July 13, 2023 - MN Spokesman-Recorder

E-bikes are pricey, but Minnesota is offering buyer rebates next year

By H. Jiahong Pan

Contributing Writer

For Ayolanda Williams, an avid bicyclist who suffered a torn meniscus and a ruptured Achilles heel, an electric bicycle changed her life. “My family bikes, and I want to be able to keep up with them,” said Williams one June morning after she demonstrated her electric bicycle at a parking lot in North Minneapolis. “The pedal assistance on the e-bike helps me be able to keep up.”

Since getting her e-bike last year, she has been riding around with her family, which includes a nine-year-old and a 12-yearold, for local commuting, including at last year’s Open Streets West Broadway event. She has not tried to ride long distances to St. Paul, in part because the bike is very heavy. Nonetheless, the battery on her bike could support rides up to 40 miles, which is enough for a round trip to and from St. Paul.

Williams is among the few people of color in the Twin Cit ies who owns an electric bike. Although e-bikes have long been around, the technol ogy did not take off until the last decade. They have grown significantly in popularity since the pandemic began as people sought ways to be out and about, with bike shops in Duluth, Rochester and Minne

apolis selling more and more every year.

“Over the last five years, and certainly over the last 12 months, we’ve seen a huge increase in the interest and demand for all kinds of e-bikes,” said John McConaghay, one of The Hub’s worker-owners. The Hub is a worker-owned bicycle shop with locations in Minneapolis’ Longfellow neighborhood and the University of Minnesota East Bank campus.

E-bikes are expensive to buy, with the cheapest model available in the Twin Cities starting at just around $1,200—that’s the discounted price—at local retail bike shops like Erik’s and REI. Nonetheless, McCo-

through culturally-specific clubs, such as through NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center’s discontinued orange bike program, may help. It certainly helped Williams.

“I was a participant of the orange bike program [where people from marginalized communities get a bike to ride for the summer]. Once you finish the program, they give you a voucher towards your bike,” said Williams. “So something similar to an orange bike program, but with e-bikes.”

McConaghay also suggests taking as many test rides as you can to find the e-bike that

works best for you. “Find a bike that fits you and take it for a test ride. That way you can compare the different drive systems and wheel sizes and things that affect how the

Products.gov database does not have any record of fires involving electric bicycle batteries.

Experts believe the batteries that ignited in

The Hub does not charge batteries overnight and will not allow anyone to drop off a battery if they cannot determine who manufactured it. The Hub also recommends buying e-bikes that are more on the expensive side as they may come from more reputable manufacturers. “The more you spend, the more relevant the bike will stay for a longer period. And the better it will work for longer in addition to being supported by the manufacturers for any warranty or follow-up ser-

H. Jiahong Pan welcomes reader comments at hpan@

E-bike enthusiast Ayolanda Williams

Photos by H. Jiahong Pan

By Sheletta Brundidge

Contributing Writer

June was Men’s Health Month, a month designated for encouraging men and boys to take charge of their health. But any month is an opportune time to look at the status of health for Black men.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Black men have the lowest life expectancy of any demographic group. And a 2022 national survey by the Cleveland Clinic reveals that 63 percent of men of color report not getting regular health screenings.

That includes matters of mental health, where Black men also lag behind; Black women are far more likely to see help. That’s important since an increasing body of evidence identifies a crucial link between mental and physical health.

“There are many barriers that get in the way of men checking in with themselves

Let’s talk Black men’s health

about their wellbeing,” said

Jocelyn McQuirter, project manager of See Mental Health, the Hennepin County mental health awareness campaign.

“There’s access to transportation, insurance, and building a level of trust. Having representation with therapists of color who can identify with the complexities of race is important. You want someone who understands where you live, how you talk, who knows that historical trauma may exist.”

McQuirter hopes that See Mental Health, which has a website—seementalhealth.org— and a mobile unit that is out at events in the community, will encourage men to think about their connections. The campaign urges all people to look for support from those who can “help them find their way forward” with their mental health. The campaign also reminds people

that help is sometimes available by initiating something as simple as a conversation.

“I’m amazed at how a word of encouragement can change the trajectory of where someone is. One text message, one conversation can be a positive,” she said.

While the last decade has seen far greater societal acceptance for discussing mental health and seeking resources, a stubborn stigma still remains.

“Many men hold the belief that, in order to be manly, they need to solve their own problems. When they go to a doctor or therapist, it feels like weakness,” said Lambers Fisher, a licensed marriage and family therapist.

“We need to praise men when they have the wisdom to seek help. When it’s not going well with their mental health, we want them to get help and stay alive rather than impress us with their endurance,” he

added.

Fisher, who hosts The Diversity Dude podcast on the SHElettaMakesMeLaugh.com podcasting platform, encourages men to be proactive with their mental health with a few internal shifts. “Create a safe environment to express feelings and practice sharing them with your partner or people you trust. So often men only share when we have a problem to solve,” he said.

“Work on developing a wider emotional vocabulary. Expound on the basic four feeling words: happy, mad, sad, afraid. Look for the nuances; that’s where the skill comes in. This can help you in your relationship, and also with your friends and at your job.”

Professionals know that taking men’s mental health seriously can be life-saving. Men are more likely to suffer what researchers now call “deaths

of despair”: premature death from alcoholism, overdose and suicide.

chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease experience worse outcomes and shortened lives when they also live with depression.

Researchers say men are less likely than women to seek preventive care and are more likely to not have their own primary care provider, who can be a critical link in navigating the complexities of all aspects of the healthcare system.

It’s time for men to resolve to take the first step to better health that will benefit them all year round. “Awareness months give us an opportunity to think about something intentionally,” Fisher said. “Men who take care of themselves are modeling something important.”

Undiagnosed and untreated mood disorders in younger men are associated with risktaking behaviors and the use of substances. Older men with

Sheletta Brundidge is a contributing writer at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder and founder of the podcast platform ShelettaMakes MeLaugh.com.

MN communities use grants to cure social isolation blues

By Mike Moen Contributing Writer

Concerns about loneliness among older people aren’t going away. But an annual grant program for community-level projects could bring more Minnesotans, young and old, together.

tions,” he said, “but the way we set up our communities often keeps us separated.”

Haapala pointed to senior housing communities that aren’t always conducive to making connections with younger people. He added that the lingering effects of

when you can’t ride one.’ And we’re taking that out of the equation,” she said. “We’re making sure people can get on the front of this specialized bike and enjoy the wind in their hair.”

She said the conversations between the rider and volunteers are a key part of the so-

Groups such as AARP have said a growing body of research links being alone with negative health outcomes.

The organization hopes its Community Challenge grants can fix some of these issues. A handful of this year’s grantees in Minnesota have projects with a mission to improve social connections across all ages.

Jay Haapala, AARP Minnesota’s associate state director of community engagement, said social isolation is a public health issue and is something they hear about from members. “They want to have chances for intergenerational interac-

the pandemic, along with advancements in technology, tend to keep people more isolated. One new grant is for a Duluth project, where an urban college farm will be converted into an age and abilityinclusive gathering space.

In Alexandria, Nancy Klepetka recently co-founded a local chapter of the Cycling Without Age program. The affiliate received a Community Challenge grant to buy certain bicycles that allow trained volunteers to give rides to elders who have restricted mobility.

