OPINION Archives — Sahan Journal

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

❤️ DONATE

Opinion: Can Black joy redefine Minnesota’s health care landscape?

by Hadija H. Kadogo May 8, 2026May 8, 2026

Rising medical debt, threats to safety-net hospitals, cuts to care for undocumented adults
all turn health care into a zero-sum game. What if instead we saw health care as community
care?

Opinion: Minneapolis eviction extension won’t fill the gap created by Operation Metro Surge

by AsaleSol Young April 24, 2026April 24, 2026

Opinion: Trump’s Easter post mocking Muslims was a missed chance for unity

by Zafar Siddiqui April 10, 2026April 10, 2026

Opinion: The vicious cycle of injustice that makes some lives more valuable than others

by Zafar Siddiqui February 17, 2026February 17, 2026

Opinion: For Minnesota elder care facilities, ICE crackdown hits close to home

by Vincent Miles February 12, 2026February 12, 2026

Opinion: CDC shift on vaccine-autism guidance puts families, communities at risk

by Leslie King-Schultz, Michael Arenson and Stacene Maroushek February 9, 2026February 5, 2026

Opinion: The best reason to fight ICE aggression and political hate-mongering — our children

by Abdullahi Kahiye February 6, 2026February 6, 2026

Opinion: Trump’s ‘garbage’ rhetoric about Somali Minnesotans is anti-Black, anti-brown and dangerous to public health

by Muna Saleh December 5, 2025December 5, 2025

Opinion: How much does it cost to buy a Minnesota school board election?

by Kyle Steinberg December 4, 2025December 3, 2025

Opinion: Trump’s trade tariffs on China put Minnesota soybean farmers in financial peril

by Patrick Mendis November 26, 2025December 1, 2025

Opinion: ICE is tearing families apart. We can’t stay silent.

by Margarita Rosales Alarcón November 19, 2025November 19, 2025

Opinion: Proposed urban farm on Minneapolis Roof Depot site could spark real change

by Janya Dieringer November 12, 2025November 12, 2025

Opinion: The ancestral and healing meaning of Día de los Muertos

by Ana M. Rivera October 31, 2025October 30, 2025

Opinion: In local elections, ‘Every single vote matters. Every single vote counts.’

by Abdullahi Kahiye October 15, 2025October 14, 2025

Opinion: When the Minnesota assessment scores are in, the story’s already written

by Diedra Carlson September 9, 2025September 8, 2025

Opinion: Backlash to Zohran Mamdani’s primary win shows normalization of hate

by Zafar Siddiqui July 7, 2025July 7, 2025

Opinion: Pollution from East Side St. Paul foundry harms students, teachers, too

by Community Voices May 8, 2025May 7, 2025

Opinion: As measles cases rise, officials are fueling vaccine doubts with new study of debunked autism link

by Rachel Widome and Kelly Searle March 18, 2025March 24, 2025

Opinion: Unequal outcomes are baked into our system. We can’t move forward without facing that.

by Jeffery L. Bineham March 11, 2025March 6, 2025

Opinion: International grad students at UMN face double jeopardy with federal science cuts

by Sam Boland February 25, 2025July 1, 2025

Opinion: Immigrants are a vital part of our Minnesota communities. We must act to protect them.

by Minha Ali January 13, 2025January 13, 2025

Opinion: We can do more to reverse gaps in diabetes care for Black Minnesotans

by Brenda Khajira December 11, 2024December 11, 2024

Opinion: Macalester rejected an opportunity to divest from Israel, but the fight isn’t over

by Joseph Mogul November 26, 2024July 11, 2025

Opinion: Rather than ‘stealing’ jobs, immigrants take on the work Americans don’t want to do

by Margarita Rosales Alarcón November 4, 2024November 4, 2024

Opinion: With or without a Harris presidency, multiracial Americans are here to stay

by Sonia Kharbanda November 4, 2024November 1, 2024

Opinion: My mother had access to abortion care. Without it she would not have had me.

by Sophia Elmstrom November 1, 2024October 31, 2024

Opinion: In a fraught political time, it’s more important than ever for Minnesota Muslims to show up, vote and organize

by Abdullahi Kahiye October 29, 2024October 31, 2024

Opinion: Push for downtown growth shouldn’t overlook potential of north Minneapolis

by Kristel Porter August 8, 2024August 8, 2024

Opinion: ‘Postponing’ Palestinian doctor’s talk was a missed opportunity at HCMC

by Eiko Mizushima July 10, 2024July 10, 2024

Opinion: My mother was proud of her work as a midwife. Then we came to America and her credentials didn’t count.

