Insight News ::: 1.16.12

Our Health

Health Exchange Advisory Task Force

Suluki Fardan

Public Meeting is Tuesday, January 17, 1– 5pm at Shiloh Temple, 1201 W Broadway, Minneapolis Minnesota Commissioner of Commerce Michael Rothman (left) chairs the Insurance Exchange Advisory Task Force, Stairstep CEO Alfred Babington Johnson is Task Force member.

HEALTH TURN TO 7

INSIGHT NEWS January 16 - January 2 22, 2, 2012 • MN Metro Vol. 38 No. 3 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com

Honoring

the dreamer Gateway to excellence

By Scott Gray MUL President/CEO Today our nation pauses to reflect on a dreamer, the prolific Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As many news outlets will only focus on the highlights of King’s dream, I think it is important to expand the scope of his dream and remember his commitment to economic justice.

At the time of his death,

Nobel Prize Committee

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

KING TURN TO 13

Suluki Fardan

The Promise Councilmember Melvin Carter III, Ward 1, St. Paul

By Al McFarlane Editor-in-Chief

Excerpts from the Conversations with Al McFarlane broadcast interview on KFAI FM 90.3, Tuesday, December 6, 2011. The interview included Hennepin County Attorney, Michael Freeman and manager of the county’s Be at School program, Tamiko Thomas, St. Paul City Council Member Melvin Carter III and Sondra Samuels. Sondra Samuels is Chief Executive Officer of Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ), a project recently awarded a multi-year federal grant for $28 million to create better education outcomes for children in a 18 by 13 block area of North Minneapolis. Excerpts from Samuels appeared two weeks ago. The Freeman/Thomas

portion of the interview ran last week. This installment featuring remarks by Melvin Carter, completes the series.

Al McFarlane: Melvin Carter, you have a passion for education. You are a member of the City Council of the City of Saint Paul. Who is responsible for eliminating the achievement gap in education?

Melvin Carter: Thank you for having us all on the radio here today, Al. This is a phenomenal show and phenomenal opportunity to raise all of this work to more people’s attention.

What we are trying to do in Saint Paul is identify a problem, take a unique approach to solving it, and really, say we are all responsible.

I think that we have realized in recent years that we are all responsible for raising our children. Many of us are passionate about

affordable housing. Well, if we want our young people to be able to afford to live in dignified homes, we need to make sure they are educated. Many are passionate about closing the employment gap. Well, if we want our young people to be able to compete and hold wellpaying jobs they can feed a family with, we better make sure they are educated. Many are passionate about a safe livable clean community.

If we want our young people to feel accountable for what they do today, we have to make sure that they are hopeful about their tomorrow… which means we have to educate them.

AM: It sounds like you are saying we have missed the mark or dropped the ball and

Mitt Romney

Romney’s foreign policy merits tough questions

By Senator John Kerry The Commander in Chief only gets one chance to make the right call on national security, and the consequences are enormous. New Hampshire, too, gets only one chance every four years to ask the tough questions of every candidate who seeks to wield the aweinspiring power of commander in chief.

CARTER TURN TO 12

Obama, Simpson-Miller connect Last week, President Obama called Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller of Jamaica to congratulate her on her recent electoral victory and to commend the Jamaican people for their dedication to democracy. The Leaders discussed their shared responsibility for enhancing citizen security and underscored the importance of economic growth in advancing the well being of all Jamaicans. President Obama also underscored the strong bonds of friendship between the American and Jamaican people, which includes the contributions of so many Jamaican-Americans. The President said that he looked forward to working with the Prime Minister on bilateral and regional issues at the Summit of the Americas, which will occur in April 2012 in Cartagena, Colombia.

Gage Skidmore

We face a vastly more complicated and ever-changing world than at any time in our lifetimes. A President’s decisions have long-ranging consequences that are difficult to unwind and are all-important for our security.

Our nation is safer and stronger today because President Obama kept his word

ROMNEY TURN TO 9

Cecilia Munoz appointed Domestic Policy Advisor

Cecilia Munoz

President Barack Obama

Education

Gevonee Ford: Champion of change

PAGE 2

NNPA

WASHINGTON, DC -- Cecilia Munoz, the current director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House, will become President Obama’s Domestic Policy advisor, the White

Wikimedia Commons

Jamaican Prime Minister Portia-Simpson-Miller

Full Circle

“Clippers for Keith” benefit

PAGE 4

Pete Souza

Health

A healthy new year’s resolution: Clean out your medicine cabinet

PAGE 7

House announced on January 10, 2012. Munoz, the first Latina to fill the top position, will direct the Domestic Policy Council, which coordinates the administration’s policymaking process on issues that are critical to workers, families and communities of color.

SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry and International SecretaryTreasurer Eliseo Medina praised Munoz’s appointment.

“The president has made the perfect selection in Cecilia Munoz, a dedicated and

MUNOZ TURN TO 9

Nobody asked me

College sports: A billion dollar industry

PAGE 10

Page 2 • January 16 - January 22, 2012 • Insight News

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EDUCATION Gevonee Ford: Champion of change Gevonee Ford, January 12 in Washington, DC was recognized as a Champion of Change.

In the early 1990’s, Ford directed an initiative called the Cultural Beginnings Project, which looked at the early childhood development of Black children. It was a collaborative partnership between parents, childcare workers, youth, government agency representatives, and community elders. Through this inquiry we began to understand the importance of African culture and identity development in our children as they were being prepared to venture out into the world.

Out of our work in Cultural

Gevonee Ford

(NdCAD)

Beginnings there began to emerge a community vision of the cultural education our children would need to not only be successful, but also to be community minded as they grew. Gevonee emerged as a guardian of this

vision; someone who would consistently remind our community of what we wanted for our children.

Ford also led the development of the Network for the Development of Children of African Descent (NdCAD) as its founder and serves as its executive director. NdCAD has been in existence since 1997 and has been a way to institutionalize our community vision. The organization’s mission is to strengthen important connections within communities of African descent that help prepare our children for success in school and life. NdCAD uses a culturally based approach and provides evidence-based

literacy programs and services for families. The organization works with parents, helping them build strong literacy foundations in the home and provides after school tutoring programs for kindergarten to 8th grade students. The organization also involves a broad range of community partners and educators to promote the importance of reading and cultural development and provides free children’s books to families throughout the Twin Cities Metropolitan area. Each year, NdCAD works with hundreds of children and their families and independent evaluations of the organization’s programs demonstrate improved reading

Village sustainability project focus on global issues of rainwater harvesting and education In 2012, Lift Kids, a Minnesota-based nonprofit serving children and supporting leaders around the world, is launching a village sustainability project in Ethiopia. Starting in the Borena region of Southern Ethiopia, Lift Kids leader Abdul Dire and Rainwater Harvesting expert, a Lift Kids volunteer, Ram Krishnan will travel to the village of Koba Adi to implement Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) techniques that can capture and utilize the minimal amounts of rainwater the region receives each year.

According to Krishnan, “all communities, anywhere in the world, need to focus on RWH as a means to sustainability, which can be done very simply with low cost methods.”

The first part of the Lift Kids Borena project includes two of the primary components of all Lift Kids

villages, education and infrastructure (water). All Lift Kids projects are holistic in nature, and include health care, small businesses for economic sustainability, and hospitality (local guest houses for volunteers).

The focus of the project is to build classrooms and train community members on the use of RWH techniques. Dire states, “People can change their lives. Working with Lift Kids, we want to build sustainability that enhances the way they learn and help one another, as a long term solution to drought and famine.”

Visit www.liftkids.org for more information, to volunteer and or to donate.

Phone: 651.298.9200.

Google: ram krishnan water for more detailed information on RWH

Abdul Dire

Lift Kids

proficiency and learning confidence amongst students and increased reading levels and academic performance in school as well as increased parental and community involvement in the education and schooling process of children. Overall, NdCAD’s work is about building and strengthening community connections that help our children understand and build upon the legacy of their cultural heritage and equip them with academic tools for success.

The impact of Ford’s work through NdCAD has been felt throughout the Twin Cities with so many families coming to realize they have the capacity to improve their

lives and the lives of others.

NdCAD is also growing and is planning to release the first ever comprehensive resource for Black children’s literature with guided reading levels. The Imhotep Science Academy, which is a culturally driven youth science initiative, has recently become part of NdCAD, and there are plans to launch a youth participatory action research program for high school students this fall.

Ford has always been able to find and develop the expertise and resources within our community so that we are able to thrive and help each other as

CHANGE TURN TO 9

Closing the gap: Success stories Want to strengthen our public schools but don’t know how to get involved? AchieveMpls, the nonprofit partner of the Minneapolis Public Schools, is holding its second monthly public education engagement series called Our City, Our Schools, designed to help the local community learn about hot topics in public education and ways to get engaged as volunteers, community partners, and advocates. Open to the public, the monthly series will be held in a variety of Minneapolis locations and delve into issues such as the achievement gap, education reform, education policy, and other current topics.

“It takes an entire community to make sure that all of our students achieve academically and are ready for college and careers after graduation,” said Marika Pfefferkorn, Director of Community Engagement at

AchieveMpls. “Many community members want to get involved in our public schools but just don’t know how to connect their skills and talents with students’ needs. This new series will provide participants with critical information on specific education topics and ways they can engage in our schools.”

Our City, Our Schools’ topic for January is “Closing the Gap: Success Stories,” led by staff from AchieveMpls and guests from local schools that are beating the odds. The event will be held on Thursday, January 26 from 7:309 am at the Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave South in Minneapolis. Come with your questions, your ideas, and your friends. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Shoshana Daniels at 612/455-1535 or sdaniels@achievempls.org to reserve your spot today.

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Insight News • January 16 - January 22, 2012 • Page 3

Study finds new rail line leaves communities vulnerable A new report released recently

by PolicyLink, ISAIAH and TakeAction Minnesota takes a deep look at the benefits and challenges that low-income communities and communities of color face when light rail comes to their communities and ties these benefits and challenges to people’s health.

