INSIGHT NEWS January 17 - January 23, 2011 • MN Metro Vol. 37 No. 3 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com
Library of Congress
Crowds surrounding the Reflecting Pool, during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
Remembering Mahatma King By Samuel Bastian McFarlane Media - Mumbai, India “I believe this man, more than anybody else in the modern world, caught the spirit of Jesus Christ and lived it more completely in his life. His name was Gandhi, Mohandas K. Gandhi. And after he lived a few years, the poet Tagore, who lived in India, gave him another name: “Mahatma,” the great soul. And we know him as Mahatma Gandhi.” (Martin Luther King, Jr: Palm Sunday Sermon delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, AL) When Howard Thurman at the end of his conversations with Mahatma Gandhi asked for a
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Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi
message to take back to the United States, Gandhi humbly regretted that he had been unable to make nonviolence a more visible practice worldwide and hinted someday some African American would succeed where he had failed. Looking back at events that unfolded since, Gandhi had almost prophetically announced the rise of one like Martin Luther King, Jr., who now history knows as the most significant American Civil Rights leader and torch-bearer of the nonviolent movement. The Gandhi’s methods, used in his struggle against the oppressive colonial rule in India, were successfully used by King and his contemporaries as the phenomenal force that changed the face of America.
Early on, King believed that by becoming a church minister he would be in the best position to lead his people to equality and freedom. Yet, during a period of introspection, he had “despaired of the power of love in solving social problems.” In 1950, King heard Mordecai Johnson, then president of Howard University, speak of his recent trip to India and Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance techniques. “His message was so profound and electrifying” that King immediately bought a number of books on Gandhi’s life and works. He read with fascination of the one who had successfully transformed the ethic of nonviolence into a political instrument against oppression.
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The Saint
Recollections of a Modern Saint By Mahmoud El-Kati
In his book, entitled American Society Since 1945 (Quadrangle Books, Chicago), professor William L. O’Neill cited Martin Luther King as “probably the most important figure in America.” We shall leave such claims to history and history writers for refinement. And while that contention should not be ignored, it will do well for us to view it with critical eyes. History books are so filled with pages of lives written large, and upon critical examination, we discover some embarrassing flaws in our heroes, or sometimes overestimate the merits of their deeds. Hence, we delionize “the great one.” The wisdom of the ages warns us that things are very rarely what they seem to be.
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Robin Hickman
Courtesy Robin Hickman
Robin Hickman keynotes CBM King celebration By Al McFarlane Editor-in-Chief
National Archives
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Mathew Ahmann, Executive Director of the National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice, at a civil rights march on Washington, D.C.
Kam Williams Dr. West’s prognosis for the country
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Aesthetics
Kandi Burruss: On top of the world
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“Unarmed Truth:” The Blueprint for Lasting Change.” is the Council on Black Minnesotans theme marking the 25th anniversary of the Minnesota’s adoption of the federal Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. Independent TV/film
Commentary Sharpton: Nonviolence must prevail
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producer and social impact activist, Robin Hickman, a community engagement consultant and president of SoulTouch, keynotes the MLK Holiday celebration program at noon, Monday, January 17 at Concordia University in St. Paul. The bill to adopt the federal holiday in Minnesota was
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Lifestyle
Chasing away the winter blues
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Page 2 • January 17 - January 23, 2011 • Insight News
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BUSINESS
Public speaking: You’ll live through it Plan Your Career By Julie Desmond julie@insightnews.com Eat glass, pay taxes, be locked in a box with snakes, or die… these are a few things most people would choose to do rather than speaking in public. Yet, only the most reclusive of us gets through life without ever giving a toast, running a meeting or making a presentation. So, why the irrational fear of speaking in front of a crowd? And how can a person get over it?
Presentation Trainer Olivia Mitchell describes three reasons humans dread the podium: an ancient survival instinct, a personal memory of a botched presentation, and the conscious awareness of what’s at stake. Survival instincts tell us that if we are separate from the group, we might die. In giving a speech, we are noticeably outside the group; see, they are all out there staring, and I am alone up here with my laser pointer. The best way to train the brain that speaking is rarely a life threatening situation is to speak frequently… without dying in the process. Join a public speaking group and look for other ways to practice. Some people attend open mike
nights and take improvisation classes. When public speaking becomes routine, it becomes survivable. Latent memories of poor performances in the past can trigger nervousness even decades later. Reach back and analyze your particular nightmare. What happened that day? Who was there? How did you react? What happened next? If you surveyed ten people who watched you muck up that speech when you were younger, how many of them will remember it? How many remember you? Every new speech takes you further beyond the first debacle. Focus forward and strive to improve with every engagement. The third basis for bundles
of nerves at speech time has roots in reality. Being fully aware of what’s on the line, you know what’s yours to lose. It might be a big sale or a lifelong wedding memory. Remember, even if you fail miserably, your life is not on the line. Better, though, to know your stuff and avoid messing up entirely. A week before a recent presentation, I told someone that I was looking forward to it and that I should probably practice. She raised one eyebrow and asked, “Were you thinking of not practicing?” Practice is the single best cure for pre-speech jitters. Rehearse your speech in segments for confidence at specific points along the way. Even if you stutter through one section, you will be ready with
the next segment as soon as you change the slide. If, after practicing, you still feel jumpy, take some tips from public speaking pros. Choose your topic with enthusiasm. Know your material better than anyone else so you can communicate with passion and authority. Know your audience. Think about what this group would want to know and how they would like to receive the information. Whenever possible, mingle with the crowd prior to speaking. Casual conversation will ease tensions - yours and your audience’s. Never apologize for nervous twitches. Your audience doesn’t notice or care. Say what is on your mind.
Look out on a crowd and say, “Whew, big crowd tonight,” to release pressure and become more real to your audience. With practice, anyone can become an effective public speaker. While imagining people naked rarely brings the desired comfort level, another positive idea will: remember, when you look out at that expectant audience, most of them would rather eat glass than do what you are about to do. Cheers! Julie Desmond is a Contract Specialist for Specialized Recruiting Group in Edina, MN. Send your career planning and job search questions to julie@ insightnews.com.
Rapid growth continues for ALANA firms By Bruce P. Corrie, PhD Professor of Economics, Concordia University Minnesota—now’s time for a new vision—ALANA (African, Latino, Asian, and Native American) capital will make Minnesota a global competitor.
These firms are rebuilding the inner city, expanding the high tech corridors and creating jobs and wealth in Minnesota. Interesting and encouraging trends are revealed in the Economic Census, 2007, on ALANA businesses in Minnesota. For example, during the period 2002–2007, the
number of minority owned firms grew 43% compared to 12% for all firms in Minnesota. Blacks own the largest number firms among the minorities, followed by Asians. During the same period, revenue of minority firms grew a healthy 83% compared to 30% for all firms in Minnesota.
Revenue of Latino firms grew a whopping 248% during the same period: this is records the second highest growth rate in the nation. Revenue of Native American firms grew steadily at 72%. Ranked by revenue, minority firms together were 15th largest in the state netting total revenue
of $5.8 bn in 2007—larger than St. Jude Medical, Toro and Deluxe Corporation. The firms owned by Asians ranked 22nd largest with revenue of $2.4 bn. Ranked by employees, minority firms together were 9th largest employer—bigger than General Mills, Ecolab and Hormel—employing almost
40,000 with an annual payroll of $1.1 bn. (Data is from the Economic Census 2007: preliminary estimates) For more details and updated reports please visit: http://ethnictrends.info/ MarketResearch.html
Getting your banker to say “yes” “If you own a business or are thinking of starting one, chances are you will have to deal with a banker. The best way to deal with a banker is to know what they are thinking and what they are wanting,” says Greg Morse, co-author of the book Getting
to YES With Your Banker: A Practical Guide for Small Business Owners, published by Mike French, Inc. Morse, founder and CEO of Worthington National Bank in Tarrant County, Texas, partnered with Ron Sturgeon, Fort Worth
commercial property developer, entrepreneur and author, to write this sometimes-humorous, always-helpful guide to obtaining financing for your business. “I have a long-standing business relationship with Ron,” said Morse. “Between
the two of us, we can probably cover every angle of the loan process, especially as it pertains to small businesses. He has borrowed millions of dollars for his ventures over the years, and I’ve certainly helped hundreds of entrepreneurs get business loans.”