“We always tell one another, ‘Bikes don’t discriminate—only

cial interaction.

Klepetka said improved technology has its benefits, but added that things such as streaming devices often prompt people to stay home alone. She said she hopes projects such as these motivate people of all ages to sometimes put their phones away and connect with other community members.

“A reason to be together,” she said. “A reason to look into one another’s eyes and share a little laughter.”

Mike Moen writes for Minnesota News Connection.

Lambers Fisher

Submitted photo

“Many men hold the belief that, in order to be manly, they need to solve their own problems.”

OPEN ROAD

Continued from page 1

at $36,849.

“We don’t want people to think, ‘Oh well, the Black folks in Minnesota, North and South Dakota are good now.’ We aren’t,” Mkali said.

Earlier this year, the St. Paul City Council took a step toward addressing racial disparities in the city when it established the Saint Paul Recovery Act Community Reparations Commission to serve as an advisory body to the city council and mayor on repairing damage caused by systemic racism in the city that led to racial disparities in generational wealth, homeownership, health care, education, employment and fairness within the criminal

ACLU

Continued from page 1

very easy to rule out Mr. Perryman,” Molly Jean Given, one of Perryman’s lawyers, said. The ACLU of Minnesota Legal Director Teresa Nelson said facial recognition software is up to 100 times more likely to misidentify Black people. In 2021, Minneapolis passed an ordinance banning the use of facial recognition technology by city agencies, including the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), in part because of the flaws in the technol-

justice system among Black descendants of enslaved Africans.

Recipients of the $50,000 Open Road Fund grants can use the money for a variety of wealth-building projects, including buying a home, paying off debt, estate planning, investing in life insurance, covering tuition costs or starting a business. People can apply for the grants as individuals or as a part of a group on the Nexus Community Partners website.

Applicants’ goals must be aligned with one of five categories of wealth-building including housing and housing stability, education, financial well-being, health and healing and ownership and economic justice.

The application for the

Open Road Fund opened on June 19 (Juneteenth) and will close on July 28. To be eligible, applicants must be aged 14 or older, a resident of Minnesota,

million trust aims to support Native and Indigenous people in the region. In a two-part process, applicants will first complete ini-

of individuals who also meet the eligibility requirements for applicants will review applications.

After passing the initial application phase, 100 applicants will be selected at random to receive the awards. “If you’ve completed the application fully, and you’ve said what your wealth-building project will be, you will be put into the randomization tool,” Mkali said. “We’re not saying one wealth-building project has more merit than another wealth building project.”

workshops and complete an evaluation survey one year after receiving the funds. They’ll also have access to educational wealth-building webinars.

Nexus Community Partners hopes the Open Road Fund will encourage more funders to release dollars directly into the Black community.

whether to build some form of fast, high-capacity transit to connect downtown Minneapolis with the northwestern suburbs. The goal is to serve the fast-growing number of jobs and residents, and to address the traffic congestion that comes with it.

After evaluating bus and light rail options, as well as deciding to extend the line as far as either Maple Grove Transit Station or Target North Campus in Brooklyn Park, Hennepin County decided the Met Council should build a light rail to the Target North Campus, citing the potential to serve more diverse lowincome households—about 60 percent of residents who would be served are people of color—as well as providing access to a community college, a library, and Target’s planned office park on a 300-acre site, 88 acres of which were completed in 2016.

For the light rail to get there, project planners decided to use Olson Memorial Highway from Target Field Station to Theodore Wirth Park, then north on Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) right-of-way through the park, serving the cities of Golden Valley, Robbinsdale and Crystal along the way. At 71st Avenue in Brooklyn Park, the line would operate on West Broadway Avenue due north to the Target North Campus. The alignment was estimated to cost $1.5 billion to build.

However, the alignment proved unworkable since BNSF was unwilling to negotiate use of its right-of-way access with Hennepin County and the Met Council, which resulted in project planners deciding to change the alignment.

The alignment north of 71st Avenue in Brooklyn Park remains the same. But south of 71st Avenue, planners want to

South Dakota or North Dakota and a descendant of an African person enslaved during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. There are no income caps or minimums. A separate $50

tial registration that confirms eligibility for the grant and then discuss how they hope to use the money to achieve their wealth-building goals. A diverse panel composed

tion more generally, there are a myriad of stories of people who have been wrongly identified and the studies show that the error rates are amplified with people of color,” Nelson said. “And not only is it an ongoing problem, but it is an ongoing problem that serves to increase racial disparities in our criminal system.”

Single parents, people with disabilities, formerly incarcerated individuals, senior citizens, and members of the LGBT community are especially encouraged to apply. Recipients will be required to attend orientation and training

work in that way.”

“The stipulation from the beginning from the Bush Foundation was that the dollars needed to go directly into individual’s hands and not be granted to nonprofit organizations. The purpose of the fund would be to directly impact people’s individual wealthbuilding,” Mkali said.

Niara Savage welcomes reader comments at nsavage@ spokesman-recorder.com.

ogy when applied to Black and Brown people, women, and older adults. However, the ban does not extend to the Henne-

run the line down the middle of Bottineau Boulevard, also known as County Highway 81. The boulevard turns into West Broadway Avenue in North Minneapolis.

The new alignment does not yet have a cost estimate. They plan to develop an estimate once the alignment is finalized. A Met Council spokesperson said they spent over $141 million to plan the extension between 2014 and

pin County Sheriff’s Office.

“While we’re seeing growing reliance on facial recognition technology and facial recogni-

quite well. It’s sometimes very difficult for people in southern Brooklyn Park to get those opportunities,” said Winston at a June meeting of the project corridor management committee.

“So this will give us the ability to connect the east, the west, but also the north and the south, all the various parts of Brooklyn Park, so that it’s not seen as two cities within one city.”

Perryman said he had already feared the police his whole life, and for him the false arrest “sealed the deal. I feel like I had to prove my innocence more than they had to prove I was a suspect, and the system is not supposed to

on a train, go downtown, do your job, come back and pick up your car, so that you can then be able to do other things.

I mean, I think that’s huge.”

Kepa, who also serves on the Blue Line Anti-Displacement Committee, is concerned for those who live along and beyond the light rail corridor who may be displaced as property owners may increase their rents when the light rail extension comes in. “We want

Nelson said the lawsuit is seeking injunctive relief against the defending parties, meaning the ACLU wants the court to force policy changes in law enforcement regarding the use of facial recognition technology. Mayell hopes that the lawsuit sends a message to all law enforcement that facial recognition “is not enough” to arrest someone.

Perryman said he brought the lawsuit so that no one else, especially his children, would have to go through what he did.

“What happened was wrong, yet this kind of thing happens

about near-term construction impacts. One of them is Angela M (last name withheld by request) who has run Prime Scrubs and Medical Supply at Brooklyn Boulevard and West Broadway Avenue in Brooklyn Park for 14 years. “I don’t go to places where they are doing construction. I don’t want to drive over where roads are closed because I don’t want to go through that hassle. The exact same thing will happen

to people of color all the time,” he said. “I feel like all people should be treated the same regardless of their skin color, race or religion, and that’s why I’m part of the lawsuit, trying to change things for my kids’ generation.”