The report, “Healthy Corridor for All Health Impact Assessment: A Community Health Impact Assessment of Transit-Oriented Development Policy in Saint Paul, Minnesota,” reveals stark obstacles such as high unemployment, large housingcost burdens, and a speculative market faced by residents in the Central Corridor of St. Paul.

A new $1 billion light rail line is being constructed through several neighborhoods to connect the downtown of Minneapolis with the downtown of St. Paul.

The study shows that new transitoriented land use policies may not bring in industries that could employ the many residents with lower educational attainment, while potentially gentrifying neighborhoods and possibly leading to displacement. The report also discusses how such issues influence the health outcomes of the community.

During the next 20 years, the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (CCLRT) line is estimated to spur as much as $6.78 billion in public and private investment

INSIGHT NEWS www.insightnews.com

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 Culture and Education Editor Irma McClaurin Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Ben Williams Production Andrew Notsch Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Facilities Support / Assistant Producer, Conversations with Al McFarlane Bobby Rankin Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Staff Writer Ivan B. Phifer Contributing Writers Maya Beecham Harry Colbert, Jr. Brenda Colston Julie Desmond Fred Easter S. Himie Oshana Himot Timothy Houston Marcia Humphrey Alaina L. Lewis 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.

in local development.

“We are not opposed to light rail coming through,” said Eve Swan of the Save Our Homes Coalition. ”We welcome the light rail. We just want to make sure that we have benefits to this light rail as well.”

In St. Paul, the transit line passes through some of the region’s most diverse and lowest-income communities, including the nation’s second largest Hmong population, a

large Somali refugee population, and Rondo, a historic African American community that was devastated after Interstate-94 was built straight through the neighborhood in the 1950s. The interstate split the community in two, demolished homes and businesses, and destroyed the community’s growth and economic prospects.

While many residents are looking forward to benefiting from the new transit line

and the increased public and private investment, they are also concerned that they may ultimately be involuntarily displaced due to increased housing and business costs, and that large-scale community changes may lead to cultural and social disruption.

The Healthy Corridor for All Health Impact Assessment has been a community action research project – carefully studying the concerns of current low-

income residents and residents of color. A Community Steering Committee guided the project and identified the focus areas of the analysis: healthy economy, affordable housing, and access to transportation. The committee commented on draft analyses and prioritized recommendations.

To share the findings of the research the Community Steering Committee met with planning commissioners and city council members, testified

at city hearings, held two town hall meetings, and a prayer vigil outside of City Hall.

“Creating equitable transitoriented development is critical AND possible in the Central Corridor. But it takes creative thinking and working closely with the community,” said Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder and CEO of PolicyLink. “This report provides policy recommendations

RAIL TURN TO 5

Page 4 • January 16 - January 22, 2012 • Insight News

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FULL CIRCLE

“Clippers for Keith” benefit On Dec 18, 2011, just a few days before Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year, Keith Barnes was traveling on I-94 when he witnessed a rollover accident of college student Alicia Kaufenberg. Keith, taking no thought of his own life, sprung into action. He, along with a second Good Samaritan, Andary, went to render their assistance to the rollover accident victim. A drunk driver, Eugene Farrell in a minivan, crashed into Keith, the second Good Samaritan Andary, and the rollover vehicle.

The result of this drunken driving accident was a total tragedy. The second Good Samaritan was killed; Keith remains in Surgical ICU in critical condition and Alicia sustained injuries too!

Keith is the cornerstone of his family. He is a son, brother, uncle and a father of six! He was a Master Barber @ The Grooming House in St. Paul. He is known to many as a friendly, compassionate and a giving man, evidenced by his actions in this recent accident on I-94.

However his life as he knew it is forever changed. He has a long road to recovery.

His medical needs are endless, as he continues to undergo many medical procedures and surgeries. He and his children will need our support from this point on. His family living expenses of rent, food, electricity, heat don’t stop just because he is hospitalized in a surgical I.C.U. As many already know, Master Barbers

Photos courtesy of the family

Keith Barnes

are self employed and have no insurance and often are the family’s sole provider. For that reason Damien Johnson of The Grooming House Barbershop established a trust fund @ TCF for Keith immediately after learning of the devastating news of a drunk driver crashing into him. A second trust fund has also been established by Keith’s legal representative Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben P.A. The host / sponsors of this benefit are as followed: Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, The Grooming House Barbershop, Wellspring Second Chance Center; Fisher’s of Men Program, Bobby Brown Beyond the Courts Violence Prevention Initiative, Salvation Army, Shiloh Temple International

Daughters Ondria and Jessalin Ministries, Reverend Devin Miller, Word of Faith Christian Church and Twin Cities Anti-Violence Coalition and Evangelist Crusaders Church, Inc. “Clippers for Keith” Benefit involves two events. First, barbershops across the Twin Cities will give haircuts on a Monday, “on their day off.” All of the proceeds on Monday, January 23, 2012 from 10:00 am-4:30 pm will be donated to “Clippers for Keith” Benefit.

The barbershops will have a collection jar available for additional donations to be collected in as well. Some of the barbershops participating are: The Grooming House, Sharp Cuts Barbershop, One

21 Barbershop, That’s a Good Look Barbershop, Changez Barbershop, Headliners Barbershop, Mr. Afros Barbershop and The Clique Barber and Beauty Salon.

Secondly, there will be a “Clippers for Keith” Benefit Program at Shiloh Temple International Ministries that following Saturday, January 28, 2012. The benefit will include dinners for sale, and having an insurance representative available to assist other barbers in attendance with their medical / life insurance needs for the first hour from 3:00-4:00 pm. The short program to follow will include Keith’s children and his mother to speak. Also on program to present is Mothers

Kneeling in front: Jaqua. Back from left to right: Purnell, Jaquan, Jessalin, and Sharaya Against Drunk Driving, The Grooming House, two musical selections and Spoken Word.

Several dignitaries have also been invited to attend. Our goal is to raise $100,000.00 during the week of “Clippers for Keith.”

What happen on Dec 22, 2011 involving drunk driver Eugene Farrell was criminal, reckless, preventable and simply irresponsible. There are no winners in a drunken driving accident. Farrell has to live with his decision to drink and drive for the rest of his life.

Let’s remember we can help prevent future incidents such as this, by the following gestures of offering a ride to one who is preparing to get behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking,

calling them a taxi, or simply take the keys away from them.

Am I my brother’s keeper? Yes, I am! I think this tragedy has also taught us a thing or two about the power of Love, Friendship, Faith and facing adversity head on. Secondly, it is only by the grace of God goes you or I! Let’s continue to hold Keith, his mother, children, and Alicia too up in prayer. Come out and show your support of “Clippers for Keith” on Monday, January 23, 2012 and Saturday, January 28, 2012. For further details, feel free to contact Deseria Galloway @ 612-296-2895 or email @ deseria.galloway@yahoo.com, Ava Brown @ 612-4325094 or Damien Johnson 952-451-5848.

Page 5 • January 16 - January 22, 2012 • Insight News

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Is he husband material?

Man Talk

By Timothy Houston In my travels, I often encounter women who say they are looking for men who are good husband material. After those conversations, I often find my self asking the question, “What is good husband material?” During my 13 years in the Marines we were looking for men with the metal to become Marines. This “metal” is not the right substance.

Although metal may make for good Marines, the material that goes into making a good husband must be more pliable. It must be able to transcend beyond the

physical appearance of a man and be strong enough to build upon, and flexible enough to bend with the right pressure. Good husband material must be character based.

Here is my list of the 5 essential items that make up “good husband” material.

He must be responsible. This is the first step to determining if he is good husband material. Five of the most important words a woman can say to a man are “Do you have a job?” This will help her determine whether or not he is experienced in shouldering responsibility. When a man does not work, there is no consistent measure. If he is not responsible for himself, how will he be responsible for others? A man’s ability to take care of himself is a vital part of who he is. He will never take any relationship seriously until he takes himself seriously. Responsible is a key ingredient in husband material.

Chong Vang

Rail From 3 to support equitable development.

Low-income people and communities of color cannot be left behind as new opportunities enter their communities.”

“The Twin Cities has a choice to make. There is an opportunity before us to reimagine Minnesota’s growing diversity as a tremendous asset,” said Doran Schrantz, Executive Director of ISAIAH. “The key is to prepare for a prosperous economic future by investing deeply in equity. Together, we can make the Central Corridor a shining example of equitable transit-oriented development.”

Some of the report’s findings: The majority of neighborhoods in the corridor are considered at risk for gentrification right now.

In addition, 59 percent of corridor residents spend an unaffordable percentage of income on housing (over 30 percent). As

ISAIAH

redevelopment occurs in the corridor, rents are likely to rise, which can tax already tight budgets putting residents at risk for involuntary displacement.

Property values within a quarter-mile of the planned transit stations on the corridor have risen 8 percent, while values in the rest of the city have dropped 8 percent (a 16 percent difference). Higher property value means higher rents, putting people at right for displacement.

New jobs will be created in the Central Corridor. Yet, the majority of these jobs will likely require higher education.

Existing residents have lower educational attainment than the rest of the city and county – meaning they will be less competitive for these new jobs without job training programs.

Currently, 83 percent of all businesses along the corridor are small businesses, and 12 percent are minority-owned.

More than one-third of these small businesses and nearly one-quarter of minority-

He must be accountable.

Accountability is the second ingredient in husband material, and it begins with a man keeping his word. The way a man takes responsibility for his actions, pays his bills, gets to work on time, or attends church service all give insight to how accountable he will be towards his relationship. If a man is going to be a successful husband in this world today, he must be willing and able to be accountable for his words and actions.

He must have a positive attitude about marriage. Man’s attitude towards marriage is the third ingredient in becoming husband material. If he views marriage as a “ball and chain,” he will also view his wife as a liability. This failure to see the value of a wife will untimely limit his creativity and vision.

On the contrary, the man that sees marriage as an asset will use

owned businesses are on parcels of land that have a “high or medium potential” for redevelopment, which can put them at risk for displacement.

