A year after Trump announced a $100-per-person surcharge for foreign visitors at national parks, questions remain about enforcement, alongside removed MLK Day and Juneteenth fee-free days and a Trump portrait now replacing a photo contest winner on the America the Beautiful pass. Contributing writer Anya Armentrout breaks down what’s changed.
Juneteenth
Posted inTheater
Rose McGee’s ‘Kumbayah’ marks 30 years of telling freedom’s story
Rose McGee’s “Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story” marked 30 years at St. Paul’s The O’Shaughnessy, with cast members drawing direct lines from the play’s history to Operation Metro Surge and police brutality today. Ella Stern reports.
Posted inCoaching while Black
Eight teams, one Juneteenth
Eight Twin Cities high school boys’ basketball teams gathered at Hoop Habits in Eden Prairie for a Juneteenth showcase of unity and competition, and all eight programs share one thing in common: every head coach is Black.
Posted inFood
Patience is a form of power
Food columnist Lachelle Cunningham writes about chasing her great-grandmother’s fried green tomatoes, giving a Juneteenth keynote at Carleton College and finally claiming her voice as a writer, a healer and a social justice thought leader, with recipes for fried green tomatoes and potlikker mocktails.
Posted inArts + Culture
Soul of the Southside continues to grow as a Juneteenth tradition
Soul of the Southside returned to the Lake Street and Minnehaha corridor on June 19 for its fifth year, drawing thousands of residents, businesses, artists and families to one of the Twin Cities’ largest Juneteenth celebrations, with founders Emmanuel and Fancy Duncan reflecting on what it has become.
Posted inThe Prep Scene
North graduates return to host free camp
Three North High School alumni now in the NFL, Omar Brown, Bobby Jamison-Travis and Tyler Johnson, returned to Minneapolis on Juneteenth to host a free Sports Performance Camp for local youth, with plans to make it an annual tradition.
Posted inLocal & State
Elders reflect on struggle, survival and hope at Juneteenth brunch
Black Lives Matter Minnesota gathered elders, advocates and community members for a Juneteenth morning brunch honoring Valerie Castile, Jeweliean Jackson and others who have carried the movement, with MSR CEO and Publisher Tracey Williams-Dillard also recognized with a Celebrating Revolutionary Sistas award.
Posted inOpinion
Juneteenth, America at 250, and the hole in the soul of our democracy
Wade Henderson argues that the denial of congressional representation to more than 700,000 Washington D.C. residents is a national civil rights issue, not a local one, and calls on Congress to pass D.C. statehood as part of the unfinished work of American democracy.
Posted inFrom the Publisher
Juneteenth is a day of joy, and a day of reckoning
MSR CEO and Publisher Tracey Williams-Dillard reflects on the meaning of Juneteenth in a political moment that is testing the durability of hard-won freedoms, and reaffirms the Spokesman-Recorder’s commitment to bearing witness to Black life in all of its complexity, grief and glory.
Posted inWhat's Hot
MSR What’s Hot This Weekend | June 19–21
MSR’s What’s Hot roundup for June 19-21 features Juneteenth Freedom in Motion, Soul of the Southside on East Lake Street, a free multimedia exhibition and the Twin Cities Jazz Festival all weekend at Mears Park.
Posted inEvents
Movie on the Farm: Watch Farming While Black Under the Stars This Juneteenth
Frogtown Farm is hosting a free outdoor screening of Farming While Black on June 19 at Frogtown Park and Farm in St. Paul, inviting the community to gather under the evening sky this Juneteenth to reflect on Black land stewardship, food sovereignty and liberation.
Posted inEvents
The Black Parachute Is Giving Away Free Journals for Black Men Across the Twin Cities
The Black Parachute founder Josh Cobb is bringing free guided journals and mental wellness resources directly to Black men across the Twin Cities through a series of pop-up events this summer, with stops at Juneteenth celebrations and community events through August.
Posted inOpinion
Reclaiming Juneteenth in a time of backlash
Cicley Gay of BLM reflects on Juneteenth as a celebration of Black joy and a call to resist erasure. “Freedom includes the right for everyone to play, to dream, and to live fully.”
Posted inLocal & State
For Black Collective Foundation, the new philanthropy is community-driven
The Black Collective Foundation MN celebrated Juneteenth with its Rooted & Radiant brunch—honoring Black joy, reflection, and leadership while advancing bold, community-led change.
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.
Posted inEvents
Juneteenth at the Capitol offers something for everyone
This year’s Juneteenth celebration at the Capitol is a vibrant mix of music, opportunity, and purpose featuring a career fair, credit union launch, and free community resources.
Posted inEvents
Minnesota Humanities Center steps up with with weeks-long Juneteenth celebration
The Minnesota Humanities Center’s Juneteenth celebration includes four events featuring food historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris, civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill, a new documentary, and a theatrical tribute to Black resilience.
Posted inCommunity Voices
Black men in America are in a state of emergency
As Juneteenth arrives and the memory of George Floyd remains fresh, one Minnesota father calls for renewed focus. The energy of 2020 has faded, but the need for systemic support for Black men and boys remains urgent. It’s time to finish what we started.
Posted inOpinion
Juneteenth is Just One of Many Emancipation Days—We Must Remember the Rest
Juneteenth marks a historic milestone in the long fight for Black liberation — but the truth behind emancipation is far more painful. This powerful commentary reveals how many “freedoms” came with a cost.
Posted inEducation
Appreciating Black cotillions as acts of resistance
As Juneteenth approaches, Dr. Nikita Harris is preserving the rich legacy of Black cotillions — not just as tradition, but as historic acts of resistance and leadership.