Insight News ::: 2.14.11

Adrift on the Mississippi NOW THROUGH FEB. 27 The powerful true story of Reverend Robert Hickman, who led a group of slaves out of Missouri, up the Mississippi River on a raft in search of freedom. Now through Feb. 27. Thur. and Fri. at 10am and 7:30pm; Sat. at 7:30pm; Sun. at 2pm.

Adults: $25-30 Seniors: $22-28 Students with college ID: $15 Children: $10. Concordia University, St. Paul E.M. Pearson Theatre 312 Hamline Ave. N. St. Paul, MN 55104.

INSIGHT NEWS February 14 - February 20, 2011 • MN Metro Vol. 37 No. 6 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com

Lunds: Escucha;

estamos

en la lucha

By Ivan B. Phifer Staff Writer These were the chants of Lunds and Byerly’s workers. A message to Lund’s that translates to: “Lunds, listen, we are in the struggle.”

Last week in Edina, 30 CTUL workers and allies gathered at Lunds Headquarters, 4100 West 50th Street, to address the company regarding workers concerns to clean stores. After marching in front of the headquarters, they marched across the street to the Lunds grocery store.

While the protestors were outside, National Floor Maintenance worker Eduardo Davalos and CTUL (Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha) organizer Brian Payne, met with Lunds representatives inside their office to discuss workers’ concerns in addition to providing a letter. The concerns and demands included that Lunds address serious problems that occur during the cleaning of their stores; regarding reported sexual harassment by a National Floor Maintenance supervisor, the recent abrupt firing of about 12 cleaning workers, and the human rights violations that retail cleaning workers face every day on the job.

“You guys have been advised of this and have not taking any action,” Payne said. “Lunds will be held accountable for this and this will end up reflecting badly on your store,” he said.

The Human Resources representative of Lunds Food Holding Inc put strong emphasis on remaining unanimous and would not give her name. She repeatedly kept telling Payne and Davalos to “take it up with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”

Additionally, she stated that in October of 2010, Lunds began a bidding process with cleaning companies and chose the one who gave them the most competitive bid. This was why they switched four of their store’s contractors from National Floor Maintenance, to Carlson Building Maintenance (Carlson). As a result, about 12 National Floor Maintenance workers lost their jobs with absolutely no notice on Sunday night.

Mario Colloly Torres, a Carlson worker at Cub Foods and CTUL member, explained the changes in salary made in wages to the workers to cut costs.

“In the last ten years, wages at Carlson have dropped from about $10$11 an hour to about $7.50 an hour and the workload has nearly doubled.

Unfortunately, this is the industry standard in retail cleaning,” he said.

Anallely Vivar Chiman also a CTUL member has worked with National Floor Maintenance for four years. According to her, Lunds repeatedly denies responsibility for what happened to the workers.

LUNDS TURN TO 11 Suluki Fardan

Second Chance lobbies legislature

By Lydia Schwartz Contributing Writer In 2009, former MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed into law a requirement for public employers to remove questions about criminal history from initial employment applications, also known as “Ban the Box.” During the 2011 Legislative Session, the

MN Second Chance Coalition hopes to lobby state legislators to expand this requirement to private employers, and to credit history as well.

Current MN Statute (364.021, 2010) states, that a “public employer may not inquire into or consider the criminal record, or criminal history, of an applicant for public employment until the applicant has been selected for an interview by the employer.” Only

the Department of Corrections, and other certain public employers, who have a statutory duty to conduct a criminal history background check, or otherwise take into consideration a potential employee’s criminal history during the hiring process, is exempt from this law. Public employers are still able to notify applicants that they may be later disqualified because of a particular criminal history background for

certain positions.

The proposed expansions to criminal history protections in the private sector during initial employment application processes would push employers towards eliminating discriminatory practices. Banning the box for private employers reinforces the idea that our communities are safer and stronger when everyone has

BAN TURN TO 2

Urban League reports financial gains The Minneapolis Urban League, among the oldest community organizations in the Twin Cities, said that it will end 2010 with a surplus after experiencing deficits. Its financial position today demonstrates a $240,000 turnaround from the close of 2009. “In an economic crisis, demand for our services goes up while revenue goes down. At the Minneapolis Urban League, however, we have utilized fewer resources more efficiently,” said CeLois Steele, Minneapolis Urban League Board Chair.

Since the beginning of the current recession in 2007, the nonprofit sector has suffered

Scott Gray

CeLois Steele

under considerable financial strain.

According to The Minnesota Nonprofit Economy

Report, an annual study by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN), 48% of the

Business

My boss is a bully!

Managing mean managers

PAGE 3

Education

School seeks to broaden children’s horizons

PAGE 4

1500 nonprofit organizations for which data is available reported an operating deficit in 2009. The Report also found that in the Twin Cities metro area between 2007 and 2009, nonprofit revenues fell an average of two percent per year, while expenditures increased an average of eight percent per year.

During that same period of time, assets fell an average of three percent per year. According to the most recent Nonprofit Current Conditions Report, a biannual survey of MCN

MUL TURN TO 3

Jeff Rutherford with jsfordphotography

Patricia McGovern

Ramsey County launches study to examine environment’s impact on children’s health and well being

By Chris Garner Contributing Writer Last month, January 24, Ramsey County launched The National Children’s Study at the Wilder Center in St. Paul. Ramsey County is one of many counties in Minnesota participating in what is said to be the largest and longest study created which will examine children’s family history. The project is also looking at children’s

Kam Williams Van Jones on the state of the “Carbon Nation”

PAGE 6

environments including, but not limited to, the air they breathe, the food they eat, and the neighborhoods where they live and play to better understand what influences their health and well-being.

Over 100 health care professionals, students, state representatives, and parents gathered to hear University of Minnesota doctors discuss their plans for Ramsey County in this nation-wide study.

STUDY TURN TO 5

Lifestyle

Solve clutter problems: Have a party

PAGE 8

Page 2 • February 14 - February 20, 2011 • Insight News

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COMMENTARY Make your voice heard this session News Column

By Jeff Hayden State Rep. District 61B We are one month in to the 2011 legislative session. It’s been invigorating to get back to the State Capitol to represent our community and to work on the important challenges facing our state.

There is a lot at stake this session. We need to address a record $6.2 billion budget deficit and there are still over 200,000 Minnesotans out of work. My promise to you is that I will vigorously fight for fair solutions that raise up all Minnesotans. My challenge for you is to get involved. Talk with your neighbors, families and me about the concerns and ideas you have to make our community better. To help us both hold up our ends of the bargain, I will continue to provide regular updates in the newspaper, with e-mail newsletters, and on

twitter and facebook so that you can track the action at the State Capitol and make your voice heard.

One issue you should be aware of is the Republican early attempts to balance our budget on the backs of abused children.

Their “Phase 1” budget bill cuts $28 million from child protection services. These funds are sent to counties for programs used to protect children and pregnant teenagers in dangerous situations. This cut represents a 100% cut to child protections services in Hennepin County.

As a result, Hennepin County

would either have to suspend child protection or raise property taxes on homeowners to fill the gap.

We are certainly going to face difficult choices and painful cuts to close this deficit. However, to go after abused kids with the first cut is reckless, irresponsible, and unconscionable.

The Republicans have pushed this bill through the House and Senate, but Governor Dayton has rightly said he does not favor a piecemeal approach to the solving the budget deficit.

I stand with the Governor and will work to make sure

these disastrous cuts are not implemented.

Another key issue this legislative session will be education. I believe it’s critical we educate all of our kids to compete in the 21st century. To be successful, we need proactive solutions to narrow the achievement gap so our students have an equal opportunity to succeed. I would like your input on this issue. Along with Rep. Bobby Joe Champion, we have invited Brenda Cassellius, the new Commissioner of Education, to join us for a community forum on education.

The forum will be Tuesday, February 22nd from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the Sabathani Community Center. I encourage you to come to meet the new commissioner and participate in our discussion about Governor Dayton’s plans for educating all Minnesotans.

It continues to be a great honor to serve District 61B in the Minnesota House. Please contact me with any of your questions and concerns. If you have a chance, visit my office in the State Office Building in room 389 or contact me at rep. jeff.hayden@house.mn or (651) 296-7152.

The Tea Party is a part of Black history, too Your Black World

By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD It might surprise you to hear me say this, but I believe this statement to be fundamentally true: While most of us think of Black History as a celebration of Black achievement and the recognition of meaningful historical figures, the reality

is that the Tea Party Express, Sarah Palin and other peculiar figures in the Right Wing are a part of Black history as well.

Black History is not just a collection of names, dates, places and faces. It also tells stories of triumph for people of color as we’ve worked to achieve equality in a society that was trained to hate us. In order for us to have heroes, there must sometimes be a deadly villain.

In the past, those villains have been the Ku Klux Klan, slave owners who didn’t want us to learn how to read, men like Bull Connor and even the

federal government itself. As Black people have had to fight for what is ours, we’ve often had to confront those who worked overtime to sabotage, distract or even kill our greatest heroes in the struggle for Civil Rights. The Tea Party and their associates, for right or wrong, are perceived by millions of African Americans to be a continuation of the legacy of Civil Rights villains who will be written about in Black History textbooks for many decades to come.

Of course members of the Right Wing would certainly beg to differ with my logic. Not

only would they not consider themselves to be enemies of civil rights, they might be audacious enough to believe that they are champions of Dr. King’s legacy. Even Fox News host Glenn Beck held a march on Washington to commemorate the 47th anniversary of Dr. King’s famous gathering. But in spite of all of their arguments to the contrary, the truth is that the Right Wing’s consistent efforts to unfairly sabotage and disrespect America’s first Black president make them one of the greatest obstacles to racial progress in America right now.

President Barack Obama,

by achieving the holy grail of Black historical achievements, has obviously positioned himself as a highly significant figure in Black American History. While some argue that the Obama Presidency has been a bit of a disappointment to many African Americans, many can draw parallels between those who work to destroy President Obama and those who fought tooth and nail to keep Dr. Martin Luther King from advancing causes for his people.

They say that history repeats itself. The Tea Party Express and other Right Wing

characters are nothing new, for Black people have been fighting tea party-types for 400 years and counting. We’ve overcome worse in the past, and we will overcome this as well. Just like the racial obstructionists before them, the Right Wing can’t kill the undeniable spirit of American racial progress, and history will be written by the victors.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy.

Black History Month 2011: State of Blacks America

By William Reed We’ve got a nice-looking, bright and articulate mainstream African American as President. It is this flirt and allure with mainstream American cultures and values that causes African Americans’ lack of advancements. It was anticipated that an Obama Administration would usher America into a new era of hope, change, and unity; but in reality this regime has brought about a static hold and regression among African Americans.

Traditional racial barriers such as discrimination and inequality are swept under the rug and no action is being taken to break the back of America’s institutionalized racism.

Even as an African American holds the highest office in the land, societal and economic gaps between Whites and Blacks persist and metastasize.

Blacks remain twice as likely as to be unemployed, three times more likely to live in poverty and more than six times as likely to be imprisoned. But, in contrast to correcting these structural problems, Obama’s election has caused a ‘static hold’ among the mass of African Americans who have fallen into false sense of accomplishment and self-satisfaction.

Racial apathy and complacency has curtailed any movement among African

Ban From 1 more employment opportunities.

Minnesota private employers will still have the ability to access criminal histories but would now have the opportunity to consider an entire, diverse applicant pool rather than losing qualified candidates based on ‘a box.’

It is important to provide a path of reintegration for citizens who have served court-ordered time. While re-entry issues and the ‘mark of a criminal record’ may have different individual realities in communities across the state, to the MN Second Chance Coalition, “punishment upon completion of sentence” is their top priority. The fifty-five organizations that make up the coalition work toward a number of goals to ensure stable communities by helping individuals with a criminal history reintegrate into their communities.

Sarah Walker, Chief Operating Officer of 180 Degrees, Inc., part of the MN Second Chance Coalition, voices the importance of giving hope to people whose lives have been unnecessarily impacted by a criminal record.

