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Making Winter Carnival history Arthur “Art” Blakey, Jr. is the Saint Paul Winter Carnival’s King Boreas the 74th. He is the first African-American to serve as Boreas and he will preside over Winter Carnival festivities as Boreas LXXIX. He presides with Gretchen Spier, who serves as Aurora, Queen of Snows.

February 1 - February 7, 2010 • MN Metro Vol. 36 No. 5 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com

Heart screening can change lives Lavonne Carson knew that she was at risk. With a history of heart disease and diabetes in her family, Carson knew instinctively that if she wanted to maintain a full and healthy lifestyle, she had to be more aware of her health, in particular, her heart health.

Carson had good reason to be worried. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States.

Over 300,000 women died from heart disease in 2006. Heart disease is also the leading cause of death among African American women. In 2007, the Minnesota Department of Health reported that in Minnesota African American women die from heart disease at a 30 percent higher rate than white women.

Because of Carson’s risk of heart disease and diabetes, she enrolled in the SagePlus program offered through the Minnesota Department of Health. SagePlus provides free heart health screening and lifestyle change counseling to eligible women. Carson, a patient at NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center in Minneapolis and a previous participant in Sage, was able to set up a SagePlus appointment at the clinic where a nurse measured her blood pressure, blood

Q and A Suluki Fardan

Lavonne Carson

glucose, cholesterol level and body mass index (BMI).

SagePlus covered Carson’s screening as well as the office visit she had with a lifestyle coach who reviewed the results from her tests.

Carson, an active 56-year-old, was encouraged by what she heard from the lifestyle coach. “My results were okay, but they told me that my blood pressure was higher than it needed to be and I needed to bring it down,” she said.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, prevents the blood from flowing freely to the heart. When blood flow is restricted from entering the heart, heart disease may follow.

Other factors including obesity, diabetes, tobacco use, lack of physical activity and high cholesterol can also increase a person’s risk of heart disease and

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Lifting the veil, revealing the voice

By Patricia Sullivan The men and women who founded and built the NAACP saved nearly everything, establishing arguably the most important documentary record on civil rights struggles in America. That record comprises the largest archival collection in the Library of Congress.

More than a decade ago, I immersed myself in this ocean of papers from which the framework for Lift Every Voice gradually surfaced.

Not surprisingly, this book became more than the history of an organization. Founded in 1909, just after legal segregation had triumphed in the South and as racial discrimination was spreading in northern cities, the NAACP’s insistent battle against racial barriers and its tireless pursuit of equal justice kept the promise of American democracy alive. NAACP activists seeded the movement that ultimately dismantled Jim Crow in the South and elevated civil rights to an issue of national consequence.

Beyond the steady run of administrative, legislative and legal files in the Library’s wonderfully accessible collection, the NAACP papers include field reports by organizers and civil rights attorneys; branch records from communities across the country; and thousands and thousands of letters. These rich, first-person accounts and observations, spanning decades, expose the web of racist practices that structured American life, North and South—often enforced by

Left to right: Congressman Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Commissioner Toni Carter, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Congressman Jim Oberstar, Councilmember Melvin Carter III, and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.

Remembering Rondo for LRT

By Al McFarlane and B.P. Ford, The Editors Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter, whose District 4 seat represents all of St. Paul’s University Avenue from the Minneapolis border to the Capitol, said the heavy lifting she has done for her constituents and for the residents and businesses of St.

Paul finally paid off.

Carter was joined by other Central Corridor Management Committee members, St. Paul and Minneapolis mayors, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, US Reps. James Oberstar and Keith Ellison, and other local officials to welcome US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to a press conference announcing funding had been secured and regulations modified

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allowing creation of light rail transit stations at Western, Victoria and Hamline Avenues.

She said the decision to build the light rail stops assured “those who live and work near these previously missing stops that the train will not pass them by.”

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman referenced the devastating legacy of federal transportation policy

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The Senator, the General and the Elder

The Military Option

The Love Series: All the single ladies (and men) Valentine’s Day is for you too

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By Al McFarlane Editor-in-Chief Part 2 in a series

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Brigadier General Arnold Gordon-Bray said it twice during the course of our interview. He confessed and declared: “It is clear that I stand on your shoulders. Every time I make rank, and whenever people look at me, I know that it is your service and your leadership that has enabled my success.”

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Ray Robbinson and Al McFarlane

Suluki Fardan

Haiti - Africa -

bvonbooks.com

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Standing on Ray Robinson's shoulders

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violence—and reveal what it took to imagine and fight to create a society true to the nation’s founding principles and constitutional guarantees.

The NAACP challenged racial injustice on multiple fronts: in the courts, in legislative arenas, in the realm of public opinion and in communities nationwide; the odds at times seemed insurmountable. And even after securing hard-won victories— such as in the long fight against housing discrimination in northern cities—those successes brought only incremental and often fleeting change. But the legal campaign initiated by Charles Houston and carried forward by Thurgood Marshall and a team of attorneys and local activists took aim at the South’s rigid caste system and tied litigation to a long-term program of community organizing—an effort that culminated with the 1954 Brown v. Board ruling. This

with Minnesota gubernatorial candidates

Descent - Ancestry, a poem by Insight’s Lue Bratton Lampley

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Courtesy of General Mills

Back Row: Louis J. King II and Philip Brunelle (Local Legend winners) In front: Dr. Michael Lomax, president and chief executive officer, UNCF (the United Negro College Fund); the Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery; and Simone Fuller, Emerging Legend winner.

Legends honored

By Lydia Schwartz Contributing Writer The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the General Mills Foundation celebrated their 20th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast on Monday, January 18 at the Minneapolis

Convention Center.

The General Mills Foundation is a champion for stronger communities and for the past 20 years has partnered with UNCF to celebrate the legacy of Dr King.

There were nearly 2,000 guests at the Breakfast. Past speakers have included writer Alexander Haley; Dr King’s daughter, Yolanda; Gen. Colin Powell, USA (Ret); and civil

rights leader Andrew Young.

UNCF advocates for minority education from preschool through college by striving to serve youth, the community, and the nation. It supports students’ education and development by strengthening its member colleges and universities.

UNCF administers

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Haiti, New Orleans, and the Super Bowl

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Page 2 •February 1 - February 7, 2010 • Insight News

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Part 2 in a series

Measuring candidates by our interests In an effort to motivate greater numbers of Insight News readers toward caucus attendance, and informed and early participation in the political process, Insight News invited all gubernatorial candidates competing for DFL endorsement to respond to 10 questions which focus on how they will address the concerns of Minnesota’s communities of color in their campaigns and should they be elected governor.

We asked candidates to discuss ending the education achievement gap and their ideas for improving state government’s hiring and contracting from communities of color.

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order according to last name.

For this reason, I pledge real support to those who are doing important work in this area.

How will you support partnerships and systems integration to eliminate the education Achievement Gap?

Margaret Anderson Kelliher www.margaretforgovernor.com I am concerned that recent studies by the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Race Anderson and Poverty show a Kelliher dramatic increase in school segregation in our region. As Governor I will continue to pursue a New Minnesota Miracle, a comprehensive education funding reform system that will provide stable, equitable investments to all schools in our state. The New Minnesota Miracle will also fully fund the state share of kindergarten and special education.

As governor, I also will direct the Metropolitan Council to work with the Department of Education to address issues of housing and racial isolation that will help to close the achievement gap.

We know that a focus on early childhood development, from birth to five, help our children succeed academically as they grow, and I am a strong believer in funding and improving those programs.

I also think there are ways to work with schools to narrow the achievement gap, by looking at initiatives that cultivate achievement in their students who live in challenging socioeconomic backgrounds.

Tom Bakk www.bakk2010.com When I am governor, I will work closely with and provide the resources to those groups working to Bakk eliminate the achievement gap. As I state above, a renewed focus on investing in our human infrastructure is a necessity for Minnesota. An education can solve so many problems and a lack of education in a community correlates to every other social problem. This problem is not an easy one to tackle, but doing so is crucial.

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 Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Elliot Stewart-Franzen Web Design & Content Associate Ben Williams Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Contributing Writers Brenda Colston Julie Desmond Marcia Humphrey Alaina L. Lewis Rashida McKenzie Ryan T. Scott Lydia Schwartz Stacey Taylor Photography Suluki Fardan Tobechi Tobechukwu Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. MinneAPOlis., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC) Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI) National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55411.

Matt Entenza www.entenza.com In addition to the outline provided above there are more innovative collaborations such Entenza as the one Geoffrey Canada has made between his Harlem Children’s Zone and the City of New York, in which his project tracks the progress of children throughout their education, and is a model that depends on sustained monitoring rather than discrete interventions. Such a model ultimately provides a better investment for the state. Similar programs can be replicated here.

Steve Kelley www.stevekelley.org The achievement gap is one of the greatest moral challenges we face as Minnesotans in Kelley the 21st century.

Schools and teachers cannot solve this on their own. We need a far more comprehensive approach to closing the achievement gap that recognizes that racial, cultural, social, and economic issues which children in Minnesota schools face.

I propose that Minnesota create a Children’s Zone based on the Harlem Children’s Zone run by Geoffery Canada. If Minnesota adopted this approach, we would wrap all of our children in a blanket of care that begins at birth.

All services in Minnesota from a baby college for expectant parents, to public health, housing to mental health support would all be aligned with one single goal: that all Minnesota children graduate from some form of postsecondary education.

The Minnesota Children’s Zone would be the first time that we address eliminating the achievement gap holistically.

