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.
June 7, 2006 - After George Bush said that all new immigrants to the United States must speak English, the Minnesota literacy organization says it's a contradictory statement. The Bush administration has cut literacy funding by more than 56% in the last few years. Bush came under fire for the statement from Democrats as well as member of his own party.
June 8, 2006 - For more than a century the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis has been the place where immigrant energy, radical politics and campus culture collide. That rich, occasionally volatile history is the inspiration for Bedlam Theater's latest production, which also happens to be a musical. It's called "West Bank Story." Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts reports.
June 12, 2006 - MPR’s Marisa Helms reports on the increasing importance and interest for Spanish langauge radio in the Twin Cities. Two 24-hour stations are going head to head for listeners…Radio Rey and La Invasora.
June 12, 2006 - An organization specializing in making Spanish as a first language speakers literate is struggling to find funding. Although most people don't believe this is a big issue, the founder claims that dozens of Latinos have come to her asking to learn how to read in Spanish before learning to speak and read English. She also says that there is a direct correlation between literacy in Spanish and success in learning English.
June 12, 2006 - Life in the U.S. can be hard for a new immigrant. It's even more difficult when they can't read or write in their own language. This is a common story for many Latin American immigrants from impoverished backgrounds with little education. Minnesota Public Radio's Ambar Espinoza has the story of one man's struggle to learn to read and write in two languages.
June 15, 2006 - The recent opening of the Minneapolis Public Library drew a lot of attention to the new look of libraries, with state of the art technology, cafes and comfy chairs. But libraries aren't just changing physically. MPR's Marianne Combs reports on how libraries are becoming less about books, and more about people.
June 16, 2006 - Currently, a person needs either a passport or a birth certificate to apply for medicaid. Starting July 1, people applying for medicaid will need to prove their citizenship before even applying. Opponents of the bill argue that eligible, low-income patients will have trouble accessing these documents.
June 21, 2006 -
June 21, 2006 - The national debate on immigration policy has loomed large in media coverage in recent months. It turns out the way the media reports on those debates can sometimes be as contentious as the immigration policy in question. A forum sponsored by Minnesota Public Radio and the Minnesota News Council yesterday evening looked at the stakes of the media's representation of immigration issues. A couple dozen journalists from major local media outlets convened with activists from different sides of the immigration issue. The conversation prompted some audience members to reach new understandings-- and others to exchange barbs. Minnesota Public Radio's Annie Baxter has a closer look.
June 23, 2006 - In Minneapolis, La Clinica en Lake is well-known as a convenient health care clinic with a bilingual and bi-cultural approach. It serves 52-hundred patients, which is not surprising since the Spanish-speaking population in Minnesota has increased 21 percent since 2000. But now, the clinic is closing, and patients have to find another place to go. Minnesota Public Radio's Ambar Espinoza has the story.