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.

🎧 Listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or via RSS link

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

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

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

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

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

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

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

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

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

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

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

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

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.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

June 1, 2022 4:00 AM

Minnesota has long welcomed people fleeing disaster in their home countries

Officials say Minnesota’s reputation as a welcoming state has helped make it the top destination in the U.S. for secondary migration — which occurs when refugees move to Minnesota after an initial resettlement somewhere else.

by Nina Moini

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

May 31, 2022 5:59 PM

Editor's Note: 'Culturally responsive journalism': North Star Journey breaks new ground for MPR News

MPR News launched North Star Journey on March 14, 2022. Numerous installments of the latest project have aided us in telling stories of Minnesotans across the state.

by Sarah Glover

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

May 31, 2022 4:15 PM

Lenders more likely to deny home loans to people of color in the Twin Cities

New research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis shows that the denial rate for home loans is higher for people of color than it is for White applicants. The starkest gap was between Black applicants at 4.3% and White applicants at 1.7%. MPR News host Tom Crann spoke with Alene Tchourumoff, Senior Vice President of Community Development and Engagement at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, for more on the findings.

by Tom Crann and Megan Burks

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!