minneapolis — It’s a Friday night in April at Target Center, and Charles Hallman is in his usual media room, hours before the tipoff.
Hallman writes for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. It is the oldest continuously operating black newspaper in Minnesota.
“I started in 1990, so I think I’m about 30 years old,” Holman said.
He has covered everything throughout his career. Stories about race, politics, and education are common. For Holman, one moment really stands out.
“I interviewed Mrs. King, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, and I want to never forget interviewing her one-on-one,” he said.
Hallman began writing about women’s sports while attending college.
W.C.C.O.
“At orientation, I met some young women who play on the Michigan State basketball team and we got to know each other. Then they told me, ‘Come watch the game.'” “It was fun to watch the games because the games were free and it was before the NCAA took over women’s sports,” he said. “But there was no one there to cover them. Why? So I started watching women’s sports, not in a male-dominated way. And these women… And why haven’t they been recognized? So I was lucky to be able to continue. ”
Here’s what Holman doesn’t say: He has received recognition from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. The University of Minnesota’s Tucker Center placed him on its Title IX honor roll. And he was inducted into the Basketball Writers Association of America Hall of Fame.
That final honor was a bit much for Holman, so he asked the retired pastor for his blessing.
“He said, ‘You’ve never promoted yourself and you’re always putting everyone before yourself, so now God is telling you that you need a reward right now. “And now that he’s told me that, it’s a little bit easier. It’s still difficult.”
For more information on this story, including AJ Hilton and Holman’s personal relationship, contact WCCO Sunday Morning.
