Little Mekong Night Market puts St. Paul twists on Southeast Asian tradition

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Audrey Park experienced the vibrancy and chaos of night markets in Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia before she was hired to coordinate one in the center of the Little Mekong district of St. Paul. At traditional night markets in Southeast and East Asia, vendors set up tents on condensed streets to sell street food, clothing, and other goods aimed at late-night crowds. “They’re overwhelming in the best kind of way,” says Park. “Everyone is out. Continue Reading

No Blues for Adelabu: A Mississippi Ride with Amoke Kubat

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As part of the 2015 Mississippi River Revue, put on by the Mississippi River Fund, artist and community organizer Amoke Kubat gathered some friends onto a Saint Paul riverboat to share stories of African and African American river life.

Check out the sounds and sights of the two-hour trip up the Mississippi and Minnesota. The evening full of song and story ended with a pledge to protect Sweet Water. Continue Reading

“Your Crew vs. My Crew” creates community amidst competition at Rondo Days [Photos]

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The second annual “Your Crew vs. My Crew” dance competition finished out this year’s Rondo Days, which celebrates the black community that once thrived where I-94 now cuts through St. Paul.

“Every year we celebrate Rondo Days and the people and community who once stood there,” Leviticus Martin, the host of the event, proclaimed to a cheering audience during intermission of the competition. “So keep that in your minds and in your hearts when you come to Rondo Days, to the festival, to the parade, to the competition, that’s what it’s about. It’s about the community, it’s about love.”

The competition took place at Gangelhoff Arena on the Concordia University campus on Saturday, July 18th and lasted almost three hours. The competition and dance exhibition included nine crews from Minnesota, Indiana, and Nebraska. Continue Reading

Lake Street Taco Tour Highlighted Local Latino Restaurants

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The second annual Taco Tour on Lake Street brought at least 2,500-3,000 taco lovers to nine latino restaurants along one of the most diverse streets in the Twin Cities on Saturday, June 27. The tacos along the tour were also diverse, from traditional carne asada and al pastor tacos, to vegetarian and blue tortilla tacos. According to the Taco Tour website, the goal of the tour was to allow participants to be tourists in their own city. However, the restaurants and taco trucks along the tour are open and patronized year-round by customers who appreciate their authentic food, low prices, and latino culture. The photos below show restaurants both before and during the Taco Tour. Continue Reading

Queer art is anything but a drag

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In the lobby of Intermedia Arts on Lyndale Avenue, chalkboards almost as tall as the high ceiling display vast maps of written pleas and assertions from its patrons. They resound with many handwritten hashtags relating to Black Lives Matter, such as #ICANTBREATHE and #HIREDONTFIRE. Sharing the same chalkboard space is #TRANSLIVESMATTER. These chalkboards are the living wallpaper of activists, and this lobby and the space to which it leads are better because of them. The acts of terrorism against African Americans like the Charleston shooting and the high rate of attempted suicide among transgender people are remembered at the same time. Continue Reading

2015 Somali Independence Day Festival in Photos

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The Minnesotan Somali community celebrated the 55th anniversary of Somalia’s independence from Britain and Italy this weekend at a festival that spanned three blocks of West Lake Street. According to the 2010 American Community Survey data, there are around 25,000 Somali-Americans in Minnesota, a third of the Somali population of the United States. Although Somali Independence Day is technically July 1, the Minneapolis festival was held on Saturday, June 13 because it will be Ramadan from mid-June until mid-July. Somali flags and balloons with the logo of Progressive Insurance, one of many sponsors of the event, were prominent features around the festival. Friends and families came together to celebrate on Lake Street, between Blaisdell and Grand. Continue Reading

First Open Streets Event of 2015 Kicks, Peddles, and Skates off Summer

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The pavement of Lyndale Avenue was packed with bikes, skateboards, rollerblades, strollers, wheelchairs, and feet of all ages this Sunday during the first Open Streets Minneapolis event of the year. The Lyndale event also included activities along the avenue for people of all ages, including art projects, games, music stages featuring local artists, BMX and skateboard competitions, a bouncy house, and a pop-up theater. Continue Reading

More segregation, higher discipline rates for black students in Minneapolis charter schools

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According to data released by the Office of Civil Rights, all 44 Minneapolis charter schools have a student body that consists of over 40% students of a single race or ethnicity. Of these schools, two are completely racially segregated, meaning there are only students of one race enrolled in the schools, and 13 others have over 90% students of one race or ethnicity. A total of 10,949 students were enrolled in Minneapolis charter schools during the 2011-2012 school year.The chart above shows the number of Minneapolis charter schools by the predominant race of their student body. The colors on each bar represent the dominant race in each school. Placement on the chart shows the percent of the student body made up of a single race. Continue Reading

Fight for MN minimum wage hike may go to referendum over indexing

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On March 27, the Minnesota legislative debate over raising the minimum wage took a new twist. Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk proposed that indexing the minimum wage to inflation go forward as a constitutional amendment to be ratified by voters. The Storify below links to many of the arguments over the past weeks.  [If you don’t see the Storify photos and comments below, please refresh your browser window.]  This is one of a number of articles produced by students at Macalester as part of a New Media class.RELATED STORIES: Workers call for action as legislators debate minimum wage increase (Barb Kucera, Workday Minnesota)Indexing won’t cause excessive minimum wage increases (Jeff Van Wychen, Hindsight)[<a href=”//storify.com/kaylasteinberg/minnesota-minimum-wage-may-be-raised-to-dollar-9-5″ target=”_blank”>View the story “Unions, allies fight for major MN minimum wage hike” on Storify</a>] Continue Reading