by Halima Hamud May 22, 2024May 22, 2024

Opinion: Senior renters are struggling; problems at Bii Di Gain are the tip of the iceberg

by Austin Fleming May 15, 2024May 14, 2024

Opinion: Here’s what the Vote Uncommitted campaign is really about

by Mitra Jalali and Aisha Chughtai March 4, 2024September 18, 2024

Opinion: Nursing home workers are shock absorbers for a broken system

by Taiwo Sodunola March 1, 2024July 25, 2024

Opinion: It’s time for Minnesota to put equal rights on the ballot

by Betty Folliard February 9, 2024March 1, 2024

Opinion: Minneapolis, St. Paul should support a ceasefire in Gaza

by Community Voices February 7, 2024September 18, 2024

Opinion: We can all be housed

by David Ackos December 7, 2023December 7, 2023

Opinion: The farm bill is a historic opportunity to support farmers of color

by Tina Smith November 30, 2023December 1, 2023

HOUSING, OPINION

Community Voices: Minneapolis City Council’s insensitive maneuvering on rent control vote put religious bias on display

by Chris Xiong June 30, 2023June 30, 2023

Sen. Oumou Verbeten and Rep. Agbaje: Free prison phone calls can make Minnesota safer and families stronger

by Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten and Representative Esther Agbaje May 5, 2023May 5, 2023

Maxime Groen: Minneapolis City Council vote on Roof Depot demolition harms communities of color

by Maxime Groen February 7, 2023February 7, 2023

Brett Buckner: Legislation before Congress could financially harm communities of color

by Brett Buckner January 3, 2023December 16, 2022

Qorsho Hassan: Education reform begins with our students.

by Qorsho Hassan November 18, 2022November 18, 2022

East Phillips Park Cultural and Community Center the morning of the primary election in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Trinity Hanif: Progressive voters must turn out in November despite primary losses.

by Trinity Hanif September 15, 2022September 15, 2022

Hamse Warfa’s Labor Day reflections: Immigrants are vital to health of U.S. workforce, economy.

by Hamse Warfa September 5, 2022September 2, 2022

Friends separated by war reunite at Hmong International Freedom Festival, which returns after two-year absence.

by Chai Lee July 1, 2022July 1, 2022

Laura Yuen: At 94, this vet preserves the history of World War II linguists secretly trained in Minnesota

by Laura Yuen June 15, 2022June 15, 2022

High schooler Trinity Hanif: Minnesota lawmakers must pass legislation providing free menstrual products in schools.

by Trinity Hanif May 4, 2022May 3, 2022

Laura Yuen: How a Minnesota imam came to forgive two men who bombed his mosque

by Laura Yuen April 25, 2022April 25, 2022

Amane Badhasso: U.S. troops must not engage with Russian military, but Ukrainian refugees need our aid.

by Amane Badhasso March 30, 2022March 31, 2022

Roxxanne O’Brien: Community voices must be included in the redevelopment of the former Northern Metal Recycling site in north Minneapolis.

by Roxxanne O'Brien March 23, 2022March 23, 2022

BUSINESS & WORK, OPINION

Anne Leland Clark: Payday loan debts have financially hobbled thousands of Minnesotans. Lawmakers and other elected officials must advocate for reform in lending practices, including interest rate caps.

by Anne Leland Clark February 24, 2022February 24, 2022

Veena Iyer: The death of the Patel family on the frigid U.S.–Canada border demands a response. We must create a more humane immigration system.

by Veena Iyer February 17, 2022February 16, 2022

Letters to the Editor, OPINION

Minnesota Black Law Students Association: Amir Locke’s killing must lead to real change in police practices and discipline.

by University of Minnesota Black Law Student Association February 4, 2022February 4, 2022

BUSINESS & WORK, OPINION

Hamse Warfa: Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development has made big strides toward expanding opportunities to Minnesotans of all backgrounds. Here’s how the agency did it.

by Hamse Warfa January 31, 2022January 31, 2022

Jay Eidsness: The new Minneapolis City Council should vote again on a greener future for East Phillips.

by Jay Eidsness December 15, 2021December 15, 2021

Abdul Dire: Ethiopia has huge potential. But before it can reach it, the country must find a way to end the current war.

by Abdul Dire December 12, 2021December 13, 2021

Habon: Islamophobia is a political weapon to keep Muslim women from participating in politics. The way to beat it? Run for office.

by Habon Abdulle December 8, 2021December 8, 2021

IMMIGRATION, OPINION

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

Chavez and Alper: East Phillips neighborhood deserves an urban farm, not a city parking ramp.

