October 5, 2023 - MN Spokesman-Recorder

How to revitalize Downtown?

ThefirstinaserieslookingatplanstoremakedowntownMinneapolis

By H. Jiahong Pan

Contributing Writer

rowing up in Minneapolis, Selena Smith remembered downtown Minneapolis being more family-friendly. Downtown had clothing stores like J.C. Penneys and Howard’s. It also had bathrooms.

Today, she dreads going downtown. “There’s no sense stopping through,” said Smith as she rode a Route 18 bus going south on Nicollet one day earlier this summer. “If you go downtown, there aren’t gonna be any bathrooms. The culture has changed. The level of violence has gone up. Humanity has gone down.”

For years, the powers that be have tried to remake downtown Minneapolis using bulldozers, fences, promotional events and activities, and even through an enhanced police presence. Yet it never seems city officials are able to achieve their vision, in part because their vision does not seem to be what people want.

The pandemic forced many downtown workers to begin working from

home, and many are continuing to do so. Using data from mobile devices, the University of Toronto School of Cities found that Minneapolis is one of the slowest cities in the country to recover its downtown activity, with 40 percent fewer people spending time downtown compared to before the pandemic began. Downtown retailers closed as the pandemic took hold, some before the pandemic (Saks Off Fifth) and some after (Nord-

strom Rack and Marshalls).

Additionally, a study by commercial real estate company Avison Young found that at least 21 percent of downtown Minneapolis office space was available for lease earlier this spring. And Metro Transit commuter express routes are among the slowest in the system to recover: Ridership this past winter was at 262,737, or 14 percent of ridership during the same period in 2019.

Black woman beaten in Duluth after dispute

people to the former Gateway District to sample cuisine from various food trucks.

By H. Jiahong Pan Contributing Writer

eople in Duluth are crying foul after two White men were cited for beating a Black woman nearly to death last month at a Duluth bar.

Late on the evening of September 12, Michelle Folson was brutally beaten at the Rustic Bar, located in the Spirit Valley neighborhood in southwestern Duluth.

Folson and witnesses say the White men, Scott Rabold and Mylon Griak, both of Duluth, stomped and kicked Folson in the head and face so badly that she lost consciousness.

Folson said nobody at the bar called the police or otherwise intervened, and that the bartender on duty at the time had the blood washed off of the premises before police arrived.

Duluth police say that the two men intervened in a confrontation between Folson and a White woman that “got physical.” The White men re-

portedly separated the two and proceeded to beat Folson. The White woman is associated with the two White men.

Photos Folson posted on social media show her glasses and shirt stained with blood.

Folson told the MSR she was “not satisfied” with the fact that the two White men were cited for simple assault by the Duluth city attorney. She was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, which can hinder cognitive ability.

Locals said that, according to bar representatives, surveillance cameras at the bar were not working. However, representatives of the Rustic Bar reportedly turned over footage of the incident to Duluth police two days after they requested it.

The Duluth NAACP is working to support Folson. Her daughter, Katasia Khabeer, started a GoFundMe for Folson. It has raised $11,070 of the $50,000 goal as of this writing.

The Duluth NAACP is ask-

ing those who have information that can help with the investigation to contact them. Having reviewed footage of the incident, the organization released a statement in late September calling for those involved in Folson’s beating to be charged with third degree assault. “We believe that the altercation in conjunction with the victim’s recorded injuries easily meet the state’s standards for third degree assault that require ‘substantial bodily harm,’” said the Duluth NAACP on Facebook.

The St. Louis County Attorney’s Office reportedly declined to pursue charges against the two White men, according to the Duluth Police Department. The county attorney’s office did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

Meanwhile, a rally on the Sunday after the assault was organized by two Duluth residents and friends of Folson’s daughter, Lily Zontelli and ■ See DULUTH BAR on page 5

Still, the city has tried to attract visitors to downtown. They’ve closed North 1st Avenue to cars on Friday and Saturday evenings so food trucks can park and people can sing karaoke and play lawn games. Those events, which last to 3 a.m., are sparsely attended, even during a recent Twins game.

The city has had more success partnering to host one-off events such as the “Taste of Minnesota,” an event that attracted over 100,000

Struggle to define Downtown Downtown Minneapolis has long been the center of a power struggle between powerful business interests and the working class. The Minneapolis Downtown Council created Aquatennial in the 1940s to distract from annual picnics organized by local unions to commemorate the deadly 1934 General Strike, where two striking workers were killed. In the late 1950s, as corporations like General Mills fled to the suburbs, the city bulldozed the Gateway District. Civic leaders decided downtown Minneapolis needed to look like a “suburban campus,” according to what Andy Sturdevant wrote in the book “Downtown: Minneapolis in the 1970s.” Entities like bars, pawnshops, social service agencies, rooming houses that housed migrant workers, even a small Chinatown fell to the wrecking ball.

■ See MINNEAPOLIS on page 5

Ramsey County investigation into Yia Xiong case delayed

By Cole Miska Contributing Writer

ast month, the Coalition for Justice for Yia Xiong held a press conference at St. Paul City Hall to discuss the progress—or the lack thereof—in the investigation into Xiong’s killing at the hands of law enforcement.

The coalition’s chair, Snowdon Herr, expressed frustration with the Ramsey County Attorney’s office for delaying the release of the findings in

and would not be available until October or November.

Xiong was killed by St. Paul Police Department (SPPD) Officer Abdirahman Dahir on Feb. 11, 2023, after 911 calls were made about Xiong holding a knife at a child’s birthday party. Herr says the knife Xiong was holding was a “cuaj puam,” which is a type of traditional Hmong knife that nearly every Hmong family owns and is commonly used for cutting meat, wood, or plants while gardening.

Herr said. “We are doing our best to push this from behind the scenes and on the ground.”

Kong Xiong (no relation to Yia Xiong) showed up to show support for Yia Xiong’s family. Kong Xiong believes that the Ramsey County Attorney’s office is delaying its findings to try and thwart the Justice For Yia Xiong Coalition.

“They’re trying to intentionally make the family wait,” Kong Xiong said. “And we know this. We’ve seen this before, especially with what

their investigation into the killing of Xiong. “We met [in the Ramsey County Attorney’s office] on July 20, and we had been told that [investigation results] will be announced sometime in September,” Herr said. “Right now, it’s mid-September,” Herr said at the time.

Snowdon said the coalition wrote a letter to Jeffrey Noble, an investigator hired by the Ramsey County Attorney’s office, to request a timeline for when the findings would be available. Herr says Noble replied that findings were delayed

Dahir and SPPD Officer Noushue Cha attempted to gain access to Xiong’s apartment after arriving on scene. When Xiong, who was hard of hearing and did not have a strong understanding of the English language, emerged from his apartment holding the cuaj puam, Dahir fatally shot Xiong with his rifle.

“In the last seven months, we have spoken directly to Mayor Carter, Police Chief Axel Henry, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Ramsey County Attorney John Choi,”

they’ve done to the Black community too. We know that this is one of their tactics.”

Mai Tong Xiong, Yia Xiong’s daughter, called for the case to be brought before a jury, and spoke of mourning her father’s death.