One of the most important aspects of this informative book is its coverage of “tips, traps and secrets.” Morse and Sturgeon each provide their own tips on approaching the financing process, and Morse gives additional insight into
the secrets your own banker may not share with you. To learn more about Getting to “Yes” With Your Banker, visit www. gettingtoyeswithyourbanker. com.
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Improbable hero While this qualification, the fact that a person such as Martin Luther King could
be seriously accorded so liberal an accolade is highly improbable. Improbable specifically because Martin
Luther King was one from among that number occupying a caste position in past and contemporary American life. He belonged to a history of experiences which prompted more than one perceptive critic of American social reality to describe in disturbing tones, the peoplehood of Black Americans as that of “The invisible man.” In the words of Ralph Ellison, “I am a man, of fiber, liquid, and substance, and it might even be said that I possess a mind. But I am invisible. You understand, simply because people refuse to see me.” And as Alexis de Tocqueville, the young French observer of earlier time in American life (1840s) put it even more tragically, “The abstract and transient fact of slavery became fatally united
to the physical and permanent fact of color.” In short, the history of the slave past defines the Black present.
American history turns. And therein lies a paradox. What the action of Martin Luther King and the nameless masses of others who followed his ideals symbolize, more than anything else, is the unfinished work of the American Revolutionary ideal. Whatever else this nation was, is or shall become — there remains a kernel of ideas which stands as a tempestuous inspirer of dreams. American ideals are at once a marvelous flight of the human spirit and an unqualified assertion of the Right of Man. And yet, American pragmatism and thirst for limitless power contradict the sweet possibility of the American dream. Ever present is the threat of the dream becoming a fiendish nightmare. The contradiction between American ideals and the reality of pragmatic power is the source of its inner tension. In the light of these ideas Martin Luther King stands out as a messenger, if not a prophet. He seems to have understood the inherent conflict around these values.
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The unfinished work of the American Revolutionary ideal The odyssey of Martin Luther King is just one of the notable paradoxes that seen to remain current throughout the story of the human condition. The history of the human adventure is replete with instances of those unwashed masses from the wings of society becoming instruments for social change. To be sure, since the inception of this nation called the U.S.A., Blacks have always been in, if never really of, American societal reality — a thing, apart, and yet a pivot upon which so much of
Creative tension A major theme in his concept of non-violent direct action was that of creative tension. In Dr. King’s view the focus on contradictions created the necessary tension and produced a cleansing effect, with the promise of regeneration and fulfillment. We might liken the tactic of creative tension to medicine that sometimes causes pain and discomfort before it heals. It is quite possible that Dr. King held the same perceptions (no doubt for different reasons) as held by Thomas Jefferson nearly 200 years ago. Jefferson, a holder of bondsmen, women and children, conscience-ridden by his democratic impulses, perceived and well understood the tension (destructive rather than creative) inherent in American life when he wrote: “Slavery is an exercise of the most boisterous passions, of unremitting degradation on the one hand, and degrading submissions on the other. It teaches white children to be tyrants after the pattern of their parents, it destroys the will to work in white men. Above all, it robs man of God’s greatest gift, and this is the gift of liberty. Indeed I tremble for my countrymen when I reflect that God is just, and that his justice cannot sleep forever.” Jefferson saw it. And Martin Luther King, from all appearances, grasped
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Restoring Dr. King’s dream through service Gateway to excellence By Scott Gray MUL President/CEO Through the years much has been said about service. It has been called the “rent we pay to live on this earth,” a measure of greatness, and a “link to happiness.” As we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his commitment to service, I am reminded and encouraged that service is restorative; service can be a connector; service can be a motivator; and service can be a solution to bridge economic gaps in our community. I recently read the book “Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America” written by Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post Associate Editor, Eugene Robinson. Robinson contends that instead of one “Black America” now there are four: Transcendent, Mainstream, Emergent, and Abandoned. Each of these 21st century groups has its own set of challenges, interests and aspirations. Those who have achieved substantial wealth, power and fame, he labels as Transcendent. Those are people like Oprah, Jay-Z, and Will Smith who have become extremely successful, and as such, are revered in spite of their pigment. The
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Insight News is published weekly, every Monday by McFarlane Media Interests. Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane CFO Adrianne Hamilton-Butler Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Vice President of Sales & Marketing Selene White Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Ben Williams Production Intern Andrew Notsch Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Facilities Support / Assistant Producer, Conversations with Al McFarlane Bobby Rankin Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Technology Reporters Shanice Brown Ivan B. Phifer Christopher Toliver Contributing Writers Maya Beecham Brenda Colston Julie Desmond S. Himie Marcia Humphrey Alaina L. Lewis Rashida McKenzie Ryan T. Scott Lydia Schwartz Stacey Taylor Photography Suluki Fardan Tobechi Tobechukwu Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55411.
Mainstream group is the middle class; individuals who have attained aspects of the American Dream, and who want more. With the increase in interracial marriages and influxes of people from Africa and the Caribbean, Robinson sees an Emergent Immigrant group, most who are not fully immersed in the historical accounts which detail the birth of this nation, and others who due to their lineage are not
compelled to choose a black or white side. Then, there is the Abandoned, a group facing multidimensional issues that span education, housing, economics, health and employment; a group that is growing exponentially, a group that is moreover defined by its human development deficits, rather than variations of hue, as this group includes a growing ethnic mix. Robinson does not offer a
litany of solutions in his book but he did note (as countless human, workforce and economic development experts have also suggested) that a comprehensive, systematic, sustainable initiative needs to be implemented to reconnect the Abandoned with the national community. This is our future workforce and the future of our country. After a read like this, my first question was, what can I do? What can
the organization and the staff that I lead do? What will it take to reconnect with, restore a sense of possibility within, and re-channel attitudes and belief systems that currently only seem to see underachievement and hopelessness as the final destination? Restoring and reconnecting with this mushrooming Abandoned group requires someone to show them a way;
each of us deciding to create a personal legacy of service by sharing the knowledge, the life and success tools that we have learned and mastered over time in an effort to chisel away at this growing sense of hopelessness for the benefit of the whole society. Shared intelligence and a widespread
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Page 4 • January 17 - January 23, 2011 • Insight News
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Dr. West’s prognosis for the country Interview
By Kam Williams kam@insightnews.com Dr. Cornel West is a prominent and provocative public intellectual dedicated to democracy. Currently the Class of 1943 University Professor at Princeton University, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard in three years and obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy at Princeton. Since then, he has taught at Union Theological Seminary, Yale, Harvard and the University of Paris. He has written 19 books and edited 13 other. He is best known for his classic “Race Matters,” as well as “Democracy Matters,” and his recent memoir, “Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud.” He appears frequently on the “Bill Maher Show,” “Colbert Report,” CNN and C-Span as well as on Tavis Smiley’s PBSTV Show. And since last fall, he can be heard regularly on “The Smiley and West” radio program. He has also appeared in over 25 documentaries and recorded three spoken word albums. In short, Cornel West has a passion to communicate in order to keep alive the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – a legacy of telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice. Here, he discusses his participation in “America’s Next Chapter,” a forum hosted by Tavis Smiley where a panel of luminaries will wrestle with the question, “How do we make America as good as its promise?” The event took place on Thursday, January 13th at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium, will be rebroadcast on PBS on the Tavis Smiley Show on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday January 18th, 19th and 20th (Check Local Listings) Kam Williams: Hey, Dr. West, thanks for the time. Cornel West: It’s a blessing! Happy New Year to you, brother!
and “Whites Only.’’ Now we hear: ‘’You’re not a good fit for the organization.’’ What can be done to help AfricanAmericans enter the job market and break the glass ceiling? CW: Again, so much has to do with going beyond treating black people as cosmetic and symbolic items, as opposed to genuine personalities and human beings. And that is a deep moral and spiritual issue, which can of course be backed up by Civil Rights Commissions which enforce the laws against any form of discrimination.
