By Titilayo Bediako Contributing Writer Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a man that the United States celebrates with a holiday the third Monday of every January. Although we recognize his work for humanity, our society teaches its citizen little more than the fact that he gave an “I Have a Dream” speech and that […]
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Reach the MSR staff at msrnewsonline@spokesman-recorder.com.
Posted inArts + Culture
This week’s spotlights
Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-332-1010 or www.dakotacooks.com Mon.-Tues., Jan. 24-25, 7 pm & 9 pm: Roy Hargrove Quintet Tickets are $40 for the 7 pm show and $25 for the 9 pm show. Epic Event Center 110 N. 5th St., Mpls., 612-332-3742 or www.epicmpls.com Fri., Jan. 21, 7:30 pm: Angélique […]
Posted inArts + Culture
2011 & jazz: looking back and going forward
James on Jazz By Robin James (l-r) Delfeayo Marsalis, Branford Marsalis and Wynton Marsalis performed at the NEA Jazz Master Awards Ceremony and Concert held in New York Jan. 11. Their father Ellis (left photo) accepted a Jazz Master Award granted to the entire family. -Photos by Charles Skye courtesy of the Associated Press Hello, […]
Posted inOpinion
Martin Luther King, we selectively disagree
Mellaneous By Mel Reeves Folks of late were disturbed by the misguided fella Brett Reese who — yes, ironically — is on the board of education in Greely, Colorado. Reese created an uproar when he used his radio program to smear MLK by calling him names. It won’t work — King’s place in history is […]
Posted inOpinion
Tucson massacre exposes broader war within America
Through My Eyes By Ron Edwards It has been extremely painful to watch the accounts of the horrendous acts of violence and death in Tuscon, Arizona on January 8, 2011, when 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner shot and killed six, including a nine-year-old girl, and wounded 14, including his target, a U.S. Congresswoman. Even though every […]
Posted inOpinion
‘The worst crisis facing Black children since slavery’ is upon us
Everything’s Possible By Sondra Samuels “There are more African Americans under correctional control today — in prison or jail, on probation or parole — than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began.” Michelle Alexander, author, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness On January 13, Marian Wright […]
Posted inOpinion
Ted Williams might be lucky, but he’s no hero
Yeah That’s Right, I Said It By Sheletta Brundidge Recently the country was captivated with the rags-to-riches story of Ted Williams. The homeless radio announcer stood on the road begging when a newspaper reporter from The Columbus Dispatch shot a video clip of him. That two-minute exchange changed Williams’ life forever. We all know how the […]
Posted inSports
NFL Final Four features Bears-Packers
Fitz Beat By Larry Fitzgerald For the second year in row, the NFC Championship will feature an NFC North representative. Vikings fans can hardly forget last year’s 30-27 overtime NFC title loss at New Orleans. This year the Green Bay Packers, led by red-hot Aaron Rodgers, will travel to Chicago to play the NFC North […]
Posted inSports
Idle speculation does Tubby Smith a disservice
Another View By Charles Hallman For most Minnesotans at this time of year, their favorite pastime is not ice fishing but selective second-guessing. U of M Men’s Basketball Coach Tubby Smith currently is this season’s selected recipient. A recent Pioneer Press top sports story, “Why so many transfers?” (January 8), slyly cast doubt on Smith’s […]
Posted inSports
South’s Rule scores quick 12 of 37
Prep Scene Mitchell Palmer McDonald Minneapolis South guard SATTORIA RULE scored 12 points — all three-pointers — in the first two minutes on her way to a game-high 37 in a 74-55 victory over St. Paul Johnson in a nonconference girls’ basketball matchup. Teammates KANEESHA GREEN, LAURA THOMAS and SAQIDAH JIHAD also contributed to the […]
Posted inSports
More on how I fell in love with sports
Kwame’s Kapsules By Kwame McDonald During my 79-plus years of earthly existence (I’ll be 80 years old on April 20, 2011), sports has occupied an inordinate part of my life. I have watched, played, coached, written and commented about a sport most of my life. I remember the many times I drove the rural roads […]
Posted inNews
Mpls firefighters train Kenyan counterparts to use donated truck
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer A group of Minneapolis firefighters and others are now in Kenya to provide firefighting training. Two city firefighters and a mechanic, along with several others, left last Saturday, January 8, for Eldoret, Kenya to train city workers in firefighting and how to use and maintain a 31,000-pound fire truck that […]
Posted inNews
‘Back to old school’ helps ease recession tension
And A Hard Place… By Dwight Hobbes “You gotta do what you gotta do” is Angela Morris’ pragmatic approach to coping with the collapsed economy. Toward that end, hers is a frugal two-income household. Morris works for the City of Minneapolis as a traffic control agent — that’s the uniformed individual you see chalking the […]
Posted inNews
Future of The Choice Is Yours uncertain
By Sheila Regan Contributing Writer Minnesota’s The Choice Is Yours program, which was started 10 years ago as a result of a settlement between the State of Minnesota and the NAACP, allows inner-city, low-income students from Minneapolis to attend suburban schools and Minneapolis magnet schools. Supporters of the program, such as Jay Clark from the […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Seeing our way to spring during winter of tribulations
Starting Anew By James Davis Hello, once again, to all of you who follow my column, and I thank you for your support and encouragement! In the past few articles, I touched base on some issues I was reliving that I had allowed to overcome me; and I was on the brink of contemplating suicide. […]
Posted inOpinion
Burns missed the mark on City’s contract compliance efforts
By Donald W.R. Allen, II Guest Commentator After reading last week’s interview with Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) Contract Compliance Manager Johnny Burns in the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder [“Are Blacks getting jobs on the Schubert Theater project?”], I became a little concerned about Mr. Burns’ limited-to-no-involvement on several major City of Minneapolis projects. For […]
Posted inOpinion
Collapse of local Black institutions continues
Through my Eyes By Ron Edwards Booker T Hodges, current president of the Minneapolis branch of the NAACP, strongly urged in his December 1, 2010 column in this newspaper that the culture of corruption and corrupt leadership in Minneapolis must no longer be tolerated and excused. Some suggested he had stepped over the line. Clearly, […]
Posted inOpinion
Racist quarterback myth due to fall
Little By Little By Matthew Little Because of the collapsed roof of the Metrodome, on Tuesday, December 28, we witnessed the Minnesota Vikings football team having to play a “home” game in Philadelphia, Pa. Surprisingly to many, they outlasted their opponents by a score of 24 to 14. It was surprising because the Philadelphia team […]
Posted inOpinion
Wanted: Black leadership during Republican power
Issues And New Perspectives By Lucky Rosenbloom We need Black leaders capable of understanding the conservative/Republican ideology. We need Black leaders who have the ability to interpret and apply conservative/Republican policy in immediate, concise and competent ways that benefit Black people. Many Black leaders lack these proclivities when it comes to Republican policy because of […]
Posted inArts + Culture
THIS WEEK’S SPOTLIGHTS
• Park Square Theatre Historic Hamm Building, 408 St. Peter St., Suite 110, St. Paul, 651-291-7005 or www.parksquaretheatre.org Jan. 14 — Feb. 6: The Odyssey Legendary warrior Odysseus fights tides, beasts, temptresses and his own arrogance on his epic journey to make it home to his wife and son. Tickets are $20 for adults: ($60 […]