Hmong American Farmers Association’s new leader is a familiar face
Janssen Hang, a co-founder of HAFA, will will step into the executive director role on Sept. 22.
Community Sketchbook
Community Sketchbook focuses on the economic and social challenges facing communities, especially low-income communities and communities of color, and how people are trying to address them.
Community Sketchbook articles may be republished or distributed, in print or online, with credit to MinnPost and the foundation.
Beyond ‘survival mode’: Asian-American youth embrace political activism
“I feel like a lot of young folks don’t have a voice at decision-making processes, and we need that voice,” said Kong Xiong, co-founder of Hmong Americans for Justice.
Scenes from the FLOW Northside Arts Crawl: ‘Community coming together through the common cause of art’
“Collective Joy” is the theme of this year’s FLOW Northside Arts Crawl, a three-day celebration of the arts in North Minneapolis that opened Thursday at various venues and continues Friday through Saturday.
Black business women network, share challenges at Makers and Innovators event
“My experience has been amazing, but it is a struggle,” said Wendy Puckett. “You’ve got to find the money out there and be committed. … This event is great, because we can network and meet a lot of people in the same position.”
New podcast spotlights Native American stories
Hosted by siblings Cole Premo and Leah Lemm, members of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, the podcast aims to pierce through the mainstream “doom and gloomy” narrative about Native Americans.
Amazon strike highlights strikingly different takes on working conditions inside Shakopee facility
The rally, which was organized by three Somali-American women, drew well over 100 supporters, including a bevy of elected DFL officeholders, representatives from local labor unions and even Amazon tech workers from Seattle.
‘A community of immigrants’: Loring Park hosts a timely Twin Cities World Refugee Day
MinnPost took in the celebration, in words and photos.
Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary: Reversing harm, adding history with Wakan Tipi Center
Groundbreaking for a new Wakan Tipi Center, a gathering space to educate visitors about the history of the area, is set for this fall.
‘What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?’: Why Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech still resonates
“It’s an important speech,” said Augsburg University professor and historian William Green. “I think people should read it …. It provides a different view of what that moment in history meant to hundreds of thousands of Americans.”
‘Because I love Somalia and because I love America’: Minnesota celebrates Somali Independence Day and Week
Saturday’s Somali Independence Day Festival is the largest of its kind in North America, and kicked off a week’s worth of events.
‘A day of peace, love, and happiness’: Juneteenth in Minnesota commemorates end of slavery
The Bethune Park celebration on Saturday in Minneapolis will be just one of several Juneteenth events planned around the state.
Therapist expands book on racialized trauma to video e-course
“When we start to talk about trauma, usually we’re talking about something personally that happened to you, but I started to see the traumatic effects of white supremacy,” said Resmaa Menakem.
Somber, inspiring art exhibit depicts themes of Humanize My Hoodie movement
Andre Wright’s photos are augmented by quotes from the likes of Frederick Douglass, James Baldwin, Michelle Alexander, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Meek Mill, and Ayanna Pressley. MinnPost took in the opening, in interviews and photos.
#BombaSquad and beyond: How the Minnesota Twins came to lead the league with players born in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Cuba, and more
The Twins’ 40-man roster includes 17 Spanish-speaking country-born players, which, combined with the team’s support staff, makes for one of the most Latino-heavy franchises in pro sports.
U of M study offers deep-dive on evictions in north Minneapolis
The partial results of the project, “The Illusion Of Choice: Evictions and Profit in North Minneapolis,” were presented Thursday evening at the Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC).
Inaugural Indigenous Women’s March shines a light on the plight of missing and murdered native women
Photos and voices from “the first march of many.”
Scenes from Minneapolis’ 45th (and last?) MayDay parade
For 45 years, the MayDay parade has been a much-anticipated rite of spring, melding all things hippie-trippy with all things anarchist-punk-political, and injecting of fun, imagination and creativity into the winter-beaten citizens of Minneapolis.
‘First Person Plural,’ set in Cedar-Riverside, depicts intimacy and connection in a time of suspicion and division
The “First Person Plural” production brought together actors, artists, composers, musicians and community leaders from the Twin Cities’ Somali, film, theater, and music communities to tell a story of love conquering all.
What’s hip-hop architecture? ‘Hip-hop culture in built form’
Now a full-fledged movement, examples of hip-hop architecture can be found in the United States, as well as Australia, the Netherlands, and France.
‘Our Space Is Spoken For’: Film captures power of storytelling through public art
“We were telling stories from folks within the community and trying to figure out that balance of how do you honor someone’s story and interpret it in a way that is both public art and performance,” said poet Sagirah Shahid.
