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.
Posted inSports
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.
Posted inSports
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.
Posted inCoronavirus
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.
Posted inHEALTH
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.
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
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.
Posted inArts
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.
Posted inArts
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.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & 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.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
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.
Posted inImmigration
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.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
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.
Posted inImmigration
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.
Posted inFood
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.
Posted inEducation
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
Posted inCoronavirus
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.
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
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.
Posted inCoronavirus
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.
Posted inCoronavirus
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.
Posted inSports
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.
Posted inCoronavirus
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.
Posted inHEALTH
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.
Posted inPOLICING & JUSTICE
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.”
Posted inFood
Red Wolf Chai debuts at farmers markets with chai and chapatis from East Africa.
‘I could make better chai’: Brothers Azhar and Mayzer Muhammad, and a friend, Mowafag Mohamed, turn to Oromo family recipes for their simple menu.
Posted inBUSINESS & WORK
Now entering the mainstream market: Hilal Ibrahim’s sustainably-made luxury hijabs for Nordstrom
Demand for Hilal’s collection of hospital-grade hijabs exploded last year after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Partnering with the retail giant is her next big step.
Posted inPOLICING & JUSTICE
Family of Ricardo Torres describes ‘harassing’ incidents with police before fatal Fourth of July shooting
The 32-year-old father was part of a Mexican American community that moved from Texas to Olivia, Minnesota, for farm work. A cousin remembered Torres as “always happy, always joking and playing around.”
Posted inEducation
As a child, Abdulaziz Mohamed looked to Barack Obama for proof he could be president. On July 1, he became the first Somali American student-body president at the University of Minnesota.
Abdulaziz sometimes felt lost growing up between between two worlds: the Muslim community in Minneapolis and the mostly white schools in Stillwater. He found his voice in student government, he says, helping “people who have also struggled early in life.”
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
An Iraqi climate scientist couldn’t use his biogeochemistry Ph.D. in his homeland. So he’s helping diverse students get environmental science degrees at a St. Cloud community college.
Professor Khaldoun Ahmad saw the impact of climate change in his native Iraq. Now he’s trying to empower working-class students to prevent the worst impacts in Minnesota.
Posted inCulture & Community
Minneapolis police providing traffic control were missing from this year’s Somali Independence Day celebration. No one missed them.
Police almost always have a presence at a large Minneapolis street festival. This time, organizers came up with their own plan, and turned to the nonprofit Nonviolent Peaceforce. It worked out fine.
Posted inFood
Judge finds Minnesota Department of Education in contempt for go-slow approach to meal program.
St. Anthony-based Feeding our Future and the state help nonprofits access federal money. A judge says the state is taking far too long to decide on applications for new meal sites.
Posted inEducation
Inside one Minnesota school district’s battle over an equity training program.
In numerous places, groups of parents are combating efforts to fix longstanding disparities.
Posted inReligion
Minnesota mosques return to side-by-side prayer with end of COVID-19 social-distancing restrictions
Some congregants struggled with isolation during the pandemic, according to imams at Masjid Al-Rawdah in Minneapolis; others dropped out. Women have yet to return to some Islamic centers, though they’ve also embraced online offerings.
Posted inCulture & Community
Twin Cities Desi Pride parade is a sign that ‘progress is palpable’.
Activists aim to ease mental stress of being queer and Desi. One says Pride events make it easier for children to grow up and be themselves.
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Frost. Then blistering heat. Drought. And now the bugs. Minnesota immigrant farmers are struggling with the effects of climate change in their fields.
June is typically the wettest month of the year in Minnesota. This year, most of the state is suffering from a drought. Adapting to a changing climate is key to surviving.
Posted inBUSINESS & WORK
Too much work or not enough: Latinos in Minnesota describe one pandemic but two very different economies.
For the past year, COVID-19 rattled the job market across Minnesota. Latinos, more than any other racial or ethnic group, remained in the state workforce. But many found themselves on divergent paths. Pandemic shutdowns cost restaurant owners and staff their livelihoods. Meanwhile, construction workers and contractors booked more jobs than they could handle. In a collaborative reporting project, MinnPost and Sahan Journal asked more than a dozen Latino workers and business owners to talk about how they survived the pandemic—and what they learned.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
We asked the Minneapolis City Council candidates for Ward 9 what they would do about police reform, rebuilding East Lake Street, homelessness, and rent control.
Jason Chavez, Mickey Moore, and Haji Yussuf spoke to Sahan Journal about their policy ideas, their personal experiences—and why they deserve your vote.
Posted inEducation
Minnesota pioneered the movement for charter schools 30 years ago. Since then, one in every three statewide has closed.
To charter school advocates, the closures are a sign of success. But some Democrats and teachers union leaders say they’re harmful to children, and want a stop to charter school growth.
