North Star Journey

North Star Journey is a celebration of communities in Minnesota and the champions who are doing the work that we should be bringing a voice to. We hope to bring new understandings of our state and what brought us to today. About | Credits

MPR News also hosts North Star Journey Live, an event series discussing topics about what Minnesota’s diverse communities need to thrive. Check it out here.

🎧 Listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or via RSS link

July 1, 2022 9:15 AM

The 'People's Station' KMOJ pushes forward

Like the Civil Rights Movement that inspired the push for Black representation in media, radio station KMOJ’s 46-year history is sprawling, joyous, messy and under-appreciated. But mostly it’s against the odds.

by Jae Bryson

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June 30, 2022 4:00 AM

Troubling stories surface as U probes its history with Native people

A University of Minnesota panel is broadly reviewing the institution’s treatment of Native people since its 1851 founding. While a report is expected later this summer, researchers and journalists have already uncovered some hard facts.

by Melissa Olson

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June 22, 2022 4:19 AM

Foraged plants form a connection to the earth

Over the past few weeks as part of the North Star Journey project, chef and writer Mecca Bos has cooked culturally important dishes of Minnesota prepared by other local chefs. Her latest was a journey to learn about a much older and local approach to food.

by Mecca Bos

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June 15, 2022 5:20 PM

In Focus: How housing can shrink the racial wealth gap

Watch, “In Focus: How housing can shrink the racial wealth gap,” a virtual discussion that tackles the racial wealth gap in Minnesota with panelists from across the state.

by MPR News Staff

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June 15, 2022 4:35 PM

New map highlights home deeds with racist language in Ramsey County

A group working to identify and nullify racist language in Twin Cities property records is out with new data on Ramsey County. Researchers with the Mapping Prejudice project combed through reams of documents and found more than 2,000 homes that were off limits to people of color until the mid-20th century.

by Matt Sepic

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June 15, 2022 4:00 AM

To tackle maternal health disparities, one MN insurer looks to doula care

Minnesota is among a handful of states that cover doula care for people on Medicaid. Though researchers say doula services could help shrink health inequities for pregnant women of color and their babies, few women use the benefit. Standing in their way is a tangle of challenges.

by Catharine Richert

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June 14, 2022 1:52 PM

Sacred in the city: Indigenous site in St. Paul prepared to welcome, educate public

This month, the Lower Phalen Creek Project will begin construction on a 9,000 square foot interpretive center near the entrance of Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary to welcome people back to Wakan Tipi and educate the public.

by Melissa Olson

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June 9, 2022 4:00 AM

League of her own: Twins baseball clinic to honor St. Paul’s Toni Stone

Stone broke gender and racial barriers as the first woman to play in a men’s pro league, proving over and again she could play the game. On Saturday, the Minnesota Twins will host a baseball clinic and scrimmages for girls as part of the Toni Stone Invitational.

by Peter Cox

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June 6, 2022 4:00 AM

Exhibit explores early effort to desegregate Minneapolis schools

Currently at the Hennepin History Museum, “Separate Not Equal: The Hale-Field Pairing” tells the story of the 1971 effort to desegregate two elementary schools fewer than 2 miles apart and the lessons still relevant today.

by Elizabeth Shockman

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June 3, 2022 10:57 AM

Untangled Roots

Minnesota is the land of more than 10,000 lakes and many more distinct stories and ideas which deserve a closer look. Introducing Untangled Roots, a new podcast from the MPR News North Star Journey project. MPR journalist Brandt Williams and media entrepreneur Jonathan Rabb unpack the untold stories of communities of color.

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