Providing stable housing would reduce the challenge of children moving from school to school.

Prenatal care and baby college would take care of our youngest and most vulnerable infants to help them have a healthy start in life. Access to early childhood and family education would make sure that the huge percentage of our children who are not currently ready to start kindergarten get the support they need to hit the ground running when they start school.

Some communities in Minnesota, with the help of foundations, are starting to work on similar approaches. These initiatives are important but raise the question of where the boundary lines for the new children’s zones should be drawn.

How much of Minneapolis or St. Paul or some other community should be in the zone where we want all children to succeed and graduate from college?

The right answer is that the whole state should be the Minnesota Children’s Zone. No less than in 100 blocks of Harlem, the goal for all children in Minnesota should be that they will all graduate from college.

This goal would supersede complying with the failed No Child Left Behind Act. We would set a clear mission for every community, not just every school, in our state.

I am passionate about ensuring the ability for Minnesota children to have their chance at prosperity.

Senator John Marty www.johnmarty.org The achievement gap is a multifaceted problem and requires multiple solutions.

My administration will Marty work with community groups, parents, mental health service providers, and others to tackle this problem. We need to look at the whole child — Children who are homeless, those just learning the language, kids who are undernourished, children who are lack the support of adults in the home are not going to thrive in school even with the best teachers and schools.

Rep. Tom Rukavina www.rukavinaforgovernor.com I will work with all communities of color and minority groups and use their recommendations to Rukavina try and close these gaps. To that end, I have already been working with members of different organizations and individuals, such as Hector Garcia & Rosa Pock at the Chicano Latino Affairs Council, towards solving this particular educational problem. I’ve always sought advice from constituents most affected by policies being proposed in the legislature and I will continue that open door policy. As governor, I will challenge the University of Minnesota and the MNSCU system to work together to develop community based partnerships and systems integration to close the achievement gap.

R. T. Rybak www.rtrybak.com While the mayor of Minneapolis has no direct control over the Minneapolis public schools, I Rybak have been deeply involved with parents, students, teachers, administrators and communities in efforts to eliminate the achievement gap and create opportunity for our young people, especially from communities of color.

Under my administration and in partnership with Superintendent Green and the Minneapolis Public Schools, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, the University of Minnesota and scores of private partners, we initiated the Minneapolis Promise, an initiative that says to our young people that if they stay in school and focus on where they want to go, we will get them there. It has three components: • access to counseling so young people can plan a vision for their future • help finding a summer job; assistance getting the funds needed to go to college.

A large majority of participants in the Minneapolis Promise are students of color.

Since we began the Minneapolis Promise: • students have made over 140,000 visits to comprehensive college and career centers located in each of the city’s seven public high schools; • 10,000 students have received meaningful summer employment, most notably through the STEP-UP program that offers not only placement but ongoing, comprehensive job-skills training to economically disadvantaged students; • more than 1,500 students have benefitted from free college access at U-M and MCTC. The Minneapolis Promise is helping to drive increasing graduation rates for students of color in Minneapolis Public Schools — and that trend is

driving an overall increase in the citywide graduation rate.

Since 2003, African American graduation rates have risen from around 50% to around 70%. In the same period, graduation rates for American Indian and Latino students have risen from around 30% to around 50%.

(Graduation rates citywide in this period have risen from 57% to 73% overall. Graduation rates for white and Asian students currently exceed 80%.)

Let me be clear: a 50% or 70% graduation rate may represent progress, but it is far from good enough. We still have a long way to go, and I will be satisfied only when 100% of students of all communities not only graduate from high school but are prepared to succeed in the post-secondary education of their choice. To that end, for the last several years I have made a personal goal of speaking once a year to every 9th-grade class in Minneapolis in order to inspire them to beginning planning for college. My office has also spearheaded an annual one-day event called “I Know I Can,” at which hundreds of volunteers from all walks of life read a book by the same title, which plants the seed of imagination about attending college, to every third-grade class in Minneapolis. (The third annual “I Know I Can” takes place February 11, 2010.)

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to eliminating the achievement gap: what works for students of color in Minneapolis may not work for Somali students in Rochester, Latino students in Worthington or Native students in Bemidji or on the reservation. Nor is the Minneapolis Promise the only model of success: culturallyspecific charter schools such as Harvest Prep in North Minneapolis or the Hmong Academy in Saint Paul, to name just a couple, are playing an important role in helping our children succeed and are showing us additional models of success. Finally, we must commit to acknowledging failure when we encounter it: to that end, for example, I have supported Superintendent Green’s fresh-starting of schools when it has been necessary.

While we have made progress, we still have a long way to go. Nevertheless, I believe Minnesota must make the same commitment to eliminating the achievement gap that we have made in Minneapolis. And whatever strategies we implement, we must agree on them with students, families and communities of color at the table in full partnership. As governor, I will ensure that we do.

Ole Savior Response for all questions: Rebuild the old neighborhoods New schools. More teachers.

Jobs, “full” employment Savior goals in MN at decent pay and better living conditions. Higher educational opportunities for advancement of “all” people.

Job creation by building a new Viking Stadium, construction etc. and also opening up new areas of jobs like the MN State Fair which is closed 50 weeks a year - create a new “year round “playland” like a “Disneyland” of four seasons (thousands of new jobs here).

MN Immigration policy will be fair and good welcoming new citizens. Tribal government needs to represent all “not” just a few like Mystic family. More LRT between cities. Everyone will benefit.

Paul Thissen www.paulthissen.com We cannot address the growing achievement gap with a quick fix.

The causes of the Thissen gap are multiple and complex and the solutions must be comprehensive. Among other things: Investment in early care and learning, including parent education, is critical. Libraries, after-school and summer school programs must be funded and widely available since we know that the achievement gap grows exponentially when kids are out of the school building.

During school, we should employ technology and other tools more effectively to focus on the individual growth of students and identify those who are not keeping up. We need the resources to provide intensive assistance to those students to catch them up. We should give educators financial and other incentives (including lower class sizes) to work with students and in schools where the achievement gap is most serious.

Finally we must address inequality more broadly. We must keep kids healthy, well fed and in stable housing if we are going to close the gap.

What will you do to increase hiring and contracting of people of color by Minnesota government units?

Tom Bakk www.bakk2010.com The state has effective affirmative action policies that I support. Beyond that, the governor sets the tone throughout all government units. My administration will be inclusive and I will surround myself with people from different backgrounds and experiences and encourage all government units to do likewise.

Matt Entenza www.entenza.com Our current system of state contracting is broken. The state has abdicated its responsibility to provide fair contracting for ALL Minnesotans, and this failure of responsibility is taking its toll on our communities. As Governor I will guarantee increased transparency and diversity throughout the administration. I will appoint individuals with a proven track record of fairness and who are representative of the growing diversity of this state.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher www.margaretforgovernor.com I am very supportive of the HIRE Minnesota coalition’s efforts to hold MN Department of Transportation (DOT) accountable for reaching Federal goals for hiring people of color. DOT has fallen far short of these goals, and this is especially problematic with hundreds of millions of Recovery Act monies coming into the state for new construction projects. I will ensure that all state agencies live up to their commitments and obligations for hiring people of color.

Steve Kelley www.stevekelley.org Equal opportunity employment is not only a moral obligation, but it also ensures that we have the best people working for the state of Minnesota. As governor, I would advocate to all levels of government – state, county, and local – that hiring a diverse workforce is imperative.

I would immediately ask my new state commissioners to review the hiring practices of their agency to ensure that every effort is being made to recruit, hire, and retain people of color.

Second, I would work with local governments and school districts to review their hiring practices with the goal of creating a more diverse local workforce.

Finally, I would encourage the development of a more diverse workforce in the private sector by strictly enforcing Minnesota law and contract terms with private companies that do work for the state. For example, state construction contracts should have provisions encouraging that a diverse workforce is used on any state building project. As Governor, I would ensure this happens.

We can and will ensure that Minnesota’s work force represents the diverse communities that make up our state.

Senator John Marty www.johnmarty.org I will use executive orders.

MnDOT and other agencies need to have stronger hiring goals. They and the contractors they select will be pressed to live up to those commitments.

Rep. Tom Rukavina www.rukavinaforgovernor.com

I have always been and will continue to be a supporter of minority owned businesses. I helped push legislation that gets minorities involved in apprenticeships in the Minnesota Building Trades Council. I feel that as our great state continues to grow in diversity it is crucial that the workforce as a whole reflects this diversity as well. I will ask the Office of Management and Budget to annually report and make recommendations to increase the hiring and contracting of people of color in our state and request that the State Auditor do the same for other units of government.

Because education plays such a critical role in the successes of minorities, I will ask the State Department of Education to make this a priority as well as challenging our higher educational institutions to do the same.

R. T. Rybak www.rtrybak.com We have had some success in Minneapolis in increasing hiring and contracting for people of color, mostly notably on the Allina Commons/Midtown Global Market project, which hit record-high standards for inclusionary hiring and contracting.

However, in eight years as mayor, I’ve learned that we not only have to pass the laws and ordinances that provide for hiring and contracting of people of color on publicly-funded projects, we have to ensure ongoing compliance, monitoring and implementation. Our good intentions are not enough: we must make sure we have the tools and resources to hold ourselves accountable. We also need to make sure that people of color hired on publiclyfunded projects have open pathways to union membership, benefits and protections.

