Staffing shortages at a Brooklyn Park special education school make it difficult for teachers to safely work with high-needs students.
Posted inEDUCATION
Averi M. Turner, second-grade teacher: ‘Seven students showed up yesterday. I’m hoping for better tomorrow’
In a north Minneapolis charter school, many second-grade students struggle with distractions at home. Their teacher wishes they could be in the school building and leave the outside world behind.
Posted inEDUCATION
Grisel Vidal, English language development teacher: ‘I woke up on Monday and I thought it was 2020’
In-person school helps Grisel Vidal’s middle school English learners practice language skills with each other. But during the Omicron surge, the Minneapolis charter school is holding classes online.
Posted inEDUCATION
Jeff Garcia, special education teacher: ‘We don’t need to spend the rest of the year in distance, and I don’t want to.’
A St. Paul middle school teacher says the district’s response to the pandemic is leading his colleagues to quit. He hopes a short period of distance learning would help students and teachers reset.
Posted inINSIDE SAHAN JOURNAL
Sahan Journal is growing and hiring. Come join our team!
Since its launch in 2019, Sahan Journal has become a groundbreaking source of news for immigrants and communities of color in Minnesota. A new transformational grant from American Journalism Project will create new roles in business and fundraising.
Posted inBUSINESS & WORK
During the pandemic, employers asked immigrant workers in Minnesota to risk their health, safety, and status. In a new study, workers say they often got nothing in return.
Minnesota’s immigrants and refugees fill “essential” jobs in construction, agriculture, manufacturing, and more. In a new report, they shared their stories about working on the front lines of the outbreak, while finding themselves excluded from many federal and state relief funds. “You put yourself at risk for your family and the community,” one nursing assistant told researchers. “I was expecting something, but they didn’t give me anything.”
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
The new Metro Orange line brings rapid transit to the diverse 35W corridor. More bus rapid transit lines are coming soon.
The Orange Line is Minnesota’s latest highway bus rapid transit line. Officials say such services are key to meeting the state’s targets for reducing emissions.
Posted inINSIDE SAHAN JOURNAL
Sahan Journal receives $1.2 million grant from American Journalism Project to expand diverse news coverage in Minnesota.
Since its launch in 2019, Sahan Journal has become a groundbreaking source of news for immigrants and communities of color in Minnesota. The American Journalism Project, a leading venture news funder and incubator, will invest in Sahan Journal’s revenue and business growth to fund new reporters and editorial expansion.
Posted inPOLICING & JUSTICE
‘We can’t be a rubber stamp to what the police want’: Ramsey County attorney takes a new approach to criminal justice.
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, the nation has watched the City of Minneapolis struggle to transform its police force. But across the river, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi has quietly developed a reputation as one of the nation’s most reform-minded prosecutors. Over the past decade, his office has adopted bold new programs to address cash bail, youth detention, and more. The result: An almost 50 percent decline in new incarcerations over just six years
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
Andrea Jenkins will lead the most diverse city council in Minneapolis history. Linea Palmisano, a moderate from southwest Minneapolis, is elected vice president.
Jenkins, who often straddles the line between progressive and moderate votes, was chosen unanimously. The council will have to adjust to its new role in the city’s strong mayor system.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
Hamse Warfa is leaving the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development for a position in the Biden administration, making him the highest-ranking Somali appointee in Washington.
As a senior advisor in the U.S. State Department, Hamse will play a role in promoting democracy abroad and addressing refugee resettlement at home
Posted inCoronavirus
With Omicron surging, these Minnesotans support the Twin Cities’ renewed mask mandate – in principle. In practice? That’s a slightly different matter.
Nearly two years into the pandemic, the CDC still recommends indoor masking and social distancing. But people are tired of it, and many are interpreting the guidelines in their own way.
Posted inCHANGING MINNESOTA
Brooklyn Center is changing. Its diverse population is telling the city and developers what they’d like to see.
City officials have been trying to redevelop an 80-acre site for two decades. The project appears ready now to take off this year. First up are an event center, affordable housing, and a market plaza.
Posted inEDUCATION
Omicron will hit Minnesota schools like a ‘viral blizzard.’ We need to prepare for mass absences, building closures, and more.
