City hall lobby displays ‘Welcome’ banners that hang from lampposts around town
Driving through many small cities you often see banners fluttering from lampposts proclaiming ‘Welcome’ to (town). In the city where I live, the signs appear in five languages: English, Spanish, Scandinavian (Swedish-Norwegian), Somali, and Karen (Myanmar and Thailand).
Willmar, MN was in the news again recently about its high degree of diversity in a small, Midwest farm town. In the late 19th century, it was founded in part by Scandinavian immigrants. In the mid-20th century Latinos arrived to work in surrounding farm fields. In the 1990s people from east Africa and southeast Asia arrived, many working in the ag processing industry.
Today Latinos and Somalis comprise more than one-third of the city’s population (31 percent and six percent respectively). This is the case with many small cities in the Midwest, where the current unreasonable and absurd assault on immigrants counters reality.
An Aug. 19, 2025 story in the (Minneapolis) Minnesota Tribune proclaims: “In diverse, conservative Willmar, immigration debate gets complicated quicky.” The story subhead reads: “The politics of President Trumps’ immigration crackdown hits differently in deeply red Kandiyohi County, where growth is fueled by immigrants.”
This is an old story in Willmar. Back in 2019 it hit the big time in a long column by Thomas Friedman in the New York Times: “President Trump, Come to Willmar – This Minnesota town is a modern, successful American melting pot.” I address this in more detail in my May 22 post, “Syttende Mayo – Celebrating cultural and ethnic diversity.” Picking up a few lines here:
“If all the Latinos and Somalis were to suddenly leave Willmar… The large turkey processing plant would have to close. Many people in hospitals and nursing homes would suffer from lack of care. Referring to Latinos, you would have a tough time finding someone to re-shingle the roof of your house, or an easy time if your car breaks down and you need help from passersby.”
As a long-time resident and former newspaper editor in Willmar, I have felt some pride in the city’s open doors to immigrants. Many immigrants were among the early Americans who founded the city around 1870. On my father’s side of the family, they included my great-grandparents from Sweden.
While Friedman’s column is excellent and well-researched, I have some reservations about his use of the cliché ‘American melting pot’. Among the general population it seems more like peaceful and cooperative co-existence. Perhaps kaleidoscope or mosaic would be a better metaphor: Many individual colors and patterns combining into a whole community.
In terms of friendship or other social contact, my experience after living here for decades remains somewhat limited. Over the years I have had Hispanic co-workers, and Somali acquaintances from various community meetings. Many young Latinos form the staff at the senior living facility where I work part-time driving their bus. The last meal I had at an ethic restaurant came from Azteca in downtown Willmar. It was very good.
Today, a visitor to Willmar’s old city center likely would experience some existential quandary about where they were. The Somali community in particular has moved in to occupy storefronts with shops, services, and restaurants. However, it seems that relatively few of the white population ever go there anymore. Except for Peterson’s Shoe Store, which has been there as long as I can remember.
In some ways the immigrant population has ‘saved’ the city’s old downtown. It was dying economically long before the Somalis and Latinos arrived in significant numbers. In a one-two punch, in the late 1960s city leaders approved a bypass rerouting a U.S. highway around the central business district. The second punch came from a new, large shopping mall on the outskirts. Over the years retail business declined. Big box stores opened, and local shop doors closed.
While assimilating Latinos has had its challenges, the influx of Somalis brought new ones. Over time, long-time white residents became accustomed to Latinos and accepted them, and because they were hard workers on farms. In the 1990s people started noticing the arrival of Somalis. Many were recruited to work in the large, Jennie-O turkey processing plant.
As managing editor of the local daily newspaper at the time, I saw an opportunity for another in-depth series of news stories, as we had done with ‘Hispanic Americans’ in 1987. (List of story headlines below.) Our effort at educating the community about the facts and not rumors about the influx of Hispanics, may have contributed to our peaceful co-existence today.
In the mid-1990s, when fears and rumors about our new Somali residents began to surface, we saw another opportunity for crusading journalism. This time it was different. With Jennie-O being the primary reason for the increasing number of Somalis, it had no interest in such reporting.
When I contacted them about doing news stories, they graciously invited me to meet with them at the corporate headquarters. I was ushered into a large, plush conference room, padded chairs around a heavy, dark wood table. The CEO, flanked by a host of other C-suite people, laid out reasons that doing so would not be good for the community.
I was acquainted with the CEO, and we had a good previous working relationship. This helped to persuade me that the matter may not merit a big news splash and in-depth coverage. In reality, there seemed to be no real problems or issues that required news coverage. The community simply needed to become accustomed to seeing more dark-skinned people, and women wearing head scarves. Today, that’s no big deal.
If the 1987 series of news stories about Hispanic Americans helped the community accept diversity, perhaps it was not necessary to do so again. It’s no longer big news here, except for the positive example it presents in the current political climate. For that, it’s nice to see the big city news media coverage.
West Central Tribune headlines in the 1987 “Hispanic Americans” series:
Tribune begins series on Hispanic Americans
Migrants fill seasonal labor need
Assistance available for Hispanics in area
As population swells, so does use of public aid
The Spanish Speaking Affairs Council
Editorial: About the rumors Kandiyohi County is ‘easy’ on welfare
Area Hispanics: The myths and the facts – ‘Crime problem’ denied by judge, police captain
Studies chart trends in number of U.S. Hispanics
For Hispanics, education a key to success – Training smooths bumpy roads for Willmar mechanic
School district adapts to influx of migrant children
Funds sought for new program to teach English to adults
Churches begin reaching out to Hispanics – Spanish services hike attendance at Assembly of God – St. Mary’s Church: Drawing Hispanics ‘our No. 1 task’
Migrant work tells his family’s story – ‘All we want is to make a living and live in peace’
Editorial: Hispanic series answers questions, raises others
