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.

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

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April 18, 2025 4:00 AM

Minnesota baseball lovers make a pitch to honor bygone ballpark, 2 historic St. Paul teams

The St. Paul Saints and St. Paul Colored Gophers played ball in the early 1900s at a tiny ballpark near the Capitol called the Pillbox. The Colored Gophers were a vital piece of Black baseball history nationally. A local historian is lobbying now for a public commemoration of the site.

by Peter Cox

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April 17, 2025 9:00 AM

Representing immigrants in a time of policy changes

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with immigration attorney Gloria Contreras Edin about what inspired her to pursue law and what she’s seeing on the ground as immigration policies change.

by Angela Davis and Nikhil Kumaran

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April 10, 2025 9:00 AM

Going backwards? Health care equity in Minnesota, five years after COVID

Has health equity in Minnesota improved since the pandemic? We took that question to Red Wing for a North Star Journey Live discussion and asked health care workers on the front lines to assess what they’ve seen since 2020.

by Angela Davis and Kelly Gordon

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April 4, 2025 4:00 AM

Cross-cultural concert series blends Somali memory with soul music's joy

A new concert series called “Meet You at the Crossroads” brings together Somali blues and Black soul music in a cross-cultural collaboration led by Ahmed Ismail Yusuf and JD Steele, highlighting the Twin Cities' diversity through shared musical traditions.

by Jacob Aloi

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March 11, 2022 6:11 PM

Tell us a story we are missing

MPR News is dedicated to telling stories for Minnesota communities, by Minnesota communities. Have you seen something missing in our coverage? Have thoughts on how we should be approaching certain stories? We want to pass you the mic.

by Denzel Belin

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March 28, 2025 4:00 AM

Two Ojibwe artists practice culture and tradition with birchbark

Working with birchbark has been a long tradition for tribes in the Midwest, however, there are concerns that it has become a rarity. For two Ojibwe artists, they share the significance of what birchbark means to them and their art.

by Chandra Colvin

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March 27, 2025 4:00 AM

In St. Cloud, leaders of color aim to fill community's housing need

Several organizations in St. Cloud led by people of color are working to address local housing needs. A recent study found the city will need 17,000 new housing units over the next decade and a half to meet anticipated demand.

by Kirsti Marohn

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March 20, 2025 4:00 AM

Native communities keep maple syrup traditions going, even in urban areas

An Indigenous organization in Minneapolis helps teach cultural traditions in the city during maple syrup season.

by Chandra Colvin

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March 18, 2025 9:00 AM

Investing in women and girls to ensure their safety, health and success

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with the president and CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota about investing in women and girls to ensure their safety, health and economic success.

by Angela Davis and Cari Dwyer

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February 27, 2025 4:12 PM

Oldest Minneapolis cemetery designated Underground Railroad site

The oldest cemetery in Minneapolis is now part of the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Genealogists discovered that four African Americans buried there were part of the vast network that helped enslaved people travel north to freedom.

by Cathy Wurzer and Lukas Levin

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