Minnesota’s First Posthumous Pardon

The Clayton Jackson McGhie memorial in Duluth Minnesota (photo from claytonjacksonmcghie.org) On June 12th of this year, Minnesota did something it hadn’t done in 162 years of statehood. It issued a … Read More

The Sound of the Police

Picture taken off the deck of the authors’ former house in North Minneapolis. You can see the skyline in the distance. On June 12, the Minneapolis city council voted unanimously to disband the police department … Read More

Reflections on an Exceptional State

A group of Native dancers perform during Open Streets Minneapolis, when major thoroughfares temporarily close to car traffic and open up for walking, biking, skating, and other active transportation. Photo by Fibonacci Blue via … Read More

Protests and Pandemic Jolt Public Opinion

A group of young adults participate in a Black Lives Matter protest. Photo by Johnny Silvercloud via Flickr. A month after George Floyd’s death, protests continue around the nation and the globe. Wikipedia now … Read More

In This Country

Photo of Spoonbridge And Cherry in the Minnesota Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center. By Paul VanDerWerf via Flickr. The binary, wonderful/wretched, aptly describes the racial dynamics I experienced in the Twin … Read More

The Fire This Time

Our editorial team reached out to the Harvard Gazette to reprint this deep and wide-ranging interview with sociologist Larry Bobo on police killings of black men. We wish to express our thanks to the Gazette for allowing us to … Read More

My Beautiful, Broken Minnesota

B-Girl Be group photo by Rebecca McDonald, BFresh Productions. It was a deep freeze in January 2002 when I moved to Minneapolis with my then five-year-old daughter, Tiana. I arrived as a Ph.D. student in … Read More

Will Words Lead to Action?

Image of a man superimposed on the US flag, with a city burning in the background. Image by Image by K. Kliche from Pixabay. I must admit that I didn’t want to write this piece. Read More

How Individual Professional Liability Insurance Could Reform US Policing

A memorial to George Floyd, outside of Cup Foods, where his killing took place. Photo by Stephen Wulff. Introduction & Background In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, activists and policy makers are advocating … Read More

A Letter to an Old Friend about Race

  The author and his son, riding bikes in Minnesota. Dear Minnesota, The fact that George Floyd’s murder took place in Minneapolis took on additional significance for me. I love you, Minnesota. I spent many … Read More