Can a person of color with a disability (or disabilities) also be a person of privilege? Not! Privilege is defined as a special right, advantage or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or a group of people. Disabled people of color need not apply. I have not always been a person with […]
Opinion
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Posted inOpinion
Trump’s immigration enforcement is freezing out justice at courthouses
Since President Trump took office last year, immigration enforcement officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have dramatically expanded their presence at criminal and civil courts, including in family, landlord-tenant, and traffic courts across the United States. The presence of these officers and increased immigration arrests have created deep […]
Posted inOpinion
The rent is too damn high
The definition of a cartel is a group of “individuals or firms who agree not to compete with each other and therefore keeping prices fixed to maximize profits.” Both local landlords and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are doing the same thing, yet when it comes to White landlords, they call what […]
Posted inOpinion
Are job opportunities in North Minneapolis for real?
Or is it 2003-2017 again: “Blacks need not apply”? For the past couple of weeks, residents in North Minneapolis, from Broadway to the north and as far down as Olson Memorial Highway, see preparations for significant construction. There have been no public meetings about it. Has there been any public input? We are reminded of the many […]
Posted inLetter to the Editor, Opinion
More slanted coverage on “terrorism”
How can the Tribune not see the bigotry in how they report on terror?
Posted inOpinion
Facebook continues to fail the Black community
“Mr. Zuckerberg, would you be comfortable sharing with us the name of the hotel you stayed in last night?” That was a question Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) posed to Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional hearing in which the latter responded with an awkward “No.” It is likely that Mr. Zuckerberg found this question too intrusive, yet […]
Posted inOpinion
I say no to a Starbucks boycott
Starbucks has proven to be one of America’s most responsible corporate citizens. In 2014 following the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, by Officer Darren Wilson, then Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz took action when other corporations remained silent. Starbucks launched its national “Race Together” campaign that encouraged Starbucks’ baristas (workers) to write “race […]
Posted inOpinion
Fair Housing Act: a milestone on the journey to equality
A half-century ago, the Fair Housing Act was enacted to prohibit discrimination in housing based on race, color, creed and national origin. The law also supported the National Association of Real Estate Brokers’ (NAREB) efforts to increase Black homeownership, which we believe serves to increase wealth and other economic outcomes for Black Americans. We have since […]
Posted inOpinion
Remembering the Dreamer…50 years later
And reminding ourselves what we must do to fulfill his dream Last Wednesday, April 4, 2018, marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. When I first sat down to contemplate this column, I envisioned it to be a personal reflection of what Dr. King meant, and still means to […]
Posted inBusiness, Opinion
Several options to reverse housing needs
When North Minneapolis was separated and isolated by highways it was a big deal, and similarly, we need big ideas and plans to reverse that tragedy in order to address the housing needs of the current and future residents. Below, I have listed some ideas that I thought about as long- and short-term solutions. They do […]
Posted inOpinion
In the matter of Terrance Franklin’s death by police
Five-year legal battle drawing to an end As this is written on April 2, 2018, it is 10 days prior to when the City of Minneapolis will meet in the Federal Court building with attorneys for the Terrance Franklin family for a settlement conference in the civil suit filed by the family regarding Terrance Franklin’s […]
Posted inOpinion
MLK’s assassination reminds the nation of unaddressed gun violence
The 50th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination is, sadly, a searing reminder of unaddressed gun violence in America. Because gun violence has gone unaddressed for half a century, now and future generations of children live in fear of guns when the children are not running scared for their lives. They […]
Posted inOpinion
Donald Trump and the death penalty: Black America be on the alert
President Donald Trump made a very controversial promise about punishment in America: to provide the death penalty for leading drug dealers, despite many studies suggesting not only that the death penalty is not an effective deterrent, but worse, that it is not applied fairly to people of color. Yet, after conversations with the Chinese president […]
Posted inOpinion
A Black girl’s take on ‘A Wrinkle in Time’
A Wrinkle in Time was a must-see film for me, and a must-see flick worldly different from dashing out to see Black Panther. It doesn’t mean, however, Ava Duvernay’s $100 million film with a multicultural cast isn’t without problems. It is, which is one reason why the film has received mixed reviews — unlike Black Panther’s […]
Posted inOpinion
We already know that poverty is a math problem. So, what else is it?
‘Hidden rules of class’ help the poor do more with less Conclusion of a six-part series The culture of poverty has some universal characteristics which transcend regional, rural-urban, and even national differences… There are remarkable similarities in family structure, interpersonal relations, time orientations, value systems, spending patterns, and the sense of community in lower-class settlements […]
Posted inOpinion
U.S. preference for who gets the drone — Is race a factor in the decision?
On February 18, federal prosecutors in Minnesota announced charges against three men Vsama Dawich Haamade, 53; his brother, Issam Darwich Hamade, 55; and Samin Ahmed Berro, 64 for conspiring to illegally export drone aircraft technology to Hezbollah, which the U.S. government defines as a “terrorist organization.” But Russia is also an enemy of the U.S. government […]
Posted inOpinion
Low-wage workers willing to take ‘consequences’ of higher wages
St. Paul City Council President Amy Brendmoen told members of ISNow, “We need to pause and take the time to answer basic questions about how a wage increase would affect workers before making any decisions.” Yet, why doesn’t the councilwoman tell the healthcare industry, landlords, colleges, and universities — those that are swimming in profits […]
Posted inOpinion
New Black women leaders staking claim to the future
All too often, our “history” month turns into a tribute to the past. And while the past is an important place to lift up it is, indeed, a tributary, a stream that flows into the larger stream of an unbounded future. The future must always be greater than the present, or there has been no […]
Posted inOpinion
Whites comprise nation’s highest number of teachers
Students of color need to see more educators of color I spent most of my first year of grad school sitting in the back row of class with my hood up. There were nearly 40 of us in the cohort. Two were Black. My hoodie was an act of silent dissent. Today, I completely understand […]
Posted inOpinion
Recognizing our mutual responsibilities
A monthly column in which various contributors from both sides of prison walls explore common ground for effecting change. A dialogue on personal and community accountability Vina: I remember the night well. It was December 19, 2014, a Friday night. I had just wrapped up a phone call with my friend and colleague Kevin Reese, […]