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THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934 August 20 - 26, 2026
Vol. 93
Phone: 612-827-4021 www.spokesman-recorder.com
No. 3
MSR marks 92 years of telling our own story By Jasmine McBride Editor his year marks 92 years since Cecil Newman founded what would become the Minnesota SpokesmanRecorder, and the paper’s staying power says something about the community it has always served. Senior Editor Jerry Freeman, who has spent nearly 30 years with the paper, first walked into its old office at 38th Street and Fourth Av- Jerry Freeman Courtesy Charles Hallman Courtesy enue South in the summer of 1998 looking for volun- es of classified ads, once a ma- year. He watched the paper teer proofreading work. Cecil jor source of revenue for the move from lead typesetting Newman had died two years paper, before rushing finished and IBM Selectrics to comearlier, but his widow, Launa pages to a printer in Shakopee, puters, scanners and email, Newman, was still publisher, sometimes well past midnight. and credits its survival to the working alongside co-publish- “The paper never missed an is- people who kept it running ers Wallace “Jack” Jackman sue, not then, not in the pre- through every change: editors, ceding 60 years and not in reporters, columnists, photogand his sister Norma. Freeman remembers Tues- the 30 years since,” he wrote raphers and what he called day nights spent proofing pag- in a reflection published last “secret sources and late-night
Ron Lach and later at KMOJ and the informants.” Sports columnist Charles Spokesman-Recorder, and he Hallman has an even longer is quick to point out what sets view. He has written for the it apart. “We’re not a monoBlack Press for more than lithic community,” Hallman 50 years, starting in Detroit said. “You need to find all the
different voices. One person does not speak for us.” That conviction has shaped how Hallman approaches his beat. He said he never ■ See ANNIVERSARY on page 5
Beating the odds: Flanagan wins big in Minnesota, poised to make Senate history By Izzy Canizares Contributing Writer
Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan
Izzy Canizares/MSR
fter a big Minnesota primary win, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan is poised to become the first Ojibwe U.S. senator in history. This victory is highlighted by the fact she won despite her opponent, Angie Craig, having significantly outspent her during the campaign, showing a shift in how Minnesotans are voting. Flanagan will be the DFL’s candidate for the Minnesota Senate seat come November, going up against Republican Michele Tafoya. Flanagan won in a landslide, with about 59% of the vote, while Craig trailed with around 39%. “My top priority is helping
Minnesotans afford the lives they want to live. We’ve got to make Congress work for Minnesotans instead of corporations, billionaires, and special interests,” Flanagan said in a statement to the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. “That starts with banning corporate PAC money, overturning Citizens United, and establishing ethical standards for electeds so they represent their constituents.” A left-leaning progressive, Flanagan gained major support in Minnesota for her promises on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, raising the federal minimum wage, establishing universal childcare and fighting against both ICE and Trump. “I’ll fight for Medicare for All. Until we get there, I’ll fight to lower the cost of all prescription drugs, end prior authoriza-
tion, and restore Medicaid cuts,” Flanagan said. “I’ll focus on affordability by raising the federal minimum wage, establishing universal childcare, investing in affordable housing, banning Wall Street from buying up homes, and fighting for the Social Security Expansion Act.” She celebrated her primary win Wednesday night at First Avenue, taking the stage in front of hundreds of supporters and crediting her win to the massive grassroots support from organizers and voters. “When we work together, when we organize together, and when we fight together, we are unstoppable,” Flanagan said. “Minnesota’s going to be part of Democrats taking back the Senate, holding ■ See PEGGY on page 5
Amara’s Law made Minnesota the strictest state on PFAS. Now the EPA is loosening its own rules. By Anya Armentrout Contributing Writer he Environmental Protection Agency is rolling back its regulations on PFAS chemicals, worrying environmental and public health advocates. During the Trump administration, five new pesticides containing PFAS were approved. The EPA also changed the federal definition of PFAS from a chemical containing any carbon-fluorine bonds to one containing more than one carbon-fluorine bond. Carbon-fluorine bonds are some of the strongest in chemistry. That makes products incredibly stable, good
for firefighting foam or a protective spray. It’s also what makes them “forever chemicals,” lingering in bodies and waterways for lifetimes. “That’s a good thing when you want to use it for a product,” said Bruce Alexander, division head of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota. “It’s a bad thing if it’s in the environment, in the body, because then it doesn’t go away. It doesn’t break down, and that’s where the forever chemicals name came from.” PFAS is a family that includes thousands of chemicals. Some of the most commonly discussed are PFOA and PFOS, but there are myriad individual chemicals
that don’t erode naturally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found PFAS in the blood of 97% of Americans. Research is still ongoing on the consequences of PFAS exposure. Some studies connect it to developing cancers, thyroid issues, immune issues and reproductive and developmental delays. But PFAS contains a wide variety of chemicals with a wide range of exposure levels, and other studies don’t find significant public health risk. “The most consistent thing about the literature on PFAS is the inconsistency of it,” Alexander said, adding that the inconsistency introduces ■ See PFAS on page 5
Ravi Kant