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Education
St. Paul school board spares three schools from closure after outcry from immigrant families. Six other schools will close in district consolidation plan.
Families from LEAP, Highwood Hills, and Wellstone expressed relief that their schools will remain open—a win for Somali, Latino, and other immigrant parents. But the prospect of closing any schools left many feeling uneasy–including school board vice chair Jim Vue.
justice & policing
Trial begins for ex-cop Kim Potter in killing of Daunte Wright: What happened, what’s being charged, and what might the legal arguments look like.
Former Brooklyn Center, Minn., police officer Kimberly Potter is charged in the shooting death of Daunte Wright on April 11.
politics
Community organizer Zaynab Mohamed hopes to make history as first Black woman elected to Minnesota state Senate.
Retiring Senator Patricia Torres Ray was the first Latina elected to the state Senate. Zaynab says she will campaign on a platform of widening healthcare access, improving working conditions, and expanding state programs like unemployment.
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COVID-19 VACCINE PROJECT
Todo lo que los niños y los padres deben saber sobre la vacuna COVID-19.
¿Le da miedo a su hijo que le pongan la vacuna? ¿Sentirán los niños dolor o efectos secundarios después? ¿Qué deben hacer usted y su hijo para prepararse para recibir la vacuna? Esperamos que estos vídeos proporcionen información útil para los padres y los niños de nuestras comunidades. Gracias a UCare por su apoyo generoso…
COVID
We asked a Minnesota family physician how to keep our families safe from COVID-19 this holiday season—without retreating into isolation (again).
Yes, COVID-19 is bad in Minnesota right now. But Dr. Ndidiamaka Koka has updated advice about how to manage risks and avoid COVID while shopping, celebrating with family, attending concerts and sporting events, and more. Here are her tips on masking, boosters, ventilation, going into stores with young children, and enjoying the season. “I want people to be wise, safe, but not scared,” Dr. Koka says.
Worried about the Omicron variant of COVID? We called a Minnesota medical researcher for information, advice—and reassurance.
“The science is working,” says Dr. Tim Schacker, vice dean for research at the University of Minnesota Medical School. In a conversation with Sahan Journal, Dr. Schacker described what we know and what we don’t yet know about the Omicron variant. The global health system has become better prepared to evaluate the new COVID risks, Dr. Schacker says. And though the variant may be different, Minnesotans can protect themselves through familiar precautions like vaccines, masking, and social distancing.
news
As rebel forces approach the capital, Ethiopia faces a possible government takeover. Minnesota’s immigrant communities are worried for their relatives back home.
Just two years ago, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the conflict with Eritrea. Now, violence is spilling toward Addis Ababa after a year of fighting in his country’s Tigray region
Sahan Journal is hiring a membership manager to join its staff.
The Membership Manager will develop and implement strategies that maximize individual giving, while increasing member loyalty to Sahan Journal.
Fights, depression, substance abuse: Mental health of Minnesota students suffers during COVID pandemic.
Educators and mental health professionals say they’re seeing the effects of isolation, stress, closed schools, and academic struggles.
Minneapolis mosque on edge after vandalism of security cameras
The executive director of the Dar Al Qalam Cultural Center, in Northeast Minneapolis, reports vandalized security cameras and a recent car break-in. The mosque has called for authorities to open a hate-crimes investigation.
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Employers are offering raises, bonuses and training. In the midst of a surge in COVID-19 cases, Minnesota still needs tens of thousands more health care workers.
The number of people working in the field plummeted at the start of the pandemic, and has only partially rebounded. Some retired, some are burned out — and job applicants are now choosier.
The construction of the 35W freeway meant destruction for Black neighborhoods in Minneapolis. A new museum exhibit looks back at the damage.
In 1960, more than 80 percent of Minneapolis’ Black population lived in the paths of new freeways. And systemic housing discrimination led to long-term displacements. A new Hennepin History Museum exhibit presents pictures and personal histories of what was lost.
Renowned Minnesota Native artist George Morrison to be honored with new stamp series
Celebrated Minnesota artist George Morrison — who was born in a Native American fishing village along the North Shore of Lake Superior in 1919, but whose art career took him around the world — will be featured on a new stamp series to be released next year by the U.S. Postal Service.
Sahan Journal wins national independent news award for its work reaching immigrant communities in Minnesota
LION Publishers’ third annual Local Journalism Awards recognize independent news sources across the U.S. and Canada. Sahan Journal won for its community engagement and service to readers, including a voter-guide collaboration and a live event on barriers to homeownership and generational wealth-building.
