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THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
January 1 - 7, 2026
Vol. 92
No. 22
Phone: 612-827-4021 www.spokesman-recorder.com
Thousands gather at Capitol to Minnesota racism then and now demand ‘something radically better’ Published January 2, 2025
Published April 18, 2025
hope brought together by a over profit, care over punishcoalition of grassroots justice ment, justice over silence. “We’re not political people, organizations. Activists, artBy Aria Binns-Zager ists, elders, students, and we’re just people,” said Tonya Staff Writer everyday Minnesotans stood M., a home care worker from he front lawn of the shoulder to shoulder, united Brooklyn Park, balancing Minnesota State Capi- in their demand for a govern- her toddler on one hip and a tol pulsed with chants, ment that prioritizes people ■ See HANDS on page 5 banners, and unwavering resolve on April 5 as thousands assembled for the “HANDS OFF” rally — a powerful rebuke of rising police aggression, the tightening grip of surveillance, and the continued systemic neglect faced by Black, brown, and Indigenous communities. The cold didn’t stop them. Neither did the threat of rain. And though the sky hung heavy and gray, the message rang bright and clear: Hands off our bodies. Hands off our families. Hands off our communities. Hands off our future. More than a demonstration, the rally was a communal heartbeat — a convergence HANDS OFF protests are a series of ongoing anti-Trump admin of resistance, memory and demonstrations across the nation. Photo by Chris Juhn/MSR
By Vickie Evans-Nash Contributing Writer ince African Americans began migrating mainly from the South to Minnesota as newly freed slaves, they have been fighting to obtain equal rights. That fight continues today through everyday people addressing racism and discrimination in their jobs, sharing the history of the struggle, and community activism. Buster Cooper and Yousef Mgeni have been on the front “They are going to get evictlines for several years in St. ed; their car is getting reposCloud and St. Paul respec- sessed… [or] there is a wartively. Their work has made a rant out for them.” lasting impact on the commuThe NAACP does not have nities they served. lawyers or other professional service providers on staff. InMgeni and St. Paul stead, it refers callers to pro Yusef Mgeni answered St. bono legal, housing and eduPaul NAACP’s emails and cation services, among others. voicemails during his retire“[We] assist in navigating ment. “Generally, [residents] the system, either filing comcontact us when they are plaints with the EEOC, with at their wit’s end,” he says. the state or local human
DJ McCoy rights department, or obtaining legal counsel,” says Mgeni. In addition, the Minneapolis NAACP offers expungement workshops and St. Paul offers homeownership workshops. Mgeni’s connection with the organization began before his birth. It was established in Minnesota in 1911 by Fredrick Lamar McGhee, the first African American lawyer in Minnesota and Mgeni’s great-uncle. ■ See RACISM on page 5
Anti-2025 MAGA protest ‘Banking while Black’ incident MSR-hosted event honimplicates Edina branch joins others nationwide ored George Floyd’s legacy Published February 13, 2025
platforms to rally support. The movement aims to amplify the concerns of “regular AmeriBy Aria Binns-Zager cans” who oppose the governStaff Writer ment’s alignment with Project s icy wind cut through 2025. Protests have been the streets of down- scheduled at every state capitown Saint Paul Febru- tol, most beginning around ary 5, the Minnesota State Capi- noon or later local time. In response to skeptitol filled with echoes of chanting protesters: “What do we want? cism about its legitimacy, the Our rights! When do we want 50501 Movement addressed it? Right now!” Their voices car- concerns on social media, ried through the crisp February stating they have been enair as dozens of demonstrators tirely grassroots organized gathered in opposition to for- and have done their best to mer President Donald Trump’s provide structure. While lookcontroversial 2025 policy plan, ing for better options, they a sweeping agenda many fear soon partnered with Political could dismantle civil rights pro- Revolution, an organization tections, erase hard-fought so- inspired by Bernie Sanders cial justice gains, and target mar- that’s dedicated to activism and down-ballot progressive ginalized communities. candidates and causes. For many in attendance, the rally was a political statement “What do we and dire warning. Marquise, want? Our rights! 34, a longtime Saint Paul resiWhen do we want dent, gripped a sign reading it? Right now! “Protect Black Futures” as he spoke passionately about the plan’s implications…
