Featured
How Flava Cafe Turned a Coffee Shop Into Opportunity for Black Youth | MSR On the Radar
Discover how Flava Cafe is brewing change in St. Paul by empowering Black youth through professional development and meaningful community mentorship.
What if your neighborhood coffee shop was also building the next generation of Black leaders?
On this episode of MSR On the Radar, host Damenica Ellis sits down with Shaunie Grigsby, founder and owner of Flava Cafe in St. Paul. Grigsby opened Flava in 2022 as a social enterprise that combines great coffee with a mission: providing work experience, coaching and professional development for Black girls and gender-expansive youth.
Grigsby talks about the Atlanta coffee shop that first showed her what a Black third space could feel like, and how Queen Latifah’s Flavor magazine on “Living Single” inspired the cafe’s name. She shares how she made the leap from youth development to running a business, learning through apprenticeships at Sammy’s Avenue Eatery and Golden Thyme Cafe and accelerators through the Neighborhood Development Center.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
Building a menu that honors Black icons like MC Lyte, bell hooks and Megan Thee Stallion
Designing a space that feels like home, inspired by “Living Single” and “Moesha”
Partnering with Black-owned businesses like Black Garnet Books and Roots and Bloom Studio
Leading with transparency through financial challenges
Free resources for aspiring entrepreneurs through NEON, MEDA and the Neighborhood Development Center
Visit Flava Cafe in St. Paul and catch open mic night with True Art Speaks every Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m.
Subscribe for new episodes of MSR On the Radar every week, spotlighting the Minnesota businesses and entrepreneurs shaping our community.
Featured
Congratulations to the Fall 2026 Citizens Academy graduates!
We’re proud to celebrate our Fall 2026 Citizens Academy graduates! Watch the highlights from their journey inside the St. Louis criminal justice system.
Congratulations to the Fall 2026 Citizens Academy graduates!
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office celebrated the class yesterday at Carnahan Courthouse, marking the completion of a six week program that gave residents a firsthand look at the criminal justice system and the work of local prosecutors.
Participants explored the prosecution process, met with prosecutors and victim advocates, and toured law enforcement facilities.
Featured
The Conversation With Al McFarlane (11/05/2026)
The dialogue deepens as we sit down with Al McFarlane for an insightful look at the issues that matter most. Catch the full conversation here.
The conversation continues.
Featured
Every Vote Counts – Close Races
Every vote matters in these tight races. Watch now to see why your voice is essential this election cycle.
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Featured
Every Vote Counts – Close Races
In tight elections, every single ballot matters. Watch now to see why your voice is the key to shaping our community’s future.
Visit Our Website
Read more stories by our team
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Featured
Every Vote Counts – Close Races
In tight races, every single ballot matters. Watch our latest video to see why your voice is essential this election cycle.
Visit Our Website
Read more stories by our team
https://defendernetwork.com/category/news/opinion/
Sign-up for the Top 5 newsletter
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Black History
HISTORY MADE: Keisha Lance Bottoms Becomes First Black Woman Elected Governor in American History
ATLANTA DAILY WORLD — History has been made in Georgia. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, has been elected governor of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman in American history to win the highest executive office in any state.
History has been made in Georgia. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, has been elected governor of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman in American history to win the highest executive office in any state.
Bottoms’ victory over Republican businessman Rick Jackson represents a defining moment in American politics, breaking a barrier that has stood since the nation’s founding and placing Georgia at the center of a historic political transformation.
For generations, Black women have played a critical role in American democracy, organizing communities, leading movements, mobilizing voters and shaping public policy. Yet despite their contributions, no Black woman had ever been elected governor of a U.S. state.
Until now.
Bottoms’ election also makes her the first woman and first Black person elected governor of Georgia, a state whose political history has been deeply shaped by slavery, segregation, the civil rights movement and the long struggle for equal representation.
Her victory carries particular significance in a state where Black women have been among the most influential forces in voter registration, political organizing and Democratic electoral success.
A fifth-generation Georgian, Bottoms previously served as Atlanta’s 60th mayor from 2018 to 2022. During her administration, she led the city through the COVID-19 pandemic, nationwide protests over racial injustice and a period of significant economic and population growth.
Following her time as mayor, Bottoms served as a senior adviser in President Joe Biden’s administration before returning to Georgia politics to pursue the governorship.
Her campaign focused on expanding access to health care, strengthening public education, increasing wages and addressing the rising cost of living. She also advocated for expanding Medicaid, raising Georgia’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and increasing compensation for teachers and other public employees.
Bottoms faced Jackson, a wealthy health care executive who invested heavily in his campaign and positioned himself as a political outsider. The contest drew national attention as Democrats sought to reclaim the Georgia governor’s office after more than two decades of Republican control.
The historic nature of Bottoms’ victory extends well beyond party politics.
Georgia, once at the center of some of America’s most consequential civil rights battles, has now elected a Black woman to lead its state government. It is a milestone that reflects generations of political participation, organizing and leadership by Black Georgians.
For Atlanta, the moment is especially significant. A former mayor of the city that helped shape the modern civil rights movement will now lead the entire state.
Bottoms’ election opens a new chapter in Georgia’s political history and establishes a milestone that will be remembered far beyond the 2026 election.
For continuing election coverage and results, visit AtlantaDailyWorld.com/election26.
Congratulations to the Fall 2026 Citizens Academy graduates!
The Conversation With Al McFarlane (11/05/2026)
How Flava Cafe Turned a Coffee Shop Into Opportunity for Black Youth | MSR On the Radar
Every Vote Counts – Close Races
Every Vote Counts – Close Races
Every Vote Counts – Close Races
HISTORY MADE: Keisha Lance Bottoms Becomes First Black Woman Elected Governor in American History
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Congratulations to the Fall 2026 Citizens Academy graduates!
The Conversation With Al McFarlane (11/05/2026)
How Flava Cafe Turned a Coffee Shop Into Opportunity for Black Youth | MSR On the Radar
Every Vote Counts – Close Races
Every Vote Counts – Close Races
Every Vote Counts – Close Races
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