So far, the Bloomington Police Department and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office have not responded to requests for comment on their use of facial recognition technology.

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

revenue during construction.

Meanwhile, transit riders remain in the dark about plans to bring the light rail to Brooklyn Park. Despite this, most of them were receptive to the light rail coming through the suburbs and were indifferent about whether or not it should go through North Minneapolis.

One person who did not want to give their name but grew up in the Crystal area and works fast food jobs said bringing light rail to Brooklyn Park would be a good idea and supports it running through North Minneapolis. “Transportation rules the nation. We have to commute. We have to travel,” he said as he rode home from work on a Route 705 bus.

“I think [light rail serving the] Northside is a great idea. There are more people using public transit [in North Minneapolis] compared to New Hope and Crystal, and it might take some of the load off of the bus routes.”

Meanwhile, Shirley Miller, who has been commuting to her job in downtown Minneapolis from Brooklyn Park every day for the last 35 years, is worried about light rail going through North Minneapolis. She wants the extension to bypass the North Side and talks about a route she sometimes takes, the 724, that used to run express into downtown Minneapolis before the agency cut back on the route to Brooklyn Center Transit Center when they launched the D line in December.

February of this year. In May, the Minnesota Legislature appropriated $50 million to plan out the project.

Some believe the investment is worth it. Brooklyn Park Mayor Hollies Winston sees the Blue Line extension project as potentially able to unify the city, parts of which are not served by regular route buses that run all day. “If you look at northern Brooklyn Park, in many cases we have a ton of businesses that are doing

Victoria Kepa, who runs a nonprofit in Brooklyn Park that increases literacy among West African families, children and youth, agrees. “You can go [on light rail] from Brooklyn Park all the way to the Mall of America and stop along the way. You would be able to take a bus if you wanted to, if you have a job along those lines,” said Kepa. “[And] if you were to go downtown, and you have a park-and-ride, where you can drop off your car, get

to make sure that the people who are already there continue to remain there,” said Kepa. The committee decided on recommendations in May to require rent control, which restricts how much rent can increase per year, as well as relocation assistance, basic income, first dibs for tenants to buy the buildings they live in, as well as first-time homeowner assistance.

However, some business owners are more worried

to us,” says Angela at her store one June morning. She opposes the project, saying each project has its positives and negatives.

Angela said what can help her business stay afloat during construction is monetary assistance. “When business goes down, I still have to pay rent and utilities.” The antidisplacement recommendations include having the Met Council create a fund to make businesses whole if they lose

“I like the 724, because I can get on here [in Brooklyn Park], get on the highway [at Dowling] and bypass all the riff raff [rowdy high school students], for the lack of a better word,” said Miller, who is Black. “Anything that bypasses this area, from downtown to 30th, that would be perfect in a perfect world.”

“We don’t want people to think, ‘Oh well, the Black folks in Minnesota, North and South Dakota are good now.’ We aren’t.”

H. Jiahong Pan welcomes reader comments at hpan@spokesmanrecorder.com.

Starlite Transit Center in Brooklyn Park

“Transportation rules the nation. We have to commute. We have to travel.”

CNA Training Academy

Loving Lotus Black Business SPOTLIGHT

By Chris Juhn Staff Contributor

When Keisha Williams launched her certified-nursingassistant (CNA) training school during the pandemic in October 2020, most would have predicted that the health-education academy would be a failure. At the time, many healthcare workers were leaving the profession, and those who stayed were suffering from the trauma and burnout of treating COVID patients before the rollout of the vaccine. Fast forward almost three years later, and 39-year-old Williams’

Loving Lotus CNA Training Academy has not only survived, but is thriving with two employees in addition to the owner.

MSR: What inspired you to launch your business?

KW: I started out working in health care. I worked in a lot of facilities, doing double and

Nursing school that helps launch healthcare careers

provide for their families and pay bills. We’re helping with the unemployment gap as well.

triple shifts, and it still wasn’t enough. I felt like working in the healthcare field was undervalued. It pushed me to go back to nursing school.

I knew as a kid I wanted to be a nurse and just care for people. I wanted to deliver the kind of support that I wanted to see in health care. That’s what helped me say we’re gonna produce quality nursing assistants that can help care for other people.

It’s definitely a rewarding career, but it can be trying. We’re caring for people in their most vulnerable state. If you enjoy what you do and you’re knowledgeable, it makes the job so much better.

MSR: How does your business impact the community?

KW: Most of our students are from low-income households. We’re helping provide them with training for a steady income to provide for their family.

We’re Black-owned, so we’re helping address those healthcare disparities because repre-

sentation matters—a lot. We’re helping them with housing stability, because now they can

MSR: What sort of services do you offer?

KW: Well, right now we offer certified nursing assistant training. We teach people how to provide CPR. Right now, we’re in the process of working with the [Minnesota] Office of Higher Education. We’ll be teaching phlebotomy, which is how to draw blood, and train medication aides on how to deliver medication to patients. We’re adding more programs to our school as we get larger.

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

KW: My biggest challenge right now is funding and also getting financial aid, because a lot of the people who want training can’t afford it. So just getting funding for our programs and getting financial assistance to cover tuition costs.

MSR: What has been the most rewarding part of owning your business?

KW: The most rewarding part is being the person who helps someone get their start in health care, and being able to provide a service that helps people understand how important the nursing assistant

Loving Lotus CNA Training Academy students

role is. A lot of people don’t understand that when family members can’t care for seniors or those patients with medical needs, it’s us in the hospitals and nursing homes who are caring for them.

It’s rewarding for me when

lot.

I go to different hospitals and I see my students there. You know that they’re working and that they’re employed. I’m still a traveling nurse, so I just enjoy going to different facilities and watching my students interact with the residents. And so that’s what’s rewarding for me is that I help someone get their start nursing. Hopefully, I inspire them to just keep going. You know, CNA is that first step. I just want to inspire others to continue their education.

MSR: What’s your vision for your business? What does success look like for you?

■ See BBS on page 9

Gov. Walz credits ‘Black Entrepreneurs Day’ for pushing more state funds for small businesses

By MSR News Service

Minnesota’s Black-owned businesses are getting more much-deserved attention.

The City of Minneapolis is hosting Black Business Week from Friday, July 19 to Saturday, July 27 (see page 9), with events aimed at spotlighting the city’s Black-owned businesses and providing network opportunities for them, whether they be established businesses, startups, or new businesses in the works from Black would-be entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, the state legislature passed a slew of new laws that many Black small business owners are likely to benefit from.

In an interview on Sheletta Brundidge’s podcast Laughing with Letta, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said his administration’s One Minnesota budget

prioritized equity in its vision to make Minnesota the best state to live. Gov. Walz gave a nod to a group of Black small business owners for their role in securing new, expanded funding that will strengthen the state investment in businesses in communities of color.

“Not only is it the right thing to do, to make sure that everyone gets an opportunity to thrive here, but the economic reality is, this state is going to be more and more dependent on Blackowned businesses and the en-

trepreneurs that come out of that community,” Walz said.