Dr. Michael Osterholm, a leading national epidemiologist, talked to Sahan Journal about how the Omicron variant will affect schools and families in Minnesota–and how to prepare for it. What’s helpful: Avoiding contact, high-quality masks, ventilation, and vaccines. What doesn’t help: back-to-school testing. The news isn’t good. But Osterholm expects the surge will pass quickly: “The big thing psychologically: We’ve just got to get through the next three or four weeks,” he says. “I think things will be much better at the end of that.”
Posted inEDUCATION
St. Paul Public Schools is one of the most diverse districts in the state. Increasingly, parents prefer segregation.
More than 20,000 St. Paul kids chose not to enroll in the city’s public schools last year. Many of those students—white, Black, and Asian—are leaving for charter schools that cater to students of their own race.
Posted inObituaries
Mel Reeves, a stalwart of Minnesota activism and community journalism, dies from complications of COVID-19
Reeves spent decades writing for and about Minnesota’s Black community and was a champion of social justice. He died January 6 after being hospitalized since mid-December.
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
State agencies and local governments have compiled the data on how pollution affects people of color in Minnesota. Environmentalists say its time to act.
The Roof Depot redevelopment. Access to parkland. Green jobs. Air quality. State and local governments have data showing people of color are more likely to feel the brunt of pollution in Minnesota. But solutions have been slow to come.
Posted inCHANGING MINNESOTA
How an emergency airlift in Afghanistan changed immigration in Minnesota
After the Trump administration’s campaign against immigration, President Joe Biden pledged to accept more refugees in 2021. But the Afghan refugee crisis stirred Minnesota to rebuild its resettlement infrastructure.
Posted inEDUCATION
Students of color know that having diverse teachers can make a huge difference. Last year, Minnesota finally took real steps to expand its teaching corps.
Debates about “critical race theory” dominated national headlines last year. Meanwhile, Minnesota provided record funding to train teachers of color and crafted an ethnic studies framework for schools.
Posted inCHANGING MINNESOTA
As a farm kid in South Dakota, Megan Schnitker learned about Indigenous medicines from her Lakota uncle and great-grandmother. Now she’s offering Native plant-based remedies at a new store in Mankato.
Megan Schnitker started Lakota Made in her garden and her kitchen, selling homemade herbal soaps, salves, and tinctures. After outgrowing her home business, she opened a shop in Mankato’s historic Old Town.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
A special Qur’an holds the signature of almost every Minnesota Muslim elected to office. At a historic swearing-in ceremony, three Minneapolis City Council members added their names to the list.
A local Minneapolis imam started the Qur’an tradition less than 10 years ago, when Muslim political representation was scarce. Now, three City Council members—Jeremiah Ellison, Jamal Osman, and Aisha Chughtai—talk about creating a Muslim caucus.
Posted inINSIDE SAHAN JOURNAL
Recap 2021: Sahan Journal photos that told the story of the past year.
Police killings and COVID-19 dominated the news in 2021. Sahan Journal photojournalist Jaida Grey Eagle covered those stories – and many more.
Posted inHEALTH
Minnesota made strides in 2021 to ensure vaccine equity.
The initial rollout of the COVID vaccine left out many immigrants and people of color. A year later, with Omicron case counts rocketing, health officials say administering booster shots will be essential.
Posted inA look back
Recap 2021: The seven most striking multimedia stories Sahan Journal published in 2021.
A Jummah service translated into ASL. A lightning storm over George Floyd Square. A video series about COVID vaccines in five different languages. Here are the photo and video assignments that stuck with multimedia producer Ben Hovland.
Posted inPOLICING & JUSTICE
Jury finds ex-cop Potter guilty of manslaughter in Daunte Wright killing.
A Hennepin County jury on Thursday found ex-Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 traffic stop killing of Daunte Wright.
Posted inCoronavirus
Year Two of the pandemic: Which strategies helped Minnesota distribute vaccines equitably – and which didn’t.
For much of 2021, Dr. Nathan Chomilo was the state’s vaccine equity director. He says taking a cue from the community is the key to getting shots in arms.
Posted inEDUCATION
Midwestern community colleges work to lure, and keep, students struggling with poverty and other barriers
From free tuition to food pantries, two-year colleges try to counteract plunging enrollments with new programs to make college more affordable and accessible.
