Mshale

Dozens of Brooklyn Park residents last evening crammed into city council chambers to witness history being made in Minnesota’s sixth largest city, the swearing in of the city's first black council member, Wynfred Russell, who was born and raised in Liberia. Russell, a former instructor at the University of Minnesota, defeated former council member Bob Mata by garnering a convincing...

New enrollments of international students fell by 6.6 percent at American universities in academic year 2017-18 compared to the year before, marking the second straight year in declines in new enrollments, according to new data from the annual Open Doors survey. New enrollments fell 6.3 percent at the undergraduate level, 5.5 percent at the graduate level and 9.7 percent at the nondegree level from...

Teshite Wako, an Ethiopian immigrant with over two decades of residence in Brooklyn Park, is making his third bid for a seat on the City Council to represent the Central District. Known by many for his deep commitment to the community, Wako is confident he has the support he needs to seal the deal this time.  “I’ve been listening to...

Nigerian-American Wole Osibodu is no stranger to community leadership. For 27 years he served in the U.S. Army, where he managed squads of soldiers in various executive roles. Now, he’s retired the uniform and is vying for a seat on the Brooklyn Park City Council. Amongst five other candidates including fellow Africans Teshite Wako and Ugo Ugonwayi, he is running...

Ugo Ugonwayi, an Igbo community leader and public health advocate, is running for a seat on the Brooklyn Park City Council, promising to bring a fresh perspective and “dynamic solutions” to the city's most pressing issues. The candidate, who has lived in Brooklyn Park for over a decade, is well-known for her commitment to fostering community engagement and addressing...

Minnesotans are in for an exciting Liberian Independence Day treat with the staging of the Annual Independence Day Dinner and Ball, hosted by the Organization of Liberians in Minnesota (OLM) on Friday, July 26. The popular Independence Day Ball, which is held annually to celebrate Liberia’s independence, is one of the most anticipated events in the Liberian community. However, leading to...

President Joe Biden addressed the NAACP convention in Las Vegas on Tuesday. This is the first time he has gone on the campaign trail since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday.

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. - Friends and family honored the memory of former Minnesota Kenyan American DJ Stephen Kazungu, better known as DJ Skratch 1, at an emotional celebration of life held at the Palm Grove Event Center. Kazungu died by suicide on July 5 in Nairobi. He was 42. He is survived by his wife Ruth and two children –...

St. Louis Park Mayor Nadia Mohamed was named the 2024 Emerging Leader Award recipient by the League of Minnesota Cities (LCM). The award was announced June 27th at the League’s Annual Conference in Rochester. The League of Minnesota Cities is a membership organization of more than 800 member-cities and is dedicated to promoting excellence in local government through advocacy,...

“Right now, music does everything I need,” said Seun Kuti, which is remarkable as this musician from Nigeria has been on stage since he was 9 years old and leading Egypt 80, the band once lead by his iconic father Fela, since he was 14. Mshale chatted with the Grammy-nominated saxophonist recently. Unable to sit down for the interview, Kuti,...

https://videopress.com/v/9IgmSG9t?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true The flags were a sign that Somali Independence Day was nearing, and the Somali community was marking the day by holding a festival Saturday. Known as Somali Week, the festival drew thousands to a four-block stretch along Lake Street. The festival showcased simply a snippet of the pride Somalis hold for their country, despite challenges the East African country...

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. - A couple dozen Kenyan Americans and their children gathered at Centennial Park on Sunday and issued a statement calling for the resignation of Kenya’s president as they chanted "Ruto must go." The call for President Ruto’s resignation comes days after he activated the country’s military to protect his regime, following the storming of parliament on Tuesday...

Early voting in Minnesota’s August 13 primary begins Friday, June 28 and will last through August 12. The August 13 primary will feature races for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Minnesota House of Representatives and, depending in the city you live in, an array of local elections like your city council. Races Mshale is tracking closely include that in...