Brundidge conceived, ex-

ecuted and presented the first “Black Entrepreneurs Day” at the Capitol on Feb. 3. The event

brought some 300 Black small business owners to St. Paul for a rally in the Rotunda to put their

challenges front and center. They spoke up as legislators and policymakers looked for ways to allocate the historic $17 billion state budget surplus.

Attended by the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, cabinet officials and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, the event also included one-on-one meetings between the Black business owners and legislators and a luncheon where they ate together.

“Thanks for that, putting that on,” Walz told Brundidge. “We need to make sure this is the place where entrepreneurs can succeed. Most of us recognize there have been historic barriers on so many fronts—generational wealth, home ownership, business ownership, access to business capital.”

The governor cited money to

■ See Small Businesses on page 9

Loving Lotus’ Keisha Williams

Photos by Chris Juhn

We’re Blackowned, so we’re helping address those healthcare disparities because representation matters—a

Sheletta Brundidge speaking at Black Entrepreneur’s Day 2023

Photos courtesy of SHElettaMakesMeLaugh.com

“The economic reality is, this state is going to be more and more dependent on Black-owned businesses and the entrepreneurs that come out of that community.”

& Culture

20 Hot Summer Reads

By Nadine Matthews

Contributing Writer

The long, lazy, hazy days of summer are upon us. For book lovers, those longer days and vacation time mean more hours to revisit beloved authors and get to know new ones as you lounge by the pool or the lake, in your backyard, or maybe in an overseas hotel room. Below are our picks of some of the best books out this season.

1. Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday, July 18) Harlem, USA 1970s. Pulitzer Prize-winner Colson Whitehead’s latest novel is a darkly funny tale of a city under siege, but also a sneakily searching portrait of the meaning of family. Like his most recent novel, “Harlem Shuffle,” the kaleidoscopic portrait of Harlem that is painted is sure to capture an uncanny evocation of a place and time.

2. bell hooks: The Last Interview: and Other Conversations, intro by Mikki Kendall (Melville House, July 18)

Part of a 42-book series called the “The Last Interview,” this collection of seven interviews stretches from early in bell hooks career—she passed away in 2021—until her last interview. The collection features the trailblazing author, feminist, social activist, cultural critic, and professor discussing feminism, the complexity of rap music and masculinity, her relationship to Buddhism, the “politic of domination,” sexuality, and the importance of communication across cultural borders.

3. Don’t Let Them Bury My Story: The Oldest Living Survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre in Her Own Words by Viola Ford Fletcher and Ike Howard (Mocha Media, Aug 15)

Although her lawsuit against the state and city of Tulsa was recently dismissed, Viola Ford Fletcher’s memoir vividly recalls the lasting impact of the Tulsa Massacre on her life and takes readers on a journey through a lifetime of pain and perseverance.

4. The Fraud by Zadie Smith (Penguin, Sept 5)

Set against the legal trial that divided Victorian England, this novel, based on real historical events, is about truth and fiction, Jamaica and Britain, fraudulence and authenticity, and the mystery of “other people.”

5. The Thing About Home by Rhonda McKnight (HarperCollins)

When her picture-perfect vow renewal ceremony ends in her being left at the altar, the former model-turned-social-media-influencer Casey Black has new fame—the kind she never wanted. Casey runs from New York City to South Carolina’s Lowcountry where she discovers her roots run deeper than the Lowcountry soil. She learns she has a legacy to uphold and a great new love story—if only she is brave enough to leave her old life behind.

6. Even If the Sky Is Falling, edited by Taj McCoy (Canary Street Press)

Filled with humor, heat and hope, this riveting collection of interwoven multicultural stories by acclaimed authors Lane Clarke, Farah Heron, Taj McCoy, Charish Reid, Sarah Smith and Denise Williams explores the secrets we carry with us—and the joy we discover when we let go and reach for the stars.

7. Summer on Sag Harbor by Sunny Hostin (HarperCollins)

The second novel in a two-part series from “The View” co-host, the story revolves around

ReVisión Art in the Americas

Olivia Jones, who once she becomes untethered from her life in New York City, moves to a summer home in Sag Harbor and begins forging a new community. Friendships blossom with Kara, an ambitious art curator; and Whitney, the wife of an ex-basketball player and current president of the Sag Harbor Homeowners Association; and a sexy new neighbor and single father, Garrett, who makes her reconsider her engagement to Anderson. She also takes to a kindly, older gentleman named Mr. Whittingham, but soon discovers he too is not without his own troubles.

8. Rogue Justice: A Thriller by Stacey Abrams (Doubleday)

Georgia politician and former romance writer, Abrams writes a thriller about Supreme Court clerk Avery Keene, who is approached at a legal conference by Preston Davies, an unassuming young man and fellow law clerk to a federal judge in Idaho. Davies believes his boss, Judge Francesca Whitner, was being blackmailed in the days before she died. Desperate to understand what happened, he gives Avery a file, a burner phone, and a fearful warning that there are highly dangerous people involved.

9. An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera (Canary Street Press)

Artist Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan trades her beloved land for a summer with the ruthless Duchess of Sindridge in Paris, a taste of the wild, carefree world that will soon be out of her reach. What follows thrills and terrifies the duchess, igniting desires she long thought dead.

10. Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi (HarperCollins)

Her dad raised her as part of the Movement, a Black separatist group based in Philadelphia. But when her mother—the perfect matriarch of their Movement—disappears, Nigeria’s world is upended. She finds herself taking care of her baby brother and stepping into a role she doesn’t want.

11. The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson (Simon and Schuster)

Fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college. But will a taboo love affair pull her back into poverty and desperation like generations before her?

12. The Survivalists by Kashana Cauley (Soft Skull Press)

In the wake of her parents’ death, Aretha, a habitually single Black lawyer, has had only one obsession in life—success—until she falls for Aaron, a Brooklyn-based coffee entrepreneur.

13. What Never Happened: A Thriller by Rachel Howzell Hall (August 1, Thomas & Mercer)

As Coco ventures back home to Catalina Island after surviving a tragedy there 20 years ago, she begins to draw connections between a serial killer’s crimes and her own family tragedy.

14. Promise by Rachel Eliza Griffiths (July 11, Random House)

Two sisters growing up in small-town New England fight to protect their home, their bodies, and their dreams as the Civil Rights Movement sweeps the nation in this “magical, magnificent novel that amounts to a secret history of an America we think we know but never really knew.”

15. Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson (July 18, Grove Press)

Set over the course of three summers, “Small Worlds” follows Stephen, a first-generation Londoner born to Ghanaian immigrant parents. Stephen feels pressured to follow a certain path, but when he decides instead to follow his heart, his world fractures in ways he didn’t foresee.

16. Take A Hike by Mimi Grace (Kindle)

Silas once had big dreams, but life got in the way. Now he’s making the most of his situation. That is until the bubbly Raven thwarts his plan to buy Mountaintop Adventures. The two butt heads, but attraction and rapport ensue. Can Silas and Raven keep professional lines and their opposing goals intact?

17. Homebodies by Tembe Denton Hurst (HarperCollins)

Journalist Mickey Heyward’s perfect New York City life is shattered when she loses her highprofile job. Forced to reckon with just how fragile her life is, she flees to the last place she ever dreamed she would run to—her hometown.

18. Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby (Vintage)

The comedian, essayist, and TV writer’s newest collection of essays covers everything from being thrown out of restaurants to manic poets, to QVC, to her obsession with “Sex and The City.”

19. Dances by Nicole Cuffy (One World)

At 22 years old, Cece Cordell has reached the pinnacle of her career as a ballet dancer when she was promoted to principal at the New York City Ballet. Soon after her promotion, Cece is faced with a choice that has the potential to derail her career and shatter the life she’s cultivated for herself.

20. The Art of Ruth E. Carter: Costuming Black History and the Afrofuture, from Do the Right Thing to Black Panther by Ruth E. Carter (Chronicle Books)

Ruth E. Carter is a living legend of costume design. For three decades, she has shaped the story of the Black experience on screen—from the ’80s streetwear of “Do the Right Thing” to the royal regalia of “Coming 2 America.”

Her work on Marvel’s “Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” not only brought Afrofuturism to the mainstream but also made her the first Black Oscar winner in costume design and the first Black woman to win two Academy Awards in any category. In this definitive book, Carter shares her origins and recounts anecdotes from dressing the greats.

Nadine Matthews welcomes reader comments to nmatthews@spokesman-recorder.com.

Deep South Governor’s Race to Watch

By Ben Jealous

A year in which there are only three races for governor’s seats, all in the Deep South, wouldn’t normally create a lot of political speculation. Kentucky’s popular Democratic incumbent may have a tough race, and chalking up Louisiana and its neighbor to the east to a Republican would be typical conventional wisdom.

But “Mississippi Miracle” may well become the catchphrase of this election season. Brandon Presley is making a strong bid to become the first Democratic elected governor in the Magnolia State this century.

Christine King Farris

By Marian Wright Edelman

“I am convinced that, to a certain extent, genealogy and DNA combined to set the arc of my life, and the lives of my two siblings—at birth. I understand why the calling to participate in the freedom struggle was literally ‘in our blood’. . .

“Generations of my family who came before us tilled the soil and gave us their shoulders to stand on. We have tried to respond to the call of conscience and the will of God.

“Every now and then, I have to chuckle as I realize there are people who actually believe ML [Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.] just appeared. They think he simply happened, that he appeared fully formed, without context, ready to change the world. Take it from his big sister, that’s simply not the case.

“We are the products of a long line of activists and ministers. We come from a family of incredible men and women who served as leaders in their time and place, long before ML was ever thought of. My brother was an ordinary man, called by a God in whom he had abundant faith.”

These are the words of a proud sister describing the family legacy that shaped her life and her younger brothers’ lives, and, in “ML”’s case, helped prepare Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to make history. Christine King Farris, who passed away on June 29 at age 95, embodied that legacy of servant-leadership as an educator and activist.

She taught generations of students at Spelman College and helped establish the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Change in Atlanta, where she served as a founding board

member, vice-chair, and treasurer.

At the King Center last week, her son, Isaac Farris, Jr., said, “Mother was not the type of person to need attention or be out front. But she was there at every march. She was there, working behind

16.

At Spelman she was voted “Most Distinguished Student” before graduating with her degree in economics in 1948 on the same day Martin received his degree in sociology from Morehouse College. At the time, Georgia was among the states that provided vouchers to pay for Black students’ graduate education at schools out of state rather than integrating their own—as she put it, “thus insuring the preservation of the all-white halls of the University of Georgia.”

Presley (yes, Elvis from Tupelo is a cousin) has won a seat on the state’s Public Service Commission four times, where he’s opposed a huge coal-fired power plant and a proposal to dump nuclear waste in Mississippi, and he fought to expand internet access in rural areas.

He’s hard to pin as a typical Democrat. He lowered taxes and balanced budgets as a mayor, endorsed George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election, and describes himself as a prolife Christian (which he is quick to note demands supporting health care, education and seniors as well).

2,000 people in northeastern Mississippi that Presley hails from, is where he became mayor at age 23. It is split about 60 percent White and 40 percent Black like the state as a whole but has a median income $10,000 below the median in one of the poorest states in the country.

It’s no surprise that Presley is campaigning on issues that matter most to those voters. He responded to Gov. Tate Reeves’ state of the state address outside a shuttered rural hospital to highlight his $1 billion Medicaid expansion plan, which he says will improve health care to low-income residents and save nearly 40 Mississippi hospitals at risk of closing.

Reeves is unpopular even among his party’s voters. Six in 10 voters in a recent poll, including a third of Republicans and two thirds of independents, said they want “someone else” to be governor. While he’s campaigning on a raise he gave educators, the teachers union has endorsed Presley.

the endorsement of Rep. Bennie Thompson, the state’s only Black member of Congress, almost immediately after announcing his campaign. (The last Democrat who ran did not.)

Black and low-income voters would gain much from Medicaid expansion and Presley’s plan to cut Mississippi’s regressive seven percent grocery tax. Having suffered with a Republican leading the state a decade ago, they’d have a champion as governor when legislative and Congressional districts are redrawn in response to the census this time around. `1 1

Even more broadly, a Presley victory and his economic proposals might begin to shift what’s been a historical migration pattern for Blacks out of the state up the Mississippi River and westward to California.

the scenes, supporting her brother . . . She was there, throughout it all.”

In her memoir Through It All: Reflections on My Life, My Family, and My Faith she said that just like her brothers’ callings to become ministers on the front lines of the battle for human and civil rights, her calling to be an educator was “in the blood” too. In a tribute, Spelman noted “even before she graduated from the Spelman nursery in 1931 (as a three-year-old), Christine King Farris’ mother, grandmother and great-aunt had all matriculated at the institution.”

The Kings’ grandmother attended Spelman Seminary during the first decade after its founding, and their mother, Alberta Williams King, graduated from Spelman’s secondary school. Christine was following in their footsteps when she enrolled as a Spelman undergraduate at age

This allowed her to go to New York to attend Columbia University, where she earned two masters’ degrees in education. She began her career as an educator in the Atlanta public school system and then returned to Spelman, where she served for 56 years as a professor of education and director of the Learning Resources Center.

At her retirement in May 2014 she became Professor Emerita and Spelman’s longest-serving faculty member.

She was behind the scenes during key events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and took part in historic demonstrations like the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights march and the 1966 March Against Fear in Mississippi. She was also at her brother’s side after his assassination, flying to Memphis to claim his body.

She was never able to bear to return to the city. A little over a year after Dr. King’s assassination, their brother A.D. King was found dead in his home swimming pool.

Then in 1974, Christine King Farris was in the sanctuary at Ebenezer Baptist Church when a gunman burst in and shot and killed her mother as Mrs. King sat at the organ playing “The Lord’s Prayer.”

As her niece, Rev. Bernice King, said last week, “I was just amazed at her ability to go through all of the tragedy that she went through and still stand strong and still be full of faith and love.”

Rev. King also said, “She experienced profound tragedy and was sustained by love, faith in God, and hope for humanity. She kept teaching, kept growing, kept mothering so many. Her life was a testimony.”

Besides her memoir, Christine King Farris also wrote the children’s books “My Brother Martin” and “March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World.” Throughout her life she was committed to sharing her family’s story and reminding younger generations that transformative leaders like her brother are not born as magical superheroes, but as real people, the products of the families and communities around them, who rise up to the work they are called to do. This lesson will be her legacy.

