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.

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This coverage is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

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Can a new vision for Interstate 94 repair historic harm in Rondo?
The construction of the interstate highway system in the 1960s cut through many Black urban communities, destroying homes and bisecting neighborhoods. On Thursday, MPR News host Angela Davis talked about a proposal to use new transportation construction to repair some of that historic harm.
Hmong health leaders stepped up as COVID ravaged community
COVID tore through Minnesota’s Hmong community in 2020. Today, the disease is mostly in check, with people of Asian ancestry boasting the state’s highest vaccination rate. What changed? Observers say a growing generation of young Hmong doctors, nurses and public health leaders recognized the threat and helped guide people to science-based answers.
Push to change Minnesota state flag gains traction, faces headwinds
Critics say Minnesota’s state flag, and the state seal it’s based on, are racist relics best left in the past. Efforts to change the design have made some progress at the Capitol this session — but face stiff opposition from supporters of the existing flag.
Native women work to break the cycle of poverty, prison in Minnesota
American Indian women make up less than 1 percent of Minnesota’s population but are 20 percent of the state's female prison inmates. Incarceration creates huge consequences for families and communities. A new effort to break the cycle, led by Native women, shows promise, but the challenges remain steep.
Little Earth community members were hit by foam rounds and chemical munitions even though they were given permission to be on the streets during the unrest following the murder of George Floyd. Many are trying to rebuild a better relationship with police.
Tamales are delicious, but are hard work to make, particularly on your own. Food writer Mecca Bos tells us about how the creation of this iconic dish helped one first-generation Mexican American create a community while also providing a link with his distant family.
‘American dream’: St. Cloud’s Somali families see homebuying as path to grow wealth, sink roots
Owning a home can be an economic stepping stone in America, but the challenges of buying can be immense, especially for new immigrants. With St. Cloud’s East African population rising rapidly, finding answers is important to the region’s future.