There are other steps we can take that can have a positive impact. For example, part of the reason that we were successful in increasing participation in contracting on the Midtown Commons and Central Library projects was that we unbundled subcontracts into smaller sizes, which made it easier for subcontractors of color — whose capacities, especially if they are just starting out, are often smaller than those of other, more established, usually white-owned subcontracting concerns — to bid and participate.

The next governor should implement changes like these, reinforce compliance at every level and support communityspecific job-training initiatives like Summit Academy and Emerge, as I have done as mayor.

I have said repeatedly that when I am governor, I will be singularly focused on creating family-supporting, homegrown, sustainable jobs — but I will be equally focused on eliminating economic disparities for people of color.

The two will go hand in hand.

There are no easy answers to these issues and no quick recipes for success, but for the last eight years, I’ve been on the ground floor of working with these challenges and implementing solutions.

Paul Thissen www.paulthissen.com I believe that closing the achievement gap and fostering an environment where all students of color can successfully complete high school and attend some form of post-secondary education is essential to building a diverse workforce. Minnesota will be most prosperous when all of its citizens, regardless of race, are adequately prepared for successful careers.

The next governor will also need to lead by example and promote fair hiring practices at the state and local level. I will appoint commissioners who will actively enforce our minority contractor laws. With a diverse pool of qualified prospective employees, Minnesota will be a state where all its citizens can find employment that allows them to support their families.

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LRT From 1 a generation ago that made people victims rather that beneficiaries of transportation policy. The Light Rail project will run parallel to the I-94 Freeway, whose construction demolished thriving middle and working class residences and businesses, obliterating Black economic progress and opportunity by gutting St. Paul’s historic Rondo Avenue District.

Coleman credited leadership at the top….the vision of President Barack Obama and Secretary LaHood, who

Insight News • February 1 - February 7, 2010 • Page 3 maintained that local communities must benefit from massive development efforts.

Commissioner Carter said, “The public/private partnership that has made this possible reflects and honors the desire and intent of this community— residents, business owners, members of district councils, nonprofit organizations, and groups who live and work here, and who have toiled for years together with local and national elected and appointed officials – on strategies to ensure all three stations.”

“The impediments along the way have been multiple, complex and sometimes vague and difficult to understand; among them a

MLK From 1 scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs.

The theme for this year’s Breakfast was “Dream from the Mountaintop, Share the Legacy, Shape the Future.” The Breakfast Chair was General Mills’ Financial Operation Manager Humphrey Otita. He said it is important that we “reflect on what’s going on in our world around us and dream of what we want the future to look like…Inaction is our enemy; everybody’s problem is our problem.

The Co-Founder and President Emeritus of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Rev. Dr Joseph E. Lowery, was the keynote speaker at the Breakfast.

Lowery addressed the economic gap saying, “Even before the recession the poor were getting poorer and the rich getting richer…There’s something wrong with a handful of people having more than they’ll ever need and the rest don’t have enough.”

To keep civil rights alive and progress toward closing that economic gap, Lowery asserts that it is up to communities and people to fight for social justice. “The far right became more [engaged] than we have been, and so we have got to reassert ourselves. They’d just as soon see the country sink in this economic situation than see his administration do well. People determine progress…We can’t lay it all on President Obama,” he said.

A year ago, Lowery gave the

The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery benediction for Obama’s inauguration. He gave Obama a B+ for what he has done in office so far and said that people need to take into account that Obama inherited a great deal of trouble.

Even so, Lowery sees Obama as a good role model for African American men and boys and quoted musical artist Beyoncé saying, “Every time I see [Obama] I want to be smarter.”

One issue in which Lowery stands apart from Obama is the Middle East. While he does not necessarily disagree with Obama’s decision to send a troop surge to Afghanistan, he says, “I wish we could send 30,000 peace corps, doctors and nurses, teachers, agriculture, and people with skills to Afghanistan and find a different way to get our message across.

Every problem does not have a military solution and the Middle East is one of them, what we’re doing is not working. What frightens me is that we may be creating more terrorists in Iraq than we kill. What also frightens me is that the soldiers we are sending are

limited project budget and, of even greater impact, an all too restrictive cost effectiveness index (CEI),” she said.

Last week LaHood announced changes in the application, or weighting, of the controversial cost effectiveness index, changes that “loosened the choke-hold of the CEI and made it possible for local partners to meet a remaining funding challenge. Together we have met that challenge,” she said.

The Federal Transit Administration will cover half the cost of the three stations, while contributions from Ramsey County, Saint Paul, the Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB) and the Central Corridor

Funders’ Collaborative will complete the funding package, she said.

Carter said the community should have high expectations for opportunity and benefit from the anticipated $1billion investment in a transportation system connecting Downtown St. Paul and Downtown Minneapolis. She said the massive construction project should generate “living wage jobs for people who desperately need them, affordable housing to maintain our diverse community, vibrant businesses especially for those here today, and a more livable, sustainable and prosperous community.”

Carter was joined by Melvin

Carter III, St. Paul Ward 1 City Councilmember, whose ward the Central Corridor dissects.

“With my wife and daughters, I live just two blocks from Western Avenue, so my family is one of those for whom light rail as previously planned, would have actually decreased transit service,” he said.

“Like so many others, that’s never made sense to me. A billion dollar transit improvement in our community, should in fact, improve transit in our community.

“Today’s announcement is a victory for the people who’ve stood up for these stops for over five years. We worked, we prayed, we shouted... And now, we won ,”

Melvin Carter said.

He said work still must be done to: • Mitigate the loss of on-street parking; • Help small businesses survive construction; and • Ensure that development supports resident and business diversity, not by allowing displacement.

Carter acknowledged the confluence of critical elements that led to the successful outcome including “dedicated elected officials at every level, a community that will never stop pushing, and a Federal

younger and younger. We have to find a different way of communicating and selling our way of life.”

Executive Director of the General Mills Foundation and the Vice President of General Mills Inc, Ellen Goldberg Luger, presented three Emerging Legend Community Service Awards. She says we must “dream from the mountaintop together and volunteer to shape the future.”

The first award went to the President and Chief Executive Officer of Summit Academy OIC (SAOIC), Louis J. King II. SAOIC is a nonprofit educational and vocational training center that empowers adults and prepares youth residing in the most economically depressed neighborhoods in the Twin Cities to become educated, employed, contributing members of their community.

The second award was given to the Founder and Artistic Director of VocalEssence, Philip Brunelle.

VocalEssence champions choral music of all genres, celebrating the vocal experience through innovative concerts, commissions, and community engagement programs.

The third award was given to Simone Fuller, a junior at Cristo Rey High School. Her essay “Slacking to Succeeding” was recently declared a winner in ThreeSixty Journalism’s Your Turn contest, which asked students to submit a reflection on the topic of ‘jumping cliques.’ From 2005 to 2007, Simone was a LearningWorks student and a School Year Program teacher from 2007 to 2009.

The Ladies of Jazz Project provided dazzling musical entertainment for the Breakfast.

They sang their own version of “Happy Birthday” to Martin Luther King and led attendees in singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

UNCF Area Development Director, Sharon SmithAkinsanya, also spoke at the event.

She stressed that “a college degree is more important than ever…Students need to get the education they need before they go to college so they can succeed.”

Students from the High School for the Recording Arts performed “Lyrics of Legacy” and the Park Ave United Methodist Church Lead Pastor Dennis M. Oglesby led attendees in prayer before the meal.

Dr Michael L. Lomax, President and Chief Executive Officer of UNCF, spoke to the work that still needs to be done regarding minority education.

“The right to go to college is incomplete if a student can’t afford it,” he said.

For seven years, Lomax served as President of Dillard University in New Orleans, LA. He was the first African American Chair of the Fulton County Commission in Atlanta. Lomax was also a professor at Morehouse and Spelman Colleges and the University of Georgia. He served as an escort at Martin Luther King’s funeral in 1968 and declared that “we are standing on the shoulders of giants.”

The event was simulcast to Minnesota National Guard soldiers in Basra, Iraq. The St. Paul Area Council of Churches also hosted

three community breakfasts in St. Paul, one in Mahtomedi, one in Duluth, and one in River Falls, WI.

For more information, www.MLKBreakfast.org.

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Page 4 • February 1 - February 7, 2010 • Insight News

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Poetry of success at City, Inc. High The City Inc High Schools has offered its students an after school performance arts program for the past two years. This opportunity as been made available through the generosity of the Minneapolis Public Schools Contact Alternative Office.

Phyllis Productions provides performance arts training to the students.

Phyllis Productions, led by Judy Cooper-Lyle, a veteran of the Minneapolis theatre community, has brought new opportunities to The City Inc High School Students.

Presented here are two poems written by The City Inc students for classroom credit and performed recently at a school-wide assembly.

The City Inc students are focused on improving their literacy and writing skills. These two poems represent quality work by two students who are enrolled in the performance arts program and they demonstrate how students at The City Inc are improving academically and having the unique opportunity to perform for fellow students, family and friends.

Bill English, Director of Schools at The City Inc said, “We are committed to improving the academic skills of our students while providing them with opportunities’ to engage in the performing arts as a way of building self confidence and self esteem.”

English is extremely grateful to Minneapolis public Schools, particularly Mary Barrie, Director of Contract Alternatives, for their support in making this program available to The City Inc students.

Love is Blind

By Iesha Coves I feel as if the pain that’s running through my veins has made a claim on my mind, body, soul This pain that’s so bitter and cold spreads through my body like the meth that eats away the flesh of a meth addict It weakens my heart like the smoke that weakens your lungs It rots my spirit like the liquor deteriorates your liver I get down on my knees and ask “GOD please. Why Me”?

