December 2012
Lawyers’ committee submits testimony to senate hearing: ‘Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline’
By Lawyers’ Committee staff Contributing Writers The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL) applauds Senator Richard J. Durbin for convening the important hearing “Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline” before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights on December 12. This hearing will expose the deep inequality in disciplinary practices […]
A nation in pain, a nation whose heart is broken again
When news began to flash across the airways Friday, December 14, that a tragedy was taking place in Newtown, CT, the magnitude and the heartbreak of this violent and insane action began to sink in. Twenty of the 26 lost lives were six- and seven-year-old children dying from multiple gun shots from an assault/combat rifle. […]
Child protection laws should better protect parents and children
For the last decade, I have watched the erosion within the judicial system concerning Children and Family Services’ child protection department. With few options, low budgets and stringent timeline laws, more single mothers and families are being required to sign over custody of their children or suffer the consequences. The purpose of child protection was […]
Young White men in crisis: Race, gender link mass shooters
The most recent massacre, the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, took the lives of six- and seven-year-olds. It has shaken our nation to its core. The enormity of this devastation is incalculable. There are the small coffins of the victims killed during a holiday season at a tender age. It is […]
This Week’s Entertainment Spotlights
Ray Covington Fri., Dec. 28, 9:30 pm Bunker’s Music Bar & Grill 761 Washington Ave. N., Mpls., 612-338-8188 or www.bunkersmusic.com Cover is $7. Sat., Dec. 29, 9:30 pm: Chase and the Ovation:the music of Prince Cover is $7. Every Tues., 9:30 pm: International Reggae Allstars Cover is $6. Soul Tight Committee Fri., Dec. 28, 9 pm Minnesota Music […]
Twin Cities Black Film Festival founder on 10 years of stars and screenings
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Ten years ago, Natalie Morrow wanted to establish an annual Black film screening event on the comparable level as similar events held in Atlanta and Los Angeles. Since then, the Twin Cities Black Film Festival (TCBFF) has been held each September in such places as Augsburg College (twice), at downtown […]
Sports highlights, plus banished words of 2012
Two members of our MSR sports experts’ panel recently released their 2012 best sports stories. Nate Parham of Swish Appeal places at the top of his list the Indiana Fever winning the 2012 WNBA championship. “I think Tamika Catchings [the finals MVP] has done so much for women’s basketball…throughout her career. I think the entire […]
Just the facts! A lack of diversity in Minnesota sports
I hope you had a great Christmas. This time of year grips me like you cannot imagine. It’s a time of joy and reflection. I have taken to social media at FitzBeatSr., my Twitter handle. No Facebook for me. Again I had the suspicion that hatred is very much alive in our country while watching […]
Park Center-Osseo rivalry showcases b-ball talent
Last year in late December a friend of mine, former Minneapolis North and University of Minnesota women’s basketball player ELLEN HEBERT, suggested that I attend a boys’ basketball contest between Park Center and Osseo on Friday, January 6, 2011. I will admit I blew the invitation off at first. I live in St. Paul, and the thought […]
This culture of violence is tearing us apart
Once again the African American is being told he is not human…during the recent acts of murder of 20 innocent children and eight adults in the state of Connecticut. All of a sudden the White majority is outraged because they see themselves as the only human beings. However, we have lost lives across this nation […]
Encore careers: They’re not just for seniors anymore
Upon entering my 40th year, I decided that I needed a mid-life career change. I knew that it would be something drastically different from the course that I had embarked on in 1988 as a bright-eyed, newly graduated genetics student. My growing concern for the economic advancement of women, workforce development, and a desire to […]
Cook to enchant yourself and your loved ones
While sifting through the daily array of political comments, announcements, advertisements, and bundles of self-promoting rants and web links, something on Twitter caught my attention — a tweet from someone in my circle that said: “How you get him, is how you keep him.” I know. I know. It’s the title of a book. But […]
Norovirus: the holiday ‘gift’ nobody wants, but many get
‘Tis the season of giving, but too many Minnesotans this time of year are giving and receiving something nobody wants: norovirus infection and the nasty illness that comes with it. Noroviruses are a group of viruses that can cause inflammation of the stomach and intestines, leading to vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping. Other symptoms can […]
Fiscal cliff most threatening for Blacks, other communities of color
Effects would add more hurt to Great Recession’s impact By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Low- and moderate-income people will immediately be adversely affected if the country plunges over “the fiscal cliff” at the beginning of the year, predicts a former Obama administration member. Automatic tax hikes and spending cuts will take place unless Congress and the […]
‘Study of people’ leads to advising corporations, hosting talk radio
By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer CulTives & Associates CEO/Founder Verona Mitchell’s success at impacting community is no surprise. It stems from a passion for exploring culture and empowering communication. This passion goes back to her days in academia at Bethel University, where she earned her master’s degree in organizational leadership before moving on to a […]
‘No Black talent on the air’
White perspectives dominate local mainstream media By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Black voices are barely heard on local mainstream radio. It’s even worse in local sports radio. “There is no Black talent on the air in the Twin Cities except at KMOJ,” claims KTWN-FM’s Brandon Wright, a nine-year veteran. KFAN “is too White for me,” proclaims […]
This week’s Entertainment spotlights!
The One Love Movement: End of the Year Smokeout with DJ VERB X Mon., Dec. 31, 8 pm First Avenue & 7th Street Entry 701 1st Ave. N., Mpls., 612-332-1775 or www.first-avenue.com Tickets $5 advance, $20 at door. 18+ Christmas with Alexander O’Neal Sat.-Sun., Dec. 22-23, 7 & 9 pm Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant 1010 Nicollet […]