“Instead of counting [Yia’s] birthdays, I’m counting the months, if not years, it will take to get justice,” Mai Tong Xiong said. “Instead of counting to 66, I will be starting at one, counting the anniversaries of his death. A number for

Front (l-r) Snowdon Herr, Michelle Gross and Mai Tong Xiong Photo by Cole Miska

Rustic Bar in Duluth, site of the assault

Photos courtesy of Facebook

Local nonprofit provides a lifeline to East Africa

By Abdi Mohamed Contributing Writer

For more than 20 years, the American Relief Agency for the Horn of Africa (ARAHA) has been serving the region through the work of the African diaspora and Muslim communities in Minnesota. Since its launch, ARAHA has been able to serve millions of meals and provide educational and economic resources to communities located in East Africa that have been inundated with several crises relating to famine and war.

The organization began in 2000, when several members of the East African community found themselves compelled to address the famine in Ethiopia.

Muna Scekomar, the marketing director of ARAHA, stated that the founders of the organization had all experienced some sort of crisis

or emergency similar to the issues that they’re helping address. Many of them had arrived in the United States as refugees to escape war and genocide, so their personal experiences lend them to empathize with those in need of support.

“Once they were in a place that allows them to really thrive, they looked back home and asked, ‘How can we take whatever success that we have and give it back?” Scekomar said.

Many diaspora communities are no strangers to giving back. ARAHA’s founder and

Great Savings This Fall

executive director, Mohamed Idris, credited the East African community’s sustained support to their families and communities in the region as to how they’ve been able to achieve such traction.

“There is no East African family that does not send almost some money and some funds from the Twin Cities on a monthly basis,” he said. “We are blessed to have the largest East African immigrant community here in Minnesota, and it has connected the community to the region.”

Outside of the cultural connection to the region, there

is often a moral obligation for people to give according to Anab Omar, ARAHA’s program director. Because much of the population living in the Horn are Muslims, there is a concentrated effort of support during the month of Ramadan where Muslims are prescribed to fast and give charity.

This past Ramadan, ARAHA was able to give food baskets to roughly 5,000 families in the region. Omar credits this impact with the efforts of several cultural and faith groups.

“It’s people outside who are like, ‘We want to do something for the people of Horn of Africa. Not only here in Minnesota—we even get support from people all over the U.S. if it’s the Eritrean community or the Sudanese community,” she said.

Scekomar hopes to change the image of the region for the younger generation of East Africans so that the diaspora community sees itself in a different light compared to all the negative depictions in the West.

“They come to you, not to show you the pride of your country, but to show you the worst of it. A lot of time—I am speaking for myself as [part of the] diaspora—we almost try to run away from things like that,” Scekomar said.

ARAHA’s team utilizes different tools such as the Food Insecurity Classification to differentiate the levels of an issue plaguing the region. Those

crisis and emergency because of the drought that has been going on since 2020,” he said. “Millions of livestock have vanished, and a lot of farmers also did not have a harvest for many seasons.”

there were several people sleeping on the ground, including pregnant women, with no covers. The organization went on to work towards providing resources such as mattresses, diapers, blankets, and mosquito nets.

ARAHA’s work in the region is made up of eight separate programs including food and water, which take up half of their focus. They also have programming around education, taking care of orphans, supporting school lunch programs, and creating economic opportunities.

Outside of dealing with food insecurity issues brought on by drought, ARAHA’s team navigates through geopolitical conflicts that further strain the populations who were already struggling to begin with. Political turmoil in Sudan has led three million people to flee from the nation’s capital. Roughly 800,000 fled to bordering nations, and another seven million were internally displaced.

Countries such as Ethiopia and Somalia are also experiencing regional conflicts that have caused the local communities to go without resources. Recently, Idris was able to travel to Sudan to assess the situation and found that there

The school lunch program has been a way for ARAHA to create an incentive for children to attend school while also getting the nutrition they need to develop. Some of the children enrolled in the program travel up to two and a half miles to school to participate in the program.

“We take away the burden of having to choose between food and education by combining it in the school lunch program. If you send your kids to school, we will provide you with food,” Scekomar said.

With the food and water programs taking up such a large part of ARAHA’s resources, it has had the largest impact by creating more than 600 wells across the region and more than 100 shipping containers filled with food that have been sent to the region.

As the issues in the Horn have evolved, so has ARAHA’s

five levels are Minimal/None, Stressed, Crisis, Emergency, and Catastrophe/Famine. According to Idris, there have been continued crises across the Horn.

“The level of food insecurity today on the map in the majority of the area is between

was a desperate need for basic resources.

“Our executive director was in Sudan back in June,” said ARAHA Program Director Omar. From what he saw, he informed us the situation wasn’t good.

According to observers,

approach to the problems. When climate change began affecting their wells across the Horn, ARAHA’s staff sought a solution that was sustainable in the changing conditions despite the arid landscape.

“Even though it was one of

“The level of food insecurity today on the map in the majority of the area is between crisis and emergency because of the drought that has been going on since 2020.”

ARAHA has had a large impact across the region by creating more than 600 wells. Photos courtesy of Facebook

ARAHA’s food distribution program

Providing food to the region amid widespread famine and drought

Health

FDA approves updated COVID-19 vaccines amid rising cases and hospitalizations

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech in response to asurge in cases and hospitalizations. Both manufacturers have reported that their vaccines demonstrate effectiveness against the currently dominant EG.5 strain in the United States.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an independent expert group advising the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will now assess the safety and efficacy of these updated vaccines and provide recommendations for their deployment.

Following approval by the CDC director, the vaccines will be available for administration. The advisory group plans to convene immediately, suggesting that the vaccines may soon be accessible at select pharmacies and healthcare facilities. Health authorities have emphasized the urgency of vaccination once the shots

become available.

The new release coincides with a late summer surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations and growing concerns over the potential impact of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), in the upcoming fall and winter seasons.

Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, underlined the importance of vaccination in protecting against severe COVID-19 consequences.

“The public can be assured

that these updated vaccines have met the agency’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality. We very much encourage those who are eligible to consider getting vaccinated,” Marks stated in a news release.

Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, noted that despite an increase in infection rates and hospitalizations, the rates of severe disease, hospitalizations and deaths are still significantly lower than in previous years.

Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, highlighted the significance of this decision, especially with COVID-19 cases on the rise again. He said that nearly all individuals aged six months or older in the U.S. are eligible for this season’s COVID-19 vaccine, even if they have not been previously vaccinated.

The updated vaccines are approved for individuals 12 and older, with emergency use authorization for those aged six months to 11 years. The bivalent Moderna and Pfizer/ BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the United States.

According to the FDA, babies and young children from six months to four years who have not been vaccinated can receive three doses of the updated Pfizer/BioNTech shot or two doses of the updated Moderna booster. Those who have been previously vaccinated will follow specific dosage guidelines. For those five and older, a single dose of the updated vaccines is recommended at least two months after their last COVID-19 shot, irrespective of previous vaccination.

Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, emphasized the critical role of updated vaccines in protecting the population during the peak respiratory virus season. “COVID-19 remains a leading cause of death in the U.S. and poses a significant threat to vulnerable populations, particularly as we enter peak respiratory virus season,” Bancel stated.