Why did I have to get abused?

Emotionally, mentally, and sexually?

Iesha Coves Why did incest have to run throughout my family tree?

Why have I been going through this warfare spiritually?

Lord “Why Me, Why Me”?

Why is what I thought was a brothers love has caused me to feel hurt, abused, confused, ashamed all of the above My hurt beneath it all beneath the laughs, smiles, pretended joy, fake togetherness I throw smiles over it all Over the hurt, confusion, fear, denial, lies, truth Then I tell myself well agony is pain Can love be pain?

Is love pain?

Well in my case ya’ll the pain caused was portrayed as love When I was called stupid that was love When I was told I was nothing that was love When I was told to take off my clothes that was love When I was told to shut up that was love When it was anywhere at anytime By the age of twelve he must have said “huh it’s about that time.”

That was love When I was taken into the hallway as if I was a prostitute getting paid that was love When I said “No” he said “Yes” that was love When he was ready to stick and told me to suck and lick That was love

Vinyarie Smith When this blind pain went on and on and it’s going on and on that’s love When he said “Oh that little girl on drugs” that was love When he said “that it was consent at the age of six” That was love When 1 person became 2 And 2 became 3 that was love When I not only have this hidden pain but when I start to think about the emotional hurt that I endured from my daddy verbally O yeah Esha, that was love too!!

When his drunk nights was labeled as life lessons That was love When he said “You not my child” but “I’m your daddy” that was love When he said “don’t listen to my family” but “I believe what they say” That was love When they said “I’m this, I’m that” I’m not gone be this or be that That was love When I was showed that him being your brother was more important then me being your baby girl that was love When it came to the point where I tried to hurt myself thinking that it would please everyone else that wasn’t love Me keeping everything inside I’m not loved Me crying I’m not loved Me hurting I’m not loved My heart breaking I’m not loved Damn love is blind Ya’ll!!

PICTURE PERFECT

By Vinyarie Smith You don’t know how I feel My family is falling completely apart.

The family I thought was so perfect ain’t so perfect after all.

The man of the house my father is leaving his family and friends.

Because of the white man’s unjust laws.

So how can you put an ex-con back on the street with a felony on his record?

How is this man, my father, going to support our family?

Going back to the only thing he knows DRUGS AND THE MILITARY It’s kind of crazy because the same white man that made the unjust laws Wants my father to be a slave in his billion dollar prison YES PRISON! That’s where he’s headed All because my father wanted a picture perfect family Then there’s my mother – mama – lord know she trying her best Working two jobs cooking and cleaning, cleaning and cooking trying to keep herself busy and motivated hoping for a better day.

Then there’re her grown ass kids that can’t put the pass in the pass an’ all they wanna do is argue yelling and screaming, screaming and yelling AND DON’T KNOW WHAT THE F*** THEY YELLING AND SCRAMING ABOUT IN THE FIRST PLACE! So how does my mother deal with her grown ass kids and the loss of her husband?

A SHOT OF HEN and not taking God’s hand.

So how does she No how do we the picture perfect family going to do with out this man for ten years.

Picture perfect Perfect picture . . .

My picture perfect family.

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Veil From 1 pivotal decision laid the foundation for toppling the legal underpinnings of Jim Crow and for enacting civil rights legislation that expanded federal protection of citizenship rights for all Americans.

The following excerpt describes the trial of Briggs v. Elliot, the first case in a series of cases that comprised Brown v. Board of Education. (Copyright © 2009 by Patricia Sullivan. This excerpt originally appeared in “Lift Every Voice: The NAACP and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement,” published

by The New Press. Reprinted here with permission.)

The circumstances surrounding the Briggs trial in May 1951 revealed the fusion of elements that brought the NAACP, the South, and the nation to the edge of momentous change.

[Thurgood] Marshall, [Robert] Carter, [Kenneth] Clark, and Spottswood Robinson traveled together by train to Charleston, arriving a week before the start of the trial. When they arrived in Charleston they set up shop at the home of local NAACP supporters Reginald and Eva Boone. The place was abuzz with activity as the lawyers prepared for the case. Clark spent two days over in Clarendon County, interviewing the children at Scotts Branch School—his first exposure to the oppressive and terror ridden climate of the Deep South. “The fact that our side was playing for keeps really sank through to me,” he later recalled. Back at the Boone house, though, a festive atmosphere prevailed.

Working sessions and meals took place around a large table in the attached garage, where a cool breeze gave some respite from the heat and humidity. Eva Boone hired a cook to feed “the overflow of lawyers, reporters, expert witnesses, stenographers [and] NAACP hands” and the well wishers who dropped in.

New York Post reporter Ted Posten, a longtime associate of the NAACP lawyers, was there.

He remembered “an inner joyousness affecting everyone in the place.” For Clark, the entire Charleston experience “really opened my eyes. I saw the tremendous psychological investment these men had in the case…and of course my life hasn’t been the same since.”

Before dawn on the morning of May 28, 1951, the first day of the trial, Eliza Briggs met her neighbors at St. Mark’s Church in Summerton and joined a caravan of cars headed for Charleston. Black men and women began lining up outside the federal courthouse at sunrise and continued coming all day. By the time the lawyers arrived, the line stretched from the second story courtroom down the hall and stairway, through the lobby, down the front steps, and along the sidewalk. The courtroom seated 150; more than 500 people waited, and more came. Eliza Briggs was guaranteed a seat given that the case bore her family’s name. James Gibson, a

Insight News • February 1 - February 7, 2010 • Page 5 farmer who rode over from Clarendon County, was among the hundreds lined up outside.

“I never got tired of standing that day,” he said…During the course of the trial, news found its way to Gibson and the others gathered along the hallway and on the street. “Whenever the NAACP lawyer made a point,” Posten recalled, “someone got up and whispered it to the line,

NAACP board member John Hammond, the musical impresario, attended the hearing and reported at the June board meeting a week later that the NAACP had finally struck “pay dirt” so far as the masses of Blacks in the South were concerned. The case affected every Black family, as demonstrated by the hundreds who turned out for the trial. For

“the NAACP was able to get the whole story of the futility of segregation before the white southerners and well as the Negroes.” and it would travel down the corridor and down the steps to the throng outside….

The high point of the trial came when Marshall crossexamined one of the defense’s few witnesses, ironically named E.R. Crow. Crow was the director of the three week-old South Carolina Education Finance Commission, hurriedly established to oversee the state’s massive school spending plan [to upgrade Black schools.] Marshall peppered Crow with questions. What guarantees were there to ensure that sufficient funds would be spent on Black schools? How many Blacks served on the new state commission” were there plans to hire any? It was a withering cross examination, [Robert] Carter recalled, compelling the witness to admit widespread disparity. At the end of each question, Marshall would pronounce “Mr. Crow’s name, allowing Blacks in the audience to supply the name ‘Jim’ to Mr. Crow” to their delight. It was a masterly performance.

In his closing argument, Marshall observed: “In South Carolina, you have admitted to the inferiority of Negro schools.

All your state officials are white. Your school officials are white. It is admitted. That’s not just segregation. It’s exclusion from the group that runs everything.”…

The significance of the case reached beyond whatever the trial court decided. Longtime

the first time, he said, he felt “the NAACP was able to get the whole story of the futility of segregation before the white southerners and well as the Negroes.”

James Hinton [president of the South Carolina NAACP State Conference of branches] wrote that “the very sight of the trial lifted them to a deeper appreciation of the

NAACP and its aims and purposes.”

For Marshall, Charleston was a measure of how far they had traveled in four short years, when he first began laying the foundation for a frontal attack on Jim Crow.

“The Negroes from Clarendon County and from all over the South jammed the courthouse standing shoulder to shoulder hot and uncomfortable, for a singly purpose – to demonstrate to all the world that Negroes in the South are determined to eliminate segregation from American life.”

In commemoration of Black History Month and the legacy of the NAACP, the Library of Congress will launch a new online exhibition (myloc.gov/exhibitions/naacp) on Feb. 3 featuring items from its vast NAACP collection.

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous, AARP Vice-President, Multicultural Markets Edna

Kane-Williams, and other invited guests, will participate in a special ceremony in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium in the Jefferson Building, 10 First St., S.E., Washington, D.C. at 10 a.m. on Feb. 3.

On Feb. 26, the Library of Congress will hold a symposium on the NAACP in room LJ119 of the Jefferson Building from 10 a.m. to noon.

Joining me on the panel to

discuss “The NAACP: Reflections on the First 100 Years” are Robert L. Zangrando, professor emeritus of history at the University of Akron; and Kenneth W. Mack, professor of law at Harvard University. The symposium will be free and open to the public.

“Lift Every Voice” is available at your local book store and www.thenewpress.com.

Page 6 • February 1 - February 7, 2010 • Insight News

Carson From 1 stroke. “SagePlus is a chance for women to significantly impact their health,” said Anne

Kukowski, the SagePlus program director. “We educate and empower them to make lifestyle choices.”

Making lifestyle choices is an important component of the SagePlus program.

Clinical studies done at the National

10 Ways to Love Your Heart Source: American Heart Association, 2008 1.

Get regular check-ups. Call 1-888-6HEALTH to see if you qualify for free heart health screening services.

2.

Know your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers.

3.

Follow your doctor's recommendations for diet and exercise.

Call 1-888-6HEALTH to see if you qualify for free our Smart Choices program.

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Take prescription medications as directed.

