The Ripley Memorial Foundation, a donor-advised fund of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, has awarded $59,500 in grants to nine organizations. The grant period is January 1 — December 31, 2012. The grantees are: Centro ($7,000): To pilot a new Latino youth leadership and service-learning curriculum to reduce the likelihood of pregnancy among low-income Latino […]
Health + Wellness
Find stories and resources by some of the state’s top Black physicians that aim to address current disparities in prevention and treatment within our communities.
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Fundraiser to aid 20-year-old scholarship fund
A fundraising party for the Jean M. Covington “Character Counts” Scholarship will be held Saturday, January 21, 4-7 pm, at the home of Steve and former Minneapolis mayor Sharon Sayles-Belton, 3233 Edmund Boulevard, Minneapolis. The Jean M. Covington “Character Counts” Scholarship is awarded annually in memory of Jean M. Covington a longtime teacher at Anwatin […]
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MN Black Chamber of Commerce honors the best in Black business
The Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce (MBCC) hosted its Fourth Annual UMOJA Awards & Benefit Saturday, December 3, at the Metropolitan Club in Target Field. Despite a persistent snowstorm, hundreds came out to celebrate the accomplishments of the year, acknowledge outstanding entrepreneurs, and encourage college students to continue on their path to graduation. MBCC launched […]
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Black Data Processing Association Awards celebrates innovative young people
Twin Cities Black Data Processing Association (BDPA) will hold its Seventh Annual Awards Ceremony on Friday, January 6, at Metropolitan Ballroom, 5418 Wayzata Boulevard, Golden Valley. There will be a reception at 5:30 pm and dinner at 7 pm. The theme for this year’s event is “Ignite, Inspire & Empower: The GPS of Future Technologists.” […]
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A celebration of National Adoption Month
On Nov. 19, Ramsey County Human Services held its Fifth Annual National Adoption Day event. This year, families with children who were adopted earlier in the year were invited to celebrate, including the three children pictured here. Ramsey County Commissioners Victoria Reinhardt (l) and Toni Carter were among the other attendees at this event (right […]
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The best gift for our students: supporting their education
As we enter the holiday season and the season of giving, I wanted to reach out to our families and friends in Minneapolis. The best gift that a child can receive is your support in his or her pursuit of a high-quality education experience. There is nothing more important than preparing students to be successful. […]
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Gang database under review – Critics call for better way to identify gang members
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer The 1997 Minnesota Legislature mandated that a computerized criminal gang data system be set up to assist local law enforcement agencies statewide. The pros and cons of what became the Minnesota Criminal Gang Pointer File are now being aired in a review of the database. State lawmakers last year established […]
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On civility: Our shared space requires respectful speech, behavior
While walking down the street last week, I heard a young man behind me on his cell phone using sexually explicit language. I turned and looked at him. “Wha’?” he said. I tried to explain that in my opinion this is a public place and that his was a private conversation that needed to be […]
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A guide to positive parenting in tough times
L. Sommer Love is a Twin Cities-based writer, teacher and minister who conducts workshops and gives talks on parenting and other topics. In this new column, she gives her perspective on parenting and children. Children are our greatest asset; they are little seeds growing in whichever direction we plant, shape, nuture and guide them. They […]
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Local participants sought for National Children’s Study
The National Children’s Study is the largest and longest study of children’s health ever conducted in the United States. The study is committed to identifying ways to improve the health and well-being of children. It seeks to understand how the environment — the places where children live, learn, and play — may be linked to […]
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Once an inmate, a mentor now pays it forward to others
“My name is Rachel Campbell, and I’m straight up off the block.” These are the words that Campbell uses when she stands before her women’s group at the Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility (ACF) each week. What she means is that she too has stood behind those bars looking out at a world that has […]
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Cherishing the memory of a mother lost to Alzheimer’s
Clarissa Walker’s life a legacy her daughter shares with the community By Neva Walker Contributing Writer I recall my mom once saying to me, “Baby the hardest thing is, I’m losing myself because without your memories you have nothing.” That statement became the struggle my family would have to cope with while watching our pillar slowly […]
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‘Befo’ I fly away…’: the last words of Kwame’s wisdom
Editor’s note: This is Senior Columnist Kwame McDonald’s final column as told to Staff Writer Charles Hallman last month. Wize Owl is an old man who defines himself as an Afrikan in America, because he has not been afforded the rights of an American. He is concerned about the status of Black people in America […]
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Self-forgiveness the key to personal growth
Hello, once again, to those of you who had followed and responded to my ”Starting Anew” column. I know it has been a while since my last article, and that is partially due to the fact that I am adjusting to my new place of residence. Since my life had been a whirlwind of one […]
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Local student awarded scholarship from law firm
Ra’Shya Cunningham is the recipient of the 2011 Fredrikson & Byron Foundation Minority Scholarship. This is the 19th year of the firm’s minority scholarship program, which is typically awarded each year to an exceptional first-year minority law school student. The foundation awarded $10,000 for the 2011 scholarship. Cunningham is currently enrolled at the University of […]
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The Good Wife Works, by Elizabeth Ellis— Listening to and learning from a deaf Black man
He was a really handsome Black man. It wasn’t until I asked him the time and he pointed to his watch with a small gesture that I realized he was deaf. We talked every day after that on our commute to work. He carried pen and paper; I took an American Sign Language (ASL) class […]
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ThreeSixty Journalism celebrates 10 years
On November 11, Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson will speak at the annual dinner and fundraiser for ThreeSixty Journalism, a nonprofit program that trains Minnesota teens from diverse communities in the skills of journalism and publishes their work online and in print. The youth journalism program celebrates its 10th year at the University of St. Thomas […]
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United Way, local nonprofits convene for ‘United Front’ conference
By James L. Stroud, Jr. Contributing Writer On October 6, the Greater Twin Cities United Way (GTCUW), Minnesota Public Radio and the General Mills Foundation sponsored, hosted and presented United Front 2011: The Power of Collective Impact. The half-day gathering was held at the St. Paul RiverCentre. The concept of United Front was first introduced […]
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By Bernadeia Johnson: Working together to close achievement gap
I am pleased to announce that for the first time in six years, Minneapolis Public Schools has made progress in narrowing the achievement gap between students of color and White students. We could not have hoped for more encouraging state test results. Significant across-the-board gains were made in reading for American Indian, African American, Asian […]
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Clipper Clinic takes health checks to where the men are
By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer Arriving Sept. 26 at Wilson’s Image Barbers on West Broadway in North Minneapolis, there’s such bustling, both on the sidewalk and in the barbershop, you’d think somebody was giving something away. You wouldn’t be wrong. The Hue-Man Project is offering the Clipper Clinic, vital information and hands-on outreach to safeguard […]