An Afternoon in Barron, Wis.

The School The classroom was loud with chatter and giggles. Instruction was underway in the ESL class at Barron High School. The energy in the room seemed misplaced for 8 a.m. but the colorful headscarves and traditional Muslim robes worn by the students added to the lively environment. They said they don’t dress this way […]

A Regular’s Take on ‘Somali-ville’

“We didn’t want them here, but they came and we take care of them,” said Elaine Johnson of Barron, Wis. as she sipped her Diet Coke through a straw at the town’s Veteran’s Foreign War bar. Johnson was an older woman, with chunky silver rings adorning each of her fingers, and she was talking about […]

Community Created Through Food

It isn’t clear that Barron’s Amin Restaurant & Grocery is in fact a restaurant upon first entrance. Once through the doorway, the eye first notices a glass display case with slightly fewer desserts than one might expect to see at a bakery. The wall behind is a disheveled collage of various beauty and healthcare products […]