The FDA anticipates that COVID-19 vaccine compositions may need annual updates, similar to seasonal influenza vaccines. Dr. Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, stated, “Our goal is

to provide people worldwide with COVID-19 vaccines that are adapted to circulating virus variants or sub-lineages.”

The updated vaccines, administered in a single dose, are expected to be available at no cost to those in need. Novavax’s updated COVID-19 vaccine has not yet received FDA authorization but is currently under review for individuals aged 12 and older.

Under the Affordable Care Act, most insurance plans cover the total cost of vaccines, eliminating co-pays for insured individuals. The uninsured or underinsured can access the vaccine at no cost through the CDC’s Bridge Access Program, a temporary initiative set to conclude by December 2024.

Officials noted that this is the first instance of vaccines being provided through the commercial market. According to CNN, during a Pfizer investor call in October officials estimated a potential list price of $110 to $130 per single dose for adults.

Stacy M. Brown is the NNPA Newswire senior national correspondent.

Why exploring a corn maze should top your family activity list

s fall family activities start filling your social calendar, consider one of the most popular—a corn maze! Heading out to the field and having fun navigating the twists and turns is a great way to spend an afternoon with your kids, but did you know that there are benefits beyond just the excitement?

Here are just a few of the reasons why taking your kids to the corn maze can turn your family fun into a real developmental benefit for your children.

Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure, echoes this idea in her description of a fundamental goal for today’s parents: “What parenting practice can help our children acquire the skills, values and virtues on which a positive sense of self is built? Parenting for autonomy. Parenting for independence and a sense of self, borne out of real competence, not misguided confidence. Parenting for resilience in the face of mistakes and failures.”

When families face failure together, the parents and older children are modeling resilience and persistence for the younger kids. When Mom

and south, but spatial and directional awareness are skills that go far beyond being able to “head north for five miles.”

Understanding where your body is in relation to the space around it and knowing how to use your muscles to navigate that space are the skills that professionals call spatial awareness and proprioception. These skills are crucial for navigating location, movement, personal space, reading and writing, and mathematics.

cal is an excellent way to show your children that moving your body feels good and is a priority for your family.

Don’t shy away from being creative as you navigate the corn maze. You can incorporate lots of fun movement play that will help strengthen muscles and bones and provide some aerobic activity. For example, have your kids hop like bunnies down one row and then crab walk up another, or set up a race among older kids

to see who can run towards the exit the fastest.

Share laughter, success and bonding

One of the biggest reasons to spend time in a corn maze together as a family is the shared bond you’ll develop in the process. Laughing at spontaneous jokes, celebrating together as you reach the end, and recounting your journey are all ways to strengthen your family’s bond. That bond, in

turn, can help kids learn how to navigate social situations, improve academic performance, and encourage better behavior.

As you head out to a corn maze this season, remember to give your kids an opportunity for strengthening skills in the process. Most of all, relax, have fun, and enjoy the laughter!

MSR + Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) share a mission of protecting, maintaining and improving the health of ALL Minnesotans. Our shared vision for health equity in Minnesota, where ALL communities are thriving and ALL people have what they need to be healthy is the foundation of our partnership to bring readers our feature, Parenting Today. Good health starts with family! To view our weekly collection of stories, go to our website or scan the code.

Give your kids a chance to fail—and then succeed

Anyone who’s made it through a corn maze knows that the risk of failure along the way is high—you’re bound to take at least one wrong turn! Believe it or not, an activity with built-in chances to fail is a great way to help your kids get comfortable with the idea of failing, trying again, and ultimately succeeding.

In an era where many kids aren’t given space to practice being resilient in the face of failure, it’s more important than ever for parents to find opportunities to let their children work through obstacles.

takes a wrong turn and doesn’t let her disappointment and frustration end the activity, the kids can learn to similarly turn their setbacks into successes.

To make the most of this opportunity, let your kids take the lead through the maze.

Comment as neutrally as possible when they inevitably take a wrong turn, and join in their sense of accomplishment when they make it to the end!

Improve spatial awareness and directional skills

We all know adults (maybe even ourselves!) who aren’t

The best way to help kids improve their spatial awareness and directional skills is through play! When you head to a corn maze, use the opportunity to let your children meander and explore as they see fit, then pepper in some directional ideas to give them a challenge, such as, “How about we turn left after about two more body lengths?”

Plus, the entire corn maze experience is building those spatial skills. So, if your toddler walks headfirst into a corn wall, don’t sweat it; just remember that they’re still practicing their proprioception and spatial awareness!

Make movement fun

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Photo by Jamras Lamyai via 123RF

MINNEAPOLIS

Continued from page 1

For a time though, much of the land became parking. Some office towers were built that housed entities like the Federal Reserve. Many of those offices were connected by skyways, limiting pedestrian street traffic.

The city also rebuilt Nicollet Mall to make it more pedestrian-friendly. And while it was a business hub in the 1970s, it began to decline despite two rebuilds in the past 40 years. The opening of the Mall of America, the pandemic, and the ongoing frenzy around crime certainly did not help the downtown Minneapolis revival.

Despite its struggles, downtown Minneapolis still has a nightlife scene that attracts people from around the state. Those people include friends of Shiloh Fang, who came up from Austin, Minn.,

Future plans for city core

The city has more ideas in store. The Vibrant Storefronts Working Group, convened by Mayor Jacob Frey to determine how best to bring people back downtown, recommended legalizing public drinking on Nicollet Mall. The state legislature this past session allowed the city of Anoka to experiment with something similar in their downtown. The city

Downtown Council worked to close Nicollet Mall to buses on Thursdays to facilitate attracting crowds, which have included skateboard rides, concerts, and distributing free flowers. Though Jasmine Mason, a downtown Minneapolis resident who relocated from Philadelphia two years ago for work, likes the activities, she believes it’s more important for the buses to be able to operate on Nicollet Mall.

pensive and [having the buses on Nicollet] makes it easier [for people] to be down here.”

Some people don’t think the efforts the city is making to attract people to downtown Minneapolis will help bring back the area. Take Woodbury resident Jeff Gibson, who commutes to downtown Minneapolis three days a week to work. “If my only option was downtown, I would go there based on what I am looking for,” said Gibson on his bus ride home on Interstate 94. “[But] everything I need is in my neck of the woods.”

a town 90 miles southeast of Minneapolis, to celebrate their birthdays.

“I’ve been spending time downtown since the protests [surrounding George Floyd’s murder],” said Fang shortly after her friends walked into a nightclub on Hennepin Avenue. “I personally feel safe.

I see it as a city. Those who don’t come here say they don’t feel safe.”

DULUTH BAR

Continued from page 1

Amy Rose Wuebkers. The rally was canceled because the bar owner is cooperating with law enforcement by turning over videotapes of the incident. Both expressed their outrage after the citing decision was made.

“We are pissed,” said Wuebkers, adding they are still deciding what their next steps will be. “[We are] not going to stand for this.”

Duluth, where the first Black Minnesotan was born in 1802, has encountered its share of racially motivated mistreatment of Black people.

In 1920 three Black men were lynched in downtown Duluth for supposedly raping a White woman. A physician who examined the White woman found no evidence of rape.

