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Articles by Gary Cunningham
Beyond Lake Wobegon: What Mapping Minnesota’s Racial Wealth Gap Taught Us About Closing It
Image Credit: Pablo Merchán Montes For Unsplash+ To learn more about how the authors mapped racial wealth gap in Minnesota, read the companion article that broadly show how to conduct the mapping. In Garrison Keillor’s fictional Lake Wobegon, “all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” It’s been Minnesota’s favorite joke about itself for fifty years because it comes uncomfortably close to how the state’s real statistics read—if you are White.
A Field Guide to Mapping Your Own Racial Wealth Gap
The article “Beyond Lake Wobegon” describes what mapping found in Minnesota around the racial wealth gap. It does not describe how to do the mapping. That is worth fixing, because the tools we used for the MN Paradox project were not custom-built for Minnesota. Issue mapping and stakeholder mapping are established methods, and any region can use them with a working group, two or three sessions, and a facilitator willing to resist the pull toward solutions before the picture is complete.
When Institutions Win and Justice Loses: The Creek Freedmen Case and What Civil Society Can Learn
Image Credit: The U.S. National Archives In May 2026, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Supreme Court closed the Creek Freedmen citizenship case, denying emergency enforcement motions and ruling that questions of implementation belonged to the political branches of the Nation’s government. That decision came after the same court had already held—unanimously—that the Treaty of 1866 requires full tribal citizenship for Creek Freedmen descendants.
Counterpoint | Beyond Lake Wobegon and the Minnesota myth
Counterpoint | Beyond Lake Wobegon and the Minnesota myth The state’s rankings tell a real story. They just don’t tell the whole one. Guest contributor(s) to the Minnesota Star Tribune Minnesota is "near the top of the national rankings overall and near the bottom for its residents of color — by income, homeownership, employment and wealth," Gary L. Cunningham writes.
When Civic Life Is Breaking, How Can We Rebuild It?
We rarely speak honestly about the human cost of civic work. I have spent my life in nonprofits—running agencies, working in philanthropy, serving in government, organizing from the grassroots. And what I’ve come to understand is this: The work can be deeply meaningful and rewarding, but it can also exact a quiet, unseen cost. Years ago, I was walking through the waiting room at NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center—a place I once led and where I’d been a patient as a child.
Action Now! Black Progress and the Call for a Human Rights Economy
They are coming for everything we’ve built—our rights, our businesses, our power. This isn’t just about policy—it’s about erasing us from the fabric of this nation. Roland Martin, US journalist and broadcaster This is a moment of reckoning—a moment to rise together, not just to resist but to reimagine and rebuild. For Black America, the time is now. President Donald Trump’s administration has unleashed a calculated assault on civil rights, racial equity, and economic opportunity.
Cunningham
Gary O. Cunningham passed away March 30, 2025. He was born October 21, 1946 in Portland, Oregon. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Sally Garrison Cunningham; his mother, Dorothy C. Holesapple; and his daughter Cynthia Michelle Doyle (Douglas Doyle), and his son Jared O. Cunningham (Viola G. Cunningham). He will be very much missed. He served in the US Navy from 1966-1969. He became a police officer for the Las Cruces PD, serving from 1969-1976. He enjoyed working for the community for 37 years.
A Fair Shot for Every Child: The Nuts and Bolts of Baby Bonds
This article is the second in a three-part series—Building Wealth for the Next Generation: The Promise of Baby Bonds—a co-production of NPQ and the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at The New School for Social Research in New York City. In recent years, baby bonds—publicly funded trust accounts created to provide children born into low-wealth families with a guaranteed financial foundation upon reaching adulthood—have evolved from idea to movement.
A novel, high throughput, and low-cost method for the detection of 40 amines relevant to inborn errors of metabolism, in under 60 minutes, using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography
The authors have declared no competing interest. Donations from grateful families, Unrestricted donations from Asklepion I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: IRB of Children's National gave ethical approval for this work.
5 ways to boost retention amid flexible work
Over half of the 121 CEOs surveyed by Deloitte last year said that as hybrid and remote work becomes more embedded in workplace models, employee engagement and loyalty will decrease. Since then, in pursuit of collaboration, communication and mentorship and training boosts, 1.5 million Americans have faced attendance policies from their employers in 2023, according to data from commercial real estate firm JLL.
Both parties agreed to protect anti-poverty programs - time to support ‘Baby Bonds’
As officials in Washington gear up for partisan warfare over President Biden’s recent budget proposal, a remarkable bipartisan agreement has persisted. Both sides are pledging to protect two of the nation’s most critical anti-poverty programs, Social Security and Medicare, acknowledging that these programs, despite some racially discriminatory origins, have been essential to protecting the well-being of millions of Americans.
Both parties agreed to protect anti-poverty programs - time to support ‘Baby Bonds’
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill As officials in Washington gear up for partisan warfare over President Biden’s recent budget proposal, a remarkable bipartisan agreement has persisted.
