CHANGING MINNESOTA Archives — Sahan Journal

A nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting for Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color.

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DEMOCRACY & POLITICS

Somali Prime Minister rallies locals, praises Somali youth during Minnesota visit

by Abdirizak Diis 4 days agoSeptember 26, 2023

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre asked Somali Minnesotans to help raise money to fight the terrorist organization, Al-Shabab, in their home country.

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Why does Minnesota’s Asian community earn more than all other groups, yet still experience poverty at above-average rates?

by Joey Peters 5 days agoSeptember 29, 2023

CULTURE & COMMUNITY

Census data: Minnesotans of color grew in number, but continue to face disparities

by Joey Peters, Hibah Ansari and Cynthia Tu September 14, 2023September 15, 2023

How did Minnesota become a hub for Hmong people?

by Yuqing Liu September 8, 2023September 15, 2023

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Driver’s Licenses for All goes into effect next week. Here’s how to apply for a license.

by Hibah Ansari September 7, 2023September 29, 2023

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Citizenry on a stick: Minnesota State Fair holds first naturalization ceremony since 1996 for new Americans

by Hibah Ansari August 28, 2023September 1, 2023

CHANGING MINNESOTA

New immigration services center opens on St. Paul’s East Side

by Hibah Ansari August 4, 2023August 4, 2023

CHANGING MINNESOTA

U.S. Census Bureau’s classification of Asian ethnic groups is harmful, warn Minnesota lawmakers

by Abe Asher July 21, 2023July 21, 2023

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Trump ‘Muslim ban’ continues to delay family reunification two years after it ended

by Hibah Ansari July 20, 2023July 21, 2023

CHANGING MINNESOTA

St. Cloud man’s request to sponsor family’s immigration granted, but reunification could take years

by Hibah Ansari and Aala Abdullahi June 27, 2023June 27, 2023

CHANGING MINNESOTA

St. Cloud man sues U.S. government after failed six-year effort to sponsor family’s immigration from refugee camp

by Hibah Ansari and Aala Abdullahi April 13, 2023June 13, 2023

Refugee resettlement in Minnesota: How everyday citizens can help

by Tom Crann and Amy Felegy January 27, 2023February 1, 2023

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Afghan Cultural Society’s first-ever office space offers hope and healing with a touch of home and a cup of tea.

by Hibah Ansari October 19, 2022December 9, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

St. Paul refugee resettlement agency launches nation’s first guaranteed income program for immigrants.

by Hibah Ansari September 7, 2022April 5, 2023

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Two years after Trump left office, the International Institute of Minnesota is expanding to help welcome and resettle new arrivals

by Hibah Ansari August 18, 2022April 5, 2023

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Fewer Hennepin County children enter foster care. But family reunifications become less likely, too, report says.

by Farrah Mina August 10, 2022August 10, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Bois Forte Band of Chippewa celebrates historic return of tribal land.

by Jana Hollingsworth June 9, 2022June 9, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Minnesota has long welcomed people fleeing disaster in their home countries.

by Nina Moini June 1, 2022June 1, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Rochester confronts its segregated housing history, Mayo founders’ role

by Catharine Richert May 23, 2022May 23, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

They thought they were alone, but leaders in the LGBTQ Hmong community found their voices and solidarity in the Twin Cities. Meet local changemakers working to improve LGBTQ acceptance and visibility in the Hmong community.

by Marla Khan-Schwartz May 12, 2022May 12, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Kevin Xiong moved to the Twin Cities with $500 in his pocket after reading about a group for LGBTQ Hmong people. Today, he’s leading change as executive director of a charter school.

by Marla Khan-Schwartz May 12, 2022May 12, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

There’s ‘no word for queer’ in the Hmong language. Musician and spoken word artist SUNAH crafts new, positive phrases in Hmong to identify members of the LGBTQ community.

by Marla Khan-Schwartz May 12, 2022May 12, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Drawing on her own experiences, Xay Yang provides programming and mental health services for queer and trans survivors of abuse.

by Marla Khan-Schwartz May 12, 2022May 12, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

How many kinds of pho can you find in Minneapolis? Ask Ka Vang. She’ll promote the city’s diversity in her new role at Meet Minneapolis.

by Anna Nguyen May 9, 2022May 9, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Imam Abdirahman Aden Kariye was buckled into his airplane seat Sunday ready to fly home. Then TSA agents ordered him off, causing him to miss Eid at his Bloomington mosque.

by Abe Asher May 4, 2022May 5, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Black Tech Talent launched two years ago to support Black professionals in Minnesota. The ambitious startup is now looking to expand nationwide.

by Dee Cordell-Whitney May 2, 2022May 3, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Ramadan 2022: A Minnesota community calendar on where to celebrate the holy month.

by Katelyn Vue April 14, 2022April 22, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Moob, Hmoob, or Hmong? A word on a rock in a St. Paul peace garden divides a community.

by Tiffany Bui April 12, 2022April 12, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Minneapolis and St. Paul can take several steps to improve life and build economic success for immigrants and refugees, a new study says.

