Category Archives: Athletics

Muhammed Ali’s Civil Rights  Contributions — and the superstar leaders inspired by them

Written by . Filed under Athletics, Civil Rights, Leadership, Martin Luther King, Sports. Tagged , , . No comments.

The irrepressible Muhammed Ali (1942–2016) came onto the global stages at the height of the US Civil Rights era. His unthinkable and unorthodox mashup of dominance in the boxing ring and potent social justice proclamations left indelible imprints in the hearts, minds and efforts of some of the […]

Disabled Young Man is a Citizen Star

Written by . Filed under Athletics, Business, Community, Constructivism, Disability, Healthcare, Politics & Elections. Tagged , , . 2 Comments.

Also published at Minnesota Public Radio. © 2012 Andrea Morisette Grazzini David is a crooked young man, maybe 30. He wears a helmet and clearly he has some sort of neurological damage. His speech is limited, and comes with difficulty; his reactions are slow and […]

Coaches: Time to Train Citizen Fathers

Written by . Filed under Athletics, Citizens, Community, Constructivism, Fathers, Media & Culture, YMCA. Tagged . No comments.

©Andrea Morisette Grazzini, Father’s Day 2012 Brad Fiedler and Bill Doherty are outwardly different, and yet, in many ways similar in their self-appointed and community-critical roles as citizen fathers. Bill is a global leader in the work of healthy relationships and communities, a committed husband, […]

From Bipartisan Blame to Civilized Change

Written by . Filed under Athletics, Civil Discourse, Economy & Business, Gun Control, Media & Culture, Race. Tagged , , , , , , . 2 Comments.

What Basketball has to do with Arizona assassinations

Super Bowl v. SOTU

Written by . Filed under Athletics, Citizens, Civil Discourse, Economy & Business, Nonpartisan Productive Dialogue, Populism, Professional. No comments.

    Reprinted from Twin Cities Daily January’s Super Bowl and State of the Union Speech always offer plenty to watch.  And for citizens and jocks alike: the chance to see stars and lesser souls connecting together.  With the potential to win big, Or, not.

Suburbanites Led by Muslim Woman

Written by . Filed under Athletics, Burnsville, Community, Human Rights, Immigration, Media & Culture, Social Organizations, YMCA. 4 Comments.

Portions of this essay were published in The New York Times. In response to Nick Kristof’s column Heroic, Female and Muslim http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/opinion/16kristof.html profiling Dr. Hawa Abdi, a woman taking a stand for and with other women and girls against Islamic extremists. I’ve seen her model of hero in middle-class America, too. Perhaps, you’ll recognize the type, too —

Immigrants = Economic Assets

Written by . Filed under Athletics, Burnsville, Community, Culture & Children, Economy & Business, Ethnicity, Immigration, Leadership, Social Innovation, YMCA. 1 Comment.

Also published in TC Daily Planet. I missed my bicultural neighbors when I moved from Eagan, Minnesota. Among them were Ukranian and Ghanaian immigrants, both two-parent families led by business owners. They didn’t speak perfect English, but were great neighbors. They brought my family home-cooked […]

Football players teach professors

Written by . Filed under Academic & Research, Athletics, Community, Media & Culture. 1 Comment.

University of Minnesota athletes voice their full potentials in a stunningly candid dialogue that transforms professors into learners and proves these star players are powerful teachers — and the strongest kind of men and women.