Posted inBUSINESS & WORK
Immigrants and refugees are key to the Minneapolis economy. Here’s the data to prove it.
Some are skilled workers. Some hold essential jobs. Some are entrepreneurs. All of them are consumers.
Posted inThe killing of George Floyd
What you need to know about this week’s sentencing of Derek Chauvin.
More than a year after he pinned George Floyd to the pavement, knelt on his neck and deprived him of the ability to breathe, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will be sentenced Friday for Floyd’s murder.
Posted inInside Sahan Journal
Sahan Journal is hiring a managing director of development and operations to join its staff.
Help Sahan Journal change narratives, strengthen civic engagement, and make a difference!
Posted inHOUSING
Faulty appliances, unresponsive maintenance, patchy security: Immigrant residents decry conditions at nonprofit-run Minneapolis apartment complex. ‘A dog gets treated better,’ one renter says.
Aeon seeks to provide affordable housing across the Twin Cities, but East Village residents say management has failed to provide acceptable living conditions. The landlord acknowledges it has work to do.
Posted inCoronavirus
A small-scale event in Owatonna finds success among the vaccine-hesitant.
Minnesota’s new approach to COVID-19 vaccination was on display last Wednesday: Offer shots at a small venue with ties to the community. Free gift cards don’t hurt, either.
Posted inEducation
Cedar Riverside Community School is closing. The first big step in replacing it is understanding why it failed. Here’s what we found over a year of reporting.
Parent involvement was once considered the secret to the charter school’s success. But more recently, many parents say they didn’t feel valued and grew concerned about whether their kids were learning, fueling an enrollment decline.
Posted inArts
‘Our stories, our challenges and the wisdom in our community’: Book fair will highlight diversity of Somali voices.
Burnsville event on June 19 features 16 writers and is kid friendly. There will be a children’s tent and readings by children’s authors.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
In Ward 5, DFL caucuses become a referendum on defunding Minneapolis police
Canvassers say the vast majority of residents support major changes to law enforcement. Results of the caucuses suggest it might not be so clear cut.
Posted inHOUSING
Tenants help plan a new greenspace near Riverside Plaza.
Rain gardens, a parklet, and plenty of shrubs and plants are in store for an area adjacent to the nearly 50-year-old complex, which is home to many Somali families.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
After a tumultuous year, Minneapolis DFL voters to judge mayor’s tenure.
Seven mayoral candidates, including incumbent Jacob Frey, are vying for this week’s DFL endorsement
Posted inCoronavirus
Impossible until you’re in a life or death situation: How the Minnesota-based Chance Foundation helped fight the pandemic in India.
Nonprofit rushed to create a helpline, helped find oxygen concentrators, developed home care kits, and even funded a hospital. As this COVID-19 wave subsidies, it’s starting to think about the next one.
Posted inEducation
‘We were able to achieve what we thought was impossible’: In a senior year like no other, these graduates found a way to thrive
2021 graduates of color from Minnesota’s colleges and high schools faced the loss of loved ones, racism, and isolation. Now they’re looking forward to a bright future.
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
HD Laundry, in south Minneapolis, was looted and burned last summer. This year it’s reopening with a new cleaning system that will use less energy and save money.
Immigrant-owned businesses can apply for rebates from Minnesota energy companies. Expanded energy-efficiency programs are helping them build back greener.
Posted inPOLICING & JUSTICE
MN BCA: Not releasing names of undercover officers in Smith killing.
State investigators said last week that Winston Smith shot from inside his vehicle, and that Hennepin and Ramsey County deputies fired their guns. It’s not clear who fired first.
Posted inCOMMUNITY VOICES
Omar Fateh: Negotiations on police accountability should take place in the public eye.
The closed-door budget process, the state Senator from Minneapolis says, leaves activists in the dark about “whether the legislation they’ve fought for will be horse-traded for something else.”
Posted inCOMMUNITY VOICES
Rahel Nardos: For a US citizen who is also an immigrant, seeking out the silver lining between a rock and a hard place.
Immigrants carry the burdens of both their old and new worlds. But when things are going badly in one place, they often can find comfort in the small joys of their other culture.
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
The calendar says June; the weather says August. Minnesota’s record heat wave a sign of what’s to come.
The run of 90-degree days has driven people in the Twin Cities to emergency rooms.
Posted inArts
Theater Mu’s Lily Tung Crystal: The more people hear Asian Americans’ stories, the more they will treat us as the true Americans we really are.
Artistic director on working with other BIPOC groups, community elders, Theater Mu artists and staff, and on her own artistic path
Posted inEducation
Too hot for school: Minneapolis and St. Paul close school buildings during June heat wave
Teachers and students reported building temps in the high 90s. COVID-19 restrictions meant stuffy masks and limited water fountains. Climate change seems likely to cause more problems for Minnesota schools without working air conditioning.