by Hibah Ansari April 8, 2022April 8, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Minneapolis City Council members for the first time pass a resolution recognizing the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The effort also supports the public playing of the call to prayer year-round.

by Hibah Ansari March 24, 2022March 24, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Worthington’s fast-growing communities of color see economic gains but little political power. Yet.

by Hannah Yang March 22, 2022March 22, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Meet Minnesota gamers and game developers of color working to see themselves on screen.

by Hannah Yang February 25, 2022February 25, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

As a girl in Wisconsin, ThaoMee Xiong’s immigrant father worked the halls of her school – as its janitor. Decades later, she works the halls of power in Minnesota for the Coalition of Asian American Leaders.

by Katelyn Vue February 16, 2022February 16, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

This week, Minnesotan KaYing Yang joins President Joe Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans. One searing experience she’ll bring to the job: Watching her Hmong parents work against daunting obstacles to build a new life in America.

by Abe Asher February 3, 2022February 3, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Futsal is a smaller, faster version of soccer. The global game is seeing a boom in the Twin Cities, driven by an immigrant player base.

by Andrew Hazzard January 18, 2022January 18, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Brooklyn Center is changing. Its diverse population is telling the city and developers what they’d like to see.

by Katelyn Vue January 9, 2022January 9, 2022

CHANGING MINNESOTA

How an emergency airlift in Afghanistan changed immigration in Minnesota

by Hibah Ansari January 5, 2022January 5, 2022

CHANGING 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.

by Hannah Yang January 4, 2022January 5, 2022

CHANGING 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.

by Abe Asher December 20, 2021December 20, 2021

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Immigration advocates push to eliminate impending deadline for the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness program, a unique path to citizenship.

by Hibah Ansari December 2, 2021December 2, 2021

CHANGING MINNESOTA

For the first time, Minnesota erects highway signs recognizing Native treaty boundaries

by Dan Kraker November 8, 2021November 8, 2021

As Bloomington becomes more diverse, two Latino men are among those seeking election to its city council.

by JD Duggan October 29, 2021October 29, 2021

COMMUNITY VOICES

Hamse Warfa: Minnesota has a long history of working for the global good. Now is the time for a new generation to step up.

by Hamse Warfa October 27, 2021October 27, 2021

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Minnesotans of color trust news media, according to a new survey. But they say coverage includes ‘too few stories’ about people like them.

by David H. Montgomery October 11, 2021October 11, 2021

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Minnesota’s most diverse cities? New U.S. Census data show communities of color growing in places like Austin and Worthington.

by Hibah Ansari September 8, 2021September 9, 2021

CHANGING MINNESOTA

2020 census data is in: Minnesota is more urban and less white than a decade ago.

by David H. Montgomery August 12, 2021August 12, 2021

Red tape can be daunting for new immigrants seeking services. Asian American group has a map for that.

by Katelyn Vue February 24, 2021February 24, 2021

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Northfield has long called itself the town of ‘cows, colleges, and contentment.’ After Election Day, it’s becoming something else: a model for rising Latino power in rural Minnesota.

by Becky Z. Dernbach November 23, 2020November 23, 2020

2020 Census outreach

CHANGING MINNESOTA

The census isn’t just about numbers. It’s about school programs, job training, health care, and housing, too.

by Sheila Regan September 11, 2020September 11, 2020

DEMOCRACY & POLITICS

Young, educated and Black: Here’s how Minnesota’s politicians with African roots are reshaping the state’s politics.

by Ibrahim Hirsi August 30, 2020September 8, 2020

CHANGING MINNESOTA

In the 1970s, Minneapolis faced a population death spiral. Guess who came to the rescue?

by Tom Weber July 13, 2020July 13, 2020

CHANGING MINNESOTA

El COVID-19 añade otro reto a la respuesta del Censo Latino de Minnesota

by Riham Feshir April 14, 2020April 14, 2020

CHANGING MINNESOTA

COVID-19 adds another challenge to Minnesota’s Latino census response

by Riham Feshir April 13, 2020April 14, 2020

CHANGING MINNESOTA, Immigration

Willmar keeps the refugee door open despite concerns

by Riham Feshir December 23, 2019April 1, 2020

CHANGING MINNESOTA, DEMOCRACY & POLITICS

Youth, diversity take the reins of power at St. Paul City Hall

by Becky Z. Dernbach November 14, 2019April 1, 2020

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Minnesota’s racial, ethnic diversity grows even as immigration slows

by Mukhtar M. Ibrahim October 15, 2019April 1, 2020

CHANGING MINNESOTA

As immigrants stream to suburbs, leaders dig deep to meet their needs

by Mike Moen August 15, 2019April 1, 2020

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Lured by jobs and housing, Karen refugees spread across Minnesota

by Ibrahim Hirsi August 13, 2019April 1, 2020

CHANGING MINNESOTA

Hmong immigrants helped save this prairie town, but now their children are leaving

by Jon Collins August 11, 2019April 1, 2020