KW: Thanks! And the same to you. By the way, a mutual friend of ours, Rhea Kinnard, asked me to say hello to you for her. CW: Yes, a lovely sister, indeed. KW: I have so many questions for you from my readers that I want to get right to them. FSU Grad Laz Lyles says: I love that America’s Next Chapter is a multi-ethnic forum. Why aren’t there more forums of this type? CW: I think it has to do with the vision of my dear brother, Tavis Smiley. There ought to be more forums like this which are concerned with informing folks about some of the painful realities of our country. It would be wonderful for them to be multicultural and multi-racial but, most importantly, they have to be willing to speak to those truths. KW: Laz’s follow-up is: Given our cultural history, is there more of an onus on African-Americans to be more inclusive with social and national discourse? CW: I think that’s certainly the case, because there’s no doubt that many of the mainstream white institutions tend to be cosmetic and symbolic when it comes to including African-Americans, whereas we Black folk tend to be much more sensitive about embracing others, and we have a long history of that. KW: Sister Patrice Muhammad says: After the State of the Black Union, some people said it was just a bunch of talk. Then “The Covenant with Black America” was published. Haven’t heard much about that lately. Where does The Covenant stand today? Any work being done in our communities based on that document? Has “The Covenant” been upheld in your opinion? What do you hope this conversation will produce? CW: I don’t think talk is just talk. I firmly believe that talk can change people’s lives. Each life is precious. Talk can’t change a whole society, but it is not to be degraded or devalued. Talk is very important and not to be trashed. As for “The Covenant,” we had volume two, “The Covenant in Action,” which built on volume one in conjunction
Dr. Cornel West with local activists all across the country. And volume three, “Accountability,” was a call to keep track of all the promises that President Obama made. So, I think that what was originated by The Covenant is still ongoing. But unfortunately, when you look at the Obama administration, it hasn’t done that good a job at all in terms of poor and working people. It has been much more beholden to Wall Street oligarchs, and to pharmaceutical and private insurance companies. KW: Teri Emerson asks: At the point where President Obama is now, what would be your view on what he would need to do improve his chances for reelection? And would focusing more on the
African American community’s problems help or hinder his reelection? CW: Reelection ought not to be the primary preoccupation of any politician. It ought to be standing up for truth and justice. If he is to be a statesman, he would act like Lincoln, and stand up for something that might be unpopular but not allow the right-wing to dictate the agenda, meaning Fox News, the Tea Party and others. KW: Ilene Proctor wants to know whether, given the bleak economic outlook due to corporate malfeasance, global outsourcing, and a decline of empire, and with the U.S. facing challenges that were never as pervasive, there is any cause for optimism that American ingenuity and can-do spirit will help turn the country around. CW: That’s a deep question. I don’t think there are any grounds for any sentimental optimism. But Black folks have never really been optimists. We’ve been prisoners of hope, and hope is qualitatively different from optimism in the way that there’s a difference between The Blues and Lawrence Welk. The Blues and Jazz have to do with hope while the other is sugarcoated music which has to do with sentimental optimism. KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls asks: What does “America’s Return to Greatness” mean? Has America been great to and for all groups in this country? Is greatness domination or collaboration? Can American greatness permeate the class structure and have a multi-ethnic approach? CW: So much hangs on your definition of “greatness.” I’m a Christian. I believe that greatness has to do with the quality of love shown to the least of thy brethren and the quality of service to those who are catching hell. When you look at it in that sense, I’d say America has had great moments, but I wouldn’t call it a great nation. I don’t think there have been any great nations in the history of the world, because in every nation you find poor people being subjugated. So, I see the term “great nation” as a contradiction, as an oxymoron. KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: Do you think that an increase in grassroots activism by the political left will counter the activities of those on the right? It seems that the Tea Party and their ilk have had an impact, based on the last election. CW: That’s a very good question. Sister Bernadette’s absolutely right. The most important assets we have are our bodies and our energy which can be put to good use as resources in political activism for poor and working people. KW: Filmmaker/Author/ Professor Hisani Dubose says: I’d like to know what you think of the movement to pay teachers based on merit. Children, urban children specifically, come to school with a lot of issues that prevent them from learning or even being in the frame of mind to learn. Do you think merit pay might simply push troubled kids further behind? CW: For one, I feel that the recent demonizing of teachers and the teachers’ union is nothing but
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scapegoating. Therefore, all the talk of merit pay is part of that kind of mentality that wants to view the teachers as somehow the culprit, especially in our urban centers and rural pockets of poverty. Finland is the #1 country in the world in terms of education, and 98% of their teachers are unionized, and their students don’t take standardized tests at all. What they do have is an average class size of just 14 students, with 2 teachers in each classroom. That’s what exclusive prep schools like Andover, Exeter, Lawrenceville and the school that Barack Obama’s kids go to do. Until we reach the point that we treat our precious poor children the same as we treat our rich children, all this scapegoating of teachers is just an excuse to not confront the real issue. KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles says: Since “America Matters,” how can we re-define ourselves as a nation if as the 20th Century
KW: Patricia also says: about 4.2% of all physicians are Black, 3.8% of all lawyers are African-Americans, barely 5% of all college professors are Black, and the majority of them are in HBCUs. Only 3.7% of all engineers are AfricanAmericans. Given those statistics, do you think that Affirmative Action is effective enough? What can be done to correct this situation? CW: I think we need much more Affirmative Action across the board. There’s no doubt about that. But Affirmative Action is not the primary issue in and of itself. The primary issue is that we need for more young black people to fall in love with the life of the mind and to become voracious readers and writers. And we also need institutions of higher learning to be more receptive to Black, brown, red and yellow talent. KW: Felicia Haney wants to know your thoughts on Islamophobia. She asks: With nearly 7,000,000 Muslims living in the U.S. now, how do you see Islam fitting into America’s next chapter? CW: Islam has always been a crucial part of America, and it is becoming even more crucial to America as a whole as more Islamic brothers and sisters come here and as more citizens convert. Islam has a rich, prophetic tradition. We need more prophetic Islam figures like Malcolm X. If we could understand and try to grasp Malcolm after Mecca, we’d have the greatest example of what it means to be a prophetic Muslim who loves the people, especially the poor and working people across color and across culture, and who has the courage to stand up. KW: Ryan Davis asks: Do you
“I don’t think there have been any great nations in the history of the world, because in every nation you find poor people being subjugated.” belonged to the United States, the 21st Century might belong to China? In other words, perhaps the greatest legacy we can leave future generations is a reframing of our national consciousness. How can we learn to still take pride in ourselves knowing that, in the 21st Century, America must be an eminent nation among other eminent nations and not the dominant, pre-eminent nation? CW: I think that every empire suffers from hubris, arrogance and condescension, and therefore a moral blindness. That’s true of the American empire, it was true of the British Empire in the 19th Century, and it will certainly be true of the Chinese Empire in the 21st Century. When we talk about America mattering, I take very seriously what the great Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel had to say in 1965 when he said that the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. will serve as the major means by which the best of America can be preserved. If that legacy wanes, America wanes. And that’s what we’ve seen since the death of Martin. KW: Harriet also asks: How can the panel discuss ‘The Next Chapter’ on the Smiley show if we continue to be stuck in this chapter, economically, socially, politically and internationally? It sounds discouraging, but maybe we can’t leave as glorious a future to the next generation. CW: That’s a wonderful question. For one, when Brother Tavis and others talk about “The Next Chapter,” they’re really talking about dealing with the present chapter, because there will be no next chapter unless you deal with the present chapter. And if you don’t deal with the present chapter in the way that one ought, the next chapter might very well be the last chapter. KW: Legist/editor Patricia Turnier says: During segregation, the U.S had signs reading: ‘’No Colored”
still believe that President Obama is, as he said a year ago, “The friendly face of the American Empire?” CW: Oh yes, absolutely, although in some ways he’s becoming less friendly. KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read? CW: I just finished Griftopia by Mike Taibbi. That brother lays it out, man. KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory? CW: Ummm… Probably just playing with my brother and spending time with mom and dad when I was about 2½. KW: The Tavis Smiley question: What do you want your legacy to be? CW: I don’t think about my legacy too much, Kam, because I’m still very much alive. Every day has to do with how much love, how much decency, how much compassion, how much kindness, and how much tenderness one is able to enact vis-a-vis others. So any legacy, for me, has to do with: How deep was your love? What were you willing to sacrifice? What were you willing to give up? What price were you willing to pay for others? KW: Is there a good question that reflects your consciousness that you could give me to ask everyone I interview? CW: Yes, what price are you willing to pay for a cause that is bigger than your own self interest? KW: Much appreciated! I’ll be sure to call it the Dr. West question. Thanks for another excellent interview. CW: Thank you so much, Kam. Stay strong, and Happy New Year!
