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immigration
Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson said he’d change the way his office works with immigration enforcement. Critics say the jail still referred 1,000 inmates to ICE.
Inside Sahan Journal
What makes a useful voter guide? We started by asking immigrant groups in Minneapolis what they wanted to know about the 2021 city election
Sahan Journal collaborated with Pollen Midwest and Pillsbury United Communities to create a 2021 Minneapolis voter guide. Before we surveyed candidates for mayor and City Council, though, we surveyed immigrant communities. Voter advocates from Latino, Hmong, and Somali backgrounds talked about barriers to voting and how to win their support.
education
University of Minnesota appoints its first immigrant, person of color as dean at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs
An immigrant from Jamaica and former administrator at Georgia Tech, Dr. Nisha Botchwey brings her expertise in health, environment, youth engagement, and equity to the Humphrey School dean’s office. “The education that the Humphrey School provides allows for the elevation of a little Black girl like me,” Botchwey says.
BECOME A SAHAN SUSTAINER NOW
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MINNEAPOLIS BALLOT AMENDMENT FAQS
Confused by all the legal squabbles around the Minneapolis public safety amendment? We’ve got you covered! Your vote will count—and here’s a breakdown of what you’re voting on.
We’ve updated our ballot amendment FAQ to answer all your questions about the legal challenges, the judicial rulings–and what you need to do to make your voice heard in the city election this fall. Know this: A ballot amendment will give people in Minneapolis the opportunity to vote on a new plan. Does that mean abolition, defunding, reform, or something else? We’ve got answers!
COVID-19 VACCINE PROJECT
‘Why I got the COVID-19 vaccine’: Sahan Journal’s COVID-19 vaccine video series on the importance of getting vaccinated, in Spanish, Somali, Hmong, and English.
For the third installment in Sahan Journal’s COVID-19 vaccine video series, we spoke to three vaccinated people from the local Hmong, Somali, and Latino communities to share their thoughts on why getting vaccinated is important to them, and what their communities need to know about it.
sports
Boxing helped Mohammed Kayongo escape his past as a child soldier in Uganda. Now he wants to give kids in north Minneapolis a fighting chance.
Kidnapped by a messianic rebel movement at age 11, Kayongo discovered boxing in Ugandan army barracks. But the training he offers kids at the Northside Boxing Club, in Minneapolis, is anything but harsh. The gym provides free food, Black history lessons, and emotional support. As Kayongo puts it, “Most parenting is giving love. And most of our kids need more of that.”
LATEST NEWS
Research team goes door-to-door talking to Latino business owners, hoping to identify barriers to energy efficiency and rebates
A Minnesota researcher thinks he’s figured out why Black populations die more often from colon cancer: screening and insurance.
Photographer Nancy Musinguzi takes portraits of queer, immigrant people in Minnesota. But they tell their own stories.
Halima, a Somali elder in Minneapolis, hasn’t grown her own vegetables since leaving East Africa 27 years ago. This summer, farmer Naima Dhore helped plant a food garden for Halima and her neighbors.
Many Somali immigrants miss the okra, cowpeas, sorghum, and hibiscus they used to grow at home. Naima Dhore created the nonprofit Somali American Farmers Association to train the community in growing healthy, sustainable food.
Judge’s order nixing public safety amendment angers Minneapolis activists. “This leads everyone to believe that the fix is in,” one supporter said.
The battle over whether to replace the Minneapolis Police Department has been long and fierce. Now, after a last-minute appeal, the Minnesota Supreme Court will decide whether the measure goes to voters.
MORE STORIES
Hmong Cultural Center moves forward after vandals attack
Kang Vang, who teaches citizenship classes, describes a year of “whiplash” for the Hmong community, between the highs of Sunisa Lee’s Olympic medals and lows of anti-Asian hate crimes.
On the first day of school, Minneapolis students say they’re happy—and only slightly confuzzled—to get back to in-person learning.
Whether in elementary or high school, kids described excitement at seeing friends and teachers—along with some confusion about stairs and bells.
Everything you need to know about the COVID safety plans in Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools
Do you have a student starting school this week in Minneapolis or St. Paul public schools? We asked the districts what they’re doing to keep students, teachers, and staff healthy this fall. We got answers about building air filtration systems, COVID testing requirements, masking, lunch plans, and more.
Minnesota’s most diverse cities? New U.S. Census data show communities of color growing in places like Austin and Worthington.