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

Presley has a powerful personal story that reaches well beyond his kinship with the King of Rock and Roll. He was raised by a single mom who worked in a garment factory after his father was murdered. He’s told poor and working-class voters that they should see their own names on the ballot when they see his. Nettleton, the town of about

The incumbent has been tied to a scandal in which up to $94 million in welfare funds were diverted to pet projects of the state’s most powerful while many families in need were being denied $170 a month in assistance. It’s a particularly salient issue at this moment when Mississippi and other states are beginning to seek and spend hundreds of billions in federal dollars to build infrastructure and create clean energy jobs.

Presley will need a big turnout from the 38 percent of Mississippi voters who are Black. He’s not well known in Jackson and the southern end of the state where most of them live. He had

When I was a young organizer in Mississippi in the 1990s, a mentor who had helped build the state’s public health clinics during the Kennedy and Johnson years told me that there were more Black doctors who’d been born in Mississippi living in Los Angeles County than in the entire state of Mississippi.

No state can thrive indefinitely letting its best and brightest look for opportunity elsewhere. Mississippi may decide to turn off that spigot in November.

Ben Jealous is executive director of the Sierra Club, the nation’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. He is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” published in January.

Philanthropy’s Bridge Bends Toward Justice, Not Cooperation

CHANGE Philanthropy, a coalition of identity-focused philanthropic affinity groups, recently published an open letter criticizing “The Chronicle of Philanthropy” for supporting philanthropic pluralism—the idea that there should be a diversity of views and approaches in philanthropy and that foundations should be free to support causes that they believe in, even if those causes are controversial.

America—and the world—is undergoing a fundamental examination of what it means to be a functioning multiracial, multilingual and multigenerational democracy. Arguing for pluralism in philanthropy without centering impacted communities, at a moment when those with power routinely circumvent and upend democratic norms to consolidate their influence, ignores the political reality in which we are all living.

A slew of issues, long rooted in the systematic exploitation of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities, threatens our shared prosperity. Yet, the analysis and understanding of those issues are far from shared, dividing people along intersectional social, economic and gender-based identities.

Many, including those in philanthropy, want the joy of executing collaborative solutions without the discomfort of disagreement, having to reckon with the consequences of their past (in)actions, giving up their current privilege, power or influence.

As a coalition of philanthropic networks working together to strengthen bridges across funders and communities, we at CHANGE Philanthropy are all too familiar with these arguments. They come up as we engage leaders in transforming and

challenging philanthropic culture to advance equity, benefit all communities, and ignite positive social change.

Arguments like these have long been repeated to many of us at conferences, during grant reviews, and in intimate conversations from friend and foe alike. They are the narratives and beliefs that are behind the consistent underfunding of our communities, our community groups and our leadership.

These are just some of the reasons why foundations and individual donors are still finding some measure of success funding legislation and other strategies targeting the existence of Trans, LGBTQ+, immigrants and refugees in states like Texas, Florida, Montana and Kentucky. And why communities are seeing books banned, their voting rights curtailed, and even the mere discussion of historic truths like slavery outlawed in public schools.

Philanthropy must be able to shift and pivot and to respond to these dangers, guided by those who are directly impacted by those decisions and rooted in building—and maintaining— trusting and caring relationships with those communities.

For foundations, that also means examining their role in seeding these current issues, which often means having the courage to go back and examine how they acquired their current power and influence. The examination and reckoning around the wealth generation of a vast majority of our nation’s foundations are necessary steps in organizations healing the harm and trauma of society’s racist and exploitative systems.

There is certainly room for grace in these discussions, but the discomfort and vulnerability implicit

in this journey cannot be sidestepped nor shortened because of philanthropy’s best intentions.

History is littered with groups of well-intentioned people who have the privilege of ignoring the injustice that surrounds them. Generations ago, they may have been the moderate spiritual leaders described in Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Today, they are proponents of a “new philanthropic pluralism.”

Over time, they speak of ideals in the abstract, wielding polite language and calling for civility as a tool to avoid dealing with and making grantmaking decisions on the tangible issues confronting so many of our communities.

Too many well-intentioned philanthropic colleagues are more afraid for and protective of their own survival than that of the grantees and communities being targeted today. Yet the real threat to any level of public trust in philanthropy comes not from communities, nor Congress, but the sector’s own trepidation in ceding its own privilege, power and influence in the service of justice.

Efforts against truth, racial and gender justice cannot be minimized and labeled as mere “disagreements” when those efforts impact the survival, existence, and dignity of our communities. Bridging differences is an important part of getting to a more just and equitable world. But people don’t build bridges just to meet in the middle. They do so to get to somewhere.

A commitment to anything less these days is more than just a lost opportunity to change the world. It’s a potential death sentence for those who don’t have the power and influence to stop it.

For more information, go to

“I was just amazed at her ability to go through all of the tragedy that she went through and still stand strong and still be full of faith and love.”

Minneapolis to celebrate Black Business Week July 24-30

The City of Minneapolis is set to celebrate its third annual Black Business Week, from Monday, July 24 to Sunday, July 30, ahead of the nationally recognized National Black Business Month in August. The goal of the week is to better amplify, strengthen and support Black business development in Minneapolis.

This year’s Minneapolis Black Business Week centers on generational wealth and the ways that the financial successes of today’s Black entrepreneurs can be passed down to future generations. Find event details below:

Black Business Week kickoff event

5-8 pm Monday, July 24

56 Brewing, 3055 Columbia Ave. NE

Leaders from the local business community join organizations and City staff in discussions on building generational wealth and a Black middle class in Minneapolis. People who come by can also check out a Black Market featuring a variety of Minneapolis vendors and resource tables that include the City’s Small Business Team and the Civil Rights Department’s procurement and contracting division.

Ward 5 job fair

3-6:30 pm, Tuesday, July 25

Workforce Center, 800 W. Broadway

Youth (ages 14+) can learn about opportunities for internships, jobs and entrepreneur mentorship.

Certified Access information session

11 am-noon, Tuesday, July 25

Virtual event

Learn about Certified Access and how it can support entrepreneurs in getting certifications as minority-owned businesses, woman-owned businesses, or other disadvantaged business enterprises.

East African Panel Discussion and Resource Fair

2-6 pm Wednesday, July 26

Brian Coyle Center, 420 15th Ave. S.

This event is geared towards helping businesses in the city’s East African community and highlighting the resources they can access to start or grow a business. At 2 pm, hear about entrepreneurship among young East African women at a panel discussion. Then at 4, participants can connect to community resources for businesses.

SMALL BUSINESSES

Continued from page 6

rebuild Lake Street and minority-owned businesses after the civil unrest and grants coming through DEED (the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development) providing money for workforce development and access to capital.

He pointed to other specific initiatives that he believes will be helpful to small businesses in communities of color:

$5 million for Launch Minnesota, a statewide effort to accelerate business startup growth and amplify Minnesota as a national leader in innovation

$18 million for the Small Business Partnerships Program to help meet the demand for business development and technical assistance for 27,000 businesses, with additional funding earmarked to benefit underserved populations including minorityowned businesses.