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If you smoke, quit now. Call 1-888-6HEALTH to be connected to the Minnesota QuitPlan Services.

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Call 1-888-6HEALTH to see if you qualify for our Steps Program.

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To find out more about Sage and SagePlus Call 1-888-6HEALTH (1-888-643-2584) promo code N24 You may be eligible to receive $20 when you call.

Military From 1 The General’s comments punctuated Ray Robinson’s reflective narrative about battlefield heroics of Black soldiers who made up the 92nd Field Artillery Division, the only all-Black combat unit fighting on European soil during World War II. Robinson, whom the General referred to as Sgt. Robinson, joined me and U.S. Sen. Al Franken for a Martin Luther King Holiday interview at Insight News’ Marcus Garvey House offices in North Minneapolis.

Gordon-Bray joined the conversation by telephone and later by

videoconference from University of Missouri at Warrensburg, MO. The four of us talked about the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and about the intersection of Civil Rights and service to our nation.

Gordon-Bray put the entire discussion in context by recalling that Crispus Attucks, a man of African and native descent, made a statement about Black’ people’s desire for and commitment to freedom when he led colonists’ insurrection against British tyranny in 1770.

Attucks was the first of five people killed in the Boston Massacre in Boston, MA. He has been frequently named as the first martyr of the American Revolution and is the only

Institute of Health show that people can reduce their risk of heart disease if they simply change their eating and exercise habits and, if they smoke cigarettes, to stop.

“Environmental factors push women toward having unhealthy habits” said Kukowski. “We try to help [our participants] be aware of the choices they make in their daily lives and to make the changes they need to become healthier.”

The SagePlus program offers two Smart Choices! plans to help women reduce their risk for heart disease and improve their overall health – the Steps walking plan and the fruits and vegetables plan.

Carson enrolled in both of these SagePlus plans to lower her blood pressure. “For years I tried to stay healthy, do a lot of walking and changing my eating habits,” said Carson. “But these programs really got me interested in wanting to do more and learn more about my health.” Carson added that her lifestyle coach showed her how she could improve her health by creating achievable goals that will fit her lifestyle. “We focus on small measurable steps toward women’s health goals,” said Kukowski in describing the SagePlus program.

“That’s how our women can achieve success in creating lasting lifestyle changes.”

As part of the Smart Choices! plan Carson received a pedometer and tracking cards to record her steps and the number of fruits and vegetables she ate.

Boston Massacre victim whose name is commonly remembered, according to the online resource, Wikipedia.

“The fabric of our nation is just a strong today as it was in the beginning; in 1776,” said Gordon-Bray. “That’s because of people like Ray Robinson.”

Robinson, who turned 90 on January 5, said he volunteered for Army service some 14 months before the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. “They said we could not fight. They said we would not fight,” Robinson said, describing the Jim Crow racial segregation that regulated every aspect of life for most Black Americans —even after the formal end of American slavery through MILITARY TURN TO 7

http://insightnews.com She was required to mail the cards to her lifestyle coach.

“Filling out those cards kept me motivated,” said Carson who also kept the letters she received from the program that notified her about her progress to reaching her goals.

“The program pushed me to be more aware of my health and what I could do even with my age,” said Carson. “After a while we think because of our age, we don’t think we can do much,” she added.

Carson also enjoyed having her lifestyle coach check up on her through periodic phone calls. “[My lifestyle coach] gave me motivation to keep going,” said Carson. “She gave me the feeling that there’s someone else with me and that I wasn’t just doing it by myself. Some days you just need that.” With the help of the SagePlus program, Carson succeeded in reaching her goal and walked a million steps within eight months. “I got this lovely SagePlus jacket,” said Carson of the incentive she received to mark her accomplishment. “That was very nice.”

Lavonne Carson

Carson doesn’t deny that she worked very hard to improve her eating habits and raise her activity level. But she added that all the hard work was worth it. “I don’t think that to this day I could go as far as I did from a year ago,” said Carson. “But now my blood pressure level is lower than I could ever imagine.”

Carson said she wants all women to try SagePlus if they are eligible. “If you have a family and children, if

you know that they love you and if you want to see your grandchildren graduate from school and be able to get around and play with them then it’s important to have yourself checked out,” said Carson.

“Don’t wait until something happens.”

The SagePlus program is offered at select clinics in conjunction with Sage, Minnesota’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program.

Both programs offer free screening services for Minnesotan women age 40 to 64 years old, who are uninsured or underinsured, and whose income does not exceed Sage’s guidelines. A woman must be enrolled in the Sage program to take part in the SagePlus heart health program.

To find out if you qualify for Sage and SagePlus .

Call toll-free at 1-8886HEALTH (1-888-643-2584) promo code N24. You may be eligible to receive $20 and other incentives when you call.

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Insight News • February 1 - February 7, 2010 • Page 7

Offers can take time

Bring patience, humor and an updated reference list Plan your career

By Julie Desmond julie@insightnews.com This time, it’s all about me. If you are looking for work, let me tell you, I feel your pain. In keeping with the new frugality of our times, I had the brilliant idea that I would find a part time job within a gym and, for the cost of a few hours of my time, enjoy the free membership afforded employees at many fitness centers. I started this process in November.

January is now behind us and I am beginning to pack on the pounds.

In December, a hiring manager called.

She left a voicemail saying she wanted to schedule an interview. I left an enthusiastic message in return and waited by the phone, for a week.

Afraid she had somehow missed my message, I dialed again. Still

Military From 6 the Civil War. “We decided we would prove them wrong. I enlisted. I was not drafted,” he said.

“I was assigned to the 92nd Division, a training battalion for field artillery. I enlisted early and I became a trainer for new recruits. What started as a trickle soon became a flood as young Black men joined the Army. I was glad to train them.

After a couple of years, we were transferred to Newport News, VA, from which we sailed to join the fight in Italy” Robinson said.

Gordon-Bray, whose brother served in Vietnam, said, “in the

no response. Until January.

Hooray, an interview. Or so I thought. We talked, arranged a meeting time and I arrived a few minutes early. However, she did not. She was out sick that day. I left her a voice mail, hoping she made a quick recovery and letting her know I was eager to meet.

A few days later, when she called back, I was losing steam for this big idea and for this supervisor.

I agreed to an interview, we had a great conversation and I was back on board. She wanted to check my references, of course, and would get back to me.

Two weeks later, she began calling my references, apparently not realizing my big (literally) hurry to start my new job and my new workout regimen. She was rude to them, and rude to me when one of them (who had changed jobs) was not available at the first number provided. Likely, this manager is overworked and understaffed. I’m still wondering what the decision will be. My references wonder why I want to work there.

I have found jobs for myself and countless others, in every

economy, at every career level and in a wide range of industries, and this might be the toughest one yet.

But did I do everything possible to facilitate the process? No, I didn’t. Maybe you can learn from my mistakes.

First, I applied for positions at only one gym. All those eggs in one basket – rookie mistake.

Second, based on the interview, I thought this was a done deal. But I never sent a thank you note. It might have helped her realize I was excited about the opportunity, which I was.

Third, I failed to update my references’ contact information. I knew one had changed jobs; I should have brought updated reference information to the interview.

Will they hire me? Who knows? I am typing with my fingers crossed and my gym shoes on.

60s to join the armed services was like a rite of passage in Black America. There is a myth that we were disproportionately represented in combat and it was said that we were forced into the combat assignments.

But that simply is not true.

“We joined for the opportunity to serve in combat arms, to counter the image that we were unwilling or unable to fight,” he said.

Gordon-Bray said military service was a tradition in his family and in many Black families. His grandfather served in WWI and his father was stationed on the USS Ticonderoga in WWII. His stepfather insisted that he complete at least one year of college before following their

footsteps. “I went to college and joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program because I thought the uniform was cool. I was a decent ballplayer and I thought I would do a couple of years of school then play professionally, maybe in Europe. But I found the Army to be more than just a cool uniform. I trained and became a member of the famed 82nd Airborn Brigade,” he said.

“And, I experienced a deepening of commitment that I never thought I would have,” Gordon-Bray said. Over the years, he said, he saw service in little known operations in South Florida, in Central America, and in Africa. He said he

Julie Desmond is Director of Career Planning Resources with Help Wanted! Workshop in Minneapolis. Send comments and questions to julie@insightnews.com.

MILITARY TURN TO

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Page 8 • February 1 - February 7, 2010 • Insight News

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The Love Series: All the Single Ladies (and Men)-Valentine’s Day is For You Too Style on a dime

By Marcia Humphrey “She made me feel that there was something wrong with me because I am not married!” my girlfriend confessed to me about her well-intentioned cousin who was trying to set her up with a man with whom there was no love connection. Although I imagine the heart of this concerned relative was in the right place, I must stop and ask you, the reader,

a question “What’s wrong with being single??” Here is the answer “Absolutely Nothing!” So here’s my next question, “Then why do we sometimes make our single friends and family feel otherwise? Some are perfectly content remaining single, and if they are we shouldn’t bother them. Others, who are still anticipating the arrival of that special someone, should be encouraged to live life to the fullest in the meantime. During this 2010 Valentine’s season I am encouraging all the single ladies (and men) to celebrate a love that begins with you loving yourself (which is not to be confused with being self-centered or selfabsorbed.) Peek at these helpful Do’s and Don’ts as you celebrate the joys of being Single, Sassy, and Satisfied during V-Day!

Do start with a good self-image.