Posted inINSIDE SAHAN JOURNAL
Sahan Journal is hiring a part-time project assistant for Citizen Lab, a collaborative community-listening project.
The project assistant will support the engagement editor and financial controller in various tasks that include budgeting and finance work, event planning and execution, and marketing strategy.
Posted inCHANGING MINNESOTA
Nine years ago, Zinet Kemal boarded a flight to Minnesota and a country she’d never seen. Today, she’s a mother of four, an IT professional seeking an advanced degree—and now, a children’s author.
After leaving Ethiopia, Zinet Kemal and her husband, Aman Hordofo, needed to learn everything about life in Minnesota, from enrolling in college to ordering a pizza. (Pro tip: Don’t try to pay the delivery guy with a $100 bill.) In her new kids’ book, “Proud in Her Hijab: A Story of Family Strength, Empowerment and Identity,” Zinet has her own lesson to offer.
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Many mobile homes aren’t built for Minnesota winters. Community organizations and utilities are on a mission to make them more comfortable and fuel efficient.
Affordability makes mobile homes popular among recent immigrants. But they’re often poorly insulated and expensive to heat. An outreach campaign offers ways to fix that.
Posted inCoronavirus
Gift cards, flight vouchers, college-scholarship lotteries: Some Black health experts express second thoughts about Minnesota’s vaccine incentives.
Since May, the Minnesota Department of Health has offered incentives to more than 100,000 people to take a COVID vaccine–including many people from communities of color. But one public health expert says he runs into questions: “If it is so safe and sound, why are you bribing us to take the vaccine?”
Posted inEDUCATION
Hunger on campus isn’t a joke about ramen: How unmet needs keep Minnesota students from enrolling in community college.
Community colleges provide the most popular higher-ed pathway for Minnesota’s students of color. But many immigrant students don’t qualify for federal aid. And tuition assistance still leaves more than 40 percent of students struggling to afford balanced meals. One solution: a growing student movement to demand funding for students’ basic needs.
Posted inCOMMUNITY VOICES
Jay Eidsness: The new Minneapolis City Council should vote again on a greener future for East Phillips.
Last month, the outgoing council approved a plan to move Minneapolis’ water facilities to the Roof Depot site. But that plan will bring pollution to a neighborhood that has already experienced environmental injustice. New information shows the vote was a mistake. It’s not too late to fix it.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
Few public hearings, little coordinated outreach, and technology glitches: The bumpy start to the Minneapolis redistricting process.
The Charter Commission has only done this once before, and pandemic has forced the redistricting effort to go mostly on line. ‘It gets exciting when it starts to cut neighborhoods in half,” says the commission chair.
Posted inBUSINESS & WORK
Pinnacle Logistics employees in Eagan walk off the job after alleged anti-Muslim remark from supervisor.
Protesting employees at the cargo handler company, which contracts with Amazon, cite a string of similar comments by higher-ups. The company says it launched an investigation.
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Posted inCOMMUNITY VOICES
Abdul Dire: Ethiopia has huge potential. But before it can reach it, the country must find a way to end the current war.
Rebels must understand that they will never be able to return to power. But the government has to realize that it cannot completely eliminate the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. War crimes must be investigated.
Posted inHEALTH
Mayo clinic study shows people of color are less likely to receive a key treatment for a condition that causes the heart muscle to thicken.
Women also receive implantable defibrillators less often than men. Researchers say they need to do more work to understand why that is.
Posted inChanging the Narrative
‘We need a fund that doesn’t see funding Black people as risky’: How three Black leaders are working to change Minnesota philanthropy.
After George Floyd’s murder, a new philanthropic collective formed to raise $25 million to combat anti-Blackness in Minnesota. In a conversation with Sahan Journal, the group’s new president, Lulete Mola, discusses that plan and its progress.
Posted inCOMMUNITY VOICES
Habon: Islamophobia is a political weapon to keep Muslim women from participating in politics. The way to beat it? Run for office.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Representative Ilhan Omar faced a new slur from Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert. While Ilhan serves as a convenient target for anti-Muslim politicians and media figures, hate speech affects Muslims across Minnesota. Habon Abdulle, executive director of Ayada Leads, says the way to combat those forces is to organize African and Muslim women for civic leadership.
