Jamal Denman

Jamal Denman's picture

Biography

About me

Jamal Denman is a freelance writer in the Twin Cities.

North Minneapolis Earth Day celebration focuses on environmental justice, impact on communities of color

By Jamal Denman, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc

On Saturday, April 27, Environmental Justice Advocates of Minnesota (EJAM) and the Minneapolis chapter of the Sierra Club Environmental Justice Program played host to an Earth Day Celebration, held at the Kwanzaa Community Church in North Minneapolis. The event was an opportunity for the community to hear about how the treatment of the environment has an impact on their daily lives while enjoying some food, entertainment, and being in each other’s company.

MORE »

Youth sports build more than just muscle — Laverne Turner helps students achieve academic success, learn leadership skills

By Jamal Denman, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

Top row, (l-r) Coach Tally Washington, Mohamad Yusuf (17), Dorian Butler (18), Davarius Wright (19), Marcus Wilson (16). Bottom row (l-r) Edrise Johnson (17), Antonio Pettis (19), Darrell Moore (19), Mercell Johnson (18), and Coach Laverne Turner. (Photo by Jamal Denman)

As a youth, local community leader Laverne Turner was heavily involved in organized team sports, and he remembers how positive an impact it had on him growing up. As an adult in 2003, he says he noticed there were no athletic programs for youth in his community, which motivated Turner to develop a sports program for young people in his South Minneapolis Phillips neighborhood — the East Phillips Park Sports Association (EPPSA).

MORE »

'Harlem Shake' videos spark effort to 'resist the fad'

By Jamal Denman, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

On March 13, Hamline University in St. Paul hosted a forum titled, “The Harlem Shake as Blackface: A Critical Look at Cultural Appropriation.” The forum was a panel discussion about a recent YouTube phenomenon and its relation to racism and people who identify themselves as White appropriating elements of cultures created by people of color.

MORE »

Minnesota immigrant plans U.S.'s first Somali museum

By Jamal Denman, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

Osman Ali holding a sibraar, a traditional Somali goat skin milk container. (Photos by Jamal Denman)

On Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16 there will be a benefit held at Lincoln International High School in South Minneapolis to increase awareness of and support for a Somali Artifact and Culture Museum. The concept for the museum comes from the mind of Osman Ali, a local businessman and Somalia native who has been living in the Twin Cities with his family for more than 17 years.

MORE »

Local youth join international poets to hone Brave New Voices

By Jamal Denman, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

Almost every practitioner of creative art, regardless of the discipline, will be quick to point out that they are motivated to do what they do for very personal reasons. One’s affinity for a particular art form is often connected to at least one emotional, enlightening, and/or life-changing experience.
Tish Jones, executive director of TruArtSpeaks, held a preliminary poetry slam for Minnesota youth looking to compete internationally.

MORE »

James Cook still has big dreams for Sabathani

By Jamal Denman, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

James Cook’s humble beginnings started in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was born in November 1941. Back then, Pittsburgh was more of rural town where there were no paved streets, and most families lived in homes with large fields where they would plant fruits and vegetables.

MORE »

Divas in Motion brings unique shoe styles to Twin Cities

By Jamal Denman, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

Tashawna Williams is owner of Divas In Motion. (Photos by Jamal Denman)

Divas in Motion is a small, intimate boutique located on the corner of 60th Street and Nicollet Avenue in South Minneapolis. It specializes in offering unique, one-of-a-kind women’s footwear that is not likely to be found anywhere else in the state.

MORE »

Deconstructing the school-to-prison pipeline

By Jamal Denman, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

Save the Kids is an all-volunteer national organization that started in New York in 2009.

MORE »

Women finally get reentry help targeted to their needs with Reentry Connect collaboration

By Jamal Denman, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

A January 2012 Rise! graduation celebration, which occurs five times annually and will include participants in the Reentry Connect program (Photo by Jessica Lehrke)

For adult ex-offenders attempting to adjust to the norms of society, the transition can be quite a challenge.

MORE »

Habitat for Humanity offers interest-free mortgages, high credit scores not required for eligibility

By Jamal Denman, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

Habitat for Humanity volunteers work with future residents to complete home construction. (Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity)

For many families, owning a home is considered a financially unattainable goal that can only be achieved with the help of an unexpected cash windfall, or some sort of miracle.

MORE »
Syndicate content