A representative from the Duluth NAACP says that people from marginalized communities have been “under attack” more often in the Northland as of late. In addition to calling on the Duluth Police Department to end pretextual stops,

YIA XIONG

Continued from page 1

each year of the life he cannot live, that he was supposed to live.”

Herr said that some elders within the Hmong community are “showing a lot of anxiety” about interacting with SPPD for fear that a language barrier could endanger their life.

will report on findings from the pilot, which will continue through next year, to the legislature in the next two years.

The mayor’s committee also recommended the Downtown Council match building owners with potential businesses to occupy vacant storefronts, as well as streamline regulations.

The city also wants to permanently move the buses off Nicollet Mall. The city and the

“As long as they keep doing things like this—more interactive things—it will bring more people downtown,” said Mason as she received a bouquet of roses from David Kisan, who owns Sip ‘N Bloom, a small business that teaches people how to arrange flowers. “[But] there’s too many people who use [the bus]. It needs to be here [on Nicollet]. Parking is really ex-

Some believe the city isn’t doing enough to support those who already come downtown. Though the committee did not address restroom access, in the past the Downtown Council has worked on making restrooms accessible downtown, which included making a map that directs people to the nearest public restroom, setting up a seasonal bathroom trailer at Peavey Plaza, and inviting pedestrians to use bathrooms in the retail mall at 6th and Nicollet, when it is open.

Meanwhile, both the city and the Downtown Council have restricted available seating by removing seats from certain locations along Nicollet Mall and fencing off access to other public benches and

lawsuits, at least one of which involved a brawl, in 1996, 2001 and 2013.

In the 2013 incident, a bar patron suffered a broken leg after being harassed and beaten by five other bar patrons. Four of those patrons had started two other fights at the same bar in the previous year, according to a Minnesota Court of Appeals opinion issued in November 2015.

seating. “We have to manage [the seating] with a realistic eye…whether those chairs become…an attraction, a positive feature of Nicollet, or we’re creating challenges that are detracting from the experience of people downtown,” said Downtown Council Ex-

lis. Twenty-one of those people were Black, and just over half of all those restricted hail from South Minneapolis zip codes.

Activists have also accused the Hennepin County Library system of arbitrarily restricting residents from its libraries by issuing trespassing violations, including at Minneapolis Central Library. The county told the MSR that data on who was issued trespass violations from the library and why is considered “security data,” which is private under state law. Journalist Tony Webster is challenging the assertion by suing the county, particularly as the county turned over similar data to another investigative reporter in 2019.

ecutive Director Steve Cramer.

Restricting access to downtown

The courts have also restricted some Minneapolis residents from stepping foot in downtown. According to data obtained from the Fourth Judicial District, which covers Hennepin County, between January 2020 and August of this year 29 people received a total of 46 orders to not step foot in downtown Minneapo-

Affordable advertising packages are available for small to medium-sized businesses, corporations and non-profit organizations in print & online.

All the while, residents of downtown Minneapolis and its surrounding neighborhoods— Loring Park, Elliot Park, Downtown East and North Loop— struggle for affordable services like grocery stores, retail stores, hardware stores, bike shops, and ice cream shops.

“When I have to go shopping at Mall of America, I wish it would be here,” said Elliot Park resident Yassine Grice one evening this past summer, referring to downtown Minneapolis.

H. Jiahong Pan welcomes reader comments at hpan@spokesman-recorder.com.

they’ve had to intervene in the following incidents:

• In February 2022, a young Black girl was disqualified from participating in a swim meet because she wore a Black Lives Matter swimsuit. The volunteer judge who disqualified her was ultimately banned from participating.

• In March 2023, the St. Louis County attorney charged St. Louis Park resident Steven Cooper for being in possession of a firearm, a violation for the former felon, after turning in to authorities a firearm he found in his late brother’s car. Cooper pled guilty and awaits

“They think that if it can happen to Yia Xiong, in the same way it could happen to them because they don’t speak the language,” Herr said. “And what if they don’t speak the language? They cannot comply with what was said or ordered by the police, and they’ll get killed too.”

Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB), af-

sentencing in October.

• In August 2023, a White incumbent of the local school board reshared a Facebook post involving her opponent’s son, who is Black, asking why she is running for school board instead of serving on a committee to improve the school her son goes to.

The Rustic Bar has been involved in three personal injury

firmed CUAPB’s commitment to “continue to apply pressure on the county attorney’s office in any way that we need to,” to get the results of the investigation released for the Xiong family.

Nobody at the bar answered the phone when the MSR attempted to contact the bar’s owner, Jeff Flynn, who could not be reached for comment by phone or through social media.

Those wishing to contribute to Folson’s GoFundMe can visit https:// www.gofundme.com/f/help-mymom-after-a-brutal-attack.

H. Jiahong Pan welcomes reader comments at hpan@ spokesman-recorder.com.

“It’s not complicated,” Gross said. The Ramsey County Attorney’s office “is making it complicated in ways that are offensive to the community, and they should end that now. “Make a decision. And it better be the right decision, by the way. Because these officers did something very, very,

very wrong. They deprived a Hmong elder and a war veteran of his life.”

Kong Xiong said he would continue to show up to advocate for Yia Xiong’s family. “We’re angry, frustrated, but we’re still fired up and ready to go.”

Cole Miska welcomes reader comments at cmiska@spokesman-recorder.com.

“I personally feel safe. I see it as a city. Those who don’t come here say they don’t feel safe.”

Outgoing Minneapolis Downtown Council Executive Director Steve Cramer poses next to chess players on Nicollet Mall.

(l-r): Jamie Zahn celebrates a birthday with a friend Samuel Misoi as Shiloh Fang looks on. Photos by H. Jiahong Pan

(l-r): Jasmine Mason receives flower arrangement from David Kisan on Nicollet Mall.

Crowds at Taste of Minnesota in July

“They’re trying to intentionally make the family wait. We’ve seen this before, especially with what they’ve done to the Black community too.”

“We are not going to stand for this.”

Boss Lady Shoetique Black Business SPOTLIGHT

By Chris Juhn Staff Contributor

ince 2019, when she turned her hobby into an online shoe store and later added clothing, 37-yearold Brittany Kline (BK) never imagined she would achieve the kind of success she enjoys today. In May of 2022 she became the first Black person to open a shoe store in the Northtown Mall in Blaine.

“I was just trying to think of a way to get more streams of income for me and my children,” said Kline of her inspiration.

“So that’s how it started off—as a hobby. Then in October of 2021 I was laid off from my job. I had been working there for a long time and invested so much time and energy. So, it was then I decided to pursue my hobby and take it to the next level.”

Boss Lady Shoetique now employs four salespeople as Kline continues to expand her income streams. “I still have my online store still going. I do women-empowered events and I’ve been doing events at the mall.”

MSR: Tell me a little bit about your business and how it stands out.

BK: My customers wanted more. They were like, ‘Hey, can you get clothes?” So then I started to add clothes. What separates me from the others is that I actually go in and personally meet with my vendors

Business

Head-to-toe boutique that brings new meaning to power-dressing

helping them get a nice new pair of shoes or a nice outfit that makes them feel good about themselves.

