The Voice of Ida B Wells

I’m not sure when the Black people of Minden are going to wake up and recognize what is happening right in front of us. The disrespect is no longer hidden—it is on full display.

If it were not for a handful of committed individuals working tirelessly to preserve our history and culture, there likely would not have been a Juneteenth celebration at all. Yet when a video titled “Minden Over the Decades” is released, the contributions, faces, and stories of Black citizens are noticeably absent. What is featured repeatedly? A water tower. What is missing? The people who helped build this community.

But should anyone really be surprised?

Look at the restructuring that has taken place throughout City Hall. Look at who remains and who disappears. The black curtain has been pulled back, and familiar faces continue to vanish. After nearly a year, another Black employee appeared —as if one is enough to satisfy the appearance of diversity. The message seems clear: keep us cleaning, keep us at the recreation center, but don’t allow too many seats at the table where decisions are made.

And where is the City Council? Silent.

Questions continue to linger while accountability remains nowhere to be found. Concerns have been raised about relationships within City Hall that some citizens believe deserve closer examination. Yet these matters rarely seem to receive the public discussion they warrant.

Instead of addressing the issues that impact taxpayers and city government, attention is diverted elsewhere. Perhaps when the stepping, fetching, and political theater comes to an end, this city can finally revisit the unanswered questions surrounding the $25,000 check signed by the current Utilities Manager and the City Clerk—questions that many citizens still believe deserve clear and transparent answers.

A government that fears questions is a government that has forgotten who it works for. The people of Minden deserve answers, not silence.