Civil Rights Activist Ron Edwards Passes Away in New Hope
Civil rights activist Ron Edwards passed away Monday in New Hope. It’s notable that Edwards died on Martin Luther King Day, because to some he was Minnesota’s MLK.
“Ron Edwards is that Martin Luther King Jr., just a different individual,” said Walter “Q-Bear” Banks, a host at KMOJ Radio in Minneapolis. “The reason why I say that is because of what he stood for, what he talked about, the things that he’s done. It was under the same lineup as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was about people, it was about life.”
Banks was close to Edwards and worked with him for many years at KMOJ. Edwards got results, exposing injustice no matter where it came from.
“Police brutality, black on black crime, whatever the case may be,” Banks said. “Black on white crime, racism, white supremacy. It doesn’t matter, he put it on the table. He talked it and lived it and told it for real. That’s Ron Edwards. The thing is this community is going to miss that voice.”
Banks believes Edwards left a huge impact on the Twin Cities minority community.
“Martin Luther King, he’s done a lot of things to where he’s that trail blazer,” Banks said. “Ron Edwards is also that trail blazer.”
Edwards was 81-years old. He was a columnist and hosted weekly radio and television shows.
