Insight News ::: 02.22.16

KING debuts new album; comes home to sold out show at Icehouse MORE ON PAGE 10 aesthetically speaking

Insight News February 22 - February 28, 2016

Vol. 43 No. 8 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Jobs, education; not jails, incarceration

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer While the gymnasium at Patrick Henry High School was packed with hundreds – most who came to hear from Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders – it became clear that not everyone was “feeling the Bern.”

Sanders was in town on Feb. 12 for a scheduled Democratic event later that evening but accepted an invitation from Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC) to participate in its forum on Black America.

While hundreds braved a long line in single digit temperatures to hear from the senator from Vermont, not all were ready to blindly endorse the candidate; even though he is seen as the most progressive when it comes to issues concerning African-Americans. Sanders’ opponent, Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, was also in town but declined the invitation from NOC. As it turns out, that might have been a wise decision.

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Harry Colbert, Jr.

Sen. Bernie Sanders addressing the crowd at Patrick Henry High School during a Feb. 12 forum on Black America hosted by Neighborhoods Organizing for Change.

Legacy Honoring history and heritage, Insight News, in partnership with the Minneapolis Civil Rights Department, profiles past and emerging leaders from the Twin Cities African American community.

On love… of humanity

Celebrating The Future Michael Walker, Director of The Office of Black Male Student Achievement (OBMSA), leads the Minneapolis Public School District’s (MPS) efforts to eliminate the achievement gap between black male students and their MPS peers. The Office of Black Male Student Achievement is a new department created

Michael Walker

Artspeak

By Irma McClaurin, PhD Culture and Education Editor Today, February 14, 2006, in the U.S and around the world we celebrate love.

Most people associate this ritual with romantic love—the feelings we hold for someone with whom we are intimate or close friends. We also use it as a time to celebrate siblings, relatives, co-workers as people we “love.”

Valentine’s Day, Dia de São Valentim (Brazil), or Dia dos Namorados (Latin America) is believed to be connected to the Roman holiday Lupercalia celebrated to ward off evil spirits and purify the people, bringing good health.

But the most compelling explanation attributes Valentine’s Day to one or more saints named “Valentinus.”

One story points to a Christian martyr named Saint Valentine who was executed and sent a

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specifically to address the needs of the largest demographic group within MPS. It represents an equitable approach to tackling the challenges that exist for the school district’s black male students.

Walker has over 15 years of career experience in youth development and helping black

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Minnesota bills address racial disparities

By Cirien Saadeh, TC Daily Planet

The recession might be over, but not for Black Minnesotans.

In 2014, the incomes of Black Minnesotans were the lowest they had been since 2008. With the average salary for Black Minnesotans at $27,000 per year, the rate is nothing compared to Minnesota’s average income for all residents at nearly $68,000 annually, said the Minnesota State Demographer Susan Brower who recently presented at the Legislative Working Group on Economic Disparities.

And according to a memo

by Sen. Bobby Joe Champion at that same working group, about 9 percent of Black students and almost 11 percent of Latino students dropped out of Minnesota high schools last year.

Further, almost 24,000 Black adults in Minnesota have not earned a high school diploma or equivalence.

Even though these statistics

Achivement Gap Are we really 250 years away from closing the achievement gap?

PAGE 2

David Pierini

The slogan, “When We Fight, We Win” was one of many rally cries during a demonstration in Minneapolis City Hall, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015, for striking retail and fast-food workers. have persisted in some form for years, they finally have the attention of the Minnesota Legislature. In an effort to decrease these and others of Minnesota’s startling racial and economic disparities, the state legislature has introduced several proposals that they hope might be a first step towards equity for all

Minnesotans.

What’s been proposed Gov. Mark Dayton and some legislators had wanted to act on these disparities during a proposed special session. Shortly after Jamar Clark was shot by police in

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Commentary

Lifestyle

Community

Winifred Green: An unsung warrior for racial and economic justice

Ending the war of the emotions

Fathers spent a perfect Valentine’s Day with their daughters

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Are we really 250 years away from closing the achievement gap?

By Marilyn Anderson Rhames This “wait” has almost always meant “never.” …

“Justice too long delayed is justice denied.” — MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL This Black History Month, in honor of Dr. King’s legacy, a mentor-friend of mine, Peter Meyer, sent me an EducationNext report that shows that the achievement gap between blacks and whites first documented in the 1966 government-sponsored Coleman

Legacy From 1 youth achieve success. From 1998 to 2006, Walker served as community outreach program and youth development director at the YMCA of Greater St. Paul and Minneapolis, where he developed programs for social, academic, athletic and employment skills for youth. He served as coordinator of the Black Achievers Program, an academic achievement and career development initiative for middle school and high school youth and teens. While acquiring his master’s degree in counseling, Walker interned at Roosevelt High School. There he was encouraged to apply for a job as a career and college coordinator for AchieveMpls at Roosevelt High School. He served in this role from 2006 to 2009. Walker obtained his administrative license from St. Cloud State University and served as Roosevelt High School’s dean of students and later as an assistant principal.

Before Walker became director of the Office of Black Male Student Achievement and before developing or implementing any programming

Report has hardly budged some 50 years later when compared to the most recent student achievement data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP): In both math and reading, the national test-score gap in 1965 was 1.1 standard deviations, implying that the average black 12th grader placed at the 13th percentile of the score distribution for white students.

In other words, 87 percent of white 12th graders scored ahead of the average black 12th grader.

What does it look like 50 years later?

In math, the size of the gap has fallen nationally by 0.2 standard deviations, but that still leaves the average black 12th-grade student at only the 19th percentile of the white distribution. In reading, the achievement gap has improved slightly more than in math (0.3

standard deviations), but after a half century, the average black student scores at just the 22nd percentile of the white distribution.

According to research by Eric A. Hanushek and Paul E. Peterson, the nationwide achievement gap is narrowing at a rate so slow that it would take 250 years to equalize the math learning outcomes (and a few years less in reading) of black and white children in America.

I think Dr. King would agree that such a long delay is justice denied.

for the newly created office, he took to the streets to learn from the community the challenges young black males encountered in the Minneapolis Public School District. Michael visited Minneapolis barber shops, hair salons, churches, and community organizations interviewing MPS alumni and parents about the experiences of young black males in the school district.

Walker developed B.L.A.C.K. (Building Lives Acquiring Cultural Knowledge), a curriculum that works to empower students.

The curriculum introduces students to the complexity of the black male experience by exploring the everyday reality of black men in the United States.

The curriculum exposes students to the experience of black male labor force participation and employment outcomes; deconstructs representations of black masculinity in popular culture; explores academic dilemmas associated with primary and secondary educational pursuits; and uncovers issues connected with law, incarceration, and criminal justice. Walker and his team have witnessed promising developments in OBMSA participants. Today he continues to undertake what many

consider an intimidating challenge with strength, compassion, and courage.

Walker is a product of North Minneapolis and attended Roosevelt High School. He and his wife have four children, two of whom are school-age and attend MPS schools.

THE COLEMAN REPORT I once read that Dr. King was worried that the groundbreaking Brown v. Board of Education school integration decision in 1954 would harm black children because it would remove them from supportive black teachers and place them in classrooms

with white teachers who might think low of them and hold low expectations.

However, Coleman, a die-hard racial integrationist, asserted that the family backgrounds of students (i.e., education level, size, structure, amount of reading material), had a greater impact on student achievement than teachers and schools.

He wrote that “a pupil’s achievement is strongly related to the educational backgrounds and aspirations of other students in the school.” Therefore he sought to further the call for desegregation—in particular, court-ordered busing of black students to diversify white urban schools.

By 1975, however, Coleman realized that pushing for urban school desegregation had incited white flight, creating a new residential segregation between

the city and the suburbs.

Meanwhile, any integration that was left in the city was among poor blacks and poor whites, not the diversity of educational backgrounds Coleman hoped for.

Today, the education debate still rages as to whether forces outside of school influence student achievement more than schools themselves. While Coleman attempted to measure the impact of family backgrounds on student achievement, today’s debate has twisted his argument into pitting “poverty” against a child’s ability to academically achieve—something Coleman never did. In fact, Coleman never factored families’ income into his research and only mentioned the word “poverty” once in his 737-page report.

EDUCATING DESPITE POVERTY

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voice at the forefront of my work.

Beacons of Leadership My mother is the most inspirational person in my life.

She has always believed in me and encouraged me through all endeavors. My mother taught me to be confident in decision making, but to remain respectful of all thoughts, perspectives, and opinions. My mother, who is my sounding board for advice, always gives honest critique. She’s the person who keeps me going.

Advice for Aspiring Educators This is not a job. This is something you have to be passionate about.

As an educator, you are going to lead from 30 to maybe 150 students each day. You must be able to see them each as unique individuals. While content is an important aspect of education, authentic relationship building is critical. Once you form trusting relationship with students, you can teach them anything.

All children want to learn.

As educators, we must determine what it is that motivates our students, tap into it, and let learning happen for everyone.

Build authentic relationships with students and their families- and be the best educator possible.

Most Rewarding Work Experience The Office of Black Male Student Achievement is a new and developing organization.

As I chart the path for this organization I’m blessed to work in conjunction and partnership with the young black males I’m entrusted to serve. The young men are present in every aspect of program development. I am intentional about keeping their

Celebrating The Future Shannon Jones is the Director of Community Engagement at Urban Homeworks. She is an advocate for equitable housing and is dedicated to empowering her community. In her role, she analyzes the needs of the community and makes appropriate recommendations for housing programs, policy, and practices within Urban Homeworks and beyond.

Urban Homeworks

Were Dr. King still alive would he have told Mississippi sharecropping parents that letting their kids walk three miles barefoot to a one-room schoolhouse was futile because the parents’ poverty and illiteracy would impede their children’s learning?

No, he championed the need for people of color to have equal educational resources as whites, to help sharecroppers’ children lift themselves out of poverty.