The community-engaged research highlighted the importance of, 1) careful planning to ensure low-income people and people of color are not displaced, 2) thorough analyses of community concerns before decisionmaking, and 3) consideration of health impacts in transitoriented development in the Central Corridor.

Community leaders and residents said smart affordable housing strategies -- such as density bonus programs and targeted, market-sensitive inclusionary zoning policies -are critical to ensuring they can benefit from the new transit line. The St. Paul City Council is looking closely at these two proposals.

The study also identified that the rezoning proposal did not go far enough and was not creative enough to maximize a vision of a healthy, equitable Central Corridor. The zoning focused on enabling transitoriented development (TOD) whereas in the Central Corridor it is particularly important to lay a foundation for equitable transit-oriented development in order to support existing communities.

“We can do this together,” said Chong Vang, a small business owner on University Ave. “We can build it better for our children.”

The health impact assessment on the zoning decisions around the light rail was funded by the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, as well as the Blue Cross Blue Shield Center for Prevention. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Health Impact Project, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, or Blue Cross Blue Shield Center for Prevention.

words and actions that show he values the relationship. This will allow him to find that which is good and obtain favor from God. “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD” (Proverbs 18:22).

He must want to be married.

One of the main ingredients in becoming husband material is the desire to be married. It would be a mistake to believe that just because a man has a positive attitude about marriage that he wants to get married.

The desire to be married is not automatic. Relationships evolve from friendship, to dating, to an engagement, to marriage. Each man varies in the time it takes to

matriculate through the stages. If a man really and truly wants to be married, he will be the one to ask.

He must be willing to share his life. This is the most important ingredient in husband material.

No one can become a part of a man’s life without him sharing it. His heart, emotions, time, and space must be willingly shared.

He must be willing to make room in his life. The willingness to share his life is the point where “I” becomes “we” and “his” becomes “ours.”

Although these are not the only ingredients in husband material, I do believe they are some of the most important.

From that moment that these

ingredients come together, dreams, goals, and ambitions will become one and will reflect what is good for the family unit. The individual man will cease to exist and a husband will be born. This will create a bond that will never be broken because this oneness will be forged together by the strongest of all material, love.

Timothy Houston is an author, minister, and motivational speaker who is committed to guiding positive life changes in families and communities.

For questions, comments or more information, go to www. tlhouston.com.

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Insight News • January 16 - January 22, 2012 • Page 6

AESTHETICS Joan Myers Brown & the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina Book Review

By Kam Williams kam@insightnews.com

“Blacks in the segregationist United States of America of the 30s and 40s fought back with inherent toughness. If the white world could not see the nobility of their culture, black artists crowned themselves: Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Lady Day, and more recently, Queen Latifah…

There is no finer demonstration

Hugh Kennedy

Ann Marsden

of the black voyage toward reinvention and assertion of aristocracy than in the encounter of black dancers with ballet. They mastered the form to show that they mattered, making it a bodily thing…

To be a black ballerina is not a simple rejection of one’s African and Afro-American heritage but

Courtesy of Kam Williams

Joan Myers Brown

Namir Smallwood

Pillsbury House Theatre

instead a challenge to those who would say ‘stay in your place; your bodies, and abilities are not capable of doing this.’ It is an embracing of our full heritage— black and white—just as white Americans can see fit to embrace black genres.”

-- Excerpted from the Foreword (pgs. xvii-xviii)

In 1960, Joan Myers Brown opened a dance school in Philly in order to afford aspiring, black ballerinas a chance for formal training at a time when their opportunities were severely limited due to de facto segregation.

A decade later, she founded The

BROWN TURN TO 13

Sara Richardson

Eric Melzer

Pillsbury House Theatre names cast for Buzzer by Tracey Scott Wilson Pillsbury House Theatre brings three of Minnesota’s hottest young actors to the stage in Buzzer, directed by Tracey Scott Wilson. Namir Smallwood plays Jackson, a young successful lawyer determined to show off his success in his old, hardscrabble neighborhood by purchasing a condo in the suddenly gentrifying neighborhood in the world premiere play Buzzer, directed

by Marion McClinton. His girlfriend will be played by Sara Richardson and his best friend, a recovering drug addict, will be played by Hugh Kennedy.

Richardson and Kennedy will be making their first appearances at Pillsbury House Theatre.

Smallwood is back at PHT after last appearing as Femor in Cori Thomas’ Pa’s Hat. He has also performed on numerous stages around the Twin Cities including the Children’s Theatre Company, Penumbra, Ten Thousand Things, Mixed Blood and the Guthrie. Smallwood has also been blessed with opportunities to work with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where he was last seen as serial killer, Paul Pare Jr. in Christina Anderson’s Man In Love directed by Robert O’hara. He is an alumnus of the UMN/ Guthrie BFA Actor Training Program.

Kennedy was most recently seen in the Twin Cities in the

title role in the Jungle Theater’s production of Hamlet. He is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA program where he trained for 4 years, and also studied at the Shakespeare’s Globe Theater in London. Since graduating in 2008, he has worked at the Guthrie Theater in Arsenic and Old Lace, Two Gentlemen of Verona, A View from the Bridge, The Government Inspector, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and three productions of A Christmas Carol. In 2010 he joined the Guthrie’s national tour of Romeo and Juliet co-produced by the Acting Company (NYC). After the

close of Hamlet’s critically acclaimed run, he traveled to the United Arab Emirates to join an international company of actors in Anthony Tassa’s new production of Macbeth Arabia. He played the role of Macduff. Kennedy is a 2004 Presidential Scholar of the Arts and performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Last Fall he was profiled as one of Minnesota Monthly’s ‘Artists We Love’.

Richardson is making her Pillsbury House Theatre debut. She has performed with numerous companies around the Twin Cities, most recent credits include Flesh and the Desert (Workhaus Collective),

Mercy Watson to the Rescue (Children’s Theatre Company, as Mercy), Joice Rejoice (Kevin Kling/Open Eye), and Cabaret (Frank Theatre, as Sally Bowles). Film work includes Rough Tender (Best MN Made Film, MSP International Fringe Festival 2011, and Best Film, Big Water Film Festival 2011) and short film Per Bianca (Official Cannes Selection 2011). Richardson trained at Ecole Jacques Lecoq, works actively in the local physical and ensemble-created theatre community, and teaches occasionally with Upstream Arts and St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists.

Performances are February

17th – March 18th, 2012, Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30 pm, Sunday at 3:00 pm.

All tickets for every performance are “Pay What You Can,” meaning every audience can pick their own price for every show (Regular price = $25.)

Audio-described performance

by Rick Jacobson on Sunday, March 4. ASL-interpreted performance TBA. Pillsbury House Theatre offers professionally-licensed, free child care on February 26 and March 2 (reservations required.)

Call 612-825-0459 or visit pillsburyhousetheatre.org for tickets and more information.

Page 7 • January 16 - January 22, 2012 • Insight News

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HEALTH A healthy New Year’s resolution: Clean out your medicine cabinet WASHINGTON, DC – As the New Year begins, and healthy resolutions are made, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) is encouraging Americans to clean out their medicine cabinets.

Pharmacists recommend patients clean out their medicine cabinets once a year to dispose of all the unused and expired medications that accumulated over the previous year. This once a year tradition will help keep everyone safe and healthy. Unused medications have the potential to be abused and misused and expired medications can lose their potency thus reducing or providing no value to the condition being treated.

“Over the course of a year, we can accumulate many medications to treat colds, headaches and infections, as well as more serious conditions,” stated Thomas Menighan, CEO and Executive Vice President, APhA. “These medications play an important role in helping patients obtain better health and wellness, but if we do not store and dispose of them properly, they can become a hazard. When they fall into the wrong hands, these medications have the potential to be abused, and if improperly disposed of, they can harm wildlife, pets and other people. Make sure to talk to your pharmacist about the best storage of medications in your household, the length

of time a medication should be kept and the efficacy of that medication past its expiration date.”

Prescription drug abuse is the Nation’s fastest-growing drug problem. While there has been a marked decrease in the use of some illegal drugs like cocaine, data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), show that nearly one-third of people aged 12 and over, who used drugs for the first time in 2009, began by using a prescription drugs non-medically. The National Institute on Drug Abuse tells us that every day in the US, an average of 2,000 teenagers use prescription medication for the first time without a physician’s

guidance. The same NSDUH survey found that over 70% of people who abused prescription pain relievers got them from friends or relatives.

Tips for Storing and Cleaning Out Your Medicine Cabinet or Other Medication Storage Areas: • Medications should be stored in a secured area – up, away and out of site of children and teenagers - that has low humidity, a stable temperature and adequate lighting.

• Check the date on everything in your medicine cabinet and dispose of anything that has passed the expiration date.

• Dispose of anything you have not used in the past

12 months or that you no longer need. Do not share medications with others.

• Dispose of medicines that are no longer in their original container, have changed color or odor, or that can no longer be identified.

• Do not flush unused or expired medications and do not pour them down a sink or drain. They should be disposed of properly in the household trash or through your community’s medication disposal program, when available.

Talk to your pharmacist or visit www.smarxtdisposal. net for tips on how to properly dispose of your medications.

About the American Pharmacists Association The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, is a 501 (c)(6) organization, representing more than 62,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States.

Resources for addressing child poverty This summer, census numbers confirmed a trend that many

suspected: that in the past ten years Minnesota saw a 62%

increase in child poverty, from 114,000 children (9%) to 192,000 (15.2%). That number roughly equals the combined populations of Bloomington and Rochester.

Children’s Defense Fund–Minnesota (CDF–MN) produced a resource, 10 Things

to Know about Child Poverty in Minnesota to help Minnesotans understand how child poverty affects a child’s brain development, how it affects all our futures and how smart investments today can mitigate these stark trends. It provides

a quick background piece on Minnesota child poverty, who is affected, how it’s measured, and why policy decisions matter.

