Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/category/immigrants/page/15/)
Nicaragua is not sending waves of refugees to the United States. Instead, Nicaragua, along with Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and Belize, is receiving waves of refugees coming from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. What’s going on here? Continue Reading
To Mohamud Abdi, sending money to family and friends is routine.
“I don’t think I know a single Somali family who doesn’t send money back home,” the sociology sophomore said, adding that his family has done so ever since immigrating to the United States in 2003.
When you think of Minnesota State Fair food, you may think of cheese curds, corn dogs and gooey cookies. But over the years, that narrative has been changing, and Minnesotans have been seeing more culturally diverse foods popping up on the fair grounds.Many ethnic food vendors from South Minneapolis’ Midtown Global Market (MGM) have made the fair their home, and this year that number is increasing. Panaderia el Mexicano made their debut appearance at the fair selling Mexican bakery items. Other MGM booths include Holy Land Grocery and Deli, La Loma Tamales, Taqueria los Ocampo, Manny’s Tortas, Salty Tart Bakery and Cafe, Fiesta in America, Café Finspång, and The Produce Exchange.”I expect within 5 years ethnic foods will take over the State Fair,” said Holy Land Grocery and Deli owner Majdi Wadi. “People are coming to the fair to try different, cultural foods.”Holy Land is making their seventh appearance at the fair this year with their location at the International Bazaar, and Wadi said that every year he has noticed an increase in sales and an increase in the acceptance of his food and other ethnic foods.Two years ago the lamb fries were so popular that Holy Land ran out, Wadi said, so now the meat has to be reserved far in advance and it’s hard to procure enough quantities for the fair. Wadi said he hopes to be able to bring the item back to the fair next year, but for this year fairgoers will have to look for their other items, like falafel-on-a-stick, kushari rice and tabouleh salad.After a three-year hiatus from the fair, La Loma Tamales is back for their fifth year as one of the featured restaurants at the MGM booth inside the International Bazaar. Continue Reading
Twin Cities photographer Mark Peterson is at it again. And this time, he wanted to document one of summer’s fleeting moments — the Minneapolis Farmers Market.The prolific local photographer shot over 50 photographs of customer’s transactions with vendors at the Minneapolis Farmers Market on North Lyndale earlier this month. And the results are surprisingly entertaining.Related article: The 30 hottest Minneapolis murals“It’s a moment when people stop walking, stop browsing and actually transact,” Peterson said. “The focus of the whole thing is right at that moment.”Peterson said he went to the farmers market looking for something interesting in the large crowds there, but wanted to get away from the milling about and blank stares. Taking the photos right as the customer handed over money offered a moment of human interaction, he said, and it also offered a sense of nostalgia since using cash is becoming less and less common.“You don’t see the greasy bills and the heavy change,” he said. Continue Reading
Korean adoptees in Minnesota will soon have a way to better get in touch with their heritage.After seven years of planning, Minnesota’s first Korean immersion school Sejong Academy will open this year on Sept. 2 in St. Paul. The school will accept 65 students in K-6, and will serve children of Korean heritage, Karen immigrants, and any children interested in Korean language and culture.Related stories:Korean charter school – a new idea for language immersion educationKorean cultural festival raises funds for Sejong Academy charter school“It’s a brand new thing. We’re all learning from each other and starting together and the energy that we have,” said Sejong Academy teacher Yun Cho. Continue Reading
Sexual assault is a personal violation. When the perpetrator is someone you know, it violates your sense of trust in the deepest way. So when we heard about this most recent incident of a 21 year old Hmong man who has admitted to molesting a 6 year old and other girls in his church, we were appalled and saddened to see continued victim blaming and the lack of accountability. As a group of men who are against gender-based violence, we say men must take a stand and participate in creating community accountability when sexual assault happens in our communities. Continue Reading
At a creative farm south of St. Paul near the town of Coates, two things about fruit, vegetable and horticultural growing are immediately clear. You cannot plant and raise perennial crops when renting land on a year-to-year lease. You cannot even think about having an orchard unless you own the land.
Minnesota is home to a large Hmong community of which many farm. One complication is that many do not have access to land that is affordable and near their homes. One group has committed to making a difference. The Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) was awarded a Bush Foundation Community Innovation Grant which will allow the nonprofit organization to explore organizing a land cooperative.
The Twin Cities is well known for its strong Somali community, but soon it may be known for their authors as well.
The focus of the current article is the history of the Latino Vote in the United States and Minnesota, its impact, and the necessity for Latinos to vote in the 2014 Midterm Elections.