Andre “Debonaire” McNeal is a man of many faces. CEO of Bachelor Boy Entertainment, McNeal should be called a “bad” boy — bad meaning good. He is a 46-year-old entrepreneur, family guy, human service worker, entrepreneur, father of six and friend to many. Entrepreneurship runs deep in McNeal’s blood. His aunt owned a club that […]
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Posted inNews
Panelists help fellow media pros bone up on ‘cultural sensitivity’
Was the media coverage of July’s police shooting death of Philando Castile and other recent shootings handled adequately? The Minnesota PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) recently invited a crisis communications expert, a gender, race and media professor, and a deputy metro editor to offer their assessments and explain how to handle media interviews in […]
Posted inNews
NBA pro comes home to help rebuild North Mpls
With his first Northside development now open, Devean George is proud to be part of the positive things going on in on the area. The Commons, located on the corner of Penn Avenue North and Golden Valley Road, is a 45-unit, mixed-use apartment building that also has an after-school program. George, a city native, grew […]
Posted inSports
Vikings pull trigger, move on
This is the 38th year for me covering the Vikings and the NFL, and never has there been a season with quite the built-in pressures and expectations for the Vikings as this season. Head Coach Mike Zimmer, now in his third season, already was rewarded with a contract extension. The Wilf brothers ownership really believes […]
Posted inSports
Answers to 20 questions from 20 years of WNBA history
The following are answers to our WNBA 20 in 20 quiz which was featured in this week’s Sports Odds and Ends. And 1 – Bonus: Los Angeles (7). Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.
Posted inSports
Twenty questions from 20 years of WNBA history
To test your WNBA knowledge, here is our 20 in 20 quiz: And a bonus question: Name the WNBA team that has hired the most Black head coaches in history. Find the answers to these questions here. Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.
Posted inNews
PHOTOS | 7th Annual Southside Back in the Day brings together family and friends
The 7th Annual Southside Back in the Day kicked off Saturday, September 3 at Phelps Park in South Minneapolis. People from the Phelps, King, Bryant and Central neighborhoods joined together to enjoy a full day of live music, free food, vendors, games, prizes, special features and each other. The special features also included a professional boxing […]
Posted inNews
Chicagoans push for community control of police
Organizers say only an elected civilian council can hold cops accountable The decades-long struggle for democratic, community control of police in Chicago turned a corner on July 20 when the city council’s Committee on Public Safety accepted legislation that would create a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC). CPAC would have authority over policing standards and […]
Posted inBulletin
MSR Top Five Happenings: Back in the Day Southside, Debbie Duncan & more!
A snapshot of upcoming events around town Back in the Day Southside Back in the Day Southside celebrates past, present and future, with emphasis on community, unity and love for people in and from our neighborhood. Sept. 3 | 11 am — 6 pm Phelps Park 701 East 39th St., Mpls. More info: @BackInTheDaySouthside on […]
Posted inVikings/NFL
New stadium opener — more Black workers than spectators
Many Blacks wore blue and purple at Sunday’s Minnesota Vikings preseason game at their new downtown stadium, but most of them were employees, not spectators. Could the cost factor be keeping many at bay? According to vividseats.com, the Vikings’ median ticket price for home games is $245, seventh highest in the National Football League, and […]
Posted inNews
It’s ‘good vibrations’ so far for new Mpls schools super
Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) opened its 2016-17 school year Monday, August 29 under its “MPS Strong” theme. This theme was oft-repeated in first-year Superintendent Ed Graff’s “State of the Schools” address last week at Orchestra Hall. Graff told attendees in the packed auditorium that every MPS student, regardless of ethnicity, grade level, or socio-economic situation, […]
Posted inSports
It’s still just faux diversity for the Twins
Diversity, as far as the Minnesota Twins are concerned, remains like a haystack needle. We are not social scientists, but we are eye-test experts. We easily recognize diversity or the lack thereof when we see it There is one non-U.S.-born Black player (Miguel Sano) and one Black coach (Butch Davis) on the team. Out of […]
Posted inSports
Taking a roundabout path to Division I play
Olivia Antilla graduated from Florida A&M University (FAMU) last month. She also competed a basketball career with the Division I Lady Rattlers, a feat some thought she wasn’t capable of during the 6’0” forward’s senior year at Osseo High School four years ago. “I wanted to play Division I,” she said. “I had plenty of […]
Posted inLynx/WNBA
The Shot heard ‘round the WNBA world
For 20 weeks, to commemorate the WNBA’s 20th season (the MSR having covered each season), the MSR sports section is featuring a column or article on the W in our “20 in 20” series. This week: ‘The Shot’ There are many “iconic images” in the 20-year history of the WNBA. Maya Moore’s buzzer beater in […]
Posted inSports
No place like home — Vikings 23-10 over San Diego!
Since 1982, the MetroDome was home to Minnesota Vikings football. U.S. Bank Stadium is now the spectacular new home on the old Dome site. Since training camp, the Vikings have been wearing black tee-shirts reading “No-Excuses.” That will serve as the theme into 2016 and the new horizon of Vikings football. The Vikings, with 66,143 […]
Posted inArts + Culture
Inspirational biopic revisits Barack and Michelle’s very first date
Who would ever think of making a movie just about Barack (Parker Sawyers) and Michelle Obama’s (Tika Sumpter) first date? Richard Tanne would, that’s who, and he makes an impressive directorial debut with this inspirational biopic chronicling a very eventful day in the lives of the future president and First Lady. The story unfolds in Chicago during the […]
Posted inOpinion
Trump challenges — can Democrats respond?
Donald Trump spoke truth when he asked Blacks in Milwaukee, Friday, August 19, 2016, what has the Democratic Party done for Blacks, and then appealed to the Black vote by asking, “What the hell have you got to lose?” These are great questions offering a challenge to Black America. The answer to “lose” for both […]
Posted inOpinion
Hey Donald, when was America great?
Our American exceptionalism allows us to shimmer too fully in our greatness. We are the biggest and the baddest. We are the best armed and the most influential. We win the most Olympic medals, and we have the most nuclear weapons. We are so great that we wave our flags and shout out, “U.S.A.! U.S.A.! […]
Posted inOpinion
The sickness that separates us
A biweekly column in which various contributors from both sides of prison walls explore common ground for effecting change. On a recent Sunday morning I was called down for an unexpected visit. It was my mom, truly the most amazing woman I’ve ever known. We caught up on the most recent happenings and shared some […]
Posted inOpinion
Quindaro, Kansas: a symbol of American urban decline
In one of the northernmost points of Kansas City, Kansas — nestled in between the Missouri River to the north and the bluffs that rise above it to the south — lay the historic ruins of Quindaro, Kansas. Founded by abolitionists in 1856, Quindaro originally served as a port-of-entry for emigrants dedicated to the cause […]