12 Minnesota things to do before summer’s over
The remaining nights feature Irish, Scandinavian, Mariachi, Hmong, country, jazz and rock music. The concerts are free. Find more information here. — Jen Westpfahl Spend the evening (and a chunk of the morning) at Vali-Hi Drive-In: If you’re going on …
Minneapolis-St. Paul regional parks must serve all
Ethnic celebrations such as the Dragon Boat Festival at Lake Phalen and Hmong J4 soccer tournament at Como Park welcome people of all races. And a new Parks Ambassadors program shows ethnic leaders how to navigate the parks, with the goal of having them do …
On racism
I recently read “The Song Poet,” a memoir Minnesotan Kao Kalia Yang wrote about her father, Bee Yang, a Hmong refugee who came to Minnesota in 1987. Yang’s chapter about her little brother Xue tore at me. Yang watched Xue as a young, sweet boy full …
Little Mekong Night Market Expands to Include Artwalk and Kids Activities
Three stages throughout the market will showcase performances by Hmong artists, such as LOTT, Jayanthi Kyle, Mu Daiko and Mayda. For those new to the area, “Little Mekong is the Asian business and cultural district in Saint Paul, Minnesota,” according …
Don’t sit at home: The Little Mekong Night Market is an essential St. Paul experience
You should totally go. Last year’s event was packed, and each year it gets a little more vibrant. This year’s stage performances will include Hmong Breakers Leadership Council (modern and traditional Hip Hop performance arts), Hmong musicians Ka Lia Yang …
Claudia Rankine, Kao Kalia Yang and others added to NEA Big Read list
The Big Read–the National Endowment for the Arts’ program to help bring books to communities–has added 13 new titles to its library, including “The Latehomecomer,” the first memoir by St. Paul Hmong writer Kao Kalia Yang, “How We Became Human,” by Native …
Lawsuit to forcibly desegregate Twin Cities schools moves closer to trial
Lots of Minnesota parents prefer to send their kids to cultural immersion charter schools, like those specifically set apart for Somali or Hmong students, where nearly all students belong to a single ethnic group. And community schools, a point of pride …
The 25 dishes that define St. Paul
The Twin Cities is home to one of the country’s largest Hmong populations, so we’re lucky to have traditional Hmong cuisine at our fingertips. Stuffed chicken wings (Pioneer Press: Jess Fleming) Amid rows and rows of retail stalls inside bustling …
Floating Library comes to St. Paul’s Lake Phalen
This year she got a Knight Arts Challenge grant and has commissioned four artists — Tou Yia Xiong, Caitlin Warner, Aaron Johnson-Ortiz and Martine Workman — to create new books covering subjects ranging from animals (with words in Hmong and English …
How this immigrant founder failed, then succeeded wildly
ST. PAUL, Minnesota — If you’re looking for Yia Vang, you could check his modest office at the Hmong Village Shopping Center in a former St. Paul Public Schools storage building in St. Paul’s Phalen neighborhood. A better bet is among the 230 shops …
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Initiative Strives to Make Communities More Accessible to Physical Activity
Project FINE will host summer events featuring Tuj Lub (a traditional Hmong spinning game) throughout Winona, which hopes to inspire physical activity, curiosity about the Hmong culture and a stronger sense of community. Transit for Livable Communities …
After a century, a St. Paul clinic that helped thousands of poor pregnant women to shut its doors
The clinic had staff that spoke a half-dozen languages — including Arabic, Amharic, Hmong, Oromo and Spanish. When uninsured mothers needed medication, nurses at Seton would give them vouchers to use at nearby pharmacies. If mothers lacked transportation …
New York Times praises St. Paul, the thrifty traveler’s dream
While noting the longtime presence of longtime honky favorite “A Prairie Home Companion,” Peterson was damn near smitten with St. Paul’s Hmong markets. Aided by a newfound chum he met at the Hmong American Partnership, he slurped a beef and tripe …
For many immigrants, shootings in the US bring back tough memories
In Minnesota, where she is based, there is a large Somali community as well as sizable populations of Hmong, Cambodians and Vietnamese. Opoti says in the wake of the shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota and Dallas, she has been hearing from a lot of …
St. Paul charter school averts possible closure
School leaders maintained the staff shake-up was needed to improve the quality of the school that serves about 1,000 students who are predominately Hmong. But after leaders learned the firings could jeopardize the school’s future, they worked to bring …
In St. Paul, Great Deals and Ethnic Diversity
It’s also particularly notable for its ethnic diversity — while it may be known as the now former home of “A Prairie Home Companion,” St. Paul has substantial Somali, Vietnamese and Ethiopian communities, as well as one of the largest Hmong …
New York Times travel writer visits St. Paul – on purpose – and likes it
The verdict: he likes it. Peterson gives props to a few other destinations and to the affordable prices, but the biggest piece of his story revolves around the influence of Hmong refugees and other Southeast Asian immigrants to St. Paul. This includes a …
Language barriers challenge immigrants
The society hopes an increase in visitation from the Hmong community with the exhibit “We Are Hmong Minnesota” will aid their volunteer recruitment strategies in that community. The society is partnering with organizations like the Somali Museum of …
