Malcolm X used to tell a story about how a field slave said, “Let’s run away from here,” but some of the content, satisfied and visionless house slaves responded, “Where can we find a better master [but master nevertheless] than this? Where can we find better clothes [second hand and tattered] than this? Where we […]
MSR News Online
Reach the MSR staff at msrnewsonline@spokesman-recorder.com.
Posted inOpinion
Could voter suppression win this election?
By Renee J. Turner Guest Commentator With the discreet, systemized, and methodical implementation of voter ID and restrictive voting laws pillaging voters of their right to vote, a call to action has not been loud enough. It’s hasn’t really been an alarm to all voting citizens as it should be. The purging of voters from […]
Posted inOpinion
Most ‘real Americans’ don’t vote on election day
I saw a yard sign in South Minneapolis. It said “Real Americans Vote.” No, this is incorrect. Most real Americans do not vote. Most Native Americans stay home on Election Day, and they are the “real Americans.” When I tell people that I have not voted in over five years, and that I’m proud of […]
Posted inSports
Out-coached Lynx settle for runners-up
To win one championship is magical, but it takes more to repeat. I watched Houston win four consecutive WNBA Finals, still a league record, and interviewed each of their Big Three: Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson, as well as their Hall of Fame coach Van Chancellor. Borrowing from former U.S. Senator and once […]
Posted inSports
Vikings bounce back, beat Cardinals 21-14
Seven games into the 2012 season, the Vikings forged forward with a 21-14 hard-fought win over the Arizona Cardinals. Minnesota is now 5-2 and remained undefeated at home at 4-0. Sunday’s Mall of America Field sellout crowd of 61,068 was the largest of the season. They watched the incredible record-setting Adrian Peterson run for 153 […]
Posted inSports
Minutemen ‘hang in there’ to stay undefeated
After senior running back ELIJAH CAMPBELLfumbled for the second time in the first four minutes of the Twin City football championship game against Minneapolis Washburn, St. Paul Central football coach SCOTT HOWELLspoke softly as he addressed an assistant coach, but his words rang true. “Like I told them before, you can’t believe the hype. You’ve […]
Posted inSports
Brushes with history worth noting as WNBA season concludes
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer This 2012 WNBA season is now history. Throughout the league’s 16th season the MSR brushed with several historical “firsts” — persons who did something that hadn’t been done before and, in some cases, hasn’t been duplicated. Tamara Moore — the first Minneapolitan “I am so grateful for the opportunity that […]
Posted inNews
Robin Hickman: community treasure
By Maya Beecham and Mahmoud El Kati Contributing Writers On a late, sunny fall afternoon at a busy café in St. Paul, a woman in her early 30’s talked with a teenage girl she was recently introduced to. The girl’s eyes lit up as she shared her vision for impacting the world by promoting positive […]
Posted inNews
Chicken curry harnesses healing power of spices
Is it “chicken curry” or “curry chicken”? While I’ve heard it called both, what really matters is that it’s yummy and healthy, too! A few years ago, I became interested in the healing power of spices, specifically those such as tumeric (pronounced “too-merick”), an ingredient in curry powder that is known to contain medicinal properties […]
Posted inLocal & State, News
Report urges more positive LGBT stories in Black media
Conclusion of a two-part story By Charles Hallman Staff Writer LGBT people of color often are seen as “double-outsiders” in their respective communities, says the Opportunity Agenda report on LGBT issues and race released in September. The report, “Public Opinion and Discourse on the Intersection of LGBT Issues and Race,” examined current public opinion and how […]
Posted inOpinion
Living, surviving, and thriving with a disability
Living (the early years) I am in the middle of my fifth decade of life. I acquired my disability at the age of two and one half years old. Living with a disability is a mighty challenge for anyone. My disability happened early in my life, so I have always been a member of the […]
Posted inResources
Living, surviving, and thriving with a disability
Living (the early years) I am in the middle of my fifth decade of life. I acquired my disability at the age of two and one half years old. Living with a disability is a mighty challenge for anyone. My disability happened early in my life, so I have always been a […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Food as a weapon: Welcome to a ‘new age of food justice’
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Kwasi Nate Russell has studied the corridor on Minneapolis’ North Side from West Broadway Avenue, starting at Washington Avenue and east toward Girard Avenue, and discovered nearly 20 “major and minor fast-food/ junk-food establishments.” LaDonna Redmond, a senior program associate at the Minneapolis- based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, […]
Posted inResources
Food as a weapon: Welcome to a ‘new age of food justice’
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Kwasi Nate Russell has studied the corridor on Minneapolis’ North Side from West Broadway Avenue, starting at Washington Avenue and east toward Girard Avenue, and discovered nearly 20 “major and minor fast-food/ junk-food establishments.” LaDonna Redmond, a senior program associate at the Minneapolis- based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Black women: Reclaim your sacredness as containers for the spirit of our people
First of a three part column In my last article, I highlighted culture as a resource for healing, building, and creating financial prosperity among African American people. The central message expressed was the importance of a return to an intellectual heritage and ancient self, which I see as the first step in moving toward community development. Randall Robinson opens […]
Posted inNews
Nat’l NAACP president motivates audience to action
Activist makes commitment to help solve problems facing local Blacks By Charles Hallman Staff Writer National NAACP President and CEO Ben Jealous says that Minnesota “is more like Mississippi than it should be.” Having once worked in Mississippi, a state known for its poor education and high prison rates, Jealous, the featured speaker at the October […]
Posted inNews
Penumbra Theatre Co. flips the script to meet economic challenge
Financial state result of administration’s failure to watch cash flow By James L. Stroud, Jr. Contributing Writer Penumbra Theatre Company (PTC), one of the nation’s largest African American theaters, has suspended its programming for the year. This decision is due to a cash-flow challenge, which prompted PTC to lay off six of its 16 full-time […]
Posted inNews
A conversation with Maya Angelou
Renaissance woman speaks on Tyler Perry, Obama and ‘the sweet language’ By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Maya Angelou is a renowned “renaissance woman” who as a teenager became San Francisco’s first Black female cable-car conductor, and worked with both Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. James Baldwin […]
Posted inNews
Light rail construction poses threat to surrounding businesses
Black-owned club struggles to stay open while losing customers By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer Progress at what cost? Metro Transit’s impeding connection of the Twin Cities through light rail, all things being equal, is a step into the future. Hooking Minneapolis and St. Paul up with convenient, super-fast means of commuter travel and transport on […]
Posted inArts + Culture
This week’s entertainment spotlights
Acoustic Africa: Dobet Gnahoré, Manu Gallo and Kareyce Fotso Sun,, Oct. 21, 7 and 9 pm Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-332-1010 or www.dakotacooks.com Acoustic Africa 2012 focuses on the richness of the African traditions of the voice and the song, featuring three of the continent’s most dynamic up-and-coming vocal […]