In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King spoke to his concerns about suggestions that Blacks wait (how much longer is not certain, but wait anyway) for justice to “come around.” “Wait” for our humanity to be recognized and honored, until others could “come around” to the idea. He wrote, “We know through painful […]
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New program readies men for job-seeking success
Are you an adult male living in the Twin Cities metro area? Are you looking for work, but unable to afford clothing for your next job interview? Do you need to get work-ready? Are you ready to be successful? If you said yes to any or all of these questions, then you might be interested […]
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Dr. Julianne Malveaux will talk Black economic history at women’s summit—By Vickie Evans-Nash, Contributing Writer
On Friday, August 12, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, economist, author and president of Bennett College for Women, will be the keynote speaker for the Pan African Women’s Action Summit (PAWAS). (For more information on PAWAS, see “Help for women who help” in the July 28 — August 3 issue of the MSR.) The summit focuses on […]
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2011 Freedom Jazz Festival—‘Jazz for the People’—By Robin James, Contributing Writer
In pursuit of summer fun? Jazz fans, you’re in luck. Billed as “one of the most awaited summer music events in the Twin Cities Metro area,” it’s time for the 2011 Annual Freedom Jazz Festival — Jazz for the People! on Saturday, August 13, from 1 to 7 pm at Minnehaha Falls Park (bandstand, 4801 […]
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Riveting book revisits ‘Central Park Jogger’ case to set record straight—Kam Williams, Contributing Writer
“In 1990, Anton McCray, Kevin Richardson, Korey Wise, Yusef Salaam and Raymond Santana, Jr. [were] convicted and sent to prison for a combination of rape, sexual assault and attempted murder of a female jogger named Trisha Meili in Central Park… That the victim had been a 28-year-old, successful, white investment banker and that the [accused] […]
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SOMETHING I SAID By Dwight Hobbes—Crack whores: They didn’t start out that way
Next morning, say, on your way to work, you see, scuttling on the street, tacky, red-eyed women who look like they’ve been up all night, who, at the approach of a cop car, duck in doorways or down alleys, you should withhold condescending judgment. Suspend your certainty that they’re natural-born sluts who inherently prefer whoring […]
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LITTLE BY LITTLE By Matthew Little—Struggles for municipal identity and economic reality
Coming from Richfield to Maplewood, where I live, I became aware for the first time that I touched five different municipalities in the process. Each of the residents of these communities take pride in their residence, regardless of their sizes; and most would take offense if they knew one referred to them as living in […]
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TODAY’S ENTREPRENEUR By Ste Brown—Internet a boon for mobile concession business
The Minneapolis Spokesman-Recorder has provided a platform by which we can help community members see more clearly what is at stake and how area minority entrepreneurs are doing in this depressed economy. While shining a spotlight on local entrepreneurs, we hope to increase readership and provide creative solutions to help find your way out of […]
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FITZ BEAT By Larry Fitzgerald—Vikings get Donovan McNabb!
Give the Vikings ownership credit: They are doing everything it seems possible to win. They have a deal with Arden Hills on a proposed new Vikings stadium site that awaits state approval. In fact, the historic State government shutdown has hurt their cause. Governor Mark Dayton called their stadium proposal “sloppy.” They are two years […]
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ANOTHER VIEW By Charles Hallman—Teresa Edwards and Sheryl Swoopes — once and future Hall of Famers
Teresa Edwards will be inducted August 12 as the only female player in the 10-person Class of 2011 in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. She is the first U.S. player to win four gold medals in Olympic basketball. While sitting and talking about being a Hall of Famer when she was in town […]
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Lynx’s Brunson the best rebounder in Minnesota—By Charles Hallman, staff writer
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer For the record, the best rebounder at the downtown Minneapolis pro basketball arena is not a Minnesota Timberwolves player but instead Minnesota Lynx forward Rebekkah Brunson. Statistically speaking, she was the league’s second-best rebounder last summer, and Brunson currently leads the W in caroms this year. But in all actuality, […]
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Is Peavey Park area being…left to wallow in crime? By Dwight Hobbes, Contributing Writer
Minneapolis’ crack plague over the past two decades has decreased in ravaging the landscape between Elliot Park and Phillips Neighborhood’s southern edge. What was an open-air drug market along Chicago Avenue has closed to a stretch on Franklin Avenue from Chicago to Portland avenues — stubbornly thriving, an eyesore of dealers, customers and hookers doing […]
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Debt-ceiling talk is nothing but trickery
There has been a lot of talk recently about the nation’s debt ceiling and what to do about it. And most of us have ignored the debate because it seems complicated, confusing and it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with us regular folks. And as odd as it sounds, it’s actually a good […]
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THROUGH MY EYES By Ron Edwards—The far right strikes back with violence
When the first reports came out of Oslo, Norway about the July 22, 2011 bomb that exploded in the center of Oslo, killing eight outside the offices of Norway’s prime minister (the target, it was learned later), the first reaction in this country by the news media, both left and right, was that it was […]
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Help for women who help—By Vickie Evans-Nash, Contributing Writer
Volunteering, caring for the sick, the elderly or children, sharing food or other resources with others in the community: These, outside of financial contributions, are all forms of philanthropy that African and American women participate in, most often without support or recognition. “Many in our community don’t use the term philanthropy, although we give in […]
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Chasing the tornado money— By Charles Hallman, Staff Writer
Among those directly affected by the May 22 tornado that struck North Minneapolis are thousands of youth. As a result, some local agencies and organizations are using existing resources as well as funds raised by the Minneapolis Foundation, which set up Minneapolis Helps, to address the need for summer jobs as well as for such […]
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Project Sweetie Pie takes youth from seeds to market—By Paris Porter, Contributing Writer
In January 2011, lifelong community organizer Michael Chaney, founder of the Twin Cities Juneteenth Festival and a member of the Afro Eco board, became inspired by what he considered an unfair attack on North High School. “They were trying to close down North High, so Elizabeth Lasley from North High mentioned that they had been […]
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Aspiring entrepreneur wants to call her own shots—By Dwight Hobbes, Contributing Writer
Catrice Grandberry is a businesswoman in the making, determined and with strong promise. She works retail at a Twin Cities liquor store going on three years now and already is a manager, planning to eventually set up her own shop. The 27-year-old aspirant is laying groundwork. She walked in as a clerk, handling the cash […]
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Locally published book collects wisdom on raising African American sons—A book review By Joseph L. Mbele, Contributing Writer
A Black Parent’s Memoir by Jeffrey Groves and Shatona Kilgore-Groves, M.S., (Minneapolis: Black Parent Group Books, 2010, 94 pages) is a collection of 30 testimonies by African American parents on the issue of raising Black boys. The editors asked them to address four issues: whether the parents were able to connect with their sons and […]
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Urban Jungle will provide community-centered fun for inner-city youth
Urban Jungle will provide community-centered fun for inner-city youth—By Dwight Hobbes, Contributing Writer From the mouths of babes: Lebron Riley, executive director of Urban Jungle, Inc., recalls, “Back in ’94, ’95, [as] a father [with] a bunch of nieces, nephews and cousins, I used to take the kids to parks all the time on the […]