91st Anniversary Gala balanced celebration with reflection

On Saturday, August 16, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR) celebrated an extraordinary milestone: 91 years of storytelling, service, and steadfast presence in Minnesota’s Black community. The newly renovated Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot, in the heart of the Mill District, provided an elegant backdrop for an evening that was as much about the future as it was about honoring the past.

From the moment guests arrived for the 6 p.m. reception, the space buzzed with anticipation. Sequined gowns brushed past sharp tuxedos, while laughter and conversation filled the grand lobby. This was more than a gala — it was a gathering of generations, a living archive of the people who have read, written for, and been shaped by the MSR since its founding in 1934.

The program, hosted by the ever-charismatic T. Mychael Rambo, a three-time regional Emmy Award winner, struck the balance between celebration and reflection. The evening’s entertainment reminded us that art is also a form of storytelling. 

Saxophonist Jerome Richardson’s soulful melodies and vocalist Breasha Turner’s rich tones moved the crowd in ways words sometimes cannot. Between songs, conversations continued at tables, friendships were rekindled and networks expanded, proof that  the connective tissue the MSR has nurtured for nearly a century is still alive.

But the evening also dug deeper. A powerful panel discussion brought together some of Minnesota’s most vital voices: civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong, nationally recognized pharmacist and public health leader Dr. Ronda Marie Chakolis-Hassan, and distinguished historian Dr. Yohuru Williams of the University of St. Thomas. Their dialogue spanned justice, health and history, grounding the celebration in the urgent work that continues. It was a reminder that legacy isn’t just about what we inherit, it’s about how we choose to carry it forward.

One of the most moving elements of the gala was “Journey Through Print,” a special display of front pages from the MSR’s nine decades in print. Guests lingered before the exhibit, pointing out headlines that once defined their eras, photos that captured triumphs and tragedies, and stories that may have first introduced them to the power of the Black press. 

It was history you could hold in your gaze, a visual testimony that MSR has never just chronicled events but has also shaped how our community understands them.

As plates of an elegant dinner were cleared and bids rang out from the silent auction, the evening turned inward, toward the legacy’s more personal dimensions. Publisher and CEO Tracey Williams-Dillard reflected with candor on what the night meant to her. These reflections underscored what many guests carried home with them: the reassurance that the MSR’s story is still unfolding, with new voices and new energy ready to sustain it.

That sense of continuity was echoed by Tracey’s daughter, Leticia Alvarez, who witnessed the night as a moment of affirmation for both the paper and the people it serves under her mother and, in the future, Alvarez’s anticipated leadership looking ahead to 2034.

“I’Her words carried the weight of both gratitude and responsibility. Legacy, after all, is not only preserved — It is lived, often in quiet, relentless ways.

As the night drew to a close, the atmosphere was one of celebration, yes, but also of recommitment. Ninety years is a remarkable achievement, but it is not a finish line. The gala made clear that the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder’s legacy lives not just in its pages but in the people who gather around it, in the musicians who lift spirits, the panelists who provoke thought, the community who shows up in love, and the generations who step forward to continue the work.

Walking out into the warm August night, guests left not only with memories of music and conversation, but with a reminder: The MSR has been, and continues to be, more than a newspaper. It is a vessel of truth, a witness to history, and a bridge into the future.

Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses at jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com.