$10 million for the Expand-

BBS

Continued from page 6

KW: Hopefully, we will have multiple locations being able to provide services to those underserved neighborhoods.

MSR: What would you say to a person who is considering a career in nursing, but who’s on the fence about it?

KW: It definitely requires someone who’s patient, flexible, and who can work with others. No two days are ever the same in nursing and health care, so you have to be flexible.

I think it’s a rewarding career. I’ve met a lot of people who start as nursing assistants and they stay nursing assis-

Real estate project tours

3-4 pm Wednesday, July 26

2406 McNair Ave. N 705 N 42nd Ave.

Two separate tours take participants through Black-led real estate development projects, with a social hour to follow.

The McNair Avenue tour is of twin homes recently constructed by real estate developer Alex Frank, who also serves as an advisor with the City’s Developer Technical Assistance Program (DTAP). Alex Frank has developed multiple homes through the City’s Minneapolis Homes program since 2016 and also participates as a mentor in ULI Minnesota’s Real Estate Diversity Initiative Program for BIPOC and Women real estate professionals.

The 42nd Avenue tour is of a redevelopment being led by emerging real estate developer and entrepreneur Anissa Keyes. A founder of Arubah Emotional Health Services, Anissa Keys is also a DTAP participant and a recipient of the City’s Ownership and Opportunity Fund. Her renovation of the historic Camden Bank building is currently underway and will provide 20,000 square feet of commercial space to BIPOC small business owners when completed.

Protecting your Legacy

5:30-7:30 pm

Wednesday, July 26

Neon, 1007 W. Broadway Ave.

Legal Workshop for businesses focusing on protecting business assets for the future. Succession planning, wills/trusts, and more tools to support eventual retirement and generational wealth building.

Doing Business with the City

12-2 pm Thursday, July 27

Sabathani, 310 E. 38th St.

Business owners can learn how they can get contracts with the City as a vendor. Includes information on certifications.

Chameleon Pop Up

11 am-1 pm Thursday, July 27

Nicollet Avenue between 7th and 8th streets.

Pop-up market on Nicollet Mall featuring Black vendors

The Black Market Summer Series Pop Up Event

4-8 pm Saturday, July 29

Farmers Market Annex, 200 East Lyndale Ave. N.

Pop-up market at the Farmers Market Annex focuses on Black vendors.

For more info, and to register for events, visit minneapolismn.gov/BlackBusiness.

ing Opportunity Fund to increase the capitalization of nonprofit lenders whose focus is largely on BIPOC and women-owned businesses and businesses in Greater Minnesota, enabling them to make up to 8,000 loans to small businesses.

will be “transformational” in helping small businesses with their recruiting and retention of workers.

“Access to health care, access to paid family medical leave, these are things small businesses need to compete with big businesses,” Walz said. “All

it’s how they attract employees. We want small entrepreneurs to say, ‘Come work for me, I can give you a living wage, we’ve got paid family leave, we’ve got health care.’”

Despite the victories in the

session, Walz acknowledged that Minnesota still has a long way to go in achieving true equity: “There are still gaps—in health care, educational outcomes, home ownership. This generation can’t wait for an-

other 20 years to fix it.”

For more stories from MSR News Service, visit spokesmanrecorder.com. Info in this story was provided in part by SHElettaMakesMeLaugh.com.

Walz added that other measures passed by the legislature

tants a long time. They love it.

So, if you’re looking to change careers, you’re a caring person, and you’re looking to go into a healthcare career, becoming a nursing assistant would definitely be a good fit.

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

KW: I would say, be prepared. Have your things in order.

There’s no waiting for the best moment. Just do it. And there’s no right or wrong way. It’s all a learning process, but at least be knowledgeable. Try to be as knowledgeable as you can in your field.

MSR: What would you like to add that has not been covered?

KW: Here at Loving Lotus, we

the big employers already offer [paid family leave] because

want our students to feel comfortable, to feel safe, and that they have a safe place where they can be themselves. They can have a conducive learning environment where they’re not judged and where they’re comfortable. I think that’s the biggest thing. We’re flexible, and we try our best to just make everyone feel comfortable to prepare them for their future in health care.

Loving Lotus CNA Training Academy is located at 2419 Margaret St. N. in North St. Paul. For more information, call 651-321-7500, or go to www.lovinglotuscna.com.

Chris Juhn welcomes reader comments at cjuhn@spokesman-recorder.com.

Gov. Tim Walz with Black Entrepreneur’s Day founder Sheletta Brundidge

Courtesy of the City of Minneapolis

Summer Guide

The MSR’s guide to summer festivals, concerts, and activities for foodies, stargazers, art and music lovers, and outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy for the week of July 13-19.

Minnehaha Falls Art Fair

LynLake Street Art Series

July 15 – 16

Lyndale Avenue South and West Lake Street

The LynLake Street Art Series returns for its sixth year in July. This free celebration of LynLake’s art scene will feature live street and performance art, food and drink specials throughout Lynlake, a gallery show with featured artists and more! For more info, visit www. lynlakestreetart.com.

International Day of Music

July 16 – noon to midnight

Minnesota Orchestra Hall – 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis

The International Day of Music, the Minnesota Orchestra’s free 12-hour celebration of music, returns to Orchestra Hall. This event showcases free performances by 20 different ensembles—from Salsa del Soul to Lady Midnight—on four stages in and around Orchestra Hall, including a free performance featuring the Minnesota Orchestra outdoors on Peavey Plaza that will culminate in bells pealing in coordination across Minneapolis. For more info, visit www.minnesotaorchestra.org.

Minneapolis Aquatennial

July 19 – 22

Multiple events and locations

July 14 – 16

Minnehaha Falls Park – 4801 South Minnehaha Drive, Minneapolis

Celebrate dozens of local artists at the Minnehaha Falls Art Fair. Peruse a wide variety of mediums including paintings, ceramics, textiles, screen-printing, woodworking, photography, and more. For more info, visit www.minnehahafallsartfair.com.

Bayfront Reggae & World Music Festival

July 15 – 12:00 to 11:00 p.m.

Bayfront Festival Park – Fifth Avenue West and Railroad Street, Duluth

A celebration of world music whose artists spread the message of love, hope and equality for all people worldwide! Bring your flag and wave it proudly! This year’s lineup will be announced soon. For more info, visit www.bayfrontworldmusic.com.

The Minneapolis Aquatennial is the official civic celebration of the City of Minneapolis. Beloved Aquatennial flagship events will again bookend the Aquatennial in 2023. The CenterPoint Energy Torchlight Parade will take place on Wednesday, July 19 and the Target Fireworks on Saturday, July 22. For more info, visit www.aquatennial.com.

