“The New Face of Minnesota”
St. Paul Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN
For “The New Face of Minnesota,” a vibrant and interactive chronicle of the immigrant experience in Minnesota. It included polls in five languages and useful things to do, such as book clubs. More than 3,000 attended community discussions in two dozen communities.
Kate Parry
Senior Editor, Politics and Special Reports
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Immigration is increasing dramatically in Minnesota. The St. Paul Pioneer Press decided to try to provoke a major public discussion about the challenges of immigration, to provide fresh information about the needs of new immigrants and to bring perspective to public policy discussions. A groundbreaking poll done in five languages enabled the paper to include the voices of new immigrants in profiles, whether or not the respondents could speak English. The series inspired the creation of book clubs and community discussion groups that were conducted in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Minnesota. Long-time Minnesotans were included in discussions about how immigration was changing their communities and their schools. And immigrants from nearly a century ago were able to reflect on their sometimes difficult experience coming to America, enabling them to better understand and offer advice to today’s immigrants. The combined efforts of the newspaper, the League of Women Voters and the many community organizations that became active on the issue raised it to a very high level of public discussion and improved cultural understanding.
(Parry was not at the symposium. She described the project for the Civic Catalyst newsletter.)