Josie Johnson and Ellen O’Neill: Different lives but both devoted to fighting racism
The civil rights worker and the executive director of the YWCA of Duluth will be honored by the Saint Paul Foundation.
Cynthia Boyd
Cynthia Boyd, MinnPost’s Community Sketchbook reporter, covers poverty, homelessness, mental health, and other topics related to the social and economic challenges facing communities. Community Sketchbook is sponsored by The Minneapolis Foundation. Email Cynthia at cboyd@minnpost.com.
Immigration scholar at U worries Boston bombings will derail reform plans
But Katherine Fennelly doesn’t think that questions of assimilation and immigration status are relevant in Boston case.
Minnesota’s homeless are profiled in new Wilder findings
Analysts at Wilder Research are revealing the people behind the numbers.
Volunteer tax preparers help low-income taxpayers develop financial plans
Non-profit offers not only free-tax preparation but also financial advice.
Advocates for needy say bipartisan support emerging for increased spending
Proposals would raise grants to families with children and establish a housing allowance for low-income families.
Why is state health and human services spending growing so fast?
State House Speaker Paul Thissen warns: “It’s going to swallow up our entire budget.”
Stronger economy helping Minnesota homeowners, but not renters or homeless
A new report cites rising rents and declining wages and limited job prospects for renters.
Author Ka Vang’s folk tale connects Hmong children with their culture
Her book is part of the Reading Together Book Project, which recruits local authors and illustrators to create culturally relevant books for children.
Fighting youth homelessness: Provide housing — and help finding a job
This approach is working for Rich Evans. And advocates are cheered by Gov. Mark Dayton’s budget request for more funding for these services.
An inside view of a top-notch early childhood education program
It’s this kind of educational experience that all too many Minnesota children miss out on because their parents can’t afford it.
Despite brighter economy, Minnesota’s homeless numbers still rise
Wilder Research says 10,214 adults, youth and children were tallied as homeless in the count conducted Oct. 25, 2012.
Should battered women be given asylum in the U.S.?
A Honduran woman jailed in Minnesota joins others seeking asylum because they suffered severe domestic abuse in their home countries.
As budget cuts loom, low-risk undocumented immigrants freed
Several hundred released from detention facilities in Minnesota and around the country.
Despite improving economy, demand at food shelves remains high
Emergency food providers ask the Legislature for budget increases.
Elsie Fairbanks dedicated her life to helping American Indians
The St. Paul Area Council of Churches official died this week at 74.
Do early childhood programs for poor kids work?
Critics claim, in the long-run, they don’t make much difference. But Rob Grunewald has evidence otherwise.
Lessons to learn from U research on disadvantaged children
The findings take on more weight than ever this year as legislators consider Gov. Mark Dayton’s early childhood development proposals.
Immigration reform could change the lives of up to 95,000 in Minnesota
The head of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota says “the planets are aligning” for big changes in the nation’s immigration laws.
Explaining Minnesota’s severe weather to new immigrants
Frigid winters, three-digit summer temperatures and tornados can be difficult — and dangerous — to deal with for those who don’t speak English well or at all.
Dayton budget funds innovative scholarships for low-income preschoolers
Buried in Gov. Mark Dayton $37.9 billion proposed budget is a creative idea to improve the lives of the state’s most educationally vulnerable children.