180 Degrees, a residential program dedicated to turning lives around, focuses on the transitional and housing needs of formerly

American for societal equity and justice. During Black History Month 2011, African Americans should give thought to the question: With what culture do you identify with most? There are 42 million Black Americans, and our population is one of the most unique. Almost all are descendants of American slaves mixed with some European and Native American blood.

The average Black American is 17–18% White, while a large numbers of Blacks are more than 50% White–many would not be recognizable as Black.

Neither ‘Garveyite’ nor ‘Pan-Africanist’ world views exist among mainstreamoriented African Americans.

While Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Eric Holder are recognized as African American leaders, in reality their roles involve their maintaining America’s imperialist status across the world. For many years African American culture developed separately from mainstream American culture, both because of slavery and the persistence of racial discrimination in America.

Today, African American culture is accepted as subordinate to that of the American establishment and/or Barack’s post-racial society.

The National Urban League’s Equality Index—a statistical measurement— shows Blacks at 71% of the status of Whites, and that

economics ‘remains the area with the greatest degree of inequality’.

In 2011, Blacks are overwhelmed by unemployment, and are twice as likely as whites to be unemployed. In some areas nearly one in four young Black men are out of work. There is a chronic need in communities of color to not just extend unemployment benefits but to put counselors at employment centers that have the time, skills and energy to offer concrete help.

Today, 6.4 million Americans have been out of work for 27 weeks or more; 2 million have exhausted a total of 99 weeks of unemployment benefits and have no resource for more aid as they wait for an improving economy. It’s estimated that the ‘99ers’ will increase by 4 million in 2011.

The economy will have to produce 334,000 new jobs a month just to employ these 99ers.

Too often Black Americans have depended on government to solve their problems and accept solutions developed by people with ‘mainstream mindsets’. Obama’s ‘static hold Presidency’ may prove advantageous by prompting more Blacks in America to ‘empower’ themselves to collectively make better life choices and/or launch private initiatives to improve our communities. With a combined

incarcerated individuals who are re-entering the community.

Each client is assigned to a case manager who aids in developing a plan towards securing stable employment, maintaining sobriety, and establishing living arrangements in the community.

“If someone fails to accept a job, it falls on that person,” Walker says.

“People who are employed are less likely to re-offend,” Walker also asserts. “It’s tough to keep a stable life when you can’t afford housing… The criminal justice system more than just punishes an individual for a mistake he or she made, it also punishes the family.

Criminal justice is supposed to have an end point but it has become a system of perpetual punishment when people with a record experience difficulty in finding employment.”

The MN Second Chance Coalition will also be lobbying legislators to expand keeping an employee’s criminal history out of evidence during civil action lawsuits when the action is based solely upon the employer’s compliance with current law. MN Statute 181.981 (2010), which limits the admissibility of criminal history in civil lawsuits, states that “information regarding a criminal record of an employee or former employee may not be introduced as evidence in a civil action against a private employer… that

is based on the conduct of the employee or former employee.”

However, there are several loopholes for private employers under civil lawsuit to bring a whistleblower’s criminal record into evidence and therefore lower the individual’s credibility: 1. The specific duties of the position must have exposed the public to a greater risk than was created by the employee interacting with the public outside of the duties of the position 2. If a court record is sealed, or the employee received a pardon, a record can still be brought into evidence if it occurred after the act that gave rise to the civil action 3. Records of an arrest or charge that resulted in a criminal conviction can always be brought into evidence during a civil lawsuit.

The Coalition for Impartial Justice, of which the MN Second Chance Coalition is a member, believes that all Minnesotans are entitled to impartiality upon entering the court system. They support legislation that preserves Minnesota’s tradition of impartial justice through merit selection, judicial evaluations, and retention

BAN TURN TO 11

GDP close to $1 trillion— the world’s 15th largest economy—Black Americans must build upon our strengths (e.g., our combined GDP and civic engagement rates) to address our challenges. The National Urban League has an, I AM EMPOWERED initiative that promotes hope

and individual empowerment to make a difference in African Americans’ advancements.

The, I AM EMPOWERED, program asks Blacks to pledge to help the race achieve stipulated goals in education, employment, housing and healthcare. When will we turn to each other to blend personal

responsibility, principled ideas and pragmatism, which will improve our schools, the safety of our streets and the growing of vibrant Black business districts across America?

(William Reed is available for speaking/seminar projects via BaileyGroup.org)

insightnews.com

Insight News • February 14 - February 20, 2011 • Page 3

BUSINESS My boss is a bully! Managing mean managers Plan Your Career

By Julie Desmond julie@insightnews.com (Disclaimer to my current boss, who reads this newspaper, this isn’t about you.)

37% of all workers have been bullied on the job. According to one survey, bad bosses come in every shape and color. Most bullies are male; however, among female bad bosses, 71% choose victims who are also female. What makes a bad boss? And what can be done to

stop him or her?

Unfortunately, a bad boss cannot always be redeemed.

Often, it’s the boss who stays, and everyone else has to leave.

Employees caught in a bad boss conundrum would be wise to see it for the minor irritation it usually is, and work around it until the situation changes.

In support of managers, keeping everyone happy is a tough challenge.

Managers have a responsibility to keep employees comfortable physically and intellectually. Is the desk an appropriate size? Is the production environment safe? Does everyone have the tools, equipment and training they need to succeed? These are fundamental facets of a

productive workplace. But not every manager ranks creature comfort high on the necessities wish list.

A bad boss disregards or ignores employees’ needs.

Not every worker needs a private office with a personal refrigerator but workspaces should be adjustable to suit each person’s unique size and preference. Occasionally adapting a workspace is a small cost relative to the price of a lawsuit or workers compensation ding that occurs when an employee requires carpel tunnel surgery or sues for harassment.

If your bad boss repeatedly ignores reasonable requests for items required to do your job,

make your requests through email. Save a hard copy trail as well as the electronic copies as documentation in case you need to take your situation to HR. A bad boss makes promises… and breaks them.

Bully bosses mess with your professional equilibrium by constantly changing goals and expectations, as well as meeting times and locations.

One boss I know of required a meeting with each subordinate.

Although he mandated the meetings, he frequently arrived late or not at all. The employees felt this was unfair on multiple levels.

They wanted the discussion time, meant to address progress toward objectives, and they felt

if they cancelled or showed up late, they would be held accountable.

These employees approached the boss together. They avoided complaining, but instead emphasized the value of the conversations. They were able to improve results without alienating any one employee or manager.

Bad bosses gossip. Workers who listen quietly and don’t engage, will be able to diffuse the problem. I worked awhile for a Gossip Boss. If one person got an earful, the rest of the team would eagerly wait to be filled in. What was it this time? Oh, she doesn’t like your shoes. Next day, someone else was the target, someone

else the receiver. Because no one respected her, no one was particularly moved by her catty opinions.

Bad bosses cheat.

Bad bosses yell. Bad bosses play favorites.

They cover for favorite employees, excusing missed deadlines or botched projects.

If you are currently working under the dubious supervision of a bad boss, the best you can probably do is to do your best work every day, document every transgression and immediately start looking for something new.

Julie Desmond is Contract Specialist with Specialized Recruiting Group. Write to julie@insightnews.com.

Fortifying non-profit sector governance through diversity More and more nonprofit organizations are seeking volunteers from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to serve on their boards of directors, according to a local firm that matches potential board members to nonprofit organizations.

INSIGHT NEWS www.insightnews.com

MAP for Nonprofits (MAP) operates the Twin Cities’ only nonprofit board member recruitment program, called Best on Board®.

Best on Board® functions much like a headhunting agency, except that it recruits voluntary board members, rather than paid staff.

Nonprofit organizations tell MAP what skills and attributes they’re seeking in new board members and MAP’s recruiters go to work.

According to Judy Sharken Simon, who manages the Best on Board® program, nonprofits still want their board members to bring professional skills, like

fundraising, finance or legal skills; and they’re increasingly looking for younger board members to complement older board members. But the predominant theme MAP is seeing is that nonprofits want board candidates who bring a unique point of view that can only come from having a diverse ethnic or racial background.

“More and more nonprofits want the people governing their organization to reflect the community,” explains Simon.

Many of the organizations MAP works with want their boards to reflect the community they serve and they want governance

decisions to be influenced by diverse perspectives.

Damaria Moore of Edina was referred by MAP to the board of directors of Friends of the Mississippi River. Moore has now served on the board for ten months. She said she has broadened her experience through her board service and has added to her skills by learning about fundraising.

Nmandi Njoku of Maple Grove was referred by MAP to the board of directors of Cedar Riverside People’s Center.

Njoku, who has served on the organization’s board since June of 2009, says he has learned

what it means to be an integral part of a board; and that he “understands more about board service, health care, healthcare fiduciary responsibilities, and the courage to give back to the community.”

MAP conducted a survey in 2010 of the 240 candidates of color in its board candidate pool to assess their experiences with MAP’s program. Sixtytwo percent of respondents had accepted and been placed on a board through MAP, and of those, 60 percent said that the boards they serve on believe that having a diverse board has significantly improved

their customer service and community efforts.

Survey results also indicated the board members feel they are personally benefitting from the board service, according to Simon.

MAP’s research has confirmed for Simon that boards are truly valuing the diversity they’re seeking from MAP and its recruitment program and that all parties are benefitting from increased diversity on their boards. Individuals interested in serving on a nonprofit board can begin the process by completing the volunteer application at www.mapfornonprofits.org.

Insight News is published weekly, every Monday by McFarlane Media Interests.

Black Biz Hookup: The new face of group buying

Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane

Ushering in the start of Black History month, Feb 1, the Black Biz Hookup went into business.

The first group buying website whose merchant offerings of ‘Daily Deals‘ are Black owned and operated businesses, the Black Biz Hookup uses the group buying model popularized

by Groupon and various other sites.

While the Black Biz Hookup focuses on Black owned and operated businesses, the goal of the website is not to alienate non-Black consumers. Rather, as stated by the company’s founder, Brian Roberson “this website was created to give the same opportunities to Black owned and operated businesses that larger group buying sites have for mainstream companies.

The Black Biz Hookup’s core customer is anyone who wants to support Black businesses while getting a great deal in their city. At the end of the day, this website will help strengthen the Black community and show

CFO Adrianne Hamilton-Butler Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Vice President of Sales & Marketing Selene White Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Ben Williams Production Intern Andrew Notsch Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Facilities Support / Assistant Producer, Conversations with Al McFarlane Bobby Rankin Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Technology Reporters Shanice Brown Christopher Toliver Staff Writer Ivan B. Phifer Contributing Writers Maya Beecham Brenda Colston Julie Desmond S. Himie Marcia Humphrey Alaina L. Lewis Rashida McKenzie Ryan T. Scott Lydia Schwartz Stacey Taylor Photography Suluki Fardan Tobechi Tobechukwu Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55411.

MUL From 1 member organizations, 54% of responding organizations reported no increase in total revenues during 2010.

“A solid fundraising campaign has placed the Minneapolis Urban League in a position where our real estate holdings are debt free. By leveraging our strong real estate position, and balancing it with a new vision, the organization can help even more families in need,” continued Ms. Steele.

To meet these needs, Minneapolis Urban League undertook a strategic planning process in 2010 that is changing the Urban League’s relationships with its constituents, its funders and the wider community. Scott Gray, President/CEO, explained the change, “This shift in our financial position is evidence that our new strategic plan is starting to work. The plan has called for hard work by all of our stakeholders, sacrifice on the part of our staff, and a repositioning of the Minneapolis Urban League to provide solutions to the challenges facing diverse communities in the 21st Century. The focus now is on a career, not just a job, graduation from college, not just high school, building assts, not just paying the rent, and taking control of your own health. We believe families can reach their full potential through this vision, and we must have adequate resources to help them be competitive in today’s economy. Today we are in an even stronger position to make this happen.”

the true value of the African American buying power, which is expected to top $1.1 trillion by 2012.”

