Collection
North Star Journey
In 2022, MPR News launched a reporting project called the North Star Journey to explore and celebrate the history and culture of diverse communities across Minnesota. It is a celebration of these communities in the state and the champions who are doing the work.
13 Collection Items
- North Star Journey: Longtime south Minneapolis resident brings deep experience to historic panel
MPR’s Cari Spencer takes a tour of south Minneapolis with Greg McMoore, member of the African American Heritage Work Group. McMoore highlights various sites he hopes to preserve as part of the city’s African American history.
- North Star Journey: MnDOT drivers are keeping Indigenous languages alive, one snowplow at a time
MPR’s Gracie Stockton reports that the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced that its plow-naming event will return for a fourth year. The contest offers people the chance to submit ideas and vote to pick eight winners, with the winning names going on plows in each of MnDOT's eight districts around the state. Some plow drivers are hoping more Indigenous names make the cut.
- North Star Journey: Hmong immigrants put down roots on Dakota County farmland
MPR’s Jon Collins profiles Hmong immigrants who have put down roots on Dakota County farmland. The Hmong American Farmers Association closed on farmland just south of the Twin Cities in Dakota County in 2022. The more than 150 acres are home base for the organization and 20 families of Hmong farmers.
- North Star Journey: How to build a legacy - The late artist Jim Denomie at Mia and beyond
MPR’s Alex V. Cipolle presents a profile of Jim Denomie, an Ojibwe painter who died in 2022. Cipolle visits Minneapolis Institute of Art to view “The Lyrical Artwork of Jim Denomie,” which has transformed into a posthumous survey of the latter half of the famous colorist’s career; one that skewered mainstream histories and purveyors of injustice, from Fort Snelling to Standing Rock, while championing the joy and resilience of Native communities.
- In Focus: The Lake Street Recovery - Stories behind the storefront
MPR’s Angela Davis hosts a North Star Journey Live special of an In Focus conversation “The Lake Street Recovery - Stories behind the storefront.” Recorded live in front of a live audience at the Hook and Ladder Theater and Lounge in Minneapolis, business owners and community leaders talk about what Lake Street's rebirth can teach us about making sure recovery is equitable and accessible to all.
- North Star Journey: Bridge to the spirit realm - Hmong shamanism in Minnesota
On this segment of North Star Journey, MPR’s Jacob Aloi talks with Hmong shaman Billy Lor and others about shamanism and its importance in the Hmong community.
- North Star Journey: 'A phenomenon': A new book features contemporary Latin artists in Minnesota
MPR’s Alex Cipolle reports on “Latin Art in Minnesota: Conversations and What’s Next” a hardcover art tome featuring in-depth interviews with 12 Minnesota artists who have roots in Central and South America, from Mexico to Chile. William “Billy” Gustavo Franklin edited the book, which explores their art, personal journeys, and conversations about identity, aiming to bridge gaps and inspire a wider audience to appreciate Latino art.
- North Star Journey: Rondo’s ‘lady of line dance’ keeps community moving
On this segment of North Star Journey, MPR’s Simone Cazares profiles Tina Jackson and her soul line dancing class at Oxford Community Center in the heart of St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood.
- North Star Journey: 'Finndian?' 'Swanishinaabe?' Some Native people in northern Minnesota reconnect with their Scandinavian roots
On this segment of North Star Journey, MPR’s Dan Kraker profiles individuals that identify as both of Native American and Scandinavian descent. They share how they are finding connections and surprising parallels between the cultures.
- North Star Journey: ‘Where do I belong?’ Native roots, hard realities surface in woman’s search for her past
Over decades, thousands of Native American children in Minnesota have been separated from relatives, adopted by white families, often growing up with no knowledge of their identity and culture. As part of our North Star Journey series, MPR’s Dan Gunderson shares the path one family is traveling to discover and understand a new identity.