Conclusion of a two-part story By Charles Hallman Staff Writer LGBT people of color often are seen as “double-outsiders” in their respective communities, says the Opportunity Agenda report on LGBT issues and race released in September. The report, “Public Opinion and Discourse on the Intersection of LGBT Issues and Race,” examined current public opinion and how […]
October 2012
Posted inResources
Living, surviving, and thriving with a disability
Living (the early years) I am in the middle of my fifth decade of life. I acquired my disability at the age of two and one half years old. Living with a disability is a mighty challenge for anyone. My disability happened early in my life, so I have always been a […]
Posted inOpinion
Living, surviving, and thriving with a disability
Living (the early years) I am in the middle of my fifth decade of life. I acquired my disability at the age of two and one half years old. Living with a disability is a mighty challenge for anyone. My disability happened early in my life, so I have always been a member of the […]
Posted inResources
Food as a weapon: Welcome to a ‘new age of food justice’
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Kwasi Nate Russell has studied the corridor on Minneapolis’ North Side from West Broadway Avenue, starting at Washington Avenue and east toward Girard Avenue, and discovered nearly 20 “major and minor fast-food/ junk-food establishments.” LaDonna Redmond, a senior program associate at the Minneapolis- based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Food as a weapon: Welcome to a ‘new age of food justice’
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Kwasi Nate Russell has studied the corridor on Minneapolis’ North Side from West Broadway Avenue, starting at Washington Avenue and east toward Girard Avenue, and discovered nearly 20 “major and minor fast-food/ junk-food establishments.” LaDonna Redmond, a senior program associate at the Minneapolis- based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Black women: Reclaim your sacredness as containers for the spirit of our people
First of a three part column In my last article, I highlighted culture as a resource for healing, building, and creating financial prosperity among African American people. The central message expressed was the importance of a return to an intellectual heritage and ancient self, which I see as the first step in moving toward community development. Randall Robinson opens […]
Posted inNews
Nat’l NAACP president motivates audience to action
Activist makes commitment to help solve problems facing local Blacks By Charles Hallman Staff Writer National NAACP President and CEO Ben Jealous says that Minnesota “is more like Mississippi than it should be.” Having once worked in Mississippi, a state known for its poor education and high prison rates, Jealous, the featured speaker at the October […]
Posted inNews
Penumbra Theatre Co. flips the script to meet economic challenge
Financial state result of administration’s failure to watch cash flow By James L. Stroud, Jr. Contributing Writer Penumbra Theatre Company (PTC), one of the nation’s largest African American theaters, has suspended its programming for the year. This decision is due to a cash-flow challenge, which prompted PTC to lay off six of its 16 full-time […]
Posted inNews
A conversation with Maya Angelou
Renaissance woman speaks on Tyler Perry, Obama and ‘the sweet language’ By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Maya Angelou is a renowned “renaissance woman” who as a teenager became San Francisco’s first Black female cable-car conductor, and worked with both Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. James Baldwin […]
Posted inNews
Light rail construction poses threat to surrounding businesses
Black-owned club struggles to stay open while losing customers By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer Progress at what cost? Metro Transit’s impeding connection of the Twin Cities through light rail, all things being equal, is a step into the future. Hooking Minneapolis and St. Paul up with convenient, super-fast means of commuter travel and transport on […]
Posted inArts + Culture
This week’s entertainment spotlights
Acoustic Africa: Dobet Gnahoré, Manu Gallo and Kareyce Fotso Sun,, Oct. 21, 7 and 9 pm Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-332-1010 or www.dakotacooks.com Acoustic Africa 2012 focuses on the richness of the African traditions of the voice and the song, featuring three of the continent’s most dynamic up-and-coming vocal […]
Posted inArts + Culture
Black girl speaks: a play and artistic movement
Talitha V. Anyabwele’s Black Girl Speaks, makes its area premiere, launching the 2012-13 national tour, at a most appropriate venue, North Minneapolis’ Capri Theater. After all, where better to honor African American women with this celebrated production than the heart of the Black Twin Cities. Author-director-performer-producer Anyabwele states this theatrical experience is, “a series of […]
Posted inOpinion
Vikings stadium officials promise 32 percent diversity hiring!
But no one seems to have a copy of the equity plan At a small, special meeting I attended at the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) Wednesday, October 10 that included MSFA Chairwoman Michele Kelm-Helgen and Executive Director Ted Mondale, we discussed the so-far nonexistent equity plan for the Vikings stadium that would include African […]
Posted inOpinion
We must challenge and change our system of mass incarceration
“Police!” The shout from outside the front door was followed by the house shaking violently from a stampede of police exploding through the door. I was a terrified four-year-old in Spiderman pajamas staring at high-powered assault rifles aimed at me and my mother. After ransacking our home, the police soon realized that they had raided […]
Posted inOpinion
Power is in your person
By Marian Wright Edelman Guest Commentator “You know, when we started the farm workers movement, I remember going to many conferences, and people [kept asking] how do we do this?… We had to convince people that they have power. “Of course, when you say to a farm worker who doesn’t speak the English language, doesn’t […]
Posted inOpinion
What if Romney wins?
By Raynard Jackson Guest Commentator With the presidential election right around the corner and most of the pundits saying the race is Obama’s to lose, I have begun to ponder the possibility that Romney might win and the impact that would have on the Black community. Romney has been polling around zero percent of the […]
Posted inSports
WNBA President Laurel Richie Photo by Sophia Hantzes
It was “a terrific summer for women’s sports,” proclaimed WNBA President Laurel Richie in her second “State of the League” address on Sunday prior to the first game of the 2012 Finals. From Title IX’s 40-year celebration to the USA women’s basketball team’s fifth consecutive gold medal, “We were very, very proud that all 12 […]
Posted inSports
Fitzgerald second-fastest ever to 10,000 yards
PHOENIX — Two teams off to good solid starts and looking to bounce back after tough losses, the 4-2 Vikings and the 4-2 Cardinals, meet Sunday at Mall of America Field. The losses: Washington 38-Vikings 26 and Buffalo 19-Arizona 16 in overtime. The Cardinals started 4-0 and have lost two straight. The Vikings and Cardinals […]
Posted inSports
Central, Washburn keep winning championships
St. Paul Central captured its fifth-straight City Conference football title, and Minneapolis Washburn won its 11th consecutive crown last Friday. But that is only part of the story. Both teams are coached by former players who went on to play at the collegiate level and then chose to give back to their alma maters. To […]