Posted inSTORIES FROM THE PANDEMIC
Bayan Research Center aims to define problems facing Somali Americans, provide data, and recommend solutions.
Somali Americans have a lot of pressing questions about family problems, substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness, and other issues. At Mohamed Shuayb’s St. Anthony-based nonprofit, academics and experts try to provide answers.
Posted inFood
Rice Street Garden is a gathering place for many east metro immigrants. A potential development project has them on edge.
A community garden in the east metro provides a sense of belonging for many older immigrants. But a land sale means it could be entering its final season.
Posted inEDUCATION
Native American students want the University of Minnesota Morris to search for lost burial sites. It may be even harder to recover generations of missing Indigenous culture and family history.
Archival research suggests as many as seven students from the Morris Industrial School for Indians could be buried on campus. Today, Native American students attend the university for free—but there’s a cost to reckoning with the site’s troubled history.
Posted inEDUCATION
Native American students want the University of Minnesota Morris to search for lost burial sites. It may be even harder to recover generations of missing Indigenous culture and family history.
Archival research suggests as many as seven students from the Morris Industrial School for Indians could be buried on campus. Today, Native American students attend the university for free—but there’s a cost to reckoning with the site’s troubled history.
Posted inHEALTH
Minnesota’s healthcare industry is short of workers. A gap persists in racial health outcomes. The University of St. Thomas thinks it can help solve both problems.
A new nursing program will aim to enroll at least 30 percent of its students from ‘historically excluded’ communities. Working on the streets with homeless people will be part of the curriculum.
Posted inCHANGING MINNESOTA
Immigration advocates push to eliminate impending deadline for the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness program, a unique path to citizenship.
The program grants Liberians a green card and a chance to immediately apply for citizenship. But advocates say there have been barriers to applying, and many could miss the December 20 deadline.
Posted inEDUCATION
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.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & 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.
Posted inPOLICING & JUSTICE
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.
Posted inHEALTH
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.
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
‘Bring Back 6th’ launches campaign to reverse 80 years of Twin Cities history, and restore communities demolished to make way for Olson Memorial Highway.
When the highway was built in the 1940s, it followed the route of 6th Avenue North — straight through an early hub of Black life in Minneapolis. Organizers say its future should include dedicated bike and bus lanes, wider sidewalks, and slower speed limits.
Posted inEDUCATION
St. Paul has a plan to pursue more equitable education by closing and merging schools. But immigrant parents say it would hurt their communities.
Somali American parents in St. Paul say a plan to close Highwood Hills Elementary would endanger a neighborhood hub. Latino parents say they weren’t included in the decision to close Wellstone Elementary. With a school-board vote coming soon, immigrant parents want to be heard.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
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
Posted inINSIDE SAHAN JOURNAL
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.
Posted inEDUCATION
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.
Posted inPOLICING & JUSTICE
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.
Posted inHEALTH
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.
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Posted inCoronavirus
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.
Posted inCULTURE & COMMUNITY
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.
Posted inCULTURE & COMMUNITY
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.
Posted inINSIDE SAHAN JOURNAL
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.
Posted inINSIDE SAHAN JOURNAL
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.
Posted inEDUCATION
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.
Posted inCLIMATE & 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.
Posted inCULTURE & COMMUNITY
‘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.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
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.
Posted inCoronavirus
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.
Posted inEDUCATION
‘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.
Posted in2021 Elections
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.
Posted inEDUCATION
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.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
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.
Posted inCOVID-19 Vaccine Project
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.
Posted inCOVID-19 Vaccine Project
Wax kasta oo waalidiinta iyo carruurtu ay u baahan yihiin in ay ka ogaadaan tallaalka COVID-19.
Usbuucan, carruurta da’doodu u dhaxayso 5-11 sano ayaa waxay xaq u yeesheen in ay helaan tallaalka COVID-19. Carruurtaadu wax su’aalo ah ma ka qabaan sababta ay tallaalka u qaadanayaan iyo waxyaabaha dhici kara marka ay qaataan? Waxaan fiidiyow u samaynay carruurta, kaas oon ku soo bandhignay dhakhaatiir iyo kalkaaliyayaal la shaqeeya carruuro oo ay arrintan kaga warbixinayaan.
Posted inCOVID-19 Vaccine Project
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.
Posted inCHANGING MINNESOTA
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.
