The 2026 Perry Talks symposium brought together Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, MSR CEO Tracey Williams-Dillard and other distinguished voices near George Floyd Square for a timely conversation on racial justice and First Amendment rights during the Rise & Remember Festival.
Local & State
A space for original local news with an emphasis on stories pertaining to African Americans
Posted inGeorge Floyd Square
Six years later, George Floyd’s memory stands strong at 38th and Chicago
Six years after George Floyd’s murder, family members, activists and community leaders gathered at 38th and Chicago to remember, invest in the next generation and refuse to let the world forget what happened here.
Posted inLocal & State
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara Resigns After Interfering With Investigation
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara resigned Tuesday, May 26, after an investigation found he had interfered with a probe into his own conduct by deleting a contact from his city-issued phone to shield evidence from investigators.
Posted inEducation
Rising to the Bar: Minnesota’s Next Generation of Black Lawyers Won’t Back Down
Seven Black law graduates from the University of Minnesota, Mitchell Hamline and St. Thomas are entering the legal profession with purpose, carrying lived experience and a commitment to representing communities that have historically gone without.
Posted inLocal & State
100 Years of Service and Legacy: Honoring Dr. John M. Warren Sr.
Dr. John M. Warren Sr., one of the first African American podiatrists in Minnesota and a WWII Navy veteran, celebrated his 100th birthday on May 2, 2026, surrounded by family and friends in New Hope.
Posted inYouth
ReConnect Rondo Is Looking for Young Leaders to Shape the Future of Their Community
ReConnect Rondo is accepting applications for its Youth Ambassador Initiative, a six-month paid cohort for young people ages 16 to 24 with a connection to the Rondo neighborhood, running August through January.
Posted inLocal & State
Minneapolis launches dedicated unit to investigate non-fatal shootings
Minneapolis has launched the Firearm Assault Shoot Team, a dedicated non-fatal shooting investigative unit backed by $1.7 million in city funding, designed to treat surviving shooting victims with the same investigative urgency as homicides.
Posted inLocal & State
Second ICE agent charged as Hennepin County cases grow to 30
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced criminal charges against a second ICE agent for misconduct during Operation Metro Surge, as the Transparency and Accountability Project grows to 30 cases and becomes a flashpoint in the Hennepin County Attorney’s race.
Posted inLocal & State
Minnesota Adds $59 Million in Opioid Settlement Funds as Gaps Remain
Minnesota will receive an additional $59 million in opioid settlement funding from Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, but community organizations serving Black Minnesotans say questions remain about whether funds are reaching the communities most impacted.
Posted inTelevision
Minneapolis Leaders Demand Accountability From Netflix, Kevin Hart Over George Floyd Joke
Minneapolis community leaders and civil rights advocates gathered at the Hennepin County Government Center to condemn a joke about George Floyd made during Netflix’s Roast of Kevin Hart and demand accountability from the comedian, Hart and Netflix.
Posted inGeorge Floyd Square
Agape Movement Recommended as Development Partner for the People’s Way Project in South Minneapolis
Agape Movement has been recommended as the development partner for the People’s Way project in South Minneapolis, marking a significant milestone in a years-long community effort to shape the future of one of the city’s most historically significant spaces.
Posted inLocal & State
Judge Orders Trump Administration to Hand Over Unredacted Documents in Case Against 39 Activists
A federal judge ordered prosecutors to turn over unredacted discovery documents in the case against the 39, as defense attorneys argued nearly every name of law enforcement officers and witnesses had been redacted, making a legal defense functionally impossible.
Posted inBusiness
Golden Thyme marks one year under new stewardship, carrying Rondo’s legacy forward
Golden Thyme Restaurant and Bar on Selby Avenue marked one year under new leadership with a community celebration that brought generations of Rondo residents together for food, music and reflection.
Posted inLocal & State
St. Paul publisher named to national list of top solo entrepreneurs
Dr. Artika R. Tyner, founder of Planting People Growing Justice Press and Bookstore in St. Paul, has been named a 2026 Zoom Solopreneur 50 honoree, selected from nearly 2,800 applicants across 48 states.
Posted inPolitics
Clock ticks as MN gun bill stalls in House
A sweeping gun reform bill banning semi-automatic assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines passed the Minnesota Senate 34-33 on May 4, but faces an uncertain future in the House as the legislative session nears its end.
Posted inLocal & State
As food insecurity grows in North Minneapolis, neighbors turn to technology and community farming for solutions
Fourteen Twin Cities advocates traveled to Duluth for the Metro Food Justice Network summit, returning with renewed purpose and a clearer picture of the work ahead, including a new digital platform designed to address food insecurity block by block in North Minneapolis.
Posted inLocal & State
Former Uptown YWCA to Become Job Training Center for BIPOC and Immigrant Workers
A coalition of labor and community organizations is transforming a former Uptown YWCA into the Rise Up Center, a 70,000-square-foot job training hub designed to move BIPOC workers into middle-class union careers.
Posted inLocal & State
Gunfire, criticism and a walkout that never happened
A gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, forcing an evacuation and sparking criticism of Minnesota attendees including Mayor Jacob Frey for normalizing an administration that has repeatedly attacked the free press.
Posted inLocal & State
How redlining and systemic gaps leave communities vulnerable to disaster
Natural disasters hit low-income communities and communities of color hardest. MSR staff writer Damenica Ellis examines why, from the 2011 North Minneapolis tornado to the role of redlining in shaping disaster vulnerability today.
Posted inLocal & State
FBI raids more than 20 Minnesota daycares, but only five involve Medicaid fraud
The FBI raided 22 Minnesota childcare centers on April 28 in an ongoing fraud investigation, sparking a public dispute between federal and state officials and raising concerns from immigrant and refugee communities.