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.

🎧 Listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or via RSS link

June 13, 2023 4:00 AM

Meet Leeanna Lor, Miss Hmong Minnesota pageant winner and burn unit nurse

Since 1984, the Miss Hmong Minnesota pageant has embodied confidence, beauty and pride in the local Hmong culture. It’s about “what you can bring back to the community and how you use that platform to help others,” Lor said.

by Nicole Ki

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June 12, 2023 10:00 AM

The Lake Street Recovery: Stories behind the storefront

Three years ago, the world watched Lake Street sustain significant damage after the murder of George Floyd. But business owners cleaned up, came back and insisted that this recovery be accessible to all. Were they successful? Listen to this live In Focus discussion hosted by MPR News host Angela Davis.

by Angela Davis and Kelly Gordon

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June 12, 2023 4:00 AM

Heart work: Training social workers to keep Native children home

A unique program housed at the University of Minnesota Duluth trains social workers to comply with the Indian Child Welfare Act to keep Native American children connected to their families and communities.

by Dan Kraker

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June 9, 2023 4:00 AM

For UMN researchers, finding a better way to educate about cancer starts in the community

To address health disparities, two researchers start with finding out how much people know about a major cause of death and what they can do about it.

by Michelle Wiley

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June 8, 2023 10:00 AM

First woman police officer in St. Paul shares her legacy

In the mid-1970s, Debbie Montgomery became the first woman police officer in St. Paul. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Debbie Montgomery about her life and career and what she wants people today to learn from her story.

by Angela Davis and Samantha Matsumoto

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June 5, 2023 10:00 AM

Minnesota entrepreneur Houston White on creativity, style and his collaboration with Target

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Minnesota entrepreneur Houston White about his story, his many projects and how he uses his creative work to create community.

by Angela Davis and Samantha Matsumoto

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June 1, 2023 12:03 PM

Minnesota's former education leader aims to give kids a healthier planet

MPR News host Angela Davis speaks with Brenda Cassellius about her inspiring story of growing up in poverty and then becoming a leader in education. Now she’s shaping Minnesota’s climate policy.

by Angela Davis and Danelle Cloutier

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June 1, 2023 5:45 AM

For 25 years, program has created brotherhood for Black high school seniors

Nine Twin Cities high school students began a “voyage to manhood” six months ago through Rites of Passage, a leadership program under African American-led nonprofit Jack and Jill of America.

by Nicole Ki

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June 1, 2023 4:00 AM

Inequality even in death: Mankato project finds racial covenants in a cemetery and beyond

A Mankato project found racial covenants in seven neighborhoods and a cemetery. The city council recently voted to condemn racial covenants and now is pursuing the discharge of discriminatory language from property deeds.

by Hannah Yang

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May 31, 2023 4:00 AM

Wells Academy founder creates spaces for Indigenous workers

A Red Lake Band member who has made it big in the engineering world has long tried to give others a helping hand. Now, Andy Wells has taken things one step further by launching an engineering internship in the community center on the Red Lake Reservation.

by Mathew Holding Eagle III

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