Journal of a Black Teacher

Minnesota governor Tim Walz stands at a crossroads. The headlines surrounding fraud, mismanagement, and oversight failures have eroded public trust, not because voters expect perfection, but because they expect candor, ownership, and competence. Press conferences built around talking points won’t repair that damage. Crisis communication will. The shift means acknowledging failure without defensiveness, getting ahead of investigations instead of reacting to them, and pairing transparency with real accountability that Minnesotans can verify. It means elevating auditors, whistleblowers, and independent experts rather than partisan surrogates. Most importantly, it reframes criticism as data, not attack. If Walz wants to compete, and win in 2026, he must demonstrate a governor who learns, corrects, and leads through truth. The comeback pathway isn’t political theater; it’s disciplined crisis leadership that shows taxpayers their government is capable of cleaning its own house. By Don All...

By Don Allen - Journal Of A Black Teacher (2025) Minnesota’s newest export isn’t innovation or justice, it’s exclusion. And not just the old Jim Crow kind, but a slick, bureaucratic variety wrapped in buzzwords like “ equity ” and “ accountability .” Let’s call it what it is: the new racism , state-sanctioned exclusion of Black Minnesotans from economic opportunity, masked as progressive policy. Take the multi-billion-dollar Feeding Our Future scandal . According to reports, over half of the $1.8 billion billed through state programs was tied to fraud, waste, or abuse, source: KSTP News . Where was Minnesota’s Department of Education ( MDE ) during this free-for-all? Asleep? Willfully blind? Busy scrutinizing the wrong people? While fake meal sites raked in millions, actual Black-led churches across the state were feeding congregations daily with no help from the state. These churches, often run by Black Minnesotans born, raised, and educated right here, were left out of the fundin...