Stages Theatre Company presents “Madagascar – A Musical Adventure” through Aug. 3, starring 13-year-old Takelle Lee as Alex the Lion. With choreography from Threads Dance Project and direction by Sandy Boren-Barrett, the youth-centered musical explores friendship, freedom, and self-discovery.
Aria Binns-Zager
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
36 Lyn Refuel Station
36 Lyn Refuel Station marked its 20th anniversary with a celebration of local culture, clean energy, and community. Under Lonnie McQuirter’s leadership, the store has become a national model for socially conscious retail.
Posted inLocal & State
First ‘Madam Juneteenth’ crowned at 2025 Minnesota Pageant
The Miss Juneteenth Minnesota State Pageant crowned six new queens this year, including the first-ever Madam Juneteenth. Sannia Elzia now plans to use her platform to uplift the voices of Black women survivors.
Posted inArts + Culture
‘The Road Less Traveled’ honors Black history through quilts, poems
CC Mercer Watson’s textile exhibition The Road Less Traveled honors the legacy of the Green Book through quilts and poetry, celebrating Black history and joy.
Posted inEducation
Appreciating Black cotillions as acts of resistance
As Juneteenth approaches, Dr. Nikita Harris is preserving the rich legacy of Black cotillions — not just as tradition, but as historic acts of resistance and leadership.
Posted inFinance
Open Road Fund offers gifts, not grants
The Open Road Fund offers $50,000 direct gifts to Black descendants of enslaved people in MN, ND & SD — transforming lives and building Black generational wealth.
Posted inLocal & State
Sen. Smith decries fed’s withdrawal from MPD oversight
Sen. Tina Smith is condemning the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the MPD federal consent decree, which was intended to drive reforms following the DOJ’s investigation into civil rights violations. Smith calls the move a betrayal of justice.
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Posted inHelp Is Here
Twin Cities Recovery Project delivers culturally grounded healing and hope as overdose deaths surge in Hennepin County
As overdose deaths soar in Hennepin County, Twin Cities Recovery Project delivers Black-led, culturally grounded healing — saving lives and building hope.
Posted inLocal & State
Activists protest circumcision, call for bodily autonomy
Activists gathered in Minneapolis to protest circumcision, raising concerns about consent, bodily autonomy, and racial disparities in medical practices.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Justice 929
Selwyn Jones, uncle of George Floyd, turns grief into action. Through Justice 929, he pushes for reform, builds tech for safety, and keeps fighting for justice.
Posted inArtists
Walker’s ‘Surface’ exhibition invites deep reflection
Walker Art Center presents A Surface by Kandis Williams—an immersive exhibition that blends collage, video, and critical theory to confront systems of power.
Posted inEducation
Saint Paul’s new superintendent says Rondo lives on in her soul
Dr. Stacie Stanley, a proud SPPS graduate, returns to lead the district as superintendent, pledging to build equity, boost morale, and invest in students’ futures.
Posted inFood
A revitalized Golden Thyme returns
Golden Thyme is back with a new restaurant and bar, led by Rondo Community Land Trust. It’s more than a revival — it’s a reclaiming of community space and cultural legacy.
Posted inEducation
Child care providers demand respect — and full funding
At the Minnesota Capitol, child care providers and advocates called for urgent, full funding and respect for early educators serving families statewide.
Posted inHealth + Wellness
As federal protections shrink, Women’s Foundation doubles down
The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota is using grassroots innovation and a participatory grantmaking model to support BIPOC-led health organizations, provide grants to help staff wellness, and expand access to reproductive health care in Minnesota.
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Posted inHelp Is Here
Anything Helps is as grassroots as addiction recovery gets
Anything Helps, a small organization in North Minneapolis, is quietly transforming the way Minnesota addresses addiction and survival by offering a client-centered model that prioritizes trust, respect, and radical accessibility.
Posted inLocal & State
Capitol rally demands end to forced prison labor
Hundreds of people gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol on May 1 to demand an end to forced labor in the state’s correctional institutions, with a focus on pressuring lawmakers to pass the 2025 Bill to End Slavery in Minnesota.
Posted inLocal & State
Target boycott — amplified or hijacked?
A coalition of grassroots organizers, led by Nekima Levy Armstrong, organized a boycott of Target over its rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, but the campaign was disrupted by the arrival of Atlanta-based pastor Jamal Bryant, who launched a separate boycott and website without proper coordination or respect.
Posted inArts + Culture
Walker|West celebrates its new Rondo home
A new era has begun for Walker|West Music Academy. On a sunny spring afternoon last week, the beloved Rondo-based institution opened its doors to the public for a ribbon-cutting and celebration at its brand-new home, located at 650 Marshall Avenue in St. Paul. The grand opening event drew students, alumni, community members, and local leaders […]
Posted inArts + Culture
‘Selma 70’ exhibit honors civil rights legacy
The Ramsey County Historical Society has opened a new exhibit, “Selma 70,” at the Landmark Center, honoring the 70 Minnesota residents who traveled to Selma, Alabama in 2015 to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic Selma to Montgomery marches, highlighting their experience through interviews and imagery.