With a healthy view of yourself, you are more likely to attract a healthy mate. Consider taking inventory of your strengths and weaknesses. We all can benefit from doing this at least once yearly. The idea is to write down specific things that make you unique, special, and worthy of love and respect. Allow yourself to feel good about these qualities.

Answer the question, “My best character trait is my…” and “I am still working to improve in the area of…”

Also acknowledge that while you are imperfect, you are still a treasure. Spend time with others who see you and themselves in that way. As a matter of fact, make a date with a few like-minded, single friends and toast to self-love!

Do celebrate your style, flair and sass. We each make our unique mark on this earth and our variety makes it so interesting. Do you like to express yourself through dance or music?

Do your interests include reading, cooking, or art? As a V-day gift, treat yourself to a book at Barnes & Nobles (or borrow one of your favorite authors from the library), buy yourself a new paint brush for an upcoming art project, or try out a new recipe and invite your friend or a family member over to eat it with you. After all, you deserve it!

Don’t wait until Mr. or Mrs. Right shows up before you start living your dreams-enjoy the journey that leads to that special someone person. If you have always dreamt of going to Paris, save up

and go (just pay cash for the trip).

You never know, while you are busy having fun, you just may bump into your one true love!

Do resist the urge to call your “former Boo” in hopes that he has left his trifling ways behind. You will only be disappointed.

Remember, if he liked it (enough) then he would have put a ring on it! Instead, call a friend and make a movie date, or even catch one at your local discount movie theater with just you and the popcorn.

As you celebrate the upcoming day of love, proudly embrace your singleness as a gift from God. Find contentment in realizing that you are whole and complete-without a mate-and you are of great value. Rejoice in the benefits that your current status brings; freedom to act on a whim,

freedom to spend as you see fit, freedom to keep your home as neat (or as messy) as you please, and freedom to pursue interests and hobbies without having to check in with someone else. Ask yourself “Do I really love me? If you are unsure, do something about it; exclusively date yourself for awhile. Get in touch with who you really are at this moment-and who you’re becoming. You’ll then be best equipped to share your love with another. Enjoy!

Marcia Humphrey is an interior decorator and home stager who specializes in achieving high style at low costs.

A native of Michigan, she and her husband, Lonnie, have three children.

Children drop out and into lives of poverty and imprisonment

By Marian Wright Edelman A homeless man talking about how he ended up on the streets said he had wanted to get in with the “cool” crowd in 8th or 9th grade—a crowd that smoked marijuana, got into fights, and skipped school. No adult reached out to help him turn his life around so he continued his decline into a life of chronic joblessness and poverty, and long stretches of incarceration after he dropped out of school.

Youths who drop out of school

Military From 7 commanded the 232nd Falcon Brigade in the first stages of the

represent a colossal loss to our communities and nation. And many dropouts are condemned to the social and economic fringes of our society and lives less fulfilled than their peers who graduate from high school. Today, more than half of all young adult dropouts are jobless. And dropouts are at greater risk of being incarcerated and having poorer physical and mental health than those who graduate.

The impact of the enormous dropout problem is not evenly shared among children in America. Poor and minority

youths are far less likely to graduate from high school than White children. An October 2009 report released by the National Center for Education Statistics says 59.8 percent of Blacks, 62.2 percent of Hispanics, and 61.2 percent of American Indians graduated from public high school in four years with a regular diploma in the 2006–07 school year compared to 79.8 percent for Whites and 91.2 percent for Asian and Pacific Islanders. Black and Hispanic dropout rates were more than twice those of White youths.

Children don’t just wake up one

morning and decide to take a path to a dead end life. So how is it possible that more than half a million of them drop out every year? I believe the main reason is that adults have often let our children down and abandoned our responsibilities to prepare them for healthy and productive lives in our homes and communities. We’d rather punish children after they get into trouble than prevent child problems. The only universally guaranteed child right is a jail or detention cell after they come in conflict with the law. We don’t even assure all children prenatal

Iraq War. “I saw America’s finest perform, get hurt, and go back to the fight. And I have seen our country fuse itself in support of our fighters, regardless of how they feel about the policy

decisions.

America is rediscovering its spine. Our resolve was being questioned around the world. Now, we are saying that we are not walking away,” he said.

“I am a product of America.

And of a family that was always patriotic at its core. We recognize the need to serve. We believe that to enjoy the promise of America, to enjoy America’s treasure, you have to be willing to give part of your blood,” he said.

“We have done that as a family and as a community,” Gordon-Bray said.

Franken said he had no ties to the military, but he has done seven USO Tours. “In 1999, Secretary of Defense William

Cohen asked if I wanted to do a USO show in Kosovo. I said sure, I could tell the service men and women a joke or two.

But I was blown away by the dedication of these young men and women,” he said.

“The first time I visited an Army Hospital,” he said, “the Army asked me to visit combat veterans at Walter Reed Hospital. I had no idea of how to cheer up a guy who may have lost arms or legs. So I was worried. What would I say?

“The first guy I saw was a guy standing on crutches. He was missing the left leg from just above the knee. I asked, ‘What happened?’ He was grinning. He said ‘I came in here for a vasectomy.’ I saw a

care to be born as healthy as possible. We have deprived our children of fathers by locking up young men and putting them in a pipeline to prison, and we’ve allowed our community supports to fray, depriving children of safe havens and positive mentors. For most of the week, congregational doors are locked and we’ve cut back on the hours when community centers and libraries are open. Some have decided that after-school and summer enrichment programs are too expensive. Some states spend more to incarcerate a child for a

year than it would cost to send him to Harvard University! Some New York state youth prisons cost $210,000 to house one child for a year. Gangs and drug dealers are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, offering apprenticeships in drug dealing and car stealing and other illegal behaviors.

So many of our nation’s schools have let our children down and are unwitting accomplices to the pipeline to prison’s destructive work. Academic tracking, social promotion, and out-of-school

Brigadier General Arnold Gordon-Bray

Sen Al Franken

second guy who was just grinning. It wasn’t because of joke I told. It was because he had just become a citizen. His dad was there. He was an inspiration.

“So then this year, I spoke about this in Washington. You say, ‘How do I cheer these guys

up?’ And you discover, ‘Oh! I see. They cheer me up.”

CHILDREN TURN TO

11

Next week, Part 3 – The Senator, the General and Ray Robinson on MLK and Civil Rights.

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LRT From 3 Administration that will always say, ‘Yes We Can’ do what’s right, even when it’s not easy.”

Ramsey County Commissioner Jim McDonough, who also serves as chair of the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority, said the LRT project will lift all boats and he encouraged residents and business interests to remain engaged and respectful while insistent in pursuing their interests in creating common good.

Minnesota Fifth District Congressman Ellison praised the Stops for Us Coalition and local officials who were relentless in seeking funding and rule changes required to overcome barriers created by the cost effectiveness index analysis. “This is about access,” he said. “We talk about

Insight News • February 1 - February 7, 2010 • Page 9 the Civil Rights Movement. This should be a signal to everyone that if you get involved, if you stay involved and push your ideas forward, you can win.”

Minnesota Eighth District Congressman James L. Oberstar chairs the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation. He said because of the November election of Barack Obama we have “$800 billion in new funding for transportation, including funding for Amtrak on a sustained basis, a Stimulus bill that the president expanded beyond what the House and Senate created in 2008, and now the transit investment means the capacity to move on to a new future…I call it back to the future to reclaim our past by reinvesting in systems that once served us well.”

Oberstar said every light rail in America tripled original projections of ridership and usage.

The stations added today means

Haiti - Africa - Descent - Ancestry

Asking myself why A voice spoke to me God have chosen people To carry the cross and bear the pain The American people Feel your lost and sympathy And one by one They will pick that cross up It is the right thing to do When the peace dove Lift thy head in spirit And begin to sing Let the peace dove sing Let peace and freedom ring

By Lue Bratton Lampley

the system will serve the neediest in the community.

Oberstar said the Duluth experience in creating 35W was similar to the Rondo debacle, displacing the working poor and deferring to the wealthy. “We can’t do that anymore,” he said, giving credit to Secretary LaHood and President Obama.

Klobuchar said the Central Corridor project is part of a much bigger system for the state and region that will include high speed rail from Twin Cities to Chicago.

She said Secretary LaHood understands the demands of transportation as a key component of recovery and development and praised his leadership even in under the radar initiatives to

reduce phone and texting while driving.

LaHood said the cooperation created by residents and businesses in St. Paul, and the political institutions that serve them, will serve as a model for the entire country. He said Twin Cities’ persistence figured in to the reassessment of the weight given Cost Effectiveness Index.

He said he agreed that the election of Obama, and the work of the Minnesota delegation, reflected courage and leadership that is creating jobs and opportunity by investing the transportation grid.

LaHood said Minnesota’s delegation supported “The $800 billion recovery plan, which includes $48 billion for

transportation. You are lucky to have leaders who stood up and said we have to bite the bullet and the recovery plan,” he said.

Oberstar and Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin said communities will create embedded goals for inclusion of diversity workforce and business goals. Commissioner Carter said those goals include working with ethic media to ensure residents of community of color get timely, culturally framed information that supports visions and interests of communities of color.

Secretary LaHood committed to dispatching staff member to convene meetings with disadvantaged and minority

business owners ensuring they can connect to the business opportunity the billion dollar project represents.

Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak said the Obama campaign promised that if people got involved, they would create a government that was responsive to their interests. He said the Obama election is bearing fruit because “a train that would have buzzed right through neighborhoods in this city now has three specific stops reaching specifically into communities of color. This is change people can believe in.”