Another goal of the Black Biz Hookup is to help struggling Black owned and operated businesses stay afloat in today’s

volatile, often unpredictable economy. Mr. Roberson states “we have seen too many small Black owned businesses close their doors over the past few years. Our aim is to promote the small business owner that provides excellent products

and services and at the same time acting as a springboard for potential entrepreneurs that are on the fence about starting their own businesses giving them an instant audience and potential customer base”.

Instead of using Call Centers

to get a backlog, the company has used a grassroots approach to signing up merchants similar to what Plum District implemented working the “Soccer Mom” referral circuit.

The site can be found at www.blackbizhookup.com.

Page 4 • February 14 - February 20, 2011 • Insight News

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EDUCATION School seeks to broaden children’s horizons

By Chris Garner Contributing Writer Risen Christ School continues to push its motto of preparing children for success in work and life by exposing them to local entrepreneurs and business owners in the Twin Cities area with their program Imagine Possibilities. Serving a predominantly Latin and African American child population, grades K–8, Fran Murnane, Director of Development, found it vital to introduce students to successful entrepreneurs, specifically ones of color. With the help of Yvonne Cheung Ho, president and CEO of Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA) and others, Risen Christ has set out to ensure their 8th graders have a head start on their futures.

“Our kids don’t think that the sky’s the limit often, so we have a responsibility to broaden their horizons so that they can be successful and help out in the community,” said Murnane.

Some of the other leaders who participated in the program were Cathy Cruz Gooch, president and CEO of Catallia Mexican Foods; Dave Bice, owner of Bald Eagle Erectors; Michael McHugh, owner of Midwest Construction Group; Bob Kirchoff, chief executive officer of Schoeder Company Inc.; Joel Moryn, president of Parsons Electronic; Juan Ramirez, president of Marelita’s Cookies & Grupo Avance; Sirish Samba, president and CEO McCombs Frank Roos

Cathy Cruz Gooch and one of the Imagine Possibilities Groups at Risen Christ School Associates (MFRA); Prince Wallace, owner and CEO of Independent Packaging Services Inc.; and Tom Whitlock, president of Damon Farber Associates.

What Murnane feels is unique about the program is that the owners, presidents and CEO’s of the companies involved in the program have decided to work directly with the 8th graders they are mentoring and have come up with curriculums to work through during the school year. The program started in October and will end in April.

Towards the end of Cheung Ho’s session with the program in February, she plans to have the participants attend a luncheon held by General Mills CEO, Ken Powell. “Ken has hosted an entrepreneurial luncheon over the past couple of years for MEDA clients and during these sessions he shares his management techniques, leadership style and experience with our entrepreneurs of color.

I’m hoping by bring the children to the luncheon—they will see firsthand how the entrepreneurs

of color interact with Ken and other corporate executives,” said Cheung Ho. “The name of the program is Imagine Possibilities, and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do here; help them imagine possibilities of being who they want to be and who they’d like to become. The way I’m presenting it to them is their potential as an entrepreneur.”

These 44 students were broken up into small groups based on Risen Christ’s president, Helen Dahlman’s knowledge of each child. She made sure each child

Courtesy of MEDA

was placed with an entrepreneur whose business attributes and focus were those similar to the child. Each group explores the importance of leadership, the affects their chosen business plays on the community, what it takes to create a product or a service that is successful, and some of the challenges. Some students have even had the opportunity to visit the facilities of many of the businesses partnered with the Imagine Possibilities program.

The businesses involved cover many different bases, from

tortilla making, milk production, health care, to construction.

“What we see them taking from it is excitement for their own future, direction for their studies in high school, and the realization that they can really do something,” said Murnane.

She says that so far during the course children have had lots of questions, and understand a lot as consumers. Murnane believes that by these entrepreneurs taking an interest in the futures of these young individuals, it has forced them to see the value in their own.

Many of the business owners have pushed that the key to their success has been education and hope that if the youth do not take anything else from this unique learning experience about businesses, they will take with them the significance of higher education.

Some students will continue their real world business experiences when they attend Cristo Rey Jesuit High School next fall, which allows students who cannot afford to get a college preparatory education to do so through its unique work-study program. Their Hire4Ed (hire for education) program eases the burden of enrollment cost while broadening horizons and encouraging students to set high goals for themselves. Others will go on to DeLaSalle High School and have the opportunity to take college credits and move closer toward their futures as well. Risen hopes that by enriching their children’s lives in this manner, the children in turn will want to do the same and become positive fixers in their own community.

Governor, Commissioner lay out a vision for education reform Reaffirming his commitment to make education a top priority of his administration, Governor Mark Dayton, along with Commissioner of Education Brenda Cassellius, laid out his vision for comprehensive education reform in Minnesota.

Better Schools for a Better Minnesota lays out a sevenpoint plan for education reform designed to help every Minnesota student succeed.

Governor Dayton says that he will keep his campaign promise to increase funding for education. The plan will also focus on closing achievement gaps by focusing on earliest learners.

Governor Dayton said about

the plan: “Education was key to our State’s past prosperity, and it will be key to our future prosperity.

An excellent public education system will be the driving force behind job creation in Minnesota. We must prepare today’s students for the jobs and the industries of the future, and thus we must make important innovations in our public school system. With this plan, we will take what is good with Minnesota’s K-12 education and make it even better, to ensure every student full opportunity to succeed in this ever more competitive global economy.”

The top three priorities of the plan are to improve state

education funding, to focus more resources and raise the profile of Early Childhood Education and to narrow achievement gaps in our system. Other components of the plan are to improve literacy statewide, offer support for high quality teaching, and create better testing to improve student learning.

Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius, Ed.D., said work is already underway to change the conversation about education in Minnesota. She has begun a reorganization of the Minnesota Department of Education to offer better support for teachers, superintendents, and districts

PBS presents “Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century” Blogging.

Texting.

Smart Phones.

Gaming.

Social Networks. YouTube. More than just diversions for America’s kids, these technologies are becoming intrinsic to how they live…and learn.

Increasingly present in kids’ formal and informal educational settings, digital media is as common as pencils and notebooks were to their parents. Yet in many American classrooms and homes, these high-tech tools are severely limited or forbidden. Teachers and parents wonder: What are students doing with these technologies?

Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century, a one-hour PBS documentary produced by tpt National Productions and Mobile Digital Arts, addresses this vital question, taking viewers to the frontlines of what is rapidly becoming an education revolution. The film, targeted at parents, teachers, and anyone concerned about education in America, explores how exceptional instructors are increasingly using digital media and interactive practices to ignite their students’ curiosity and ingenuity, help them become civically engaged, allow them to collaborate with peers worldwide, and empower them to direct their own learning.

The documentary also dives into cutting-edge educational and cognitive research to explore how increasingly powerful forms of digital media impact today’s learner. Viewers meet some of the country’s most noted educational experts and thought leaders in the digital education realm.

Nichole Pinkard, founder of the Chicago’s Digital Youth

PBS

Network, connects the dots between digital afterschool programs and their potential relationship to in-school practices. Henry Jenkins from the Annenberg School for Communication discusses the Internet’s role in sparking student political participation.

Katie Salen, Professor at Parsons School of Design and Founder of the Institute of Play, illuminates how gaming helps kids more effectively explore systems and processes. And the University of California Irvine’s Mimi Ito shows parents how new media practices are creating new avenues for kids to interact, collaborate, and learn.

Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century also criss-crosses the nation to highlight real-life examples of how digital media is exploding in educational environments.

In Manhattan, the innovative Quest 2 Learn public school employs game design to help students explore both academic subjects and human interaction.

A Wisconsin classroom uses mobile devices and place-based learning to model civic activity

and teach history. Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute sponsors The Science Leadership Academy, a public magnet school integrating digital practices into all curricula.

Middle school campers race around D.C.’s museums on a digital scavenger hunt implemented by the Smithsonian Institute.

And students on Chicago’s South Side gain media literacy, social networking skills, and self-efficacy in a decade-old pioneering multimedia program.

From classroom to library to museum to mall, students are claiming digital media as a means of connecting, communicating, creating, and learning. Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century explores this burgeoning phenomenon, interpreting its importance and offering parents, teachers, and everyone who cares about kids a window into 21st-century education.

Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century will premiere on Friday, Feb. 18 at 8:30pm on tpt 2 and will air again on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 2pm on tpt LIFE.

that will move the agency from a top-down compliance driven model to one that offers support, transparency and high standards of accountability.

“The most important thing

we can do as leaders is to set high expectations for ourselves and create a shared vision that inspires others to do the same,” said Commissioner Cassellius. “I believe it’s our

shared responsibility as leaders and as stakeholders to support our teachers, principals and superintendents as they work to achieve the highest standards of excellence for all children.”

insightnews.com

Insight News • February 14 - February 20, 2011 • Page 5

AESTHETICS Feel-bad flashback flick deconstructs failed marriage Film Review

By Kam Williams kam@insightnews.com The marriage of Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) was doomed, almost from the start. When they met, she was a promising premed student, and he a high school dropout who had to take a deadend job just to keep a roof over his head.

At that time, she was attending a college in rural Pennsylvania while he was eking out a living a world away in Brooklyn. Their paths crossed quite by coincidence when Dean was assigned by his moving company to help an elderly gentleman (Melvin Jurdem) relocate to a nursing home on the very same day Cindy was there visiting her ailing grandmother (Jenn Jones).

For Dean it was love at first sight, and when he still couldn’t get her out of his mind even a month later, he found an excuse to return to Scranton to try to track her down. The incurable romantic serendipitously spots the object of his obsession on

The Weinstein Company

a bus and wins her heart on the spot by serenading her with a song.

He had no idea, however, that she not only already had a hunky boyfriend, Bobby Ontario (Mike Vogel), but that she was

pregnant by the popular big man on campus. Nonetheless, Cindy takes Dean home to meet the parents (John Doman and Maryann Plunkett), and they are obviously underwhelmed by their daughter’s dating a

chain-smoking underachiever with not much of a future to speak of. But their obvious disappointment does nothing to discourage the hopelesslysmitten suitor from popping the question that very night.

Cindy accepts the proposal and predictably the mismatched pair proceeds to embark on a disastrous six-year relationship marked mostly by incessant arguing and a basic inability to communicate effectively.

In all this, the real victim here is the baby, Frankie (Faith Wladyka), who didn’t ask to be raised by a dysfunctional couple of loudmouthed losers who deserve each other. Thus, “Can this marriage be saved?” is the burning question at the center of Blue Valentine, a flashback flick directed by Derek Cianfrance.

Michelle Williams earned an Oscar nomination for her superrealistic performance as a wife increasingly embittered by both motherhood and the burden of being the breadwinner. Costar Ryan Gosling is just as convincing in his capacity as Dean, a chuckleheaded slacker with lots of shortcomings.

Unfortunately, this muchballyhooed movie has a fundamental flaw, namely, that it’s no fun to watch. For regardless of how plausible a picture Blue Valentine might paint, far be it from me to recommend that my readers invest in such a relentlesslyunpleasant experience, no matter how well-acted. This is a depressing deconstruction of a marriage that clearly was never meant to be.

Fair (1 star) Rated R for profanity, nudity, violence and graphic sexuality Running time: 112 Minutes Distributor: The Weinstein Company

Angelou donates collection to Schomburg

By Victoria Horsford, Special to the NNPA from The New Carib News Equal parts renaissance denizen, poet, memoirist, educator, and civil rights advocate, Maya Angelou is that phenomenal first lady of American arts and letters. Generous to a fault, she is the rare gift that keeps giving back to the source, her society, her community. Recently, Dr. Angelou donated most of her archives—a collection of personal and professional letters, drafts of poems, and novels, spanning her 40-year literary career and beyond—to the Harlem-based Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a special research branch of the NY Public Library (NYPL). There was no mention of any dollar value associated with the Maya Angelou Collection; however, it would be fair to say that it is priceless.

Three generations of voracious book lovers—Bread

and Roses HS students; writers such as Louise Meriweather, Ntozake Shange, Sonia Sanchez, Camille Yarborough, and Dr. Brenda Greene; vocalists Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, choreographer George Faison, and scores of journalists like Herb Boyd and David Greaves—witnessed Dr. Angelou symbolically transfer her treasured collection to Schomburg chief Howard Dodson and NYPL chief Paul LeClerc, at the Schomburg Center.