To level the playing field, invest in the IRS
For years, wealthy families and big corporations have avoided paying the taxes they owe, employing armies of accountants and attorneys to move their money around. As a result, our government is missing half a trillion dollars in revenue that could fund the services we so desperately need: child care, nutrition, housing and cash supports. Our tax system puts vulnerable families at a disadvantage while favoring the rich. For the equitable nation we all dream about,...
To Close the Racial Wealth Gap, Craft an Explicit Pro-Black Agenda
Gary Cunningham: I wrote an article for Nonprofit Quarterly on this question of “Rethinking the Path to Black Liberation.” And it’s a complex issue. But I used the work of Ian Haney López, who’s a professor at University of California, Berkeley, who wrote a book called Merge Left, where he did polling and research and focus groups on the question of, How do we get to a more just society?
Remaking the Economy: Closing the Racial Wealth Gap
Click here to download accompanying slides Many people speak these days of a racial reckoning. But a true reckoning requires a willingness to shake up the status quo. Both NPQ—in partnership with Prosperity Now—and Shelterforce each published multi-part article series on how to close the racial wealth gap. Here we have brought writers from both series to address the question: What must be done?
Graduate Student Workers Are in the Frontline of the Growing Labor Movement
The position of a graduate student worker at an Ivy League or similarly elite private university is unusual. On the one hand, the student worker works in one of the wealthiest institutions in the country. On the other, the benefits of that luxury and wealth fail to reach teaching and research assistants who provide essential labor that allows those elite institutions to function. The COVID economy has only made this contradiction more vivid.
Beyond Equity: Targeted Universalism and the Closing of the Racial Wealth Gap
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash This article is part of our weekly series—The Promise of Targeted Universalism: Community Leaders Respond—that NPQ is publishing in partnership with the national racial and economic justice nonprofit Prosperity Now. In this series, writers examine how targeted universalism—a narrative framework that advocates the use of targeted approaches to achieve universal goals—can inform efforts to close the racial wealth gap, community by community.
Co-op Organizing in Dayton: Sustaining Movement for the Long Haul
The following is a transcript of the video above, from our webinar on “Remaking the Economy: Finding the Levers for System Change.” View the full webinar here. Lela Klein: It’s interesting.
Closing the Racial Wealth Divide-A Call for Strategic Thinking
This article is part of our weekly series—The Promise of Targeted Universalism: Community Leaders Respond—that NPQ is publishing in partnership with the national racial and economic justice nonprofit Prosperity Now. In this series, writers examine how targeted universalism—a narrative framework that advocates the use of targeted approaches to achieve universal goals—can inform efforts to close the racial wealth gap, community by community.
Impact Investing at 15-A Look at Three Field Perspectives
“Impact investing will not save us. It is not enough. Philanthropy will not save us. Social enterprise will not save us. We have to connect the dots and use all the social and financial capital tools we got.” Deb Nelson, Executive Director, Just Economy Institute As a term, impact investing turns 15 this year. What the term means, however, remains subject to interpretation. On the one hand, the concept is simply an expression of common sense.
A New Path to Boost BIPOC Business: The Community Navigator Approach
Photo by erik reardon on Unsplash Earlier this year, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen noted that economic crises typically “hit people of color harder and longer” and intensify economic inequality. “I am worried the current crisis will do this again,” she added, according to the New York Times. “In fact, I know it will, unless we act.” There are, of course, many components to the dynamic Yellen describes. The solutions, likewise, will be multifaceted.
Cutting Critical Family Support Won't Solve Labor Crisis
Cutting Critical Family Support Won't Solve Labor Crisis Policymakers and their allies need to stop patronizing families for receiving assistance by falsely assuming that their intentions are of ill-will. Read Full Article »
Confronting Dominant Identities
“‘Black Man Grove’ Panels,” Andrew Scott. As a young boy growing up in Minneapolis, I didn’t have a clear view of my racial identity until we moved out of our Black community into a predominantly white working-class community in the mid-1960s. I had transferred schools at a time when school desegregation was beginning to take hold. I remember walking into the classroom full of white students, noting just one other African American male student.
OPINION EXCHANGE | Systemic racism has scarred Fed policy for too long
Benign neglect. This is a charitable description of the Federal Reserve system's treatment of Black Americans. The scar of race is etched in the Fed's failure to use its authority to stop illegal discrimination in finance as well as in its disinterest in the racial disparities resulting from its policies.
Collecting the M4 Bayonet: Made for the M1 Carbine
Initially, the M1 and M1A1 carbines were produced without any capacity to attach bayonets. Soldiers who carried a carbine were generally provided with an M3 knife to supplement their combat readiness. Photographed on Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, in November 1943, this Marine radio operator is armed with an M1 carbine with no provision for a bayonet.
