Blue Cross MN - For communities

The October chill didn’t deter children dressed in Halloween costumes from collecting candy from community organizations at Brooklyn Park’s recent 2025 Spooktacular. For a team of high school students committed to addressing the harms of e-cigarettes, it provided an opportunity for a fitting sign: “Candy is for eating, not inhaling!”

The V**e Waste Action Team, made up of teens from Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center, is one of a growing number of student groups throughout the metro area tackling e-cigarette concerns. They set up at the event to raise awareness, even among much younger kids, about the harm of flavored ni****ne products and the environmental impact of v**e waste.

The team’s goal, with support from statewide nonprofit To***co-Free Alliance and NorthPoint Health and Wellness, is to educate decision-makers and push for healthier communities by ending the sale of all flavored commercial to***co products.

Teens use Halloween to combat candy-flavored e-cigarettes - MinnPost Twin Cities youth, with support from To***co-Free Alliance, are pushing for an end to the sale of flavored to***co products.

Yesterday, August 11, marked the 3rd year of Traditional Sacred To***co Day here in Minnesota. The day also recognizes the anniversary of when the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 was signed into federal law. Before then, Native Americans were federally prohibited from using traditional to***co for ceremonial purposes. Check out the full story here: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/08/12/traditional-use-of-to***co-celebrated-at-the-state-capitol

The Center for Racial and Health Equity is proud to attend Hunger Day on the Hill 2025. Together we can advocate for policies that ensure all Minnesotans have access to the food they need and work to create a healthier future.

Black history has always been American history.

The Center for Racial and Health Equity honors the rich history, culture, and contributions of Black individuals who have shaped our world. From trailblazers in civil rights to innovators in public health, their legacies inspire us to strive for equality and justice every day.

Read an inspiring Black History Month homage to resilience and hope, written by our director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, Teron Buford.

Journey to Justice: A Black History Month Homage to Resilience and Hope Almost a year ago, to the date, I sat down at my laptop to tell the story of how I had to console and uplift my young son after a bully made fun of his deeply rich brown skin and, effectively, his personhood.