Health + Wellness

As I was working on this month’s column, a tornado ripped through North Minneapolis. I saw drama unfold as our community came together helping those in need. I saw children who were displaced, probably confused and frightened. My mind immediately went to children in grandfamilies and foster homes, whose lives had already changed and changed […]

This legislative session was about choices and priorities. With Minnesota’s future at a crossroads, it was absolutely essential to make calculated, thought-out decisions about how to strengthen the working and middle classes and create jobs in a way that was not only fair, but would also protect the most vulnerable Minnesotans. New to the legislature, […]

Commentary  By Samuel Simmons, Jr. and Minister James Muhammad  Contributing Writers Whether right or wrong, when discussing the ills and disparities within the African American community, many things are talked about, such as violence, drugs, poverty, and emotional, physical and spiritual health. However, there are two that come to the forefront, especially in the urban […]

Seeing as it was released in 2006, odds are you won’t find The Dead Girl on most store shelves, maybe the big chains. Go out of your way to watch it. However you movie shop, checking DVDs out of the library, ordering them through some online service or other, put in a special request. The […]

As I near the end of my first year as superintendent, I have been reflecting on the work we have done together. I was inspired, as I began the year, by the actor Danny Glover, who dedicates every performance to someone. It might be Nelson Mandela or the old man who guards the stage door, […]

Local Masonic Lodge receives national service award Helios Lodge #273 of Cambridge, MN, was one of 17 lodges nationwide to receive the Mark Twain Award for Excellence in Masonic Awareness. Helios Lodge Worshipful Master Ralph Powell (l) was presented the award by Minnesota Grand Master John L. Cook, Jr. (r), with Helios Lodge member David […]

By JEFF HAYDEN This column was written with Minneapolis Eighth Ward City Council Member Elizabeth Glidden. The turn of April to May is usually a time of sunnier skies and happier times where we look forward to spending our afternoons and evenings outdoors in our communities with friends and neighbors. Unfortunately, the turn of seasons […]

BY RENA MORAN We are heading into the last leg of the 2011 legislative session, and the stakes continue to be high for Minnesotans. Budget proposals passed by the Republican majority will have particularly devastating effects on our community. As a new member to the Minnesota State Legislature, I ran with the belief that it […]

Every child who enters our school doors is an individual with a unique set of life experiences, talents, skills and challenges. I strongly believe that every child deserves our fullest and most intentional support in helping him or her achieve success in school, as well as in life. To do this, our schools must be […]

CHANGING COURSE By Tammy L. McIntyre, M. ED Recently, I read a book regarding authenticity in the workplace. To my surprise, many of us do not know what it means to be authentic, and we cannot fathom what it means to be authentic on the job. If you work in a setting that discourages individualism, […]

Dear Community: Who are we? Are we handicapped? Are we crippled? Are we physically challenged? Are we mentally challenged? Are we disabled? Is it possible we don’t know? Let me submit to my community we are none of the above. First and foremost we are “people.” Some of us are people with one or more […]

TODAY’S ENTREPRENEUR By Ste Brown This is the third of several articles I am writing for the MSR. My spotlight this month will be on Kimani Beard and Kimani Apparel, Inc. Again my objective is simple: Showcase minority entrepreneurs and provide creative solutions to help find your way out of this economic crisis. I recently […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Minneapolis native Shvonne L. Johnson is working on a master’s degree in public history and the African Diaspora from Howard University. -Photo courtesy of Shvonne L. Johnson Growing up in Minneapolis, Shvonne L. Johnson often was told how special she was. “I felt isolated with the praise I got. There […]

By Arleta Little Contributing Writer “Sometimes life curves on you. Sometimes we follow the curve. Sometimes we don’t.” Life Is Short but Wide, the latest novel from J. California Cooper, continues her career as a masterful storyteller crafting tales that bring the triumphs and heartaches of the human drama to high relief. In this tale, […]

I just couldn’t figure out why my dishes have been coming out so dirty lately. My answer came in an article in the Star Tribune (”Dishwashers Have a Dirty Little Secret,” Feb. 4). It turns out that the government has banned the use of phosphates, an additive in dishwasher soap that was chiefly responsible for […]

By Bernadeia Johnson Late in the month of March, both the State House and Senate education committees approved legislation that will deal devastating blows to city schools by divesting State support for low-income learners while simultaneously raising property taxes in our three cities. Why would the legislature turn its back on its population centers? We […]