Dr. King also fought for fair wages, employment and housing for blacks in the South to curb poverty, but he never asserted that high-quality schools would be ineffective without those things being in place.

No one can do it all, so my strategy as a freedom-fighting educator is to focus on making schooling a rich and worthwhile

Shannon Jones responds to the voices of the community by providing dignified housing opportunities, creating space for construction training, weaving together a network of engaged neighbors, and mobilizing volunteers.

In 2012, Jones was hired as a community engagement strategy manager to build relationships with community, connect community to resources, and to provide a safe, respectful way for families to voice their concerns. Shortly thereafter, she began to co-manage the Urban Neighbor Program, a faithmotivated housing program for college students and working professionals. While managing

the Urban Neighbor Program, Jones was consistently given more responsibilities and opportunities to expand the community focus of the organization.

These efforts led to Urban Homeworks incorporating community engagement as a core principal of its organizational framework. At the time, Jones, who had proven herself a consummate community organizer, was asked to become the new Director of Community Engagement.

In her new role, Jones implemented several programs designed to get renters and homeowners civically engaged.

Jones initiated the “Writing Campaign” which allowed community members to use their voice to address issues with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Campaign is a process by which people can successfully engage with HUD on a number of issues related to fair housing. This proved so successful that Jones led a second campaign addressing constituent issues pertaining to emotional welfare as it relates to police brutality.

Jones leads community

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Insight News • February 22 - February 28, 2016 • Page 3

HEALTH

Fabulous with fibroids

By Michelle Mitchum, MPH HHP Do you, or someone you know, suffer from fibroids?

As many as three out of four women have fibroids. Some are painful, while some are not.

Fibroids can be a pain in the “you know what” because they can make your monthly flow unnecessarily heavy and painful.

They can grow to obnoxious sizes, causing some women to appear 3-9 months pregnant.

INSIGHT NEWS www.insightnews.com

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

Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Assistant to the Publisher Shumira Cunningham Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Associate Editor Culture and Education Dr. Irma McClaurin Associate Editor Leadership and Social Enterprise Dr. Anita Davis-DeFoe Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Ben Williams Production Intern Sunny Thongthi Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Contributing Writers Melvin Carter, Jr. Harry Colbert, Jr. Julie Desmond Fred Easter Timothy Houston Penny Jones-Richardson Alaina L. Lewis Darren Moore Carmen Robles Lydia Schwartz Ryan T. Scott Artika Tyner Toki Wright Photography David Bradley 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.

However, most importantly, a fibroid can complicate fertility.

Yeah, it is a pretty pesky problem to have.

What is a fibroid…really?

Well, a fibroid is a lump or growth in the uterus that is not cancerous, and can be as small as a pea, or as large as a basketball, or any size in between. If not discovered and treated early in its development, it can grow and cause major reproductive complications.

The treatments for managing fibroids can include removal of a woman’s ovaries or uterus, key reproductive organs.

Fibroids are more common in African American women than in women of other racial groups.

Studies show that fibroids are three times more common in African American women than in Caucasian women, and tend to be larger and occur at an earlier age

in African Americans.

While it is unclear to many medical professionals what causes fibroids, and why they occur more frequently in African American women, research has shown that diets laden with hormone-infused meats and processed foods are major contributors. This would validate why there is increased incidence of fibroids in the African American community, as statistics support that African Americans have diets that are high in processed foods and sugar.

To limit your chances of developing fibroids, do not feed your body foods that will cause them to grow. I have listed some foods to avoid.

White Foods and Sugar: Lower the amount of “white” foods (pasta, white bread, white rice, white sugar) you consume.

According to Dr. Christine

Northrup, a pioneer and visionary in the field of women’s health, these foods alter estrogen metabolism and can cause fibroids to grow larger. Sugar promotes increased insulin and estrogen levels and the increased estrogen feeds the fibroid tumor.

This can lead to severe bleeding, pain, fatigue and other symptoms.

Meat and Poultry: Red meat and poultry are not recommended for women with fibroids. These foods are likely to be high in added hormones, including estrogen.

Consider nuts, leafy green vegetables, broccoli and beans for added protein in your diet.

Saturated Fats: Avoid foods that are high in saturated fats.

Examples are bacon, sausage, egg yolks, cookies and pastries.

These fats can raise estrogen levels which cause fibroids to grow larger.

There are foods and herbs that can balance a woman’s hormones naturally, decreasing her susceptibility of developing fibroids. Two examples are to include in the diet are: Flax Seed: Most women can benefit from taking phytoestrogens-plant-based hormones found in flaxseed.

Studies show that eating soy and flax helps the body produce smaller amounts of unhealthy estrogens. Flaxseed is high in both fiber and omega-3 fats, which help reduce inflammation and tumor growth throughout the body and rid the body of toxins, including excess estrogen.

Herbs: Chasteberry, Dong Quai, and Black Cohosh herbs have been used for centuries for various gynecological conditions.

There are many ways to prevent and treat fibroids naturally.

However, please consult with a professional before you begin any form of treatment.

Michelle Mitchum MPH, HHP, is a graduate of Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD) and the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, (New York, NY).

She has a successful history in the healing sciences. She has been featured on Fox Business News, Essence Magazine and is a contributing writer to Heart and Soul Magazine as well as other notable publications. In 2013 Michelle founded The OrangeMoon Holistic Health and Wellness to empower people to make intelligent and informed decisions about their health and to introduce and educate clients on holistic lifestyle alternatives.

Before the Moonshot, one small step for man

By Sean McCalley, Men’s Health Network Good news if you’re trying to get inside the White House: You have options.

You can try winning the keys to the front door by slogging through primaries and caucuses. Others try the cheaper, more direct route, by jumping the fence and dodging Secret Service. A lucky few might win the Super Bowl and get an invitation for a picture and a handshake with the president.

Don’t worry if those options aren’t your style, though. On Friday, January 8, every man in America found himself inside the White House, whether he knew it or not. Everyone who cares about his well being was there, too.

Because right now men are the source of a national health crisis, so the White House made them the focus of a Dialogue on Men’s Health.

“Houston, we have a problem…”

Men don’t like going to the doctor for one simple reason: because we don’t think we need to. There’s no point. You’re not a man if you get upset or worried about something that’s not an emergency. Anyway, we’re usually too busy to go to the doctor. Food on the table doesn’t just grow on trees, you know.

Unfortunately, that mentality, combined with a unique set of genetic and cultural hurdles, is killing us.

“I’ve witnessed early death, early morbidity in my circle of family and friends. Men just die much sooner than they should,” said Darrell Sabbs, community benefits manager for Phoebe Putney Health System in Georgia.

“Look at the data: Men are just sicker and die faster as a species. And educating and giving health access to men is not a priority.”

Men die at higher rates for nine out of the top ten causes of death. That includes heart disease, cancer, diabetes, suicide and accidents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Native Americans and African American men have the lowest life expectancy out of all racial and gender demographics.

Combine all the groups? Women still live about five years longer.

Even non-lethal, malespecific problems can become huge burdens.

Erectile dysfunction and low testosterone, for example, cause depression and hurt relationships.

Total eclipse The Obama Administration just announced its $1 billion initiative called the “National Cancer Moonshot.” It has a very noble goal, and deserves all those resources and more. The announcement came less than a week after the White House Dialogue on Men’s Health.

“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” a famous astronaut said once.

The “Moonshot” justifiably stole the spotlight, but luckily it doesn’t overshadow the importance of the Dialogue.

It was standing-room-only as the Administration, along with nonprofits Men’s Health Network and Disruptive Women in Health Care, packed the Eisenhower Executive Office

Vice Admiral Vivek Murthy Building. Inside were two Super Bowl rings, 100 private companies, more than 230 people, 28 speakers, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson.

“I was struck by the level of enthusiasm and commitment from a broad range of groups.

It was a surprise, not only because of the number of the groups but also the diversity of fields dedicated to improving men’s health,” said Dr. David Gremillion, professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina and former president of the Society of Air Force Physicians.

Tech developers, three NFL teams, car manufacturers, advocates and doctors joined together to share their own strategies to improve men’s health. Many people understand and recognize specific cancers and fundraising movements to stop them. But fewer realize we first need to break down the mental and cultural barriers that keep men from caring

about seeing a doctor before problems arise.

Overall men’s health is not, and never was, an everyday priority for most people.

Gremillion first saw the lack of interest and awareness when leaving the Air Force decades ago.

“Men were treated like inventory [in the military]. We had to be functioning well at all times to serve,” he said. “That meant we didn’t have a choice when to visit the dentist or get blood work. We simply had to do it. But things are very different in general society.”

Once he left the Air Force, he realized most people either don’t think about or don’t know how to care for men. It wasn’t “politically correct” in the 80s and 90s for men to talk about mental health or domestic violence aimed at them. Gremillion wonders if people would have thrown more resources at combating HIV if they hadn’t associated it with gay men.

But we men are great at

standing in our own way, too.

We sometimes earn applause for it. It’s cool to be tough, and it’s easy not to think about the future. There’s a reason why men rank higher in the death totals for accidents: Many of us like to show off and do dangerous, reckless things to impress people. Thank testosterone for that.

But the White House Dialogue signals a change.

A change in how the country views the men’s health crisis – even if, for now, that only means acknowledging

it exists. Hopefully the momentum doesn’t end until the hundreds of private sector representatives and doctors gathered in the White House evolve into a national dialogue between millions of people who care about the men in their lives.

“I would love to see a federal Office of Boys and Men’s Health that can address policy, research, and funding,” said Darryl Davidson, director of the Men’s Health Division for the Northwest Health Center in Milwaukee.

“I want to see states embrace the concept that men’s health is a result of men and their supporting environment. They need to address different areas like advocacy, healthcare, education, job training, and their families. These social determinants of health all affect their quality of life and life expectancy.”

We celebrate Men’s Health Month every June to make sure men understand how to lead healthier lives, and to highlight their importance to their families and communities. June isn’t too far away. There are many ways you can get involved and help the men close to you live a healthier life. But you shouldn’t wait until June every year to take action: many men need help now, even if they’re too proud to admit it.