African Americans representing in Mr. Basketball awards

being Greg Downing of Duluth Central when he was co-Mr. Basketball with Randy Breuer of Prior Lake in 1979.

n 49 years there have been 51 Minnesota Mr. Basketball winners—co-winners were named in 1979 and 1998—since the first award was given in 1975, to Gene Glynn of Waseca. Twenty-two of the winners are African Americans, the first

Here are the rest of the African American Mr. Basketball winners: Redd Overton (Minneapolis North, 1981); Brett McNeal (Minneapolis North, 1985); Derek Reuben (Minneapolis North, 1988); Robert Mestas (Minneapolis Roosevelt, 1995); Khalid El-Amin, 1997); Darius Lane (Totino Grace, 1998, co-Mr. Basketball with Joel Przybilla of Monticello); Adam Boone (Minnetonka, 2000); Kris Humphries (Hopkins, 2003); Jordan Taylor (Benilde St. Margaret’s, 2008); Royce White (Hopkins, 2009);

■ See PREP on page 11

ockey made some news last week. Along with the NHL draft and free agency, the Tennessee State University (TSU) announcement that it plans to have a hockey team next year, becoming the first HBCU to do this, might have been the biggest news we heard.

TSU will first field a clublevel men’s hockey team, with plans to expand to include women’s hockey, and to become a Division I sport for both genders.

“As of today, I don’t have any players,” TSU Assistant AD Nick Guerriero told us during a phone interview a few days after the historic announcement on June 28. “I don’t have a coach. I don’t have a director of operations. But I do have about 60 emails from folks telling us, ‘Hey, we’d like to come.”

A 2021 feasibility study by College Hockey, Inc. found that having ice hockey at a HBCU would help promote diversity and inclusion in a sport more known for being White than otherwise.

The HBCU is located in Nashville, where the NHL’s Predators are located as well.

The team began a relationship with TSU in 2020, as a significant contributor to its “One Million in One Month” fundraising campaign, and has continued to donate to the school’s scholarship programs, providing internships and job opportunities through the TSU Career Development Center.

In a press release, Dr. Mikki Allen, TSU director of athletics, said that by having the NHL club as willing partners, “We will forge a path towards a more inclusive and united hockey community.”

“I told my athletic director, every day is just a day closer

MLB efforts to recruit more Black players have yet to bear fruit

By Charles Hallman Sports Columnist

t has been at least threequarters of a century since Jackie Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier in 1947. But Opening Day 2023 found only six percent of major leaguers are American-born Black players, one percent lower than 2022, and the lowest since 1991, when it was 18 percent.

This decline in African Americans in the league is despite the continued efforts by MLB to attract more Black players through some of its many initiatives. These include the HBCU Swingman Classic, which is played during the AllStar break features 50 Black college baseball players, as well as the summertime RBI youth baseball programs in MLB cities among others.

when the pendulum will shift [in the majors].”

For the first time in draft history, four of last year’s first five MLB draft picks were Black. Nine first rounders also were Black, the most since 1992. The 2023 MLB draft was still in progress at press time.

2023 roster: veterans Byron Buxton, Michael A. Taylor, Nick Gordon, and recent callup Royce Lewis. Both Gordon and Lewis are currently injured.

soccer, football, a lot of other sports. But for some reason I just kept coming back to baseball.”

Lewis, MLB’s No. 1 overall draft pick in 2017 by Minnesota, has had two torn ACLs in the same right knee. Before his latest injury, an oblique strain that he suffered during his swing on a groundout on July 1, at Baltimore, Lewis was hitting .326 with four homers in his first 26 games back with the Twins. We spoke with him prior to his latest setback.

“That was the toughest part for an athlete…,” he said, about not being able to play. “It felt like it was my identity. I’m still in the middle of my prime athletically,” stressed Lewis.

to puck drop,” noted Guerriero.

“We need to be very much on the go 24/7. We need to al-

ways be talking to somebody, whether it’s coaches at the junior level, players, parents, you know, just the common hockey folk. Someone who understands the game, loves the game.”

The TSU news didn’t go unnoticed here in the Hockey State: “I’m really excited,” said Anthony Walsh, who played on Edina’s state high school championship, then played college hockey and Junior A hockey in Canada. He also coached a North Commons hockey team to a Park Board title and recently graduated from Mitchell Hamline Law School.

“I am excited about my daughter. She’s a freshman in

■ See VIEW on page 11

Mama Taj let her play do the talking

LYNX GREATS

The MSR is the only local media member that has covered the Minnesota Lynx from the start of its 25-year existence as the team became the Twin Cities’ most successful pro franchise. Before this season, the team chose its top-25 players in Lynx history and held their 25th anniversary celebration the weekend of June 9-11, where the MSR spoke to several of the honored players.This week: Taj McWilliams-Franklin (2011-12)

“There is a problem,” admitted Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick while visiting the Twin Cities last week. “We just have to be patient, and patience is not something that is who we are.”

“As we started to see the minor leagues become more populated with Black players, I think you can start to predict

“I hope that is a trend and not an aberration,” noted Kendrick.

The “2023 MLB Racial and Gender Report Card” released in June by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport also noted not only the low numbers of Black players but also Blacks in other baseball roles: one Black manager, two Black general managers, four Black umpires; 62 out of 625 coaches are Black, and there are 21 Black vice presidents.

The Minnesota Twins have one Black person in a leadership position among five chief executives (Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Meka White Morris).

The Twins have four African American players on their

In his first year in Minnesota, Taylor has played for two other MLB clubs since his debut for Washington in 2014. He was traded to the Twins last January from Kansas City for two minor leaguers. He leads the team this year in games played and is second in stolen bases.

“Baseball is a sport where it can be difficult [to learn]...

It’s not like you can just grab a basketball and go to the local park and put up shots,” explained Taylor.

“I started when I was very young, around four years old. I think it was my dad who first put me in baseball. And I just fell in love with it. I played basketball,

In 2019, San Francisco’s LaMonte Wade, Jr. debuted with the Twins, who later traded him to the Giants in 2021. “You look around and you don’t really see too many,” he told us about the low number of American-born Black MLB players. “It’s got to change.”

“I do think the programs that have been implemented by the Major League Baseball Players Association will start to pay tremendous dividends down the road,” predicted Kendrick.

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

aj McWilliams-Franklin already had an impressive player resume when she signed with Minnesota in 2011. The veteran center came into the league in 1999, as a

third-round pick by Orlando, and had played with five W clubs before becoming a Lynx. She didn’t need to score to be effective. Instead, she did the less glamorous work along with providing her new teammates a seasoned voice on and off the court. That was what Minnesota needed more than buckets.

Affectionately and respectfully called “Mama Taj,” McWilliams-Franklin was a six-time All-Star and previously won a league title with Detroit in 2008. Three years later, she would earn a second title ring as McWilliams-Franklin became one of three centers, who manned the paint for the four-time Lynx ■ See SOE on page 11

Nasir Whitlock (2023 Mr. Basketball, DeLaSalle)

Photo by Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald

Courtesy of the Oklahoma Eagle

Anthony Walsh graduating from Hamline Law Courtesy of Twitter

“The operative question is who’s gonna be on the team?”

“There is a problem. We just have to be patient, and patience is not something that is who we are.”

Michael A. Taylor Courtesy of MN Twins

Bob Kendrick

Photos by Charles Hallman

Royce Lewis LaMonte Wade, Jr.

Taj McWilliams-Franklin

Photo by Charles Hallman

“It’s something being a poor kid from Augusta, Georgia. I never thought I could do anything in basketball.”

Standing among the Lynx Top 25, Taj McWilliams-Franklin is third from right in the back row with a big smile. Courtesy of MN Lynx