sports
A crowd came to the airport to welcome Sunisa Lee home. There’ll be a parade. But her success is particularly important to Minnesota’s Asian American women.
criminal justice system
Yes 4 Minneapolis coalition launches new phase of campaign to reform public safety
Some members want armed police force to be abolished. Others seek reform. Organizers say there is room for both in the campaign.
HOUSING
Minneapolis City Council votes to put rent control charter amendments on the ballot
Voters will have the chance in November to choose who will write rent control policy, the Council or the public. That is, unless Mayor Frey vetoes the measures and the Council can’t override.
BECOME A SAHAN SUSTAINER NOW
We rely on reader support, and your donation to Sahan Journal will help us shine a light on immigrants and people of color in Minnesota. Join over a thousand supporters now and become a Sahan Sustainer with your monthly donation. Thank you.
COVID-19 VACCINE PROJECT
Want to know what to expect when you get the COVID-19 vaccine? Sahan Journal’s COVID-19 vaccine video series answers your questions, in Spanish, Somali, Hmong, and English.
Vaccine safety, side effects, medical myths, and facts: In the second installment of our video series, we’re making COVID-19 vaccine information more accessible for people in Minnesota’s immigrant communities.
politics
‘It’s an extremely progressive city—if you’re white’: Minneapolis elections hinge on how to fix inequality in housing, policing.
The killing of George Floyd and COVID-19 upended politics in Minneapolis. This summer is the start of what might be the most eventful election in recent memory. We talked to candidates and community members about where the city is heading—and the choices voters will have.
LATEST NEWS
Commentary: Suni Lee’s Olympic Success shifts global image of Hmong people and their view of themselves
With small steps already under way, Brooklyn Center mayor has eye on broad changes in public safety.
English is important, but so is Somali: Minneapolis Public Schools are launching a Somali Heritage Language Program.
Cute folk art or nostalgia for Jim Crow: St. Paul auction items raise questions about the market for racist memorabilia.
Auctioneer sees a distinction between ‘dime store’ items from the 1930s and 1940s and relics of the slave era. Professor says white-owned businesses shouldn’t profit from them.
Wildfire smoke, fine ash and your health: How to think about Minnesota’s bad air.
Air quality alert lasts until Tuesday. Those with chronic lung or cardiovascular problems, children, older adults and pregnant women should be particularly careful.
‘I don’t want anyone to feel ashamed’: A young Somali woman overcomes disability and shows others the way.
Just starting her adult life, Nasra Hassan had big plans for her education and career. But she also had a brain tumor and a stroke. She still is accomplishing her goals.
MORE STORIES
Hmong American First Lieutenant remembered as caring, driven young man
Brian Yang went from east St. Paul to Brown University to the Army. His family remembers him as a curious, passionate and loving person.
Robots, skateboards, bike rides: Summer school helps Twin Cities kids switch back to the classroom
After a year of distance learning, masks, and pandemic disruptions, summer school programs in Minneapolis and St. Paul welcomed kids back. The state-funded programs focus on reading and science, while also reconnecting kids to classroom routines and friendship.
Sunisa Lee’s family couldn’t join her in Tokyo. So they celebrated with family and friends in Oakdale instead.
Since COVID-19 kept Sunisa’s family from attending the 2020 Olympics in Japan, they organized a watch party for nearly 300 people in Oakdale. Together, the crowd watched their hometown champion make history.
Sunisa Lee’s friends and family watched her become the first Hmong American ever to compete and win a gold medal. For many, it was the best morning of their lives.
At an Olympic watch party in Oakdale, Minnesota, the 18-year-old gymnast’s supporters watched the first Hmong American ever to win a gold medal.
Delta blues: New CDC guidelines suggest vaccinated people mask indoors in some Minnesota counties.
Is it time to mask up again? Here’s what you need to know about the Delta variant. Currently, the new indoor masking guidelines apply to 14 of Minnesota’s 87 counties—though in the Twin Cities metro, only Scott County is affected. To date, fully vaccinated people make up less than 1 percent of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state.
Kham Su Lor was working too hard in his computer repair business, eating badly, and getting sick. Then he discovered his neighboring shop owner’s special tea.
It’s not medicine, and it’s not the only reason Lor got healthier. But he says drinking Nom Xyooj Vang’s buckwheat tea was a building block for a better lifestyle. Now, he’ll be selling it to others.
Where there’s smoke, there’s asthma: Weather events tied to climate change pose health threats to Minnesota communities of color
Parts of Northern Minnesota recorded their worst air quality on record, as metro skies filled with smoke. Now that the haze is gone, the temperature is rising.