Sean McCalley manages communications and media relations for the nonprofit Men’s Health Network. His professional background includes years spent in broadcast, print, and multimedia journalism.

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Insight News • February 22 - February 28, 2016 • Page 5

Kimberly Motes named Children’s Theatre Company managing director

Kim Motes

The Children’s Theatre Company Board of Governors appointed Kimberly Motes as the new managing director of Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) effective Feb. 29.

Motes is currently the senior vice president for Institutional Advancement at the University of St. Thomas. She succeeds Karen Bohn, former CTC board chair, who has served in an interim capacity since October 2015.

“On behalf of CTC’s Board of Governors, we are delighted to welcome Kim,” said Board Chair Jeff von Gillern. “She

was unanimously chosen for her strong business acumen, theater experience, an unmatched fundraising resume, and someone who we believe can lead CTC in the advancement of its mission. As a native of the Twin Cities, Kim has created many strong relationships and has a stellar reputation. It is a real coup to have found someone so perfectly suited for this important leadership position right here in our own community.”

“I’m beyond thrilled to welcome Kim to the CTC family and back into the Twin Cities’ performing arts community,”

said Peter Brosius, CTC artistic director. “She has proven herself a natural arts leader with a strong vision, prolific experience inside and outside of the artistic realm, and a proven track record for substantially growing organizational capacity.”

“I am excited to partner with Peter Brosius as we launch the next 50 years of this important cultural asset,” said Motes. “I have tremendous respect for Peter’s artistic vision and leadership. The future is bright and I look forward to bringing my experience and energy to an organization that plays

a critical role in our community.”

Motes said she is thrilled to return home to work with CTC. “It is a full circle moment for me personally,” said Motes. “The first theater production I ever saw as a child was at Children’s Theatre Company and it sparked an interest in the arts that has been lifelong. It is gratifying to know that I can contribute to creating that experience for future generations.”

Prior to St. Thomas, Motes was vice president of Institutional Advancement for the College of St. Benedict where she was responsible for all aspects of

fundraising as well as alumnae relations, fine arts programming and the literary art institute.

Motes spent 20 years in the arts in the Twin Cities and Washington, D.C. She was executive director of the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts (previously the Minnesota Shubert Performing Arts and Education Center).

A native of Minnesota, Motes received her bachelor’s from the College of St. Benedict. She currently serves on the board of directors of Theater Latté Da and the Minneapolis Downtown Council.

in hospice, but who taught me how to be a gourmet cook, and transferred to me her love of champagne, lobster and Black history.

It is wonderful to celebrate these feelings but in this ritual of gift exchanges to symbolize love, which today is a billion dollar industry around the world, we seem to have forgotten the origins of St. Valentine’s salutation—Your Valentine and why he sent it.

His was a gesture to remind the young girl that despite saving her life, he was being put to death by her father for his beliefs. His generosity of love for her humanity that motivated him to save her life, when his own was at risk, was not being reciprocated.

This should give us pause.

It is easy to love a single

individual: much harder to love the amorphous collective called “humanity.” Yet, the greatest type of love we should celebrate today is the love of humanity. If we can overlook the flaws and imperfections of our romantic lovers, our spouses, our children, our colleagues, our family (and ourselves), then why is it so impossible for us to express our love of humanity towards those whose religion, lack of religious beliefs, whose skin color differs, whose sexual orientations diverge from our beliefs, and whose physical or mental abilities do not reflect our own?

Where did the human race get so off track? Where did Christianity and Islam lose their humanism and feel quite comfortable with

discrimination and the killing of innocents all in the name of religious beliefs, doctrines and ideology? Where is the Godliness in that?

Today, and for the days to follow hereafter, we should look beyond the surface and superficial differences and recognize that we are all part of a divine creation, whether the result of evolution or God’s/ Allah’s/Krishna’s/ Buddha’s will.

And we should celebrate the fact that every day we awake is proof of life and our worthiness to breath air, watch sunsets and demonstrate a generosity of heart, as did St. Valentine, because it is the right thing to do. No chocolates, no hearts, no flowers—just unadulterated humanism.

Only then will we know

“true love” for ourselves and the rest of humanity.

letter to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had healed before being put to death, signed “Your Saint Valentine.”

The era of courtly love in the 14th century, during the time of Chaucer, seems to be where the connection between Valentine’s Day and romantic love flourished. It was during this time that the exchange of gifts, sweets and heart shaped cards took roots, though St. Valentine’s keys (to “unlock the lover’s heart”) were also given to children to “ward off epilepsy.”

Today, we give cards to our lovers, spouses, classmates, colleagues, and everyone and

anybody towards whom we feel some affection. In Japan, it is men who are the recipients of “girl-chocos” (chocolates) from their women friends, lovers and spouses, who hope these romantic gestures will be reciprocated a month later on “White Day,” March 14, with honmei-choco or “chocolate of love.”

I’ve had my fair share of loves—romantic, towards someone I’ve known since elementary school, to the guy who first read black poetry to me, and, of course, the Caribbean gentle giant who fixed cars, and a few others who have woven themselves into my heart and life, but who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty. And more familial love towards a mentor who now lies helpless

Carter serves as an advisor to Gov. Mark Dayton, and works to build energy and support around for increased investments in Minnesota’s youngest learners and their families. “Instability in early childhood education and care is upstream of every other disparity in Minnesota,” said Carter. He is cognizant that implicit in his work is an opportunity to create a better future for Minnesota’s underserved communities.

millions of new dollars into early childhood investments in the past few years alone, and leaders all around the country are watching our progress. I’m excited and hopeful to see that progress continue through this year’s legislative session, as we approach a projected budget surplus of nearly $2 billion with a Governor who is a proven champion for Minnesota children.

founded non-profit organizations which serve youth. My father exhibits leadership that focuses on maximizing others’ potential.

My mother is exceptional in being able to see the best in all people and situations. Together, they are the epitome of leading by example.

Love From 1

Legacy From 2 listening sessions throughout the Twin Cities with renters, homeowners, and police. The listening sessions allow for candid dialogue and address major issues such as responsible banking, discrimination, excessive force, and the role of grand juries, and police shootings. “These opportunities to engage are essential because community members are telling me, ‘We want those in positions that affect our lives to know us; we need them to know us.’ The listening sessions are a major success. I believe things can change. I am committed to doing my part to promote understanding and the need for humanity in policing,” said Jones.

Jones is experienced in nonprofit and community-based work and is passionate about bridging the gap between community and policy making. “My job is to keep the community informed and involved in policy-making decisions that affect their most basic needs – housing being one of them,” she said.

Jones focuses on connecting renters and homeowners to resources so that individual and communal assets emerge and thrive. She is recognized in the Minneapolis community as an innovative leader who leads with compassion.

Most Rewarding Work Experience Helping to diversify neighborhood associations.

I initiated a program that encouraged Urban Homeworks renters and homeowners to get involved in neighborhood associations. At the beginning, a lot of residents were uncomfortable with the idea of participating in neighborhood associations. At the end, we had residents represented on many boards throughout the City. They felt empowered and recruited others to do the same.

Beacons of Leadership Family. I’m inspired by my mother and grandmother because I know the road they traveled was tough, yet they endured.

Their efforts allowed me to have opportunities they never imagined. I’m also inspired by my uncle, Richard Green, who was a zealous advocate and never afraid to take initiative. My sister is a strong leader and I’m inspired daily by her work.

Advice for Aspiring Housing Advocates Be comfortable with people, differences, and yourself. Any role in which you’re working with people it can be emotionally exhausting. Don’t try to be a hero; this line of thought is too burdensome. Instead, understand people have free will; and your responsibility is to help them make the best choice.

Celebrating The Future Melvin Carter III is Executive Director of Minnesota Children’s Cabinet. In this position, Carter works to support positive outcomes and healthy development for children, prenatal through third

Melvin Carter III grade. Under his leadership, the office builds coalitions to raise the profile of the importance of quality investments and to advocate for new resources from various funding sources, when necessary. He collaborates across agencies to leverage existing state supports for synergistic impact.

After graduating from Florida A & M University, Carter worked at a Saint Paul-based insurance and financial services firm.

Carter excelled in this work, but maintained a passion for community and policymaking.

This passion was initiated when as a young college student Carter witnessed his brother being turned away from a Florida polling precinct during the 2000 presidential election. This was a defining moment for Carter. He says, “Here we were in the year 2000, and a young black man has taken time off from work to set an example for his family and exercise his right to vote. He is then denied the opportunity to vote, without cause.” Carter decided to commit his work to ensuring no one else would ever endure such a disturbing rejection.

Carter became engaged in electoral politics and has a passion for helping others engage – he’s trained progressive candidates, community organizers and campaign workers in over 30 states. His work encompasses several renowned national organizations, including Wellstone Action, People for the American Way Foundation, Blacks Organizing for Leadership & Dignity (BOLD) and Progressive Majority.

Carter served on the Saint Paul City Council from 2008 to 2013, sponsoring legislation to address various social justice issues.

He played a leadership role in forming Saint Paul’s Department of Human Rights & Equal Economic Opportunity (HREEO) and championed “ban the box” laws to eliminate employment discrimination against people with criminal backgrounds. He also sponsored legislation prohibiting the sale of candy cigarettes and toy lighters, to discourage smoking among children.

From his office in City Hall, Carter also created the Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood, a place-based education initiative designed to bring city, county, school district and community stakeholders together to combat educational disparities and ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed.

Currently, in his role as Executive Director of the Minnesota Children’s Cabinet,

Most Rewarding Work Experience I am very proud of the ground we’re taking as a state on behalf of Minnesota’s children and families.

We have invested hundreds of

Beacons of Leadership My parents set the example of servant leadership. Growing up, I recall them opening their home to the homeless, feeding the hungry, and investing in the youth in the community. Both of my parents

Irma McClaurin is an award winning columnist, now available for syndication. In 2015, she received the Black Press of America’s Emory O. Jackson Column Writing Award from the NNPA. She is the Culture and Education Editor for Insight News, an activist anthropologist, writer, motivational speaker and champion of diversity and inclusiveness leadership.

