John A. Jones passed away peacefully on May 22, 2017. John was educated in the Des Moines Independent Public School System. After graduation in 1948 he served in the Army. John moved to Minnesota in 1952, where he met Claire Rodgers. They married in 1955 and raised their four children — Darwin, Keith, Bernard and […]
MSR News Online
Reach the MSR staff at msrnewsonline@spokesman-recorder.com.
Posted inEducation
My parents sacrificed so I could succeed
Sadiyo Dirie is a 2017 Cecil E. Newman Scholarship recipient. Her scholarship-winning essay appears below. When I first started speaking, my first word was Hooyo (mother) I have grown up in her arms: she sacrificed everything for me. She woke up every day early in the morning and made something warm to eat. Before I […]
Posted inEducation
My school “family” powered me on my journey
Alicia Harper is a 2017 Cecil E. Newman Scholarship recipient. Her scholarship-winning essay appears below. At 12 years old I began following my cousin and older sister, who was eventually kicked out of our house. Excited to get her room, I wasn’t prepared for the responsibilities I would have once she was gone. Before my […]
Posted inNews
(Updated) Stevie Wonder and Benjamin Chavis to keynote Conference of Peace in Mpls.
Grammy-winning legend Stevie Wonder and former Executive Director of the NAACP, Benjamin Chavis, will headline A Conference of Peace, scheduled to place June 16-17 in North Minneapolis. The two-day conference is billed as a direct effort to combat youth and adult violence in inner cities, and challenge communities across the U.S. — starting in Minneapolis […]
Posted inNews
‘:74 Seconds’ podcast examines police and race in light of Castile case
Seventy-four seconds — the time that elapsed between the late Philando Castile being stopped while driving in Falcon Heights last summer and the last of seven shots fired into his car by police officer Jeronimo Yanez — is the focus of a new Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) News podcast. Reporters Jon Collins and Riham Feshir tell […]
Posted inOpinion
The visit
A biweekly column in which various contributors from both sides of prison walls explore common ground for effecting change. First of a two-part column The author has a son serving a life sentence, currently at the Stillwater Correctional Facility. The anticipation, the anxiety, the control, the possibilities… It all causes many emotional and physical changes […]
Posted inGo Green
Fix-it Clinics keep stuff out of trash
To date, Hennepin County has hosted 55 free clinics, teaching valuable repair skills, building community connections and reducing the number of repairable objects thrown in the trash. Volunteers provide free, guided assistance to disassemble, troubleshoot and fix stuff. Attend an upcoming Fix-It Clinic, hosted from noon to 4 pm. Items are accepted until 3:30 pm. […]
Posted inGo Green
If your old AC no longer beats the heat, it may be time for a new one
Air conditioners don’t live forever, and it’s no fun if yours suddenly dies in the middle of a summer heat wave when you need it most. If your central AC unit is 15-20 years old and showing its age with problems like refrigerant leaks, motor failures or inefficient cooling, then it may be time to […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Plain talk on cancer
Health education everyone can understand Among U.S. racial and ethnic groups, Black males have among the highest rates of prostate cancer; the same is true of breast cancer among Black women. Minnesotans “experience disproportionately poor health and high rates of illness and death” among communities of color and other underserved populations, says a University of […]
Posted inOpinion
Minneapolis NAACP boycotts Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
The Minneapolis NAACP will be enforcing our demands upon the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board for the dereliction of their duty to address the many issues that we have repeatedly raised. We will be shutting down the upcoming City Parks Alliance International Urban Park Conference: Greater and Greener. Additionally, effective today, the Minneapolis NAACP will […]
Posted inBulletin
Local UNCF welcomes new leader
Sharon Smith-Akinsanya, the former regional development director for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), is pictured above with the incoming area development director for UNCF, Laverne McCartney Knighton. Knighton, who is well known within the philanthropic community, will take over the local office for UNCF in June. Smith-Akinsanya, president and CEO| of the Rae Mackenzie […]
Posted inNews
Longest serving pastor of Wayman A.M.E. soon to retire
Rev. Dr. Alphonse Reff, Sr. of Wayman A.M.E. Church in North Minneapolis, along with Dollie Dimple Foster and Rev. Charles J. Foye, recently received honorary doctorates from Saint Thomas Christian University-Twin Cities Campus. Saint Thomas COO Dr. Sharon D. Ross said during the school’s May 20 commencement at Shiloh Temple International that the three were […]
Posted inBulletin
U. of St. Thomas opens new ‘Family College’ for low-income students
Program aims to reduce higher-education achievement gap in Twin Cities If there is one gift we could give teens for their future, most people agree it would be a college education. But for too many hard-working youth, college seems beyond their reach. In an effort to help reduce the education and prosperity gap in Minnesota, […]
Posted inOpinion
To end AIDS in the United States, stay true to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy
Ten years ago, hundreds of organizations and individuals signed a petition calling on all presidential candidates to create a national AIDS strategy. We knew the approach to HIV in the U.S. had to change. The national HIV response we saw was a patchwork: uncoordinated, without clear goals, underinvested where the challenge was most acute, with […]
Posted inBulletin
New partnership aims at increasing teacher diversity
Metro State and Hopkins collaborate to get more teachers of color into schools An ongoing effort by Metropolitan State University and other groups to increase teacher diversity in Minnesota will see fruition with the signing of an agreement that will ease barriers of entry for prospective teachers of color and place them at work in […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Choosing a healthier future
What to do when good medicine and good intentions are no longer enough Despite remarkable advances in science, technology and medicine, gaps are continuing to widen in both educational attainment and health status among populations of color. According to a recent “Black Paper” from the African American Leadership Forum, Black Minnesotans continue to face some […]
Posted inOpinion
2017 State of Black America Report: Equality Index for Blacks inches closer to Whites
In their annual State of Black America report called “Protect Our Progress,” the National Urban League (NUL) suggested that the nation should invest in a “Main Street Marshall Plan” that would solidify gains made by Black Americans during the Obama Administration. The plan includes many policy ideas the NUL has proposed in previous reports, including […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Holistic approach to health care promoted at Healthy Family Fair
The underlying theme of the May 13 Healthy Family Fair presented by the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR), was that in order to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle, you must take a holistic approach. Each of the expert panelists, Sam Simmons a mental health counselor and founder of Sam Simmons Consulting, Cindy Kaigama of the American Heart […]
Posted inBulletin
Misdemeanor Warrant Forgiveness Day at Sabathani Community Center
In collaboration with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Minnesota, Hennepin County District Courts, Hennepin County Public Defenders, Minneapolis City Attorneys and United Way, the Criminal Justice Reform Committee of the Minneapolis Branch of NAACP will host a day where people with active misdemeanor (petty and gross) warrants in Hennepin County will have a free […]
Posted inBulletin
MSR Top Five | Big Hat Luncheon, Black Women’s Expo and Job Fair & more!
A snapshot of events and happenings around town Eat on the Avenue May 18 (every Thurs. until Sept. 28) | 11 am— 2 pm Eat on the Avenue, sponsored NEON, kicked off May 11 with the goal of engaging the Northside community with a variety of dining options. Enjoy a food truck lane and a […]