Diversity in Rural Minnesota

by Michelle Dreier
Executive Manager

Since many of our members hail from rural Minnesota, enticing diversity into the community can pose some difficult challenges. While Minnesota is #3 when it comes to white individuals migrating to the state for work; it is number #14 when it comes to people of color migrating to the state for work. Those populations were asked why Minnesota falls short, and guess what folks, only 11% said Minnesota was unattractive because of the cold.

43% reported lack of culturally specific amenities. This includes places such as food, clothing, hair salons, and places of worship. These are places you can go where you are not the only one. These are things that makes home feel like home.

50% reported a lack of connection. Minnesota is a difficult place to connect with new people outside of coworkers. People report a significant time to find community compared to other regions. They also reported difficulty finding residents with similar interests and values. Black, single 25-34 year olds are more likely to report this.

35% reported a lack of representation, which means lack of diversity in leadership. There is a lack of diversity in board rooms, media, and leadership roles across sectors. Diverse populations would like to see more of themselves represented in higher profile positions.

50% reported a lack of professional advancement. Individuals are looking for the pathway for diverse people to advance in their organization and are not seeing it. Unclear paths to promotion and barriers accessing networks are cited as problem areas for diverse populations.

What You Can Do

Consider your circle of influence. You may have more power than you realize to empower and promote qualified diverse individuals within your community.

Increase intentional advancement efforts including sponsorship, leadership development, certification & more. When an individual feels like they are the only one, they need extra support to feel included. It is also easier to recruit diversity if it already exists and is well integrated and represented within your company culture.

Stronger networks need to exist across employee resource groups and professional associations. For instance if you only have one woman working on your crew, consider hiring a second or third. Or go out of your way to find a woman working for a friend contractor and introduce the two. It means a lot to know you are not alone.

Explain unwritten rules. It may make perfect sense to you and your current population, but every culture and place has unwritten rules that are daunting to someone new, especially if they are coming from a very different culture. Acronyms, slang, what to wear, how to speak, when to speak are all examples of things that may not be self-explanatory. Invite someone totally new to your culture for a shadowing experience and ask for feedback.