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Insight News • January 17 - January 23, 2011 • Page 5
AESTHETICS Kandi Burruss: On top of the world By Alaina L. Lewis
Singer/Songwriter Kandi Burruss is on top of the world right now. She’s got a role on the Bravo reality series The Real Housewives of Atlanta, a satellite radio show entitled Kandi Koated Nights, and at the end of last year she released her second solo album after ten years, a masterpiece known as, “Kandi Koated,” which is already proving to be one of music’s greatest offerings. Super woman? Indeed. Through a myriad of pivotal endeavors, and a brave approach to manifesting her own destiny throughout the years, this luminary may have stumbled upon a few obstacles along the road to super stardom, but quick thinking, and assurance in each step are the reasons why she is known worldwide as one of our most influential musical entertainers. Burruss got her start in the early 1990s when she sang in the all girl group Xscape, a quartet that also sparked the career of member Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, and garnered them a huge following along with a string of R&B hits. When the group disbanded in the late 1990s, Burruss tried her hand at a solo career, with the release of her debut album entitled “Hey Kandi.” However, lack of album sales cost the artist her record contract, but the bump in the road only opened a doorway to a richer opportunity. Burruss poured her soul
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From 2 the meaning but applied different possibilities to these antagonistic values. The unfinished work of the revolutionary ideal, laying dormant for over a century, is what mothered the civil rights movement. “All history,” says historian Dr. John Henrick Clark, “is a current event.” Between sweet dream and nightmare So then, it is within the context of static and muffled tension, between sweet dream and nightmare, that Dr. King’s work found its place. In Dr. King’s own words his “dream” was “deeply rooted in the American dream.” Accordingly he took the distilled essence of the Judeo-Christian creed, long ago relegated to spiritless ritual, and gave it a sense of meaning and a sense of life. This is, afterall, according to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, what any religion that works is all about. He took as well some basic tenets of liberaldemocratic thought, say of John Stuart Mill, regarding the dignity of the human personality, and gave it a new viability in the popular marketplace of ideas.
Kandi Burruss into penning songs for other artists. Her work on TLC’s “No Scrubs,” earned Burruss a Grammy, a BillBoard Music Award, an MTV Video Music Award and the prized role of being the first African American woman in history to win the
ASCAP’s Songwriter of the Year Award. Burruss is also responsible for Destiny Child’s “Bills, Bills, Bills,” Pinks “There You Go,” and a catalog of other music, which she has written for artists like Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, and Usher,
Alien idea triggers revolution Holy writ teaches us that “for everything there is a season, and a time, for every matter under heaven.” In post war America the “dream” that was “deferred... like a raisin in the sun,” as penned by the poet, Langston Hughes, took form almost imperceptible before our very eyes. Martin Luther King, Jr., fourth generation son
of Black Baptist tradition, to a very large extent embodied and articulated the yearnings of Blacks and other Americans who half-consciously sensed the meaning and implications of American ideals, in spite of the system. He discovered that freedom comes from human beings, rather than
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proving that whether in front of the microphone, or behind the pen, her talent has no ceiling, nor can any set back stop her success. “I’ve done a lot of amazing things, but I never felt like I’d found success as a solo artist,” Burruss shared. “I’d found
Photo courtesy of the artist
success in a group, as well as helping other people blow up. But when it came to me by myself, I didn’t feel like I’d accomplished that. Two years ago I told myself that I was going to put my solo album out even if I had to put it out by myself, so when I ended up
doing the song “Fly Above,” Warner Brothers reached out to me and wanted to be apart of the album.” “Kandi Koated,” hit stores December 14, 2010 to a positive reception. The CD boasts a classic sound with a heartfelt storyline of memories and moments in Burruss’ love life that easily reflect a feeling all our own. The CD includes the lead singles “I Need,” and “Fly Above,” along with a duets with friend and former Xscape member Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, and Neyo. “The album is true R&B. I tried to bring together a classic album but at the same time have that 90s influence to because to me the 90s was my favorite time in R&B,” Burruss states, “I basically went back and listened to all the old Xscape albums from when I was in the group, and then I made songs which I asked myself, ‘If I was to make an album for that group today, what would it sound like?’ And that’s the sound of my album. As far as the inspiration for the songs, they’re almost all relationship songs. From meeting that love, losing the love, too wanting to get it back.” Currently, Burruss is on a world tour with the artists Fantasia and Eric Benet. She is also in gearing up to work on other projects including trying her hat at executive producing a television series, which she hopes will get picked up by a major network this coming year.
Page 6 • January 17 - January 23, 2011 • Insight News
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HEALTH Understanding causes of poor eating habits By Kam Williams “Most of us are fortunate to be born healthy. It is what we have learned and have chosen to put into our mouths that drove our bodies crazy. The goal of this book is to help you better understand that what you are just about to put into your mouth will affect how you feel and look. Like it or not, that is the way it is… Mind Your Wellness is not about asking you to stop eating your favorite unhealthy food. Its goal is to give you a deeper understanding about what could be the causes of your overeating or poor eating habits… With this book in hand, you have the choice to be in total control of your thoughts and your health. Decide what you want and stick with it until you see the results... Be patient, be persistent, and your life
serious self control and a more comprehensive understanding of the content of what we’re choosing to eat. The author knows what he’s talking about because he’s writing about the regimen he adopted after being obese for 20 years. In fact, he recounts how much he hated having the nickname “Fatty Boy” throughout childhood, although he didn’t know how to slim down successfully. However, Ong lost his father to heart disease on September 1, 2006, a day which proved to be a turning point in his life. For he himself was likely facing a similar fate in the absence of intervention, since he was already suffering from high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It was at that critical moment that he decided to stop eating junk food and to put an end to yo-yo dieting, and to adopt a nutritious path which would restore his health.
and health will change for the better.” -Excerpted from the Introduction and the Conclusion (pgs. 25 & 171) For most folks, the end of the holiday eating season, stretching from Thanksgiving to Christmas, marks the time when we make another New Year’s resolution to shed a few pounds. If you’re serious about winning the battle of the bulge, may I heartily recommend Mind Your Own Wellness: Turning Thoughts into Reality. The reason I appreciate this highly-informative, howto tome so much is that it’s not your typical diet book suggesting some supposedly easy method of merely counting calories that will only work temporarily. No, author Alex Ong talks tough love, here, explaining that the real road to reduced weight requires a combination of
In Mind Your Own Wellness, Ong goes to great lengths to explain why such staples of the American diet as salt, sugar, nitrites, MSG, caffeine, BHT and BHA are bad for you. Meanwhile, he simultaneously offers an array of great tips for avoiding those chemical and calorie-laden, coronary disease and cancer-inducing ingredients. Part pep talk, part educational, part precise stepby-step guide, Mind Your Own Wellness could very well be the best investment anyone concerned about their weight might make in 2011. After all, if you have your health, you have your first million dollars. To order a copy of Mind Your Own Wellness, visit: http://www.amazon.com/exec/ obidos/ASIN/0980155665/ ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
CDC reports lowest teen birth rates in 2009 A lowest teen birth rate—39.1 per 1000—in 70 years of record keeping was reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week. The rate for 2009 was 6% lower than for 2008, and marked the second consecutive year that the rate fell. The reduction follows two years of increases in 2006 and 2007. Significantly, the rates fell for all sections of the population’s teens. In a 2007 article, noted researcher, John Santelli, M.D., suggests that most of the decline in teen birth rates since the early 90s is due to better use of contraceptives. However, in Minnesota, the teen birth rate dropped 7%, despite the fact that more high school
students are having sex and fewer are using condoms (Minnesota Student Survey, 2010). Among Minnesota 9th graders, 8% more reported being sexually active while 2.6% fewer used condoms. Among 12th graders, 2% more reported being sexually active, while 3% fewer reported using condoms. In addition to more Minnesota students being sexually active, rates for sexually transmitted infections have gone up, particularly Chlamydia and HIV. Reacting to the report Brigid Riley, Executive Director, Minnesota Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Prevention and Parenting said, “It’s great to know that more young people are avoiding early
pregnancy—this is a remarkable story... [But] there is still a lot of unprotected sex going on, and adults still need to take responsibility for ensuring the teens in their lives know the facts”. In Minnesota, there is no dedicated state funding for sex education, no statewide instruction standards and no health requirement for graduation. Minnesota Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Prevention and Parenting (MOAPPPP is the statewide leader in promoting adolescent sexual health, preventing adolescent pregnancy and gaining support for adolescent parents. More information at http://www. moappp.org/
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Some Doctors have the Power to Heal an Entire Nation.
