There’s too much emphasis on White and not enough on win The elephant in the middle of the sports living room is back: another round of a decreasing number of Black quarterbacks (irrespective of RGIII, the phenomenal Black quarterback of the Washington Redskins). Sports columnists in this paper periodically hint at it in terms of Minnesota. […]
December 2012
Posted inOpinion
Top issues for Blacks this legislative session
There are going to be a lot of issues on the table in the 2013 legislative session, and this columnist is going to be involved in and writing about issues that have a direct impact on the Black community. With regards to the issue of felons’ right to vote in Minnesota, Blacks are released back […]
Posted inOpinion
Letter to the Editor: Spike Moss: a true hero
I came to Minnesota when I was 16 years old. I am now 50. Spike Moss was in charge of the WAY when I was a teenager. While he never seeks accolades, I think it is important that people know that Spike Moss was instrumental in saving so many youth through his program at the […]
Posted inOpinion
Opportunity and diversity one industry at a time
By Benjamin Todd Jealous Guest Commentator There is a missing component to the national discussion concerning how to strengthen and rebuild the American economy. It is true that high unemployment, a weak national infrastructure, the need for stronger public education, the concentration of wealth and the deficit are all challenges to the nation’s economy, but […]
Posted inSports
Twins outdo Wolves as Whitest pro team in Minnesota
Unless things change, the Minnesota Twins won’t have a single African American player on its opening day roster for the 2013 season. In the span of a week — no pun intended — the team unloaded its last two Black players, outfielders Denard Span and Ben Revere, to National League teams. Soon after last season […]
Posted inSports
Top performers in boys’ hoops
The boys’ basketball season is off and running, and some of the state’s top players are already serving notice that they will be heard from before the season is over. Check out these top performances so far: QUINTON HOOKER (Park Center) — The leading candidate for Mr. Basketball dropped 26 in a 72-70 victory over […]
Posted inSports
Vikings lean on Peterson in 21-14 win
The Vikings ended a two-game losing streak with 21-14 win over Chicago before 64,134 fans at Mall of America Field Sunday while the first winter storm of 2012 was pounding the area with as much as a foot of snow on the Metrodome roof. The great Adrian Peterson continued his remarkable MVP-like season. His march […]
Posted inSports
Overall, hiring of Black college coaches has improved
But there have been setbacks; some still resist transparent coaching searches The Black Coaches and Administrators (BCA) recently released its 2011-12 “Hiring Report Card for NCAA, FBS and FCS Football Head Coaching Positions.” According to the BCA, there has been a 600-percent increase in the number of Black coaches at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Documentary confronts us with the grim realities of Black AIDS
By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer Released earlier this year, Endgame: AIDS in Black America (PBS-DVD), produced and directed by Renata Stone for WGBH/FRONTLINE, is an important documentary for the subject alone, keeping up awareness of a medical crisis many choose not to think about, much less candidly discuss. Stone also is producer of The Age […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Media justice activists develop racial equity pledge
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Nearly 50 persons attended “A Gathering for Media Justice” held last weekend at Hamline University for community members and local non-mainstream media representatives. Sponsored by Community Action Against Racism (CAAR), Main Street Project and KFAI-FM, the December 8 half-day “conversation-based” event discussed media justice issues with an emphasis on local […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
When good people essentially do nothing
Power, politics, and policy and the influence they have over African American people According to Pastor Terrance Jacobs, former director with the Gamaliel Organization who was appointed to Africa, power is the concentration of “organized people and organized money” (taken from the Alinsky model). Pastor Jacobs went on to explain, at the Minneapolis Neighborhood Hub’s […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Enjoy your holidays in moderation, and stay motivated
The holidays are in full swing! Christmas parties at work, family gatherings, and a host of other events are filled with sweet treats — I love the holidays and the spirit that they bring, but my waistline doesn’t love the sweet treats (or maybe it loves them too much). Every year, the holidays present us […]
Posted inNews
Miss Black MN USA crowns two young queens
Krystle Igo-Ogbonna was crowned 2013 Miss Black Minnesota USA on Sunday, November 11, 2012 at the Hopkins Community Center Eisenhower Theater. At the same event, Shamerah Norman was crowned 2013 Miss Black Minnesota USA Talented Teen. Both young women will represent Minnesota at the 2013 Miss Black USA Scholarship Pageant. Krystle is the daughter of […]
Posted inNews
MSR web exclusive: AP’s discouraging ‘homophobia’ is discouraging
Newspaper style manual picks the wrong word to tell media not to use The editors at the Associated Press Stylebook have announced that they are “discouraging” use of the word “homophobia.” The AP Stylebook is the widely used guide that media use to standardize terms and general usage. Why should the LGBTQ community be in […]
Posted inNews
Minnesota Timberwolves: The ‘Whitest team in the NBA’ has an even Whiter front office
Director of basketball operations counts coaching staff as front-office staff to claim diversity By Charles Hallman Staff Writer The National Basketball Association for years has been graded as “the most racially diverse group of players of the major professional sports” by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES). Seventy-two percent of its […]
Posted inNews
Janis Lane-Ewart leaves KFAI — Station struggles to increase online and airwave audiences
By Sheila Regan Contributing Writer As if to complete the trifecta, this week Janis Lane-Ewart became the third female executive director of a Twin Cities community media institution to leave her position, following Pam Colby from MTN and Jane Minton from IFP. Lane-Ewart, who had been the executive director of KFAI since 2001 (and host […]
Posted inNews
School board member commits to focusing on achievement gap
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Second priority: effective school leadership After years of being an advocate for her own children as well as the children of others, Kim Ellison took “the next step” earlier this year when she applied and later was named a Minneapolis School Board member to finish up former board member Lydia […]
Posted inSports
In college sport, it’s still a White man’s world
An unfortunate imbalance continues in college sport according to the latest report by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES): White men run the show, and women in particular, in spite of Title IX, are losing ground rather than making progress. TIDES Director Richard Lapchick said last week in “Mild Progress Continues: Assessing […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Mpls psychologist receives award for professional excellence
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Minnesota presented Minneapolis psychologist Bravada Garrett-Akinsanya, executive director of the African American Child Wellness Institute and president of the Brakins Consulting and Psychological Services, with a Professional of the Year award at its Annual Conference, held Nov. 3 in St. Paul. The award recognizes a professional who […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Enjoy a healthy holiday season
Often, when we hear the term “healthy relationship” we think of intimate or romantic relations. However, healthy relationships expand past your partner and you. We need healthy relationships amongst members in our families and communities to be healthy individuals ourselves. The holiday season is a period of time when families come together, share stories, catch […]