PAULINE'S PICK: The 'Star-Tribune' Looks at Liberians in Minnesota

By: Pauline Millard More Liberians live in Minnesota than anywhere else outside Africa. This growing ethnic group has established itself in the state, in churches, schools and many community groups.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune put together a multimedia project about the Liberians, who they are and what life is like for them thousands of miles away from their homeland. The most powerful portions of the projects are the many videos that take you inside daily Liberian life. In these videos we see native dancing and drumming, worship services, and even their barber shop.

Most of the people interviewed talk about how much they love Minnesota, even though it's quite a bit colder than their West African home. Above all, they have high hopes for their children, who they are pleased have been born in America and will be educated here.

One of the most fascinating parts of the project is the section dedicated to the history of Liberia. It dates back to the 1400s, when the country was known for its salt and slavery trade, and then to the 1800s when it was founded by some freed American slaves and through to the present time and Charles Taylor's reign. Some of the footage is graphic, but it offers a pretty complete look back at how Liberia got to be where it is.

I defintely learned a lot from spending all the time that I did with this project. The Star-Tribune manages to make history enjoyable, and most of all, relevent.

How is your paper handling new enthic groups in your area? I'd love to see it.

Here are some of my past Picks:

OCRegister.com Creates Photo Gallery of California Wildfires

The 'Detroit Free-Press' Tells The Story of Aretha Franklin's 'Respect'

Oregonlive.com Looks at Bike Accidents and Fatalities in Portland