UCare celebrates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We invite all those in the ever-growing and richly diverse communities we serve to pause, reflect and celebrate with us.
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Insight News • January 17 - January 23, 2011 • Page 7
COMMENTARY Sharpton: Nonviolence must prevail By Rev. Al Sharpton NNPA Columnist Today, we are mourning. As a collective nation, we are suffering the senseless loss of life in Arizona, the vitriol in our public discourse that may have contributed to this heinous act and our inability to stop it before it ripped a deep hole into the very fabric of our democracy. While most of us attempt to digest this vicious attack, we cannot ignore the fact that gun usage and violence are destroying our communities all across this great country of ours. We can no longer disregard the notion that guns are too readily accessible to folks and a culture of hostility exists all around us. If we weren’t motivated to take substantive action to save ourselves before, at the very least, Arizona’s shootings should push us to now do so without hesitation.
David Shankbone
Rev. Al Sharpton
Monday, January 17th, National Action Network
(NAN) will host our annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Washington, D.C. and New York. Honoring the legacy and memory of our great civil rights leader, NAN, along with various educators, clergy, academics, public advocates and more will peacefully convene in both cities as we seek solutions to some of today’s toughest challenges. Included among our focus will be the urgent and dire need to diminish the stats on gun violence and violence in general. Building on Dr. King’s notion of peaceful resolution, we will work Monday and throughout the year to remind us all of this ever-timely message and how we can continue to carry his vision and dream. The killings of six in Arizona – including a nineyear-old girl – and the severe wounding of many others including Congresswoman Giffords should undeniably serve as a wake up call for everyone. But, for those of us
Boeing deal means jobs for Minnesota By Wendell Maddox It is crucial that we stand behind Boeing in its efforts to secure this contract. From a jobs and economic perspective, Boeing is the clear choice. Choosing the company that would directly benefit our workforce, and give our state a $35 billion economic boost, is a no-brainer. We shouldn’t be spending our taxpayer dollars on European manufacturing. The Boeing contract will be good for Minnesota, and good for the United States. There is no need to
Photo courtesy of the author
Wendell Maddox
expound upon the current lack of sustainable jobs in this country, or the still-foundering
economic situation in which we still find ourselves. But as a business owner whose fate, as well as the fate of my employees, is linked to a decision the Pentagon is on the cusp of making, I feel it’s my responsibility to reiterate these sobering facts. And the legislature’s primary focus right now ought to be keeping jobs in America. A few months ago, the Boeing Company submitted its bid to the Department of Defense to build a new fleet
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in the Black community, our wake up call should have rang years ago. When the majority of victims of gun violence are young Black men, and when innocent children and grandmothers have lost their lives simply walking down the street in their neighborhood or worse yet, sitting at home, we are in a crisis. I cannot begin to mention the countless number of funerals I have attended with crying mothers, fathers and loved ones who are left struggling to make some sense out of tragedy much like we all are with Arizona. As one who has served as a fierce advocate in the fight against police brutality, and been on the forefront of numerous cases involving
excessive force, I cannot dismiss our own need to put the weapons down. Sadly, it isn’t always the police shooting at us; too often it is us killing each other. I am in no way denying that injustice and abuse at the hands of police officers exists, but I am holding all of us accountable to do our part in ending the cycle of violence. If we want to see change around us, we must change the way in which we conduct ourselves. Recently, NAN held an unprecedented gun buyback program in New York in conjunction with the New York Police Department. Peacefully collecting guns from folks from all walks of life and from a multitude of ethnicities, we began a program that we hope
will soon be replicated across the nation. Sadly, a bullet knows no color and instead indiscriminately chooses its victims as we so tragically witnessed this past weekend. As we gather in both Washington, D.C. and New York along with elected officials like Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, we cannot lose sight of our main goal: seeking solutions to our gravest challenges – education and violence. The two are inextricably linked and in order to rectify the rampant rise in aggression, we must ensure that more of our youth are instead armed with books.
Page 8 • January 17 - January 23, 2011 • Insight News
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LIFESTYLE Chasing away the winter blues Style on a Dime By Marcia Humphrey marcia@insightnews.com “For some reason, every year after Christmas I tend to get kind of depressed,” my girlfriend confessed to me recently. She explained that Christmas is her favorite holiday and once it’s over she feels as though there is nothing to which to look forward. She’s not alone in feeling a mild case of winter blues. If you too can relate, consider the following strategies to help chase away those occasional blues. Take a (Nearby) Vacation While he may not readily admit it, I think my husband gets a little stir crazy during our long
Moyo From 5 human beings, rather than laws and institutions. As a major orchestrator of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, Dr. King introduced his ideas on passive resistance, rooted in the somewhat alien philosophy of non-violence.
girlfriend Natalie shared with me how that as a young mom of two kids, she would decorate her bathroom with Hawaii in mind; pictures on the door, colorful floral shower curtain, towels, and accessories. She would then tell her boys that she was going on “vacation” and disappear into her bathroom for an hour at a time for a long, rejuvenating bath, which included candles and music. She even went as far as to hang a do not disturb sign on the door handle. The children were instructed to tell all callers that mommy was on vacation! (For a long time, her boys thought a vacation was something that only happened in the bathroom.)
winter season. In November, he asked about the dates of the children’s spring break. “We have to take some kind of vacation to someplace warm,” he insisted. If heading south is out of the question at this time, consider doing what our cousins do; Go on an overnight or weekend vacation at a local hotel with nice amenities, like a swimming pool, whirlpool, sauna, fitness center, etc. Enjoy getting away from your normal routine and being refreshed in new surroundings. Whoever said you had to leave the city to be on vacation, anyway? Simply do a staycation. Create a Non-winter Space at Home Using cues from your favorite time of year or favorite getaway spot, decorate a room in your home with elements of that theme (no need to go overboard). Consider forcing daffodil or tulip bulbs to remind you of spring. Use floral throw pillows to liven up your living area. My crazy
As an apostle of non-violence, Dr. King resembled a genuine revolutionary. The concept of nonviolence rests totally outside the realm of practical thought in the Western mind. No individual in the history of the West, however personally committed to Christian principles, has been able before or since, to lead a mass movement committed to nonviolence. This is true, from the
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days of the crusades for “the true cross” in the East of the Holy Land itself, to “manifest destiny” and the winning of the West in America. Indeed, the idea of a “non-violent army” was alien to Black life in America, as well. Considering the violence-ridden history of “the Negro,” this should be simple enough to understand. Proving that little people can unite, fight and win Under the inspirational and moral guidance of Dr. King, the successful conclusion of this boycott proved once and for all that “Negroes could stick together,” that the hunchback of rigid segregation could be broken and that moral law and justice still had a chance in America. This demonstration of solidarity by Montgomery Blacks is without question the
most successful example of direct-action without violence in the history of American protest. It serves as a model that not only inspired Blacks in other parts of the country, but this demonstration of esprit de corps served as a school of public instruction for the broader community. It showed what ordinary people, of any color, could do. The Montgomery event heightened awareness of the notion that powerless little people could not only “fight City Hall” but win, if they willed themselves to do so. Catalyst of THE MOVEMENT This very specific movement of over twenty years ago also signaled “the age of general protest.” In overnight fashion Martin Luther King and the leadership of the Montgomery
Try Something New Challenge yourself to pick up a new hobby or interest that you have been intending to explore. By starting right now, you’ll have something to look forward to on a regular basis. A new couple we just met asked us about taking a ballroom dancing
Improvement Association inspired widespread protest against de jure segregation throughout the south. Dr. King’s favorite conception of this new era was zeitgeist! borrowed from the German vocabulary of philosophy. It means “THE SPIRIT OF THE TIMES.” The effect of the example in Montgomery was that of a catalyst. From this spirit of Montgomery the general social movement called Civil Rights flowered in earnest and challenged every wrong imbedded in institutional American life. Zeitgeist! captured the imagination of legions from stoic clergymen and fun loving students to other racial minorities, and women, and every interest group from anti-war to consumer rights proponents. The widespread style of the politics of protest and
class with them. You could start a biweekly game night with friends, take a swimming class, pick up a winter sport, join a book club, or attend one of the many regular free seminars that are available at your local library. The possibilities are endless! Remaining upbeat during our lengthy Minnesota winters definitely calls for a bit of creative thinking. It’s an opportunity for us to practice what the bible encourages: “…I have learned, in whatever state I am in, to be content…” Phil 4:11 When you are particularly struggling, think of the benefits and blessings of living in lovely Minnesota. There are many-one of which is this: the extreme temperatures help keep the riffraff away! Enjoy! Marcia Humphrey is an interior decorator and home stager who specializes in achieving high style at low costs. A native of Michigan, she and her husband, Lonnie, have three children.
