Race/Ethnicity

The Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) recently received a triptych portrait of the late Japanese American activist Ruth Tanbara by Virginia artist Hiro. Mrs. Tanbara’s nephew Tom Kurihara commissioned Hiro to do the portrait showing the many accomplishments of his aunt on the three-panel painting and presented it to MHS as a gift. MORE »

“History tells us that Minnesotans are hesitant to acknowledge the racist nature of educational outcomes; rather the problem has been treated as a race neutral or personal responsibility issue,” said the annual report of the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership (MMEP). MORE »

The Hmong shaman had come to the movie set fully equipped. Normally he’d have worn a shirt and slacks, but for Clint Eastwood’s new movie, Gran Torino, he dressed as he would have in Laos. Using his own equipment and mostly his own traditional dress, the shaman was ready to shoot the ceremonial scene. That is, until they hit a snag. He’d left the equipment he needed to perform the ritual in his trailer. MORE »

The Marguerite Casey Foundation, a private, independent grant-making foundation, earlier this year started the Equal Voice for America’s Families campaign. MORE »

by Daniel Cubias • 11/20/08 • The emerald hue of his eyes is freakishly rare, especially for a Latino. Our grandmother teased him when he was a child, saying that he had stolen the eyes of the cat.

He is no good at hiding his emotions, so surprise or happiness or annoyance all dance on his brow whenever they want attention.

by Asma Lori Saroya • 11/20/08 • A Muslim family was detained at the MSP airport on their way home from a week-long vacation in Europe. They were told the search was “random” although others who were also detained were either of South Asian or Arab descent.

A young Muslim woman was detained as she entered the United States with her husband after their honeymoon.

by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet • 11/22/08 • Studying in Australia for a few months in the mid-90s, I was party to any number of earnest conversations about “the true spirit of Australia” and the frustrations of being reduced, in the global imagination, to a kangaroo, a boomerang, and Paul Hogan.

India is an enigma of a country. It calls to mind swirls of hot pink silk, extravagant Bollywood musicals and frenetic music set to the pace of its crowded streets but it’s also a hotbed of political unrest and extreme poverty. Its clash of the beautiful and the developing make it as compelling as its history would suggest. MORE »