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education
Asian American history is rarely taught in schools. Educators say that fuels anti-Asian violence—and are pushing for change.
CLIMATE
Urban farm or public works facility? One of Minnesota’s most diverse and polluted neighborhoods is fighting against the city for a greener future.
A dream for an environmentally friendly community hub in East Phillips seemed dead. Now activists have a renewed sense of hope.
Killed by police
‘I’m begging you to stop,’ versus ‘control and contain.’ Community defense lawyer Andrew Gordon on how to think about the Daunte Wright protests and the police response.
A Jamaican immigrant has organized mass defense for protesters after police killings. He spoke with Sahan Journal about youth protesters, misunderstandings about looting, and how to protest safely.
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COVID-19 VACCINE PROJECT
Introducing Sahan Journal’s COVID-19 vaccine video series: All the information you need in Spanish, Somali, Hmong, and English.
Sahan Journal is launching a video series to help make COVID-19 vaccine information more accessible for immigrant communities.
Economics
Taxpayers, essential workers, homeowners: A portrait of Minnesota’s immigrant population
Remembering Minnesotans lost to COVID-19
Roseville father remembered for his generosity, ability to light up a party.
St. Charles father remembered as ‘silent leader,’ dedicated to his high school sweetheart.
SEIU Local 26 member remembered for his humor and hard work
Gardner and Chudgar: Justice requires that Minnesota attorney general prosecute officer who killed Daunte Wright
Metro area county attorneys’ agreement not to prosecute their own police violence cases reflects a systemic failure of the state’s criminal justice system.
VIDEO: ‘They’re choosing to shoot now’: Demonstrators at the Brooklyn Center Police Station say public safety means ‘safety from them.’
Nightly protests have followed the killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright. Police have used flash bangs, tear gas, and aggressive measures to clear the crowds.
VIDEO: ‘We’re bystanders. Why are they taking it out on us?’ Immigrant business owners on Lake Street share fears about looting in Minneapolis.
Almost a year after the George Floyd unrest, the police killing of Daunte Wright brought looting back to Lake Street.
Who is Mike Elliott, the Brooklyn Center mayor leading the city after the shooting of Daunte Wright?
‘I’m scared because of that booming’: A preschooler and her family watch protests, police in Brooklyn Center.
Many protesters have become familiar with the short-term pain of exposure to tear gas. For some, it might turn out to be a long-term problem, too.
Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter arrested on 2nd-degree manslaughter charge in killing of Daunte Wright
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension took Potter into custody Wednesday morning, a day after she resigned from the police department.
Tear gas at bedtime: Brooklyn Center residents, including kids, suffer from aggressive police tactics to quell Daunte Wright protests
Residents of apartments near the police station have need to move their children to get away from the tear gas that floats in. They blame the police for the chaos on the lawn in front of their buildings.
Brooklyn Center officer, chief resign in wake of Daunte Wright killing
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott wants Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to handle the Wright case.
LATEST NEWS
A Black-focused therapy practice in Minneapolis sees ‘trauma, trauma, trauma.’ Here’s how they’re helping people to heal.
The Derek Chauvin trial. The Daunte Wright killing. According to the mental health practitioners at Creative Kuponya, people of color in Minnesota are feeling hopeless, helpless, and permanently exhausted. The way out, they say, starts with mindfulness, somatic healing practices, and connection with community.
Iconic fist sculpture from George Floyd Square rises in Brooklyn Center, where police killed Daunte Wright.
Artist Jordan Powell-Karis carted the fist to where it was needed: “We get to heal. We get to grieve together.”
What you need to know about getting a COVID-19 vaccine in the north metro, following the police killing of Daunte Wright.
Two Walmart locations in Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park are damaged. But Sunday night’s unrest didn’t impact vaccine supply at either location. Appointments are being rescheduled.
‘Another Black life lost’: Trauma and frustration grow after death of Daunte Wright, but police reforms remain stalled in Minnesota legislature
Legislators of color are pushing plans to improve policing. They’ve gone nowhere in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Brooklyn Center cop who killed Daunte Wright meant to use stun gun instead, police chief says; curfew descends on Twin Cities
Police chief blames “accidental discharge” for fatal shooting that killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright in a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center. Mayor Mike Elliott pledges answers.
How you can help people in Brooklyn Center right now, in the aftermath of Daunte Wright’s killing
Brooklyn Center, a north Minneapolis suburb, was already a food desert. Now, with businesses boarded up, here’s where you can show up to help clean, drop off food, and send money to local organizers.
What to know about Brooklyn Center, where police fatally shot Daunte Wright
Brooklyn Center is Minnesota’s most diverse community per capita. Quick facts about the Minneapolis suburb, where police fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright.
Irene Fernando and Jeff Lunde: Minnesota transit funding proposal jeopardizes Blue Line Extension.