liberation is logical consequence of the style and spirit of Martin Luther King and Montgomery. The moral leader of America For more than a decade Dr. King remained pre-eminently the centerpost of what was simply called “the movement.” This philosophical and moral thrust of love and forbearance with a willingness to “bear witness” in the struggle, made Dr. King, in effect, the moral leader of America. It could perhaps be argued too that he was indirectly the “political leader” of that side of America that stood for progressive social change. There was no counterpart to this brand of leadership in any other sphere of public life. The commitment of Dr. King and those who valued his ideas are primarily
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Leaders
From 1 The impact that these books made on him is best described in his own words: “As I read, I became deeply fascinated by his campaigns of nonviolent resistance. As I delved deeper into the philosophy of Gandhi, my skepticism concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see for the first time its potency in the area of social reform.” King positioned Gandhi’s ideas of nonviolent direct action in the wider framework of Christianity, declaring that “Christ showed us the way and Gandhi in India showed it could work.” He later remarked that he considered
King From 3 commitment to service in support of the least of these has the potential to reconnect pockets of people who somehow feel extreme isolation, when in fact, each of us is reminded of our interconnectedness with others as events occur during each and every day. While pondering the restoration factor, the words of Dr. Martin Luther King relative to service came to mind: “Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make
Boeing
From 7
Insight News • January 17 - January 23, 2011 • Page 9 Gandhi to be “the greatest Christian of the modern world.” “The ‘turn-the-other-cheek’ philosophy and the ‘love-yourenemies’ philosophy,” he had thought, “were only valid when individuals were in conflict with other individuals; when racial groups and nations were in conflict, a more realistic approach seemed necessary. But after reading Gandhi, I saw how utterly mistaken I was.” King came to realize that Gandhi was the first person in history to re-invent the Christian ethic of love as “a potent instrument for social and collective transformation.” After this, it did not take long for King to accept and adopt the Gandhian principal of nonviolence as the only viable means to overcome the problems
faced by his people. Moreover, by this time Gandhi and his philosophy were deeply impacting the progressive African American community. In a reply to a letter written by Carl Murphy, President, AfroAmerican Newspapers, Gandhi had mentioned that all forms of racial discrimination were ‘‘a negation of civilization’’ (Gandhi, 1934). Many American Civil Rights leaders had met Gandhi for inspiration, notably Howard Thurman in 1935, Benjamin Mays in 1936 and William Stuart Nelson in 1946. King’s associates Bayard Rustin, James Lawson, and Mordecai Johnson had also met Gandhi. The practical manifestation of the impact of Gandhi on King notably began with the nonviolent direct action strategies in the 1955
to 1956 Montgomery bus boycott. Later, in 1959, King traveled to India with his wife, Coretta and historian Lawrence D. Reddick on a visit co-sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and Gandhi Smarak Nidhi (Gandhi Memorial Fund). King met with the Gandhi family, as well as with Indian activists and officials, including the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. He, famously, stayed for two days at Mani Bhavan, the house that Gandhi lived in during his stay in Mumbai. The five-week trip enhanced King’s understanding and acceptance of the Gandhian philosophy. On his return, on March 22, 1959, Palm Sunday, at a Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL, King devoted his entire sermon on Gandhi, making special reference
to the ‘salt march’ and his fast to end discrimination against India’s untouchables. Later that year, in the article My Trip to the Land of Gandhi, King wrote, “I left India more convinced than ever before that non-violent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom” (Ebony, July 1959). Right up to his death King remained steadfast in his commitment to the radical transformation of American society through Gandhian means. In his, A Testament of Hope (1969), published posthumously, he strongly urged African Americans to refrain from violence but he also warned, “White America must recognize that justice for black people cannot be achieved without radical
changes in the structure of our society.” The “black revolution” was not just a civil rights movement, “It is forcing America to face all its interrelated flaws— racism, poverty, militarism and materialism”. King’s assassination itself is a profound reflection of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, delivering the same message: helpless to oppose the moral power that the nonviolent method yields the supremacist mindset resorts to heinous violence. After her husband’s death, Coretta Scott King established the Atlanta-based Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change—also known as the King Center—to promote Gandhian-Kingian concepts of nonviolent struggle.
your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” In his book “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?”, Dr. King wrote: “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” Forty-four years later, this question is still relevant, and our daily media sound bites remind us all that America’s sense of community, not only in communities of color, is compromised. Consider the possibilities if individuals in the Transcendent
Group shared their journey, dispensed their wisdom-not only to the Abandoned group, but to the Mainstream, and Emergent Immigrant groups as well. While each group may feel that their agenda is uniquely their own, in the end each can be made to realize that they all long for the same thing; a good quality of life and some means to achieve it. In these days of tumultuous change, all segments of society must embrace a more conceptual 21st century mindset, and must be equipped with the tools to execute and accomplish desired life outcomes. Just imagine if CEOs, the truly Transcendent, would agree to lead one of the Minneapolis Urban League’s (MUL) Gateways to Opportunity:
Health and Wellness, College Readiness/Career Development, Workforce Solutions, and Wealth Accumulation. Think about the impact this think-tank could have through consistent mentoring, coaching and experiential knowledge-sharing. Contemplate
the skill deficits - both attitudinal and vocational - that could be diminished through the relationship-building provided through such interactive, action learning think-tanks. Making such connections can transform the lives of those striving to
position themselves to access a gateway. If we all begin to fully consider what is at stake, outstretching a hand to another would become a natural response,
Minnesotan businessman who works directly with The Boeing Company, I can vouch that Boeing’s state-ofthe-art refueling technology
has set the bar high in its fuel efficiency, and their NewGen tanker will save the American taxpayer $40 billion in fuel costs over its forty-year life.
of aerial refueling tankers for the United States Air Force. If awarded the contract, the order would support thousands of American jobs across 42 states. What does that mean for our state? Boeing work directly with dozens of supplies here, translating to hundreds of Minnesotan jobs that would be secured if Boeing were successful. The European company, Airbus, has submitted its bid. The Boeing product is undoubtedly superior. As a
For over 80 years, Hallie Q. Brown has been the Lighthouse of the Community...
...this is why we shine so bright.
The Hallie Q. Brown Early Learning Center is currently accepting applications for enrollment. We are a licensed daycare and preschool program with a 4 Star Parent Aware rating. We feature licensed and trained staff, Project Early Kindergarten (PEK) curriculum and a sliding fee scale. We gladly accept Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Contact us today for a tour and more information. Hallie Q. Brown Community Center 270 N. Kent Street St. Paul, MN 55102 651-224-4601 www.hallieqbrown.org
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Page 10 • January 17, 2010 - January 23, 2011 • Insight News
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COMMUNITY or conviction. The “Ya Feel Me?” exhibition is on view thru February 27, 2011 at Obsidian Arts located in South Minneapolis at Pill House, 3501 Chicago Avenue S., Minneapolis. There will be an Artist Dialogue: February 18, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. Free. The works of Greene, Morris, Johnson and Henry Williams, utilizing photography, ceramic and textiles, lead viewers on an artistic journey that encourages an understanding of their perspectives. Highly creative and flexible in their use of materials and approach and deliberately producing images that deliver memory and illusion alternatively, the artists seek to provide contemplation and surprise. “Ya Feel Me,” organized and curated by Minneapolis-based artists Christopher-Aron Deanes and Shirley Robertson, is an attempt to explore ideas about “allure.” The exhibition will
Ya Feel Me? Artwork by Dee Henry Williams: Textile dimensional art, Haitien Garson Rouge~Red Haitian Man.
