Tonya Jackman Hampton faces racism, promotes inclusiveness By Elizabeth Ellis Contributing Writer This past September, HealthPartners appointed Tonya Jackman Hampton the organization’s new senior director of diversity, inclusion and engagement. Hampton has worked for multiple Fortune 500 companies. A Minnesota native and mother of a 17-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son, she graduated from Clark Atlanta […]
November 2012
Posted inNews
Activist initiates call to action in MSR — Spike Moss speaks ‘Straight Talk’ to the Black community
Spike Moss has been long known to speak his mind, and now he lends his voice to the MSR as a regular commentator in his column. The longtime community activist says he has a long laundry list of topics to discuss, such as crime, drug use and violence. Moss predicts his new column called “Straight Talk,” […]
Posted inArts + Culture
Good and bad news: MN Orchestra, new singer’s debut, Down Beat poll results
Planning your holiday entertainment? Wondering about young African American female singers on the rise? Want to get caught up on Down Beat’s Reader’s Poll results? No problem. MN Orchestra labor dispute bad news for jazz lovers Well, first of all, you may not have heard, but the Minnesota Orchestral Association (MOA) has cancelled or rescheduled […]
Posted inArts + Culture
This week’s Entertainment Spotlights!
Revelations: Judgment Day Fri.-Sat., Nov. 23-24, 7 pm & Sun., Nov. 25, 6 pm The O’Shaughnessy 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul, 651-690-6700 or http://oshaughnessy.stkate.edu A gospel stage play about life’s tests, trials, and triumphs, Revelations asks, “Will your name be in the Book of Life?” Special guest performances by Darnell Davis & the Remnant, […]
Posted inOpinion
A political Ponzi scheme: The fix was in with 2012 election
Shell-shocked Republicans are asking “What happened?” as they lick their wounds and offer recriminations and finger pointing regarding who to blame for losing the election. They are the Bernie Madoff Ponzi-like schemers, losers asking what happened. Were they suckers? Can they get a refund? It was like putting money in a paper bag and passing […]
Posted inOpinion
Hurricane Sandy: Slow response reveals the government’s priorities
Our country has a strange way of showing love to its citizens and especially certain segments of the population, especially in times of crisis. In fact, in times of crisis, such as the damage left behind by Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast, we get to see what’s really important to those in power. We […]
Posted inOpinion
Malawi LGBTQs’ short-lived freedom
I’d like to believe that Malawi’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) citizens and tourists had a few days to breathe easier. On November 5, the government issued a moratorium suspending all laws decriminalizing homosexuality. Three days later, on November 8, homosexuality was illegal again. Had the moratorium held, Malawi’s LGBTQ citizens, who constantly […]
Posted inOpinion
Hip hop lives
By Naomi Gaines Guest Commentator I have recently seen the Ice-T documentary Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap. First, I did not think I would be able to see it. I am currently incarcerated and per institution policy, inmates are not allowed to view rated-R films unless they premiere on cable or television channels. […]
Posted inSports
HBCU coaches tend to see athletes as students first
The latest NCAA graduation rates report shows that overall Division I student-athletes graduate at 80 percent, but the oft-overlooked fact is that Black student-athletes graduate at least 20 percent lower than their White counterparts. Even a sport-by-sport breakdown analysis points out that Blacks lag behind Whites in every sport ranging anywhere from 12 percentage points […]
Posted inSports
49ers knock Bears out of first!
Three weeks ago, the Chicago Bears were rolling along at 7-1 thinking Super Bowl with a dominating defense and leading the NFC North. Two weeks ago, their quarterback Jay Cutler took a vicious shot to the head on a pass play versus the Houston Texans and suffered a concussion; he has not played since. The […]
Posted inSports
Division I hoops: big gap between number of Black players & coaches
Mike D’Antoni will begin coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, a couple of weeks removed from former coach Mike Brown’s firing. Brown’s untimely dismissal after five games this season, and a lockout-shortened 2012 campaign last season, prompts the following question: Are Black coaches put on a shorter patience leash than their White counterparts? The Lakers players […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Diabetic eye disease on the rise in U.S. — African Americans at higher risk
Diabetes affects nearly 26 million people in the United States. In addition, another 79 million people are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition that puts people at increased risk for diabetes. All people with diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, are at risk for diabetic eye disease, a leading cause of vision loss and […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Insights from experts at starting anew
Hello to all the followers of the “Starting Anew” column. I am pleased to announce that after many triumphs and struggles as well as other issues, I have landed a permanent working position at St. Stephens Human Services. It was four years ago this month when I was given the opportunity to start this column. […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
America’s Black First Family symbolizes rise of African culture
Hotep (Be at peace, be at rest, be free) In this the second in a three-part series, I want to share another core idea: “SIA” an ancient African teaching that I have had the great honor of having verified in travels to the elders in Africa and in the 20 years of study in the […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Living, surviving and thriving with a disability
Living (the early years) Part two of a series Many of you may be wondering what my disability is. The medical term for my disability is “left side hemiplegic.” Simplified, I am partially paralyzed on my entire left side. My left leg is two inches shorter than my right leg. The shorter leg causes a […]
Posted inNews
First annual Baraza conference ‘a huge success’
Event launches movement to improve Black women’s health and wellness Part 2 — see part one in the current print edition of the MSR By Robin James Contributing Writer The October 6 Baraza Conference presentation by Dr. BraVada Garrett-Akinsanya, Ph.D., was titled “Claiming Your Right to Wellness: Sisters in Recovery from Life” and addressed powerful […]
Posted inOpinion
Children shouldn’t receive a life sentence
My 99-year prison sentence started in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota’s only maximum-security prison. Built into the side of a hill, the prison has acquired the unsettling myth of being underground. Upon my arrival, I believed it was true. To enter the cellblock, I rode an elevator that slowly descended three levels. I felt condemned to […]
Posted inOpinion
Obama wins! Historic second term for the president
The 2012 presidential election proves 2008 was not a fluke nor an accident. The 2012 election demonstrates the peril of all-White “dream teams” with mostly White door knockers in the field. When will the Republicans accept “representative democracy” on ballots and in the field as well as in voting booths? It was interesting to watch […]