“Research makes is clear that targeted investments and interventions can make a positive impact on a child living

in poverty and change his or her life for the better,” said CDF– MN regional director, Amy Crawford.

Go to: http://www.cdf-mn. org/sites/publications-2011/ child-poverty-facts-mn-2011. pdf

Health

for the meeting.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), signed into law by President Obama in March 2010, made broad changes in the way health insurance will be provided and paid for in the United States.

PPACA created a new mechanism for purchasing coverage called Exchanges, that will be set up in states to create a more organized and competitive market for health insurance by offering a choice of health plans, establishing common rules regarding the offering and pricing of insurance, and providing information to help consumers better understand the options available to them.

Governor Mark Dayton signed Executive Order 11-30 to create a Minnesota-Made Insurance Exchange. In February 2011, Minnesota received a $1 million planning grant from the federal government to fund the initial stages of planning a health insurance exchange. A $4.2 million grant was received in August 2011 to advance planning to the design and development stage. A Health Exchange Advisory Task Force and Technical Work groups, comprised to represent a balance of stakeholder interests, have been created to advise and provide technical assistance on the development of the

Exchange. A two-stage “proof of concept” Request for Proposal process is underway to develop an IT infrastructure by evaluating technical options and costs for the Exchange. Operational, technical and outreach steps are planned for 2012 to proceed in establishing the Exchange.

Development of the Exchange is under the oversight of the Minnesota Department of Commerce in coordination with the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Minnesota Department of Health, with assistance from the Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange Advisory Task Force.

From 7 A community based sub-group of the Insurance Exchange Task Force is coordinating a public meeting in which it will consider the issue of health disparities.

The Health Exchange Advisory Task Force Public Meeting is 1-5pmTuesday, January 17 at Shiloh Temple, 1201 W Broadway, Minneapolis.

The meeting gives our community a voice in helping policy makers shape the Exchange in ways that best serve our community. Organizers are encouraging a large public turnout

insightnews.com

Insight News • January 16 - January 22, 2012 • Page 8

BUSINESS Multi-devices = a multitasking success Dissecting Diversity

By Cheryl Pearson-McNeil Whew! Is it me? Or is 2012 flying by already? I am a January baby, and I celebrate my born day at the beginning of the month. As soon as my birthday is over, I sometimes feel like its July already, mainly because I am a busy lady and the days just get away from me so quickly.

You know the feeling, whether it’s your job, taking care of your family’s needs, making sure you even remember to take care of your needs…it’s tough.

On top of balancing all of that, you have to know what’s going on in the world. Remember when televisions and radios were the only sources? I do.

Have you ever wondered what in the world you did before having a cell phone, a laptop or tablet?

Today, our BFF gadgets allow us to multitask and Nielsen’s most recent State of the Media: Consumer Usage Report, shares a few interesting insights that may explain how you can cook dinner, go out for a run and find out if it was Blue Ivy or Ivy Blue Carter that Beyoncė and Jay-Z named their baby girl.

The television still reigns supreme and is the most popular device. What’s old is new – still.

Two hundred-ninety million people in the U.S. own at least one television, and 85.9 million households have upgraded cable services such as broadband TV. Even though you can watch all of your favorite videos on multiple devices now, 288 million viewers (ages 2+) use their televisions – with the internet and timeshifted television at 143 million and 111 million, respectively.

And because multitasking is an art, Americans (ages 2+), still

manage to find time to watch an average of 32 hours and 47 minutes of television weekly.

Blacks still over-index, watching television at least 49 hours and 84 minutes a week.

According to the report, multicultural consumers make

know that’s what a cell phone is for, right? I always have to apologize to my girlfriends when I accidentally hang-up on them during a call because my cheek presses “end” by mistake.

I’ve had my smartphone for a while, and don’t get me wrong

“If you are seeking ways to simplify your life this year, you should (if you have not already) invest in multiple devices and gadgets.” up the bulk of the smartphone market. Forty-eight percent of Blacks chose them as the preferred mobile device. Now, I have a confession. I love watching videos on my phone, the convenience of the apps, easy access to my emails, a quick Facebook status update, but I don’t like to talk on it. I

I love it, but the touchscreen is just not my friend sometimes.

But, the smartphone does help me multitask, so I adjust.

Like me, others watch video and keep up with their social lives on their smartphones, too.

Thirty million people (ages 2+) use their mobile phones to watch video, and spend an average of

seven minutes weekly watching their favorites. These are the top video sites visited on a mobile phone: 1. YouTube 2. FOX 3. ABC 4. Comedy Central 5. CBS And 37% use their phones for easier access to social media.

I personally love my Facebook App. It’s like my own personal scrap book. I can instantly share with my family and friends my many adventures with just a few characters and my favorite pictures. The iPad and gaming consoles (3%) are also devices used for social media according to the report.

Computers have allowed us to multitask, as well. For example, I can send emails, shop, write this column and listen to my favorite O’Jays tune – without even leaving my comfy chair. Fabulous, right?

This one device helps me keep my Superwoman Cape intact.

According to the report, 192 million people in the U.S., use home/work PCs or laptops. I don’t know what I would do without my laptop, ya’ll. My life is stored on it and it’s got to be with me at all times. In the U.S., 94 domains; 2,905 pages; 830 Facebook pages are viewed per person per month online.

A whopping 97% of U.S. PC/ laptop users access social media and 4 in 5 internet viewers visit social networks and blogs.

So, there you have it. If you are seeking ways to simplify your life this year, you should (if you have not already) invest in multiple devices and gadgets.

Trust me, they are your friends and are here to make your lives just a little bit easier.

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Nielsen. For more information and studies go to www.nielsenwire.com

Four steps to prepare for any job interview Plan Your Career

By Julie Desmond julie@insightnews.com

In Engineering, there are four candidates for every open position. This means, if you are an engineer, you should be working. And if you are trying to hire an engineer, you might as well be looking for a needle in a haystack, a raindrop in the ocean or your car in the Mall of America parking ramp… It’s a tough search.

Job seekers of all kinds can help themselves and their hiring managers by preparing well for each interview. Following four simple steps will help; candidates just have to know the job, the dealbreaker, the company and the location.

If you have not seen a job description, ask for one when the interview is scheduled.

Read the requirements and make notes regarding where and when you have had experience with each requirement. For example, if the position requires injection molding experience, what do you know about that? Where did you use that skill? Do this for the entire job description and the interview questions will not surprise you.

What is the dealbreaker on this position? Find out by asking the person who is scheduling the interview: Ask, why is this position open?

What is the most critical requirement? Is there anything you’re looking for in a candidate that isn’t in the job description? If a critical requirement is teamwork, and by the end of the interview teamwork hasn’t come up, mention it. Say, I have heard that teamwork is important in this position; may I tell you about a time when my teamwork saved the day?

Check the company website. The most qualified candidate will miss out if they lose sight of what the company is about. If you have time after

scouring the company website, go out to Google or Twitter or Face Book and check what people say about the company.

The corporate site describes what the organization wants you to know; social media can reveal the true story behind an organization’s culture. For example, Nash Finch Company in Edina tells its story online, including information about its value of giving back to the community. One candidate found, through social media, photos of employees doing volunteer work and seeming pretty happy.

This was confirmation to her about what the company stands for, and became a positive conversation point during her interview.

Location matters. Drive

by the office prior to your interview. It will save the stress of getting lost when it matters.

And it will solidify your commitment to the company during your interview. It’s okay to say, “I drive by here all the time,” or, “I had a chance to find the building when I was out over the weekend.” All else being equal, people like to hire people who live near the office.

Four steps.

You don’t have to be an engineer to take a scientific approach to job hunting.

Julie Desmond is Talent Manager with Lake Region Staffing and Express Employment Professionals. Write to Julie@ insightnews.com.

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Page 9 • January 16 - January 22, 2012 • Insight News

Romney From 1 to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end. For years we knew that the only solution in Iraq would be political, not military, and that meant that our troops had to come home and, after all our sacrifice, Iraq had to belong to the Iraqis. Yet, when President Obama took office almost six years after the war began, we had close to 150,000 combat troops in Iraq.

Today, there are none.

Our presence in Iraq now is a diplomatic one because our challenge there now is diplomatic; we’ve left behind a robust civilian presence to help the Iraqi people shape their future. It will require frequent and frank discussions with Iraqi leaders that Vice

Munoz From 1 brilliant public servant who knows the intricacies of the economic and social issues facing our nation, as well as what must happen in Congress

insightnews.com

President Biden has had time and again, urging them to make smart decisions. But make no mistake: By withdrawing troops and resources from Iraq, we have empowered ourselves to take the fight more forcefully to al-Qaeda in other parts of the world. As a result, al-Qaeda in Pakistan has been decimated, and Osama bin Laden is in a watery grave at the bottom of the ocean.

None of these outcomes came about by engaging in ideological fantasy and hoping for the best, or saying what was easy instead of doing what was hard.

That’s why New Hampshire voters may want to ask the tough questions now about the national security approach of the current Republican frontrunner, Mitt Romney. At this stage, Romney has failed to articulate any core beliefs on foreign

policy, instead careening from one reckless stand to another, seeking to make headlines and curry favor with his right-wing base.

Just look at Iraq, where Romney has criticized the President for withdrawing troops without offering any credible alternative. Romney has said he would have left as many as 30,000 U.S. troops in Iraq indefinitely, but he has yet to outline any specific plans for what those troops would do, or for how he would eventually bring them home. Now that they are home, he says he would not consider sending them back, a strange rationalization for a supposedly different goal.

Curiously, Romney has also argued that the President should have “put in place a status of forces agreement” with the Iraqi government that would have guaranteed immunity for

U.S. troops to remain there indefinitely. But any follower of American foreign policy knows that despite the Obama administration’s clear position about what it would take to keep a residual American military presence in Iraq, the freely elected Iraqi government made it clear that immunity from the Iraqi legal system was never an option.

