May 18, 2005 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports on how globalization has brought an increasing diversity to places like the St. Paul School District. Now officials are trying to spice up their lunch menu to satisfy the tastes of students from all over the world.
May 19, 2005 - The Twin Cities area offers refuge for many immigrant groups from around the globe escaping social and political problems in their homelands. One such group is the Oromo people from Ethiopia. The Twin Cities is home to one of the largest populations of Ethiopian immigrants in the United States. The many varied cultures and disparate groups from the eastern African nation makes national identity a complex and touchy issue. The Oromo find fertile ground in the Twin Cities for speaking out against claims of human rights abuses in their homeland. Meanwhile, relationships with fellow Ethiopian immigrants remain strained because of a long history of political differences. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes has another in our series of "Think Global" reports.
May 20, 2005 - The Minneapolis Somali man at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling and a bungled deportation attempt could walk out of jail for the first time in over four years this weekend. U.S. District Judge John Tunheim ordered the government to place Keyse Jama on supervised release while it develops another plan to deport him. The government says it will appeal Tunheim's order. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
May 25, 2005 - A new report from a Twin Cities public policy organization suggests the St. Paul school district could do a better job pushing high school graduates toward higher education, especially students of color. The Citizens League says the goal of getting more students through college should be an urgent priority for not only the school district, but the entire state.
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June 7, 2005 - Admission Possible is a nonprofit organization that helps disadvantaged students in St. Paul and Minneapolis get into college. This year, 100 percent of the program's 246 seniors are headed for higher education. Five Admission Possible participants talk about their future plans.
June 7, 2005 - One hundred years ago today... June 7th, 1905... Norway peacefully dissolved its union with Sweden... making Norway a fully independent nation. Norwegians are marking the centennial... and so are hundreds of student musicians from St. Olaf College. The school's band, orchestra, and choir are touring the country this month. The Northfield, Minnesota college was founded by Norwegian immigrants. Karen Hansen is Executive Director of St. Olaf's Center for Life Long Learning... and has been attending the concerts... and she joins us on the line.