A 2010 Economic Policy Institute report pointed out that the Twin Cities’ Black unemployment rate is three times that of Whites — the highest Black-White jobless ratio in the nation. Last week the Minnesota Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights heard testimony on racial disparities in the Twin Cities from community residents […]
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Will ‘good faith efforts’ get Blacks light rail jobs?
News Analysis “Where are the Black people?” has been a constant refrain by Black folks who have observed the construction of the nearly $940 million Central Corridor Light Rail (CCLRT). A survey of the project on the Minneapolis end of the CCLRT, which expands from downtown through the University of Minnesota’s East Bank, by the […]
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Living with learning disorders
For many students, learning disabilities may have a mild, moderate or severe impact on their educational experience. Since the 1970s, schools have been looking at students’ performance, comparing them with their peers and determining if they qualify for special education services. For those who are fortunate enough to obtain the skills and support they need […]
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JAMES ON JAZZ, By Robin James—Wynton Marsalis celebrates milestone birthday at Orchestra Hall
Wynton Marsalis turns 50 on October 18, 2011. But before that personal milestone, he returns to Orchestra Hall on October 2 at 7 pm in celebration of his birthday. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra continues the celebration while on tour this fall. This Minneapolis visit promises to offer new music, a retrospective of his […]
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U.S. child poverty a national disgrace—By Marian Wright Edelman, Guest Commentator
Thirteen-year-old Brittanie Potter and her 12-year-old sister Sydney held a bake sale and garage sale at their Marion, Ohio home this summer with a simple goal in mind: raising money for their school clothes and supplies. Their father’s unemployment insurance ended earlier this year. Their mother is still recovering from an accident last fall that […]
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THROUGH MY EYES, By Ron Edwards—Racial disparities in unemployment draw U.S. Civil Rights Commission chairman to town
When I learned that the United States Commission on Civil Rights, Mid-western Regional Office requested Chairman Martin R. Castro to be in Minneapolis on September 15, I could see truth to the rumors that the City was going to make an effort to sanitize two very crucial and critical studies of racial disparity (noncompliance) in […]
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VOICES OF THE VILLAGE, By Lissa Jones—What ‘adjustments’ are worth the price of our babies’ blood?
Last week, a new ad for Nivea lotion came out in print showing a Black man with a fade and clean-shaven, what the dominant culture would call “clean cut,” holding a another head, his own head donned in an Afro and with a beard. The clincher: The ad says, “Re-civilize Yourself.” No they didn’t! This […]
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TRYING MY BEST, By Frank Erickson—St. Paul Police program profiles Somali youth
The St. Paul Pioneer Press Sunday, August 14 edition put local teen Maryan Gaafaa on the front page of the local section. It is a beautiful color photo of her bowling at Midway Pro Bowl. Above the photo is the story’s headline: “Fighting terrorism — at the bowling alley.” How covert, how troubling, to connect […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
‘One Minneapolis, One Read’ event
‘One Minneapolis, One Read’ event Mon., Oct. 3, 7 pm, Guthrie Theater, 818 S. 2nd St., Mpls. • One Minneapolis, One Read is the first citywide “read,” where the entire community is encouraged to read a single book and join in a community conversation • The book selected, The Grace of Silence, was written by […]
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Twin Cities Black Data Processing Association place 5th at nat’l computer competition
The Twin Cities Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Minnesota teams won first and fifth place at the 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition, which was part of the 2011 33rd Annual BDPA Technology Conference held August 3-6 in Chicago. The members of the High School Computer (HSCC) team were Cedric Cyrus (Como High school), […]
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The Good Wife Works, By—Elizabeth Ellis Is ‘Going Green’ just a money-making machine?
The current buzzwords today are “Go Green.” We’re being told to go paperless, recycle, replace our wood sash windows, buy fuel-efficient cars and new household items like light bulbs, toilets, kitchen appliances and even our furnace, and remake our lives with fuel efficiency. “Bear in mind a weird American paradox,” University of MN student Patrick […]
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Study: College athletes live in poverty while earning millions for their schools—By Charles Hallman, Staff Writer
A new report strongly suggests that big-time college football and men’s basketball players should be paid for their efforts while in school. “The Price of Poverty in Big Time College Sport” was released Sept. 13 by the National College Players Association and Drexel University Sport Management Program. It contends that the NCAA rules force players […]
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ANOTHER VIEW By Charles Hallman—The time has come to pay college student athletes
The NCAA reinstated three Ohio State football players last week who were suspended for taking $200 each from a university booster at a charity event earlier this year. Other team members were found trading their celebrity status for benefits from a local merchant, and a former University of Miami booster, now in jail, admits that […]
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Mayweather knocks out Ortiz—By Larry Fitzgerald, Sports Writer
Only in boxing can you just about expect the bizarre. You always have more questions than answers. Saturday night in Las Vegas, the welterweight title was on the line, 5-1 favorite unbeaten Floyd Mayweather, Jr, vs. welterweight champion Victor Ortiz. If you were not in Las Vegas, the fight was available only on pay per […]
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Vikings have issues, blow 17-0 lead
To finish first, you must first finish. The Vikings had better figure that out fast, or the 2011 season could go up in smoke. Last week against San Diego they led 17-7 at half and did literally nothing in the second half. They did not block and tackle; they did not catch the ball or […]
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Elite Eleven: plenty of action in city conferences
Last week there were some outstanding performances in the St. Paul and Minneapolis City Conferences, while two suburban quarterbacks continue their outstanding play in leading their respective teams. 1. KIERRE RHODES (St. Paul Johnson) — The RB had three touchdowns in the Governors’ 34-13 St. Paul City Conference victory over Harding. 2. ANTONIO WAGENER (St. […]
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Navigators chart course of recovery for tornado victims—By Charles Hallman, Staff Writer
Managing residents through unplanned setbacks isn’t new for Shiloh Temple International, a North Minneapolis church. But doing this for folks affected by the May tornado has been a new responsibility ever since the storm passed through. The church, located less than a mile from one of the stops the tornado made on its unexpected Sunday […]
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News Analysis—By Dwight Hobbes, Contributing Writer
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that no victims of May’s tornado that tore through North Minneapolis are beefing about the response by Project for Pride in Living (PPL). The organization has a documented track record of intervening to empower citizens be it in the face of such a catastrophe or while contending with hard […]
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News coverage biased by all-White newsrooms—By Charles Hallman, Staff Writer
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has renewed its call for television stations to better diversify their newsroom management staffs. A 2011 NABJ Diversity Census released in August shows little change since its last report in 2009. The 2009 NABJ census found that management diversity at most of the approximately 770 television stations with […]
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Living with learning disorders
Junius Wilson is a senior at Woodbury High School who has been featured in his school newspaper as one of the best athletes the school has seen in 20 years.