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Black Media in Minnesota

Black Media in Minnesota: Tradition, Practice, & Vision curates an anthology of scholar-activists and media makers. The contributors in this publication represent collectively hundreds of years of experience on the front line, bringing the news and education through newspaper, radio, television, podcast, film, social media, and community programming to the community, country, and world. This eclectic mix of articles highlights three main areas: contemporary journalistic critique, historical analysis, and personal narrative.

Edited by Al McFarlane

Foreword by Dr. Mahmoud El-Kati

Contributors:

Henry Banks, Donnie Nicole Belcher, Daniel Pierce Bergin, Dr. Danielle K. Brown, Georgia Fort, Dr. Robin P. Hickman-Winfield, Lissa Jones-Lofgren, Al McFarlane, Jasmine Snow, Dr. Catherine R. Squires, Dallas Watson, and Tracey Williams-Dillard.

Ethel Ray: Living in the White, Gray, and Black

By: Karen F. Nance

Ethel Ray: Living in the White, Gray, and Black by Karen Felecia Nance tells an amazing rites of passage story about Ethel Ray, one of the early African American residents in Duluth. Be a part of history as Karen Nance’s book chronicles the early life of her grandmother, Ethel Ray Nance for the very first time. Find out how a pivotal figure of the NAACP who worked closely with W.E.B. Du Bois, and the first colored woman to be part of the Minnesota Legislature, fought through racial injustice and the trials of being biracial during Minnesota’s most violent era for Black people.

Root Wisdom from the Elders’ Circle

By: Jacqueline “Lady J” Maddix

Root Wisdom discusses the numinous, the mystical, and the supernatural world of the metaphysical. It represents the ancient spirituality of our common ancestors. Today, elders from indigenous cultures and communities house, hold, protect, and practice this wisdom. It is the communal and collective elders’ circle that passes this knowledge on through the generations.

Towards an African Education: Selected Writings on the Education and Development of Children of African Heritage

Edited by: Mahmoud El-Kati

Kasserian Ingera, “How are the children?” The Maasai warriors of East Africa would ask this most important question of each other in passing. The question is of the highest importance because it assesses the future of the community. The answer to this question, for 50 million African heritage people in the United States and one billion people of African descent globally, is tenuous. The status of the educational quality of students of African heritage is significantly and systemically different from any other cultural community in the U.S. Many describe the lack of education that African/African-American students receive in this country as the “Achievement Gap,” which is a misleading indicator of what is truly occurring with the education and socialization of African children.

Mr. Rondo’s Spirit by Ericka Dennis, illustration by Mychal Batson

Joey and Grandpa Johnson’s Day in Rondo By Dr. Artika Tyner, illustrations by Broderick Poole

Joey grew up in a historical African American neighborhood called Rondo during the 1940’s. On his weekly Saturday adventure with his grandpa, he learns about the rich cultural heritage of his community and the power of entrepreneurship. Rondo was a thriving African American community with doctors, lawyers, dentists, restaurants and retail shops.

The history of Rondo was drastically changed in the 1960’s when the government erected a new highway U.S. Interstate 94 which went directly through Rondo. The highway destroyed the economic engine of Rondo- entrepreneurship and small businesses but it did not destroy the vision of economic independence, education, and hope.