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.
November 1, 2006 - In less than a week, voters in Minnesota's 5th district will elect a new representative to Congress for the first time in nearly three decades. MPR's Brandt Williams checks out all four campaigns.
November 6, 2006 - In the last day of campaigning, all three candidates from Minnesota's 5th district were out in full force. Democrat Keith Ellison, Republic Alan Fine, and Independant Tammy Lee were all campaigning, hoping for a victory.
November 8, 2006 - DFL leaders in the Minnesota Legislature say they'll focus on education, health care and property tax reform in the upcoming session. Tuesday's election put Democrats in the majority in both the House and Senate for the first time in eight years. DFLers say they will reach out early to republican collegues and Governor Tim Pawlenty to try and ensure a productive legislative session. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
November 10, 2006 - If you've been to a Vikings game, you've heard it. Before every Vikings kick off, "Welcome to the Jungle," by Guns 'n Roses echoes throughout the Metrodome. A resident of Duluth says there's a far more appropriate song. He says "Immigrant Song," by Led Zeppelin, which is about Vikings, should replace the current anthem.
November 13, 2006 - African Americans and Native Americans have the highest fetal and infant mortality rates in Minnesota and the United States. The Minnesota Department of Health has been working with those families and the numbers of fetal and infant deaths have begun to decline. But now the focus is turning to Minnesota's growing Latino population where, it appears fetal deaths are increasing. Unlike African Americans and Native Americans, Latina women face special obstacles, in part because of language and immigration status. Minnesota Public Radio's Ambar Espinoza reports.
November 14, 2006 - Even in a modern society that we like to think of as equal and fair, disparities still persist for minority groups. Especially for Sub-Saharan Africans from places like Somalia, living in Minnesota often feels like being treated as second class citizens.
November 14, 2006 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Ilean Her, executive director of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, about a new census report that shows that while some minority groups are struggling economically, the Hmong community in Minnesota has made significant gains. Their per capita income jumped up fifty percent over the last five years.
November 14, 2006 - A new magazine in the Twin Cities is trying to put minority business owners in touch with each other to improve their chances for business success. The publication, called Business Nation, launched in September. The magazine's founders say they're catering to the Twin Cities large number of entrepreneurs of color. Minnesota Public Radio's Annie Baxter reports.
November 17, 2006 - It’s been thirty years since Hmong began arriving in Minnesota. MPR's Toni Randolph interviews Leng Wong, one of the first arrivals that came in the mid-70s. That small initial group now is a community of more than 50-thousand strong.
November 22, 2006 - What's a person to do if they're a new American and this is their first Thanksgiving? MPR’s Greta Cunningham spoke to some students at the Lincoln Adult Education Center in Minneapolis as they mark their first encounters with turkeys and pumpkin pies.