Long before Barack Obama and Kamala Harris, early Black presidential candidates challenged racism, voter suppression, and political exclusion while paving the way for future generations.
Black history
Posted inSpecial Edition - Echoes of Unity
Museum carries King’s vision of unity through history
In the Echoes of Unity Special Edition, the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery highlights how Black history, art, and storytelling foster unity and healing.
Posted inSpecial Edition - Echoes of Unity
Cliff Johnson: From Jacksonville Juke Joints to West Point’s First African American Bandsman
In the Echoes of Unity Special Edition, Cliff Johnson reflects on music, perseverance, and breaking barriers as the first Black member of the West Point Band.
Posted inSpecial Edition - Echoes of Unity
Dr. Artika Tyner: Building unity through education and community leadership
In the Echoes of Unity Special Edition, Dr. Artika Tyner shares how education, culture, and kinship networks empower leadership and strengthen communities across generations.
Posted inNational
The Best Things to Happen to Black People in 2025
The best things to happen to Black people in 2025 showcase excellence, progress, and joy across culture, sports, education, and community.
Posted inNational
Black America’s Cultural Giants Lost in 2025
The losses came steadily in 2025 as Black America mourned artists, activists, athletes, and cultural leaders whose work shaped history and community across generations.
Posted inSports
More Black history made at The Barn
Last Wednesday’s Minnesota-Alabama A&M women’s basketball game at Williams Arena was a historical one in nature. All three game officials were Black, the first time at The Barn this season. It was the only WBB game coached by a Black woman — second-year Dawn Thornton. “Even to hear the Negro National Anthem was something that […]
Posted inLocal & State
Roger Clarke: A life of courage, leadership, and lasting impact
Roger Clarke’s legacy at Augsburg University lives on through his leadership as a Black Student Union president, mentor, and advocate for equity during a critical moment in campus history.
Posted inLocal & State
Minnesota honors Gordon Parks with living memorial
On a snow-lashed winter afternoon on Nov. 30 at Landmark Center, Minnesota lawmakers, cultural leaders, and members of the Gordon Parks family formally announced the creation of the Gordon Parks Living Memorial, a long-awaited public tribute to the legendary photographer, filmmaker, author, and humanitarian whose artistic journey began in Minnesota and reshaped global culture. The […]
Posted inArts + Culture
How Grant West helped students find their musical voices
For nearly four decades, Grant West has been a guiding force in St. Paul’s arts and culture landscape — an educator, advocate and community builder whose belief in the power of music has shaped generations of young musicians. As co-founder of Walker West Music Academy, West has helped students discover their talents while creating one […]
Posted inArtists
Eliza Winston exhibit illuminates Minnesota’s complicated history with slavery
Hennepin History Museum’s new exhibit centers Eliza Winston, whose 1860 court victory made her the first person to legally secure freedom in Minnesota, while confronting the state’s quiet complicity in slavery.
Posted inNews
We are witnessing Jim Crow 2.0
From book bans to museum censorship, attempts to sanitize U.S. history are accelerating. Denise Forte warns that “Jim Crow 2.0” is here—undermining education, truth, and democracy. Here’s why resisting historical erasure matters, and what must happen now.
Posted inEvents
Eliza Winston Exhibit Honors Minnesota’s Hidden History of Courage and Resistance
The Hennepin History Museum’s new exhibit, “Winston: A Woman’s Fight for Freedom in Minnesota,” spotlights Eliza Winston—the enslaved woman who won her freedom in an 1860 Minneapolis courtroom. Rare documents, artifacts, and new art reveal Minnesota’s hidden history of courage and resistance.
Posted inTelevision
Andrew Young Documentary Revisits the ‘Dirty Work’ Behind the Civil Rights Movement
A new MSNBC documentary, “Andrew Young: The Dirty Work,” highlights the hidden labor that held the civil rights movement together and the lessons the 93-year-old diplomat and former Atlanta mayor wants to pass on today.
Posted inMSR In the News
City nominates Spokesman-Recorder for national historic recognition
After a year-long study, Minneapolis is advancing National Register nominations for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, and the former home of Harry Davis Sr. The effort recognizes Black history, secures access to preservation funding, and lays groundwork for future listings.
Posted inTelevision
Fashioning Black Prestige: How HBO’s The Gilded Age Dresses Status, Power, and Legacy
HBO’s The Gilded Age shows how Black high society used fashion as resistance and refinement. From Peggy Scott to the Kirklands, clothing becomes a statement of survival and power.
Posted inOpinion
The MLK files endgame: Erase the man, then erase the holiday
The release of over 230,000 FBI files on Dr. King isn’t about truth — it’s about erasure. These coordinated attacks are designed to unravel civil rights progress and silence Black history. We must resist.
Posted inFashion
Polo Ralph Lauren Honors Black History and Style with Oak Bluffs Collection
Polo Ralph Lauren honors Oak Bluffs, a historic Black community on Martha’s Vineyard, with a new collection designed by Morehouse and Spelman alumni. The launch includes a powerful documentary and support for cultural preservation.
Posted inNational
Dr. King’s ‘Papers’ reveal surprising details
A new volume in “The Papers of Martin Luther King Jr.” archive reveals powerful insights into King’s relentless work and the everyday people—like Mother Pollard—who helped shape the Civil Rights Movement.
Posted inOpinion
Aunt Lottie’s memory and Juneteenth 2025
Juneteenth is both personal and historic for Steven Rogers, whose ancestors Richard and Susan Duty were freed from slavery in 1865 and helped build a thriving Black community in Louisiana. Their legacy lives on.