Dodson enthused.

“Her papers will be alongside those by Langston Hughes, Lorraine Hansberry, Malcolm X, and Dr. Ralph Bunche.”

Dr. Angelou prefaced her official remarks by mellifluously navigating into spoken word/ blank verse terrain, singing “When it looked like the sun wasn’t going to shine anymore, God gave man the rainbow, the sign of hope.” She added “That is the role of the library... and the one in Harlem... is the Schomburg. Hello!” She said, “As soon as I am around books, I am okay. No bad can happen

Flickr (Rusty Darbonne)

Maya Angelou

to you in the library. You can’t be raped nor mugged in the library.” She reflected on her first library visit, a segregated venue, which housed about 300 books, when she was 7 years old.” She intones, “Today, my home in North Carolina houses about 400 books.”

The Angelou Collection What exactly did the Schomburg acquire? What are the Angelou Papers? A collector of African

American works, Dr. Angelou donated more than 300 boxes, about 70% of her personal and professional papers to the Schomburg.

The inventory includes—for starters— five letters by Booker T. Washington, which she owned; two letters from Dr. W.E.B. DuBois; letters by Frederick Douglass; an extensive study of the works of Paul Robeson and a Selma Burke sculpture.

The Collection also contains personal letters from Angelou’s good friends like James Baldwin, whose letters reference Angela Davis’ travels with the “world’s biggest drag queen” and like Malcolm X whose letter was profound with thanks for her courtesies during his visit to Ghana; drafts of her memoir, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” and notes from her poem “On the Pulse of Morning,” which was commissioned by Presidentelect Bill Clinton and which she recited at his inauguration.

Angelou guestimate is that the letters document the last 75 years of African American

culture.

Howard Dodson warned that the Schomburg requires about 18 months cataloguing the papers before they are available for public perusal. Dr. Angelou’s other papers pertinent to her life in theater, on and off Broadway, were given to Wake Forest University, in North Carolina.

The Phenomenal Woman Born in Missouri in 1928, Angelou was raised in Arkansas. She studied many of the performing arts, like theater and dance, with Martha Graham and performed with modern dance master Alvin Ailey. A linguist, she is fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Fante; a West African language.

She traveled extensively in the U.S. and beyond, living in Egypt, Paris, and Ghana, where she worked as a journalist and college professor.

Ms. Angelou, 82, still maintains a frenetic work schedule, which would challenge most forty-somers.

A Wake Forest University professor, she commutes

between her home there and her Harlem brownstone. “Great Food, All Day Long, Cook Splendidly, Eat Smart,” her 31st and latest book, was published last week. Dr. Angelou also manages a rigorous speaking engagement calendar.”

She was Dr. King’s SCLC Northern coordinator. Jimmy Baldwin encouraged her to write her first book, the best-selling memoir, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” Angelou, still a svelte, demure six footer, has authored 31 books of fiction and poetry, all of which are still in print, and manages a greeting card line. A consistent Schomburg supporter, she helped raise almost $7 million for the venerable institution, during Dodson’s watch.

On life and writing, she concludes. “I used to be a writer, who could teach, a teacher who could write; but the best teacher is a good student.” She meditates. “We can’t undo history but if we’re in the present, in our time, we’re going to influence the future.” What a wordsmith!

Recognizing the past, reclaiming the future ‘WHEN THE PRODIGAL SON BECOMES THE FATHER: Recognizing the Past, Reclaiming the Future’ is a reallife, inspirational story written

by Joseph Woodley. Unable to come to terms with the anger and resentment he held toward his absentee father, Woodley turned from his values, his faith in God and the Church, and onto

Study From 1 University of Minnesota Prof. Patricia M. McGovern, PhD, MPH, the principal investigator, gathered a distinct band of investigators with doctorates covering every aspect of health, plan with this study to offer important clues to understanding and treating childhood diseases that affect Ramsey County as well as the nation.

Forty-eight of the 50 states are participating in this children’s study which will examine what factors affect children’s health and development. Children will be followed from before birth to 21 years of age and the study will include mothers between the ages of 18 and 49. It is the first U.S. study to take a comprehensive look at the health consequences of multiple factors that may occur before birth and during infancy, childhood and adolescence.

These investigators plan to send out letters to over 32,000 households in Ramsey

Courtesy of the author

Joseph Woodley

a course of selfdestruction that resulted in a broken marriage, womanizing and even jail.

At the most hopeless

County promoting the study.

Participants have the potential to earn between $25 and $100 depending on the nature of data collection. With the information gathered from this study, researchers are hoping that they can identify the potential causes of obesity, asthma, autism, and diabetes that concern many of America’s children.

Participants will not be asked to take medicines or get any treatments. All information from the study will be kept private. The University of Minnesota has put in place strict security controls to ensure the study information is kept private.

In addition to learning why this study is important, attendees had the opportunity to hear from parents and community members including State Sen. Ellen Anderson; Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter; Ken Bence, director of Community Health Initiatives, Medica Health Plans; and Cindy Evans, director of the Minnesota March of Dimes Chapter. Each panelist shared why the community should support the study and get involved.

place in life he finds salvation, spiritual and psychological healing, deliverance and comfort through faith and in becoming a single- parent himself.

This book is written for men, women and couples. The book is intended to provide wisdom and knowledge about coming to terms with the past

and contains messages that will challenge men to become great men by taking responsibility as fathers and families to elevate themselves above their issues and concerns.

Remaining consistent and committed to faith and values is a prominent theme.

It provokes readers to pause and consider why we make

Jeff Rutherford with jsfordphotography

Ramsey County Commissioner, Toni Carter

the choices we make; remove the binding chains of the past and open doors to a positive, productive and prosperous future as fathers, healthyfamilies and a community.

“I couldn’t put this book down... I highly recommend it...” says Allen Cuffey of WLIX Radio, NY. You can follow Woodley on Facebook

via www.facebook.com/ booksbyjoe Joseph Woodley also runs youth wellness program called, “The H.E.R.O. Project“: his message of “promoting strong persons, strong families and strong communities through spiritual, physical and psychological fitness and wellness”.

They each shared their views and left everyone with similar reactions stating that knowledge of health disparities and their sources will give health care professionals the power to fix

problems before they come to a head. Therefore, panelists, said, it is up to the community to get involved with the National Children’s Study to help find solutions.

Page 6 • February 14 - February 20, 2011 • Insight News

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HEALTH Undoing health care law would be a mistake

By Secretary Kathleen Sebelius On Tuesday, President Obama outlined his vision for how the United States can win the future through investments and reforms that will give every family and business the chance to thrive.

Effectively implementing the Affordable Care Act is a vital part of this effort.

But some in Congress want to refight the political battles of the past two years and repeal the law along with all the new consumer protections and benefits that go with it. That would be a major setback for the African-American community.

Up to 1 in 5 African Americans lack health insurance, one of the highest rates for any group. This, more than any other demographic or economic barrier, negatively impacts the quality of healthcare received by African Americans. The Affordable Care Act gives African-Americans more freedom to get the care they need by extending overage to 32 million previous uninsured Americans.

There are also new protections

for the nearly half of all AfricanAmericans who have a disability or chronic disease, making them vulnerable to discrimination by insurance companies. Under the law, insurers may not turn away children with pre-existing conditions, a protection that will extend to all individuals with pre-existing conditions starting in 2014. Repeal would put millions of African-Americans with health conditions right back at the mercy of their insurance companies.

The law is also helping African-Americans get care by bringing more doctors and nurses to chronically underserved communities.

Repeal would take away these investments, including billions of dollars for Community Health Centers, a quarter of whose patients are African-American, and new funds for training and placing thousands of new primary care providers in the neighborhoods where they are needed most.

And the law invests in national and the community level solutions for problems such as obesity that disproportionately affect African Americans, especially children. Repealing

the law would rob our children of these future solutions.

With the Affordable Care Act, we are also taking a major step toward making sure our economy is growing and working for all Americans, including AfricanAmericans.

The law is giving America’s

them to choose between cutting benefits, dropping coverage and layoffs.

African-Americans across the country are also benefiting from the new Patient’s Bill of Rights, which is giving families freedom from many of the worst abuses of the insurance industry.

“In African-American communities, the Affordable Care Act is already giving people the freedom to make their own health care choices...” businesses more freedom from ever-increasing health insurance costs. For example, over the last nine months, nearly four million small businesses have been notified that they may be eligible for a tax cut to help them offer coverage to their employees.

If repeal were to succeed, health insurance costs would rise for businesses across America, including many of the estimated 70,000 small businesses owned

by African Americans, leaving

A year ago, insurers could cancel your coverage when you got sick just because you made a mistake on your application.

Under the new Patient’s Bill of Rights, this practice has been banned, along with other harmful policies like lifetime dollar limits, which often meant your benefits disappeared when you needed them most. Repeal would make these abuses fair game again, leaving an estimated 12 million

African-Americans with private insurance at the mercy of their insurance companies.

Along with these new protections, African-Americans are getting some relief from skyrocketing premiums. New resources are helping states strengthen their oversight of insurance companies and new rules limit the amount of your premium dollars that insurers may spend on marketing and CEO bonuses. Repeal would roll back these reforms, making it easier for insurers to hike your rate by 20 or 30 percent or more.

And repeal would also make it harder for millions of AfricanAmericans to get the preventive care and screenings they need.

The African-American community suffers from the highest cancer mortality rate in the country. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, those in new plans now have access to recommended preventive screenings, such as mammograms and colonoscopies, for free – but not if the law is repealed.

There are new benefits for seniors too. Since the law was enacted, more than three million seniors have received a $250

check to help them afford their medications once they hit the “donut hole” gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage.

This year, seniors in the donut hole are receiving a 50 percent discount on all of their covered name brand prescription drugs, the next step toward closing the donut hole. The estimated four million African-American seniors enrolled in Medicare are also enjoying other new benefits like critical preventive services, such as mammograms and flu shots, at no additional cost. Repeal would take these benefits away, leading more seniors to skip medications, cancer screenings, and other lifesaving care.

In African-American communities, the Affordable Care Act is already giving people the freedom to make their own health care choices, helping families get care, helping businesses compete, and putting Medicare on a better path for the future.

Undoing this progress now would be a terrible mistake.

Kathleen Sebelius is Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Van Jones on the state of the “carbon nation”

By Kam Williams Contributing Writer Anthony “Van” Jones and his twin sister, Angela, were born on September 20, 1968 in Jackson, Tennessee to Loretta and the late Willie Jones, a teacher and principal, respectively.

Van graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in communications and political science, before earning a Juris Doctor at Yale Law School.

A clean energy pioneer and author of the eco-employment best-seller “The Green-Collar Economy,” he was invited by the Obama Administration to serve as Green Czar. But Van decided to resign from the post in the wake of a relentless, rightwing smear campaign which accused him of everything from being a Communist to signing a petition suggesting that the Bush Administration had knowingly permitted the terrorist attacks on 9/11 to transpire.

Jones is currently teaching at Princeton University, where he holds a joint appointment at both the Center for African-American Studies and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in the Program for Science, Technology and Environmental Policy. He is also serving as a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and as a Senior Policy Advisor at Green for All. Here, he talks about all of the above, and about his

Katrina, we did create “Color of Change”, an organization which focused on African-Americans in particular, because we felt that there was a big gap there in terms of online advocacy which had left the black community particularly vulnerable.

appearance in Carbon Nation, a cautionary documentary about the consequences of climate change.

The film opens in theaters in New York City on February 11, and will open elsewhere around the country later in the month and in March before becoming available on DVD in April.

Kam Williams: Hi Van, thanks for the time.

Van Jones: Thank you.

KW: My readers sent in a lot of questions for you. I’ll start with Sam Chekwas, who asks: What interested you in appearing in Carbon Nation?

VJ: Back in 2007, I met this white guy [director Peter Byck] with a lot of hair and a video camera, at a conference that I happened to be attending for the launch of an organization called Blacks in Green. I had never heard of him and Peter had never heard of me.

