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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J.D. Steele: Spreading joy and soul through song
Musician J.D. Steele is known for his work with Prince and singing and producing R&B, gospel and soul with The Steeles. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with this Minnesota music powerhouse about his career, directing community choirs and inspiring the next generation to sing.
Designer and entrepreneur Houston White has a singular vision: to create a vibrant Black middle class in Minneapolis. And it’s more than a plan. It’s already becoming reality.
Bison herd helps restore Prairie Island community 
An established bison farm will give thousands of pounds of meat this winter to members of the community as tribal nations look for ways to control the production of Indigenous foods. 
Karen and Hmong parents in Minnesota say they are alarmed by the growing problem of substance abuse they see in their kids. But fixing it is difficult due to historical trauma, generational differences and a lack of access to health care. This North Star Journey Live discussion, done in partnership with Sahan Journal, looks at the issues and the solutions.
Nerds of color assemble for ConFluence this weekend
Leslie Barlow, an artist and community educator passionate about science fiction, founded ConFluence, a pop culture convention centered on people of color, in response to the lack of Black and brown representation at traditional sci-fi events.
White Earth group has been quietly rewriting wrongs, correcting Native veterans headstones
Families visiting cemeteries on the White Earth reservation to honor and remember loved ones this Veterans Day might notice 12 new headstones. They were updated this summer because the names on the old ones were wrong. And this was a common problem for many serving in the Civil War who couldn't read or write — Native Americans, as well as non-native Americans.
Moorhead unveils monument to Black civil war veteran
A new monument in Moorhead honors a Black civil war veteran who settled in the new community after the war, raised a family and worked as a barber.