Page 10 • February 1 - February 7, 2010 • Insight News

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR Send Community Calendar information to us by: email, ben@insightnews.com, by fax: 612-588-2031, by phone: (612) 588-1313 or by mail: 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis, MN 55411, Attn: Ben Williams. Free or low cost events preferred.

Black History Month Gospel Night: A Celebration of Gospel Music - Feb 4 Metropolitan State University (Founders Hall Auditorium) 700 East 7th Street, St. Paul MN 55106 February 5, 2010 7 to 9:30 Celebrating the rich tradition of Gospel Music and Black History month. For more information call Lesia H-Dembley 651-793-1516.

Free and open to the public.

Alexs Pate presents “The Poetry of Rap,” - Feb. 4 Thurs, Feb. 4, 7 p.m. at the Rondo Community Outreach Library (461 North Dale Street, St. Paul). Free and open to the public. For more information call 651-266-7000.

Henry’s Freedom Box by Christina Ham, Music by David Simmons - Ongoing

February 5 to 27, Purchase tickets in advance online for discount tickets (buy before 8:00pm Thursday evenings for weekend shows). SteppingStone Theatre, 55 Victoria Street North, St. Paul.

Performance times and tickets are available at (651) 225-9265 or www.steppingstonetheatre.org, http://www.steppingstonetheatre.org Black History Month EventPanel of Success: “Realization of a Dream” - Feb 9 Tues, Feb. 9, 6 - 8 p.m. at Buenger Education Center, Concordia University, St. Paul, 275 Syndicate Street North St. Paul, MN 55104 (One block south of I-94 at Hamline Avenue).

Master Drummer Sowah Mensah, fellow musicians present “Sowah Mensah and Friends” - Feb. 13 Sat, Feb. 13 from 11 a.m. until noon at the Rice Street Branch Library (1011 Rice Street, St. Paul). Free and open to the public.

For more information call 651266-7000. www.sppl.org Hip Hop Extravaganza - Feb. 14 Sunday, February 14, 2 - 4 p.m. at the Rondo Community Outreach

LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF MINNESOTA DISTRICT COURT COUNTY OF HENNEPIN FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT FAMILY COURT DIVISION Court File No. ______________

Library, 461 N. Dale Street, St. Paul. Hosted by Tish Jones, with performances by Unicus Harry of Kanser, Niles Miller, Alissa Paris, Aneka McMullen, MC Isreal Coleman, Brittany Delany and BBoy Showcase. Free and open to the public. For more information call 651-266-7000. www.sppl.org

Maafa21, a Feature Length Black History film - Feb 22 Mon., Feb 22, 6:30 PM at The University of Minnesota, Coffman Memorial Building, Room # 303 Free to the public and students. Q & A to follow. students4humanlife@gmail.com Tel. 651-485-2313.

“Together We Can, Together We Did!” - Feb. 17 Noon at Concordia University St. Paul, Buenger Education Center, 275 Syndicate Street North, St. Paul, MN. (One block south of I94 at Hamline Avenue). For more information contact: Jill Johnson, 651-641-8755, jjohnson@csp.edu.

Tommy Watson - Feb. 22 February 22 at 7 p.m. at the Sun Ray Branch Library (2105 Wilson Avenue, St. Paul). Tommy Watson, subject of “A Face of Courage: The Tommy Watson Story – How Did He Survive?” shares his story. Free and open to the public. For more information call 651-266-7000. www.sppl.org

“Stories of Hope” presented by Isabell Monk O’Connor - Feb. 20 Sat, Feb 20, 10 a.m. at Merriam Park Branch Library (1831 Marshall Avenue, St. Paul). Free and open to the public. For more information call 651-266-7000. www.sppl.org “My People” - Feb. 20 Sat, Feb. 20, 1 p.m. at the Central Library (90 W. Fourth Street, St. Paul). A genealogical journey by Twin Cities’ jazz archivist, historian, memoirist and family history aficionado Tony Garrett.

Free and open to the public. For more information call 651-2667000. www.sppl.org

Warm Up to Super Cool Miles Davis - Feb 28 Sun, Feb 28, 2 until 4 p.m. at Rondo Community Outreach Library, 461 N. Dale Street, St. Paul. Free and open to the public.

For more information call 651266-7000. www.sppl.org Dreamgirls film showing - Feb. 28 Sun, Feb 28 at 2 p.m. at St. Paul Central Library in the 4th Floor Meeting Room. (Note: This film is rated PG-13.) enjoy the music and drama of “Dreamgirls,” a 2006 Academy Award-winning film starring Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson. Free and open to the public. For more information call 651-266-7000. www.sppl.org

In Re the Marriage of Peter Osora, Petitioner and SUMMONS Evelyn Birai, Respondent THE STATE OF MINNESOTA TO THE ABOVE-NAMED RESPONDENT. WARNING: YOUR SPOUSE, PETER OSORA HAS FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST YOU FOR DISSOLUTION OFYOUR MARRIAGE. A COPY OT THE PAPERWORK REGARDING THE LAWSUIT IS SERVED ON YOU WITH THIS SUMMONS. THIS SUMMONS IS AN OFFICIAL DOCUMENT FROM THE COURT THAT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS. READ THIS SUMMONS CAREFULLY. IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT, CONTACT AN ATTORNEY FOR LEGAL ADVICE. 1. The Petitioner, Peter Osora, has filed a lawsuit against you asking you for dissolution of your marriage (divorce). A copy of the petition for Dissolution of Marriage is attached to this summons.

2. You must serve upon Petitioner and file with the court a written Answer to the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, and you must pay the required filing fee. Answer forms are available from the Court Administrator's Office.

You must serve your answer upon Petitioner within thirty (30) days of the date you were served with this summons, not counting the day of service. If you do not serve and file your Answer, the Court may give your spouse everything he is asking for in the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage.

This proceeding does not involve real property.

NOTICE OF TEMPORARY RESTRAINING PROVISIONS UNDER MINNESOTA LAW, SERVICE OF THIS SUMMONS MAKES THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS APPLY TO BOTH PARTIES TO THIS ACTION, UNLESS THEY ARE MODIFIED BY THE COURT OR THE PROCEEDING IS DISMISSED: (1)NEITHER PARTY MAY DISPOSE OF ANY ASSETS EXCEPT: (i) FOR THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE OR FOR THE NECESSARY GENERATION OF INCOME OR PRESERVING ASSETS, (ii) BY AN AGREEMENT IN WRITING, OR (iii)FOR RETAINING COUNSEL TO CARRY ON OR TO CONTEST THIS PROCEEDING (2) NEITHER PARTY MAY HARASS THE OTHER PARTY; AND (3)ALL CURRENTLY AVAILABLE INSURANCE COVERAGE MUST BE MAINTAINED AND CONTINUED WITHOUT CHANGE IN COVERAGE OR BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION. (4)PARTIES TO A LEGAL SEPARATION PROCEEDING ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEMPT ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PURSUANT TO MINNESOTA LAW. ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION INCLUDES, MEDIATION, ARBITRATION, AND OTHER PROCESS AS SET FORTH IN THE DISTRICT COURT RULES. YOU MAY CONTACT THE COURT ADMINISTRATOR ABOUT RESOURCES IN YOUR AREA. IF YOU CANNOT PAY FOR MEDIATION OR ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION, IN SOME COUNTIES ASSISTANCE MAY BE AVAILABLE TO YOU THROUGH A NON-PROFIT PROVIDER A COURT PROGRAM. IF YOU ARE A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC ABUSE OR THREATS OF ABUSE AS DEFINED IN MINNESOTA STATUTES CHAPTER 510B, YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO TRY MEDIATION AND YOU WILL NOT BE PENALIZED BY THE COURT IN LATER PROCEEDINGS. IF YOU VIOLATE ANY OF THESE PROVISIONS, YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO SANCTIONS BY THE COURT. Dated: 1/19/2010 Signed by Petitioner: Peter Osora 7841 Zen Avenue #06 Brooklyn Park, MN 5443

ABA

We are looking for college students majoring in Sports Management, Business, Public Relations, Marketing Sales, Broadcasting and Event Planning.

We need 20 or 25 interns working with us for a (minimum of 8 hours a week) on a part-time basis. Interns will gain valuable experience, and in most cases college credits. Interested Parties please send resume to: The Minnesota ABA Team Attn: Internship Program 10125 Crosstown Circle #200 Eden Prairie, MN 55344

Hennepin County Foreclosure Workshop - Jan 30 Sat, Jan. 30, 10 a.m. at Hennepin County Library - Central, Doty Board Room (2nd floor), 300 Nicollet Mall, downtown Mpls.

612-630-6000.

Social Media 101 - Feb 2 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM at WomenVenture, Free. For further information and to register, visit womenventure.org or call 651646-3808. WomenVenture is located at 2324 University Avenue West, Suite 120, St. Paul, MN.

Northside Healthy Eating Project - Feb 3 Wednesday, February 3, 5:00 P.M. Summit Academy OIC — 7:30 P.M. at Urban Research Information Sessions - Ongoing and Outreach/Engagement Center (UROC), 2001 Assumed Name Plymouth Avenue N, Mpls.

State the exact assumed name under which Room 105.

1. the business is or will be conducted: Savoy Uptown

2. State the address of the principal place of business: 2329 Hennepin Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55405 3. List the name and complete street address of all persons conducting business under the above Assumed Name: Lowertown Hospitality Group, Inc., 125 Bates Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55106 4. I certify that I am authorized to sign this certificate and I further certify that I understand that by signing this certificate, I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Minnesota Statues section 609.48 as if I had signed this certificate under oath.