Contact: imcclaurin@gmail. com. Find her at: www. irmamcclaurin.comn and @ mcclaurintweets © 2016 McClaurin Solutions; All Rights Reserved. Do not reprint without permission.

Advice for Aspiring Politicians Don’t focus on what you want to ‘be’; focus on the impact you want to have on the world and build on your personal mission statement.

Start by identifying your own passion, and then allow your work to become a vehicle for exhibiting your passion. Never stop learning.

You don’t have to move to get that new-home feeling.

Consider a U.S. Bank Home Equity Line of Credit for your next project. With competitive rates and flexible payment options, lasting home improvements could be within reach. Introductory rates start as low as 1.99% APR. Call 800.209.BANK (2265), visit a local branch, or go to usbank.com/dreambig.

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Interest only repayment may be unavailable. Loans are subject to credit approval and program guidelines. Not all loan programs are available in all states for all loan amounts.

Interest rates and program terms are subject to change without notice. Property insurance is required. U.S. Bank and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice. Your tax and financial situation is unique. You should consult your tax and/or legal advisor for advice and information concerning your particular situation. Other restrictions may apply. Mortgage and Home Equity products offered by U.S. Bank National Association. Deposit Products are offered through U.S. Bank National Association. Customer pays no closing costs, except escrow-related funding costs. An annual fee of up to $90 may apply after the first year and is waived with a U.S. Bank personal Platinum Checking Package. The Consumer Pricing Information brochure lists terms and conditions that apply to U.S. Bank Consumer Checking Package accounts and can be obtained by calling 800.872.2657. Member FDIC ©2016 U.S. Bank. All rights reserved. 160083 2/16

Page 6 • February 22 - February 28, 2016 • Insight News

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EDUCATION

This page is sponsored by:

Semifinalists for president of Minneapolis Community and Technology College named Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has named four semifinalists who are under consideration to be president of Minneapolis Community and Technical College. The candidates are Julie Leidig, Sharon Pierce, Yves SalomonFernandez, and Muddassir Siddiqi.

The candidates were recommended by a search advisory committee comprised of students, faculty, staff and community leaders, and chaired

by Annette Parker, president of South Central College. The candidates visited the campus last week. The campus visits provided an opportunity for students, faculty, staff and members of the community to meet each of the candidates and offer feedback.

Leidig has served as provost (chief academic and executive officer) of the Loudoun campus of Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) since 2010. Previously, she served Lone Star College – Montgomery (Tex.) as vice president of instruction, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board most recently as director of instructional programs. She holds a bachelor’s degree

L-R: Julie Leidig, Sharon Pierce, Yves Salomon-Fernandez, and Muddassir Siddiqi from Syracuse University, and master’s degrees and a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin.

Pierce has served Howard Community College (Md.) as the vice president for academic affairs since 2010. She also served as a practicing nurse from 1978 to 1990. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s from the University of Maryland and a doctorate from

Morgan State University.

Salomon-Fernandez has served Massachusetts Bay Community College as interim president since 2015.

Previously, she served the University of Massachusetts Boston as director of planning and assessment, and Boston College as a research assistant in the Carnegie Teachers for a New Era initiative. She has served on the faculty of Salem

State University (Mass.), Cambridge College (Mass.), and Boston College. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, a master’s from the London School of Economics, and a doctorate from Boston College.

Siddiqi currently serves Morton College (Ill.) as provost and chief operating officer.

He also has served Morton College as interim president

in 2015. He holds a bachelor’s degree from NED University of Engineering and Technology (Karachi, Pakistan), master’s degrees from the Illinois Institute of Technology and Northern Alabama University, and a doctorate from Northern Illinois University.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees is expected to consider Chancellor Steven

Rosenstone’s recommendation at its March 16 meeting. The anticipated start date of the new president is July 1.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities include 30 community and technical colleges and seven state universities serving approximately 400,000 students. It is the fifth-largest higher education system in the United States.

Cooper High School junior qualifies for national debate tournament

Michael White

Michael White, a Cooper High School junior, will represent both his school and the Robbinsdale Area Schools when he travels to compete in Lincoln-Douglas debate during the 2016 National Speech & Debate Tournament June 12-17 in Salt Lake City.

“Qualifying to the National Tournament really just validates all of the hard work we as a team have put in this season,” Michael said. “I could not have done it without the unwavering support of my amazing teammates and coaching staff. I am incredibly

excited and grateful to have the opportunity to represent my school and my state on the national level.”

White qualified at the Southern Minnesota District Debate Tournament at Eagan High School Jan. 22-23. Team Coach DJ Brynteson said each

district gets to send up to three students to the national tournament. The Southern district is the largest debate district in the state, which means that two other Minnesota students will join Michael at nationals, Brynteston said.

“Qualifying a student to the

national tournament validates all of the hard work the entire team does each year,” Brynteson said. “This is the fourth year in a row we have qualified a debate student to the national tournament, which is a major accomplishment for the program and the district.”

insightnews.com

Insight News • February 22 - February 28, 2016 • Page 7

COMMENTARY Winifred Green: An unsung warrior for racial and economic justice Child Watch

By Marian Wright Edelman Transforming movements towards social justice depend on the work of a core group of committed and persistent and not always frontline soldiers — women and men who seize the moment and choose to stand up for what is right. My beloved friend and longtime Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) board member Winifred Green, who died February 6, 2016, was one of those unsung heroines. Born White and privileged in Jackson, Mississippi, I first met her during Freedom Summer 1964, when I was a young civil rights lawyer and she was one of a handful of prominent White women who were supporting school desegregation and working tirelessly to keep public schools in Jackson open.

Her stance alienated her from many family members and friends.

Winifred recounted: “Once my mother said to me, ‘What did we do wrong?’ I remember saying to her, ‘Granny taught me, ‘Red and Yellow, Black and White, they are precious in his sight,’ and I didn’t know that she didn’t really mean Black people.”

Winifred Green’s family worshiped in an all-White church but she reached an early turning point at age fourteen when she was a youth delegate to a national Episcopal convention in Boston.

The mixed race conference was her first time interacting with

Winifred Green Black people as peers and equals, and she had an epiphany when she suddenly realized the segregation her entire culture in Mississippi was built on was wrong: “It was revolutionary. I knew somebody had not been telling me the truth.”

After learning the truth for herself she was unwavering in standing up for racial justice the rest of her life.

She became politically active at Millsaps College and shortly after graduating in 1963 organized Mississippians for Public Education, a group of women who effectively protested the Mississippi legislature’s attempts to close the public schools to avoid integration. She soon became a participant along with her good friend Patt Derian in the Wednesdays in Mississippi movement, a moral witness of prominent White and Black northern women who traveled to Mississippi on Wednesdays to create bridges of understanding between northern and southern women across racial and class lines in Mississippi’s closed society.

Wednesdays in Mississippi, organized by Dorothy Height of the National Council of Negro Women and her friend Polly Cowan, wife of the former president of CBS television network, recognized the need for privileged women to speak up for and with less

Winifred never hesitated to do whatever task was needed however challenging.

privileged ones.

Working with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Winifred Green traveled throughout the South to recruit civil rights activists, including Black families willing to enroll their children in White schools. She was one of the few homegrown, grassroots White activists in the Mississippi movement. She spoke up and marched and did whatever it took working with her Black sisters in the movement including Unita Blackwell, who became the first Black woman mayor in Mississippi after a life of cotton picking, Fannie Lou Hamer, and lesser known but equally courageous women like Mrs. Mae Bertha Carter, who with her husband Matthew Carter enrolled seven of their thirteen children in local White schools in Sunflower County, Mississippi in the fall of 1965. I was privileged to be their attorney. The owner of the local plantation where the Carters lived and worked as sharecroppers ordered the Carters to withdraw their children or be evicted. The

Carters did not back down and were evicted and harassed and shot at. Winifred Green stood with Mrs. Carter to give those children support to achieve a better future. Eight of the Carter children graduated from what had been all-White schools in Sunflower County. Eleven of them graduated from college—seven from the once rigidly segregated University of Mississippi.

Winifred never hesitated to do whatever task was needed however challenging. In a vivid example of unsung servant leadership she was the person charged with finding and purchasing the mules for the Mule Train that left Marks, Mississippi in May 1968 to be part of the Poor People’s Campaign in Washington, D.C. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was planning at his death. She remembered she had to travel to Alabama to buy mules as she couldn’t find any for sale in Mississippi. When she arrived the mule seller had his Confederate flag prominently displayed. On the advice of a Black farmer

Winifred studied the mules’ teeth to see if they were strong and as if she knew something about mules, bought them and brought them to Mississippi. She always took care of business—willing to do whatever was needed.

Winifred Green served many years on CDF’s Board of Directors and I relied on her sound historic context for current problems and strategic leadership to make progress for poor children, especially children of color and their families. Before CDF began Winifred helped our parent organization, the Washington Research Project (WRP), which grew out of the Poor People’s Campaign after Dr. King’s death, research and expose widespread illegal diversion of federal money designed to close educational inequities across the South for WRP’s and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s 1969 report Title I: Is It Helping Poor Children? She went with Oleta Garrett Fitzgerald, longtime Director of CDF’s Southern Regional Office, door to door to find out why children were out of school in Georgia for our groundbreaking 1974 report Children Out of School in America.

And in 1980 she started her nonprofit organization, the Southern Coalition for Educational Equity.

Our partnership with her and others led to the founding of the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative for Economic and Social Justice to pursue solutions to poverty and injustice in the poorest counties in southern rural America.

