June 1, 2007 - A federal appeals court has ruled Minneapolis police used reasonable force in killing an apparently mentally ill Somali man last March.
July 4, 2007 - While the issue of immigration spurs heated debate across the country, the stories of how and why people choose the United States as their home lay the foundation of America. On this Independence Day, Midday invites immigrants Zainab Hassan, Roberto Fonts, and Kaiser Haque to share their reasons for wanting to become Americans.
January 21, 2008 - As part of MPR's coverage of Minnesota's sesquicentennial, Midday asks who was living in Minnesota 150 years ago? Who's come since, and where did they come from? What brought people to Minnesota? Everyone's got a story. Here's your chance to ask historian Annette Atkins and Minnesota State Demographer Tom Gillaspy about your ancestors.
February 11, 2008 - Amid talk of recession, there are signs that small businesses are thriving in one neighborhood on Saint Paul's east side. Community developers say the immigrant entrepreneurial spirit is driving this growth.
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.
July 28, 2008 - Today is the first day of Hmong Culture and Language Camp for hundreds of kids. The Concordia University dual-language English and Hmong camp is open to Hmong and non-Hmong students and runs through early August. This is the fifth year the camp has been up and running. But Director Sally Baas says the demand has been overwhelming. She says this year they had to turn away hundreds of children.
September 23, 2008 - A group of Somali workers is demanding a public apology from the Macy's corporation after they say were threatened with dismissal for speaking their native language. Federal and state laws prohibit employers from establishing English-only rules in the workplace. BUT the workers at Macy's Southdale store say that's exactly what happened.
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.
August 26, 2009 - The official brochure for self-guided tours at the Minnesota State Capitol is now available in the Somali language. Mahamoud Wardere volunteered to translate the pamphlet for the Minnesota Historical Society when he learned a Somali version didn't exist. Wardere was a constituent liaison for former Senator Norm Coleman. Wardere says it's essential that the Somali community in Minnesota understands what goes on at the Capitol.