It’s hard enough finding straight people of color — including Black folk — on TV and film, never mind non-hetero depictions. Here’s a thumbnail sketch roundup of positive portrayals. In the interest of being thankful for small favors, let us acknowledge that pitiful as it is, some progress has been made. True Blood, the HBO […]
August 2012
Posted inArts + Culture, News, Opinion
Angie Stone’s upcoming CD makes her a Rich Girl
Album has a wealth of great music, lyrics Angie Stone mines a gem with her newest offering. Rich Girl, start to finish, kills in cold blood. The neo-soul bag is a perfect fit for Stone. R&B and gospel underpinnings give her a solid base from which to flat out nail a fluid, airtight groove. Added […]
Posted inNews
Funding cuts decrease access to books for 21,217 MN children
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Children’s literacy programs, especially in low-income neighborhoods, are too often overlooked. However as school began this week, such programs as Reading is Fundamental (RIF) are operating without federal funding because Congress slashed it as part of a short-term budget deal earlier this year to buy time for lawmakers to pass […]
Posted inNews
Author uses life experiences for children’s books — Proceeds used to support Liberian orphanage
By James L. Stroud, Jr. Contributing Writer If you read, write or know anything about fiction, then you know first of all that by definition it means to fabricate. Therefore, when it comes to getting published, one common assumption is that having a vivid imagination to conjure up a fictitious story might be all that […]
Posted inNews
Voter ID march
On Sunday, August 26, 2012, an estimated 400 concerned citizens/protesters converged at the Sabathani Community Center in South Minneapolis. The group marched from Sabathani Community Center to Martin Luther King, Jr. Park for a rally and protest against the Voter ID amendment placed on this year’s ballot. The Sabathanites Drum Corps were the flagship group […]
Posted inNews
Students can still register to vote on Election Day in MN
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer According to Rock the Vote, a national young people’s voter registration advocacy group, 11,500 young people turn 18 every day in this country. These individuals help make up the “Millennial Generation” — young voters under the age of 30. “This generation…make up nearly a quarter of the voters” in this […]
Posted inNews
Former Brooklyn Park candidate emphasizes importance of primary elections
By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer Reva Chamblis, former candidate for Brooklyn Park City Council’s East District, isn’t by any estimate sitting around crying over spilled milk. No sooner did her region’s primary elections wrap up (Chamblis missed advancing to the general election by a small margin) then she threw her shoulder back to the wheel, […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
MS may cause Linda Gill to fall, but she always gets up
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer When doctors told her “around my birthday” in 2000 that she had multiple sclerosis (MS), Linda Gill asked a ton of questions. “’What is MS? Explain to me what is it?’ My kids thought I was going to die the next day,” recalls Gill. “I felt that way too when […]
Posted inOpinion
On crime, racism, and distrust of police
“When you shoot somebody, that’s not the only person that you’re killing.” — Nona Gaye, Marvin Gaye’s daughter, testifying after his death I attended a neighborhood meeting on racism. Afterward I mentioned the comments I heard in that meeting regarding law enforcement to one of our law enforcement officials. “It’s hopeless,” he said when […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Strong communities require healthy relationships
What is a healthy relationship? What do healthy relationships look like? Have you ever been in a healthy relationship? Is your current relationship healthy? We know what a dysfunctional and unhealthy relationship looks like. Just turn on the television and check out Divorce Court and The Maury Show. How many of those television relationships mirror […]
Posted inArts + Culture
Hot headliners hit the Selby Ave. music festival
It is with great pride and pleasure to announce, it’s time to kick back and enjoy one of the best free music festivals in the upper Midwest. I’m talking about the 2012 Selby Ave. JazzFest happening on Saturday, September 8, 11 am — 8 pm, at Selby Avenue and Milton in St. Paul. The festival […]
Posted inOpinion
The rulers’ goal is to put ya’ll back in chains
“He’s going to let the big banks write their own rules, unchain Wall Street. They are going to put ya’ll back in chains,” said Joe Biden in remarks that have stirred controversy. The Obama administration has stuck by and backed Biden’s comment because it wants to believe that Black folks are simple enough to believe […]
Posted inOpinion
Please publish accurate information on SCSU Black graduation rates
As St. Cloud State approaches the 2012-2013 school year, projections are that the university will continue its trend of welcoming growing numbers of students of color, including Black or African American students. In the last decade, enrollment of Black or African American students has increased at St. Cloud State from 173 total students in 2000 to […]
Posted inOpinion
Why are so many Black men dying?
By Terry Yzaguirre Guest Commentator As I arrived at the homicide scene on 21st and Penn Avenue North in Minneapolis on August 18at about 9 am, the crime lab was still working on the bullet holes on the exterior of the home after a shooting occurred around 3 am leaving one man dead and another […]
Posted inSports
WNBA partnership offers internships, mentoring for Black youth
But will the Lynx join this national diversity effort? The WNBA recently has joined forces with 100 Black Men of America to create more mentoring opportunities for Blacks. 100 Black Men was founded in New York City in 1963 and then became a national organization with nine chapters in 1986. Today there are 116 chapters […]
Posted inSports
Jackie Robinson’s fight against racism: the untold story
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Jackie Robinson’s legacy and life story has been told and retold over the years, but mostly it has been focused on his historical breaking of baseball’s color line after World War II. “The thing that people don’t know about him [is] that my father was on fire for social justice […]
Posted inSports
Larry Fitzgerald, Jr. reaps rewards for giving back
SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Monday, August 27, I’m on the road again doing what I do. This time, I’m not covering a game or sporting event. As many of you know, my oldest son Larry, Jr., NFL star with the Arizona Cardinals, has done many good things on and off the field. Two weeks ago, he […]
Posted inNews
Ronnie Laws and Tom Browne: Jazz-funk giants joined forces at Dakota
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer “Always There” (1975) and “Funkin’ for Jamaica” (1979) are legendary songs for Ronnie Laws and Tom Browne, respectively. A member of a musical family — brother Hubert Laws on flute and sisters Eloise Laws and Debra Laws as vocalists —Ronnie taught himself the alto sax at age 11, and he […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Youth Development League motivates youth to excellence
Some people gain inspiration from their childhood difficulties and overcome their environments, subsequently reaching back to help others with similar backgrounds. Such is the case with Joyce Lester, the executive director of the Youth Development League (YDL), a nonprofit program of the Metro Education and Outreach Services (MEOS) agency, which seeks to cultivate youth by […]