We just started talking; he liked what I had to say, so he asked me if I’d be willing to be in this documentary he was doing about carbon pollution. I said, “Sure!” It was kind of a no-brainer.

KW: Before you got interested in environmental issues, you started the Bay Area Police Watch, a San Francisco-based organization with an emergency hotline and a lawyer referral service for victims of police abuse. What inspired that?

VJ: I saw in the Nineties that we were increasing police power with get tough policies and 3 strikes

Van Jones laws, but without additional oversights. I had this radical idea that the police should obey the law. My view was that any human system without adequate checks and balances will tend towards corruption and abuse. That’s why you have meat inspectors. Not

because you hate butchers, but because of an understanding of human nature. Similarly, I felt like you gotta have some oversight of law enforcement. And though the rampant racial injustices throughout the criminal justice system were offensive to me and

Zach Gross

to millions of other people, I’ve never drawn a tight circle around the black community to define the limits of my moral concern.

But that narrative tends to get imposed on you, if you’re an African-American activist. But in the aftermath of Hurricane

KW: Preston Edwards, Sr., asks: Where are the jobs in the Green Economy? In which industries?

Who are some of the larger employers? What are some of the entry-level jobs?

VJ: There are 80,000 jobs in the wind energy industry right now. And you can quadruple that number, if you have the right policy in place to promote clean energy. There are about 46,000 jobs supported by the solar industry right now. That’s fewer than it should be, too. And you have a whole other set of jobs in energy-efficiency in buildings and in creating the “Smart Grid,” as we call it. There’s also manufacturing smart batteries and bio-fuels, Those are just the energy jobs. Then we have the water, food and other industries which are also experiencing some redirection. As far as employers who are hiring, Vestas is a big wind company, and Solyndra is a solar power company. But some of these companies are starting to struggle in the absence of America’s committing to a cleaner future by way of Congressional action. The prospects of green economic opportunity are going

JONES TURN TO 7

Stopping diabetes: Test makes it quick and easy

By Brandon A. Perry Special to the NNPA from the Indianapolis Recorder

Avoiding diabetes is easier than many people might think.

According to Indiana University researchers, a simple blood test can help stop the onset of diabetes and reduce

long-term medical costs.

The hemoglobin A1c test, which can be administered quickly in a physician’s office during a routine visit, can accurately and easily determine

if a patient is pre-diabetic, or at significant risk of developing diabetes.

“Identifying more individuals with pre-diabetes through a simple test in a physician’s office gives us a real opportunity to halt progression to the disease, which is clearly a win-win situation,” said Dr. Ronald T. Ackermann, associate professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, a scientist with the Regenstrief Institute and leader of a team of researchers, who have examined the A1c blood test.

The A1c test measures average blood glucose level during the last eight to 12 weeks.

Many researchers believe it is much more convenient than typical fasting tests, which require patients to go without food overnight and return for additional testing.

Currently, only 7% of all Americans with pre-diabetes have been tested and are aware of their status, according to a report in this month’s issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The A1c test is especially helpful if the patient has risk factors such as being obese, over the age of 45, having past episodes of diabetes during a pregnancy or having a family history of the disease.

If the test indicates the person is indeed pre-diabetic,

they and their physician can make adjustments that are needed to keep them from getting diabetes. Sometimes the adjustments can be as simple as adding some exercising, modifying one’s diet and losing between 10 and 15 pounds.

“That can cut in half your chances of getting diabetes, greatly improve your health and lower your need for health care,” said Ackermann. “Lifestyle interventions in the pre-diabetic stage offer benefits not only by preventing type-2 diabetes, but also by reducing cardiovascular risk factors.”

Diabetes, especially its type-2 form, is growing rapidly with the increasing rate of obesity and has reached epidemic proportions in the United States.

The report in the American Journal of Preventative medicine says approximately 60 million Americans, onethird of the adult population, are pre-diabetic. Thirty percent of these individuals will develop type-2 diabetes in less than a decade, yet most don’t know they are at high risk for the disease.

Having the quick, cost effective A1c test given to more patients is especially good news for African-Americans, who suffer from diabetes and its complications at a disproportionately high rate.

According to the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), African-Americans are twice as likely as non-Hispanic Whites to be diagnosed with diabetes.

African Americans are also 2.2 times as likely to die from complications of diabetes.

“Diabetes is a significant challenge in the AfricanAmerican community that must be addressed effectively,” said Dr. Garth N. Graham, assistant HHS secretary for minority health.

“African Americans are also more likely to suffer complications from diabetes, such as end-stage renal disease and lower extremity amputations,” said Graham. “Prevention is highly important.”

Last year the United Health Group, a large nationwide health insurance carrier, began paying for a diabetes prevention program offered by the YMCA. The health plans, however, only pay for this treatment when a blood test shows pre-diabetes.

“Since health plans are beginning to pay for prediabetes treatments, doctors now have a more compelling reason to encourage patients who have risk factors to complete a screening test,” Ackermann said. “And the A1c test could help doctors perform testing on a much larger scale than ever before.”

insightnews.com

Insight News • February 14 - February 20, 2011 • Page 7

Held captive: Child poverty in America

By Marian Wright Edelman NNPA Columnist My father told me I could do and be anything I wanted to be, if I dreamed and worked hard enough for it. I took these words to heart, despite growing up in the Jim Crow era in Marlboro County, South Carolina. Today, too many children in Marlboro County and throughout America are not being taught to dream and to work hard for a better future.

Unemployment in my home county has hovered between 16 and 20% for long periods of time and many children there have never seen anyone in their family able to find a job and go to work. I was deeply saddened by a story I heard recently about three young teen boys who were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up. The first boy said he wanted to work at McDonald’s; the second boy said he wanted to be Spiderman and when pushed for a real person, he could not think of one; and the third boy drew a boy lying on the ground and said he was going to be dead before he grew up.

Hopelessness and despair are too often the products of poverty. Today, 15.5 million

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children are living in poverty in America—the highest child poverty rate the nation has seen since 1959. And, the younger the children are the poorer they are. Recently released U.S. Census Bureau data confirmed our worst fears about the impact of the recent recession. Nearly four million Americans fell into poverty last year. And, worst of all, children experienced the steepest rise in poverty and the largest single year increase since the 1960s.

Back in the 1960s, as a civil rights lawyer working in Mississippi, I learned that civil rights without economic rights did not add up to justice. After two civil rights bills had passed and three years into President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, the condition for poor Black Americans in Mississippi was not improving beyond a snail’s pace. When U.S. Senators Joseph Clark and Robert F. Kennedy and other lawmakers came to the Delta of Mississippi to see how the War on Poverty was going with their own eyes, the swollen bellies and empty cupboards shocked them into action and led them to call for reform and expansion of the child and family nutrition programs we know today including food stamps, WIC, and school lunches.

Still believing that fair people will take action when they see and hear about the plight of poor children, I asked Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Julia Cass to go to the Delta in Mississippi, the ravaged cities of New Orleans, and Baton Rouge in Louisiana, and to the birthplace of the suburban American dream, in Long Island, New York, and find those children and tell their stories today. The result is the Children’s Defense Fund’s new report “Held Captive”: Child Poverty in America. I’ll be sharing stories from this report in several future columns.

“Held Captive” puts human faces on the statistics that tell the frightening and heartbreaking reality of how poverty is impacting millions of America’s children. Julia Cass found that despite safety net protections put in place over the past generations, poor children are still adrift in a sea of poverty with their futures in jeopardy. Years of research link childhood poverty to a multitude of poor outcomes: lower academic attainment, higher rates of teen pregnancy and incarceration, a greater chance of health and behavioral problems, and lifelong poverty. The greatest threat to America’s national security comes from no enemy

without but from our own failure to protect, invest in, and educate all of our children who make up all of our futures in this global economy.

We need to invest now in child health, early childhood development, and education. For today is tomorrow.

Children have only one childhood and it is right now. God has blessed America with great material wealth. America can and must step forward to correct the gross imbalance of government subsidization of the wealthiest and most powerful among us and provide a future for all children free from hunger, hopelessness, and despair. If America cannot stand up for its children it does not stand for anything at all. And, it will not stand strong in our competitive, global world.

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.

28 Minnesotans murdered due to domestic violence Gruesome statistics, on the number of women and children murdered in 2010 as a result of domestic violence and child abuse have been revealed in the 2010 Minnesota Femicide Report released last week by The Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women (MCBW).

28 Minnesotans were murdered as a result of domestic violence in 2010, according to Thao Mee Xiong, MCBW Public Policy Specialist. This included 15

women who were murdered by their intimate partner; 2 men murdered by their intimate partners; 7, under 18 children, were murdered by a family member; and 4 friends, family members, or interveners were killed in a domestic violence related-situation.

MCBW analyzed cases of the 15 women murdered by intimate partners and identified some red flags for batterer lethality. The first and the most common—67%—occurred

after the victim had left the relationship or while the victim was attempting to separate from the batterer.

Threats by the abuser to kill the victim are very reliable indicators of lethality; the study finds this in 20% of the cases.

While 40% of the perpetrators were known to have abused the victim prior to the murder, 67% intimate partner femicide were committed with firearms.

The Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women has

challenged policy makers to prioritize domestic safety. It anticipates that this session the controversial and emotional debates around family court reform will return. They ask that policy makers prioritize safety and uphold the “best interest of the child standard”.

Xiong said, “It is during these tough economic times that our communities are most vulnerable and our government leaders need to stay vigilant on making sure public

Jones

switch in your house, you’re participating in a state-protected monopoly. You’re being forced to accept dirty power from a single producer. I’m the guy that’s trying to break up that monopoly to introduce free enterprise and competition to the energy sector.

I’m saying you should have the right not only to be an energy consumer but an energy producer.

Follow the money to understand why my message keeps getting drowned out. Big oil and big coal are terrified by the green jobs message. We’re just trying to end illegitimate government support for a single technology, which is un-American. We should be leading the world in the next generation of technological innovation. But we can’t unleash private capital because of what the government is doing to stifle innovation and to choke competition. The government built the grid to favor one industry over others. But I don’t hear any conservatives screaming about that. Folks don’t understand that

From 6 to be determined to a great extent by politicians arriving at some sort of bi-partisan resolution.

KW: Ben Thypin asks: How do you respond to those who say that green jobs are, at best, limited in their potential impact in terms of the number of and quality of jobs created and, at worst, “makework” jobs that form just one part of the grand socialist apparatus designed to crush the private sector and, implicitly, all that is patriotic and holy?

VJ: [Laughs] That’s funny. I used to be called the “Green Jack Kemp” because of my promotion of entrepreneurial and work-based solutions for poor people. As champions of green jobs, we’re asking questions that progressives should like, like “How are we going to avoid baking the planet,” and “How are we going to create jobs for ordinary Americans?”

Meanwhile, we’re offering solutions that conservatives should like. I’m not calling for more welfare; I’m calling for more work. I’m not asking for more entitlement programs; I’m asking for more enterprise. I’m not calling for redistributing wealth; I’m calling for reinvigorating our stuck energy sector, so some new entrepreneurs can create some new wealth.” Right now, when you go and hit the light

JONES TURN TO 8

safety—a core government responsibility—remains a top priority. Minnesota’s economic and social prosperity hinges

on the state’s ability to keep our families and communities safe.”

Page 8 • February 14 - February 20, 2011 • Insight News

insightnews.com

LIFESTYLE Solve clutter problems: Have a party Style on a Dime

By Marcia Humphrey marcia@insightnews.com A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriend, Miranda, and I hosted our first Recycle, Reuse , Reduce, and Regift Party and it was so much fun (we nicknamed it the RE party).

The purpose of the party was to help ourselves and our girlfriends achieve three important goals: 1. to promote regular decluttering, 2. to creatively satisfy that natural womanly urge to “shop”, and 3. to enjoy a rejuvenating and supportive time of friendly fellowship. Once you hear about this party, you will definitely want to throw one yourself.

