Inside Maryland prisons, incarcerated people routinely act as nurses, chaplains, and social workers for one another—unpaid, unprotected, and unseen. Rev. Jamesina E. Greene urges lawmakers to pass a Prison Care Standards Act to mandate adequate health staffing, create peer-caregiver training and certification, and require transparency about in-prison care.
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 inOpinion
State drug affordability boards need community input to succeed
Minnesota’s PDAB can cap drug reimbursement rates, but critics argue UPLs risk disrupting access to HIV medications and undermining ADAP/340B-funded services. Patients urge meaningful engagement so affordability doesn’t come at the cost of availability.
Posted inOpinion
The B-word: Use with caution
The B-word is both wound and shield. This essay maps its history, Black women’s experience, pop-culture reclamation, and the boundaries that keep respect intact.
Posted inOpinion
Many feel conflicted mourning Charlie Kirk’s death
Charlie Kirk’s killing is a tragedy—and for many, it brings conflicted mourning. A marriage and family therapist outlines how to hold compassion for a life lost while rejecting harmful rhetoric, and offers three practical steps to process grief, avoid false binaries, and lower the temperature in our public life.
Posted inOpinion
Black misleaders collaborate with ‘tough on crime’ politicians
This Baltimore over policing commentary says Trump’s rhetoric and bipartisan calls for federal “surges” revive a legacy of criminalizing Black activism and communities, and urges a turn toward self-determination.
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What Kirk assassination reveals about America
This Charlie Kirk commentary rejects political violence and examines how dehumanizing rhetoric breeds it. Praising extremists as martyrs, the author argues, only deepens the harm.
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Charlie Kirk: The hate he put out came back on him
This Charlie Kirk commentary political violence argues that America’s rote condemnations overlook the core issue: rhetoric that dehumanizes communities and invites violence, even as some seek to make Kirk a martyr.
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One Big Beautiful Bill for the richest Americans
An opinion essay argues the One Big Beautiful Bill Act concentrates wealth, expands the racial wealth gap, and naturalizes inequality by blaming individuals rather than policy choices.
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An attack on Black people is an attack on democracy
This op-ed argues that Black Americans and democracy are bound together. Black struggle built and defended U.S. democracy, yet benefits often bypass Black communities. The question now is where the fight should go next.
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Katrina’s aftermath shows effects of ‘disaster capitalism’
An op-ed uses the Hurricane Katrina 20th anniversary New Orleans to trace how disaster capitalism and imperial domination drive displacement, deny a right of return, and put profits over people.
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Our cities need investment, not invasion
Trump plans to send troops to Chicago, repeating failed tactics of the past. Without tackling poverty, housing, and jobs, military presence won’t solve crime.
Posted inOpinion
The children are not well — and they are under attack
Trump’s policies are hurting children across America by cutting food, education, and after-school programs. Advocates call for urgent action to protect kids’ futures.
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Labor Day 2025 finds Black worklife precarious
This Labor Day, a commentary assesses the State of Black work life in America, citing hostile policies, union rollbacks, and a widening employment gap that leave Black workers navigating bias while pushing for rights and stability.
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Why America is currently in a constitutional crisis
America’s constitutional crisis is not looming — it is here. Voting rights, due process, and the rule of law are under siege.
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Defending the ‘Blacksonian’ is defending America’s truth
Frances “Toni” Draper warns against sanitizing the role of slavery and racism in America. Defending NMAAHC is defending the truth itself.
Posted inOpinion
Stillwater prison’s ‘honors unit’ looks promising only on paper
The Minnesota DOC’s new “Honor Unit” at Stillwater offers perks, but incarcerated voices say it ignores unsafe conditions, relies on inequitable scoring, and props up a failing prison.
Posted inOpinion
Gerrymandering is the new redlining
Gerrymandering silences Black voices, denies resources, and destroys lives. The fight is not just about elections, but about health, housing, and survival.
Posted inOpinion
‘Drill team saved me from the streets’
From North Minneapolis’ “Queen of Drill Team” to community advocate, her story shows how passion can transform lives — and why youth need safe, purposeful programs.
Posted inOpinion
AI furthers environmental racism in Black America
Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer borders Boxtown, Memphis, raising alarm over pollution and environmental racism in this historic Black community.
Posted inOpinion
Black nations can’t afford to coddle America’s ignorance
At the July 9 White House Africa summit, Trump’s remarks — including “beautiful English” to Liberia’s president — were condemned as disrespectful. Critics urge African leaders to demand dignity and sovereignty.