Strengthening Our Identity: Rethinking the Path to Black Liberation
At this point, Black people must be the most well-researched, well-studied, and well-documented people on Earth. Yet on balance, very little changes regarding their socioeconomic condition. Indeed, as Robert D. Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Garrett document in their recent book The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again, African Americans are worse off today than in 1968 across many socioeconomic measures of well-being.
America is ready for a more equitable economy and society
Gary Cunningham john a. powell The social ferment we’re seeing in Louisville, Kenosha and many other parts of America is fueled by more than a legitimate revulsion over systemic racism as manifested in discriminatory policing. It has broader underpinnings, led by widespread frustrations with economic inequality.
POWELL/CUNNINGHAM: America is Ready for a More Equitable Economy and Society
The social ferment we’re seeing in Louisville, Kenosha and many other parts of America is fueled by more than a legitimate revulsion over systemic racism as manifested in discriminatory policing. It has broader underpinnings, led by widespread frustrations with economic inequality. We believe a substantial portion of Americans, and not just communities of color, support stronger government efforts to narrow these inequality gaps and create a world that works for everyone.
America Is Ready For A More Equitable Economy And Society
Tuesday, 13 October 2020, 6:32 am Opinion: john a. powell and Gary L. Cunningham The social ferment we’re seeing in Louisville, Kenosha and many other parts of America is fueled by more than a legitimate revulsion over systemic racism as manifested in discriminatory policing. It has broader underpinnings, led by widespread frustrations with economic inequality.
OPINION EXCHANGE | I've battled the MPD all my life and one day we will prevail
My degree in public administration not yet a dream, I grew up poor and black in Minneapolis, taught by my mother to “look down, know your place and be obedient” if stopped by police. That humiliating lesson barely saved me when police assaulted me during my first year of college at the University of Minnesota. They said I looked like a suspect they were pursuing, put me in the back of a squad car and beat me.
CUNNINGHAM: The Fierce Urgency of Now
This week, we have a chance to make a difference in a second federal stimulus package now under discussion in Washington — if we act now. In the last package, the multitrillion-dollar CARES Act intended to help struggling small businesses, many Black-owned businesses were left out. That’s because the CARES Act requires business owners to have existing relationships with banks. Most Black-owned businesses don’t have those relationships.
Rhode Island Governor seeks tighter regulations
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Minnesota needs to leverage its minority businesses
Minnesota’s economy has a competitive advantage — its fast-growing minority business community. Our state already has more than 47,000 minority-owned businesses, which employ more than 70,000 people with an annual payroll of $1.7 billion. With smart investment in business development, that could grow considerably. A prospectus from Catalyst, a consortium of seven minority-business support organizations in Minnesota, offers specifics.
Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival news: ELBOW ANNOUNCED AS FIRST HEADLINER FOR BELLADRUM 2019 PLUS TOM ODELL, LEWIS CAPA…
Latest update from Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival : ELBOW ANNOUNCED AS FIRST HEADLINER FOR BELLADRUM 2019 PLUS TOM ODELL, LEWIS CAPALDI & MORE – SCI FI THEME We are delighted to announce today that Elbow, one of the UK’s most successful artists of recent times, will headline the Thursday night of Bella 2019. Over twenty years and seven studio albums, ELBOW have achieved many of the accolades that mark out a successful band.
Why cut transit budget when we have a surplus?
The transportation proposal passed by the Minnesota House of Representatives is going to have a serious impact on thousands of Minnesotans who depend on transit every day. The House Transportation Omnibus Bill contains cuts to Metro Transit that will balloon its budget deficit from $74 million over the next two years to $140 million. At a time when the state has a $1.6 billion budget surplus, the legislature is considering cuts that will force a 40 percent reduction in basic bus service.
It’s time to take action together
How did you react to that March 30, 2016 press conference announcement? No charges will be filed against Minneapolis police officers for the fatal shooting of Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old black man, in North Minneapolis on Nov. 15. That announcement prompted fresh protests and for some of us, rekindled old traumas. Living on Plymouth Avenue in North Minneapolis in 1967, I remember watching the police beat black people with billy clubs.
WE ALL DO BETTER WHEN WE ALL DO BETTER
WE ALL DO BETTER WHEN WE ALL DO BETTER It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.
Minnesota: The Land of 10,000 Cuts
Minnesota: The Land of 10,000 Cuts "When sleight of hand is no longer enough, our leaders have turned to across-the-board cuts, which weakens every program equally, regardless of its impact on citizens. When these are exhausted and real choices must be made, legislatures typically cut in an ad hoc and highly political fashion, based largely on which interest groups have the most muscle and scream the loudest.
Who's your Daddy?
The hero is introduced in his ordinary world, where he receives the call to adventure. He is reluctant at first but is encouraged by the wise old man or woman to cross the first threshold, where he encounters tests and helpers. He reaches the innermost cave, where he endures the supreme ordeal. He seizes the sword or the treasure and is pursued on the road back to his world. He is resurrected and transformed by his experience.
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