Minneapolis residents are organizing community patrols to push back against ICE presence following increased immigration enforcement across the city.
News
Timely national, state, and local articles, including profile stories from an African American perspective.
Posted inLocal & State
Kicks and Coats for Kids: Helping Minneapolis Students Stay Warm This Winter
Be The Change MN is helping Minneapolis families weather the winter through its Kicks and Coats Initiative. The program will provide one thousand elementary students with new winter coats and quality shoes, offering comfort, safety, and dignity for children across four underrepresented schools. Donations help lift a financial burden from families and ensure every child enters winter prepared.
Posted inNews
Making America white again
“White people are trapped in a history they do not understand; and until they understand it, they cannot be released from it.” — James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids are not a new invention of law and order. They are the evolution of slave patrols — […]
Posted inLocal & State
Minnesota braces for hemp ban
After months of closed-door lobbying from major alcohol groups, Congress approved a hemp-market ban tucked into the federal funding bill that ended the government shutdown. Minnesota producers warn the measure will shutter legal businesses, upend supply chains, and effectively reinstate federal prohibition. The ban is scheduled to take effect in November 2026. Minnesota growers and […]
Posted inLocal & State
Minnesota honors Gordon Parks with living memorial
On a snow-lashed winter afternoon on Nov. 30 at Landmark Center, Minnesota lawmakers, cultural leaders, and members of the Gordon Parks family formally announced the creation of the Gordon Parks Living Memorial, a long-awaited public tribute to the legendary photographer, filmmaker, author, and humanitarian whose artistic journey began in Minnesota and reshaped global culture. The […]
Posted inLocal & State
Walk by FAITH!: Heart health and community in Minnesota
Walk By FAITH brought together churches from St. Paul and Rochester for community centered walking events focused on heart health, fellowship, and wellness. Led by program founder Dr. LaPrincess Brewer, the initiative also includes Techquity By FAITH, which uses technology to expand health literacy and support healthier lifestyles within Minnesota’s African American communities.
Posted inLocal & State
U.S. stops processing immigrant requests following D.C. shooting
WASHINGTON — Following a Thanksgiving Day shooting in Washington, D.C., that left one National Guard member dead and another critically injured, the Trump administration announced Friday it is halting all asylum decisions, citing public safety concerns. Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said the agency is pausing decisions “until we can […]
Posted inLocal & State
Frog Tree Farm celebrates Black legacy, Fourth Annual Harvest event
Black joy and agricultural resistance were at the heart of the fourth annual “We Are the Harvest: A Sankofa Celebration of Black Legacy & Joy,” co-hosted by Frog Tree Farm and Three Rivers Park District. Minnesota’s oldest multigenerational Black-owned farm, run by Peace Mitchell and Michael Birchard, partnered with the district to expand the event […]
Posted inLocal & State
Minnesota’s Somali community at center of national debate over TPS, fraud claims
The Somali American community in Minnesota has become a focal point of national controversy following President Donald Trump’s November 21 announcement calling for the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali immigrants. The president linked the community to widespread fraud in state programs, sparking pushback from civil rights groups, political leaders, and local officials. […]
Posted inEvents
Winter Warm Up Brings Indoor Skating and Running Back to U.S. Bank Stadium
U.S. Bank Stadium is reopening its doors for Winter Warm Up, the indoor skating and running program that brings active recreation inside during Minnesota’s coldest months. With thirteen sessions scheduled across December and January, the event offers a family friendly way to stay moving this winter.
Posted inEducation
Minneapolis schools avoid strike, but staff wages still lag
Minneapolis teachers have voted to ratify a new contract and avert a strike, bringing relief to families worried about classroom disruptions. The agreement includes gains for adult education teachers and modest raises for some education support professionals, but ESPs say pay still lags far behind the cost of living. Educators warn that Black students and Black staff remain concentrated in under resourced roles and schools, and say the contract is only a first step toward real equity.
Posted inLocal & State
Effect of state consent decree on MPD still unknown
At a Nov. 20 panel hosted at The Glass House, Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero, MPD Constitutional Policing Bureau chief GaneishaEff Martin and independent monitor Arlinda Westbrook agreed that it is too early to tell if the state consent decree is transforming MPD culture. The conversation highlighted ongoing concerns about technology, transparency, public input and whether community voices are truly shaping reform, even as federal oversight has been withdrawn.
Posted inLocal & State
Future of George Floyd Square still in doubt
A last ditch effort is underway at Minneapolis City Hall to revive a mixed use redevelopment plan for George Floyd Square. The intersection has been at the center of debate for years as council members, residents and community groups clash over whether the site should become a pedestrian mall or remain fully accessible to transit. With a new report due in early December and the current council’s final meeting approaching, the future of the square hangs in the balance.
Posted inPolitics
High-profile names blacked out in Epstein files
As Congress moves to force the release of the Epstein files, insiders say the documents were scrubbed well before lawmakers took action. Survivors and lawmakers accuse federal agencies of redacting the names of high profile figures, including Donald Trump, while blocking transparency. With nearly one thousand federal employees involved in the review and internal disputes erupting, questions continue to grow over political pressure, secrecy and whether the truth will ever be made fully public.
Posted inLocal & State
Federal ‘POLICE’ raid on St. Paul business creates fear, confusion
Masked federal agents raided the Bro Tex facility in St. Paul without warning, detaining workers and frightening nearby families. City officials say they had no advance notice and stressed that St. Paul police were not involved. Advocates and civil rights groups condemned the use of unidentified agents and the use of force on protesters, warning that the raid eroded public trust and left immigrant and marginalized communities feeling unsafe.
Posted inLocal & State
National boycott brings Target ‘to its knees’
Days before the holiday shopping rush, civil rights leaders gathered in Minneapolis urging Minnesotans to continue the Target boycott. They argue the retailer rolled back its DEI commitments, harmed Black and immigrant communities, and is now relying on steep price cuts to recover from months of declining sales. Organizers say the boycott will continue until Target recommits to its racial equity promises made after George Floyd’s murder.
Posted inLocal & State
MPD accused of hiding lethal incompetence
Davis Moturi is alive to tell his story. Allison Lussier, an Indigenous woman, and Mariah Samuels, a Black woman, are not. The pattern is tragically familiar: people of color repeatedly calling 911, warning police about violent neighbors or ex-partners, doing everything authorities ask, only to be met with inaction. Lussier and Samuels were killed this […]
Posted inLocal & State
Target’s DE&I pullback leaves Black local suppliers in limbo
Target’s billion-dollar DEI and supplier diversity push helped some Twin Cities Black entrepreneurs secure national shelf space, jobs and new revenue streams. With the retailer now pulling back from those equity commitments, Black-owned businesses and community partners are feeling the ripple effects in hiring, contracts and long-term wealth building, and are left questioning how durable corporate promises to Black communities really are.
Posted inLocal & State
Jellybean Johnson: A legacy of joy and genius
Jellybean Johnson was thunder on stage and gentle at home, a drummer, guitarist and producer whose joy lit up Minneapolis for decades. Loved ones and musical peers recall his role in shaping the Minneapolis Sound, mentoring “nephews” in the scene and building the Minneapolis Sound Museum to keep the culture alive for the next generation.
Posted inLocal & State
Federal Shutdown Ends and SNAP Benefits Return to Normal Schedule in Minnesota
SNAP and MFIP benefits are officially restored following the end of the federal shutdown. Minnesota families can now access regular payment schedules again. Here is how to apply, renew, replace EBT cards, and use WIC and document drop box locations.