Posted inCULTURE & COMMUNITY
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.
Posted inHEALTH
The COVID-19 vaccine is finally available for Minnesota kids ages 5–11. Here’s how, where, and when to get a shot.
Children in Minnesota can now receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at pharmacies, schools, and community events. This short guide lists vaccination dates and locations in St. Paul. Check back here for more information.
Posted inCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
United Nations climate conference draws Minnesotans of color
Dr. Laalitha Surapaneni sees the impacts of pollution in her patients, and wants to fight climate change as a public health problem
Posted inCOVID-19 Vaccine Project
Txhua yam uas niamtxiv thiab menyuam yuav tsum paub txog koob tshuaj tivthaiv tus kabmob COVID-19.
Lub week no, cov menyuam 5 xyoo mus txog 11 xyoo muaj feem cuam mus txhaj koob txhuaj tivthaiv tus kabmob COVID-19. Koj tus menyuam puas muaj lus nug txog vim licas ho thiaj li yuav tau txhaj koob tshuaj no thiab yog txhaj tag lawm no nws yuav zoo li cas? Peb muaj ib daim yeeb yaj kiab qhia cov menyuam los ntawm cov kws kho mob thiab cov nurses uas ib txwm ua haujlwm nrog cov menyuam yaus.
Posted inCOVID-19 Vaccine Project
Everything kids and parents need to know about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
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.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
With St. Paul school board win, Halla Henderson becomes first Eritrean American elected to office in Minnesota
Henderson’s passion for education equity began when her former elementary school closed in Minneapolis. Now, she plans to fight school closures as a St. Paul school board member—bringing student voices with her.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
For the first time, majority of Minneapolis City Council members will be people of color.
In the first city election since the police killing of George Floyd, public safety emerged as the most debated issue. With final results pending, several wards selected new council members.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
Minneapolis voters reject public safety amendment. Strong mayor and rent control provision pass.
The charter amendment would have eliminated policing staffing and funding minimums, and replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a Department of Public Safety. Its defeat is a blow to advocates of reimagining public safety.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
Duluth elects Azrin Awal, first Asian American, to City Council.
Azrin Awal, a 25-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh, is also the first Muslim to join the council in the mostly white port city on Lake Superior. Awal’s campaign focused on inclusion, affordable housing, and climate issues.
Posted in2021 Elections
Mayor Jacob Frey wins reelection in Minneapolis
Jacob Frey’s reelection represents a setback to the movement for a new approach to public safety, following the murder of George Floyd. Progressive challengers Sheila Nezhad and Kate Knuth fell short in their attempt to beat Frey through ranked-choice voting.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
Your Minnesota Election Day 2021 results: All the updates on races in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
A look at election results on the Minneapolis mayor’s race, the City Council, and the ballot amendments. Plus school board results from St. Paul. Immigrants and candidates of color were on the ballot in Minneapolis elections and across the state.
Posted in2021 Elections
Election Day in Minnesota is here. So we made this last-minute voting guide for you.
Everything you need to know about Election Day 2021. Questions about where to vote and when to vote? Need a primer on the Minneapolis ballot amendments? Want to read more about Minneapolis City Council candidates and contests? Looking to meet the St. Paul school board candidates? Please read on!
Posted inINSIDE SAHAN JOURNAL
Meet the challenge: Donate to Sahan Journal today and these community partners will double your gift.
Without you, stories about immigrants and communities of color don’t just go unread — they go untold. Donate today and NewsMatch and local partners will double your donation to Sahan Journal.
Posted inCOVID-19 Vaccine Project
Todo lo que los niños y los padres deben saber sobre la vacuna COVID-19.
Esta semana, los niños de 5 a 11 años son elegibles para las vacunas COVID-19. ¿Su hijo tiene preguntas sobre por qué vacunarse y qué esperar? Hemos hecho un vídeo para niños, con médicos y enfermeras que trabajan con niños. Por favor, compruébelo: en hmong, español, somalí e inglés.
Posted inDEMOCRACY & POLITICS
‘We need to follow the lead of the people’: Support for public safety charter amendment grows among elected officials of color in Minnesota.
Federal, state, and county officials take a position on a new public safety department in Minneapolis, one of the city’s most contentious questions on the ballot in years.
