Local & State

As part of our celebration over the next several months of our 80 years of continuous publication, the MSR will be republishing notable stories from our extensive archives of more than 4,000 weekly issues of African American news in Minnesota. Many of our readers will be sure to recognize friends, family and neighbors from the distant and not-so-distant past — such as the passing of one of the last surviving Black Civil War veterans reported in the April 13, 1945 issue of the Minneapolis Spokesman.

Participants encouraged by young people’s resilience, desire to ‘step up’  By Charles Hallman, Staff Writer Young people still need encouragement, especially during turbulent times. This was the impetus behind last week’s free screening of a documentary about New Orleans at Oak Park Youth and Family Center. “Showing the film served a two-fold purpose,” explained Pillsbury United […]

St. Peter’s AME Church, along with Black churches nationwide, asked its members to wear black to church on Sunday, December 14 to symbolize that Black lives matte “This action is in response to the failure of a grand jury in St. Louis County, Missouri to indict a White police officer in the killing of unarmed […]

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — More than 70 years after South Carolina sent a 14-year-old black boy to the electric chair in the killings of two white girls in a segregated mill town, a judge threw out the conviction, saying the state committed a great injustice. George Stinney was arrested, convicted of murder in a […]

By Isaac Peterson Contributing Writer Almost three years ago, the Spokesman-Recorder reported on the origins and mission of the Northside Achievement Zone, or NAZ, which was described as “a $28 million social experiment” whose goal was “increasing educational outcomes so that kids and families have opportunities that they can point to” over the following five […]

President declines invite to meet off-campus By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Whose Diversity? is a diverse “collective” of University of Minnesota undergraduate and graduate students who came together at the beginning of the year to argue against what they call a “cosmetic” commitment to diversity at the school. After they presented a list of “diversity demands” […]

From the MSR Legacy Archives As part of our celebration over the next several months of our 80 years of continuous publication, the MSR will be republishing notable stories from our extensive archives of more than 4,000 weekly issues of African American news in Minnesota. Many of our readers will be sure to recognize friends, […]

  How do local police measure up?  By Isaac Peterson Contributing Writer Racial tensions in the U.S. have reached the boiling point in the wake of the deaths of two Black males at the hands of police officers and the announcements in the last few days that grand juries declined to bring charges against either […]

The home of Link Wenda Moore was the setting of the Welcome Tea to introduce and honor the young ladies selected to be the 1981 Link Debutantes. The Tea was the first official opening of the Link Debutante season. Each girl was individually introduced by Links Irece Winans and Fanny Posey as she made her […]

St. Paul honors one of its most dedicated citizens By Isaac Peterson Contributing Writer After a long career in public life and many achievements and distinctions, St. Paul’s Debbie Montgomery recently racked up another one: having a large section of a major St. Paul street renamed in her honor. The St. Paul City Council earlier […]

Eric Deggans sees current network TV as ‘a great moment for diversity’   By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Although diverse casting is now seen in current TV shows such as Black-ish and Scandal, it’s all about profitability for network execs and key programmers, explains Eric Deggans, National Public Radio’s (NPR) first full-time media critic. Television “is all […]

Karin Slaughter is the New York Times and #1 internationally best-selling author of 14 thrillers, including “Unseen,” “Criminal,” “Fallen,” “Broken,” “Undone,” “Fractured,” “Beyond Reach,” “Triptych,” “Faithless,” and the e-original short stories “Snatched” and “Busted.” Here, the Georgia native discusses her latest opus, “Cop Town,” a riveting murder mystery set in Atlanta in 1974. Kam Williams: […]

The nature of media coverage is a big part of the answer   By Charles Hallman Staff Writer “What do we do now?” Such questions have been noticeably absent in media coverage in the  aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri in August, especially after last week’s announcement of the decision not to […]

MPS Black Male Achievement director gets some barbershop ‘real truth’   By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Shahmar Dennis plans to graduate next spring from Roosevelt High School. He also plans to continue his post-secondary education by studying computer science, with hopes to one day work as a computer programmer after earning a college degree at […]

Spiritual leaders voice parishioners’, community’s concerns on media coverage   By Charles Hallman Staff Writer The local mainstream media has been “culturally arrogant” in its reporting of prominent Blacks, says a ministers’ group. His Works United, “an informal group” of nearly 20 clergy, told reporters at a November 24 morning press conference at New Salem […]

From the MSR Legacy Archives As part of our celebration over the next several months of our 80 years of continuous publication, the MSR will be republishing notable stories from our extensive archives of more than  4,000 weekly issues of African American news in Minnesota. Many of our readers will be sure to recognize friends, […]

Marion S. Barry, stalwart civil rights activist cum prominent politician, passed away Nov. 23 at age 78 owing to cardiac arrest. Barry, of course, was infamously publicized for his 1990 arrest and subsequent incarceration for drug possession. Like many chemically dependent individuals his was a virtually lifelong affliction that marred his professional career and personal […]