Opinion

  Vikings People’s-no-new-taxes stadium is unraveling for the African American community. “It’s ours” ballyhoo regarding Minnesota has become “it’s mine” for NFL, the Wizard of Oz behind the Vikings’ curtain. • 32 percent minority participation goals of Minnesota’s State Department of Human Rights Director Kevin Lindsay were pulverized into dust. My estimate of 1-1.5 percent […]

When one compares the 1968 Kerner Commission Report, which chronicled the problems that Black folks were experiencing in just about every walk of life at the time, and the misery index for Black folks today, one finds that the lot of Black folks haven’t changed that much. In a word, we are still an oppressed […]

First of all, our greatest gift to America is our humble humanity. Black people, we are in deep trouble with our Afro-American ideology. The responsibility of a community concerns everybody living in that community, whether you are rich or poor. We have fewer tomorrows than we had yesterdays. From slavery to today the White majorities […]

How many times have you seen Lance Armstrong defined as a “disgrace”? For me, I’ve seen it enough. This whole thing exposes more about us than him. What is all this rabid desire to destroy Armstrong — editorials have even said he was a bad boyfriend. What does that have to do with steroid use? […]

The push-Black-Americans-in-football-to-the-back-of-the-bus games have begun, raising “Blacks need not apply” signs not only for stadium construction jobs but also NFL team head-coaching jobs. This is not about quotas. It is about statistical probabilities not being met due to intentional skewing out of contention a specific group of people. In this case, Black American workers, whether […]

Someone once said that “the problem with the past is it’s not quite past.” Ironically, the hanging of a Black doll and the dragging of it through school at Minneapolis Washburn was a reminder that the past is not quite past us in our so-called post-racial society. Why would someone hang a Black doll knowing […]

Russia’s recent law that prohibits the adoption of Russian children by United States’ citizens illustrates the enormous complexities of international adoption and exposes the multiple parties and interest groups that have a stake in the process. Thus far, a single interest group that has a particular interest and agenda has dominated the discourse surrounding Russia’s […]

President Barack Obama’s inaugural address was the most inclusive speech a president has ever given. It was delivered on the 27th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the president honored King’s legacy when he eloquently spoke of how the many U.S. liberation movements, both current and historic, are interconnected. “We, the people, declare […]

It is an unintended but very real sad irony of history that on the birth date of Martin Luther King, Jr., January 15, the Vikings, the NFL, and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) sent its first annual report to the state legislature carrying the message that there may be some room in the People’s […]

As Inauguration Day for President Barack Obama neared, it was hard not to recall the voter fraud of 2000 and 2004 that outright stole the elections of those for George W. Bush. BBC investigative journalist Greg Palast proved that George’s brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris and Florida Elections Unit […]

By Charles W. Davidson Guest Commentator By now, movie-goers across the country are embroiled in heavy social media discussions or water-cooler arguments about Quentin Tarantino’s use and Spike Lee’s criticism of said use of the infamous N-Word in the blockbuster hit Django Unchained. There are those who believe that the word is grossly overused in […]

I am honoring the late Evelyn Eubanks as my local hero. For those of you who never had the opportunity to meet this dedicated leader, you missed out on a great thing.  Evelyn was a tireless activist in the education of our children. She was the founder of the Minneapolis Parents’ Union and a former […]

Sports Facility Authority and the Minnesota Vikings Will the “Stadium Powers” (Minnesota Legislature, Minneapolis City Council, Vikings, NFL and the Minnesota Facilities Sports Authority that oversees the stadium construction project), all regarding the Vikings (“people’s” “no new taxes”) stadium, stand up for fairness in employment and equity or hide behind the skirts of a “best […]

By Benjamin Todd Jealous Guest Commentator The Emancipation Proclamation, which set our nation on the path to the end of slavery, was signed 150 years ago this month. This year, we should resolve to teach our children the story of our collective history. The past century and a half offers countless tales of bravery and […]