Beyond stereotypes: Daybreak Press aims to broaden depiction of Muslims in Minneapolis school books
Publishing company founders say a better selection of books can help end misconceptions about Islam, and also encourage Muslim students who see themselves in their books.
Restoring imagination to immigrant communities: Chanida Phaengdara Potter and the Southeast Asian Diaspora Project
Phaengdara Potter arrived as a refugee when she was 3 years old. She says living in a diverse Minneapolis neighborhood with a “village mentality” was key to her upbringing.
Abuse survivors speak out about domestic violence allegations against John Thompson while Black activists struggle with double standards. Progressive legislators? No comment.
A traffic stop has led to waves of allegations against the DFL representative from St. Paul. Activists see a double standard in the media coverage and the calls for Thompson’s resignation. Approached by Sahan Journal, all 21 legislators in the POCI caucus—progressive legislators of color—offered no comment.
DACA is under fire—again—after a federal court ruling. Here’s what Dreamers in Minnesota need to know about their immigration status.
On July 16, a judge in Texas undercut the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. But it doesn’t threaten all DACA recipients—yet. We spoke to an immigration expert at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota about who the ruling affects and what to do next.
Redistricting is a plodding, legalistic process. It’s also vitally important to Minnesota’s communities of color.
Even without intentional gerrymandering, how districts are redrawn every 10 years can marginalize some groups. Once again, the courts are likely to make the final decision.
After a long wait, Somalis with Temporary Protected Status in the U.S. gain an 18-month extension.
The federal government finds that Somalia remains too dangerous, and says that others lacking protected status may apply to remain in the United States, as well.
Halwa is the ultimate Eid treat for many Somalis in Minnesota. This month, Abdinasir Aden will cook 10,000 pounds of the dessert and sell it by the bucket.
Minneapolis is the capital of halwa, and businesses here ship the dessert across the United States. Cooked from sugar, ghee or oil, cornstarch, cardamom, and nutmeg, halwa reminds many eaters of childhood—and home.
MORE STORIES
The diverse teachers Minnesota needs may already be working in schools—as classroom aides. New state funding promises to help them level up.
An alternative to conventional teacher training, “Grow Your Own” programs remove financial barriers for educators of color
A St. Paul postal worker begged for stronger COVID-19 protections. She ended up spending six weeks in the hospital.
The limited response to postal workers’ repeated appeals for help provides a window into the failures of two federal agencies: the Postal Service, which is one of the country’s largest employers, and OSHA, which is supposed to protect workers.
Minnesota Legislature passes small steps in last-minute environmental bills, while climate needs multiply.
What passed: new bus rapid transit lines, reforestation, solar job training, and a ban on “forever chemicals.” What stalled: efforts to reclassify trash-to-energy facilities and a proposal to boost regulatory protections for low-income areas.
In north Minneapolis, come for the haircut, stay for the shot.
Over the next five weeks, Teto Wilson’s north Minneapolis barbershop, Wilson’s Image Barbers and Stylists, will double as a vaccination clinic for customers and community members.
Minnesota doesn’t know how many people with disabilities have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine. Advocates are using a federal grant to try to reach them.
The Disability Law Center is using a hotline, email address and personal appearances to find people who need access to the vaccine. Immigrant communities are a priority.
Sunisa Lee’s Olympic journey stirs Hmong observers in Minnesota
‘Suni represents so much more than the athletics and the competition’: The St. Paul–based gymnast becomes the first Hmong American to compete in the Olympics.
Many Minnesotans have stopped seeking a COVID vaccine. Now, with expanded mobile outreach, the vaccine is seeking them.
Metro Transit has equipped a mini-fleet of six buses to bring the COVID vaccine to shopping centers, events, farms, and more. Vaccination rates have started to jump among some Minnesota communities.
In his doctor’s office, easygoing and attentive. In Minnesota state government, passionate about health equity and social justice.
When pediatrician Nathan Chomilo is not caring for children, he leads the state’s COVID-19 vaccine equity strategy and works as medical director for Medicaid.
On July 4, police killed Ricardo Torres in Olivia, Minnesota. Three days later, provocateurs in a truck rally disrupted his memorial vigil.
Family and friends from Minnesota and Texas gathered to remember Ricardo Torres at the site of his death. Mourners remembered Torres as a fun-loving jokester who loved whistling and fishing. Later, a truck convoy rolled up, responding to a flier on social media that predicted a “riot.”