Throughout it all she mentored many next generation leaders, especially young women. Anat Kelman Shaw, CDF-Texas’s communications director, met and

was impacted by Winifred at a training session for young leaders where she encouraged young people “not to be afraid to speak up about how we felt: She left a lasting impression on me… as a woman with a lot of heart, compassion, integrity, earthy humility, and strength. She seemed to possess that rare combination of being both young and old at the same time.” In her last two and half years despite severe health problems, she was always on the other end of the phone to offer ideas, insights and support to me and many others.

Making our nation and world fit for our children and grandchildren is a task for marathoners – not sprinters or dabblers or showboaters who are here today and gone tomorrow. Transforming change is a complex, long-term and never-ending struggle that must be pursued with urgency and persistence. The German playwright Bertold Brecht wrote: “There are those who struggle for a day and they are good. There are those who struggle for a year and they are better. There are those who struggle all their lives. These are the indispensable ones.” Winifred Green was an indispensable one and all the lives she touched and our nation are the better because she lived.

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.

Menthol tobacco: it’s time to put this part of Black history in our past

By LaTrisha Vetaw, Northpoint Health & Wellness Center Black History month is a time to celebrate all we have done to contribute to our country and our world, to reflect on the full range of African-American achievements in history, and to act to ensure more opportunities for today’s and tomorrow’s generations to reach their full potential.

As a healthcare professional, I believe there is a part of our history that we need to relegate to our past: our association with menthol tobacco.

In some neighborhoods, Kool and Newport are in your face, nearly everywhere you go.

That familiar blue-green color is on the walls and windows of corner stores, on billboards, and in the cigarette butt litter on the streets.

“We don’t smoke that s_ _ _. We just sell it. We reserve the right to smoke for the young, the poor, the Black and stupid.” R.J. Reynolds Executive For decades, the tobacco industry has marketed menthol cigarettes specifically to African-American people.

They advertised in Black publications, placed store and outdoor advertising in Black neighborhoods, and sponsored music and sporting events, they made donations to Black community organizations. All this was revealed to be part of a deliberate targeted marketing strategy during the tobacco trials of the 1990s.

Here’s a brief glimpse into those documents that shows how Big Tobacco has viewed the Black community: “Blacks tend to buy less things to improve themselves, they appear less concerned about health-related issues (i.e. Blacks don’t necessarily identify with the motivations of the “Concerned” and “Moderation” segments) and are more prone to buy on impulse.” R.J.Reynolds Marketing Research Report: Analysis of the MDD Segmentation Study among Black Smokers, 1982 “The physical and psychological deprivation that occurred during and after slavery gave rise to certain wants and needs which, even today, affect Black consumer behavior. Some of those wants and needs include stronger than average desires for the following: • Instant gratification • Respectful recognition • Status and prestige

• Acceptance or belonging • Safety and security • Family life that is whole, complete and happy Four of these areas merit further discussion in terms of their applicability to cigarette buying habits. …

In order to successfully communicate product marketing messages to Blacks, advertisers must have an understanding and sensitivity towards the psychographic importance of targeted advertising campaigns.” R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company New Menthol Cigarette Introduction, 1990 Today, there are a lot of restrictions on how companies can promote cigarettes. They can’t advertise on television or use cartoon characters that appeal to kids.

But targeted advertising continues on billboards in Black neighborhoods, signage in shops frequented by Black people and in Black magazines.

Look at these ads for Newport from the 1980s and today – it’s clear not much has changed.

Menthol’s Unique Dangers and Disparate Impact on the African-American Community So what makes menthol any different from other tobacco?

It’s simple. Research shows adding menthol to cigarettes makes them easier to smoke; you don’t have that harsh burn from regular tobacco. But there’s more: studies also show that menthol makes it easier for people, including young people, to start smoking and makes it harder to quit.

African-Americans smoke at higher rates, have higher incidence of cancer and heart disease from smoking, and worse outcomes from those diseases than the general population. African-Americans are more than 30 percent more likely to die of lung cancer than whites. In fact, African-

Americans have the highest death rates and shortest survival rates from most cancers. We are also 53 percent more likely to die of heart disease. Tobacco plays a big role in these disturbing disparities.

Some say that this is a personal choice issue. People choose to smoke, and if they want to smoke menthol, that’s their prerogative. But I challenge you to take a step back and take a bigger view: when a billion-dollar industry targets a our community with a product that is addictive and deadly, and works for decades to ingrain the product into our community’s culture, is this really about free choice?

We can’t address the disparate harms of tobacco in the

African-American community without taking on menthol.

But we can if we do. Research indicates that if menthol were banned in the United States, 47 percent of African-American menthol smokers would quit smoking. In Minnesota, a recent survey shows African-American smokers believe a menthol ban would help them quit smoking and that they would be twice as likely to try to quit as white smokers.

Now consider this: menthol was the only flavor exempted from a federal ban on flavored cigarettes when the FDA took tobacco over in 2009.

Conversations about reducing menthol’s devastating impact in our community are underway in Minnesota.

These conversations are led by members of our community with input from the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network, the Minnesota Department of Health and other local public health advocates.

We know menthol plays a huge role in creating and sustaining addiction. We know the overwhelming majority of African Americans who smoke cigarettes smoke menthol.

We know that many AfricanAmerican smokers would quit if menthol was banned. It’s time we put this destructive and dangerous relic from our history in our collective past.

LaTrisha Vetaw is a Cancer survivor and Policy and Social

Impact Manager at Northpoint Health & Wellness Center

The Legacy of Carter G. Woodson's: Miseducation of the Negro Forum This forum is to discuss Dr. Carter G. Woodson's book Miseducation of the Negro and strategically plan educational institutions for our children.

Feb 27, 2016 3:00 - 5:30 pm NdCAD 655 Fairview Ave. Saint Paul, MN Panelist include: Mahmoud El- Kati, Brian Lozenski, Quincy Ballard, and other special guests

Page 8 • February 22 - February 28, 2016 • Insight News

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LIFESTYLE Ending the war of the emotions Man Talk

By Timothy Houston The Black family is under attack and the emotional battle between men and women of all races is at an all time high. For our community to become better, we must be better. When men and women battle emotionally, everyone loses. To counter this, we need information that will help bring emotional healing and resolution. Knowledge is power, and power is needed for sustained change. Here are a few things to consider as we work to help end the war of the emotions.

First, women must

understand that men have a delayed response to emotions.

A man has emotions, but he generally expresses them through his actions. Men feel the most secure when they keep their emotions to themselves.

This is a part of his original design. God formed man from the dust of the ground, and he was an empty shell before God breathed life into him. Because of this, man has within him the ability to suppress his emotions which makes it possible for him to deal dispassionately with the consequences of his actions. One of the first steps to understanding man is to know that he needs time and space for his emotions to catch up with his actions.

Secondly, men must understand the women have an instant response to emotions.

Unlike man, a woman is an emotional being. She was created with the ability to bring forth life within her. Able

When a man and woman come together at the negotiation table, the lines of communication are opened, and the ability to resolve the issue becomes possible. as she is to sense the subtle changes of a child growing in her womb, she has physical and emotional connections to all life that supersede that of a man. It is her nature to express her love and care through her emotions. A woman feels most comfortable when she is able to share her emotions. When

a man provides a healthy outlet for a woman to share her emotions, she remains emotionally balanced, and everyone is better because if it.

Thirdly, both men and women must respect their emotional differences. The way a man and a woman express their

emotions is different and visible to all. Men and women will never see eye to eye so they must work on better communication.

As the man works on sharing his emotions more and the woman works on allowing him time to do so, emotional conflict will be minimized. This mutual respect will foster harmony and meaningful communication.

This emotional harmony will have a positive impact on the Black family and our community.

Finally, both men and women must agree to continue to work to end the war of the emotions.

Struggles involving emotional battles damage relationships, and in the end, no one wins. When a man finds himself losing the battle emotionally, he may try to make it a battle of words, in most instances, he is no match for the woman. If he continues to lose, he may shutdown completely which, in turn, causes him more internal conflict. This war of

the emotions impacts the man, woman, family, and community.

The war of the emotions can be won. Wars are ended with treaties. When a man and woman come together at the negotiation table, the lines of communication are opened, and the ability to resolve the issue becomes possible. There is no force more powerful in this world than a man and woman working together.

This oneness makes for better relationships, neighborhoods, and communities. When this union takes place, the war of the emotions is ended, and black families grow and flourish!

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

For questions, comments or more information, go towww. tlhouston.com.

Book prescribes cultural approach to mental health care With a long, painful history of racial discrimination, Blacks tend to be distrustful of the Caucasiandominated model of mental health and avoid treatment.

Dr. Judy E. Vansiea’s new book, “Circle of Care and Hope” presents a holistic, interventionist approach to treating Blacks with mental illness by integrating three

healing principles – a biblical worldview, culturally appropriate practices and multi-theoretical healing applications. Vansiea said her unique methodology breaks down the barriers of stigma and shame associated with mental health, empowering Blacks in sustainable healing and overcoming their unequal

NOC

to tolerate a system where unarmed African-Americans can be shot down by police. We need to put an end to the militarization of local police and we’ve got to make police departments look like the diversity of the community they are serving and end the over-policing of the Black community.”

That line and others like it garnered thunderous applause, but the lovefest was short lived.

Following his opening remarks Sanders took part in a discussion with several panelists invited by NOC. The questions ranged from policing of communities of color to prison reform to small business investment to food justice and urban pollution. Sanders seemed to be in accord with most of the audience, providing answers that were not the typical campaign rhetoric heard every four years.

From 1 For the most part Sanders played well to the audience, which was noticeably diverse – especially considering the forum was supposed to be specific to Black issues. In many ways the event looked like a Sanders campaign rally – right down to the access badges that were stamped with the Sanders campaign logo. Introduced by Rep. Keith Ellison, who has endorsed him, Sanders immediately took aim at education reform and tied it to the criminal justice system, saying if elected president he would “invest in jobs and education, not jails and incarceration.”

“The criminal justice system is broken,” said Sanders pointedly. “We will not continue

Dr. Judy E. Vansiea But the self-described Socialist hit a sour note – not by what he said, but by what he refused to say.