Artists Lori Greene, Stephanie Morris, Dorothy Johnson and Dee Henry Williams collaborate to create an exhibition with images and forms that are visually and/or physically addictive; testing the relevance of examination not only by sight and touch, but also through the perceived state of mind, to evoke a feeling, a particular sympathy, impression
Classifieds / Events
PHONE: 612.588.1313
Events
International and the co-host of the “Morning Show.” The program features the Stepping Stone Theatre and the “Living the Dream” award presentation. Refreshments follow the program. King Park 4055 Nicollet Ave. S. Mpls. The event is free, and no registration is required. For more information, go to www.minneapolisparks.org or call 612-370-4908 between noon and 9 p.m.
Martin Luther King Day Celebration - Jan 17 — Park and Recreation Board annual celebration from 6 to 7 p.m. Mon., Jan. 17 The event will be hosted by Danni Starr, 2007 Ms. Minnesota
Annual MLK Day Celebration - Jan 17 — Each year, in conjunction with Saint Paul Central High School and the Council on Black Minnesotans, Concordia University hosts a celebration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr.
Send Community Calendar information to us by: email, andrew@insightnews.com, by fax: 612588-2031, by phone: (612) 588-1313 or by mail: 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis, MN 55411, Attn: Andrew Notsch. Free or low cost events preferred.
Hallie Q. Brown Community Center Substitute Teacher DEPT: Early Learning Center SUPERVISED BY: Youth Program Manager TITLES SUPERVISED: N/A FLSA: Non-Exempt SALARY GRADE: $10-13/hour POSITION SUMMARY: This is a substitute position designed to fill in as needed on a short or long term basis for permanent teaching staff. Substitute Teacher participates in long and short range activities for students in accordance with curriculum objectives and engages students in developmentally appropriate activities. Assists with ensuring that the classroom is appropriately staffed and maintained to provide a safe and secure environment for each child. POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. Works with teaching staff to implement program curriculum and coordinate students activities. 2. Plans and supervises the arrangement of the classroom environment in accordance to program goals and philosophy. 3. Maintains a safe and healthy environment, including safely managing developmental activities for the participants. 4. Keeps all appropriate records such as records, attendance, time sheets and accident reports. 5. Maintains open communication with parents/guardians of the program participants regarding the developmental needs of the participants. QUALIFICATIONS: Education: Associates degree or equivalent in early childhood development. B.S. in Early childhood Development preferred. Licensing and Certifications: CPR and Meet all applicable licensing regulations. Valid Driver’s License and proof of insurance. Minnesota Teachers’ License (preferred). Work Experience: 5 years of Child Care Center or related experience required. Other Requirements: • Dealing with confidential information. • Tight deadlines. • Dealing with unfavorable weather conditions. • Excellent verbal and written communication skills. • Ability to work effectively with employees, colleagues and manager. • Agree to mandated child abuse reporting guidelines. • Ability to relate to children from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. To apply, send a cover letter, resume, salary requirements and references to: Hallie Q. Brown Community Center ATTN: Human Resources 270 N. Kent Street Saint Paul, MN 55102 651-224-7074-Fax hr@hallieqbrown.org
FAX: 612.588.2031
EMAIL: andrew@insightnews.com
Martin Luther King, Jr. On Monday, Jan. 17, the public is invited to join the celebration, which begins with a rally at Central High School. Participants will march with colorful signs and banners down Marshall Avenue to the main program in Concordia’s Gangelhoff Center. Rally- 9:30-10:30 a.m. Saint Paul Central High School Auditorium (275 N. Lexington Ave.). Concordia College Gangelhoff Center is located at 235 Hamline Ave. St. Paul. For complete information about this event, please contact Yvonne Wells-Ellis at ywellsellis01@hamline. edu or 651-589-2964.
Program Specialist - Educational Equity Alliance for ISD622 and ISD 832 Primary liaison for programming within the EEA. Requires exp. with new program development, implementation and evaluation. Position will develop relationships with staff, students and parents to assist with programming. $38-$49,000, outstanding benefits. For details and on-line application, www.isd622.org. Click on Human Resources and Employment Opportunities.
CHIEF OF SECURITY & SAFETY
Oversee day to day operations, development & administration of Security & Safety programs. Hire & train staff. Serve as liaison with local fire & police representatives. Bethel University is an institution of higher education committed to integrate the evangelical Christian faith into every area of life. For more information visit our website at www.bethel.edu/human-resources/employment-staff.html
answer the questions: What images scream to be touched? Can a visual item compel someone to seek to touch it against their will or better judgment? The goal is to evoke sensations to the challenge “Ya Feel Me?” An organization of ideas . . . Obsidian Arts works to support artists, curators, and art historians in the examination of black visual culture. Founded in 2003 Obsidian Arts operates a gallery, Black art history library, and artists’ development network (TAWU). Learn more about Obsidian Arts at www.obsidianartscenter.org. The gallery is open: Mon–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.; Sat-Sun, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. No admission fee. Gallery Phone: 612-824-0708. For additional information on this exhibition, please contact curators Christopher-Aaron Deanes and Shirley Robertson at obsidianarts@gmail.com.
Avenues for Homeless Youth - Jan 18 & 20 — On any given night in Minnesota, there are approximately 200 GLBT youth who are homeless. As volunteers of the program, adults open their homes and their hearts to young people who need and are looking for a healthy and nurturing connection. If you are interested in hearing more about this community building program, please come to one of the following informational meetings: Tue., Jan. 18, 6-8pm @ Common Roots Cafe 2558 Lyndale Ave. S. Mpls or Thur., Jan. 20, 6-8pm @ Midtown YWCA 2121 E. Lake St. Mpls. Celebrating an American Hero - Jan 20 — Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert With NHCC Chamber Singers, Voices of Inspiration Choir, and renowned gospel group Excelsior. Thur. Jan. 20. NHCC’s Fine Arts Center Theater 7411 85th Ave. N. Brooklyn Park. FREE Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song™ Jan 20 — Sanford Middle School will host a community celebration honoring four Sanford community elders at the Sanford Middle School auditorium on Thur., Jan. 20, 5–6pm. The Elder Wisdom, Children’s Song™ community celebration will be hosted by America’s Troubadour, Larry Long, and is free and open to the public. Sanford Middle School 3524 42nd Ave. S. Mpls Minnesota Book Awards Announces 2011 Book Artist Award Winner - Jan 21-Mar 6 — An exhibit celebrating Regula Russelle’s work runs Jan. 21-Mar. 6 in the second floor literary commons of the Open Book building, 1011 Washington Ave. S. Mpls. Tapestry of Dreams - Jan 23 — On Sun., Jan. 23, 4-6pm, the University of Minnesota will host “Tapestry of Dreams,” the 30th anniversary production of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Concert at the University’s Ted Mann Concert Hall (2128 4th Street South, Minneapolis, MN 55455, U of M West Bank campus). This year’s program “Tapestry of Dreams” will honor Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dr. Reginald Buckner, founder of the MLK, Jr. Concert. The event will feature The Steeles, a family soul and gospel group based in the Twin Cities. Second Chance Day on the Hill 2011 - Jan 26 — We believe in people’s ability to change. We believe in accountability and that our communities are safer when people get a second chance. We believe that a good job and the right to vote are critical pieces of a full and productive life. Join hundreds of community members as we share this message at the Second Chance Day on the Hill at the Minnesota State Capitol on Wed., Jan. 26 at 10am. A criminal record doesn’t have to be a life sentence. Let’s offer individuals a second chance.