You know, someone will come out of the dressing room and they’ll see themselves. I’ll give them a nice compliment, and their face just lights up, you know. I believe that shoes and clothes help with how you feel inside and make a personal statement about yourself. It says what your vision and goal is for your business.

MSR: What’s your vision/ goals for your business?

in their showcases. I handpick my items. You know, looking at them, making sure the quality is actually good, so I don’t

have to guess. I only always get a few items at a time, so that everyone’s not wearing the same

thing. Then, everything can stay unique.

MSR: How does your business impact the community?

BK: We do a lot of events, you know, for single moms since I’m a single mom. And we also do events just for entrepre neurs—small business owners that are trying to come up in the industry. I like to do a lot of events here at the mall. Sometimes we’ll do vendor tables where they can sell their products without a fee here at the mall

Homeownership

match the heels.

MSR: What has been your biggest challenge in owning a business?

BK: There’re actually a lot of challenges. In the beginning, what was challenging for me was staying consistent and time management. Just trying to juggle all these different things.

You’re a one-woman show as far as administration and management. Right now, I think the most challenging thing is marketing. Because I

BK: I have a multimilliondollar enterprise in my head. The next step that I would like to make is start a mentorship program for women and young ladies who want to start businesses but that just need encouragement. That’s where I’d like taking off. You know, styling professionals and celebrities, opening my own showroom with a facility connected inside. My vision—it’s huge. It’s big, you know. I try to give myself a few small goals every month and some yearly goals.

MSR: What advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur?

BK: My advice would definitely be to keep going. You know, when people look at starting a business and going after their dreams, they’re so excited. Then you hit a roadblock along the way. It’s impossible not to.

The afternoon includes shopping with local vendors, networking, games, elite prize tickets, food and music.

For more info call 612-827-4021 or visit spokesman-recorder.com

For all those who are looking to start their own business or to dive into their dream —just keep going.

Brittany Kline’s Boss Lady Shoetique was the first Black-owned business to open in Northtown Mall. Photos by Chris Juhn

By Abdi Mohamed Contributing Writer

hen Liberian Amer-

ican artist Flahn

Manly set out to host “Renaissance Fire,” a group show held on September 9 at the A-Mill Artist Lofts, he wanted to change the conversation surrounding the art world and challenge its conventions on the value of art and the messages that galleries seek to promote.

The “Renaissance Fire’’ exhibit was organized as a celebration of lighting the torch to systematic oppression—a celebration of the diversity and creativity of multidisciplinary artists telling unique and compelling stories. The exhibition, as described in the event page, explored “the depths of the human psyche to mixed media pieces that celebrate the overall beauty of Blackness and what they imagine it to be.”

The exhibit was sponsored by Red Bull and provided participants an opportunity to interact with other Black artists who exhibited their work. Manly, along with several other Black visual artists and entrepreneurs, showcased his work on a platform artists of color rarely get to experience.

Although Manly started his professional career as a portrait painter more than 10

Arts & Culture

Black Renaissance Art

years ago, he has always considered himself a fine artist. He utilizes acrylic oil and charcoal for most of his large-scale paintings, which have a hyperrealistic quality and often fo-

said. “If I don’t have the words, I paint the picture, so they can feel something.”

Each of Manly’s paintings tells a story. His work depicts Black people in different pos-

cus on topics and issues that he holds dear.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve very much been anti-oppression. Anything that’s oppressive, I’m going full force at it,” he

tures with an array of expressions. They’re painted on large canvases that cover most of the wall, almost mural-like. His work at the “Renaissance Fire’’ event was exhibited at

the bottom of the A Mill Artist Loft and reflected stories of Black resistance to oppression through a range of portraits.

Another artist in “Renaissance Fire” was Uzoma Obasi, a Nigerian American photographer-turned-painter who changed mediums to expand his creative capacity and storytelling in sharing his artistic expression. Although Obasi had exhibited his photos in the past, this particular event was the first time he was able to share his paintings with others.

“As I started painting and creating my style and my method around the messages, I knew that each piece for me served as a reminder to keep moving forward in this period of time,” he said. “I have ambitions, I want to be successful in everything that I do. These are the signs I see when I turn around on that road to success.”

Obasi met Manly through social media and the two stayed in touch throughout the years. Manly had reached out recently to have him participate in the “Renaissance” exhibit of underrepresented artists of color. Obasi found himself relating to the theme and decided to participate in the group show, because, he says, his art was meant for people and not galleries.

“Most of my art is not for art people. For me to do ‘art people things’ and do art style stuff,’ it does not necessarily fit my style. I want my pieces to be on the walls of and in the homes of those who will collect,” he said.

Kayla Gant also exhibited her work at the event and found it an opportunity to challenge the themes Black artists are expected to explore. This year is the first time in her career as an artist that she’s been able to publicly share her work.

“I think since this is like my first year actually showing my work like this, it is making me realize that my work is better than I think,” she said.

Much of Gant’s work depicts Black people in moments of joy and exuberance with smiles on their faces. She pointed to how most visual arts depicting Black lives show them suffering or sad and chose to do the opposite in her work.

“I don’t want people to only see that. I want them to see that there’s a beautiful side to being Black. And there’s not just a negative,” she said.

Part of the difficulty for Black artists to break into the art world is the gatekeepers— from curators and gallery own-

featured in his art.

“I’m going to give the art to the people that it is made for, that inspired the art. I’m going to give it to them first. They’re going to partake in it,” he said.

Sharon Williams and Destiny Pierce, two singers and friends of Manly who attended the event in a show of support, found that there was a communal energy about the exhibit that was present that day.

“Art is the one thing that has no language. It transcends cultures and boundaries,” Williams said. “This is the perfect place for him to

Thank you to our presenting sponsor

ers who value an artist’s work based on their associations and not the merit of their work.

“There’s all these barriers and credentials,” Manly explained. “Who did you train with? What master? What’s your position? It’s all just a measuring stick and trying to use it to evaluate you. Trying to measure your worth.”

Instead of buying into this system and seeking outside validation, Manly decided that his path would be to seek the support of the communities

be able to share a piece of himself with people from different walks of life.”

“It also teaches us how to be vulnerable with each other,” Pierce said, “and to be able to put our stuff out there and to be able to accept that type of criticism and how we can take that and make our art better and continue to grow in who we are,”

Abdi Mohamed welcomes reader comments at amohamed@ spokesman-recorder.com.

Artist Uzoma Obasi, whose work was featured in the “Renaissance Fire” exhibit

Flahn Manly hosted the “Renaissance Fire” artists group show

Photos by Abdi Mohamed

Arts & Culture

Penumbra’s season opens with premiere of ‘Re-Memori’

By MSR News Service

he new season for St. Paul’s Penumbra Center for Racial Healing opens with the premiere of “Re-Memori,” by playwright Nambi E. Kelley. Directed by Penumbra’s Arts Director Chris Berry and starring Shá Cage, the one-woman show tells the story of Memori Brooks, a beautician and healer, as she navigates ancestral dreams that create a powerful storyline. Kelley’s drama weaves individual stories with the broader narrative of American history.

