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
Last year, long before most people had heard of Ferguson, Missouri, the United States Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, in essence declaring that racism in the United States had ended.Fast-forward more than a year and Ferguson resembles nothing more than a warzone after the protests over the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer. The protests — initially peaceful — turned violent due to a heavy-handed response by police, using military equipment and S.W.A.T tactics.Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis, has 21,000 residents, two-thirds of whom are Black, while its 53-member police department includes only three Black officers. Brown’s death at the hands of police was not only the latest racial incident embroiling Ferguson’s Black residents; it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.This article is reposted from TCDP media partner Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Check out the links below for other recent Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder stories:New Hennepin County service center opens on North SideA great voice for the people silencedLast year, St. Continue Reading
It’s hard to believe it’s time for the Minnesota State Fair, but here we are. The Great Minnesota Get-together has begun, serving as a gentle reminder that summer is fleeting. Below you’ll find a few engaging events around town to attend if you’re not quite ready to join the crowds at the State Fair.Let us know how you will spend the weekend by sending your photos and comments to tcweekend@tcdailyplanet.net or tag them with #tcdpic, and we’ll add them to the Storify over the weekend. If you know of an event fit for TC Weekend, use our calendar to upload the event or use the email address above.Minnesota State Fair, August 21 – September 1Will you try one of the 28 new foods at the fair this year? From bacon-wrapped turkey legs and beer gelato, to the Caribbean-style lobster rolls, there’s a lot of new favorites to discover! Continue Reading
Under pressure from the City Council last week, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman outlined a $54 million street-improvement program—more than 10 percent of his proposed $515 million operating budget for 2015. Hizzoner thus significantly raised a group of rebellious council members’ bid of $22 million for streets after they likened his earlier plan to “putting a Band-Aid on a broken hip.” Continue Reading
TC Weekend is back, a sure sign of spring! We’ve selected a few choice events to help you ease into the season. From Earth Day cleanups and One Day in the Twn Cities to literary readings and art showings, there’s plenty on tap to help you get out and about this weekend!Saint Paul Art Crawl, April 25 – 27Lowertown, University Avenue and more in Saint Paul, MN; Go here for location info.4/25 – 6pm – 10pm4/26 – 12pm – 8pm4/27 – 12pm – 5pmEnjoy the work of over a hundred local artists as they open their studios to the public for the weekend. Thousands of visitors from across the Midwest take in this bi-annual art crawl that also features free music, theater performances, art activities and more! Free rides from Metro Transit are available. Continue Reading
Worker’s rights and immigration reform, the role of organizers in the community, and building connections among organizations were all part of the discussion at the January 22 Organizer Roundtable. Organizers from the Latino community gathered at St. Paul’s Rondo Library for the Latinos in Action roundtable hosted by the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability. Joan Vanhala, Coalition Organizer with the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability, said “I believe there is some very dynamic organizing work and political work being done in the Latino community that needs to be highlighted more. And, also, … I found today the Latino community itself wants to come together and think big picture about their future and work together to make it happen.”Gloria Castillo, a panelist and community organizer with La Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, added “I think these conversations need to keep happening, keep discussing how we can work together for a better community. Continue Reading
As to be expected, I let my mind wander a bit during the My Bloody Valentine show at Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Given all the sound and fury buffeting me from all sides, I should say the remarkable thing is that I managed to stay out of complete delirium for the entirety of the show. There were many spells, sometimes several within a single song. A MBV song doesn’t really end, it’s just something you wake up from, like a sudden deep sleep. Anyway, the image I imagined every time Kevin Shields would release a sustained feedback-bent howl was a whale in space. Continue Reading
Should we, as a society, shift our focus from “standards-based reforms” in our schools to a “supports-based” approach?Dr. John Jackson, president of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, thinks so. On October 22, at the invitation of Parents United for All Public Schools, he gave a talk in St. Paul that outlined his argument that our schools need supports-based solutions for students just as much as they need standards.A crowd of around one hundred people, including state legislators and the heads of both the Minneapolis and St. Paul teachers’ unions, turned out to hear Dr. Jackson speak, and introduce the Schott Foundation’s latest initiative, called the “Education Declaration.” This declaration has a distinctly pro-public school bent, stating, for example, that, “We believe good schools are essential to democracy and prosperity—and that it is our collective responsibility to educate all children, not just a fortunate few.”On the topic of our “collective responsibility” to educate all children, Dr. Jackson spoke about how, according to another Schott Foundation report, in 36 out of 50 states, African American males have the lowest high school graduation rates; in the other 12 states, they have the second lowest rates, just above those of Latino males.While these numbers are disturbing, Dr. Jackson made the point that race is not to place blame for these low success rates. Instead, he spoke of states such as North Dakota and Vermont, which have very low populations of black students; in these states, where students can not be as easily segregated by race because of their low numbers, black students have graduation rates equal to that of white students.Therefore, Dr. Jackson asked the audience to think about education in terms of the opportunities and support we currently provide to students, and what we must begin to provide for them, if we want all students to succeed. Continue Reading