When I first heard of this type of party, I was immediately interested in hosting one. The main reason the RE party was

such a success is that I teamed up with a friend and we planned and executed it together.

There’s a scripture in the bible that says that two are better than one, because they help each other succeed. Two can also share responsibilities and the inevitable stresses. In this case, my girlfriend and I were well-matched as we carried out party plans; my enthusiasm and creative ideas linked up with her organization and focus. She kept me adhering to the party planning checklist and timelines and I kept her from over-thinking the details.

Long story short, I definitely want to do it again soon (I’ll have to see if my girlfriend still shares my eagerness a few months from now).

As with any good party I host, it starts with the free online invitation www.evite. com, which invited each guest to bring up to five nearly new, items that they no longer used.

Guests would get to “shop” from the items brought by others. Best of all, no money required! Our guests were asked to drop off their items

realsimple.com

before sale-day so that we could properly “set up shop.”

We borrowed extra folding tables and suddenly the living room was transformed into a

shopping paradise.

After arriving on the day of the RE party, each woman pulled a number from a basket to determine the order

in which she would “shop.”

Then they all began inspecting the merchandise and hoping their favorite items were still available when it was their turn. Each woman had the opportunity to get at least two turns to “shop.” In between shopping there was much chatter, meeting new friends, and eating and drinking; salads, sweets, dips and chips (no party is complete without a little eating and drinking). I think everyone scored with a “new” or unexpected treasure.

Once “shopping began to die down, the women were free to take any remaining items, before it was all packed up and taken to a local charity.

We had many satisfied customers.

As our guests were leaving, several asked if we were planning another RE party in the near future.

Only time will tell, but for now, I am feeling a sense of accomplishment; my closetsand the closets of those who attended-are a bit roomier, and we turned a needed task into a great time. To be honest, emotional attachment if one of

the reasons, (actually excuses) I sometimes use for not quickly getting rid of clutter and unused items. During the RE party, I was so relieved when my beloved- yet never used- crystal picture frame was picked up by my friend. She really seemed to appreciate its beauty and already had an idea of which room in her house to put it in. It was special to me because it was a gift from my mama. I felt so relieved knowing that it was going to a good home.

Whatever reason (or excuse) you have for holding on to clutter, this may be your ticket to freedom. Consider trying this fun, free method to clear out your closets, recycle, and “shop,” all while socializing with good friends.

Let me know how it goes.

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.

Hennepin County senior volunteers honored Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions in the community were honored at special luncheons in the Twin Cities last month for their voluntary services to children and the elderly.

Foster Grandparents Program, along with its sister program Senior Companions, is part of the National Corporation for National and Community Service, which in Minnesota are sponsored by Lutheran Social

Service.

Foster Grandparents, aged over 55, provide tutoring and one-to-one mentoring to children in schools, Head Start programs and shelters.

Senior Companions, also 55 and older, help frail seniors remain at home and independent by offering companionship, grocery shopping assistance and transportation to medical appointments.

More than 300 senior

volunteers serve in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington counties.

“Our senior volunteers are outstanding individuals and great role models who provide a very important service in our community to kids and older adults alike,” explained John Bringewatt, senior director for Lutheran Social Service. “We know that their service makes a difference in helping children

improve test scores in school and helping frail elderly stay in their homes. As our aging population increases in the next 10 to 20 years, we will definitely need more senior volunteers in the future.”

Senior volunteers serve a minimum of 15 hours per week and receive a modest tax-free stipend and mileage reimbursement. The programs are supported with grants from the Corporation for National

and Community Service and the Minnesota Board on Aging, as well as support from local counties, United Ways and partner organizations.

For more information on senior volunteer opportunities in your area, please contact Mary Kay Connolly at Lutheran Social Service at 651.310.9440.

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS) offers a wide variety of human support services relating to the basics

of life ¾ food, shelter, safety and financial, physical and emotional well-being.

The non-profit organization, headquartered in St. Paul, serves over 100,000 Minnesotans yearly with operations in 300 Minnesota communities, and employs over 2,400 people.

For comprehensive information about statewide services, visit www.lssmn.org

Jones

Nobody wants a nanny state, where the government is stamping out initiative and telling us what to do, but the idea that the only alternative to that is to throw the American people overboard into a global economy with no protections to cushion us from some of these blows is absurd on its face. That’s why I think there’s been a concerted effort to distort my message. When you hear me speak beyond the sound bites taken out of context, I think I make a lot of sense to people, even those in Red States like the one where I grew up.

changed since you left the Obama Administration?

VJ: I hope everybody’s getting smarter. I’m learning and changing all the time, and I expect to continue doing so my entire life.

KW: Lois Clark asks: Do you have any resentment about being made a sacrificial lamb in the Fox News wars against President Obama?

VJ: There’s no higher honor, in my estimation, than being asked to serve in the White House. I learned more in those six months than in the prior six years. I don’t think that anybody who has had the privilege to serve the country at that level should walk out and behave like a crybaby. And I plan to continue to serve the country in other capacities.

to defend me. His focusing on getting healthcare passed so every baby in the nation could see a doctor was far more important than his having to explain every aspect of my colorful past.

KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls asks: Has your approach to fighting for change

KW: Irene says: I don’t hear many young people talking about green jobs. How do you feel you can

make green jobs “sexy” to appeal to young, poor unemployed or underemployed youth?

VJ: The problem isn’t that the green jobs aren’t sexy enough. It’s that they’re not plentiful enough.

A young person looking for a job isn’t looking just for a sexy job, they are looking for any job.

And, unfortunately, we have a 50% unemployment rate among our urban youth of color. It’s not about making green jobs more attractive. It’s about making them more available. And that requires Congress passing legislation that will give a real break to the people who want to introduce new technologies to the American marketplace.

From 7 the elite economic interests that are holding them down are also feeding them a bunch of lies.

KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: How would you assess the state of the union?

VJ: I think there’s going to be a tug of war in this country over who are the real patriots because at a time of national crisis, economic collapse and calamity, ecological peril and social dislocation, the American people deserve to be a partner to the American government.

KW: Irene also asks: What do you think is the one environmental thing this country has to get right in the next ten years?

VJ: Carbon. We’re going to bake this planet, and be a curse to all species, including our own, if we don’t find an alternative to carbonbased fuel. That’s the #1 problem.

KW: Teri Emerson says: I would like to know if, looking back, you have any regrets about resigning your position at the White House; and whether the President fought at all for you to stay.

VJ: No, I don’t have any regrets about resigning. Once it became clear to me that the right-wing was not going to let me serve in the way I wanted to serve, I resigned.

I didn’t ask President Obama

KW: Ilene Proctor asks: How would you surmount the unhinged, right-wing, Republican/corporate coalition coming into power this year which vehemently clings to their denial of climate change that puts our whole planet in peril?

VJ: I think we were naïve during the first two years of the Obama Administration because the Republicans didn’t fight us on this point during the 2008 Presidential Election. Obama and McCain both ran on a clean energy platform. But now, uncontested lies have eroded hard-won public understanding. So, we have to go back and make the case again.

JONES TURN TO 11

insightnews.com

Insight News • February 14 - February 20, 2011 • Page 9

SPORTS Packers show proper quarterback development Childress’ eventual job status with the team.

What a year for the Vikings.

I told you that you absolutely can’t make this stuff up – roofs caving in and all types of text message madness.

It ain’t gonna be nice for the Vikings to face the Green Bay Packers for the next few years. With Defensive Rookie of the Year Ndamukong Suh, the Detroit Lions may give more difficulty for years to come as well. Naturally the Chicago Bears will always put

Mr. T’s Sports Report

By Ryan T. Scott ryan@insightnews.com You know I had to get in what very well may be my last mention of the Tarvaris Jackson Fan Club. Whether you feel that opportunities just haven’t gone right for Jackson, or that he “just can’t get right”, I believe most of us think that it’s the end of the line for Jackson with the Vikings.

Though most of us could be wrong (most of us meaning me).

With 18 free agents to resign, the Vikings will likely be in “trim the fat” mode this offseason; and Jackson’s passes haven’t been too lean over the past few years. Jackson’s passes have often leaned about 3 to 5 feet above his intended receiver’s head. For Tarvaris it’s all about controlling that cannon that he has attached to his shoulder, as well as the quite nimble feet he has below the waist. And thus the most important thing Jackson needs to control is also above his shoulders. If Jackson can find a way to comfortably be himself, and use his own judicious, country boy intellect – like the Good Ol’ Country Boy football smarts of Brett Favre, who is now, sadly, in everybody’s rear view mirror – to affect his own sharp personality on the field.

Additionally, I would imagine that Jackson hasn’t maximized his leadership through preparation, and over-delivering on developing relationships with his receivers. Perhaps Jackson hasn’t felt the authority to take that kind of leadership, but as cool Prof. Mahmoud ElKati once told me, “You take

Aaron Rodgers authority.” If somehow behind closed doors Jackson has done these things…I can’t tell. But should Jackson exit stage/ border left, due to free agency, I for one will be a lil’ bit sorry to see him go. Considering Jackson’s considerable cannon of an arm, I would not be surprised to see my favorite (and most hated) NFL owner, Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders, scoop Jackson up.

Davis loves quarterbacks that can overthrow his Usain Boltlike receiver; and yes that does result in a lot of incomplete passes; and no I don’t get it either. Players have a tendency to get mad when they join the Raiders. That would be a good thing for Jackson. He needs to get mad about something, in my opinion.

It’s going to be some kind

of cool off-season seeing how new Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier strategically acts to change the team back to the performance level of 2009, rather than 2010. Hopefully the Vikings get some good breaks because a local Super Bowl could do a lot to warm up these Twin City streets and economy.

I suppose that technically there was a local Super Bowl, if you consider our Cheeseheads to the east to be local. Some Vikings fans may be the unfocused, angry brand of “mad”, in seeing their border-battle-buddies hoist the Lombardi Trophy along with a championship belt on quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ shoulder. Hands down, Green Bay quarterback Rodgers has a Hall of Fame touchdown celebration, with

www.femalefan.com

his “flash the belt” move, as if flashing a boxer’s big gold championship belt. Rodgers probably dreamed that move up while he sat behind The Good Ol’ Country Boy Brett Favre for three years, watching him sling the ball around like a madman, but then throw too many interceptions in the big game. Now Rodgers, who didn’t throw any interceptions in the Super bowl – will be a potential Tom Brady-like problem for the Vikings to visit with year-after-year.

That’s how you properly plan to keep the party going at the quarterback position, and that same system should have been used in the case of Tarvaris Jackson. Not doing so spelled doom to me many moons ago with regards to the Vikings quarterback position, and Brad

up some Chicago-style scrap.

And so our new hero Leslie Frazier has a situation similar to President Obama in 2008.

America is better now, Black History Month is hoppin’, and the Vikings still have Adrian Peterson. So I’ll add Alexander Pope’s “Hope Springs Eternal in the human breast…” It’s about time I found out where that quote came from.

And Welcome to The Tawhidul “Joe” Webb Fan Club! Better recognize.

Page 10 • February 14 - February 20, 2011 • Insight News

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Freedom fighter Josie Johnson reflects on rights movement

file photo

Josie Johnson

Classifieds / Calendar

PHONE: 612.588.1313

Events Information Meetings for ADA Grants - Feb 16 & 28 — Grant money is available to help nonprofit arts organizations in the 7-county metro area be more accessible to people with disabilities. An information meeting about this opportunity will be held: Burnsville: Wed., Feb. 9, 10:00 AM: Burnsville Performing Arts Center, Art Gallery on first floor, 12600 Nicollet Ave., 952-895-4685; http://www. burnsvillepac.com Fridley: Wed., Feb. 16, 1:00 PM: Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts, 6666 East River Road; 763-574-1850; http:// www.banfill-locke.org; (take I-94 to I-694 to East River Road and proceed north about 1.5 mile to the Center).

