Insight News ::: 02.26.18 by Insight News, Inc

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Insight News February 26 - March 4, 2018

Vol. 45 No. 9• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

AUN SUFRIENDO

Still suffering One family is rebuilding its life in Minnesota following the devastation in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. V. Rivera Garcia

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I left my heart in Puerto Rico By Alejandra Oliveras Afrodescendientes It was evident we needed each other. Our lives had led us each to that moment in time, we just didn’t know it yet. The true nature of the human heart is an absolute mystery, but when a life focuses all its energy in the complete healing of self, wondrous things begin to happen. As if by magic, things begin to fall into each other with ease, whereas before every single movement towards the completion of a goal was an excruciatingly slow crawl that would often make climbing the Everest in shorts and sandals seem like a leisurely stroll through the park. “Cruzar el Niágara en bicicleta”, my grandmother would often say; “to cross the Niagara riding a bicycle” is the quintessential description of life’s hardest struggles, and it’s how diﬃcult everything had been lately. We’d been needing each other for some time, and that’s why after the hurricane nothing seemed to work out for me or my family no matter how hard we tried, and life for her had turned just … sour. The universe was quietly bringing us together without our knowing. She didn’t even want to come pick us up at the airport. The only reason she “volunteered” was because her good friend asked her to, and she didn’t want to turn her good friend down. Me, on the other hand, had just moved all the heavens above and all the earths below to get my family on a plane for a six or seven-hour one-way trip from Puerto Rico in the middle of winter to relocate to this friendly refrigerator called Minnesota. After having lost everything we owned in the throes of Hurricane Maria’s 160-plus miles per hour winds. I didn’t know what to

V. Rivera Garcia

Left: Alejandra Oliveras and her two young daughters, Eugenia Josefina Rivera (in arms) and Alejandra Aurora Rivera, in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Right: In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. expect; we had no idea what was going to happen. We didn’t even know who was going to pick us up at the airport when we got off that Sun Country flight. All I knew was that I had talked to her good friend and blindly trusted her; her good friend had even told me she’d gathered winter gear for my family and me. It was her good friend who talked her into “volunteering” to pick us up. “A mi tú no me llames pa’estas cosas,” “Don’t you be calling me for these things,” she said. “I’ll go, but I’ll just drop them off at the hotel and be done with it. Don’t you be expecting me to check in on them or anything like that afterwards,” she told her friend emphatically. Of course, all sorts of silly things conspired to delay us

from getting off the plane and out of the airport. From thinking we left the phone on the plane to not recognize our own luggage (it was borrowed, and I was under duress). What should’ve taken 15-20 minutes took almost an hour. When I finally met the good friend face to face, the first thing she said after “hello” was “let’s try to hurry, my friend has been waiting for a while.” As soon as I saw her, this friend, this reluctant volunteer, I felt immediately drawn to her. Her intense energy, the sheer power of her life-force made me feel safe in a way I hadn’t felt in a while. As I settled my children and myself into this strange woman’s car, my husband took care of our luggage and rode with someone else. I was looking out the window, trying

to drink everything in. “I’m not going to give poison to your kids,” she said while holding a lollipop that I had no idea where it had come from, interrupting my musings. “I avoid giving them reﬁned sugars,” I believe I answered absently. My mother passed away a few years ago and we didn’t have the best of relationships before that, so there was a vacancy and the position was up for grabs. She decided to apply for the position that night, right when the “Minnesota Nice” gentleman at the front desk of the hotel told me I couldn’t stay there because I had apparently hallucinated calling the hotel and making a reservation a week prior, and because I didn’t have a “FEMA package,” whatever that meant.

She stood up for me to that gentleman like the mom I didn’t, but I should’ve had. “Well, you’re crabby and rude,” she told him angrily. “Denying a room to this woman and her children after they lost everything in a hurricane and just got oﬀ a seven-hour ﬂight to come here and rebuild their lives.” As if an invisible wand had been waved, a room was magically available for us. “I’m a writer,” she told my husband. “My wife’s a writer as well,” he said excitedly, ever proud of my work. Truth is, I wouldn’t have mentioned it; I hadn’t been feeling much of anything lately. “You should write something for me, anything. Just write from the heart,” she replied. And I did. As unfamiliar words

formed beneath my ﬁngertips, something within me began to heal. And as her eyes read my broken mind’s musings; wounds she hadn’t realized were raw began to heal as well. We didn’t know we needed each other, but the universe did, and it conspired to bring us together, so we could each give the other what she didn’t know was needed. Because of her I’ve had a mother’s love and support when I’ve needed it most in these hardest of times, and through my family she has found joys she had thought had been forgotten by her “souring heart,” (her words). We both had focused all our energies in the complete healing of ourselves, and the universe brought us together, so wondrous things could happen.