Posted inArts
Hmong hip hop finds a home at new Twin Cities breakdance school
As a teenager, Lue Thao bounced from friends’ basements to rec centers in search of a place to practice and perform. With his new school, Cypher Side, Thao has created a place to teach the next generation of students.
Posted inConversations around race and racial justice
After a grueling year in the ICU and at George Floyd Square, an unexpected friendship.
Nurse Jeanette Rupert says for the first time in these long, grueling months of the pandemic, things seem to be slowing down a bit.
Posted inGeorge Floyd
Minneapolis clears George Floyd Square at 4:00 a.m., led by neighborhood security contractors. Activists describe ‘desecration’ of ‘people’s pain, people’s hope.’
After months of conflict between the city and local organizers, public work crews removed memorials to George Floyd, flanked by members of Agape Movement.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
With its virtual caucus already under way, Minneapolis DFL faces charges that the process is so discriminatory it must be scrapped.
Three party leaders say the endorsement process for city offices has disenfranchised some elderly voters, people of color, immigrants, and those with disabilities. Party officials reply that participation is higher than ever.
Posted inBUSINESS & WORK
Out of the ashes of the George Floyd protests, an Ethiopian restaurant is reborn in a new neighborhood
After Bolé burned down on University Avenue in St. Paul, community support helped Rekik Abineh and Solomon Hailie relaunch in a bigger space with a broader customer base.
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Identifying environmental problems in Minneapolis green zones is pretty easy. Doing something about them is another matter.
The city says it wants to improve areas where people of color live with high levels of pollution, health problems, and poverty. But the initiative lacks enforcement power.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Promoting a reform agenda at the Department of Corrections? Safia Khan is trying to make it happen.
‘I think I’m one of the very few people of color in these positions’: Serving as a policy director at a state agency has given Khan, a longtime nonprofit leader, the opportunity to advocate for change.
Posted inInside Sahan Journal
Inside Sahan Journal: When a charter school closed in Cedar Riverside, we realized we had a lot to learn about getting the news to immigrant parents.
Last week, we collaborated with Somali TV Minnesota for our first live event. The experience made us reflect on what it means to really engage the communities we serve, and what we can learn from community media.
Posted inHEALTH
Friendship, Health, Community: Twin Cities Latino Cyclists on a Roll.
Mario Hernandez started biking to get outdoors and boost his health. When he saw the beauty of Minnesota, he wanted others to be able to enjoy it as well, especially recently arrived Latinos to the state who might not have had the chance to explore.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
Fraud allegations disrupt DFL endorsement convention for Minneapolis City Council seat
Yusra Arab, a Ward 2 candidate, alleges an opponent, Tom Anderson, targeted East African delegates with deceptive phone calls and emails about their registration. The Anderson campaign cites irregularities and recorded calls with unwitting delegates.
Posted inHOUSING
Real estate frenzy in Minnesota poses extra barriers to Muslim homebuyers: Finding no-interest mortgages and down-payment assistance programs.
Islamic loans can be hard to understand and even harder to access. We created this explainer on how Islamic loans work, who offers them in Minnesota, and which real estate agents are familiar with the process.
Posted inPOLICING & JUSTICE
‘I’m just bracing for the next George Floyd’: Minnesotans reflect on continuing racial injustice, one year after Floyd’s killing.
Minnesota still experiences some of the nation’s worst racial disparities in unemployment, graduation rates, and homeownership. Police reform remains undone.
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Minnesota’s new ECO Act will help ease the burdens of energy costs on low-income families, including many people of color
A rare bipartisan bill should help lower emissions while offering households rebates to update old appliances and furnaces.
Posted inCulture & Community
Chef Yia Vang on his Minnesota Rice initiative, discovering his father’s heroism, and what he tells the kids with the ‘stinky’ lunches.
‘Being Hmong means you invite people in’: As he prepares to open his new restaurant, Vinai, Yia Vang reflects on the values that shape his cooking. This is the fifth installment of ChangeMakers, a collaboration between Sahan Journal and MPR News in celebration of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Jerry Blackwell’s closing argument helped win a conviction against Derek Chauvin. As a corporate lawyer—and hobby farmer—he wasn’t an obvious choice for the job.
Blackwell steered his career away from criminal justice, but felt compelled to volunteer for the prosecution. “There are fundamental rights and wrongs. They still do exist. There are injustices, they exist. It’s a fact.”
Posted inPOLICING & JUSTICE
‘We’re evidence that the healing is happening’: How five people in Minneapolis experienced the cataclysm of George Floyd’s killing—and what they did next.