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Moyo From 8 responsible for the America that now questions power. The raising of the level of American consciousness of collective self is one of Dr. King’s major contributions to our social self. It was the “committed life” of Martin Luther King that inspired the wave of activism that creates and inspires the imagining process that British economist Barbara Ward claims is so essential to a viable social movement. Ward states, “People do not get what they do not want, and they do not work for what they cannot imagine.” For many, a tactic, not a way of life Dr. King’s lofty ideals activated the imagination of masses of whites along with Blacks. He was a philosophical idealist who believed that the idea should prevail. As a consequence of this belief, those who supported him in earlier campaigns against blind terror, gradually abandoned him. To many followers of Dr. King, the philosophy of nonviolence was accepted as a tactic, but not as a way of life. This was particularly true of the young men and women in the Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee, or “SNICK” to use the acronym. Dr. King’s belief that “unearned suffering was redemptive” was beyond the capacity, not to mention the will, of those who had been inbred with the steady diet of the John Wayne-like ideology of tit-for-tat. In short order, thereafter, Martin Luther King’s moral mettle was tested on a different level. As the man who said that the very government under whose laws he lived was “the greatest purveyor of violence on this earth” he reached for new and unexpected heights of moral commitment to non-violence. This stand against the Vietnam war was courageous all the more because he made the assertion after J. Edger Hoover, the late high priest of snooping, declared Dr. King “the most
King From 9 instead of a rare occurrence. Dr. King said, “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what
Insight News • January 17 - January 23, 2011 • Page 11 notorious liar in America.” With this radically new point of departure — transcending “mere” Civil Rights in favor of the larger meaning of human rights — Dr. King’s isolation from the mainstream of liberal social thought in America was soon apparent. The philanthropist’s financial aid subsided. Many Black civil rights leaders questioned his logic. The Federal Government became less vocal on the question of democratic rights. Federal support never moral, always political It is important to note that the
occupant of the White House ever did for truth. Dr. King’s social gospel, incidentally, is the greatest legacy that his work has left to Black American consciousness. To white America he has left the challenge of helping fulfill the dream, of rekindling the irreversible spirit of history and the movement of ideas toward the unfinished work of the American revolutionary ideal. Dr. King is now gone, hopefully returned to Eden. His life is well worth the honor of many memorials, if not a holiday. Dr. King’s life was instructive to both friends and enemies. As
“The commitment of Dr. King and those who valued his ideas are primarily responsible for the America that now questions power” tragic as that day in Memphis was, his untimely death was almost poetic. Zeitgiest! His favorite expression to describe the spirit of awareness, the movement of ideas, was near its end. Sensing that death was near, he faced the prospect with the courage of his convictions that was near poetic in quality. Martin Luther King’s last public utterance revealed that he had, “... been to the mountain top and I have seen the promised land ... I may not get there with you but we, as a people, will get to the promised land.” He came upon an age beset by grief, by rage — His love so deep, so wide, He could not turn aside. His passion so profound, He would not turn around. He taught this suffering earth The Measure of Man’s worth He showed what a man can be Before death sets him free. -Raymond Patterson St. Paul, Minnesota — 1983
previous support of Dr. King’s efforts by federal authority was never moral and always political. The political motivation of Federal acts in support of the movement was not always apparent — even to followers — since those acts were buried in moral platitudes. The deep moral fiber of the movement itself, on the other hand, never became political enough to radically change the structure of our institutions. In the waning years, the poor people’s campaign was inspired by the social gospel of Dr. King’s belief that the salvation of community over the individual is the ultimate quest in the fight for social justice. What could be further from the thrust of laissez faire America? We had to look to our African roots, to socialist or Third World countries for any parallel. When no other influential leader in the country was saying that individual salvation would take care of itself if we save the community, the Cuban heretic Fidel Castro has also correctly defined Cuba as an Afro-Latino nation. That is more than any
NOTE Moyo is a word borrowed from Kiswahili, a language that is
you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.” So, in the end, until the most challenged are restored, neither you nor I can fully manifest our own destinies; for fear, doubt or uneasiness will hamper and in some cases disrupt our steps, for hurt people too often hurt people. We at the Minneapolis Urban
League are fully dedicated to reaching out to the Abandoned, and all groups in this community. We know that success is inside all of us and that through committed service - fully focused on this organization’s 80+ years of service, restoration for the challenged is not beyond our reach.
widely spoken and written in east, and east-central Africa. The meaning of Moyo in English translation refers to conscience, i.e. a knowledge or sense of right and wrong, with a compulsion to do right. It is a personality trait of one who expresses moral judgment that
keeps one from violating one’s own ethical principles. Hence, a member of society who embodies the spirit of Moyo is held in highest esteem, as a teacher or moral leader. In the traditional values of African people, the one who possessed Moyo was held in greater
esteem than kings, political leaders, military heroes, officials of government, poets, or popular cultural heroes such as great athletes or entertainers. Moyo. Such was the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. Originally published in 1983
Page 12 • January 17 - January 23, 2011 • Insight News
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Learning more about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tell you that you can’t have a drink, Because the color your skin; made you less than human Dr. Martin Luther King was right, when he told the people one night… We will get to the Promise Land and don’t be held back We will refuse to ride and we will march in the rain We will sit and shall not be moved Dr. King was not afraid as he spoke to the people I may not get to the Promise Land with you, But we as a people… Will get to the Promised Land You spoke for me Dr. King; even
Jordan Miller
Tavoris Thompson and Makalia Miller Every year students who participate in WE WIN Institute’s Rites of Passage program honor the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sixty children in north and south Minneapolis learn about where and when he was born, his family, and the March on Washington, but they also learn about his risking everything by coming out against the war in Vietnam and made comparative analysis to the war
in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also learn about how former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover terrorized Dr. King by bugging all his hotel rooms and sharing what he thought would turn politicians and the media against this great minister. Hoover even tried to get Dr. King to kill himself. Students also develop timelines of Dr. King’s life and mark significant events in his life.
Event
and dance performances and a multi-media historical exhibit. Governor Mark Dayton and US Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franklin have been invited to speak about the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., event organizer said in a press release. The program at Concordia University follows the traditional mass community march from Central High School, 275 N.
From 1 introduced in the Minnesota Legislature 25 years ago by State Rep. Randolph Staten. The measure was signed into law in January 1986. This year’s celebration also includes spoken word, music
This year, student’s kindergarten through second grade created a King coloring book which included pictures they drew of themselves and Dr. King. Young people have learned that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great leader who did great things including his work on the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and his hard work to make life better for poor people. In Memory of MLK By Jordan Miller, 6th Grade
Photos courtesy WE Win Institute
college at 15. He was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s. Among the great things that happened to him, Martin Luther King, Jr. was the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This is most inspiring to me. He spoke out against the war in Vietnam and if he were alive today he would speak out against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let’s use Martin Luther King Day as a day to remember his great contributions to African Americans and the world.
In memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, at WE WIN Institute, we learned about his great works. He was born in Georgia in 1929 and he was the son of a preacher. Many people don’t know that he was born with the name of Michael and later his father changed his name to Martin. King was so smart that he went to
Sometimes I wonder how it would feel to walk into a store, Only to be told you should use the back door. Or how it feels for someone to
Lexington Avenue, St. Paul. The march begins at 10:35am following a rally at Central High School Auditorium, that begins at 9:30am. For more information, please contact Yvonne WellsEllis, Coordinator of the MLK Celebration, ywellsellis01@ gw.hamline.edu or Lester Collins, Chairman of the Celebration at lester.collins@
state.mn.us or at (612) 8129882. The Council on Black Minnesotans was created by the Minnesota Legislature in July 1980 (Minnesota Statutes Section 3. 9225). The Council’s primary purpose is to advise the Governor and Legislature on the nature and intensity of issues confronting the State’s Black population.
He Spoke for Me By Makalia Miller, 5th Grade Tavoris Thompson, 3rd Grade
though I didn’t know you That day in Memphis, Tennessee… You died and all the people cried Even though you stood for nonviolence and peace America would not cease it violence and mayhem Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to the people about his dream He thought that one day there would be justice for all We shall live in peace, the way God meant it to be Today we celebrate his great legacy To show the people how it should be Thank You Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For speaking for me