Black Men Teach gathered educators, fellows and community members at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis for its annual Gold Star Gala, raising funds for scholarships and celebrating the Black male teachers transforming Twin Cities classrooms.
Jasmine McBride
Jasmine McBride is the Associate Editor at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Posted inLocal & State
Elders reflect on struggle, survival and hope at Juneteenth brunch
Black Lives Matter Minnesota gathered elders, advocates and community members for a Juneteenth morning brunch honoring Valerie Castile, Jeweliean Jackson and others who have carried the movement, with MSR CEO and Publisher Tracey Williams-Dillard also recognized with a Celebrating Revolutionary Sistas award.
Posted inMusic
Known MPLS youth choir drops Father’s Day single celebrating Black men
Known MPLS, a Twin Cities youth choir founded by Courtland Pickens, is releasing a new single this Father’s Day weekend celebrating Black men, with an upcoming five-song EP and appearances alongside Josh Groban and Jennifer Hudson on June 28.
Sponsored
Building financial confidence from the inside out
Operation HOPE financial coach Achante Brown is bringing nearly a decade of banking experience back to North Minneapolis, offering free one-on-one coaching through a U. S. Bank partnership that has served more than 230 clients on West Broadway.
Posted inBusiness
Orange Barrels, Empty Tables: East 7th Street Businesses Fight to Survive MnDOT Construction
A seven-month MnDOT reconstruction project on East Seventh Street in St. Paul is threatening the survival of dozens of immigrant- and minority-owned businesses on the East Side corridor, with $5,000 grants covering just one month of a seven-month impact.
Posted inNews
Stolen Lives: The Karmelo Anthony case and the families left behind
MSR editor Jasmine McBride connects the 35-year sentence handed to Karmelo Anthony in Texas, the continued trauma of Diamond Reynolds a decade after Philando Castile’s murder and the fight for the Marvina Haynes Act at the Minnesota Capitol, tracing a through line of racial injustice that demands repair.
Posted inYouth Financial Education
Financial foundations: Distinguishing needs vs. wants
Sponsored by JPMorgan Chase. The second installment of MSR’s Youth Financial Education Series explores the difference between needs and wants through the experience of 25-year-old Alexis Harmon, who is using the 50/30/20 rule to build toward homeownership and financial stability.
Posted inLocal & State
Twin Cities honored with JFK Profile in Courage Award for resisting Metro Surge
The people of the Twin Cities received the 2026 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on May 31, honored for risking their lives to protect neighbors and immigrant community members during Operation Metro Surge.
Posted inEducation
Rising to the Bar: Minnesota’s Next Generation of Black Lawyers Won’t Back Down
Seven Black law graduates from the University of Minnesota, Mitchell Hamline and St. Thomas are entering the legal profession with purpose, carrying lived experience and a commitment to representing communities that have historically gone without.
Posted inEducation
Leticia Alvarez – MSR 2026 Grad
The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder congratulates Leticia Alvarez on earning her Bachelor of Science in Special Education with honors from Mankato University, completing a journey years in the making as a first-generation college student, mother and future MSR leader.
Posted inEducation
Tiffany Johnson – 2026 MSR Grad
The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder congratulates contributor Tiffany Johnson on earning her MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, completing four years of graduate school while working full time at Penumbra Theatre.
Posted inEducation
Lizzy Nyoike – 2026 MSR Grad
The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder congratulates contributing writer Lizzy Nyoike on earning two associate degrees debt-free through PSEO before transferring to the University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Posted inEducation
Damenica Ellis – 2026 MSR Grad
The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder congratulates staff writer and On the Radar host Damenica Ellis on her graduation from Howard University with a Bachelor of Arts in Media, Journalism and Film.
Posted inTelevision
Minneapolis Leaders Demand Accountability From Netflix, Kevin Hart Over George Floyd Joke
Minneapolis community leaders and civil rights advocates gathered at the Hennepin County Government Center to condemn a joke about George Floyd made during Netflix’s Roast of Kevin Hart and demand accountability from the comedian, Hart and Netflix.
Posted inBusiness
Golden Thyme marks one year under new stewardship, carrying Rondo’s legacy forward
Golden Thyme Restaurant and Bar on Selby Avenue marked one year under new leadership with a community celebration that brought generations of Rondo residents together for food, music and reflection.
Posted inEducation
Minnesota schools breaking law on free college program
More than two-thirds of Minnesota public schools are violating state law by failing to provide students and families with required information about the free Post-Secondary Enrollment Options program, according to a new report.
Posted inFinance
Chase opens community branch in Minneapolis’ Longfellow neighborhood
Chase has opened a new Community Center branch in Minneapolis’ Longfellow neighborhood, bringing financial education, free workshops and expanded banking access to South Minneapolis as part of the bank’s continued Twin Cities expansion.
Posted inLocal & State
As food insecurity grows in North Minneapolis, neighbors turn to technology and community farming for solutions
Fourteen Twin Cities advocates traveled to Duluth for the Metro Food Justice Network summit, returning with renewed purpose and a clearer picture of the work ahead, including a new digital platform designed to address food insecurity block by block in North Minneapolis.
Posted inEducation
North Memorial Health and West Broadway Rising open doors for Northside youth exploring healthcare careers
High school students from Exploration High School got a behind-the-scenes look at North Memorial Health through a new partnership with West Broadway Rising, connecting Northside youth to healthcare careers in their own community.
Posted inPolitics
Supreme Court guts Voting Rights Act, what it means for Minnesota
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais has gutted the federal Voting Rights Act. Minnesota advocates and Attorney General Keith Ellison say the state’s own Voting Rights Act is now a critical line of defense.