After the murder of George Floyd, many people took to the streets and called for dramatic changes to a racist police system. We talked to five people about how their lives unfolded in the months that followed. Some changed jobs, some got sick, some kept going to George Floyd Square. Here are their reflections on a most consequential year.
Posted inEducation
Many immigrant kids deal with layers of trauma. This teacher’s answer: ‘I love you, and I trust you.’
Eugenia Popa lived through hard times in Romania. That shines through to her students, who nominated her for Minnesota’s Teacher of the Year.
Posted inCOVID-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.
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Hennepin County’s new climate action plan preserves an unpopular old technology: burning garbage near north Minneapolis.
Closing the county’s electricity-producing trash incinerator is a longtime goal for environmental justice advocates. But a new climate-action plan offers no concrete path to shut it down.
Posted inCOMMUNITY VOICES
Lee-Yang: Surviving COVID presented the Hmong community with an impossible choice. Mourn the dead together or stay safe on our own?
Reckoning with a year of death, loss, and isolation.
Posted inHEALTH
Black and Latino people in Minneapolis are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at half the rate of white people. We asked Minnesota’s vaccine equity director what’s going on.
Statewide, 57 percent of white Minnesotans have received a vaccine dose, versus just 40 percent of Black, Hispanic, and American Indian adults. Dr. Nathan Chomilo talks about why vaccination gaps persist and what the state is doing to fix them—from grocery vouchers to town hall forums (with shots at the end!).
Posted inArts
‘Blackness Is…’ festival this weekend features work from 13 artists. ‘Magic happens when we live in our truth.’
George Floyd killing spurred Twin Cities artists to confront the question: What is Blackness? Virtual event held in partnership with the Guthrie offers some answers.
Posted inConversations around race and racial justice
‘America is not somebody else; America is us’: Civil rights organizer Bo Thao-Urabe wants Minnesota to measure success differently.
In celebration of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, MPR News and Sahan Journal are featuring Asian Minnesotans making history. Bo Thao-Urabe, executive director of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders, talks about what she learned from Martin Luther King Jr.—and from her mother.
Posted inObituaries
‘A historic figure in Minnesota’: Kao Ly Ilean Her, a Hmong pioneer in education, law, and culture, dies from COVID.
Her’s huge legacy includes cultural festivals, leadership programs for Asian young women, and a groundbreaking post as a University of Minnesota Regent. Friends and family recall a woman who made her own path as a community leader.
Posted inCoronavirus
Indian community in Minnesota holds fundraisers—and grieves—as COVID devastates families and friends overseas.
Minnesota groups help hospitals in India provide supplemental oxygen: “I don’t really know how we can help from here, other than what we’re doing right now,” nonprofit leader says.
Posted inEducation
‘I want to wear the gown, I want the cap, I want tassels’: Minneapolis high school seniors want to walk the graduation stage—even if they’re missing credits.
After an unprecedented year, more students need to make up credits during summer school. Their teachers have a plan to make it happen—but the superintendent needs to sign on.
Posted inArts
Arts groups led by people of color often get little in foundation grants. Now some groups in the Twin Cities and beyond are in line for a major boost in funding.
Keeping an arts organization afloat is a constant struggle. Foundations are granting $12.6 million to groups in Minnesota and the Dakotas, providing some badly needed financial stability.
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
A decade on, painful scars and hard-earned resilience mark a tornado’s path through north Minneapolis
The 2011 storm killed two men, uprooted thousands of trees, and damaged buildings. In the limited federal response, some see evidence of environmental racism.
Posted inEducation
For almost three decades, Somali children in Minneapolis’ Riverside Plaza could attend school in their apartment complex. The historic school will close permanently June 30.
On Thursday, Pillsbury United Communities announced its final decision to shutter Cedar Riverside Community School. Termination letter cites “cultural deficiencies” and “long term dysfunction” in school governance.
Posted inFood
Mekfira Hussein’s meal programs have been feeding 5,000 children a day in the Twin Cities. A state effort to discipline an intermediary nonprofit forced her to suspend operations.
While the Minnesota Department of Education and the nonprofit Feeding Our Future battle in court over allegations of poor management, Mekfira ran out of money and laid off staff.
Posted inEducation
Showdown at school board meeting: Elk River alumni of color say they ‘never felt safe,’ parents decry ‘woke mob’
After a recording of an educator’s explanation of looting went viral, parents questioned the purpose of equity specialists, frank racial discussions, and the social justice club. Students wish adults would spend less time on Facebook.
Posted inConversations around race and racial justice
Activist and organizer Anthea Yur wants the Asian community in Minnesota to confront racism head on.
In celebration of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, MPR News and Sahan Journal are featuring Asian Minnesotans making history.
