Overview:
Yusef Mgeni, a brilliant historian, community organizer, former St. Paul educator and fierce advocate for Black people, died on April 7, 2026, leaving behind a legacy that will echo through generations of Black Minnesota history and community building.
Minnesota and the world lost a powerful voice and a true warrior on April 7, 2026. Yusef Mgeni is gone, but his legacy will echo for generations.
Yusef was a brilliant historian, a community organizer, a former St. Paul educator, and a fierce advocate for Black people. He carried with him an extraordinary archive of speeches, books, articles, and photographs documenting the work of countless Black scholars and leaders. His knowledge was not just deep. It was generational. Talk to him about any subject concerning Black history and he would give you a dissertation.
His roots in this community ran deeper than most people knew. Yusef was the grandnephew of Fredrick McGhee, the pioneering 20th century civil rights activist and attorney who made his mark in St. Paul at the turn of the century. That lineage was not lost on Yusef. He carried it forward with pride and purpose, spending decades making sure the stories of Black Minnesotans were told, preserved, and passed on.
As a journalist, Yusef called NAACP leaders and community figures to identify the issues that mattered most to Black people and wrote about them in local newspapers. He was a contributor to the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, a platform he understood and respected deeply. As a former St. Paul NAACP vice president, he remained active and engaged well into his retirement, answering emails and voicemails for residents who were at their wit’s end, helping them navigate evictions, legal challenges, and systemic barriers.
“Generally, they contact us when they are at their wit’s end,” he once said. “They are going to get evicted; their car is getting repossessed. We assist in navigating the system.”
His work was always about access. Under his leadership and alongside other NAACP leaders, the St. Paul chapter helped establish a landmark covenant between the police and the St. Paul community in 2001, a model that contributed to dramatically lower excessive force costs compared to Minneapolis in the decade that followed.
Yusef was also a passionate champion of ethnic studies in Minnesota’s schools, understanding that education rooted in Black and Brown history was not a supplement to American history but central to it.
“Ethnic studies is also American history,” he said. “The fact that the legislature and the MDE have both endorsed ethnic studies requirements in schools is a real plus for giving people the opportunity to explore and learn more about American history, and more importantly, to see themselves reflected in that learning.”
In the 1970s and ’80s, Yusef worked alongside Mrs. Clarissa Walker at Sabathani Community Center, where both of them poured their energy into uplifting and empowering the community. Their work helped shape the cultural and political landscape of South Minneapolis during a critical era. They were part of a generation that built institutions, nurtured young people, and fought for justice with unwavering commitment.
Yusef also played a key role in the early development of KMOJ Radio, helping to establish a platform that amplified Black voices long before it was common or convenient. His activism extended through education, the St. Paul NAACP, the Million Man March, and the Urban Coalition, always rooted in a deep and abiding love for his people.
He was also an interviewee in the Rondo neighborhood oral history project preserved by the Minnesota Historical Society, ensuring that the voices and stories of that community would never be lost.
Not long ago, a colleague was blessed to sit with Yusef at his home, where he reflected on his life and his legacy. He talked about his work in education, his activism, and his years of service to the community. But what stood out just as much was how he spoke about his family and his people, with warmth, with pride, and with purpose.
Today, we honor him not only for what he accomplished, but for the spirit with which he did it.
A scholar. A builder. A warrior. A keeper of our stories.
Thank you, Yusef, for everything you gave and everything you sacrificed on behalf of Black people. Your legacy stands tall, and our community is better because of you.
Rest in Power, Yusef Mgeni.
Voices from the village in their own words, tributes to Yusef Mgeni
“My activism work really was born at the feet of Yusef … he was a powerhouse.”
Michael Chaney
“He understood economics; he was someone who certainly was a scholar, was a visionary, was an educator. He was probably one of the first people who really embraced and understood that we were all of African descent … He was a giant among men. And in terms of his vision, his wisdom, his intellect, his scholarship – he was one of those individuals who was, you know, an amazing, amazing human being who was blessed with wisdom, intelligence, and insight.”
“[Mgeni] said, ‘I hope and pray that anybody that I came in contact with can take the words that I’ve given them, and if they buried them, make sure that they water them so they can grow as a fruitful tree. The only thing I would ask for them to do for me is to bury the man and continue the plan.’”
KingDemetrius Pendleton
“[Mgeni] was able to bring [knowledge] forward and let people know… that any work that you do, it matters. That’s one of the things right there: to be able to matter in a world who would make you feel that you don’t matter.”
“His legacy will forever live on.”
“Yusef was the first radio disc jockey to interview me live on radio in the state of Minnesota, and he did it consistently. He gave me a leg to stand on where my voice could be heard over the airways, and because it was a white radio station, it went further. I had him and the Spokesman. Other than that, they would lie about every case.”
Spike Moss
“He was a very smart individual. You could take his advice to the bank and whenever he called you, he called you to give you advice. That’s what he did and it was always right on target, right on time, and you could run with it.”
Thank you for sharing these touching and uplifting remembrances of Yusef. I don’t have words to adequately express the gratitude, admiration, respect, and love we will always have for him and his legacy. Yusef was a beacon of knowledge and wisdom and thoughtful, truly transformational ideas and ways of improving the lives of people, families, and their communities. He was a renowned and extraordinary servant leader in local and global struggles for racial equity and social and economic justice. His courage, righteousness, kindness, generosity, storytelling, and fabulous sense of humor were always offered to those seeking his guidance and support. I was deeply blessed that Yusef and I were the closest of friends and brothers for over 50 years. Even so, I prayed for much more time for us to be together and hear him say have a blessed day.
I sent an email to MSR asking why my comment is still awaiting confirmation. Can someone please respond?
My apologies on the delay.
Your comment has been approved and is published.
Thank you for supporting MSR!
Yusef was a wise, wonderful, kind, caring person who gave so much to others. We will miss him