Rural communities meet with African immigrants
African immigrants living in rural Minnesota will discuss their concerns with community leaders and business people in St. Cloud today.
It's the first summit of its kind in the state.
People from across the state, and from Wisconsin and North Dakota are expected to attend the summit to talk about how to better serve African immigrants living in rural areas.
Dale Wiehoff is with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. He said more than 20,000 African immigrants live in rural Minnesota.
The discussions will include issues of employment, transportation, health care and education.
"The focus of the event is to bring together African immigrants living in rural communities to talk about their situation and discuss ways to find solutions for common problems," Wiehoff said.
Wiehoff said the goal is to learn how other communities that have experienced changes in demographics have addressed these issues.
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