Signed by: Steve Ledin - Vice President Date Filed: 1/7/2010

952-829-1250 Fax: 952-829-1040 www.minnesotablizzards.com

Insight News 1/18/2010, 1/25/2010

University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality - Two Open Positions The Center for Community Vitality of the University of Minnesota Extension enhances Minnesota's social, economic, civic, and technological capacity.

We seek the following candidates to join our innovative, intelligent, entrepreneurial staff and help Greater Minnesota's communities build a stronger future.

Extension Educator-Leadership and Civic Engagement: Based in the UMD Center for Economic Development. This educator will serve a seven-county region in northeastern Minnesota. This educator will assess, deliver and evaluate outreach educational programs. A master's degree required.

Community Leadership Development Specialist: Located on St. Paul Campus. This person will provide staff and professional development opportunities for Extension educators and collaborate on evaluation, applied research, materials development, program development and other projects.

A doctoral degree required.

Application deadline: February 15. Read more about this position and apply online: http://www.extension.umn.edu/About/positions.html or call 612-6243717.

Equal Opportunity Educator and Employer

Nature Tots: Nature Scents – Feb. 4 Thurs., 10 a.m. Free with museum admission. Bell Museum of Natural History, 17th Ave. SE in Minneapolis, on the University of Minnesota campus.

Free admission on Sundays. Info: 612624-7083. Bell Museum of Natural History, 17th Ave. SE in Minneapolis, on the University of Minnesota campus.

Free admission on Sundays. Info: 612624-7083. Register: 612-6249050.

Stop foreclosures in North Minneapolis! Three Afternoons of Door to Door Outreach Ongoing Saturdays: 2:30 - 4:30 pm, Jan 30, Feb 6, and Feb 13. Meet at North Regional Library, 1315 Lowry Ave N Minneapolis. Please contact Marcus Harcus: (612) 600-0155 or mh.ncrc@gmail.com to sign up, or ask questions.

Events

Minnesota Blizzards Basketball The Minnesota Blizzards ABA Basketball Team is announcing a program for college Internships for the fall and winter. The program will consist of five teams of 5 interns each in the following areas: (1) Sales, (2) Basketball Operations. (3) Marketing (4) Public Relations (5) Business administration. Each team will have a leader and be given challenging assignments.

The following are held at 2 p.m.: Jan 20 – Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota, 1159 University Ave. W. Jan 27 – Lao Family Community of Minnesota, 320 W. University Ave. Feb 3 – Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, 270 N. Kent St. Feb 10 – Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building, 179 Robie St. The following are held at 10 a.m.: January 14, 21, 28; February 5, 12 at Plaza Latina, 925 Payne Avenue, St. Paul

treehugger.com

Wanted: Community-minded book lovers - Ongoing One in seven U.S. adults lack the literacy skills necessary to enjoy great books, help their children with homework, or understand medication labels. But you can change this by volunteering with the Minnesota Literacy Council.

With only two or three hours a week, your love of reading can create a stronger community.

Tutor an adult learner, assist in an adult classroom, or teach a basic English or GED class. We have locations throughout the Twin Cities area, flexible scheduling and training to help you get started.

Contact Allison at volunteer@themlc.org or 651-6452277, Ext 219 or visit us on the web at www.themlc.org.

SAFETY The City of St. Paul is currently accepting applications for the position of: Safety Officer Salary during Academy $1,917.98-$2,522.81 (bi-weekly) Reqs: A bachelor’s degree & 4 yrs exp in safety program development & safety training. OR a Master's Degree in Safety may be substituted for 2 yrs exp.

For more information and to apply, please review the position profile at www.stpaul.gov/jobs. Email jobs@stpaul.gov or call 651-266-6500 for application information. Deadline: Friday, Feb 5, 2010 City of Saint Paul An EEO Employer

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Insight News • February 1 - February 7, 2010 • Page 11

SPORTS Haiti, New Orleans, and the Super Bowl Mr T’s Sports Report

By Ryan T. Scott ryan@insightnews.com “Who Dat?! Who Dat?! Who Dat say ‘dey gon’ beat ‘dem Saints?!!”

Like most grooves born in the bayou – and everything else born in the bayou – the “Who Dat!” chant just grabs a hold of your cool nerve, and will have you bouncing, smiling, and looking for a bowl of gumbo before you know it. It’s New Orleans. New Orleans is special. Haiti is special. And the two have much more in common than recent tragedy. They are primary key points of Freedom in the History of the Western Hemisphere.

Through the centuries of the North American slave trade, New Orleans served as the principal port of commodity and business exchange. Ports often create a powerful confluence of cultures, and New Orleans was a beacon of that diversity, as well as, oddly, a

Children From 8 suspensions and expulsions contribute mightily to the discouragement, low self-esteem, and disengagement of so many poor and minority children.

One-size-fits-all school zero tolerance disciplinary policies are responsible for the growth in the number of school-based arrests of poor and minority children, funneling them into the juvenile and criminal justice systems at younger and younger ages. So many are suspended, expelled, even arrested, for nonviolent infractions such as being “disruptive” or “disrespectful.” In

beacon of freedom. One of the major reasons that New Orleans was such a beacon of freedom was due to the Haitian Revolution of 1804. To concisely summarize the Haitian Revolution (please read up on this Revolution for enlightenment, and perhaps inspiration) would be to say that: the African slaves revolted, took the island from the French slave owners, and whooped up on Napoleon’s army when he tried to do something about it. The result was the establishment of Haiti as the first independent nation in Latin America, the first post-colonial independent, Black-led nation in the World, and the first nation to gain independence through slave rebellion. Right on!

New found freedom has proven to be a difficult transition throughout history, and Haiti was no different. And so whether conflict, disease, contract, opportunity, or whatever, many people fled the island. Where did they go? New Orleans.

One of the unique elements created by the Haitian exodus to New Orleans was a much higher presence of free Africans in New Orleans. Obviously something is very powerful about the thought of bound African slaves coming into

the New Orleans port and seeing free Africans striding about.

Perhaps it was something like in the movie Roots: The Gift when Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) caught site of stately free Black man Cletus Moyer (Avery Brooks). Though desire for Freedom is inherent to all humans (and animals for that matter), the sight of a free man, for a slave, was like a gust of pure oxygen stoking a kindling fire. Free Haitians brought that metaphorical oxygen to the fire wrestling in the belly of bound slaves in the American South, and beyond that, they brought an example. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: All anybody needs is an example.

Fast forward to 2010, and you have another confluence of emotion and consciousness: the memory of Hurricane Katrina; a rebuilding New Orleans; an earthquakedevastated Haiti; the greatest American sports event (the Super Bowl) with star athletes representative of both Haiti and New Orleans; the first Black President of the United States, and the continued struggle for full, true equality, of all races in the United States at a tender point of success because of the sentiments generated by that President. There is a lot going on in this Super Bowl for the

conscious mind. Some may say it’s all coincidence. But, I say, “Ain’t no damn coincidence. It’s called symbolism.” What is it symbolic of? I wouldn’t dare limit that response with this short column, nor clip the wings of the free flight of thought that the whole picture can conjure up.

What I will say is this: I have this thing about feeling that there is something to the soil that you stand on. Quietly, we constantly breathe the soil that we stand on. We breathe the water that we stand near. It’s all connected. My ancestors, from my grandmother on, breathed the soil and water of the New Orleans port and surrounding areas. Somehow I feel that. I felt that during Katrina. I cried.

To see the celebration of symbolic overcoming that the New Orleans Saints are delivering through their Super Bowl makes me think of New Orleans continuing to overcome…and that the people of Haiti are grasping that same spirit.

It’s just like old times for that shared spirit of overcoming and Freedom between New Orleans and Haiti…and African descendent Americans all over.

Traditions are handed down through history. Somehow I’m thinking that the victorious Haitians

the past, many of these problems would have been resolved in the principal’s office or referred to a pastor or social worker or by calling the parent (who may no longer be in the house). Too many children today end up with an arrest record and are labeled a troublemaker, increasing the likelihood of dropping out of school.

There are a lot of things we know about preventing children from dropping out. New research has led to a better understanding of how to turn this enormous crisis around and has identified schools where graduation is not the norm.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have identified 2,000 high schools in the country (12 percent) responsible for nearly

half of the nation’s dropouts. The children attending these “dropout factories” are overwhelmingly minority.

We can spot students in elementary school who, if adults do intervene, will be less likely to drop out. Potential dropouts can be identified as early as the fourth and sixth grades by looking at attendance, behavior and, of course, failure in math and English. We can focus our resources on these schools and their students with the goal of turning them around and rescuing hundreds of thousands of children from the cradle to prison pipeline.

But the community has to care and raise a ruckus for our children’s and nation’s sakes.

This is a national problem

requiring all of our focused attention. The dropout crisis is too costly to our children, communities, and nation to let it persist. We know how to keep children in school. We simply must decide to mix our knowledge and experience with the will to educate every child.

Marian Wright Edelman is President of the Children’s Defense Fund whose Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. For more information go to www.childrensdefense.org.

graphics8.nytimes.com

The Saints celebrate after beating the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game. of 1804 were stomping and celebrating on the sands of the island beaches shouting a familiar

chant: “Who Dat?!!! Who Dat?!!!

Who Dat say ‘dey gon’ beat WE SAINTS.”

Page 12 • February 1 - February 7, 2010 • Insight News

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