by Jason Chavez and Becky Alper August 17, 2021August 17, 2021

Doualy Xaykaothao: A love letter to Sunisa Lee, and her Hmong parents.

by Doualy Xaykaothao August 9, 2021August 10, 2021

Omar Fateh: Negotiations on police accountability should take place in the public eye.

by Omar Fateh June 10, 2021June 10, 2021

Rahel Nardos: For a US citizen who is also an immigrant, seeking out the silver lining between a rock and a hard place.

by Dr. Rahel Nardos June 9, 2021June 9, 2021

Coronavirus, OPINION

Lee-Yang: Surviving COVID presented the Hmong community with an impossible choice. Mourn the dead together or stay safe on our own?

by May Lee-Yang May 21, 2021May 21, 2021

HEALTH, OPINION

Hanif: Minnesota has serious health inequities for people of color. Two bills now before the legislature could help fix that.

by Trinity Hanif April 30, 2021April 30, 2021

Gardner and Chudgar: Justice requires that Minnesota attorney general prosecute officer who killed Daunte Wright

by Lena K. Gardner and Neil Chudgar April 15, 2021April 15, 2021

Irene Fernando and Jeff Lunde: Minnesota transit funding proposal jeopardizes Blue Line Extension.

by Irene Fernando and Jeff Lunde April 12, 2021April 12, 2021

May Lee-Yang on the killing of Hmong women: ‘I am past anger. I am past community conversations. I want vengeance. I want justice for the dead.’

by May Lee-Yang April 7, 2021April 7, 2021

Yia Vang: My father is my hero, and he’s afraid for me. But he also embodies the cure for anti-Asian hate. That’s hope.

by Yia Vang March 26, 2021March 26, 2021

BUSINESS & WORK, OPINION

Jeffrey Bissoy-Mattis: There is a rich pipeline of Black talent in the Twin Cities. It still can be hard to find out about events and opportunities.

by Jeffrey Bissoy March 11, 2021March 11, 2021

Image of Amira Adawe standing outside and holding a poster that reads "Dangerous. Racist. Illegal. Toxic skin lightening creams."

Skin-lightening products cost Black and brown communities our money and our health.

by Amira Adawe and Hodan Hassan March 4, 2021March 4, 2021

BUSINESS & WORK, OPINION

I got my first job in the U.S. at an Amazon fulfillment center in Minnesota. The work was dehumanizing and awful.

by Safiyo Mohamed January 25, 2021November 5, 2021

Coronavirus, OPINION

Black and brown people have been subject to suffering and neglect at the hands of doctors in the past. It’s still worth getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

by Dr. Nathan T. Chomilo January 18, 2021January 19, 2021

Extremism, OPINION

As a foreign correspondent, I watched Bosnia self-destruct based on toxic propaganda. I saw the same forces at work yesterday in Washington.

by Mark Porubcansky January 7, 2021November 17, 2021

OPINION, Oromo in Minnesota

Power cannot be obtained through violence in Ethiopia. Now is the time for dialogue.

by Abdul Dire December 23, 2020December 24, 2020

ELECTION 2020, OPINION

Commentary: Trump’s anti-refugee policies are a betrayal of American values

by Mustafa Jumale October 30, 2020October 30, 2020

OPINION, POLITICS

Haji Yussuf: Ilhan offers best chance to advance progressive agenda

by Haji Yussuf May 13, 2020May 13, 2020

Zafar Siddiqui: Don’t succumb to hate virus while fighting coronavirus

by Zafar Siddiqui May 12, 2020May 12, 2020

BUSINESS & WORK, OPINION

Hudda Ibrahim: Coronavirus hits central Minnesota’s Somali-owned businesses hard

by Hudda Ibrahim May 4, 2020May 4, 2020

I’m Asian American in rural Minnesota and have felt the sting of pandemic-fueled racism

by Hannah Yang March 25, 2020March 30, 2021

ARTS & CULTURE, OPINION

Moving to Mexico for love sounded awesome. Then my African uncle called.

by Jeffrey Bissoy November 25, 2019April 1, 2020

Immigrants built Minnesota’s economy and culture. They still do.

by Hamse Warfa November 1, 2019April 1, 2020

Gandhi’s dream lies in tatters, 150 years after his birth

by Zafar Siddiqui October 2, 2019July 25, 2024

On 9/11 anniversary, blame the terrorists, not Muslims

by Ashalul Aden September 11, 2019April 1, 2020

Goodbye St. Cloud. I love you, but I can’t stand the hate.

by Haji Yussuf August 11, 2019April 1, 2020

Justice is not blind in America. Ask Mohamed Noor.

by Ahmed Ismail Yusuf July 23, 2019April 1, 2020