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Indecent Now – March 24

by PAULA VOGEL directed by WENDY C. GOLDBERG

Familiar

March 10 – April 14 by DANAI GURIRA directed by TAIBI MAGAR Sponsored by

your first role models. This Black History Month, AARP celebrates those who helped shape future generations and the communities they live in. So get involved by volunteering around town or connect with new people at one of our events. There are tons of ways you too can create exciting futures for everyone here in Twin Cities. We’re celebrating a rich history and incredible diversity this month. Visit aarp.org/twincities to learn more.

Solo Emerging Artist Celebration Feb 24 – March 11 featuring ANTONIO DUKE, A.P. LOOZE and IFRAH MANSOUR

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Aesthetically It!: Events, concerts, venues in the Twin Cities

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Insight News February 26 - March 4, 2018

Vol. 45 No. 9• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

V. Rivera Garcia

For participants of the Insight2Health Fitness Challenge, this is where the start to a new, healthier life begins; the Cora McCorvey YMCA in North Minneapolis.

Cora McCorvey YMCA welcomes Fitness Challenge By Carmen Robles Associate Editor Afrodescendientes The Insight2Health Fitness Challenge (I2HFC) kicked oﬀ

Round XI’s this past Saturday (Feb. 17). The day turned out to be much more than a day of registration, measurements, weigh ins and orientation; it was a celebration of music, dance

and song. It was a gathering of old friends, soon to be new friends, families and strangers; all coming together for a common cause – our health and the health of community. The Cora McCorvey

YMCA’s elegant lobby at 2015 4th St. N. was the perfect backdrop for the launch of Insight2Health Fitness Challenge’s 11th round, as the challenge moved “home” to North Minneapolis. The challenge is the

brainchild of Insight News founder and editor-in-chief, Al McFarlane, and this time around the challenge engaged celebrated ﬁtness warriors Valerie Turner and Chaz (pronounced Shay) Sandifer, co-owners and

founders of Noir Elite Fitness. A woman-owned and led Northside based business, Noire Elite Fitness is a wonderful ﬁt to facilitate training this time

I2H 6

Want for a cold beer leads to business venture

Running Tap is Minnesota’s 1st tap room delivery By Abeni Hill Staff Writer

Asata Photography

Students from throughout Minneapolis gathered outside of Minneapolis City Hall on Feb. 21 to call for a ban on assault weapons in the wake of the Feb. 14 Parkland, Fla. school shooting that killed 17.

As protest takes place, Orono area schools on lockdown due to social media threats

Minneapolis students protest gun violence in wake of Florida school shooting By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor @HarryColbertJr To the chants of “Hey, hey, ho, ho, the NRA has got to go,” thousands of Minneapolis school students descended on Minneapolis City Hall in a citywide school walkout in wake of the shooting that killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Fla. The Feb. 21 walkout came a week to the day after a former student at Stoneman Douglas High School used an AR-15

assault weapon to murder 17 and wound an additional 14. The senseless killings sparked national outrage, with students across the nation taking to the streets – and in many cases, to the oﬃces of elected oﬃcials – demanding gun reform. The mayor of Minneapolis and members of the Minneapolis City Council banded with the students calling for change. “We stand with you and we’re going to push for an assault weapons ban at the state level,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, speaking to the students. Frey said he would also be

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Entrepreneurs Despite Unequalwho took the “leap” Treatment, Black Women Will Rise

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handing out voter registration forms to help the students further engage in the political process on the issue of gun control. Punctuating how real the threat is to students’ lives, while many were protesting outside of Minneapolis City Hall, students in the Orono School District – a western suburb of Minneapolis – were on lockdown following two threats of violence received via social media. The district remained on lockdown throughout the day, with Orono police, the Hennepin County Sheriﬀ’s Department and the

News 2 Health Insight Insight2Health Don’t complain, activateChallenge Fitness builds strong bodies and stronger bonds

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FBI being called in. Even with public opinion heavily in favor of changes to the nation’s gun laws, the power the NRA has over many lawmakers was made evident in Florida when the state’s legislators – with students from Stoneman Douglas in their presence – refused to hear a motion, voting 71 to 36 against, to debate a bill banning the sale of assault weapons in the aftermath the Parkland killings. In a bit if irony – or hypocrisy – the Florida House later passed a resolution declaring pornography a danger to the community.

