Diversity Coalitions in Rural Minnesota Communities

Although Minnesota has a predominantly White, nativeborn population, in recent years it has experienced large increases in its foreign-born population, leading to Minnesota being designated a “nontraditional destination state.” More than half of the foreign-born population entered Minnesota between 1990 and 2000, increasing its immigrant population by 138%, compared to 57% nationwide. Concentrations of immigrants are particularly notable in metropolitan-area communities and in rural towns and counties with meatand poultry-processing plants (Figure 1). As the number of immigrants has grown, some U.S.-born residents have been welcoming, while others have responded with fear and resentment. Negative attitudes toward immigrants can be particularly strong in rural and exurban areas, both nationally and in Minnesota (Table 1). As a result, immigrants living outside of central cities may find themselves in hostile environments, isolated from needed services. Coexisting with xenophobic attitudes are the lesser known positive efforts of local residents who work tirelessly, and sometimes in isolation, to improve crosscultural relations. These programs, which we will refer to as diversity coalitions, are the subject of this article. We define diversity coalitions as organizations that are open to community members and that have programs that aim to improve relations between U.S.and foreign-born Diversity Coalitions in Rural Minnesota Communities