(gentle music) - Something about Duluth that always strikes me was beautiful lake of Lake Superior.

Since March that we haven't been able to socialize and be around with people, I started this new, instead of going to the gym, (chuckles) I go for a walk.

I sometimes I think when we live in Duluth, we take it for granted.

And what's allowed me to now be in close to the lake every day is to see the changes of the seasons.

I mean, there's people that walk the lake walk every day.

I don't know them, but we see each other, and we greet each other in the morning.

And when I don't see somebody, I'm like, "Oh, I haven't seen this gentleman walking "or this woman or this person running."

And then I see them, I'm like, "Oh good, they're good.

"They're still here."

(chuckles) I think I'm very fortunate to be able to live in such a special place.

(waves roaring) My name is Susana Pelayo-Woodward, and we are today at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

We are inside the Multicultural Center.

This space is very dear to me.

We opened our doors in 2004.

We want to make sure our students feel a sense of belonging, it doesn't matter where they are.

It is unfortunate that sometimes there are spaces in our campus where students don't feel that, that sense of, that they can feel as comfortable as they wanna be.

To be whoever they wanna be.

When we remodeled, when we're able to expand and now have 13 student organizations.

Some of them are identity-based, however, they're open to any student that would like to join at UMD.

They aligned with the mission of the Multicultural Center in the goals of activism, social justice, equity and diversity.

(gentle music) I am a member of the Clayton Jackson McGhie board of directors.

But I thank all the many people that work and make sure that the story of these three young men that unjustly were murdered, by something that they didn't do, the city will never forget what actually happened to them, and to be able to have a memorial, because one of the goals of the Clayton Jackson McGhie is not just to be the stewards of the Memorial, but also to continue to share the story and to actually work on issues that are happening currently in our society.

To get involved in issues of immigration and social justice is something that is very personal to me.

This is my home now, I have lived here more than in Mexico, and when I'm in the store or when I go around the city or the places where people don't know me as Susana and who I am as a member of this community, that's sometimes when I get some negativity in the community, like being seen as an outsider.

In the last several years, we have had a not very welcoming community for immigrants.

So as a country, I think there is a lot of fear.

(gentle music) A good friend of mine posted in Facebook that the non-owner continue building the wall, and they're going to allow all those drug addicts and cartels and human traffickers come to the border, and they responded.

And they say, "You shouldn't assume that everyone "that comes to this country, "doesn't come because of desperation."

(gentle music) They're escaping economic violence, they're escaping military violence.

Many times people are just leaving their homes because they want a better life for their children.

I always said, I'm very proud of Mexican people.

I'm very proud of many Latinos.

We're very hard working people.

So that's the part that I think sometimes it's difficult, and to get the response like, "Oh, well you're different."

No, I'm not different.

Because when you talk about it, you talking about all immigrants.

People that are eager to learn about other cultures.

Well, we can have speakers, we can have lectures, we can have trainings, but I find that when we sit together and share bread with each other, I think those barriers and those walls come down and unless you're an indigenous person to an American Indian, indigenous person from this country, everyone else, we have come from some place else, to make a better life for our children and our families.

(soft music) - [Narrator] Funding for intersections is brought to you by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.