A friend told Modeste Zinzindohoue, a native of Benin, in West Africa, that Austin could provide a peaceful, affordable home. Over the past 10 years, some 500 other people from Benin have joined him there. We asked immigrants what’s attracting them to live and work in small, previously white communities.
Minnesotans battle over how to update school social studies standards. Out: ‘derogatory references’ to whiteness. In: the Pledge of Allegiance.
Every 10 years, Minnesota updates what K–12 students should learn in the state’s social studies classrooms. This year, a panel of educators suggested changes that focus on racial inclusion. Then, a conservative think tank rounded up more than 17,000 comments in opposition. Can the Minnesota Department of Education pass the test?
COVID vaccination rates for Minnesota prison staff lag behind state averages by 21 percent.
Unvaccinated corrections staff threaten the health of the prison population—a situation one critic calls “extremely irresponsible.” Vaccination rates for both Minneapolis and St. Paul police officers remain untracked and unknown.
‘There is nothing safe about Delta in schools’: How parents can plan for the pandemic this fall
Minnesota kids are returning to school with COVID-19 in a dangerous stage. Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, thinks we should stop arguing about masks, start paying attention to air filtration—and prepare ourselves for outbreaks.
No school buses, abandoned homes, deep potholes: After years of neglect, Marshall mobile home park residents hope Attorney General lawsuit leads to change
In the two decades that Jesús “Chuy” Hernández has lived in Broadmoor Valley, he’s seen the park where he lives fall into disrepair. Organizing with his neighbors led to legal action—and eventually, he hopes, collective ownership of the park.
There is an addiction problem in Minnesota’s East African community. The pandemic has made it worse. Alliance Wellness Center can offer solutions.
Five years ago, the center dealt most frequently with people in their 40s or 50s seeking treatment for alcohol problems. Now it’s young people who are addicted to opioids.
Indigenous protesters, allies make a push in St. Paul to stop Line 3
A pipeline bringing crude oil from Canada through Northern Minnesota is nearly complete, but the fight to shut it down is far from over.
Clean energy jobs rebound after 2020 losses. More opportunities needed for workers of color, experts say.
Minnesota’s clean energy workforce is more diverse than the broader state economy. And more jobs are coming in fields like energy production, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, and green construction. But workers of color need more access to training and pathways to higher-paying careers.
Minnesota’s only prosthetic-maker of color has mastered many skills. One of the most important is listening.
Hana Hassan grew up around an uncle who lost a leg in the Somali Civil War. It helps her understand and communicate with patients frustrated by worn-out or ill-fitting limbs.
How you can help Afghan refugees in Minnesota, right now
Minnesota has pledged to accept dozens of Afghans fleeing their country after the Taliban takeover. Many of them helped the U.S. Armed Forces and would face danger and death back home. Resettlement agencies say these new arrivals will need ongoing help with everything from housing to job training as they rebuild their lives in Minnesota.
MORE STORIES
Jennifer Carnahan, Minnesota Republican chairwoman, steps down amid party scandal
Carnahan’s resignation ends contentious tenure for the state’s first Asian American leader. Move caps a heated three-hour executive-board meeting—and week of arrests and allegations involving sexual abuse, harassment. “It may take years for the MNGOP to heal from all the allegations,” says one Hmong ally.
Minneapolis Council spikes plan to expand public works facility in polluted East Phillips neighborhood. But urban farm proposal faces new challenges.
A confusing vote means uncertainty for the future of the 7.5-acre Roof Depot site in south Minneapolis. An expanded public-works facility will now need to find a new location. But environmental-justice advocates failed to win council approval for an urban farm development.
Adding color to crafting, makers market opens for Black, brown, and Indigenous artists.
Artists of color find local support for their jewelry, crochet, paper arts, and more. “It feels like a really great environment to be an artist and to sell in,” one maker says.
Minneapolis’ Ward 2 has two strong third-party candidates running for City Council. They agree that capitalism is failing people.
Democratic Socialist Robin Wonsley Worlobah is challenging the Green Party incumbent, Cam Gordon. Two DFL candidates also are in the running.
‘This was exactly what happened in Saigon’: Afghans in Minnesota describe stranded family members, condemn U.S. failures
Afghans in Minnesota watched the fall of Kabul with dread and anger. Some are calling for the United States to do more to evacuate and resettle those who assisted the Armed Forces.