Given that, President Obama — as he did in Pakistan when he ordered the bin Laden raid — made the deliberate but definitive decision that only Presidents can make: He would not leave American troops susceptible to Iraqi justice, and all our troops were coming home.

The real question is: Would Mitt Romney have done differently? Did he want tens of thousands of troops to remain in Iraq at a cost to taxpayers

of billions of dollars? More importantly, would he have left U.S. troops in Iraq without legal protection? Would a candidate who prides himself on running such a disciplined and methodical campaign really have set the stage to be the first President in history to recklessly station tens of thousands of American troops for the long haul in a country that would deny them the legal protections any previous American President would’ve insisted upon?

This seems to be a test for the coming vote ahead in just days: to force a wouldbe commander in chief to explain what his policies would look like in reality. I suspect that Romney in his heart of hearts knows that he would never actually undertake such irresponsible moves as commander in chief, but he’s doing what he believes it takes

to win over Republican primary voters in a year the candidates are battling to see who can be the furthest to the right, and where his conservative credentials are so suspect.

Tough talk is no substitute for tough decisions. Americans deserve a President who is comfortable using American power to promote our interests and who stands up for our troops, our nation, and our allies on the international stage. I believe they have that President now — a commander in chief who looks a little further down the road.

We don’t know what kind of commander in chief Mitt Romney would be. But judging from rhetoric that can be at once reckless, extreme and naïve, New Hampshire voters would be well-advised to ask the tough questions now in order to test that proposition.

and with policy leaders to solve them ,” Henry said.

“As we advocate for the 99 percent of us who seek a strong middle class, we know that Cecilia Munoz’s sense of fairness and justice will continue moving forward President Obama’s vision of a country with good jobs now, no more cuts in critical

services, where everyone pays their fair share, and there is a pathway to citizenship for immigrant workers,” Henry added.

Munoz, a longtime civil rights advocate who was named a MacArthur Fellow for her work on civil rights and immigration, has been a critical player in the administration’s

efforts to bring common sense and justice to immigration policies in the absence of Congressional action on comprehensive immigration reform, Medina noted.

“Cecilia knows the complexity and ineffectiveness of our immigration system, and understands that our economy will greatly benefit from

comprehensive immigration reform. In striving to find solutions, Cecilia begins by advocating for what is possible, rather than arguing why something cannot be done,” Medina said. “She is a fighter.”

“A native of Detroit and a daughter of Bolivian immigrants, Cecilia was

brought up during the era of President Kennedy with a strong belief that public service should be highly valued. We congratulate her for achievements and for maintaining her commitment to public service in the Obama Administration,” said Medina.

Change

African descent people living in the United States.

Gevonee EuGene Ford has worked in the field of early childhood care and

education for the past twentyeight years, specializing in program development, administration, and policy.

He has been at the forefront of progressive education in Minnesota as a teacher, trainer, program director, and community organizer. Ford is the Founder and Executive Director of Network for the Development of Children of African Descent (NdCAD), a non-profit family education center located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that was established in 1997 and is focused on education and community revitalization in communities

of African descent. Ford’s mission through NdCAD is to strengthen important cultural connections within African communities that help prepare children for success in school and life. Ford has continued a tradition of Black leadership by working with hundreds of children and their families each year to increase reading proficiency and learning confidence amongst students and increased reading levels and academic performance in school as well as increased parental and community involvement in the education of children.

From 2

insightnews.com

Insight News • January 16 - January 22, 2012 • Page 10

COMMENTARY College sports: A billion dollar industry Nobody Asked Me

By Fred Easter Like millions of Americans, I watched a few bowl games in the past few weeks or so. I was struck by something a commentator said during whatever bowl Ohio State played in. He spoke of a player that was back on the field after two suspensions.

I would have understood if he’d been suspended for missing

curfew or a team meeting. Getting suspended for being arrested in a bar fight would have been understandable, as well. But, this brother was suspended once for selling his own memorabilia and once for accepting money for a job that it was determined he didn’t attend enough.

Now, I have a problem. Why can’t a “student athlete” sell his own property? It has value because of what he did to earn it.

AND, it belongs to him. It’s not as if he took team equipment out of the locker room and sold it on the street. Ohio State is selling memorabilia, with HIS name on it, in their campus bookstores.

Does it seem strange to you that the NCAA would have a zillion rules about ways “student

athletes” can’t make money; and no rules on the limit to the amount of money adults can make in college sports.

You give a player a prepaid phone card, so he can stay in touch with his family: Violation.

But, if a Conference is trying to get a University to switch its conference affiliation, they can buy the Athletic Dir., the President and the Board Chair their own island in the Bahamas without violating any NCAA rule.

Coaches of revenue producing sports at the big Division 1 schools carry salaries in the millions. In addition, they are often paid to host post game radio or TV shows. Who monitors how many hours they spend earning that money? Who monitors how

NIKE, RUSSELL or ADIDAS incentivizes them to use their brand of uniforms and equipment.

In the major revenue producing sports like football and basketball; the term “student athlete” is a convenient misnomer.

To be sure, they are athletes; but too often, they are “students” in name mostly. They generate revenue in the millions. Look at the payouts to schools in major bowls or the NCAA basketball tournament. Paying their parent’s way to the game = violation. The student’s supposed payoff is their “education”. BUT, I read of a former player describing one of his coaches saying “Academics is number one”, while holding up two fingers. “Football is number two”, while holding up

When legacy institutions disappear

By Robert McClain There are a number of entities in our community that impact our collective prosperity, and provide us with tools, skills and support to assist in the overall survival of African American culture throughout our experiences here in Minnesota. Entities that include our churches, businesses, schools and civic-social-educational

organizations all play a vital role in our prosperity and stability.

Nationally affiliated organizations such as the NAACP and Urban League help to pilot and facilitate our collective prosperity in concert with all people of color throughout the country. We, in St. Paul, are currently experiencing a void in our pursuit of prosperity due the absence of one of our longstanding contributors.

As recent as ten years ago there were a number of stable community

based organizations providing social, cultural, economic , housing, educational , workforce development and youth services to the African American community in St. Paul. At present you can count on one hand the culturally specific organizations responsible for addressing our needs. Case in point, when was the last time you heard of anything in relationship to the St. Paul Urban League actively serving the community?

This is our organization,

with an eighty-five year history of providing services to African American people that appears to have totally disappeared off of the face of the earth. Many of us have either directly or indirectly benefited from one or more of the programs, services or supportive efforts that the St. Paul Urban League provided. Some have built careers or established businesses from trainings or expertise they

LEAGUE TURN TO 12

Letter to the editor In regards to the 12-26 article McCollum: Credit Obama for Iraq War’s end...what amazes me even more than their belief that they could “start a war” on Iraq in 2003, is their belief that they have the power to also “end it.” Someone needs to explain to me how their process works.

“Hey you - you Iraqi insurgents, stop shooting at us,

didn’t you hear the news, the ‘war’ is over! Didn’t you hear our president, our free pass to kill and destroy in Iraq is over... for now at least. Don’t ask me how we got ‘in war’ with you in the first place, how we got the freedom to kill people in Iraq... but now it is over!”

Being the biggest dog on the block, the U.S. government can attack any defenseless country it

wants for whatever reason or no reason at all. But these attacks cannot create what we believe is a separate reality known as ‘war’, a killing contest which has its own “zone”, where the killing contest is played out. If you oppose “war”, but believe it can be created, you basically support it - because to ‘war’ all they need is ‘war’, Iraq is proof of that. You need more than

unstoppable violence to get ‘war’. When people said “No war on Iraq!”...that was all they needed, all they needed was ‘war’, nothing else.

The “Iraq War” was never the U.S. government’s ‘war’, they never owned it, it was not their ‘war’ to start and certainly not theirs to end.

Frank Erickson Minneapolis, MN

one finger”. I read of a “student basketball athlete” who hailed from the Bronx whose coaches made him major in animal husbandry, even though the only animals he’d met were pit bulls and rats. Who monitors the treatment and academic counseling coaches provide to their players? Far too many young men spend four seasons earning their athletic scholarship and leave school with two years to go on their degree. They have to pay their way, if they want to finish

the degree. He would’ve had to pay for four years of college if he wanted a degree in something besides animal husbandry.

I worry about putting young men in the hands of some coaches who have their eyes focused on their first or next multi-million dollar job offer.

Major college sports are a multi billion dollar entertainment industry where the entertainers work for free.

insightnews.com

Insight News • January 16 - January 22, 2012 • Page 11

C OM CO MMUNI M U N IT TY

North Minneapolis Neighborhood beat...

By Ivan B. Phifer Staff Writer Cleveland The Cleveland Neighborhood Association will hold a neighborhood board meeting 7-8pm January 23rd at Lucy Craft Laney 3330 Penn Ave. N. due to the Martin Luther King Holiday originally scheduled for January 16. For more information: Debbie Nelson, 612-588-1155 or can@ clevelandneighborhood.org GED Classes Sumner Library, located at 611 Van White Memorial Blvd. is now accepting enrollment for GED classes. A ten-dollar registration fee is required for material expense. All classes however are free. The classes are held mornings from 10:00am-noon and evenings from 6:30-8:30pm Monday through Thursday. For more

information: 612-377-5399.

Capri Theater: “Speak Low When You Speak Love�

The Capri Theater presents their “Legends� series featuring four outstanding Twin Cities performers: Sanford Moore, Dennis Spears, Julius Collins and Dennis Oglesby. The concerts are at 7pm Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012, and 3pm Sunday, February 12, 2012. Tickets are $25, and $20 for groups of 10 or more. Capri Theater,2027 West Broadway Minneapolis, MN. For more information, visit www.thecapritheater.org Open Mic Xpressions The Freedom of Xpression open mic sessions, hosted by Crystal “Azteca� Ruiz, at the Capri are free and open to the public the first Monday of every month with the exception of this coming month. The doors open at 5:30 pm and the theater will be open for tech rehearsals and workshops between 6 and 7

Classifieds/Calendar Send Community Calendar information to us by: email, andrew@insightnews.com, by fax: 612-588-2031, by phone: (612) 588-1313 or by mail: 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis, MN 55411, Attn: Andrew Notsch. Free or low cost events preferred.

