Sahan Journal
A nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting for Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color.
Sahan Journal publishes deep, reported news for and with immigrants and communities of color—the kind of stories you won’t find anywhere else.
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A generous group of donors is matching all donations to our end-of-year campaign. They’ve pledged $50,000 to match donations dollar-for-dollar through December 31. Become a Sahan Journal supporter now and double the impact of your gift.
Rosa Mensah was swathed from top to bottom in brightly colored clothes on the first day of the Minnesota State Fair. Her yellow outfit was punctuated with a riot of mixed patterns in turquoise, black, and red. Racks of colorful tunics, dresses, and wares hung in the background.
Mensah owns the Batakali Fashion Design booth at the International Bazaar, where she sells clothing made in Ghana.
Sahan Journal spoke with Mensah, who is from Ghana, about the wares she sells at the fair and online.
“I’m selling dashikis, women’s clothing, skirts, jackets, bags, jewelry, and I have children’s clothing, too. Beautiful stuff!”
“Yes, this is my third year. The first year I was over there on that side, but this year I have more stuff, so they gave me a bigger booth.”
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“I used to come to the fair, and I saw that people were selling things. So I said, ‘Let me just come in and do my designing, too.’ So I came in and set up one day, it was OK, and I’m here.”
“From Ghana.”
“Actually, I don’t have a shop, but I’m doing internet sales right now. I’m going to be on Facebook, on Instagram, and I’m working on it. Right now I’m just doing pop-up shows.”
“Well, today is the first day, so people are looking and trying to see what they like. If they want it, they buy it.”
“I’m reasonable, trust me. When you come and buy something, you’ll enjoy it and come back again, because my stuff is reasonable. It’s not expensive where you can’t afford it.”
“In the International Bazaar. And they can call me at (763) 954-0359.”
A generous group of donors is matching all donations to our end-of-year campaign. They’ve pledged $50,000 to match donations dollar-for-dollar through December 31. Become a Sahan Journal supporter now and double the impact of your gift.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Joey Peters is a reporter for Sahan Journal. He has been a journalist for 15 years. Before joining Sahan Journal, he worked for close to a decade in New Mexico, where his reporting prompted the resignation… More by Joey Peters
Samantha HoangLong is the audience growth manager at Sahan Journal. In her role, she leads innovative digital strategies to expand the nonprofit newsroom’s reach to Minnesota’s diverse communities. Her… More by Samantha HoangLong
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