Mica Grimm, a vocal leader of the Black Lives Matter movement, and who was not on the panel shouted out several questions to the candidate regarding reparations. Sanders engaged in uncomfortable dialogue with Grimm but that dialogue became even more uncomfortable when panelist Felicia Perry pressed the candidate.

“I know you won’t say, ‘Black’ and you won’t say, ‘reparations’ and you keep lumping us in with other people, but today can we talk specifically about Black people,” questioned Perry.

Sanders still refused to utter the word reparations, but in a bit of an angry retort (when

access to effective mental health treatment and healing.

“The mental health care system must incorporate treatments that appreciate and empower the unique worldview and culture of Blacks in order to overcome their reluctance to seek help,” said Vansiea.

“Specifically, nursing must

adopt a transcultural approach to healing, improve educational efforts to better reach Blacks, and advocate more effectively for financial aid in meeting basic needs, which must first be met before psychological needs.”

Vansiea has been a registered nurse for more than

18 years. As a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, she served as a nurse at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and is a Gulf War Era veteran.

“Circle of Care and Hope” is available online at www. outskirtspress.com/bookstore.

It is also available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.

someone else from the crowd echoed Perry’s sentiment) the candidate said, “I’ve said Black 50 times I have no problem saying Black. There, I’ve said it 51 times.”

Later, activist Clyde Bellecourt was handed a microphone and began speaking about Native-American issues and refused to return the microphone. While Bellecourt was speaking, Sanders walked as if he was leaving the stage but remained for a brief period and then interrupted Bellecourt, thanked the crowd and exited, abruptly bringing an end to the event.

The abrupt end did not seem to dampen the spirits of Anthony Newby, executive director of NOC who also made it clear that NOC was not endorsing Sanders or any other candidate.

“What we were able to do here

was advance the conversation,” said Newby. “When before has a presidential candidate come to north Minneapolis to address our concerns? What he heard hear can help shape how he plans to deliver on his promises. What we heard and said here is it’s not enough to just have aspirations without a specific plan in place.”

“Every time he (Sanders) said Black people he also said low income. That’s what he thinks when he thinks about Black people. We’re more than that. We’re middle class … we’re business owners. I appreciate him coming here but if he wants

to be ‘radical’ as he says, he would say reparations,” said Perry.

Panelist DeVon Nolen said the concerns of Perry and others are valid, but she was willing to cut Sanders some slack.

“I feel he has a better grip (on issues of Black Americans) than others,” said Nolan.

“The fact that he’s willing to come here and talk about our concerns says a lot. Now when you talk about reparations, that’s a loaded word, but there’s a way to get reparations without saying reparations.”

insightnews.com

Insight News • February 22 - February 28, 2016 • Page 9

COMMUNITY Fathers spent a perfect Valentine’s Day with their daughters Commentary

By Sharon Brooks The Fourth Annual Father/ Daughter dance was magical.

Hundreds of royally dressed daughters were escorted by their elegantly dressed fathers to an early evening date on Valentine’s Day. The event was held at the Earl Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center on a wintry cold day, but it was unable to stop the genuine warmth that was felt among all who attended. There were pictures taken and even inscribed bricks were on hand to memorialize this special event.

The event’s creator, Terry Austin, executive director of Positive Image said, “there are so many negative images people see in our community. It’s time to highlight some of the positive things going on in our community as well.

Shane Price and daughter

Positive Images Executive Director Terry Austin with daughters Alyssa and Tarran Austin There are a lot of responsible fathers in our community who are doing great work. We need to see that because our daughters need

to see people in their community doing positive things. This event will continue to grow and expand throughout our neighborhoods.”

The radiant crowd consisted of fathers from various occupations – wood carvers, chefs, community organizers,

college professors, mechanics, health care professionals, politicians and even stay-athome dads. The daughters were mostly school-age girls, however, many were adult women on a very special date with their dad.

Positive Image Awards of Excellence were given to Guy

Tim Austin

Bowling and Lester Royal. The Legacy Award was presented to long time community advocate, Spike Moss.

“It’s great that your peers remember your worth,” said Moss. “We’ve worked hard to achieve many successes that we’ve gained. This night is a tribute to our perseverance.”

Robert Robinson to present concert at Hamline Church United Methodist Feb. 27 Robert Robinson will present a concert of gospel, funk, and fusion/rock with his group, Robert Robinson and Friends, at Hamline Church United Methodist Saturday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Robinson has performed

with Prince, Aretha Franklin and Sounds of Blackness. He toured for 15 years with nationally celebrated pianist Lorie Line and her Pop Chamber Orchestra and served for 20 years as executive/artistic director of Twin Cities Community Gospel

Choir and Ensemble.

Saturday’s concert will bring him as soloist, along with three vocalists, bass, drums and pianist, Sam Reeves, known as a soloist in his own right.

Although the group uses many styles, a collective theme is

almost always taken from a deep well of spirituality.

Continuing that theme, Robinson and Reeves will also fill in for the sermon on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. at Hamline Church, 1514 Englewood Ave., St. Paul, by doing musical

scripture interpretations called “Audio Divina,” an ancient practice in the Christian Church updated to be performed in a prayerful gospel style.

The Feb. 27 concert is sponsored by Hamline Church United Methodist and the

Wesley Center of Hamline University.

Although the concert is free, donations are accepted.

For questions or further information, visit the church’s website, www.hamlinechurch. org or call (651) 645-0667.

Gap

My fight is based on my being a Chicago Public Schools student who was born into poverty. I cringe when I hear statements that lump all lowincome black families into one bucket, usually stereotyping them as placing too little value on education when the real problem is the lack of opportunity.

Numerous research studies

today have proved Coleman wrong on one point—the biggest impact on student learning in schools is the quality of the teacher. Helping schools get better—not trying to end poverty—is where educators will see the immediate returns for their activism. Let the freedom-fighters who work in housing and economics focus

on making their industries less poverty-prone.

I was born six years after Dr. King’s death and eight years after the Coleman Report, and the educational outcomes for black children as compared to those white children have virtually gone unchanged.

So I ask, “How long?”

It took nearly 250 years and

a bloody Civil War for slavery in America to end, and if we don’t make education equity our top national priority it will take another 250 years (and perhaps bloody riots and street wars) to bring socioeconomic liberty and justice to African-American communities.

Waiting another 250 years to achieve educational equity

might as well be an eternity.

leave committee.

Also proposed is Sen. Bobby Joe Champion and Rep. Linda Slocum’s Minority Business Grant Appropriation bill, which would set aside funds specifically for use by minority-owned small businesses. And during the Legislative Working Group on Economic Disparities, an education-based tax credit for low-income Minnesotans was proposed by Rep. Jim Knoblach and House Republicans.

communities, including lowincome Minnesotans and Black Minnesotans.

“This works the same way we consider local impact. If we do this, what is the impact on our local municipalities or local government? Or what would be the fiscal impact?” Champion said.

“The idea of disparate impact needs to be a part of every proposal analysis. Whenever somebody is doing a feasibility study for implementation or even for cost in legislative analysis, there needs to be a question of disparate impact,” Marcus Mills said. Mills is the Organizing Coordinator for Community Power, a community coalition focused on developing energy equity and sustainability in Minneapolis.

According to Anthony Newby, Executive Director of Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, however, the disparity impact note has to do more than measure.

“It is a useful tool. But we need quick and deliberate action.

We do not need data that confirms what we already know,“ Newby said.

Newby said that Neighborhoods Organizing for Change is prioritizing an equity and jobs bills which would focus on things like protecting workers from wage theft, more teacher of color trainings, and ending contracts with for-profit prison contractors. Newby also said that they are focusing on specific state-level executive actions like the creation of a racial impact taskforce, which might be one way to implement the results of the disparity impact note.

Disparity impact notes are not new to state governments.

For example, the Massachusetts Commonwealth analyzes racial and ethnic disparities in all proposed health legislation with the goal of eliminating health

disparities in the state.

Champion notes that disparity impact notes would have impact on a variety of legislation, like the funding of new prisons.

He said that, for example, legislation aimed at ammunition control adversely impacts Black communities and leads to the overcrowding of prisons. This then leads to the building of new prisons and new legislation aimed at filling those prisons.

While the likelihood of the bills promoting the disparate impact note passing are low, Hayden believes that he and other state legislators should still fight for these proposals and draw attention to these issues.

Champion noted that with a Republican-led house, it would be difficult to get any of the proposals meant to decrease disparities passed, but voter engagement in the upcoming election could turn that around.

“Is there a high probability of them passing? No. Is that disappointing to me? Yes. How should we as citizens of this good state of Minnesota look at it? We should be appalled that others take the sort of the positions they do and continue to play games with the lives of everyday citizens that we want to move forward. And that should be unconscionable,” Champion said.

Champion is also the author of a bill which would appropriate funds for businesses owned by minority business owners.

companion, HF 2168. The bills were introduced during the 2015 legislative session.

“It’s not controversial for us to say that minority-owned businesses need capital and opportunity and access. That’s not controversial and it’s not anecdotal. It’s very clear from the empirical data,” Champion said.

According to the text for HF 2168, $500,000 in funding would be appropriated to the Metropolitan Economic Development Association to support statewide business development with a focus on minority business ownership.

Another $500,000 would be appropriated in 2017. However, these funds could only be used to match federal grant funding.

“The common denominator to every disparity is poverty,” Champion said.

Champion argues that it is vital that the state legislature invest in Black adults, because to get adults out of poverty is to get communities out of poverty. This is why, he says, investing in minority-owned businesses is necessary.

According to the Small Business Association, small businesses provide 55 percent of all jobs and 66 percent of all net new jobs since the 1970s, and minority firms are more likely to hire minorities.

Newby said that minorityowned business support and incubation is something that Neighborhoods Organizing for Change will also actively support this legislative session.

from the working group’s co-chair Rep. Jim Knoblach (R-St. Cloud), this proposal is championed

by Republicans who believe it would help bring educational opportunities to low-income residents. They are proposing that the tax credit be increased to $3,500 per student.