Events Afro-Modern at TU Dance Center - Jan Fri. nights, from 7:30-9pm at TU Dance Center. The class is taught by Ms. Kenna-Camara Cottman, recently named one of City Pages’ “Artists of the Year.�

The class will continue on Fri. nights through Feb. 10. TU Dance Center: 2121 University Ave. W. St. Paul.

p.m. Artists wanting to perform on stage are required to sign up between 5:30 and 7pm. the night of the event. Capri Theater, 2027 West Broadway, Minneapolis, MN. For more information, contact Crystal at cruiz@pcyc-mpls.org.

Business Committee Meeting The Hawthorne Business Committee and WBC Business Committee have merged to become the Northside Business Committee. The first meeting is 8:30am Friday, January 27th at McDonalds 916 W. Broadway.

Business committee meetings occur every other month, quarterly happy hours, and business lunches are open to all.

For more information: Alicia - alicia@westbroadway.org or 612-353-5178.

Get Paid Helping Northside Seniors & Disabled Adults The Community Emergency Assistance Program (CEAP) and the Neighborhood

PHONE: 612.588.1313

NHCC Celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. In Concert Jan 19 North Hennepin Community College, 7411 85th Avenue North, Brooklyn Park, MN is celebrating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in concert on Thur., Jan. 19 at 7:30pm in NHCC’s Fine Arts Center Theatre. The concert will feature NHCC Chamber Singers, directed by Karla Miller, who will be performing songs of praise. They will be joined by Sandy Hodges and Friends, along with the Voices of Inspiration choir from Macedonia Baptist Church, directed by Nerita Hughes.

Healthy Life Expo - Jan 21-22 Nutrition, Fitness, and Longevity - It’s all here! Explore up to 200 exhibitors offering everything for health, balance and success Insurance Agent in all areas of life. 3 Looking for people with a strong entrepreneurial

Stages of on-going speaker presentations, demonstrations and live entertainment. Product sampling, hourly drawings and free health information.

The Smart place to get the free tips information to start living a healthier life. Minneapolis Convention Center Ballroom 1302 2nd St., Mpls, MN 55403.

Not About Bombs - Jan 27-Mar 3 This exhibit will not be what you expect. It is not about war. It is not about Iraq. It presents contemporary art by Iraqi women, but mainly in an attempt to deliberately explore and challenge expectations. This exhibit addresses how a female perspective can fit into the modern context of turmoil and conflict through art and avoid falling into the typical ways that women are represented and... misrepresented.

Opening Reception: 6-9PM Feb. 2 @ Intermedia Arts - 2822 Lyndale Ave. S. Mpls, MN. The Family Life Centre 2012 Women’s Prayer Brunch - Jan 28 The Family Life Centre, formerly known as Holding Forth the Word of Life Ministries, now moved forward with the same vision for “family restoration God’s way�. FLC expanded its capacity to serve

mindset to own their own insurance agency.

The average agent earns over $120,000 a year, with some earning over $500,000. If you desire financial independence, call 651-2043131 to set up an appointment.

President/CEO Twin Cities Community Land Bank seeks a dynamic, results-oriented President/ CEO. Contact Shana at 612-238-8212 or shana.wenger@tcclandbank.org for application information. Applications must be received by 1/20/12.

Copyright Notice Copyright notice: All rights Reserved re common-law copyright of trade - name/trademark, VINCENT EDWARD PAYNE as well as any and all derivatives and variations in the spelling of said trade-name/trademark - copyright Š1981 by Vincent Edward Payne, said trade-name/trademark, VINCENT EDWARD PAYNEŠ may neither be used, nor reproduced, neither in whole or in part, nor in any other manner, whatsoever, without the prior, express written consent and acknowledgement of Vincent Edward Payne, subscribed with the blue or red ink signature of Vincent Edward Payne, herein-after “Secured Party,� for full copy of terms and conditions, send SASE to Vincent Payne, Secured Party C/O P.O. Box 29001, Brooklyn Center, MN 55429. No objection raised within 30 days after this public notice, all are estopped from violating and infringing on common-law copyright so in noted record, owner; Vincent Edward Payne, autograph common-law copyright Š1981.

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Weight loss classes Weight loss classes for Black men take place every Friday from 6:30-8:30pm at Kwanzaa Church 2200 Emerson Ave. N. The class is a 12-week course for Black men who live with obesity, type II diabetes, high blood pressure and hypertension. The cost ranges from $100 to $300 depending on training materials. Space is limited to the first 10 qualified participants.

For more information: Kwasi Nate Russell 612-359-0077 or Kwasinate.russell009@gmail. com

Involvement Program (NIP) serve North Minneapolis as two senior chore service agencies. CEAP serves seniors north of 44th Ave. N. and NIP serves seniors south of 44th Ave. N. Both agencies have opportunities for individuals to earn $15 an hour doing snow removal and responsibilities as independent contractors. Both programs require individuals to be 18 or older and go through a criminal background check.

Participants must also have their own shovel, or snow blower and provide own transportation to job sites. For more information: Jon Burkhow at 612-374-3322.

Volunteer opportunities The Target Meals for Minds program, in collaboration with Second Harvest Heartland will have volunteering opportunities to end the fight of hunger in North Minneapolis. A mobile food pantry will open once per month at Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary 807 24th Ave. N. The distribution time &

Camden North United Methodist Church (NUMC) has a Church Clothes Closet 9am-Noon the first Saturday of each month and 6-8 pm the first Monday of each month at 4350 Fremont Ave. N. Donations are accepted. For further information: 612-5224497

FAX: 612.588.2031 families in the Metro Area with its new site while furthering outreach to the community through the AGAPE 24-hour Child Development Centers and the OASIS of Love Crisis Intervention programs and ongoing churchbased ministries. • January 28th -- 2012 Women’s Prayer Brunch hosted by Dr. Diane Thibodeaux, invites women from all over to gather at FLC, 4947 W. Broadway, Crystal, MN from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. RSVP

by January 23rd. Women’s groups and/or individual reservations welcomed. Call FLC or RSVP online at www.hftwol.org Contact FLC for more details at 612-5225807.

FREE Fitness Classes - Tue. Wed. Thurs.

Featuring: Cardiovascular work out by Annice, The Diva - Tue. 6-7pm. Muscle conditioning exercise in addition to cardiovascular - by Georgia, Ms Smooth - Wed. 6-7pm.

Pilates by Angela, No Mercer - Thur. 6-7pm. Located: 310 E. 38th Street, 2nd Floor gym, Minneapolis. Registration Fee: $25 for the entire season (Sept. thru May 31).

Free Lead Paint Testing If you meet the following criteria, you may be eligible to receive new windows through a Hennepin County grant program: • Home built before 1978 • A child (5 or under) lives in or frequently visits your home • Live in Hennepin County • Meet certain income qualifications Sustainable Resources Center have partnered with the National Center for Healthy Housing to bring a national perspective to our efforts in Minnesota.

SRC will be working with public, private and nonprofit organizations throughout the State to develop the plan. This is

dates are 5-7:30pm Thursday January 26 and 5-7:30pm Wednesday February 15. For more information: Kris Jensen, Volunteer Coordinator 651-2162761 or visit www.2harvest.org/ volunteer North Minneapolis Tornado Recovery Sites are available for mental and emotional recovery for victims traumatized by the May 22nd North Minneapolis tornado.

To schedule an appointment with a health care provider, three sites are available; Northpoint Health & Wellness Center 1313 Penn Ave. N. 612543-2566, Hennepin County Mental Health Center 1801 Nicollet Ave. S. 612-596-9438 or Hennepin County Medical Center Acute Psychiatric Services 701 Park Ave. S. 612873-3161.

Crisis response teams are available 24/7. For adults, 612-596-1223 or 612348-2233.

EMAIL: andrew@insightnews.com

Disney’s The Lion King returns to the Orpheum Disney’s The Lion King, the landmark musical celebrating nearly 15 years since its 1997 world premiere in Minneapolis, returns to Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Orpheum Theatre. It opened Wednesday, Jan. 11 and continues through Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012. The Lion King is presented by Hennepin Theatre Trust as part of its 2011/12 Broadway Across AmericaMinneapolis Season. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit HennepinTheatreTrust.org or call 1.800.982.2787.

Disney selected Minneapolis for the world premiere of The Lion King in 1997 because of the city’s reputation for an intelligent and supportive theatre audience. The world premiere of The Lion King played a key role in solidifying Minneapolis as a major player in the Broadway marketplace, and the city, home to the Hennepin Theatre District, maintains its reputation as a premier locale for the hottest Broadway shows.

Two cast members have Minnesota connections. The sardonic and deviously cunning “Scar� will be played by J. Anthony Crane, who grew up in Minneapolis and whose family still lives in the Twin Cities. Nick Cordileone, who went to grade school in Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park, is the wisecracking meerkat “Timon.�

a great opportunity to encourage and support the creation of healthy homes for all! Call Sustainable Resources Center at 612-872-3281 to schedule a free home visit! Communication available in Spanish, Somali, and Hmong. http://www.src-mn. org/ Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Program (MFPP) MFPP provides free counseling for Minneapolis homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages

(and referrals for clients outside of our service area). Located in the Minneapolis Urban League building at 2100 Plymouth Ave N, call 612-331-4090 and select option 3 to speak with a MFPP representative and set up an appointment.

A Special Job Search Program for Veterans - Wed’s Facilitators: Capt. Dave Recker, USN (Ret) and Sp/5 Stan Brown, USA (Ret). Christ Presbyterian Church, in the Parlor 6901 Normandale Road, Edina. Wed’s at 1pm.

insightnews.com

Insight News • January 16 - January 22, 2012 • Page 12

January Hawthorne Huddle

NorthPoint means access

By Ivan B. Phifer Staff Writer The first Hawthorne Huddle meeting of 2012 was Thursday January 5, at 601 29th Ave. N. The meeting focused on health and wellness.

