Race/Ethnicity

In today’s high-tech, hustle and bustle society, it is hard to imagine anyone taking the time to consider the impact their lifestyles have on the planet we all live on. It is even less likely for those in challenging economic situations, who spend most of their time dealing with immediate burdens such as making sure their family has enough food to eat and the rent is paid, to take a moment and think about how their decisions on what to eat and how they live affect the earth.

About a hundred middle and high school students from the Twin Cities metro area gathered at the Solutions Not Suspensions summit at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs of the University of Minnesota on May 11. They came to share their experiences with discipline procedures in their classrooms and to discuss how they think disciplinary action should be in their schools.

Recently I've enjoyed finding new ethnic markets in the Twin Cities suburbs—but with the price of gasoline spiking, I needed to find an ethnic grocery a little closer to home. I headed up Chicago Avenue toward the Lake Street, then turned east keeping my eyes open for some place interesting. That’s how I ended up at La Alborada Market at the corner of Lake and 19th, a mostly Mexican grocery owned by the Cruz family.

I've attended a number of meetings at schools, but I've only been told to leave one.