About the Project: Becoming Minnesotan
In 2009, the Minnesota Historical Society received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to digitize and make available oral histories of recent immigrants to Minnesota which already existed in the collections of the Society. The goal of this project is to extend the reach of these materials to a broader audience, to support community building, and to help sustain cultural identity.
This collection of oral histories represents a unique source of contemporary history through the experiences of the newest Americans, in their own words. The content of the collection covers themes common to all of the groups, as well as the perspectives unique to each one.
This site, Becoming Minnesotan, presents excerpts from these oral history interviews, along with supporting information about each narrator, the communities, and immigration in general, in a format designed to be of greatest use to teachers and students in grades 4-12.
The full interviews and transcripts for each of the oral history projects from which the excerpts in this site are drawn are available online through our Immigrant Oral Histories web resource. They can also be accessed on cassette tape or CD at the Minnesota Historical Society Library.
Arts
Asian Indian
Assimilation
Becoming Americans
Bi-Cultural
Ceremonies & Rituals
Citizenship
Civic Engagement
Class & Work
Coming to America
Community
Contributions
Cultural Centers
Cultural Preservation
Culture Clash
Discrimination
Economics
Education
Escape
Ethnic Festivals
Family
Filipino
Food
Freedom
Gender Roles
Generation Gap
Genocide
Hmong
Identity
Immigration Policy
Khmer
Language
Latino
Life in the Old Country
Marriage
New Immigrant Experiences
Opportunities in America
Oppression
Politics
Politics & Government
Problems in America
Push & Pull Factors
Refugee
Refugee Camps
Religion
Somali
The Journey
Tibetan
Ties to Homeland
Time
Traditions & Values
Travel to U.S.
War
We Are Here
Work
Youth Experiences