Panelists included Dr. Paul Erickson, Medical Director of NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center; Paula Haywood, Human Service Area Manager of Hennepin County Human Services and the Public Health Department; John Munger, Executive Director, City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation; and Marques Armstrong, Executive Director, Imani Youth and Family Services, LLC. NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center, established in 1968 as Pilot City Health Center. provides full health services, including mental and behavioral health services. The mission is partnering to create a healthier community.

“It started as apart of Lyndon B. Johnson’s war on poverty to create community health centers,” said Paul Erickson, Medical Director of NorthPoint Health and Wellness Inc. “Over the years, we have realized it is more than medical care. We have developed an integrated approach to how we provide health services,” he said.

League From 10 acquired resulting from their association with this organization.

Over the years many of us have avoided becoming homeless, voiceless or (re)incarcerated due to the efforts of the forever attentive staff of this essential community anchor.

Persons known and unknown have sabotaged the St. Paul Urban League’s position from being a tower of strength in our community

Carter From 1

“Studies show that 10% of mortality was attributed to medical care, while the remaining 90% was attributed to social determinacy,” Erickson said.

North Point has an interdisciplinary team of medical, dental and human services; food shelves, housing assistance, domestic violence program and the African American Men’s Project. In addition a community health outreach program, partnering with Plymouth Youth Center (PYC) and North High, consists of three focuses: prevention and education, early identification of treatment and disease.

“One of our biggest challenges is access,” Erickson said. “We want to provide access to health services for the Northside community. In the last four years, we have seen the rate of those not insured go from 28%, to the average of now 56%. As people get stressed economically, health becomes less important,” he said.

The next Hawthorne Huddle meeting is 7:308:45am February 2 at Farview Park 601 29th Ave. N. For more information: Sophie Winter 763-764-3413 or Ellen.

Luger@genmills.com The Nordic Ski Foundation, housed in Theodore Wirth Park, was founded in 2002 with a vision to establish an urban cross-country ski marathon.

The first City of Lakes Loppet was held that year with 800 skiers completing a 24km course on Lake Calhoun. Since then, the Loppet has become synonymous with winter in Minnesota. Inspired by Mayor R.T. Rybak and Park Board Commissioners Jon Olson and John Erwin, a small group of skiers organized a ski race through Wirth Park, finishing on Minneapolis’ Chain of Lakes near Uptown.

The Nordic Ski Foundation is a 501c(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and support cross-country skiing in the Minneapolis area among innercity youth. The Foundation has three focus areas: youth programming, events and trails.

“Many children in North Minneapolis do not have an opportunity to cross country ski,” John Munger said. “We first introduce them to the sport and inspire them to continue.”

The Nordic Ski Foundation has partnered with six Minneapolis Public Schools: Bryn Mawr, Pillsbury, Nellie Stone Johnson, Loring, Hmong International and Urban League Elementary. The programs run from late November through early February. “We go into the elementary schools, provide ski equipment, coaching and even provide a ski trail right outside the school,” Munger said.

to becoming a worthless albatross around our collective necks.

African American leadership, both locally and the National Urban League headquarters have been silent and gutless on the question of the demise of the St. Paul Urban League. There have been numerous meetings that have resulted in little or no definitive action in ridding this organization of the person or persons who, like buzzards, have been scavenging off of the skeletal remains of what is left from what has been destroyed.

Have we no principles, sense of obligation or will power to

have those responsible to be held accountable for the willful destruction of what a pioneer in the person of S. E. Hall and his peers, who saw the need and vision for creating an organization to service the needs of Black people almost a century ago, simply because they are Black? There are some individuals who have taken up the sword and shield in defense of the St. Paul Urban League. We all must be willing to do battle with those whose actions result in causing us harm or denying our prosperity, irrespective of the color of their skin.

somehow bear some responsibility for …

MC: I think a better way of looking at it is just saying that we are all accountable for picking up the ball and running with it right now. That is important because we often end up in this paralysis of blame in trying to figure out whether the parents or the teachers or the system or the government or who is to blame, none of which is really helping our children. We have to say forget who is to blame let us figure out who is accountable for solving the problem. Let us add some real ambitious meaningful goals. Let’s hold ourselves accountable to those goals and whether we meet them or not. Let’s evaluate our work and figure out how to do it even better next week and next year.

AM: What does the city of Saint Paul do to support education?

MC: Well Al, my concern for this started actually a few years back as I was trying to figure out where I wanted to send my own child to kindergarten.

AM: So it is personal.

MC: Very personal. Just like my family, so many families face

this challenge where we know that where I send my daughter to kindergarten is going to have impact on the next four generations of my family. As you start wading into proficiency rates and test scores and disparity numbers and those types of thing, you end up filled with this hollow like feeling inside. You ask, “Who can I trust with my child?”

So we have to tackle this.

Luckily I didn’t start the process of getting the city involved in education. We got the Mayor in Saint Paul, Chris Coleman, who has been passionate about that from even before I got elected.

So when we started the work of building the Saint Paul “Promise Neighborhood,” we had an easy champion there. We had great champions on the school board and then our superintendent Valeria Silva has been phenomenal.

We certainly had more than one county commissioner who has been a supporter of this work. So we are not just the City. We have brought the City, the County, the School Board and 72 community

CARTER TURN TO 13

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Insight News • January 16 - January 22, 2012 • Page 13

SPORTS Green-Beckman named 2012 US Army Player of the Year San Antonio, TX (BlackNews. com) -- The U.S. Army AllAmerican Bowl Selection Committee has announced Dorial Green-Beckham as the 2012 U.S. Army Player of the Year, given to the nation’s most outstanding senior in high school football.

The announcement was made tonight at the U.S. Army Awards Dinner at the San Antonio’s Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Green-Beckham, a wide receiver at Hillcrest High School in Springfield, Mo., was presented with the Ken Hall Trophy, which is modeled after Ken “Sugar Land Express” Hall, high school football’s all-time leading rusher.

“I want to thank God. I want to thank my family for all they have done for me. I want to thank my teammates and all my coaches, and finally I want to thank all of you for giving me the support to help make me the player I am today,” said Green-Beckham.

King From 1 King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was in the process of implementing the “Poor People’s Campaign” that would be second phase to the civil rights movement and provide an “economic bill of rights” by helping the poor with full employment, payment of living

Brown From 6 Philadelphia Dance Company, aka Philadanco, a professional company for her top students who found themselves unwelcome

Carter From 12 based organizations together in this partnership. The County’s role has to be supporting family and personal life success. The school’s role is to deliver a very high quality curriculum. The City’s role is community building.

AM: And all under the banner of “Promise Neighborhood” is that correct?

MC: Absolutely!

AM: Tell me about that.

MC: The Saint Paul “Promise Neighborhood” is a coordinated community based, community led effort to ensure that all of our children succeed in school and in life. We have to make sure that every single child who is raised in our community has the opportunity to achieve to his or her full potential. Unfortunately that hasn’t been the case for far too long and I think that will continue until enough of us agree that we can’t let it go another generation.

AM: Not dissimilar from the “Northside Achievement Zone,” right?

MC: Yes, and like NAZ Promise Neighborhood is aligned with the vision of Geoffrey Canada, Executive Director at the “Harlem Children’s Zone” which has been known around the country for their work in New York. His bottomline message was ‘it is the adults.’

When a 10-year-old misses school, it is not the 10-year-old’s fault. A lot of this really revolves around us adults, our ability to build systems of success around these young people that are get them to school, that are make sure they have the support they need to make it; to make sure that the families around them have the support that they need.

I think of our work as really building a community based edifice in which excellent learning can really happen. I have coached track after college for a couple of years, and I had a young man on my track team who would ride the city bus for two hours a day doing his homework on the city bus because he was homeless and that is the one place he had that was warm, that was lit and that was safe where he could actually sit and focus on his homework. We could give him whatever science teacher we wanted but if we really want him to be successful in his homework maybe it starts with a home.

AM: What are your thoughts about how we encourage our communities to have confidence in government? How do we encourage and make government completely consistently responsive and responsible to the will and the presence of all of the residents of our community?

MC: I think that is really the

“Every U.S. Army All-American reflects the characteristics found in the Army Strong Soldier and possesses a mental, emotional and physical strength like no other,” said John Myers, Director, Marketing and Outreach, U.S. Army Accessions Command. “Dorial has distinguished himself even further by his on-field leadership.

We are proud to recognize GreenBeckham for his strengths and congratulate him on his selection as the 2012 U.S. Army Player of the Year.”

“Green-Beckham is 6-foot6, 220 pounds with room to play at 240-plus, he runs in the 10.7 range in the 100 meters, triple jumps 45 feet and is dominant in every aspect on the football field.

What more do you want? As a junior, Green-Beckham caught 78 passes for 1,706 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging an amazing 21.87 yards-per-catch

Photographer

The 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl Player of the year and game co-MVP, Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest High School, Springfield, MO, (Center #5), and players for the victorious West Team pose proudly with Tuskegee Airmen Thomas Ellis, Warren Eusan and Dr. Granville Coggs, following a special on-field presentation honoring army veterans. Final score West 24, East 12.

Both Rivals.com and MaxPreps list him as the top overall recruit.

He is strong and can use his size to fight off defenders and to shield the defender from the ball, particularly in the redzone. He has excellent speed and is a deep threat and big hands that allow him to catch the ball away from his body or snag the ball out of the air or over his head.

The Player of the Year selection process began this past fall as players were evaluated by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee and by coaches from around the country.

Past U.S. Army Player of the Year winners include: 2001 - Kevin Jones; 2002 - Lorenzo Booker; 2003 - Chris Leak; 2004 - Adrian Peterson; 2005 - Ryan Perrilloux; 2006 - Mitch Mustain; 2007 Jimmy Clausen; 2008 - Terrelle Pryor; 2009 - Bryce Brown; 2010 - Dillon Baxter; and 2011 – Demetrius Hart.

