Social Issues

This year's National Book Awards — announced in a first-ever virtual streaming ceremony — went mostly to writers of color, as the foundation that gives the prizes vowed to be more inclusive.
ChangeMakers: Brenda and Benay Child, channeling Ojibwe pride from one generation to the next
University of Minnesota history professor Brenda Child says her mother taught her to be proud of her Red Lake Ojibwe heritage, something she strives to pass on to her two children. Daughter Benay Child, 20, is taking that love of Ojibwe stories and language to create art and better connect with her ancestors. 
As COVID surges, Minnesota dials it back.  Here’s what you need to know
As Minnesota’s COVID-19 cases continue to surge, Gov. Tim Walz has laid out new restrictions for the next four weeks, including a prohibition on social gatherings with people outside the same household. Here’s what else you need to know about the new rules.
ChangeMakers: Marlena Myles, educating through art and innovation
Marlena Myles is a self-taught professional artist. Her art leverages technology to create immersive interaction that engages and educates people about the language, history and spirituality of her tribe, the Dakota people.
A space to grieve: New Ulm moms connect for monument to infertility and loss
A group of women who had experienced similar loss joined together to build a dedicated space in the New Ulm Cemetery where people navigating infertility, miscarriages, infant loss and stillbirths can go to grieve and reflect. 
Minnesota immigration advocates hope for quick reversal of Trump policies
Immigration advocates say their clients are cautiously optimistic about their future, hoping a Biden administration will quickly roll back regulations that limited the number of refugees into the country, curtailed work visas and hampered family reunification over the past four years.
ChangeMakers: LeAnn Littlewolf, economic development rooted in culture
LeAnn Littlewolf, 47, is the economic development director at the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) in Duluth, Minn. She sees her work at AICHO as her cultural values in action. “All of the answers are in our culture, the path forward is in our origin story. We do economic development but we do it in an Indigenous way,” she said.
Elation, frustration: For women, Kamala Harris' win is a big step, but long overdue
For some women, the election of the nation's first female and first woman of color to be vice president is a move in the right direction. Others say it's a reminder of how much more lies ahead.
Judge rules acting DHS secretary lacked authority to suspend DACA program
It's the latest court ruling against the Trump administration's attempts to terminate the Obama-era program that protects young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.