The education-based tax credit is meant to open up educational opportunities to the children of disadvantaged families. Aside from the increased tax credit per student, the proposed expansion would cover private school tuition expenditures.

The proposal has been met with resistance, however.

“If you just look at the proposed special session and what my Republican colleague put on the table which is school choice, how does that connect to the adults who do need intervention and opportunity right now today?” said Champion.

It was this education-based tax credit, among other issues including unemployment support for businesses that kept DFL and GOP legislators from agreeing on a special session.

“Republicans are solely responsible for our failure to come together and take those necessary steps to provide that assistance,” Dayton said.

According to Champion, Minnesotans can expect many other proposals this session aimed at ending Minnesota’s racial and economic disparities. He also stressed that all legislators take leadership in ending these disparities.

The state Legislature convenes its next session on March 8.

From 2 endeavor for poor children of color, through equal funding, rigorous curriculum, high expectations and spiritually healthy teachers.

Bills From 1 North Minneapolis in November, and the series of protests which followed, Dayton began making the push for the special session that would, at least in part, begin to address economic disparities suffered by Black Minnesotans after calls for change came from groups like the NAACP and Black Lives Matter.

“I support more immediate measures to close economic gaps which include proposals in Sen. Champion’s package; funding for a Human Rights office in St. Cloud, and an audit to assess the state’s employment, contracting and workforce enforcement practices. I maintain that at least $15 million should be invested to improve economic outcomes in communities of color in a special session,” Dayton said in a Feb. 1 letter to the Speaker of the House, Rep. Kurt Daudt.

However, during a Feb. 2 press conference, Dayton announced that no political agreement between GOP legislators, DFL legislators, and the governor himself could be had and a special session would not happen.

Proponents for closing Minnesota’s racial disparities have offered three separate proposals for the coming session.

The first would require a disparity impact analysis to be conducted on specific proposed legislation.

Authored by Minority Leader Rep. Paul Thissen and Deputy Majority Leader Sen. Jeff Hayden (both of whom represent Minneapolis districts), the bills are known as HF 2198 in the state House of Representatives and, in the state Senate, SF 2054. Both the House and Senate versions of this disparity impact analysis bills were introduced during last year’s legislative session, but did not

Disparity impact note “I think far too often we do things without thinking about the unintended consequences of the decisions that we make,” Champion said.

According to the House version text, the bill would require that legislation consider the impact of its decision-making and policy creation on Minnesota’s minority communities. This decision would be made at the discretion of either a committee chair or ranking minority member.

“This is a data-driven way of looking at the policies we introduce that impact communities of color,” said Hayden. The bill is meant to advise legislators on the impact of the work they do.

It is also meant to educate voters and allow state government to understand the causes and foundations for disparities faced

by Minnesota communities.

Determining “disparate impact” is defined in the federal Fair Housing Act as a qualitative measurement–or comparison–of discrimination in a legislative policy against any specific group.

Hayden said that the disparity impact notes would not necessarily change the outcomes of a specific proposal, but they would increase legislative and voter awareness of the impacts of specific bills. The proposal would also hold legislators accountable to Minnesota’s most disenfranchised

Classifieds Board Members Sought The Center for Homicide Research is seeking to complete its nine-member board of directors. We have striven toward healthy growth and a focused mission. Each year the Center has expanded to become better-known and increasingly well-respected. It is now recognized as the only homicide research center in the United States.

The Center for Homicide Research is an independent, volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the capacity of the community, criminal justice professionals, and law enforcement to become more effective in identifying, solving and preventing of homicide. The mission of the Center is to promote greater knowledge and understanding of the unique nature of homicide among disenfranchised, underrepresented and disempowered people through sound empirical research, critical analysis and effective community partnerships.

Qualifications, duties and responsibilities of board members can be found at www.homicidecenter.org. The board is seeking individuals with skills in the areas of development, communications, accounting, or law. Individuals with other skills, or an interest in criminal justice, or human rights, are also encouraged to apply.

Prospective board members should begin by first sending a resume and cover letter. All candidates must agree to, and successfully pass a criminal background check. Qualified candidates will be invited to visit the Center, attend a board meeting, and be interviewed by current board members.

To learn more about Board membership, please contact Executive Director, Dallas Drake, at dallas.drake@ mindspring.com or by telephone at (612) 331-4820.

Minority business development programs grant appropriation “If you’re a white person, a member of the majority, you’re living the life,” Champion said. He said that it is important to give Black Minnesotans support to move from poverty into prosperity.

Champion is the author of SF 2005. Thissen and Slocum are the authors of its House

Tax credits for education On Jan. 15, the Legislative Working Group on Economic Disparities proposed an educationbased tax credit introduced to be an expansion of the already existing education-based tax credit. That tax credit is currently $1,000 per student.

According to a press release

Marilyn Anderson Rhames has taught in district and charter schools in Chicago since 2004. She now serves as alumni support manager at a K-8 charter school, helping graduates persist through high school and on to college and careers.

This piece is the first of two stories.

The next story in this series will focus on the impact, sustainability, likelihood and feasibility of the legislative proposals discussed above.

Phone: 612.588.1313 Fax: 612.588.2031 Email: info@insightnews.com Administrative Support Specialist

Information Services Manager

The U.S. District Court, District of MN is accepting applications for a full-time Administrative Support Specialist in Minneapolis, MN. Salary range is $50,270 - $81,711. For more information visit the court’s website, www.mnd.uscourts.gov, Employment.

The U.S. District Court, District of MN is accepting applications for a full-time Information Services Manager in Minneapolis, MN. Salary range is $71,642 - $116,475. For more information visit the court’s website, www.mnd.uscourts.gov, Employment.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

An Equal Opportunity Employer

Reimbursed Senior Volunteer Positions Senior Corps is seeking volunteers aged 55+ willing to help seniors as friendly visitors in their homes and for outings in the community OR to help kids in schools as mentors. Tax free stipend, travel reimbursement, and other benefits. Contact Lisa Beardsley at 651.310.9450 or lisa.beardsley@lssmn.org

Programmer Analyst The U.S. District Court, District of MN is accepting applications for a full-time Programmer Analyst in Minneapolis, MN. Salary range is $45,762 - $81,711.

For more information visit the court’s website, www. mnd.uscourts.gov, Employment.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATE (30 vacancies) $17.38-$17.93 hourly $36,289-$37,438 annually These positions perform skilled roadway surface/ roadside maintenance activities, (e.g., patching, snow and ice control, guardrail and fence repair, landscaping, traffic control, drive and operate a variety of heavy equipment to perform snow and ice duties, etc.

For additional details go to the State Careers web site at www.mn.gov/careers and select external applicants. To view full job details enter 2084 in the Keywords box. Apply at the bottom of the page and complete the application process.

MnDOT is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer with a strong commitment to workforce diversity

Page 10 • February 22 - February 28, 2016 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Grammy winners KING played to a sold out crowd Feb. 12 at the Icehouse in Minneapolis.

Harry Colbert, Jr.

KING debuts new album; comes home to sold out show at Icehouse

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer It’s been five years in the making, but judging from the reaction of the capacity crowd at the Icehouse in Minneapolis, KING’s “We are KING” was worth the wait.

Although the album was just a week old when the group hit the Icehouse stage, fans were already singing along to several tunes during the trio’s nearly 75-minute set.

With Paris Strother controlling all the music from a grouping of keyboards, a laptop and beat machine, Amber Strother and Anita Bias smoothly and

melodically delivered vocal performances that perfectly accompanied Paris Strother’s genius production. The two vocalists didn’t overpower the room with “big” voices, but they didn’t have to – it would have been out of place and contrary to what endeared fans to KING in the first place.

Although the atmosphere had all the trappings of a Friday night party, the performance was more of an intimate vibe, as if being invited into one’s living room – it was gracious and comforting. Even the stage lighting was mellowed out, often blue, with subtle smoke being pushed from a nearby fog machine.

The Grammy Awardwinning group has been the talk of R&B/soul music fans since it dropped its three-song EP, “The Story” in 2011. Praise and accolades quickly followed with the likes of Erykah Badu, Eric Roberson, Robert Glasper and even Prince showing the group much love. Fans clamored for a full-length follow-up to “The Story” and followed Internet rumor after rumor as to when the full project would drop, but on Feb. 5 their shouts were heard with the long-awaited release of “We are KING.” The album is 12 tracks with extended mixes of the three songs from the EP, “Hey,” “Supernatural”

and “The Story.” A couple of songs from “We are KING” – “Mister Chameleon” and “In the Meantime” – were offered up as teasers prior to the full project release.

Paris Strother said the tour in support of “We are KING” has exceeded her dreams.

“It feels amazing to get such warm receptions and it’s amazing that people hung with us and were willing to wait to get the full album,” said Paris Strother. “It’s an incredible feeling to be communicating with our fans through the music and through our live shows.”

Prior to the Minneapolis

show the group had sold out performances in Detroit and Chicago as well as well-received shows on the West Coast. Artists such as Esperanza Spalding, Goapele and Corinne Bailey Rae have been recently spotted at a KING live show. Because of KING’s former association with Prince some may have hoped he would have shown up for the Icehouse gig, but it was probably for the best that he didn’t show because this was KING’s moment and they deserved it all to themselves.

The Icehouse performance was a homecoming for twin sisters Paris Strother and Amber

Strother, who are both from Minneapolis. Paris Strother said this performance was made more special because they were performing for so many they know and love.

“It’s amazing to perform in front of your hometown.

We have so much love for home and to look out into that crowd and see a lot of friends and family was beautiful.”

Bias is from Los Angeles, where all three now reside.

KING won a Grammy in 2013 for their appearance on Robert Glasper’s “Black Radio” project.

insightnews.com

Insight News • February 22 - February 28, 2016 • Page 11

Dan Norman

The Children’s Theatre “Snowy Day and Other Stories” by Ezra Jack Keats

By Carmen Robles The magic of imagination exploded on the stage at The Children’s Theatre Company performance of “The Snowy Day and Other Stories” by Ezra Jack Keats, where puppet shadows intertwine with live actors. The 65-minute show engages the audience through a series of stories.