Minneapolis: Mon., Feb. 28, Noon: VSA Minnesota meeting room at Hennepin Center for the Arts #310, 528 Hennepin Ave., 612-332-3888; www. vsamn.org

WomanVenture - Feb 15-17 — For further information and to register, visit womenventure.org or call 651-6463808. 2324 University Ave. W., Suite 120, St. Paul, MN 55114.

• The Best Place to Start Tue. Feb. 15 11:30am-12:15pm or Thur. Feb 17 6-6:45pm at WomenVenture, Free.

Reading by Writers - Feb 15 — Hosted

by Saint Paul Poet Laureate Carol Connolly. Performances celebrating Valentines. Feat: Todd Boss, Kate Hallet Dayton, Jim Lenfestey, John Reimringer, Katrina Vandenberg. Tue, Feb 15 7:30. University Club 420 Summit Ave. Saint Paul.

PROJECT ACCOUNTANT

PCL Construction Services, Inc. is seeking an entrylevel Project Accountant to work in our Burnsville, MN office. Bachelor’s Degree and previous accounting experience preferred. Proficiency with JDEdwards-E1 and Strategy is ideal. Additional requirements & details can be found online at www.pcl.com. Job ID #2129.

Applications accepted online. www.pcl.com Job ID #2129 No phone calls or walk-ins please.

EOE, AAE, M/F/D/V

TELEMARKETING POSITION Insight News is seeking applicants for a part-time Classified Sales Telemarketing Representative.

This position is perfect for a college student or someone looking for part time employment.

Hours are Mon-Thursday, 10 – 2 PM, not to exceed 20 hours per week.

Position Duties: • Deliver prepared sales talks, reading from scripts that describe Insight News and www.insightnews. com, in order to secure classified advertising.

• Contact businesses by telephone in order to solicit sales.

• Adjust sales scripts to better target the needs and interests of specific individuals.

• Answer telephone calls from potential customers who have been solicited through advertisements.

• Telephone or write letters to respond to correspondence from customers or to follow up initial sales contacts.

• Maintain records of contacts, accounts, and orders.

This position requires a high school diploma, previous telemarketing experience and the ability to produce results.

North Side Black History Month Celebration - Feb 18 — Presentations

by African American professionals who have made their mark in the education, publishing and performing arts fields as well as theatrical and dance performances by local children. Fri, Feb. 18 6-8pm at the Plymouth Avenue Art Studio located at 2404 Plymouth Ave. N. FREE Moonlight Snowshoeing at Lake Nokomis - Feb 19 — Take an evening tour of the Lake Nokomis and Minnehaha Creek on Snowshoes. We’ll look for night creatures and watch the sky with the city glowing in the distance. Snowshoes provided. Meet at the Nokomis Beach parking lot on E Lake Nokomis Parkway just east of Cedar Avenue S. Sat. Feb. 19, 5-6:30pm Register at minneapolisparks.org or call 612-313-7725. $15. Registration closes at Noon on Thur., Feb. 17.

Dr. Goddess takes St. Paul! - Feb 14

Sponsored by the Saint Paul Almanac Dr. Goddess (Kimberly C. Ellis) star in a 15 character--one woman show, Mon. Feb 14, Arnellia’s 1183 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN at 6:30pm.

Dr. Goddess will perform a story about a young urban woman’s journey into academia. A comedy, grounded in engaging social commentary, this witty show uses dramatic monologues, poetry, music, and African, Jazz, and Hip Hop dance and sketch comedy.

For more information: website: http:// drgoddess.com Fidgety Fairy Tales - Feb 16 — Information about mental health disorders by retelling familiar fairy tales. Each story contains positive messages and portrayals of children with mental health disorders as well as some of the common symptoms of a disorder. Wed, Feb. 16, 7:30pm at O’Shaughnessy Education Center Auditorium St. Paul Campus.

Merrick Community Center Celebrates Black History - Feb 17 — Free event for families. Community Vendors, Entertainment and Food. Feb, 17 5:308pm 715 Edgerton St, Saint Paul MN 55130.

Surveying for Historic Resources Feb 17-28 — The City of Minneapolis announces upcoming community meetings to discuss historic surveying work underway of properties, themes and development patterns in three geographic areas of the city: Community meetings will be held: • Camden Community Survey Area Thur. Feb. 24 6:30-8pm Webber Community Center: 4400

Project Manager

Event Description: North Minneapolis community festival to take place in July, 2011. The festival will include local North Minneapolis children learning and performing with the Minnesota Sinfonia, local musical performances, local artist exhibits, and other community group involvement.

Pay Total: $2,000 Tasks: Organize and manage event activities and details Coordinate and schedule volunteers Communicate and coordinate with community leaders Identify and secure needed resources Manage project budget Assign individual and group responsibilities Manage day to day operational aspects of project Abilities: Able to multi-task Work well with others Good communication skills Positive attitude Willingness to learn Basic computer skills Knowledge and/or involvement in North Minneapolis Art scene

Please submit resume with three references to batalara@insightnews.com

Preference given to North Side residence.

NO WALK-INS and no PHONE CALLS, please.

Interested applicants please contact Emily Matejcek, 612.871.1701 or emily@mnsinfonia.org

American to serve on the University’s Board of Regents in 1971, and served as a University senior fellow during the 1980s.

As Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs in the 1990s, she established the Office of Equity and Diversity. The University of Minnesota has established the annual Josie R. Johnson Human Rights and Social Justice Award in her honor.

At the fifth installment of the College of Continuing Education’s LearningLife Forum: Witness to History, she will lend her personal perspective to the defining moments of the civil rights struggle The event takes place on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Continuing Education and Conference Center (1890

FAX: 612.588.2031

Dupont Ave. N. Mpls • Central Core Survey Area - Thur. Feb. 17 6–7:30pm Our Lady of the Lourdes: 1 Lourdes Pl, Mpls • Downtown portion of Central Core Survey Area - Mon. Feb. 28 4:30–6pm City Hall, Room 319: 350 South 5th St., Mpls • Windom, Kenny, and Armatage Survey Area - Wed. Feb. 23 6:30–8pm Kenny Recreation Center: 1328 58th Street W, Minneapolis

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

The Minnesota Planetarium Society Celebrates Galileo’s Birthday - Feb 15 — Attendees will have the opportunity the explore space inside the Society’s ExploraDome, an inflatable, portable planetarium. This new technology will allows visitors to experience the night sky, journey through solar systems, and observe earth from an astronaut’s perspective. There will also be opportunities for hands on access to telescopes and meteorites.

6-9pm. Reservations are not required and parking is available in the Northrop Garage. For more information on the event, email help@mplanetarium.org or contact by phone at 952-847-8210.

A civil rights activist since her teenage years, Josie Johnson has firsthand experience of some of the most contentious and volatile times in American history. Her impact on the fight for equal opportunities has been felt both locally and nationally.

As a teen, she and her father openly organized an effort to fight a poll-tax aimed at preventing Black Americans from voting. In 1964, she traveled to Mississippi with an integrated group of women to witness firsthand and take part in the struggle for civil rights.

In 1968, she became an aide to the mayor of Minneapolis at a particularly contentious time in the city’s civil rights movement.

She was named the first African

HandsOn Twin Cities Volunteer Expo - Feb 19 — Find the perfect volunteer project for you, your family, or your group when you visit with representatives from over 100 area nonprofits. Enjoy entertainment, participate in “speed volunteering” activities, bid on silent auction items and the watch the Be the Change Awards Ceremony.

10am-3pm, Sat., Feb 19 at Mall of America, Best Buy Rotunda. Visit www.handsontwincities.org for more information.

Animal Tracking at Wirth Park - Feb 20 — A naturalist will lead a guided hike as you look for tracks and other signs of animals in winter. Many animals stay active in winter or can return in February as nature readies itself for the coming spring. Meet at the Wirth Beach parking lot on Glenwood Ave just east of Theodore Wirth Parkway. Sun. Feb. 20, 10-11:30am. Register online at minneapolisparks.org or call 612-3137725. $5 Registration closes at 4:30pm on Fri., Feb. 17.

Minnesota’s Waiting Children Free Information Session - Feb 22 — Downey Side…families for youth, invites community members to attend a FREE information session regarding adoption and Minnesota’s Waiting Children.

Next information session will be Tue., Feb. 22, from 6:30-8pm at Downey Side Minnesota, 450 N. Syndicate St., Suite 90, St. Paul, MN 55104. Preregistration required. To register, email stpaulmn@downeyside.org or call 651228-0117.

Your 5 O’Clock Friends - Feb 22 — Tom Oszman and Jack Stahlmann of TCMedianow.com present an evening of rare clips, out-take reels

Buford Ave.), on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by calling 612624-4000, by visiting cce.umn. edu/learninglife, or at the door.

The LearningLife Forum is a program of the University of Minnesota, College of Continuing Education. Through the College of Continuing Education, motivated adults enrich their personal and professional lives through learning opportunities ranging from courses, workshops and retreats, to credit certificates and bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

For more information visit, www. cce.umn.edu.

EMAIL: andrew@insightnews.com

and commercials that evoke the media culture of the Twin Cities in the 1970s and 80s, when local affiliates still ruled the early evening airways. 21+ $6, $5 for MHS members. Tickets can be purchased online at tickets.mnhs.org by calling 651-259-3015. At Turf Club, 1601 University Ave., St Paul.

We Can, We Have, We Will: Celebrating the legacy of Black History - Feb 22 — This FREE, fun, family-friendly event honors the achievements of African Americans from the past and present, while looking

Art and Eating Disorders Exhibition Opening Reception - Feb 24 — Presented

by The Emily Program Foundation, this exhibition will feature artwork created by individuals currently struggling with eating disorders, giving voice to their fight and raising awareness about the devastating impact eating disorders have on the community. Open from Feb. 23 through Mar. 5, Wed.-Sat., 12–5pm, open late Thur. (till 8pm).

Reception: Thu, Feb. 24, 6:30–9pm at Tarnish & Gold Gallery 1511 Marshal St. NE, Mpls

Celebrating the work of J. California Cooper The Givens Foundation for African American Literature has launched Givens Black Books, a community reading campaign celebrating the work of acclaimed African American playwright and author, J. California Cooper. On Thursday, February 17, 2011 7:00pm, Givens Black Books, in partnership with The Friends of the St. Paul Public Library, will host a Black History Month celebration at Rondo Community Outreach Library, 461 N. Dale Street, Saint Paul, MN 55103.

From its inception, Black History Month has served to remind us of our shared history and community, preserve African American culture and inspire future generations of African American people- artists, writers, inventors, scientists etc.

Givens Black Books will continue this legacy by featuring the work of J. California Cooper, specifically her first novel, . Community members are encouraged to join a panel of local scholars in discussing , J. California Cooper and the state of African American literature. Nothando Zulu, nationally acclaimed storyteller, will perform a dramatic reading from Family.

This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served and free copies of will be distributed at the event while supplies last.

For more information on Givens Black Books, including dates of upcoming public book discussions or to start your own discussion group, visit www.givens.org.

Power Brokers Public Policy Forum Community Action of Minneapolis hosts the Power Brokers Public Policy Forum on Monday ,February 28, 2011 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm at the Minneapolis Urban League’s Sharon Sayles Belton Center located at 411 East 38 Street in Minneapolis. Join Community Members and Guest Speakers; Minnesota State Representative Bobby Joe Champion, Minnesota State Representative Jeff Hayden, Nan Madden, The Director of the Minnesota Budget Project at the Minnesota Council of Non-Profits, Gregory Gray, Former Executive Director of the legislative Commission to end Poverty and Jeff Bauer, Director of Public Policy and Civic Engagement at the Family Partnership and Partner member of HIRE Minnesota to discuss the serious impact of the current budget deficit on community members and neighborhoods across the state. Minnesota faces a current budget shortfall of 6.5 million dollars this biennium. What programs and services will be cut in order to balance the budget? How will the budget cuts affect local area non-profits and the people that they serve? How will the budget crisis affect low-income people who are already unemployed? Come and share your views on the budget crisis! Offer new ideas and creative strategies to help us work through this challenging economic period. This will be a lively and informative forum! You have a vested interest in keeping resources in your community! Please come out and let your voice be heard! Light Refreshments will be served. For more information or to RSVP please call 612-767-1734.

forward to the limitless possibilities of our community’s future. Tue. Feb. 22, 5-8pm at Jimmy Lee Recreation Center, 270 Lexington Pkwy N, St. Paul. MN Interfaith Forum w/ Congressman Keith Ellison - Feb 24 — Keith Ellison represents Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-FarmerLabor Party, he is the first Muslim to be elected to the United States Congress.

