Nekessa

On Saturday, June 26, Lake Street between Pleasant Avenue and Blaisdell was abuzz with celebration as hundreds of Minnesotans of Somali descent gathered to celebrate Somalia's independence from the Italians and the British fifty years ago. Minnesota has the nation's largest Somali population. Estimates of the total number of Minnesota Somalis vary from 30,000 to 60,000 and up. 

As a high school teacher in Kenya, Paul Orieny identified behavioral problems in children that he was sure stemmed from their home environments. He felt that counseling children without addressing issues at home, with parents and family, was only part of the solution. He also knew that as a teacher he was ill-equipped to help his students beyond their classroom needs.

Last year, the Minneapolis-based Advocates for Human Rights released a damning report, Sex Trafficking Needs Assessment for the State of Minnesota, that showed how pimps and traffickers use Craigslist to solicit minors for sex. This week, the Advocates for Human Rights joined the ranks of several non-profits across the nation by rejecting an unsolicited donation from the Craigslist Charitable Fund. 

"We have always counted, in this country, everyone, whether they are documented or not. Over the years, we have learned that if we have strong [privacy] laws, we protect individuals who might hesitate to participate," Robert Groves, the Census Bureau director told the Daily Planet on a recent visit to Minneapolis.