Race/Ethnicity

The new Indian Scout spent little time deciding on a December destiny on the most winter-like weekend of the season. MORE »

It’s been quite a year in the Twin Cities, and the Daily Planet has been on the scene. With the help of our media partners and our tireless citizen journalists, in 2008 we published over 10,000 articles, blog entries, photos, and event listings. When we saw that the Minnesota Independent had tallied their top ten most-read articles for the year, we were inspired to check the stats and see what articles Daily Planet readers found most fascinating in 2008. MORE »

The BK “Whopper Virgin” ad campaign is “as real as Borat” wrote one reader, and “no innocents are actually being exploited except by the concept that Whoppers are good for all, the idea of Burger King as a missionary/ sexual encounter.” Many readers had strong feelings about the Burger King “Whopper Virgin” ad campaign and protests against it. Some comments dismissed Minnesotan Seng Vang’s criticism of the campaign — “This person complaining is being to foolish…. Its a commercial and has nothing to do with Hmong people. I am Hmong and quite proud with this exposure of our people.” Just as vehemently, others agreed that the campaign demeans Hmong people — “I agree 120% not just a commercial..you fool wake up.” The lively dialogue included attacks on Seng Vang, with one commenter lamenting “this is exactly what it means to be Hmong, one person speaks or leads and other pull down … It’s sad already how Hmong being viewed in the mainstream cultures…but, it’s even sadder for Hmong to bash and hurt each other.”

Another comment said that most Hmong people in Thailand would not eat burgers because they eat healthier food, and that BK burgers are “mainly there for tourists and expat locals.” Still another Chiang Mai resident pointed out that the BK is “not cheap by Thai standards. I have quite a few Thai friends in town and they have never eaten there.”

By the end of the week, Seng Vang had responded with more detailed critique of the BK ads, and Sun Yung Shin weighed in with additional analysis (both reprinted below the jump.) Read the original article here, followed by all of the comments, and a second article with Tou Saiko Lee’s blog post from Thailand here. MORE »

Minnesotan Seng Vang is deeply offended by Burger King’s portrayal of Hmong people in its “Whopper Virgin” campaign. The offensive segment of the campaign featured Hmong people in Northern Thailand “simply as “tribesmen” who “don’t even have a word for burger,” Seng Vang wrote in a protest letter to Burger King. MORE »

Celebrating Kwanzaa this year? Come on down to the Global Market for Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Culture, Community, and Family. Festivities begin on Friday, December 26th, and include a drumming and dancing ceremony at 10:30 am, a Kwanzaa overview and poetry by Elder Naima Richmond and candle lighting ceremony at 11 am, a fashion show at noon, youth performances of spoken word, poetry, dance, and vocals at 1pm, and children’s activities and face painting from 4pm-8pm. There will also be activities on December 27-31 at noon and in the evenings. MORE »

Consider this. Everything is not all right. And, everybody is not all right. And, as long as it is not all right for everybody we, the people, cannot rest. MORE »

Like a lot of kids, Ramon gave his folks trouble. And like any earnest parent, Lanice Palmer-Cole tried various methods to rein him in. She thought she knew her son well, although he was “different.” Palmer-Cole says, “He was a deep, deep thinker.” She felt hopeful that her son would grow up to be a productive member of society. MORE »

A stuffed monkey found last August hanging from a noose inside a St. Paul Fire Department service garage on Energy Park Drive is still under investigation, officials have informed the MSR. Based on the department’s previous responses to racial incidents, Black firefighters are concerned that this occurrence will be “swept under the rug” like similar complaints in the past. MORE »