Light rail project could connect students to education, patients to health care and workers to jobs. But Hennepin County can’t afford to pay Met Council’s capital maintenance costs.
Brooklyn Center police fatally shoot 20-year-old Daunte Wright during traffic stop; police deploy tear gas to clear protests.
A man is dead after being shot by police during a traffic stop on Sunday in the Twin Cities suburb of Brooklyn Center, and a large crowd gathered at the scene Sunday evening to protest the shooting.
Man apprehended by police at Dar Al Farooq Mosque after entering during Friday prayers.
The Bloomington, Minnesota, Islamic center has been targeted by a bombing, an assault, and neighborhood harassment. Police report the suspect was fleeing a traffic stop.
‘You need to come and visit this space without a camera in your hand’: What the Derek Chauvin trial feels like for the neighbors keeping vigil in George Floyd Square, in their own words.
Every day, visitors and an international media scrum flock to George Floyd Square. At the same time, trial witnesses return to their neighborhood after their testimony. In conversations with Sahan Journal, people in the community talk about Black liberation, “vulturistic” visitors, and why there’s not a TV showing the trial.
May Lee-Yang on the killing of Hmong women: ‘I am past anger. I am past community conversations. I want vengeance. I want justice for the dead.’
The Minnesota writer and performer has seen enough anti-Asian hate crimes and murdered Hmong women. “The only conclusion I can come to,” she writes, “is that our lives have very little value in this world.”
Minnesota mosques will be full during Ramadan. A vaccination campaign aims to protect Muslims from COVID-19.
Muslim American Society of Minnesota obtained 7,000 doses of vaccine from the state and is rushing to put shots in people’s arms before the holy month begins next week.
Minneapolis nonprofit may face ‘corrective action’ for flawed supervision of 21 charter schools.
Pillsbury United Communities last week announced its intention to close Cedar Riverside Community School, citing academic, operational, and governance failures. But the state Department of Education has raised questions about Pillsbury’s own operations.
Long-ago criminal cases have caused a wave of deportations for Minnesotans from Southeast Asia. A proposed law would give some immigrants a chance at redemption.
A new bill addressing “post-conviction relief” hopes to address problems created by Trump’s immigration policy—and prevent deportations.
MORE STORIES
Racism is making us sick. How can equity in medicine help us heal? A community conversation with Sahan Journal.
The George Floyd killing caused deep trauma for many people of color in Minnesota. The trial of former officer Derek Chauvin has revealed how witnesses to the event continue to suffer. In our third panel discussion, two doctors and a medical researcher talk about how racism affects their patients’ health—and how racism in medicine leads to inadequate medical education and poor care.
Minnesota farmers are 99 percent white and aging. A proposed bill would help diversify the next generation.
Samantha Vang grew up among people who knew how to farm. But they lacked land and resources. She says it’s past time for a change.
Pillsbury United announces intent to close landmark Cedar Riverside Community School
The decision not to renew the school’s contract comes after years of parent complaints. Unless the school wins an appeal, it will close June 30.
Students of color disproportionately choosing distance learning.
Not every district in Minnesota is keeping track of the demographics of which students are choosing in-person versus distance learning options. But of those that are, many show students of color disproportionately choosing to stay home.
Minnesota’s community solar program leads the nation. Poorer people, often residents of color, are left in the shade.
Community solar ends up prioritizing commercial clients in Minnesota. New models aimed at energy-burdened residents are trying to change that.
For every disease, a cure: Minnesota imams lead by example—and the Qur’an—to battle vaccine hesitancy among the faithful.
At a recent health event, 16 imams got COVID vaccines in front of cameras from BBC Somali and Universal Somali TV.
‘We all knew it wasn’t right’: The children who saw Derek Chauvin kill George Floyd, in their own words.
During the second day of the Derek Chauvin trial, four children testified about watching George Floyd die under the knee of the former Minneapolis police officer. The children spoke powerfully about their wish to save Floyd that day outside Cup Foods—and what the police did instead.
Diversity debate over teaching licenses creates confusion for Minnesota’s teachers of color.
Some education advocacy groups claim a proposed teacher license change could drive teachers of color out of the classroom. But the state agency that controls the license process says they’re wrong. Who’s right? We made a crib sheet for you.
The average farmer today is a 58-year-old white man growing commodity crops. The Minnesota farmer of the future may be Latino–and organic.
Rodrigo Cala has turned his 46-acre vegetable farm in western Wisconsin into a showcase for sustainable, small-scale farming. Not only is it better for the planet, Cala says. It also provides the easiest entry point for immigrants who want to work their own land.
Latina entrepreneurs find a space online to thrive in pandemic.
Amaury Vidales goes live weekly on her Facebook page, Amaury Accesorios, to show prospective shoppers what new things she has to sell—but it’s not just another virtual boutique.
