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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After surviving heart attack, Angela Conley seeks to raise risk awareness among Black women
Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley survived a heart attack at just 45 years old and wants to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease, which affects a disproportionately high number of Black women.
'In the North' – Minnesota’s first independent Indigenous museum opens in an 'ironic' location
The former Enbridge-occupied building in Park Rapids, Minn., where activists once protested the Line 3 pipeline, has been transformed into Giiwedinong, an independent museum highlighting Indigenous perspectives on treaty rights and environmental justice.
Owners of first of its kind bodega in Apple Valley didn’t give up on their dreams 
The owners of Bodega 42, who hail from Mexico and El Salvador, say the journey has been long and the work has been hard. The end result is a nearly 22,000-square foot marketplace which also includes a butcher, deli and restaurant that offers authentic tastes of Latin America. 
Dance as Archive — a new exhibition honors a north Minneapolis dance school
Artist and curator Za’Nia Coleman presents an archival exhibition at the Public Functionary gallery in northeast Minneapolis, celebrating the history and community impact of the Hollywood Studio of Dance in north Minneapolis.
Sewing thread lifeline: Weekly gatherings help Afghan refugees build community in Minnesota
Hundreds of Afghan refugees have made their way to Minnesota since the fall of Kabul two years ago. It can be a tough transition, but efforts to help them build a community here now include a cultural touchstone for many Afghans: sewing.
Hmong immigrants put down roots on Dakota County farmland
The Hmong American Farmers Association closed on farmland just south of the Twin Cities in Dakota County last year. The more than 150 acres are home base for the organization and 20 families of Hmong farmers.
Lachelle Cunningham: Improvising on Black American roots in the kitchen
Twin Cities chef Lachelle Cunningham is known for drawing inspiration from Black American culinary traditions. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Cunningham about cooking with the fall harvest and training a new generation of food entrepreneurs through her Healthy Roots Initiative.
Black developers revitalize Lake Street landmark torched after Floyd murder
More than three years after George Floyd’s murder, a group of Black entrepreneurs is renovating the historic Coliseum Building on Lake Street in Minneapolis that was nearly lost to arson in 2020.
As Al Quie is laid to rest, another family remembers enduring bond of faith, friendship
Al Quie was a Minnesota governor and longtime member of Congress. But it was in his role as a church committeeman, a lifetime ago, that he reached out to a stranger — and formed an unexpected family bond that endures to this day.