August 27, 2002 - MPR’s Andrew Haeg looks into homeownership among immigrant groups. Real estate experts say immigrants are an increasingly important part of the real estate market and lenders are taking steps to accommodate them.
September 17, 2002 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on data from the U.S. Census that show the state's Asian population is economically well-off compared to other minority populations in the state. While the 90's were a prosperous time for Minnesota as a whole, the numbers show many minority groups did not prosper as much as their white neighbors.
September 23, 2002 - Children of immigrants often have trouble fitting into North American culture. Language is at the heart of the problem. Some children of immigrants reject their native language and culture in hopes of fitting in. Parents are concerned that different generations in the family may not be able to speak to each other. They are left with a balancing act of preserving language, while joining the the American melting pot.
September 25, 2002 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports that rankings by the U.S. Census Bureau show members of some immigrant groups in Minnesota remain mired in poverty. While all minorities improved economically during the 1990s, Minnesota has one of the highest percentages of Asians in poverty when compared to other states. The ranking also confirms the widely held belief that there are more Somalis in Minnesota than anywhere else in the US.
January 23, 2003 - Last fall Olmsted County launched "Somali Meals on Wheels". The Rochester-based program's a spin-off of the traditional Meals on Wheels program, which provides free lunch for those who meet state and federal qualifications. The new version is considered the first of its kind. It offers the same nutrition packed meal but incorporates the distinctive flavors of East African cooking.
May 7, 2003 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on U.S. Ambassador to Laos visiting Minnesota to promote the start of normal trade relations with the communist country. The visit sparked protests, organized primarily by Hmong veterans who sided with the United States during the Vietnam War, but who were driven out when the U.S. withdrew its support. They say opening relations with Laos only rewards a brutal regime.
May 14, 2003 - MPR’s Nikki Tundel speaks with Erich Mische, the state director for U.S. Senator Norm Coleman, about a St. Paul high school student facing deportation. Tchisou Tho was scheduled for deportation just 22 days before he would have become the first in his family to graduate from high school, but won a delay that will allow him to graduate with his classmates in June.
May 27, 2003 - MPR’s Mary Losure reports that a three-judge panel of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the federal government does have the authority to deport a local Somali immigrant to his homeland, even though Somalia has no functioning government. Attorneys for immigrant Keyse Jama say they will appeal, and the case could go to the U.S. Supreme Court.
July 23, 2003 - MPR’s Nikki Tundel interviews Michele Garnett McKenzie, director of the Refugee and Immigrant Program at Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, about newly released figures show Minnesota's largest minority groups are making significant economic strides. McKenzie says over the last few decades the state has become a magnet for the county's newest residents.
July 29, 2003 - All Things Considered’s Greta Cunningham talks with Lee Pao Xiong, a local leader in the Hmong community, about housing issues in Twin Cities. Xiong states housing is the foundation for everything.