“With respect to ‘Re-Memori,’ it’s just beautiful to think of the idea of having Black ancestry guide how we dream into the future.”

In addition, every Thursday night the production will include post-show dialogue that delves into the themes of “Re-Memori,” to enhance the audience’s theatergoing experience. These talks will offer unique insights into the artistic process and the play’s messaging, as well as explore the crucial role of beauty salons and barbershops as safe havens for the Black community.

Conversations with the creative team will help enrich the audience’s understanding of key scenes in the play and explore the psychological and emotional dimensions of ancestral memory and how African American history imprints itself on our present and future.

This year, Penumbra is also introducing “Live Out Loud Nights” designed for millennials and Generation Z audiences, to provide opportunities to enjoy preshow receptions, a more casual theater experience, and enjoy post-show discussions with artists and community.

As a hairdresser who helps Black women find beauty after losing their hair, Memori takes audiences on a journey that explores historical family narratives by telling the stories of Black ancestral heritage through Memori’s own lens, and that of Cordelia, Seaton and Malik.

“As we embark on the opening of the 47th season, I look forward to walking in the organization’s legacy while unveiling world premieres locally and nationally,” said Arts Director Chris Berry in a September 7 press release.

“This marks a pivotal moment in our ongoing journey towards fostering racial healing, belonging, and growth within and beyond our institution. Artists who have never worked at Penumbra will be here, providing the Twin Cities with a fresh perspective on groundbreaking work.

The first “Live Out Loud Night” will be Thursday, October 19, 2023, where audiences are encouraged to be energized and vocal during the performance, bring questions about the performance, meet new people, exchange learnings, and enjoy food and beverages. Tickets are available on the website, and are $25 using the AffinityFY24 code or by opting for a monthly membership with a complimentary ticket. The “Live Out Loud Nights” offer affordable theater events designed for ages 21-45.

“Re-Memori” opens on Thursday, October 12, and continues through Sunday, November 5. Previews are on October 10 and 11. Tickets range in price from $20 for students/youth to $45 for adults and are on sale through the box office at 651224-3180 and online at penumbratheatre.org.

“It’s just beautiful to think of the idea of having Black ancestry guide how we dream into the future.”

A Measure of Leadership

By Marian Wright Edelman

As some members of Congress showed they were willing to bring the federal government to the brink of a shutdown, with demands that include deep cuts to services children and families rely on, once again some people have accused them of acting like children. Yet even five-yearolds understand that quitting the game and taking the ball home if the other players won’t give you your way is wrong.

Refusing to fund the federal government is far from a political game, but a real threat that harms real workers, families, and citizens across the country.

Our Public Lands Need More Land and a More Diverse Public

By Ben Jealous

On Saturday, environmental advocate Bill Vanderberg was where he is most Saturdays during the year—leading volunteers maintaining trails traversing the Santa Monica Mountains around Los Angeles.

Fittingly, last Saturday was National Public Lands Day. But Bill’s efforts to care for natural places and to introduce young people to them over the last three decades aren’t prompted by holidays.

He’s seen the transformation in people when they experience the outdoors, particularly students in Crenshaw High’s Eco Club he ran for years and became the school’s biggest extracurricular. He returned recently to Yosemite National Park with nine alumni, two of whom had never been there.

“Why do I continue to do it?” he asks. “The look in their eyes and their smiles was why. The other seven already knew, which is why they came back.”

He’ll be the first to tell you that more needs to be done across the entire country to create that exposure and to protect lands and waters as parks, preserves, monuments and refuges.

“Los Angeles itself is a very park-poor community,” Bill said. The state recreation area he lives across a major highway from can only be reached by car on the southern end while there are two trails with

direct access on the northern edge in Baldwin Hills, he notes.

The arguments for more public outdoor spaces are overwhelming. Kids do better in school and experience less asthma when they have ready access to parks; older adults are healthier too.

lion, a dollar spent on National Parks creates more than $10 of economic benefit.

Bill Vanderberg points out that availability of parks is just a start to realizing equitable access. He spent the summer working in Yosemite. “I saw no African Americans all summer,” he says. “The only people of color I saw were from France.”

They aren’t truly “public lands” if significant percentages of the public don’t feel welcome using them, Bill notes. In 2017, his students were recognized as the youth volunteer group of the year by Yosemite. A few years later, he was threatened with arrest when he tried to use showers in the park.

In “Our God Is Marching On!,” his speech on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol at the end of the Selma to Montgomery marches for voting rights, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. urged us to “march on ballot boxes until we send to our city councils, state legislatures, and the United States Congress men who will not fear to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God.”

Some of the men and women in Congress right now are failing this test. This is not the leadership we or our children deserve.

How I wish some political leaders did not treat children as just another special interest group who must get in line to make their case for why their health, safety and education needs should be met. Is this the best we have to pass on to our children and grandchildren?

he taught us, we need a revolution in values.

Fifty-five years ago, another political leader, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, said this to students at the University of Kansas about the need to rethink how we measure American success:

the cost of a nuclear warhead, and armored cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman’s rifle and Speck’s knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.”

Kennedy continued: “Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials.

“It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans.”

“Too much and too long we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product…if we should judge America by that, counts air pollution and cigarette advertising and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them.

At the end of that speech, Senator Kennedy paraphrased George Bernard Shaw with words that became synonymous with his Presidential campaign and his vision for leadership: “Some people see things as they are and say, ‘why?’ I dream things that never were and say, ‘why not?’”

Senator Kennedy’s own political leadership was cut far too short. But the dream of a nation that measures its success in the health of our children, the quality of their education, and the joy of their play is still here. So is the need for leaders who share it.

Trees act as sponges for greenhouse gasses, and acres preserved in a natural state aren’t available for development. Our goal is to protect 30 percent of the nation’s landscape by 2030, which will mean more than doubling what we have today. Right now, we lose the equivalent of a football field of land to development every 30 seconds in this country.

Parks can more than pay for themselves. The Interior Department reported last month that visitor spending in communities near National Parks in 2022 resulted in a record high $50.3 billion benefit to the nation’s economy and supported 378,400 jobs. Given federal spending of $3.3 bil-

“Racism at parks is real— both macro and micro. My kids have had numerous negative experiences while exploring ‘their’ public spaces,” Bill says. “The problem is not the parks, but this racism in society.”

He’s right that parks aren’t the problem. They can be a part of the solution. Providing greater access to them and finding efforts to support like the school club Bill ran will bring more and more of us together. When we gather that way and can share in natural wonders side by side, we will grow closer as a nation.

Ben Jealous is executive director of the Sierra Club, the nation’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization.

Dr. King also urged us to march on ballot boxes until God’s children are able to walk the earth in decency and honor. For that to happen, as

“It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and

Marian Wright Edelman is founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund.

By John Burnett

Amidst Congress’ best efforts to keep the government open, it’s also hard at work to re-authorize affordable food, enable farmers to insure their crops, and see that ranchers can export their products to foreign markets. It’s not an understatement to say the farm bill is one of the most important bills Congress can send to the president’s desk, which is why it is so important to get it right.

