Wade Henderson argues that the denial of congressional representation to more than 700,000 Washington D.C. residents is a national civil rights issue, not a local one, and calls on Congress to pass D.C. statehood as part of the unfinished work of American democracy.
Opinion
The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR) welcomes thoughtful commentary and feedback from the community. All articles in this section are edited for clarity and space; the views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the MSR. MSR does not provide payment for commentary. To submit an opinion piece, please send inquiries and submissions to submissions@spokesman-recorder.com.
Posted inFrom the Publisher
Juneteenth is a day of joy, and a day of reckoning
MSR CEO and Publisher Tracey Williams-Dillard reflects on the meaning of Juneteenth in a political moment that is testing the durability of hard-won freedoms, and reaffirms the Spokesman-Recorder’s commitment to bearing witness to Black life in all of its complexity, grief and glory.
Posted inOpinion
By the time he is fourteen
Contributing writer De’Vonna Pittman writes about watching the world watch her Black grandsons at a water park and asks the question America rarely does: what happened before the moment we decide to pay attention to Black boys?
Posted inOpinion
Shame About Being Abused Silenced Me. Now, I’m Speaking Up
Jacqueline Patterson, founder of The Chisholm Legacy Project, shares her personal experience as a survivor of intimate partner violence and calls on Black women to break the silence and on communities to say something when they sense something is wrong.
Posted inOpinion
Breaking the stigma: PTSD, masculinity, and the burden Black men carry
Behavioral health researcher Dr. Sharon M. Holder writes that Black men and men of color are carrying a disproportionate share of the mental health crisis, with rising suicide rates and undiagnosed PTSD rooted in systemic racism, and calls on communities to break the silence that has cost too many lives.
Posted inOpinion
License plate readers can help keep our communities safe this summerÂ
Sanneh Foundation executive director Tony Sanneh makes the case for license plate reader cameras as a practical public safety tool that can help law enforcement respond faster, deter crime and protect communities during the busy summer months.
Posted inYour Voice Matters
Your Voice Matters: The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Wants to Know What You Want to Read
The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder has launched a Reader Survey and wants your feedback to help shape the future of our news coverage. The survey is open through June 22 and only takes a few minutes to complete.
Posted inOpinion
Why “foster” is our lifelong claimÂ
Foster Advocates Executive Director Osahon Akpata-Tanious writes that Black communities have always understood the power of naming themselves, and calls on Black Minnesotans to see the Foster identity for what it is: a stigma being dismantled, not preserved.
Posted inOpinion
Policy shifts are reshaping Black and immigrant business economy
Procurement expert R. Lynn Pingol argues that Minnesota’s small businesses are facing a perfect storm of federal shocks, from DEI restrictions to DBE rollbacks and SBA delays, landing hardest on Black, immigrant and BIPOC-owned firms with the least margin for disruption.
Posted inOpinion
No, your summer vacation isn’t going to kill you
Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott addresses the most common summer travel fears, from airline bankruptcies to geopolitical anxiety, and makes the case that the world in 2026 is no more dangerous than it was in 2016.
Posted inOpinion
They’re testing democracy’s collapse in Louisiana first
New Orleans native and former educator Julienne Louis-Anderson writes that what is happening in Louisiana is not just policy but a blueprint, as attacks on Black voting power and democratic institutions spread from the South to the rest of the nation.
Posted inPerspectives From Within
What are the ripple effects of harsh conditions at Rush City prison
Rush City prison inmate Keith Hapana Crow writes about deteriorating conditions following the closure of Stillwater prison, including restricted recreation, mental health neglect and practices he argues violate restorative justice principles.
Posted inOpinion
Redistricting fight raises fears of constitutional power grab
Senior Black Press of America correspondent Stacy M. Brown reports on Republican redistricting efforts across the South that voting rights advocates say are part of a long-term strategy to build enough political power to permanently reshape American democracy.
Posted inOpinion
Why the Supreme Court’s war on voting rights is a debt our children shouldn’t have to pay
Legal Defense Fund Policy Director Demetria McCain responds to the Supreme Court’s Callais decision gutting the Voting Rights Act, calling on Black communities to organize, register voters, advocate for state voting rights laws and fight on every front as if their lives depend on it.
Posted inOpinion
Misogynoir, gun violence, and a crisis we refuse to name
March For Our Lives board member Mariah Cooley argues that the epidemic of gun violence against Black women is being ignored by the gun safety movement and political leaders, and calls for a movement that centers Black women before it is too late.
Posted inOpinion
The stigma we carry, the silence we must break
Dr. Sharon M. Holder writes that mental health stigma in communities of color is rooted in generational silence, systemic barriers and trauma, and calls on readers to break that silence this Mental Health Month.
Posted inOpinion
Smart PFAS policy should protect health, not create new barriers
Edwardo Rikprashad argues that Minnesota’s new PFAS reporting law, while well-intentioned, risks creating new barriers for small contractors and developers before the state’s reporting system is ready to handle real-world conditions.
Posted inOpinion
Black women built the workforce, why are we locked out of it?
Nikki Porcher argues that the unemployment crisis among Black women is a systemic failure, not a personal one, and calls for workforce systems that center Black women’s lived experience and support their proven economic power.
Posted inOpinion
We Need to Talk About The Belt Scene In Michael and Why It’s Linked to Slavery
Lawrence Ware of The Root uses a scene from the Michael Jackson biopic to examine the cultural, historical and religious roots of corporal punishment in Black families and why it is time to choose something different.
Posted inOpinion
Trump Uses Immigration Enforcement to Make America Whiter Again
Margaret Kimberley argues that the Trump administration’s immigration crackdowns are rooted in white supremacy, from admitting white South Africans as refugees to blocking naturalization for Black and brown immigrants worldwide.