The origin of Minnesota’s ﬁrst taproom delivery service, Running Tap, is one of a refugee turned innovative entrepreneur. Co-founder Isaac Tut was born in South Sudan and lived in a refugee camp in Ethiopia until he was 11 years old. In 1999 he and his family got accepted by the United Nations’ Commission on Refugees and gave them status to enter the U.S. “We’re coming from a hut. My parents would go and hunt for food,” said his brother and vice president of Strategic Partnerships, Moses Tut. “(America) was the land of opportunity.” Moses Tut attributes both his and his brother’s entrepreneurial spirit to their parents. “They instilled in us at a young age that we are here because of the opportunities. We are here to better you as our children,” said Moses Tut. “That foundation of doing better for yourself so you can do better for the family.” Aside from being the VP of Strategic Partnerships for Running Tap, Moses Tut also has his own clothing line, Ambitious Legendary Movement, and started a nonproﬁt that strives to be a bridge for millennials and youth to receive advanced workforce training. The idea of Running Tap began while Isaac Tut and his

I2H News

The Black War on opioids Presshurts sickle cell disease remembers Lerone patients Jr. Bennett,

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V. Rivera Garcia

Moses Tut co-founder and college friend, Chris Ho, were working on their start-up technology ﬁtness watch company. Moses Tut said his brother and Ho worked long hours to get the company started. “They would get beer and bring it back to the warehouse where they worked,” said Moses Tut. The idea for Running Tap came to mind when both of the founders wondered where they could get beer delivered to them. After spending sixth months going over the legalities with the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement (AGE) Division of Minnesota, the innovation

RUNNING TAP 4

Commentary AS

Fathers The Chronicles and of Miss Freedom Fighter, daughters Esquire: Ending mass incarceration

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Entrepreneurs who took the “leap” By Carmen Robles Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Planting the Seeds of Possibility was the theme of this year’s US Bank’s tribute to Black History Month, which was held Feb. 21 at The Grand Hotel, in downtown Minneapolis. With the focus on building wealth, Greg Cunningham, vice president, Global Inclusion & Diversity opened the evening with a state of the state update on the trillion-dollar buying power of African-Americans. Craig Veurink, senior vice president, Lead Regional Business Banking for US Bank touched on the fundamentals and relationships building skills associated with entrepreneurship. Veurink shared a brief economic update and put out a challenge to the entrepreneurs to “eat the frog first.” “To eat the frog first, means to attack your biggest problem first thing. It gives you confidence” said Veurink. “Doing versus wanting. Don’t just want it – do it.” Helena Haynes-Carter, director, Global Inclusion and Diversity for US Bank, facilitated a panel that included Chris Webley, chairman, New Rules Benefit Corporation. When he lost his “big shot” corporate job at Target, Webley took the leap. “This Black kid vowed to himself that day, no one would control him” said Webley. “He vowed to follow his passion. God

V. Rivera Garcia

Presenters and panelists at the US Bank sponsored “Planting the Seeds of Possibility,” held Feb. 21 at the Grand Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Standing from left to right are Greg Cunningham, US Bank, Helena Haynes-Carter, US Bank, Craig Veurink, US Bank, Dr. Inell Rosario, president, Andros ENT & Sleep Center, Jennie Carlson, US Bank, Sharon Smith-Akinsanya, CEO Rae Mackenzie Group and and founder of POC BizList, Chris Webley - chairman, New Rules Benefit Corporation, Fredrick Blocton, president UpNet Client Solutions Group, Ken Charles, US Bank and Hector Martinez, US Bank. was calling me to do something greater.” Fredrick Blocton, president, UpNet CSG had the audience full of laughter when he shared stories of his early days as a young man with an afro and gold tooth. “(But) today I am tasting the fruits of my labor,” said Blocton. An IT design/ implementation ﬁrm, UpNet is an intermediary between big business and small businesses transferring data. He just completed a contract with the NFL for Super Bowl LII and is working with Mayo Clinic on a $6 billion-dollar project, calculating data. “Work hard, the payoﬀ is amazing,” said Blocton. “It’s fun

V. Rivera Garcia

Luis Rosario (left) and Dr. Inell Rosario. but it’s a lot of work. It’s no joke. Don’t be joking. Be serious about it. Stand up straight; this (running a business) is the biggest thing you’ve ever done in your life.” The event served as

platform to launch of POC Biz List Minnesota (www. POCBizListMN.com) – an online directory to list and ﬁnd businesses owned by people of color.

