News
Media reports related to the ESFL
Laotian refugee, University of Minnesota researcher tapped to lead St. Paul’s East Side Freedom Library
By Frederick Melo | August 8th, 2022 When a number of Cambodian-Americans were deported from Minnesota, Saengmany Ratsabout took a brief side trip from Laos a few years ago to check in with them. What he found were young men struggling to adjust to a country and...
Minnesota Council of Nonprofits: Announcing Voter Engagement grantees
August 4th, 2022 Minnesota Council of Nonprofits is happy to announce our 2022 MCN Voter Engagement Grants recipients! Category 1 Grantees ($5,000) Category 2 Grantees ($10,000 - $25,000) Access Press African Career Education and Resources, Inc. (ACER) Arrowhead...
KSTP 5: Minnesotans typewrite messages of hope for Ukraine
By Ben Henry | March 8, 2022 View the video on KSTP 5's website. Messages of love, hope, and encouragement have been created by Minnesotans for the people of Ukraine in a unique way. While hundreds gathered Sunday at the state Capitol, a “Typewriter Corps” connected...
KSTP 5: First-ever free ‘MasterClass’ for Black History Month
By Ben Henry | February 25, 2022 View the video on KSTP 5's website. During the rest of Black History Month, you can take advantage of a unique and free opportunity to reflect and appreciate the Black community. For the first time ever, MasterClass — a virtual...
Star Tribune: Time to rename Hillcrest, St. Paul Port Authority says
By James Walsh | October 5, 2021 According to its ambitious plans for the former Hillcrest Golf Club, the St. Paul Port Authority is seeking to transform the 112-acre site into a regional hub for light manufacturing jobs and affordable housing. So now, officials said,...
Star Tribune: The bench from Kao Kalia Yang’s ‘A Map into the World’ has a new home
By Erica Pearson | September 24, 2021 Bob Schally and his wife, Ruth, liked to sit on a bench outside their yellow St. Paul home, keeping an eye on neighborhood children skateboarding down the street and watching the seasons change. It wasn't a regular bench. Maroon...
Star Tribune: Aim higher, some residents tell St. Paul, over plans for former Hillcrest golf site
By James Walsh | April 26, 2021 Raquel Barrientos and her husband were happy their street dead-ended at the Hillcrest Golf Club in St. Paul. Especially in the four years since Hillcrest closed, their block has become a quiet place to raise their children. But now that...
WorkDay Minnesota: East Side Freedom Library Co-Sponsors Event on Black Labor in the Making of America
By Filiberto Nolasco Gomez | January 19, 2021 For nearly seven years, the East Side Freedom Library has been a place for producing new knowledge and making connections. The link between African American history and labor history is one such connection. In...
The UpTake: Radical News Radio Hour: Prepping for the Legislative Session
By Cirien Saadeh | January 6, 2021 On today’s episode, recorded before the insurrection that occurred on Jan. 6, we hear from organizers with Voices for Racial Justice about the work happening to prep for the legislative session, as well as Peter Rachleff with the...
WorkDay Minnesota: No picnics, no parades, but Freedom Library will mark Labor Day with virtual event on organizing Amazon
By Michael Moore | September 3, 2020 The East Side Freedom Library in St. Paul will celebrate Labor Day early and online this year, with a virtual discussion about worker organizing at the world’s largest retailer, Amazon. The event, “Labor Day Ain’t No Picnic,” will...