Blog
Reading and Listening for Justice: A Queer History of the United States
Welcome to the first post of the Reading and Listening for Justice series. I talked about it in a previous post, but just as a reminder, you can borrow this book either from the Great River Regional Library or from the Hennepin County Library. Book: A...
Reading and Listening for Justice: Introduction
Reading has always been something I enjoyed. When I was a kid in Brazil, I gravitated more toward comic books, choose-your-own-adventure books, and some YA novels. After college and graduate school, reading became part of my job. I started reading a lot of...
Opportunities for Somali-Speaking Job Seekers
Somali-speaking job seekers in the Greater St. Cloud Area who need help with a job search can count on the Immigrant Services program of Career Solutions and Friends of Career Solutions. This program, funded by the United Way, takes the job search task on the road to...
The Academic Curriculum is a Racial Battlefield
The United States educational system is a major social institution in sorting and preparing people for different social locations in the social hierarchy. It is a formal institution whose central purpose is to promote white-dominant cultural beliefs about how and why...
Legal Name Changes in Minnesota
Not every transgender or nonbinary person wants to change their legal name, but for those who do, it is often a critical step in their transition. It’s not only validating to have legal documents that reflect their identity and chosen name—it’s a matter of improving...
How Immigrants Can Shape the Solar Energy Industry
This blog was originally written by Kristina Zagame and featured in EcoWatch. People have been immigrating to the United States for decades in pursuit of the “American Dream.” Immigrants may only make up 13% of the U.S. population, but they comprise 16% of the...
The Importance of November 8
Pedro dos Santos Why do you vote? I vote because it would be hypocritical of me, a Political Science professor, if I didn’t! In all seriousness, I vote because I believe that elections are our most basic right and duty. Without elections, there is no democracy. We...
Celebrating What New Americans Bring to Central Minnesota
In many parts of the country, immigrants are unfortunately vilified due to a harmful perception that new Americans are “stealing jobs” or depressing the economy. That couldn't be further from the truth. Studies have shown, time and again, that new Americans are...
School Activities
Being involved in school activities significantly influenced my journey throughout grades K-12. It really helped me build my character and allowed me to pursue my interests. In 5th grade, I saw a poster on the wall titled “Run to represent the People,” and I was...