Published June 21, 2025
referring to Commerce Bank operations assistant Michelle Johnson. “I was shocked, By Jasmine McBride confused — just completely Associate Editor caught off guard.” Coleman asked Johnson local man says he was accused of fraud to verify the check by calling while trying to cash the Fieldwork office. When a $182 paycheck at a Com- no one answered, he returned merce Bank branch in Edina upstairs and brought back last fall, prompting him to Emily Fulcher, the Fieldwork seek legal counsel and raising employee who had handed broader concerns about how Coleman the check. Despite
Panelists reflected on what comes next
Andre Locke (r), father of Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black American man who was fatally shot on February 2, 2022, by SWAT officer Mark Hanneman of the Minneapolis Police Department. Published May 28, 2025 Juan Coleman says he was falsely accused of attempting to cash a fraudulent check at this Commerce Bank branch. Photo courtesy of Juan Coleman
Black customers are treated that, Johnson refused to cash it, saying additional verificaat financial institutions. Juan Coleman said he re- tion was required. Coleman and Fullcher then ceived the check on the morning of Nov. 13 from Fieldwork asked Fieldwork’s president, Inc., the market research firm Natalie Renna, to intervene. where he worked as a con- This time, she and Coleman retractor. The company’s office turned to the bank, where Renis located on the seventh floor na spoke privately with Johnof a building that also houses son. After their conversation, a Commerce Bank branch. Johnson cashed the check. Though he walked away Around 10 a.m., Coleman walked downstairs to cash the with the funds, Coleman said check at the bank, which he the encounter left him deeply said holds Fieldwork’s busi- unsettled. “I wasn’t greeted or asked if I had an account,” he ness account. Hundreds gathered at the MN Capitol February 5. said. “I was just told the check Instead of a routine transChris Juhn / MSR action, Coleman said he was was fraudulent.” Coleman said he conimmediately met with suspiActivists call it a 900-page tacted Commerce Bank’s “Anti-2025 MAGA protest cion. playbook. “She looked at the check Chief Banking Officer Joshua The 50501 Movement joins others nationwide” was is leading the State Capitol published on February 13, and said, ‘This is fraudulent. I Burgess two days later. Acprotests nationwide, using 2025. To read the full story, visit see these types of checks go- cording to Coleman, Burgess ■ See EDINA on page 5 ■ See 2025 on page 5 ing around,’” Coleman recalled, its website and social media
By Jasmine McBride Editor ommunity members, advocates and local leaders gathered Wednesday evening at the University of Minnesota’s Urban Research and OutreachEngagement Center (UROC) to mark five years since the murder of George Floyd, reflecting on the past and asking a pointed question: Where do we go from here? The event, hosted by the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, featured musical and spoken-word performances, emotional testimony, and a panel discussion on justice and reform in the wake of Floyd’s death, which was captured on video and sparked global protests in 2020. “As a community, we cannot afford to look away or pretend the work is done,” said Tracey
Williams-Dillard, CEO and publisher of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, who moderated the forum. “This event is about truth, transparency, and imagining what justice and real accountability can look like — locally and nationally.” The evening began with a performance by Known MPLS, a local youth and young adult choir, whose soulful hymns included lyrics such as “I know there’s hope in these waters” and “go easy on me.” “I created this group to spread love,” said Courtland Pickens, the choir’s leader. Andre Locke, father of Amir Locke — a 22-year-old Black man shot and killed by Minneapolis police during a no-knock warrant in 2022 — delivered a powerful testimony during a special fireside chat. Locke spoke about the pain of losing his son and the family’s decision to produce a documentary ■ See MSR on page 5