For more than a decade, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl has been the Nation’s premier high school football game, serving as the preeminent launching pad for America’s future college and NFL stars. Adrian Peterson, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Marcus Lattimore, and Andrew Luck all made their national debuts as U.S. Army All-Americans. The 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl drew a crowd of nearly 38,000 to the Alamodome, and was the most-watched sporting event on television over the weekend, excluding the NFL playoffs.

For more information on the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and its related events, visit www. usarmyallamericanbowl.com and www.goarmy.com/events/aab or the official Facebook and Twitter pages located at www.facebook. com/USArmyAllAmericanBowl and www.twitter.com/ armyallamerican.

despite constant attention and safety coverage over the top. This followed a sophomore season in which he caught 66 passes for 1,616 yards and 23 touchdowns.

An easy choice for Rivals.com’s #1 player in the 2012 class,” said

Mike Farrell, Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst.

Green-Beckham set the national career receiving yards record with 6,447 and finished the 2011 season with 119 catches for 2,234 yards and 24 touchdowns.

wages, and access to adequate and low-income housing.

Where are the dreamers?

Where are the individuals who believe that poverty can be conquered and opportunity exist for all who seek it? Where are the dreamers who in the face of disparities and inequities maintain faith during the fight? Where are the dreamers who are stay focused on the greater good? Will our dreams ever come true?

King’s dream was a vision of justice, freedom, prosperity, and equality for all. Forty three years later his dream is still rooted in discovering real solutions on how to combat poverty and systemic economic injustice. We can all play a significant part in honoring King’s dream by using our collective influence to halt the downward spiral in our community.

Income inequality in the

United States continues to demand our attention and social action. In communities of color, economic inequities are real and often institutionalized. This income inequality is a root cause of the entrapped effects of poverty such as pain and hopelessness. So when I am asked if King’s vision still relevant, I say yes it is even more relevant today than it was in the 1963 March on Washington.

We at the Minneapolis are

keeping the dream alive. We are dreaming of a Minneapolis that delivers on the promise of a world class city with opportunities for all.

We are dreaming of partnerships and collaborations that together can eradicate disparities. We are dreaming of a day that everyone who comes through our doors with a dream finds a gateway to opportunity.

On this Martin Luther King Day, let’s dare to be a dreamer

and champion a new vision for our community. Status quo is not getting it done. I am often asked what one dreamer can do. One dreamer can care. One dreamer can transform people and places.

One dreamer can speak up and speak out. One dreamer can take action. One dreamer can create solution. One dreamer can help one other person. One dreamer can never give up and change the world.

at lily-white institutions still practicing racial discrimination.

Against the odds, Ms. Brown built her organization over the ensuing decades into a leading ensemble with an international reputation for excellence which simultaneously served as a career springboard for top artists

of color. This phenomenal accomplishment is glowing recounted in Joan Myers Brown & the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina, a biography which actually is as much a an intimate memoir about an intrepid pioneer as it is a chronicle of the AfricanAmerican struggle for civil rights

during the 20th Century.

The book was written by Brenda Dixon Gottschild, Professor Emeritus of Dance Studies at Temple University, a brilliant scholar who is passionate about her field of endeavor.

Consequently, the enlightening text might be best described as a

combination history lesson about the talented Brown (including her mentors and protégés as well) and a labor of love undertaken by a sage elder determined to remind future generations in vivid detail about the many hardships endured by their African-American ancestors on the long, hard road to

racial equality.

A timely testament to a legendary role model who inspired generations of little black girls to reach for the stars in the face of a racist society that would just as soon crush their prima ballerina dreams.

central question. It reveals the lack of confidence that people have in communities across our country in the ability of the government.

I think there are folks who lack the confidence that the government can, even with the best of intentions of leaders, be structured, aligned to serve the needs of people.

This is what “Occupy Wall Street” and the whole cry about the 99% really is about. This question, can our government be structured to effectively serve those 99% is the central question.

Engaging our people as owners and stakeholders in the processes of governance and service delivery is so important. We can’t just keep doing our work in a way that increases and manifests that dependency and reliance on social programs. We really have to go about building equity in our communities. That requires us to build leaders, to build people who know how to be champions for their own children and know how to take up that cause for themselves.

When I first visited the “Harlem Children’s Zone”, what I saw was a group of people who decided since that nobody is educating these children, nobody is supporting these families, nobody is fixing up this neighborhood they were going to form a nonprofit do it themselves for themselves.

And that is notable because those are all the reasons why we pay property taxes Al. That is exactly what our local government units are supposed to be doing.

That is why we have a great public school system here in Minnesota and certainly in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. That is why we have all the kind of family and social service programs that we have in the County. That is why we do economic development and housing investments through the city. That is exactly what we are set up to be doing. So the central question behind how organizations like the Harlem Children’s Zone or like the Northside Achievement Zone or even something like the Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood comes to be is really a question of can our property taxes, can our tax dollars be used for what we are paying them for in the first place?

I have engaged with a lot of parents, a lot of families in this process of building the Saint Paul “Promise Neighborhood” and never ever engaged one who has said, I don’t want my child to be a lawyer. I don’t want my kid to be a doctor. I don’t care what that parent’s background is. I don’t care what that parent is into right now.

Every parent really wants the best for their child. We have to start from understanding every parent, every family, wants the best life, wants a better life for their child.

That is what parenting is.

One of the saddest things I see is when we clip our children’s wings

to prevent them from experiencing the disappointments that we have experienced in life. So I think the central question is: what do we dare to believe about the future of our children? That is the question for teachers. That is the question for parents. That is a question for city council members and mayors alike. What do we dare believe about the future of our children? I think about stories like Venus and Serena Williams who grew up in rough and tumble LA in this kind of tough neighborhood where as the story goes, the gangsters were protecting the courts while they are out there, right, because there was this sense that these two kids are doing something different. I was that kid. My friends would sort of leave me out when they were going off to do something because they felt like I was doing something different. I had a number of times where people said “No Melvin, you are doing something different.” Do we dare believe that we can take a whole generation of young people in our community and do something different with all of them?

I think we can if we can get all of our parents, if we can get all of our teachers, if we can get the big brothers and sisters and cousins really believing that and really saying what, there is a better life in store for these young people. These young people can be doctors. These young people can be teachers. They can be lawyers.

They can be whatever they decide to be.

And then what we need is some of those young folks staying in our community. I think one of the saddest things is the inner-city community, maybe particularly the African American community, is a net exporter of human capital.

What I mean by that is there are so many inner-city communities around the country where the primary ambition of the best and brightest is to get out of that community and never return.

So our young people who are growing up today look around and they don’t see anybody who grew up in the Northside who went on to become a doctor or lawyer.

There are plenty of people who have. They happen to be, most of them, in Woodbury, Brooklyn Park and Roseville. But our young people need to be able to see them so that they can begin to believe these things about themselves as well.

AM: Let me ask you this then, in whose interest is it that this condition, this scenario exists?

I was on a panel with entrepreneur and scientist Dr. Timothy Childs a couple of days ago over at the “Kente Summit for Black Men”...

MC: I was there...

AM: Dr. Childs described challenges he experienced as he developed a technology product

that could fit on a person’s thumbnail that would replace a machine that was the size of a desk. When he brought it to the managers in the company they rejected and resisted his idea that would produce outcomes more efficiently more inexpensively and ultimately save the company money and make the company money. They resisted his genius because they were vested in an old idea that benefitted them. His idea made their process obsolete, and once could say, made them redundant. So they wanted to kill his idea.

So I bring that question to you in education: what forces prevent us from solving and creating better solutions to our community and for our families?

MC: Al, I think that is a perfect analogy because if you look at that company… I don’t know the specifics of that situation… but I could guarantee you that company would benefit in the long run by implementing this kind of new technology. So

to answer your question I think we all lose when any segment of our community we are failing to educate, especially as we look around the Twin Cities Metro area and our just skyrocketing population of people of color. As we look at them, if we just look at them as young Black kids or young Asian kids today, we will be missing the boat.

We have to realize that these young people are our next labor force, our next teacher force, our next parent force. They are our next tax payer force. They are absolutely the future of our community and we have to make sure for all of our sakes, even those of us who feel like we are doing well right now, we need to make sure that if we want job growth and job creation in our community, if want some tax base to sort of share the pie with us, whatever we want as our ambitions for our community we have to have all of these young people not just graduating from high school.

There are folks who will say that college isn’t for everybody. I

always joke that college is only for folks who want jobs in the future.

As we look at all of the emerging markets and all of the emerging industries, we know that a good three-quarters of the jobs that our children are going to compete for are going to require college education.

So we ought to be really aggressive in making sure that our young people are prepared to compete. I think we have an opportunity in Minnesota not just to get our young folks to the place where they can compete, but as we talk about this shrinking world and a global marketplace, because we have such a diverse place because there are so many languages spoken here, we could get our children way out ahead in being ready to compete in global market place by having every young person who comes out of high school and goes into college from the Twin Cities be proficient at least at some level in Hmong or Somali and a handful of languages.

Join us African American Lobby Day When:

Monday, February 6, 2012—11:00a.m.—3:00p.m.

Where:

Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda 75 Rev. Dr. MarƟn Luther Ling Boulevard St. Paul, Minnesota 55155

Why:

Make your VOICE count! Make your VOTE count!

Join Minnesota residents, elected officials, along with business, school, faith-based and community leaders Sponsored by: African American Lobby Day CommiƩee, A.W.M.I.N., Community AcƟon of Washington and Ramsey CounƟes, Minnesota State BapƟst ConvenƟon, Minneapolis NAACP, Sabathani Community Center, Minneapolis Urban League, Turning Point, Inc., Summit Academy OIC, Church of God In Christ, KMOJ Radio, Insight News, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, MTN Children for Change, CSI: Minneapolis, and PosiƟve Image

For more informaƟon, email loriw961@gmail.com or call 612-701-8562

Page 14 • January 16 - January 22, 2012 • Insight News

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