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 7, 2008 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Hmong author Kao Kalia Yang about her book “The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir.” Yang also describes her family life experience and transition to living in the United States.
November 27, 2008 - MPR’s Tim Post talks to four students at the College of St. Katherine in St. Paul to hear about their experiences with the Thanksgiving holiday, and what Americans might learn from their thoughts on giving thanks.
December 24, 2008 - MPR's Elizabeth Baier reports on Nochebuena (Spanish for “the Good Night”), a holiday celebrated every December 24th in Spain, Latin countries, and the Philippines.
April 15, 2009 - Ahmed Samatar, dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College in St. Paul; and Hussein Samatar, founder and executive director of the African Development Center in Minneapolis, discuss the major concerns of Somalis living in Minnesota, including whether young men are being recruited to fight with terrorists. The two Somali men who are longtime Minnesota residents and U.S. citizens.
June 22, 2009 - MPR’s Toni Randolph profiles individuals from the last wave of Hmong refugees to the Twin Cities. Five years after their arrival in 2004, about 5,000 new Hmong residents have made their homes here. Life for them is very different from what it was in the refugee camp in Thailand. For some, the change has been very good, and for others it's been very challenging.
November 6, 2009 - As part of MPR's Youth Radio Series, Youth Radio reporter Sadiya Mohamed tells tells her story as a young Somali American, adjusting to a new home and language in Minnesota.
May 10, 2010 - MPR’s Rupa Shenoy sat down with a dozen of the girls at a Hmong restaurant. The Hmong teenagers from a north Minneapolis neighborhood have spearheaded an effort to help their families communicate better with police. They have a request in to a number of city officials for a Hmong police officer to work the day shift in the area.
June 29, 2010 - MPR’s Laura Yuen profiles Mee Moua, the nation's first Hmong-American elected to a state legislature, who has decided not to run for re-election after serving eight years. Laura Yuen recently talks with Moua to find out what her departure means for the Hmong politics in Minnesota -- and what's next in life for her.
August 9, 2010 - As part of MPR News series “Austin at a Crossroads: 25 years after the Hormel strike,” MPR’s Elizabeth Baier profiles Austin, 25 years after the Hormel labor strike that tore apart the town. Baier reports on the changes that took place in the aftermath of 1985 strike, including the reliance on immigrant workers, which some long-time Austin residents struggle with.
August 10, 2010 - As part of MPR News series “Austin at a Crossroads: 25 years after the Hormel strike,” MPR’s Elizabeth Baier profiles Austin, 25 years after the Hormel labor strike that tore apart the town. Baier reports on the experience of Latino immigrants in Austin.