Power, politics, and policy and the influence they have over African American people Abraham Lincoln once stated, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” I say nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, educate him on […]
February 2013
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Understand emotional eating to achieve your weight-loss goals
One day I looked in the mirror and I just did not see all the changes I had been working so hard to achieve. I was faithfully strength training four times a week. I wasn’t skipping cardio to the point that my hair was constantly sweating out (another article), and I thought I was eating […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Million Hearts campaign seeks major reductions in heart disease, stroke
Despite Minnesota’s significant progress reducing heart-related deaths, heart disease is still Minnesota’s second-leading cause of death, claiming thousands of lives annually and costing the state nearly two billion dollars a year. To reduce the toll of heart disease, the Minnesota Department of Health is encouraging Minnesotans to take a pledge to protect their hearts this […]
Posted inArts + Culture
This week’s Entertainment spotlights!
Toro Y Moi w/Sinkane & Dog Bite Wed., Feb. 20, 8 pm: 18+ Fine Line Music Café 318 1st Ave. N., Mpls., 612-338-8100 or www.finelinemusic.com Born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, Chaz Bundick has been toying with various musical projects since early adolescence. Having spent his formative years playing in punk and indie rock […]
Posted inSports
More should be done to honor Kwame McDonald
Why is it that we Blacks must often wait for the shortest month each year to be honored, to get our accomplishments recognized, to get our heritage respected? Why do we often have to be half-past dead to finally get our bouquets? It took one Black History Month and nearly half of another before the […]
Posted inNews
Black firefighters fear fewer Blacks on force
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer The Minneapolis Fire Department last month began its first firefighters’ class in seven years. However, only one of the 12 new hires is Black, which has several Black firefighters wondering if the department, which for six decades was all White, is abandoning its diversity goals. Minneapolis Black Firefighters Association President […]
Posted inNews
Met Council’s commits to fairness for all
Diversity director Kirkpatrick ‘really proud’ of accomplishments By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer The Metropolitan Council has been responsible to serve, in the region, Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Washington, Carver, Scott and Dakota counties. The 17-member municipal entity, with main offices located in St. Paul, is charged to provide essential service critical to the public good, working […]
Posted inNews
Local talk-show producer redefines the word ‘frugal’
Keith Porter has found a way around today’s affordable housing crisis. He saves a bundle by forgoing a place of his own. He floats. “I crash with friends. And, when [business] slows down, have a girlfriend I can stay with.” This is not your conventional instance of being homeless. Let’s say, for the sake of […]
Posted inNews
Rondo history takes spotlight at history center
Program recreates Black neighborhood of past for MN youth By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Minnesota History Center Program Assistant Dwight Scott often uses in his classes a former resident’s quote that every time she drives on Interstate 94, “I feel like I’m driving over my bedroom.” “This was a story that [Interstate 94] was a neighborhood before […]
Posted inOpinion
So much for 32 percent Black participation in stadium construction — When will the State deposit its $50M statutory requirement?
Vikings People’s-no-new-taxes stadium is unraveling for the African American community. “It’s ours” ballyhoo regarding Minnesota has become “it’s mine” for NFL, the Wizard of Oz behind the Vikings’ curtain. • 32 percent minority participation goals of Minnesota’s State Department of Human Rights Director Kevin Lindsay were pulverized into dust. My estimate of 1-1.5 percent […]
Posted inOpinion
The struggle continues — Obama is not proof of a post-racial society
When one compares the 1968 Kerner Commission Report, which chronicled the problems that Black folks were experiencing in just about every walk of life at the time, and the misery index for Black folks today, one finds that the lot of Black folks haven’t changed that much. In a word, we are still an oppressed […]
Posted inOpinion
Letter to the Editor: A call for 21st century Black consciousness
First of all, our greatest gift to America is our humble humanity. Black people, we are in deep trouble with our Afro-American ideology. The responsibility of a community concerns everybody living in that community, whether you are rich or poor. We have fewer tomorrows than we had yesterdays. From slavery to today the White majorities […]
Posted inOpinion
Let’s turn the steroid talk to football
How many times have you seen Lance Armstrong defined as a “disgrace”? For me, I’ve seen it enough. This whole thing exposes more about us than him. What is all this rabid desire to destroy Armstrong — editorials have even said he was a bad boyfriend. What does that have to do with steroid use? […]
Posted inArts + Culture
This week’s Entertainment Spotlights!
Cody Chesnutt Thurs., Feb. 7, 8 pm 18+ Triple Rock Social Club 629 Cedar Ave., Mpls. 612-333-7399 or www.triplerocksocialclub.com Universally hailed as a thrilling new figure in music for his edgy, lo-fi debut, The Headphone Masterpiece, back in 2002, Cody ChesnuTT is a soul troubadour whose frank, socially conscious ruminations on life continue to challenge popular […]
Posted inArts + Culture
Multicultural filmmaker uncovers painful truths in search for family roots
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Eliaichi Kimaro’s need to fully understand her father’s culture later transformed a legacy project into a documentary on sexual violence. A first-generation American with a Tanzanian father and Korean mother, Kimaro said in a recent phone interview with the MSR that she wrestled with “what culture am I going to […]
Posted inSports
Stereotypes at play in neglect of girls’ coaching achievements
DeLaSalle Girls’ Basketball Coach Faith Johnson-Patterson will receive the Special Merit Award at the Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda in St. Paul on Feb. 6 at the 2013 Minnesota National Girls and Women in Sports Day ceremony. The honor “came out of the blue,” says Johnson-Patterson. “What an honor — my main purpose, my work has […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Does Black love exist?
Welcome to Black History Month 2013. This is a month to enjoy and celebrate the legacy of our ancestors and encourage the development of future leaders. This is a time of not only celebration, but also a time to embrace the greatness of being Black. We as people have come a long way to get […]
Posted inSports
Lights out: Ravens 34-31 over 49ers
NEW ORLEANS — Strange things have been known to occur in New Orleans: beads flowing from balconies, Mardi Gras, Hurricane Katrina, Bounty Gate, and much, more. This year’s Super Bowl added one more strange thing to the city’s list. The Baltimore Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII 34-31 over the San Francisco 49ers. Ray Lewis and […]
Posted inSports
Only certain changes for beleaguered Twins are fewer Blacks
Baseball each year is like that groundhog that supposedly predicts how long winter will last. It reminds us of a welcome change of seasons ahead. Spring training begins this week, which signals that the frigid weather hopefully soon will soon be gone. Along with thi s comes the annual optimistic aura that engulfs each team, […]