MINNEAPOLIS: Show helps immigrants learn ropes

BY GITA SITARAMIAH
Pioneer Press

Minneapolis is home to a growing number of Latino and Somali immigrants, some of whom are struggling to learn English, much less figure out the rules behind calling 911 and garbage pickup.

To help meet their needs, the city has launched "Access Minneapolis," a half-hour show in Somali and Spanish on government access Channel 79. The show began airing last month and airs at 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

"It's talking heads, like a news program, with video interjected," said C. John Harrison, a Minneapolis media services manager who developed the program.

Officials knew they had to do something to help new arrivals understand rules as well as the services that city departments offer.

"It's kind of harsh to expect people to move their car for a snow emergency or street sweeping when they're struggling to understand the language," said Gail Plewacki, the city's spokeswoman.

About 15 percent of Minneapolis residents in 2000 were foreign-born, according to the U.S. census. Of those residents, 33 percent were from Latin America and 23 percent were from Africa, the majority of those likely from Somalia in East Africa.

"Access Minneapolis" features information on interpreting services, taxes, crime prevention, city jobs, food safety and other aspects of civic life. The same show is aired repeatedly for three months at a time. Harrison hopes to eventually see the show change topics every month. A Hmong segment is planned for the year's end, which would put the show at 45 minutes.

The city of St. Paul provides no such show, but St. Paul Neighborhood Network offers foreign-language programming on Channel 20 and Channel 15.

City of Minneapolis translators act as "Access Minneapolis" anchors. Half of the show features Deka Yusuf speaking Somali; the other half is anchored by Spanish-speaking Vicenta Valero. So far, the city produces the show within its budget by working around the schedules of the translators, Plewacki said. A cable subscriber fee pays for the government access channel.

Valero hears residents and acquaintances in Minneapolis raving about the show. "When you come from a place where you don't have any rules or the rules are totally different, it's helpful to hear them in your own language," she said.