The legacy Toni Randolph left was more than being a writer, said many who knew the 53-year-old veteran journalist. Randolph died July 3 after being hospitalized for a medical procedure. Besides her award-winning journalistic work, perhaps Randolph’s most important contribution deserving recognition was her mentoring of many young people, “particularly young people of color,” noted […]
Local & State
A space for original local news with an emphasis on stories pertaining to African Americans
Posted inLocal & State, News
Judge Hatchett vows to ‘aggressively pursue justice’ for Castile Family
News Brief Judge Glenda Hatchett and The Hatchett Law Firm announced in a press conference today that they will represent the family of Philando Castile in all civil legal matters related to his fatal shooting by police after a traffic stop Wednesday, July 6. Appearing with Valerie Castile, Philando’s mother, on the St. Paul Capitol Grounds Tuesday morning, Judge […]
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NAACP president calls St. Paul churchgoers to action
Churchgoers at Progressive Baptist Church in East St. Paul gave a thunderous response to NAACP President Cornell Brooks’ call to action Sunday evening. Reverend Dr. Earl Miller shared his final Pastor Anniversary celebration with Brooks to address the recent police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and the unrest and protests across the nation. […]
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Community seeks support and answers in shooting of two toddlers in North Mpls
Week of protests overshadows shootings — Northsiders come out to sing and pray on babies’ behalf Emotions were still raw a few hours after a 2-year-old boy and his 15-month-old sister were shot around noon Friday at the intersection of Penn and Lowry Avenues N in Minneapolis. The boy, Le’Vonte Jones, died at North Memorial Hospital. Melvina Rockymore, the […]
Posted inLocal & State
Shed G launches TV talent show pilot
On the evening of June 21 in the New Century Theater, located at 615 Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, a studio filled with close to 200 invitation-only guests joined Shedrick Garrett, who produced and hosted the first of a series of television shows for a pilot program entitled The Shed G Show. Garrett, a.k.a. Shed […]
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Anguish, anger and demands follow Philando Castile police shooting
Change “needs to come from the streets,” stated former St. Paul NAACP president Nathaniel Khaliq in a MSR exclusive phone interview Thursday morning. Khaliq was among those who spoke outside the Minnesota Governor’s mansion Thursday morning in St. Paul in the aftermath of the Philando Castile shooting by a St. Anthony police officer in Falcon Heights […]
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Walking tour highlights rich Black history in Mpls
The extensive African American historical presence on Minneapolis’ South Side was highlighted on June 28 when from 6:30 to 8:00 pm community members from the Central, Bryant, and Kingsfield South Minneapolis neighborhoods participated in the first annual East 38th Street area Black History Walking Tour. Minneapolis City Council Member Elizabeth Glidden, who represents those neighborhoods, […]
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First Fridays honors two up-and-coming entrepreneurs
On July 1, July’s First Fridays Twin Cities honored two Minnesotans in its “Faces of the Month” recognition. The tradition continues in honoring people who are making a difference in the Black community. Houston White, an entrepreneur, was the male honored. Since 2008, he has been the sole owner of the former H. White Mensroom, […]
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Lower income workers catch a break
New overtime rules restrict bosses’ demands for extra hours According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in order to ensure that low-paid employees are covered by the protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime law, the Department of Labor (DOL) mandates that workers must be paid time-and-a-half for every hour worked over 40 in […]
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Legislature earns “F” for failed racial equity bills
What funding did survive was a start at best Voices for Racial Justice’s (VFRJ) 10th annual Legislative Report Card gave the 2015-16 Minnesota Legislature a failing grade after this year’s session. The body failed to pass nearly half of the racial equity bills proposed in this year’s session. “The legislature earned an F,” VFRJ Research […]
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New partnership aims to reduce disparities in health care
There is a new community partnership in Minnesota, and its goals are to get more people to seek health care and to have individuals take control of their health by understanding and being comfortable with the resources available to them in their neighborhoods and the greater Twin Cities community. This program is called the “Medtronic […]
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Violence denounced, peace praised at Ramadan dinner
New St. Paul police chief pledges to fight hate, ignorance ‘side by side’ The recent shootings in Orlando and San Bernardino didn’t help discourage the Islamophobia and anti-Muslim talk that has persisted in the U.S. since Sept. 11, 2001. Islam has existed for centuries. It is a religion “misused” by those who commit violent acts […]
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KMOJ called ‘a mess’ and ‘at risk’
Concerned Citizens group, fearing station failure, challenges board competence Many community residents are raising questions about what is happening at KMOJ-FM. The governing board has been accused of operating “under the cloak of darkness” without adequate accountability and transparency. “Our question is, ‘Where is the KMOJ board?’ We are asking, ‘What are you doing to […]
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PHOTOS | Post-Orlando, how diverse is Twin Cities Pride?
News Analysis People of color stage marks 15 years at festival A question many people may have asked themselves when attending Twin Cities Pride this past weekend is, “Will it be different after Orlando?” The mass shooting attack on an Orlando, Florida LGBTQ nightclub that left 49 dead and 53 injured happened during the traditional […]
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Mpls parks chief defends racial equity progress
New 20-year plan tackles 20-year work backlog The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) plans to invest over $65 million in city parks improvements over the next five years. The MPRB commissioners in May approved a new “20 Year Neighborhood Park Plan” as well as a new “criteria based” system to determine future rehabilitation and […]
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Grants help youth prepare for careers
City of Minneapolis Employment and Training was among 13 groups receiving Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) grants to help high school students from specified racial, ethnic and at-risk groups in future career planning. “We specifically wanted to target youth that live in North Minneapolis and Cedar-Riverside,” says Tammy Dickinson, a career pathways […]
Posted inPhoto Galleries
PHOTOS | Juneteenth 2016 celebrated in North Minneapolis
On Saturday June 18, 2016, the annual Juneteenth Celebration was held at the Mississippi Regional Park in North Minneapolis. Per usual, there were vendor booths like the African American bus drivers of Metropolitan Transit Commission, food vendors and live entertainment for the 300 plus in attendance. The smooth silky voice of singer Ashley DuBose headlined […]
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Quick-cash gig grows into family business
Shakia McDavid, the oldest sister of four brothers, describes herself as a leader. She explains that her leadership qualities come from her role as an older sister. And she credits the leadership qualities she developed with them for creating a path to running her own family car sales business. She says she refers to her […]
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Mpls workers empowered by new sick leave law
“We intentionally talked about it as a racial equity issue because we know that the people most likely not to have paid sick time and other workplace protections are Black and Brown people, and majority Black and Brown women,” said Harris. “Race is a conversation in our city now.”
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St. Paul honors Gordon Parks with national memorial
What do you say or do to honor a great legend that hasn’t already been said or done? After 10 years of planning, community engagement and discussions, Forecast Public Art and SoulTouch Productions, in partnership with the City of St. Paul and the St. Paul Riverfront Corporation, marked the official launch of the Gordon Parks […]