• Advertise
  • Donate
  • Subscribe
    • Become a print subscriber
    • Sign up for e-Newsletter
    • e-Editions
Friday, September 22, 2023
No Result
View All Result
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • News & Features
    • National
    • Local
    • Special Editions
      • MLK Legacy
      • Black History Month
      • The MSR Celebrates Women’s History Month
  • All Sections
    • Opinion
      • Mellaneous by Mel Reeves
      • Word on the Street
      • Reaching Out From Within
    • Health + Wellness
      • Women’s Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • Minnesota Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Sports
      • Timberwolves/NBA
      • Lynx/WNBA
        • 20 in 20
      • Twins/MLB
      • MN Wild/NHL
      • Vikings/NFL
    • Business
      • Small Business Month Celebration
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
    • Arts + Culture
    • Photo Galleries
      • Photo of the Week
    • MSR Forefront Digital Roundtable Series
      • MSR Forefront Highlights
    • Go Green
    • Education
    • Bulletin
    • Jobs & Notices
      • Legals
      • Announcements
  • Events
    • Submit an event!
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • e-Editions
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • News & Features
    • National
    • Local
    • Special Editions
      • MLK Legacy
      • Black History Month
      • The MSR Celebrates Women’s History Month
  • All Sections
    • Opinion
      • Mellaneous by Mel Reeves
      • Word on the Street
      • Reaching Out From Within
    • Health + Wellness
      • Women’s Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • Minnesota Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Sports
      • Timberwolves/NBA
      • Lynx/WNBA
        • 20 in 20
      • Twins/MLB
      • MN Wild/NHL
      • Vikings/NFL
    • Business
      • Small Business Month Celebration
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
    • Arts + Culture
    • Photo Galleries
      • Photo of the Week
    • MSR Forefront Digital Roundtable Series
      • MSR Forefront Highlights
    • Go Green
    • Education
    • Bulletin
    • Jobs & Notices
      • Legals
      • Announcements
  • Events
    • Submit an event!
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • e-Editions
No Result
View All Result
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
No Result
View All Result

More than turkey: annual meal brings community together

by Ken Foxworth
November 13, 2019
56
SHARES
1.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on LinkedIn
Tommy McBrayer Jr. and Cynthia Wilson

“My first Thanksgiving dinner was in my party room in my apartment,” recalled Tommy McBrayer, Jr. His annual dinners have grown considerably since then.

By the third dinner, the gathering grew to event-size and the venue was changed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Minneapolis. He broadened the scope that year to add awards to give thanks to those in the community that continuously gave back. This year, the gathering takes place on Nov. 23 at Minneapolis Green Central’s gym.

For the past three years, McBrayer has been working on the pre-Thanksgiving dinners with Cynthia Wilson, park director at Minneapolis Green Central. She has been touched by how the event has blossomed and by how much McBrayer pours into serving the community at this gathering.

“Tommy has been doing an excellent job bringing the families and communities together as a whole,“ said Wilson. “He has touched a lot of people’s lives in a short period of time.”

But McBrayer didn’t always have a pretty story—it took losing for him to win. McBrayer said he never thought he had the potential to be great. He thought that somebody else should take the banner when it came to doing the “right” thing in community leadership.

- ADVERTISEMENT -

He just listened and followed other people’s lead, thinking that somebody else could push the community forward. McBrayer bought into the thought that the only thing he could do was sell drugs.

“In 2010, I just got back from college,” he shared. “I was sleeping on somebody’s couch or sleeping on somebody’s floor because I wasn’t established yet. I started up selling marijuana to make a living. In May of that year, 2010, I got shot.”

Incredibly, the same Southside community that he loves so much, he once terrorized by selling drugs and getting involved in petty criminality. It seems that everything changes. Getting shot in the midst of illegal activity was a real wake up call. McBrayer said it caused him to turn his life around.

The pre-Thanksgiving dinner was not solely his idea, McBrayer acknowledged. Instead, it was inspired by V.J. Smith of Mad Dads, one of his closest mentors.

McBrayer holds onto advice Smith once gave him: “The key to community is to be truthful to yourself in understanding the most important thing—to serve others. Keep your record clean… make sure that what you do helps your family. Then you can be proud of your outcome, whatever you do.”

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Now McBrayer, along with community partner Green Central, serves the community by bringing people together. Wilson said she supported the event when it was a 10-20 person gathering to last year’s attendance that topped 300 in attendance.

 “The dinner is more than a dinner but a gathering bringing a reunion of hope,” said Wilson.

Tommy’s 6th Annual Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner takes place on Nov. 23 from 5-8 pm at the Green Central gym, located at 3400 4th Ave. in South Minneapolis. This year’s event includes a bounce house, coloring contest, a drill team performance, turkey giveaways and more. The dinner is free but donations are welcomed. 

Support Black local news

Help amplify Black voices by donating to the MSR. Your contribution enables critical coverage of issues affecting the community and empowers authentic storytelling.

Donate Now!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

First Monitors forum targeted achievement gaps

Next Post

Black Census Table seeks accurate count of African heritage communities

Ken Foxworth

Kenneth Foxworth is a contributing sports columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. He welcomes reader responses to  kennethfoxworth568@msn.com.

You Might Also Like

Volunteers to prepare 350 free Thanksgiving baskets for North Minneapolis families
Local

Volunteers to prepare 350 free Thanksgiving baskets for North Minneapolis families

2021 Thanksgiving meals in the Twin Cities and beyond
Bulletin

2021 Thanksgiving meals in the Twin Cities and beyond

Thanksgiving meals, deals in the Twin Cities and beyond
Bulletin

Thanksgiving meals, deals in the Twin Cities and beyond

Lights in the City
Opinion

Lights in the City

Next Post
Black Census Table seeks accurate count of African heritage communities

Black Census Table seeks accurate count of African heritage communities

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ADVERTISEMENT

Upcoming Events

Sep 12
September 12 @ 6:30 pm-December 18 @ 9:30 pm Recurring

Vic Volare Presents MUSIC FOR MARTINIS ft: Vic’s Fabulous Nightclub Academy

Sep 22
September 22 @ 5:00 pm-September 23 @ 8:30 pm

9th Annual Lantern Lighting Celebration at Lakewood Cemetery

Sep 23
10:00 am-1:00 pm

Expanding Diversity Career Fair

Sep 23
7:30 pm-9:00 pm Recurring

Michhil Amra | We Are The Procession

View Calendar
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Read our latest e-Edition!

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Subscribe

  • Home/Office Delivery
  • Weekly e-newsletter
  • e-Editions

Support

  • Donate
  • Subscribe
  • MSR Newsstand Locations

Connect

  • About
    • MSR Staff
  • Contact
  • Send a news tip
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms

© 2023 Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

No Result
View All Result
  • News & Features
    • Local
    • National
  • All Sections
    • Arts & Culture
    • Health & Wellness
      • Women’s Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • MN Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Business
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
      • Small Business Month Celebration
    • Opinion
    • Sports
  • Events
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • Donate
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: