News

Volunteering, caring for the sick, the elderly or children, sharing food or other resources with others in the community: These, outside of financial contributions, are all forms of philanthropy that African and American women participate in, most often without support or recognition. “Many in our community don’t use the term philanthropy, although we give in […]

Among those directly affected by the May 22 tornado that struck North Minneapolis are thousands of youth. As a result, some local agencies and organizations are using existing resources as well as funds raised by the Minneapolis Foundation, which set up Minneapolis Helps, to address the need for summer jobs as well as for such […]

In January 2011, lifelong community organizer Michael Chaney, founder of the Twin Cities Juneteenth Festival and a member of the Afro Eco board, became inspired by what he considered an unfair attack on North High School. “They were trying to close down North High, so Elizabeth Lasley from North High mentioned that they had been […]

Catrice Grandberry is a businesswoman in the making, determined and with strong promise. She works retail at a Twin Cities liquor store going on three years now and already is a manager, planning to eventually set up her own shop. The 27-year-old aspirant is laying groundwork. She walked in as a clerk, handling the cash […]

The MSR joined more than 500 participants on July 16 for the Lee Family Commemorative Event in South Minneapolis. We previously reported on the 1931 story of Arthur, Edith and Mary Lee and current community plans to honor the family’s stand for justice (“South Minneapolis reflects on historic racial conflict,” May 19). Those plans finally […]

By Paris Porter Contributing Writer The Minnesota Black Music Awards are back and better than ever. On the evening of July 15 at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Black Music Awards (MBMA) provided a prestigious platform for music lovers to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Minneapolis Sound. On a rainy day that […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer According to the Minneapolis Foundation website, the Minnesota Helps — North Minneapolis Recovery Fund awarded several grants to local agencies, ranging in size from $10,000 to $50,000 or more, to help Northside residents who were directly impacted by the May tornado. One agency, EMERGE Community Development, received three grants for […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer The Minnesota Helps — North Minneapolis Recovery Fund was established by the Minneapolis Foundation, Greater Twin Cities United Way, and GiveMN.org, which distributed $206,123 for emergency relief services in early June. “No one was expecting a tornado, and so people rallied as quickly as they could,” Minneapolis Foundation Community Philanthropy […]

By Vickie Evans-Nash Contributing Writer Sisters Deborah and Jacquelyn Cooper grew up in the Rondo neighborhood and are currently members of the Rondo Avenue Board of Directors. “When I was born,” says Jacquelyn, “that’s where my parents lived, and then after the freeway came through we had to relocate to Central Avenue.” Both are currently […]

By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer The Twin Cities’ Somali population grows increasingly visible, but public understanding of Somali communities remains limited. One area where something’s been done to gain insight and alleviate a clash of cultures is theater. In 2004, Children’s Theatre Company staged the world premiere of Kia Corthron’s Snapshot Silhouette, a social studies […]

By Sarah Janel Jackson Contributing Writer In recent years the Twin Cities have become nationally recognized as a haven for independent hip hop music and urban cultural education. This recognition is due in no small part to the success of the Rhymesayers record label that has produced such successes as Atmosphere and Toki Wright. The […]

By Vickie Evans-Nash Contributing Writer “Within our DNA [we] are a people who I think were created to transform not just the African American community but the American community” was among the opening statements from Sondra Samuels of Northside Achievement Zone as emcee of the Fifth Annual African American Leadership Forum. The forum was held […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer The University of Minnesota recently has received a federal grant to examine “third-hand smoke” among Black parents. “We are going into the homes, collecting information on second-hand smoke in the air, and we also getting and testing urine samples from a child in the home,” says lead researcher Dr. Janet […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer A high school with over 90 percent Black students — nearly three-fourths of its students are low income and almost a third are students with disabilities — a decade ago had a 18-percent graduation rate and was considered one of the worst schools in Ohio. Now 95 percent of the […]