ELECTION 2020
Never so much engagement. Never so much division. Hmong voters are becoming a new swing constituency.
They have been solidly in the DFL camp, but both major parties are now making major efforts to attract the growing and increasingly diverse Hmong vote.
ELECTION 2020
They’re young. Their families are immigrants. And they’re really eager to cast their first vote for president.
Youthful voters from Minnesota immigrant families cite concerns including immigration, the pandemic, health care, race relations, and climate change.
election 2020
‘We have suddenly seen ourselves as Americans’: Minnesota immigrants are finding a place in the suburbs–and elected office.
In Minnesota, more first- and second-generation immigrants aren’t just voting this year. They’re running for local and state office.
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ELECTION 2020
Nativists in St. Cloud have told refugees they’re not welcome. One refugee wants to teach them a better greeting: ‘See tahay?’—‘How are you?,’ in Somali.
Farhiya Iman encountered racism through her teens. Now she teaches classes on Somali language, food, and culture—and they’re full.
When medical interpretation for immigrant patients goes remote, what gets lost in translation?
COVID-19 safety concerns and cost pressures have driven medical interpretation from the doctor’s office to the computer or the phone. Some Minnesota interpreters say that the job of helping patients get competent care now feels “more like a call center.”
MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOL BOARD RACE
In the race for a southwest Minneapolis school board seat, candidates share competing visions for making schools equitable during—and after—the pandemic
Sahan Journal asked District 4 school board candidates Adriana Cerrillo and Christa Mims about distance learning, internet access, racial equity, and student success during the coronavirus pandemic.
North Minneapolis school board candidates talk about running the schools through COVID-19—and what comes after.
Sahan Journal asked District 2 school board candidates Sharon El-Amin and KerryJo Felder about distance learning, internet access, racial equity, and student success during the coronavirus pandemic. Here are their answers.
Cast your vote: Which candidate should you support for the Minneapolis school board at-large seat?
We asked incumbent Kim Ellison and challenger Michael Dueñes how the schools can best serve students during the coronavirus pandemic—and after they get back in the building.
LATEST NEWS
Paula Vasquez Alzate never stopped dancing as a child in Medellin, Colombia. The coronavirus pandemic couldn’t stop her, either.
Black Label Movement and dancer Paula Vasquez Alzate found a way to rehearse without spreading coronavirus. Go into a bubble for three week—and finally take off the masks.
An immigrant’s tale of loneliness, some mistakes, and a lot of perseverance
Dido Kotile, a Kenyan immigrant and director of a St. Paul charter school, uses his first novel to explore experiences many newcomers share.
Sahan Journal wins national award for its reporting on Minnesota’s immigrant and refugee communities.
Sahan Journal has been selected as the winner of this year’s “Local That Works” contest, which recognizes innovative and creative local journalism produced by public and nonprofit media organizations.
‘L-O-S-E-R’: Filmmaker Sujata Day looks into the life of a not-so-successful spelling bee champion.
Others might be building robots or trying to cure COVID-19. In a movie scheduled for the Twin Cities Film Fest, Day’s character is caring for her mom and doing paint-by-numbers.
‘I’m not alone’: Minnesota students of color lead movement for equity in schools
The killing of George Floyd inspired high school students from Somali, Latino, Indian American, and Korean American backgrounds to push their suburban schools to prioritize racial equity.
Sahan Journal selected to join Facebook project supporting local news led by journalists of color
Twenty newsrooms will receive training on building a sustainable media business through Facebook Journalism Project’s Sustainability Accelerator Program.
‘So many stories I didn’t know’: Kao Kalia Yang started out writing her family’s refugee memoir. Now she’s sharing the journeys of others.
The Minnesota author’s new book, “Somewhere in the Unknown World,” began when she collected her uncle’s story about fleeing Laos. Then she spoke to a Liberian hospital worker, a Karen parent from school, a Jewish singer from Ukraine—and created “a collective refugee memoir.”
Asian American leaders in Minnesota condemn racism related to COVID-19
Trump terms like “Wuhan virus” and “kung flu” contribue to an increase in hate crimes, discrimination.