Sahan Journal receives Google News Initiative funding to collaborate with community news organizations that broadcast in Spanish, Hmong, and Somali.
Google News Initiative’s 2021 North America Innovation Challenge seeks to help local media learn more about the news needs of their communities. The program will give more than $3.2 million to 25 projects, selected from 190 applicants. Sahan Journal will work with community media—La Raza 95.7z FM, 3HmongTV, and Somali TV Minnesota—to help serve audiences in languages other than English.
Immigrant students rally to save a small St. Paul high school from closing. ‘It feels like you belong in this country,’ a recent graduate says of the program.
With new programs for English learners and declining immigration, the district says St. Paul no longer needs LEAP High School. But students new to the country value the small class sizes and safe learning environment.
The Metro Blue Line Extension is finally moving forward. But some fear it will drive up rents and force them to leave.
Hennepin County has hired the University of Minnesota to study gentrification impacts and anti-displacement strategies for the Blue Line Extension in the north metro.
‘We have a different story to tell’: As anchors Chenue Her and Gia Vang move up in the television news industry, they bring a new perspective with them.
Her and Vang both stumbled upon television journalism at first. But along the way, they’ve found ways to highlight the stories of their Hmong community—and one another—in an industry reconciling with deep-rooted diversity issues.
The most diverse city council in Minneapolis history might also be the weakest. We asked new council members how they hope to operate under a strong mayor system
For the first time in history, a majority of Minneapolis City Council members will be people of color. In January, they’ll also assume a strictly legislative position under a strong mayor government structure.
MORE STORIES
Last winter, Minnesota struggled to get the COVID vaccine to people of color. This fall, the state is trying to get the rollout right for kids 5–11.
The Minnesota Department of Health ordered 200,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5–11. Getting patients to take them requires clear messaging, respectful listening, and patience, according to health providers who serve immigrant and low-income communities.
‘Horrific, hateful, racist’ video stirs protest at Prior Lake High School
Students at Prior Lake High School were sent home early as outrage grew over a student video posted online that targeted a 14-year-old Black classmate with racist slurs. An investigation is underway.
There are plenty of new faces on the Minneapolis Park Board, but just one person of color.
Only two incumbents remain on the nine-person board controlling one of the nation’s top-ranked public parks systems. Unsheltered people camping in city green spaces was a major campaign issue.
This year, Minnesota school-board meetings endured a backlash against diversity. On Election Day, three suburban districts elected Somali Americans for the first time.
What does diverse school-board representation look like? Scrapping hoodie bans and congratulating new graduates in Somali. Across the south and west metro—Burnsville, St. Louis Park, and Rosemount–Apple Valley–Eagan—voters chose new Somali American school board members.
Three young Democratic Socialists elected to Minneapolis City Council are eager to pass progressive policies to benefit the city’s working class.
Aisha Chughtai, Jason Chavez, and Robin Wonsley Worlobah must work alongside a mayor whose approach and ideology they disagree with. They’ll also have to navigate a new system that took executive power from the council and allocated it to the mayor.
Everything kids and parents need to know about getting the COVID-19 vaccine: a video in Hmong, Spanish, Somali, Oromo, and English.
This week, kids ages 5–11 become eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. Does your child have questions about why to get a shot and what to expect? We made a video for kids, featuring doctors and nurses who work with children. Please check it out—in Hmong, Spanish, Somali, and English.
Talaallii COVID-19 ilaalchisee wantoota maatiiwwaniifi ijoolleen beekuu qaban.
Ijoollee umriin waggaa 5-11 ta’an torban kana irraa jalqabee talaallii COVID-19 fudhachuu akka danda’an ibsamee jira. Ijoolleen keessan wa’ee talaallii fii erga fudhataniin booda waan ta’uu danda’u irraa gaafii qabani? Gaafiiwwan keessan deebisuuf viidiyoo doktarootaafi narsoota hirmaachisne hojjannee jirra.
For the first time, Minnesota erects highway signs recognizing Native treaty boundaries
State transportation officials are posting 12 highway signs in northeastern Minnesota to mark the boundaries of an 1854 treaty signed in 1854 by the U.S. government and three Ojibwe bands: the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, and Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
Welcome signs: Valerie Shirley helps Minnesota’s deaf Muslim community with everyday activities like filling out paperwork — and deeper concerns like understanding their religion.
Shirley learned sign language because of her son’s hearing loss. Her efforts to ensure the deaf feel less isolated just won her an award that honors efforts to combat institutional racism.
