Language is Power
Voices Rising is our commitment to sharing stories that speak up — uplifting voices rooted in pride, resilience, culture, and community. But we can’t talk about voices without talking about language. Of Minnesota’s 5.8 million residents, nearly 700,000 speak a language other than English at home. Spanish, Somali, Hmong, and Arabic are among the most widely spoken, alongside dozens of others that shape how Minnesotans connect and care for one another. (You can explore more in our social video highlighting the top 10 languages spoken across the state).
In my PhD studies of Hispanic linguistics, one idea continues to surface:
Language doesn’t just reflect power — it helps create it.
Here, that reality is tangible. Language influences who can access information, who feels they belong, and who is fully understood. It shapes who can participate with ease — and who must work to be heard.
Power is Access
In urgent moments, language access is essential. Emergency alerts. Public health updates. Community resources. Understanding can mean the difference between safety and risk. When information is only available in English, access — and power — is uneven by default. Efforts like translating alerts through platforms such as TPT Now begin to shift that imbalance. They meet people where they are, in the languages they use every day.
Language is infrastructure.
It determines who can act — and who is left navigating uncertainty.
Power is Cultural Expression
Language carries culture. It holds stories, histories, and ways of knowing. The Hmong music episode of Sound Field reminds us that language lives beyond words — in rhythm, sound, and storytelling traditions passed across generations. Sharing these stories affirms presence and visibility. This is especially true for Dakota, Ho-Chunk, and Ojibwe languages — languages of Minnesota. For Indigenous communities, language revitalization is tied to sovereignty, memory, and survival. Amplifying these efforts goes beyond representation. It supports ongoing reclamation. Bilingual programming like SciGirls — in Spanish and English — expands what inclusion looks like in education. It challenges the idea that learning happens in only one language.
When we tell stories in multiple languages, we shift who gets to be at the center.
Power is Identity
Language is deeply personal. It can also be a tool to advocate for others. In Muslim Sheroes of Minnesota, Valerie Shirley’s use of American Sign Language highlights how language access intersects with faith, culture, and ability. Inclusion here means being fully seen across identities. In Profe: La Lucha Sigue, language becomes resistance. Teaching and preserving language in marginalized spaces is an act of reclaiming power. Language isn’t just something we use. It’s something we carry — and sometimes fight for.
Power is Local
Minnesota isn’t just diverse — it’s actively multilingual. Languages here shape classrooms, workplaces, neighborhoods, and families. They influence how traditions are passed down and how communities show up for one another. But multilingualism alone doesn’t guarantee equity.
Power depends on whether languages are recognized, supported, and valued in public life.
To understand Minnesota, we have to look at how power moves through language — not just which languages are spoken.
Power is Voices Rising
At its core, Voices Rising is about more than being heard. It’s about who has the power to be understood — on their own terms. That means creating space for stories in the languages that carry them most authentically. It means recognizing that translation is not just technical — it’s cultural and human. And it means committing to storytelling that reflects the full spectrum of voices shaping Minnesota today.
In Minnesota, our voices rise in many languages.
The question isn’t just whether we hear them. It’s whether we are willing to shift power so they can be fully understood.
Sound Field: How Do You Preserve a Thousands Year Old Musical Style?
Discover the deep historical roots of Hmong folk singing, a tradition that originated in China and migrated through Southeast Asia to America after the Secret War. We explore Hmong cultural preservation through music, focusing on the styles of lug txaj and kwv txhiaj, which are performed and cherished at community gatherings like the Hmong New Year and weddings.
Profe: La Lucha Sigue
In Minnesota, the Latine community burgeons amidst a vast opportunity gap. Two charter schools, rooted in decades of struggle, champion equity through decolonized, bilingual education. Profe delves into this educational revolution, blending history and contemporary narratives to illuminate its profound impact.