A ‘mother figure’ not only for Hmong children, but students from all of Brooklyn Park’s immigrant communities
Choua Lee Yang, who taught students to celebrate their immigrant cultures at Prairie Seeds Academy, dies of COVID-19 at 53.
Minnesota retail manager finds fame as “Average Mohamed”: a celebrated citizen diplomat whose animated series aims to counsel Muslim youth.
Mohamed Amin Ahmed hired an Indian animator to illustrate stories of his Muslim faith, with a bit of South Park mixed in. The result: An honor from the U.S. State Department.
What’s it like to run for city council during the pandemic? An Ethiopian-born candidate is trying to meet voters in Austin, Minnesota—without door-knocking or shaking hands.
Oballa Oballa fled violence in Ethiopia to make a new life in Minnesota. Now he wants to create opportunities for everyone, “despite their race, religion, and language.”
Immigrants to Minnesota know about instability and political violence. Many recognize familiar signs in their adopted homeland.
Most say U.S. traditions and institutions are much stronger than in their native lands. The question is whether they are strong enough to survive the 2020 election.
New exhibit brings Minnesota’s Iraqi Americans to life: A rich portrait of regions, religions, and professions
Pictures also help illuminate the life of photographer Jaafar Alnabi, an Iraqi immigrant to Minneapolis.
After cultural clashes at a food plant in Moorhead, Somali workers and management talked their way to an understanding. We asked them how they did it.
In September, almost a dozen Somali workers complained about discrimination on the job. Business owner Tom Jacobson and mediator Cani Adan figured out how to get back to work. But first they had to talk—and listen.
Omar Jamal earns $43,000 a year to communicate with the community on behalf of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.
In response to Sahan Journal’s public records request, Sheriff Bob Fletcher’s Office disclosed Omar Jamal’s salary, job title, and duties.
MORE STORIES
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher won’t tell the public what Omar Jamal does for his office.
Omar Jamal and Bob Fletcher have a professional relationship that dates back nearly a decade. After Omar Jamal alleged voter fraud to a right-wing media outfit, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office claimed he was speaking for himself.
Leader in Minnesota’s Karen community dies from COVID-19 complications
An early arrival from Myanmar, Saw helped new immigrants and advocated for peace back home.
A former refugee from Liberia running for the Minnesota Legislature teaches the Constitution, supports gun rights, and wants immigration restrictions.
‘People can come here and literally become anything they want to be.’ Alexander Buster Deputie makes the case for conservative values in a Minnesota state senate race.
‘You cannot stop our vote.’ Minnesota faith leaders say efforts to discourage Muslim voters will fail.
Despite attacks from President Trump and right-wing activists, Minnesota’s Somali community has a plan to turn out the vote.
‘You can see the disrespect’: Workers at Amazon center in Minnesota walk out, claiming rushed work conditions, unjust firing.
Workers protest for the second time this year at Amazon’s Shakopee facility. The firing of a coworker triggers Thursday-night job action and picket.
Omar Jamal, key source of Project Veritas election fraud video, backtracks on cash-for-ballots allegation.
In a Wednesday interview with Somali American TV, Omar Jamal contradicted claims he made in a sting video for right-wing media outfit Project Veritas. The videos have become fodder for Trump’s attacks on the election process.
Trailing in the state’s polls, Trump returns to Minnesota for a campaign stop filled with racist taunts and anti-immigrant agenda.
Somali American politicians respond to Trump’s attacks on refugees with embrace of voting, Minnesota, and the democratic process.
GoFundMe to investigate Omar Jamal’s Project Veritas-backed fundraiser for phony insider.
GoFundMe told the Daily Dot that the fundraising company’s “Trust & Safety team” is currently investigating the fundraising page in Omar Jamal’s name.
How did an August primary election in Minneapolis turn into a national right-wing disinformation campaign against absentee ballots?
A right-wing conspiracy outfit partners with a man of questionable reputation in the Somali community to allege “ballot harvesting fraud” in Minnesota.
Longer hours and less face time: Overextended teachers try to preserve a human connection in an era of distance learning
It’s better than it was in spring, but teachers from immigrant communities still have a ‘million and one’ worries about online and hybrid learning.