True to its name, The Children’s Theatre (CTC) was packed with children … children of all ages! Some came dressed in their best going out outfits. Little girls sported sparkly shoes, gowns and rhinestone barrettes and boys in dress shirts; one young man, about seven-years-old sported, a Fedora hat.

Many held the hands of grandparents, their parents or a loved one as they entered this artistic space that is created specifically for them.

Three actors captivated

and entertained the robust audience, drawing them into a make believe world through narration, puppets on a stick, music and song.

The ageless audience was quickly drawn into the spell binding artistic stories which moved seamlessly from shadows to live performance.

The stories follow “Peter” a little boy and his adventures with his friends.

In one story Peter tries to whistle to get the attention of his dog Willie. The audience erupted with laughter and giggles as the actor, and many in the audience, struggled with “putting your lips together and blowing.”

Cheers and applause racked the theater as Peter finally learns the art of whistling through patience, perseverance and confidence.

Laughter … with a cough here, a sneeze there, a baby’s cries echoing through the intimate space added to the already electric atmosphere. There is nothing like the sound

of children’s laughter, it penetrates through the spirit and ignites the child within.

After the performance the actors graciously greeted the children further inspiring their imagination

of shadow puppetry. The lobby included an area where children ages 1-99 can learn to maneuver puppets on a stick forming shadows and creating their own stories.

“It is especially meaningful to mount this production on the 100 th anniversary of Ezra Jack Keats’ birthday; he was a groundbreaking author and illustrator that has

had a tremendous impact on children’s illustrations” said new CTC Managing Director Kimberly Motes.

“The wonder of a fresh snowfall, the delight of whistling for the first time, the awe in finding a special treasure: Ezra Jack Keats had a gift for capturing the rapturous joy in a child’s day-to-day life,” commented Peter C. Brosius, director.

Fabrizio Montecchi, world renowned Italian shadow puppetry artist used the puppets and shadows in a deep, sophisticated and surprising way that allowed the audience to be induced deeper and deeper into the stories of Ezra Jack Keats.

Motes added that “education programs give young people skills that impact them no matter what they pursue in life.”

For more information on this and other performances and activities at The Children’s Theatre call 612-874-0400 or visit www. childrenstheatre.org

58th Annual Grammys: Performance of Ghana and Africa male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo – four-time Grammy winners who rose to worldwide fame singing with Paul Simon in 1986 on his “Graceland” album – and Wouter Kellerman, a 2014 Grammy winning world music composer whose 2015 album “Love Language”

Cary Sullivan

Getty Images / Mark Ralston

Angelique Kidjo carrie her Grammy for ‘Best World Music album’ at 58th Annual Grammy Music Awards.

By Oral Ofori, Founder TheAfricanDream LLC Los Angeles – The 58th annual Grammys provided the world with a good representation of Africa and African heritage, musicians, performers and artistes at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

There were many first time African nominees; one was Rocky Dawuni, Ghanaian singer and songwriter who performs in his signature “Afro roots” sound, which is a mixture of reggae, Afrobeat, highlife and soul. Dawuni and his sixth studio album, “Branches of the Same Tree” became the first Ghanaian musician and album ever to be nominated for a Grammy. Dawuni was nominated alongside reggae greats Jah Cure for his album “The Cure;” Barrington Levy for “Acousticalevy;” Luciano for “Zion Awake;” and Morgan Heritage for “Strictly Roots.” The Best Reggae Album went to Heritage.

Like Dawuni, Heritage was

also a first-time nominee.

Other individuals with African heritage that brightly shone at the Grammys included Canadian born Ethiopian musician, Abęl Makkonen Tesfaye, The Weeknd, who received seven nominations. The Weeknd walked away with Best Urban Contemporary Album for “Beauty behind the Madness” and Best R&B Performance for “Earned It,” which was a part of the soundtrack for “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Best World Album of the 58th Grammys went to Angélique Kidjo for her work “Sings,” making her a three-time Grammy winner.

Originally from Benin in West Africa, Kidjo first won a Grammy in 2008.

South African gospel musician, Neville Diedericks, who earned a nomination for Best Gospel Performance/Song for his part in Israel and Newbreed’s “How Awesome Is Our God (Live),” won for winning Best Gospel Album for “Covered: Alive In Asia (Live)(Deluxe).”

Other South African nominees at the 58th Grammys were the

debuted at number one on the World Music Billboard charts in July of that year.

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella went to NigerianAmerican, Kevin “K.O.” Olusola and fellow members of the widely acclaimed vocal band Pentatonix for their work, “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.”

‘Best Reggae Album’ Grammy nominee Rocky Dawuni (left) with 3 time ‘World Music Grammy Award’ winner; Angelique Kidjo at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

Brian Blade and THE

Fellowship BAND Folkloric Gospel Jazz

March 2 & 3 | 7 & 9 pm

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO Fri Mar 4 8pm

Made famous by Paul Simon’s album Graceland, these four-time Grammy® Award-winners from South Africa will sing in English and Zulu along with snaps, whistles, kicks, hops and waves.

"Sparks always seem to fly."

- NPR

Please note: The Minnesota Orchestra does not perform on this program

612.371.5656 / minnesotaorchestra.org / Orchestra Hall PHOTO Shane Doyle

Creative Partner:

Media Partner:

tickets: 612.332.5299 | dakotacooks.com 1010 nicollet mall, downtown MPLS

Page 12 • February 22 - February 28, 2016 • Insight News

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DJ Snuggles

Roosevelt Mansfield

Mamadu

Feb. 22 - 28

Aesthetically It! is a list of picks from the editors of Aesthetically Speaking.

Aesthetically It! features venues, events, outings and more that are worthy of “It” status. If you have a venue, event or outing that you feel is “It” worthy, email us at aestheticallyit@ insightnews.com

Monday, Feb. 22 CHILDREN/MUSEUM Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice Minnesota Children’s Museum at Mall of America 60 E. Broadway, Bloomington All ages $7.95 Travel back in time to learn about dinosaurs in this interactive exhibit that runs through May 15.

Tuesday, Feb. 23 THEATER/MUSICAL

Ian Young “Expressions of Black Progression” State Theatre 805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis 7 p.m.

All ages No cover The Avant Garde, Fair School Downtown and the Hennepin Theatre Trust present a musical narrative in celebration of Black History Month. Directed by Chadwick “Niles” Phillips, the play also features Dahlia Jones (recently featured on “American Idol”), Joseph Davis and Traiveon Dunlap.

Wednesday, Feb. 24 ECLECTIC/HIP-HOP/ PERFORMANCE Mamadu, Sayth, Ness Night and more First Avenue 701 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis 8 p.m.

“Mamadu,” Toki Wright presents an all new set of original production at First Avenue. Ranging from low end to house to tribal, expect to see and hear a new vibe.

Sayth and Wealthy Relative co-headline with songwriterproducer Ness Night and Unknown Creatures.

FILM Film Screening: “Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Beyond the Steps” Northrop Auditorium - Best Buy Theater 84 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis 6:30 pm.

Free

HIP-HOP/PERFORMANCE The “My Generation” EP Release Party Institute of Production & Recording (IPR) 300 N. 1st Ave., Minneapolis 6:30 p.m.

The ‘My Generation” EP is a music project that embodies the stories of today’s youth.

The messages the artists speak on are motivational and inspirational. The EP features hip-hop, spoken word poetry, rock & roll and soul. All of the songs are written and produced by the IPR students.

Thursday, Feb. 25

Under the moniker

This documentary follows the extraordinary dancers and renowned choreographers of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as they do everything it takes to keep American modern dance fresh and its legacy alive.

R&B/HIP-HOP/ PERFORMANCE Mn Stand Up Artist Showcase Fine Line Music Café 318 N. 1st Ave., Minneapolis 10 p.m.

18-plus $10 Presenting some of Minnesota’s best up and coming talent, this showcase will feature Ashley DuBose, Finding Novyon, Baby

HERE FOR YOUR HEALTH Blue Plus is now an option for Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare in the Twin Cities and more than 60 counties.

With a Blue Plus health plan, you can get: ➜

access to most Minnesota doctors and hospitals

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rides to appointments

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rewards for getting care

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interpreter service

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We’re working to improve the health of all Minnesotans.

Learn more at bluecrossmn.com/blueplus

DHS_112515_T04 DHS Approved 11/2015 Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® of Minnesota and Blue Plus® are nonprofit independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

Shel, Why Khaliq, J. Plaza, Nazeem & Spencer Jones and many more.

501 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis 9 p.m. – 2 a.m.

Friday, Feb. 26

Soul Tools beatboxer and disc jockey, DJ Snuggles, brings his annual birthday bash with performances

by DJ Fundo, Major G w/ DJ Rich Lee, Eli the Profit, Moonlight Grammar and RP Hooks & Glow Mechanics. The show is hosted by Bdot Croc.

JAZZ/ROCK/ PERFORMANCE Jay Young and The Lyric Factory Present “Bandwidth: RadioPlay Pt. 2” Vieux Carré 408 St. Peter St., St. Paul 8:30 p.m.

This show pays homage to Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix and more with a talented cast of Jay Young, Ian Young, Kevin Washington, Thomas West and Ernest Bisong.

Saturday, Feb. 27 PARTY/DANCE NIGHT DJ Snuggles Birthday Blackout Nomad World Pub

Sunday, Feb. 28 HIP-HOP/PERFORMANCE The Greenroom Sessions Triple Rock Social Club 629 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis 9:30 p.m.

18-plus $10 advance, $12 door Aesthetically Speaking’s “5 for ’16” hip-hop honoree, Finding Novyon, joins Webster X, Drelli, and DJ Tiiiiiiiiiip for this special set from Greenroom Magazine.