Yet, some in Congress think getting it “right” means restricting certain consumers’ food items as “wrong” to buy. According to a recently introduced proposal, Americans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would be prohibited from purchasing snacks, fruit juice, and soda—including beverages that are low calorie or zero sugar—with their benefits.

It’s the equivalent of putting the federal government in between consumers and the products they enjoy. Bottom line: consumers deserve to have choices in the grocery store.

SNAP recipients are Americans in need and are fully capable of making their own food choices. Limiting their options also stigmatizes them as incapable of responsible decision-making.

This approach undermines the dignity and self-respect of SNAP participants, and it puts the government in the position of choosing what people can serve their families. This is a slippery slope that would

open the door to a government good-food or bad-food list that could apply to other everyday items.

Nevertheless, lawmakers like Marco Rubio and others may be seeking to jam this misguided idea into the farm bill. The legislative process is hard enough as it is, but it becomes significantly more difficult as individual members of Congress and D.C. special interest groups seek to attach pet projects or priorities to what should be bipartisan legislation. And in Congress, it’s easy for a few lawmakers to derail the progress on mustpass legislation.

We all want Americans to make good choices that promote healthier eating habits, but restricting the treats parents buy their kids is not the solution. It’s a shortsighted and ineffective approach that infringes on individual freedom, further stigmatizing lower-income communities.

It won’t yield the savings Senator Rubio is promising. Instead, we should focus on real policies that improve access to nutritious foods and empower all individuals, regardless of their income, to make healthier choices.

As Republicans, we are proud to be the party of individual choice and freedom. These foundational principles are essential to the promise of liberty for all—that we trust our fellow Americans to make their own life choices, even if we don’t agree with them. I’m proud to subscribe to these values, which is why it is important we push back on ideas from within our party that restrict the ability for us to make our own decisions.

The basis of the idea is about removing choice, but the authors of the so-called “Healthy SNAP Act” claim it’ll help reduce spending. The data doesn’t support it. SNAP recipients will still have the same amount of benefits.

These values should apply at the grocery store, so lawmakers should reverse course on their misguided SNAP restriction proposal. The last thing Americans need is more nanny state decrees from politicians who think they know best for them.

John Burnett is a business and political analyst and an adjunct assistant professor at New York University.

They aren’t truly “public lands” if significant percentages of the public don’t feel welcome using them.

I wish some political leaders did not treat children as just another special interest group who must get in line to make their case for why their health, safety and education needs should be met.

Some in Congress think getting it “right” means restricting certain consumers’ food items as “wrong” to buy.

Sister Spokesman’s Breast Cancer Awareness event

Sister Spokesman returned on Saturday, September 30, after a summer break, at the beautiful Granada Theater, 3022 Hennepin Avenue, in Uptown Minneapolis.

Saturday’s “Live, Laugh, Learn” event was organized in partnership with the Breast Cancer Gaps Project, which works with communities to improve access and use of breast cancer screenings, diagnosis, and treatment for African American women.

Representatives from four Minnesota healthcare providers—Blue Cross and Blue Shield MN, HealthPartners, Hennepin Healthcare, and M Health Fairview, participated in the event.

Additional resources were provided by system innovators Hologic and the African Ameri-

can Breast Cancer Alliance, as well as Sage, which helps provide free screenings and mammograms for low-income clients. Attendees were able to

sign up at the event for a mammogram with the healthcare providers in attendance.

Sister Spokesman Founder Tracey Williams-Dillard greeted

Looking back at the Spokesman-Recorder

attendees and started the afternoon with a lively game. After the prize giveaway, she introduced vocalist Bree Turner to entertain and inspire the audience. Bree spoke from the heart about her mother’s struggles with breast cancer, and her voice reflected her passion and love.

Breast cancer experts included Dr. LaShonda Soma, a radiologist with Midwest Radiology specializing in breast imaging and medical director of Health Partners Mammography and Regions Breast Health Center. She was joined by Natasha Hollowell, a registered nurse, with 20 years’ experience at the Minneapolis VA.

Natasha’s involvement in breast cancer awareness and advocacy came from her asking, “How can I help?” Her involvement grew to her becom-

Black women have a 41 percent higher mortality rate from breast cancer than White women. The aim of events like “Live, Laugh, Learn” can help turn the tide of racial dis-

as well as their friends and family.

It wouldn’t be a Sister Spokesman event without games, shopping with small business vendors, and prizes! Near the end of the event, Reona Berry was presented with the “Breast Cancer Trailblazer Award” and was presented with a personally engraved silver tray that symbolized her service to the community since founding the African American Breast Cancer Alliance in 1990, with eight other women affected by breast cancer.

parities in care and recovery for African American women. Throughout the day, the mes-

After the award, Monisha Richard, a healthcare advocate, took the stage with a call to action, asking all the attendees to reach out to a friend, family member, or colleague and invite them to schedule their mammogram. She told the audience they mattered and asked them to spread the word to help save lives. “Through survival, we grow, we live, and we thrive!”

newspapers—the Minneapolis Spokesman and the St. Paul Recorder—on August 10, 1934. Although the separate weeklies had similar content, it wasn’t until 2000 that the two papers merged, becoming the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

Many of our readers will recognize friends, family and neighbors from the distant and not-so-distant past. In the year leading up to the MSR’s anniversary in 2024, we invite

readers to share their memories of the Spokesman-Recorder as we mark milestones in the newspaper and Minnesota’s Black history.

Prominent local leaders in the annual Fisk University Institute on Race Relations held in Nashville, Tennessee, from July 2 to 14, were several Minnesotans and former residents of the Gopher state, featured in the July 27, 1951, issue of the Minneapolis Spokesman.

First row, (l-r): Dr. Herman Long of the Fisk staff, well known in Minneapolis; Mrs. Opel Gruner, executive secretary of the Minneapolis Joint Committee for Employment Opportunity; Ann Arnold Hedgeman, assistant to the Social Security Administrator, Washington, D.C.; Agnes Deverill, Minneapolis public schools; Genevieve Steefel of the Minneapolis Mayor’s Council on Human Relations; Dr. Charles S. Johnson, president of Fisk University s part of our celebration leading up to the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder’s 90 years of continuous publication, over the next several months the MSR will be republishing notable stories from our extensive archives of weekly issues, chronicling the history of African Americans in Minnesota. That history began when the founder, Cecil E. Newman, published two weekly

ing an advisory team member with Breast Cancer Gaps, as is Dr. Soma.

During their presentation, both women used their experience and medical expertise to help dispel fears about breast cancer screening and explained exactly what to expect during an exam. They discussed why new mammogram technology is more important than a monthly self-exam, and how early detection can make a big difference in treatment and recovery.

sage was that women in the Black community matter too much to ignore the startling

Sister Spokesman’s next event “Homeownership,” takes place on November 4, from 12-3 p.m., at Northpoint Health & Wellness Center at 1256 Penn Ave. N, Ste. 5100, in Minneapolis. Visit @SisterSpokesman on Facebook for the latest.

