First-Ever Shakopee Diversity Summit Held March 22

Shakopee community leaders, Shakopee School District staff and city staff collaborated on a summit to create awareness and promote the great cultural diversity in the community on March 22 at .

More than 140 people attended the meeting, which Shakopee Mayor Brad Tabke said was a number beyond his wildest dreams.

In the 2010 Census, Shakopee's population grew to over 37,000 people, which is more than 80 percent growth in 10 years, according to statistics given by Tabke at the meeting. Much of that growth came from minority communities. Of Shakopee's total population, 10.3 percent are Asian, 7.8 percent are Hispanic, 4.3 percent are Black and 1.2 percent are American Indian. All told, more than 1 out of 4 Shakopee residents is a minority.

"Sadly, many minorities do not feel they are a part of or welcome in the Shakopee community," Tabke said last week. "It is time to change that."

There were no major goals for the summit beyond bringing people together, looking to the future and identifying possible roadmaps for ways the city and school district can better work with and represent Shakopee's diverse community. Tabke called for people to talk with him after the meeting if they'd like to put together a task force to that end.

Tabke wrote afterward in a blog post that some people stepped forward to be part of a task force and while it's unclear exactly what the goals will be, those interested in being involved can email him at btabke@ci.shakopee.mn.us. 

He also gave kudos to Mary Hernandez and Cristina Oxtra from the Shakopee Public Schools, Reverend Patrick Simmons from New Life Lutheran Church and Kory Zauhar for helping organizing the event, and to  and Tamara Severtson for their donation "to help make this all happen."

People at the event expressed that better communication seemed to be a key to people understanding each other better and that doing it in a variety of ways –from email, to phone to snail mail – would be best. After local leaders and school officials, including several of the school's cultural liaisons, spoke to the crowd, people broke into small groups to discuss needs in their communities, opportunities and bright spots in their community's future and general ideas going forward. 

Some of their ideas included:

• Installing computers with Internet access at more places across the city;
• Holding an International Festival perhaps as part of Shakopee's annual Derby Days event;
• Bring more quality shopping and restaurants to the area;
• Protection, not profiling;
• More public transportation;
• Meeting neighbors through places where kids naturally play together.

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