Sports Facility Authority and the Minnesota Vikings Will the “Stadium Powers” (Minnesota Legislature, Minneapolis City Council, Vikings, NFL and the Minnesota Facilities Sports Authority that oversees the stadium construction project), all regarding the Vikings (“people’s” “no new taxes”) stadium, stand up for fairness in employment and equity or hide behind the skirts of a “best […]
January 2013
Posted inOpinion
Changing negative behavior? — First, change the company you keep
Last month, a young man who read some of my columns sent me a response letter. In it, he described some of his struggles with making changes in his behavior to improve his life. He mentioned that he can’t figure out why he continues to get caught up in his old ways, even when he […]
Posted inOpinion
Emancipation Proclamation and our collective history
By Benjamin Todd Jealous Guest Commentator The Emancipation Proclamation, which set our nation on the path to the end of slavery, was signed 150 years ago this month. This year, we should resolve to teach our children the story of our collective history. The past century and a half offers countless tales of bravery and […]
Posted inOpinion
St. Cloud: Desperate need to maintain racism has its costs
By Merle Cooper Guest Commentator Recession recovery has been difficult for the most egalitarian, innovative and progressive communities. St. Cloud’s recovery is thwarted as much by area economic conditions and failures as by addiction to racism as low self-image compensation. After 159 years of bigotry carefully driven and exploited by local leaders assuming there’s no […]
Posted inOpinion
Unchained to portray Black slavery? Was there a politically correct way for Django Unchained to portray Black slavery?
The start of 2013 is making it difficult to avoid one of America’s greatest sins — slavery. We’ve just marked the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and a plethora of films, documentaries and TV specials are scheduled to address slavery. One blockbuster hit that’s playing in cinemas now, and is likely to walk away […]
Posted inNews
New approach to health care uses holistic model
Focus on wellness and prevention is the healthcare wave of the future By Charles Hallman Staff Writer NorthPoint Health and Wellness, Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health, Hennepin County Medical Center and Metropolitan Health Plan are partners in Hennepin Health, a local accountable care organization (ACO) pilot program that began last January. ACOs are […]
Posted inNews
Bell ringer helps Salvation Army stand in the gap for those in need
This past season, you may have walked by Willie Daniels downtown in either Minneapolis or St. Paul, ringing a Salvation Army bell in one of those Santa get-ups. You’d know if it was him or not. He’d be one of the ones who wasn’t standing there, looking bored half to death. He’d be one of […]
Posted inNews
NCAA grant targets sports admin glass ceiling St. Paul native calls Augsburg job ‘a perfect fit’
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Jennifer Jacobs is among the few Black females in the Twin Cities currently working in athletic administration. She is finding it “a perfect fit” for her. Jacobs, a St. Paul native, was named assistant director for compliance at Augsburg College in Minneapolis last summer as part of a two-year NCAA […]
Posted inArts + Culture
This week’s Entertainment spotlights!
Onuinu Thurs., Jan. 17, 8 pm (in the Entry) First Avenue & 7th Street Entry 701 1st Ave. N., Mpls., 612-332-1775 www.first-avenue.com With All Eyes and Votel Tickets are $7. This event is for ages 18+. Mike E. Winfield Tues.-Thurs., Jan. 15-17, 8 pm, and Fri.-Sat., Jan. 18-19, 8 & 10:30 pm: Acme Comedy Co. […]
Posted inArts + Culture
Gordon Parks film goes beyond Life photos, Shaft movie to reveal his life’s work
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer To call Gordon Parks (1912-2006) a Renaissance man might be an understatement to those who knew the late photographer, filmmaker, writer and composer. Born the youngest of 15 children in Fort Scott, Kansas, his father sent the teenage Parks to St. Paul to live with an older sister after their […]
Posted inOpinion
The abuse of Black children in MN’s education system — Highlighting the Mpls. and Bloomington districts
Thurgood Marshall wrote: “None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody — a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns — bent down and helped us pick up our boots.” But what if you have no boots? The chilling […]
Posted inOpinion
New Year resolutions: Protect children from violence, poverty
By Marian Wright Edelman Guest Commentator As New Year’s Eve countdowns wound down, many people turned to the familiar ritual of taking stock of where they are now to make resolutions for what they can do better in the new year. We all measure our accomplishments and shortcomings in different ways. Some people count numbers […]
Posted inOpinion
Spielberg’s Lincoln begs the question: Where is Fred?
By Marc Morial Guest Commentator “If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning.” — Frederick Douglass. No doubt many of you will take the opportunity during the […]
Posted inOpinion
North Carolina NAACP statement on pardon of Wilmington 10
Today the spirit of justice was awakened in the capital of North Carolina. Governor Beverly Perdue signed a Pardon of Innocence for nine men and one woman known as The Wilmington 10. These young people were nonviolent protestors fighting for educational equality. They were framed, wrongfully convicted and incarcerated in connection to a fire bombing […]
Posted inSports
U of M assistant coach helps guards transition to college play
The main teaching point Saul Smith stresses to the Minnesota Gophers basketball guards he works with is tempo. “As a former point guard, I think tempo is going to be crucial to any player. “[Controlling] tempo — whether that’s faster or slow, whatever you play — you are going to be more successful. This is […]
Posted inSports
Now we’ll never know
GREEN BAY — The NFL’s most successful franchise, the 13-time World Champion Green Bay Packers, eliminated the Minnesota Vikings 24-10 Saturday before 71,548 fans and a national television audience on NBC at historic Lambeau Field. The Packers now advance to play San Francisco next Saturday in the Divisional round. The incredible 2,097-yard rushing potential MVP […]
Posted inSports
Prep Scene: Faced with a tough choice, I opted for history
Last Thursday evening, I had a choice to make. The top-rated team in Class 3A boys’ basketball, DeLaSalle, was scheduled to play Park Center, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 4A. Across the metro, a girls’ basketball matchup was scheduled between Robbinsdale Cooper, a Class 4A team among the top 20, and DeLaSalle, ranked No. […]
Posted inSports
Twitter accounts pose new challenges for college athletes
A new study has found that college student-athletes use Twitter to stay in contact with family and friends, but it also allows fans to be overly negative toward the players. “The Positives and Negatives of Twitter: Exploring How Student Athletes Use Twitter and Respond to Critical Tweets” by Clemson Assistant Communication Studies Professor Jimmy Sanderson […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Single payer health care essential to reducing healthcare disparities
By Andrea Parrott Contributing Writer After daily witnessing situations in which patients suffered or had to make decisions detrimental to their health due to difficulties in accessing health care, Dr. Elizabeth Frost and Dr. Ann Settgast had enough. They felt they had to do something that would allow everyone to have health insurance and access […]