(l-r) Patricia Koppa, Kris Newcomer, Reona Berry, Tracey Williams-Dillard, and Monisha Richard Photos by Chris Juhn

Sports

Diverse players and staffs contend in ‘Hammer’ rivalry

n St. Paul this Saturday, history will again be made in the MIAC. Hamline (02, 2-2) hosts Augsburg (1-1, 3-1) in football action at Klas Field, at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The MIAC’s two most diverse teams, in terms of players and coaching staff, are facing each other in the annual “The Hammer” trophy contest. Both are Skyline Division rivals. St. Paul-based Hamline has five Black coaches, including six-year Head Coach Chip Taylor, who calls his eight-man coaching staff “the most diverse DIII staff in the country.”

Augsburg, located in the shadow of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, has four Black assistant coaches.

According to HC Darrin Lamker’s recent research, Augsburg’s percentage of players of

Saints’ Black pitcher stays positive

he 2023 St. Paul Saints season is now in the books. It will be remembered as the team’s most successful campaign since it became the Minnesota Twins Triple-A affiliate three years ago.

The Saints finished 2023 with the third-best overall record in the International League (84-64) and set numerous franchise records, including a grand slam mark that only three other teams have achieved in all of baseball since 1901.

“You may start slow, but it’s not how you started, it’s how you finish.”

It also was Simeon Woods Richardson’s second season in the Saints starting rotation.

The Texas-born hurler was traded to the Twins organization in 2021 from Toronto. Woods Richardson originally was a second-round pick by the New York Mets in 2018.

He is the team’s only U.S.-born

Black pitcher.

“I say it’s a good year because of the work I put in,” Woods Richardson told the MSR after his final start of the season, his 29th in Triple-A and 31st appearance as a pro.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound hurler who just turned 23 on September 27 finished the year with a 7-6 mark, 4.91

■ See SOE on page 11

color may be among the highest, if not the highest among all NCAA Division III football teams nationally.

lege or university. Compared to the state’s two Division I schools, Minnesota has 48 Black players and St. Thomas has 34 Black players on their respective rosters this season.

Whether this is true or not is debatable, but the Auggies’ 80 Black players (out of 116 total) is indeed the most in the MIAC, as well as in any Minnesota col-

“It’s great progress for the MIAC to have athletic programs being demonstrably more reflective of the diversity seen in and around our campus communities,” Associate Commissioner BJ Pickard told the MSR last week.

Lamker, now in his fourth year at his alma mater, said, “I think it’s awesome. First of all, we’re a team foremost with all the kids, and that’s really cool to see our locker room. Everybody works together, which is so fun to see, from all different parts and backgrounds.”

KiJuan Ware is Augsburg defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator. Two years ago, he was Macalester

Football teams led by outstanding student-athletes

he Augsburg University, Minneapolis North, Minneapolis Patrick Henry, St. Paul Central and Robbinsdale Cooper football teams have been led by some outstanding studentathletes this season.

Smith, Wilson lead Auggies

Wide receivers Dominic Smith and Tyrone Wilson have led the Augsburg University football team to victories over the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, Martin Luther College, and Gustavus Adolphus College before losing 27-24 to St. John’s University in MIAC action last Saturday afternoon.

Smith, who joined Augsburg after starring at White Bear Lake High School, has caught seven touchdown passes. Wilson, who prepped at New Richmond-Hartland-Ellendale, has five touchdown receptions for the 3-1 Auggies.

They are coached by Derrin Lamker

Polars led by Brown and Darden

In victories over Holy Angels, South St. Paul, DeLaSalle, and Minneapolis Washburn, along with a loss to Ricori, Minneapolis North’s football team has been led by senior quarterback Kai’an Darden and classmate Kahlil Brown Darden has accounted for six touchdown passes and two scoring runs, while Brown has hit paydirt seven times on the ground for the 4-1 Polars.

They are coached by Charles Adams Patriot’s White-Sledge dominating

With victories over Richfield, St. Paul Como Park, Minneapolis Edison, and Min-

neapolis Roosevelt against one loss to Bloomington Kennedy, senior quarterback Davonte White-Sledge has been a dominant force for Minneapolis Patrick Henry’s football team.

White-Sledge has scored 12 rushing touchdowns and has also passed for three scores in leading the 4-1 Patriots.

They are coached by Mark Heiser Lankfard leading Minutemen

Junior quarterback Allan Lankfard Jr. has led St. Paul Central’s football team to victories over Bloomington Kennedy, Minneapolis Washburn, St. Paul Johnson, and St. Paul Harding/Humboldt, along with a loss

■ See PREP on page 11

Jalen Nailor’s biggest fan: Raymond Nailor

By Charles Hallman Sports Columnist

alen Nailor was born to play football, according to his older brother. The second-year Minnesota Vikings wide receiver’s nickname is “Speedy,” says Raymond Nailor.

“He knew he was going to the NFL,” said Jalen’s brother as we rode down together on the media elevator after the last Vikings home game. Raymond was there to watch his brother, a sixth-round draft pick out of Michigan State in 2022, and was en route to the team’s family room when our chance encounter occurred.

The 6-foot Jalen caught his first NFL pass in a game last October, and on New Years’ Day 2023, he caught his first pro receiving touchdown.

“I’ve been watching him play since he was born, “admitted a proud big brother, who is 11 years older than Jalen. As a youngster, Jalen was able to

see his brother, a former college athlete, play as well as “be around some great athletes,” recalled Raymond.

Jalen attended and played at Michigan State. He caught 12 TD catches and finished with 1,844 career all-purpose yards.

“My little brother has persistence,” continued Raymond, adding how much his brother

has grown up to be a proud Black man. “He’s constant and persistent. I think that it takes that in White America.”

Raymond added that over the years he shared tons of Black history nuggets with his brother. “I also think that it’s important that we know our value. We don’t doubt who we are. My brother knows these things.”

Raymond said Jalen hopes to extend his pro presence and influence in the offseason, by working with youth in the community.

“These are some of the things that we’re looking forward to doing in the spring,” concluded Jalen’s biggest fan, his big brother Raymond.

I AM GIFTED expands

It’s been more than a couple weeks since Vikings RB Alexander Mattison had to endure racist attacks on social media.

“I’m trying to spread love and positivity…in the world,” he told the MSR.

We haven’t talked with Mattison since his I AM GIFTED youth football camp this past June at Hamline University. He expanded it this year to include an overnight stay on the St. Paul campus for highschool-age participants.

“A lot of kids want to come

back next year,” reported Mattison on the camp’s success. “It’s pretty awesome…and I want to make it bigger and better every year.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments at challman@ spokesman-recorder.com.

“Our big thing is culture. You’ve got to learn others’ culture.”

Augsburg HC Derrin Lamker

■ See VIEW on page 11

Raymond Nailor

Photo by Charles Hallman

Hamline coaching staff

Courtesy of Hamline Athletics

Simeon Woods Richardson

Photo by Charles Hallman

Augsburg players (l-r) Zy’Aire Holbrook, Kerome Thompson, Patrick Andry All photos by Charles Hallman unless otherwise indicated

KiJuan Ware, AU assistant coach

Augsburg receiver Dominic Smith Photos Courtesy Augsburg University Augsburg receiver Tyrone Wilson

Jalen Nailor on the run Courtesy of MN Vikings

“He’s constant and persistent. I think that it takes that in White America.”