Before his election to national office, he served two terms in the Minnesota State Legislature, representing District 58B. In an era of fear and polarization, he offers a message of hope, reconciliation, respect, and inclusion. Thur., Feb. 24, Noon–1pm @ Westminster Presbyterian C h u r c h Nicollet Mall & 12th St. in Mpls.

TAWU Presents ‘The Eclectic’ - Thru Feb 25 — Exhibit by Obsidian Arts is a visual, historical account of art by artists of color, ranging from ancient times to today. The exhibit will consist of paintings, drawings, photography, textiles and sculpture. Feb. is Black History Month. The Hennepin Gallery is free and open to the public Mon. through Fri., 7:30am-6pm, at the Hennepin County Government Center, A Level, 300 S. Sixth St., Mpls.

Free Yoga Class - Feb 26 — Taught by The Emily Program’s Lisa Diers, RYT, class will focus on creating a positive and supportive relationship with your body. Limited equipment available but welcome to bring your own. A $5 donation is suggested at the door. Space is limited, first come, first serve. Sat, Feb. 26, 1pm at Tarnish & Gold Gallery 1511 Marshal St. NE, Mpls

insightnews.com

Jones

From 8 KW: Larry Greenberg says: I sometimes hear corporate polluting compared to littering.

Is there a better simile, one that could inspire real action?

VJ: To me, that analogy is inspiring. Ordinary Americans can’t pollute for free. You can’t dump your trash on the sidewalk or throw all your refuse into your neighbor’s yard. I don’t understand why corporate polluters should be allowed to

Insight News • February 14 - February 20, 2011 • Page 11 the U.S. As an environmentalist and as a lawyer which riders and other measures are needed to correct this phenomenon?

VJ: I don’t like to comment on a specific local issue because there are plenty of people already working on the problem who know a lot more about it than I do.

In this case, Patricia should reach out to We Act, a great Harlembased environmental justice group.

KW: Reverend Florine Thompson asks: Who or what has been your greatest source of inspiration and encouragement in life?

“In a two-year period, all my dreams came true... And then all my nightmares came true” dump megatons of carbon, the most dangerous pollution in the history of the world, into our thin shell of an atmosphere, and not pay a penny to do it. So, from my point of view, it is a very motivating framework.

KW: Legist/Editor Patricia Turnier asks: What advice do you have for attorneys who want to climb the ladder of success by becoming a partner in a big law firm?

VJ: I wouldn’t know. That isn’t the route I went.

KW: Patricia has another question: Latinos and AfricanAmericans of West Harlem are exposed to dumping grounds for noxious facilities and unwanted land uses. This situation creates serious health problems such as lung diseases. The New York City asthma death rate is higher than any other city in

Lunds From 1 “Lunds keeps saying they are not responsible for what happens to us, but these firings and human rights violations are the concrete result of them constantly pitting cleaning companies against each other

VJ: That’s a good question. I have many sources of inspiration. I’d have to point to Dr. Martin Luther King, first and foremost. But my parents were good, hardworking folks who kept us in the church and the public schools, and out of trouble, for the most part. Along the way, I’ve had a chance to meet some of my civil rights heroes and, more recently, members of the young generation around Obama, people in their teens and twenties who were determined to make history and who were too idealistic to think that what they were trying to do might be impossible. They proved that visionary pragmatism can win over the majority. That comes from a particular place in your heart that generation Y is offering America. They just can’t afford to be naïve now, in terms of the ferocity of the opposition.

They give me a lot of inspiration and so does being a father, which for the lowest possible bid. We are always the ones who suffer from their decisions,” she said.

“They are responsible for 12 workers not being able to put food on the table. They refuse to address the issues of reported sexual harassment, and now I’m scared to go to work on the nights when I work alone with my supervisor. What if he did something to me? Or Lunds

has really made me much more committed to trying to solve these problems, and not just to protesting them.

KW: Reverend Thompson has a follow-up: What do you see as the role of “The Church” in this new green economy? How should the Black Church, which is basically the largest people base in the African-American community, begin to forge a foothold in the green market?

VJ: First of all, fighting for and defending the values from the pulpit is critical. You can’t love the Creator, and disrespect the creation. We have to make that very clear as people of faith. So, we have to heed our Biblical obligation to be good stewards of the Earth after leaving the Garden of Eden. And secondly, it’s time to start bringing the congregations down to City Hall and to ask the mayors, the city councils and the school boards, “What’s the plan?

What’s the local government going to do for us?” There are some cities that are doing good stuff, but there aren’t enough of them. If you don’t fight for what you want, then you deserve what you get. And in politics, if you don’t ask, you don’t get at all.

In addition, black folks need to attend green conferences, too. We just self-segregate and don’t go.

They might even waive your fee if you apply on a diversity basis, because they’d be so shocked to see somebody from a different background wanting to be a part of the green movement.

KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?

VJ: All humans have fear, and those of us who are fortunate have faith.

KW: The Columbus question: Are you happy?

Short

JONES TURN TO 12 workers? Or a customer?”

Furthermore, she said, this is another ignored attempt at communication from National Floor Maintenance.

“I cannot understand why Lunds is saying they have nothing to do with us. They need to pay attention to us and hear our voices,” said Chiman.

“We are the ones who clean their stores and make them look

Suluki Fardan

Ban elections. Reforms must also be made to the MN Dept of Human Services background studies. Current licensing laws unduly limit access to gainful employment for thousands of Minnesotans and needs to be reformed.

Sarah Walker also supports restoring the voting rights of felons who are living in the community to promote an engaged citizenry.

Restoring the right to vote for felons who are living in the

community better reintegrates individuals into the duties of citizenship. Minnesota currently denies voting for felons while they are on probation, supervised release, or incarcerated. Restoring the right to vote for ex-offenders living in the community will maximize their ability to contribute to society, increase participation in our democracy, and make our communities safer.

Counteractively, on January 26, the MN State House Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Finance Committee approved, on a 10-7 party-line vote, House File 161, which eliminates state background

checks for people in Minnesota to buy a handgun or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon from a federally licensed dealer.

Currently, Minnesotans must first obtain a state permit through their local police, which is more restrictive than some federal guidelines.

“Taking away background checks for people to buy guns, but not allowing them to vote, will lead to an armed citizenry that doesn’t have a voice,” Walker says.

Contact your MN State Legislators to give individuals and communities a ‘Second Chance.’

good, they need to hear our voices,” she said.

Albuerto-Havanna has worked for five years cleaning Lunds and Byerly’s stores as a National Maintenance employee.

“They are trying to wash their hands of the situation by bringing in another cleaning company. They notified us three hours before that we no longer

had a job. That is unjust,” he said.

While Lunds and other retail chains continue to turn a blind eye to the human rights violations happening in the cleaning of their stores, workers are ready to continue the struggle until they achieve a Code of Conduct with major retail stores including Lunds, Target and Cub Foods ensuring

fair wages, working conditions and a voice on the job for all workers who clean their stores.

“They pride themselves on serving their community. We want them to recognize that these abrupt firings impact the same communities they claim to serve,” Havanna said.

“We are asking to be treated with dignity, respect and like human beings,” Havanna said.

From 2

Page 12 • February 14 - February 20, 2011 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Imhotep: Father of medicine, step pyramid

By Titilayo Bediako Black History Month is an important time for people of African descent. It is a special occasion for us to reflect on the struggles we have been through and the accomplishments we have made. WE WIN Institute teaches children from K-12 about African history and culture. No matter what the nationality of the children we serve, we teach them all about the accomplishments of African Americans. It is important for all children to know and understand the great contributions of people of African descent.

WE WIN has programs in north and south Minneapolis, and Robbinsdale.

It also provides home tutoring, through Supplementary Educational Services (SES). Two children that are home tutored in WE WIN’s SES program are Sagal Hussein, who is a kindergartener, and her brother Abubakar, who is in second grade. They have been reading about the great accomplishments of Egypt. They have learned that Egypt is part of Africa and that Egyptians that looked like them are responsible for many great triumphs of the world. They have learned that Imhotep was one of the world’s first geniuses. They also discovered that Imhotep was the first doctor of the world and that it is a myth that Hippocrates is the father of medicine. Imhotep was born 1,000 years before Hippocrates. The Hippocratic oath should be called the

Jones From 11 VJ: I’m happier than I was in 2009.

KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?

VJ: Yesterday, dealing with my two year-old son who is certifiably insane.

KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Selena Lerma, 5th grade “Imhotep”

Faysal Dhimbal, 3rd grade “Stairstep Pyramid”

Photos courtesy WE WIN Institute

Sagal (Kindergarten) and Abubakar Hussein (2nd grade)

Imhotepic oath. The Egyptians called Imhotep the God of Medicine. He was also the builder of one of the first pyramids, called the step pyramids. This

huge structure has six steps and is over 200 feet high. It still stands in Egypt today.

Sagal and Abubakar’s mother, Choukri, is happy that in

addition to helping her children with identifying and writing their alphabets, understanding parts of speech, understanding what they read, and how to write

VJ: Pop Tarts.

to cook?

VJ: Scrambled eggs.

KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?

VJ: Shirley Chisholm speaking at the 1972 Democratic National Convention. I was almost four.

petition implicating the Bush Administration in 9/11?” Because I never signed it, and I hate being vilified for a controversial idea I never espoused. The reason they love to beat on that drum is because it’s so discrediting. In a two-year period, all my dreams came true: the birth of a son… publishing a best-selling book… launching a successful organization… joining the Obama Administration… And then all my nightmares came true.

KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?

VJ: Yes, “Did you sign that

KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

VJ: Trust your intuition and be

KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?

VJ: Mad as Hell, which is about the Tea Party. http:// www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ ASIN/0061995231/ref=nosim/ thslfofire-20 KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What are you listening to on your iPod? VJ: Mad as Hell. I’m listening to it on audio book.

KW: What is your favorite dish

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

VJ: Indescribable gorgeousness!

their names, WE WIN tutoring program is teaching them about African history and culture. As we were reading about Imhotep, Choukri heard the names of Egypt, Mali and Ghana, as she was cooking dinner. She proudly smiled and told her children, “Those are African countries.” After taking a pretest about Imhotep and reading about his contributions to the world, Sagal and Abubakar wrote a poem about Imhotep.

Selena Lerma, a 5th grader, drew the picture of Imhotep, and Faysal Dhimbal, a 3rd grader, drew the picture of the step pyramid. WE WIN’s tutoring program has demonstrated the importance of teaching African

American children about their rich culture and history. When young people learn about their people and the contributions that they have made to the world, it helps them feel better about being a person of African descent and proud about their ancestors accomplishments and of their own successes.

resilient. If you have real breakout ideas, even your friends will laugh at you secretly until you can prove their viability. I’ve never launched any initiative or campaign that people thought was a slam dunk.

KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered? What do you want your legacy to be, and where are you in relation to that at this point in your life?

VJ: I want to be remembered as one of the great innovators among social justice advocates of the 21st Century. I’m only 42, and I’ve got a lot more tricks up my sleeve.

KW: The Dulé Hill question.

Do you attribute your success to yourself or to God? VJ: To the God in myself is probably the most honest answer.

I think everybody has a divine destiny. There’s the God within and the God without, and you have to attend to the alignment of the two of them.

Imhotep is our Hero

By Sagal (kindergarten) and Abubakar Hussein (2nd grade) Imhotep was very smart He was good at his art He built the step pyramid And he wasn’t even a kid He was the first doctor He told people to be walkers We love Imhotep

KW: Thanks again, Van, and best of luck with all your future endeavors.

VJ: Thank you.