Greg Cunningham, vice president, Global Inclusion & Diversity for US Bank

V. Rivera Garcia

Craig Veurink, senior vice president, Lead Regional Business Banking for US Bank

How long until we protect children, not guns? Commentary

By Marian Wright Edelman “If I don’t make it I love you and I appreciate everything you did for me.” – Text message sent to her mother from a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. December 14 marked the ﬁfth anniversary of the indescribably horrible mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School when 20 young children and six teachers were brutally murdered by a 20-year-old with a gun he should never have possessed. As our nation was grieving, I wrote that this terrible tragedy in Newtown, Conn. was no ﬂuke

but a result of the senseless, immoral and indefensible neglect of all of us in our nation to protect children instead of guns and to speak out against the pervasive culture of violence and the insane proliferation of guns by the millions that have no business in civilian hands. I truly believed at the time that these shocking and horriﬁc murders would ﬁnally force our elected leaders to put child life and safety ahead of politics and the NRA and take the necessary steps to protect children instead of guns. Wow was I wrong. Sandy Hook marked a turning point in public opinion about guns and sparked a new wave of public advocacy to prevent gun violence, but it did not fundamentally change the cowardice of most of the men and women we have elected to represent us who put their political self-interest ahead of the safety of our children. Though some states made important

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strides to prevent deadly weapons from getting into the wrong hands, others have gone backwards. Our Congressional leaders have continued to offer platitudes after horrific mass shootings while doing nothing to act and expand and improve the background check system, limit access to assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, deprive domestic violence perpetrators of their guns, or even take basic steps to prevent children from accessing deadly firearms by requiring safe storage of guns and ammunition. Congress has turned a blind eye and wallowed in inaction while the deadly plague of gun violence afflicting our nation has worsened. The rate of child and teen gun deaths has increased every year since Sandy Hook and nearly 11,000 more children and teens have died. On Valentine’s Day it happened again. This time the victims were teachers and students going about their day at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. – maybe excited about Valentine’s Day because of a secret crush or planning to go to Ash Wednesday mass that evening. The shooter was a 19-year-old former student at the school with a history of disturbing behavior and an obsession with guns. Like many other mass shooters in United States, he was armed with an AR15 assault rifle. In a short span of time 17 people lost their lives and at least 14 were injured. Once again, we saw the scenes many of us first saw outside Columbine High School in April 1999 that now seem horribly and tragically familiar in America … frightened students fleeing with their hands up, frantic parents desperate to reunite with their children and traumatized survivors telling television interviewers what happened and the horrors they heard and saw. And it goes on and on and will continue to go on and on until we stand up together and say no more. An entire generation of children are coming of age understanding that there is no safe space in America after bearing witness to horrifying massacres killing 26 and 9 people in churches in Texas and South Carolina, 58 at a concert

in Nevada, 49 at a nightclub in Florida, nine at a college in Oregon, 14 at a workplace in California, two at Marshall County High School in Benton, Ky. in January, and now 17 more children and adults on an otherwise ordinary day at a high school in Florida. Tens of thousands of other shootings have taught us all that gun violence does not discriminate. Twice since Sandy Hook we have had to put a new tragedy atop the list of the worst mass shootings in American history and gun death numbers grow in communities that often go unnoticed. When will the indefensible insane tolerance of violence end? When will children and human life matter more than a gunman’s right to kill innocent people? We have already waited too long for our leaders to protect children rather than guns. Victims, survivors and families impacted by gun violence too often are forgotten. We must not let that happen again. How evil it was that on the very same day last December a national vigil was held just blocks from the Capitol to remember victims of gun violence, the House of Representatives voted 231 to 198 to pass the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R.38), a NRA priority that would allow individuals to carry concealed weapons across state lines even if the state to which they are traveling has much stronger gun safety laws. For example, if the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act were to pass the Senate now, a person from Mississippi, Missouri or Wyoming who is not even required to have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, could travel with it to Massachusetts, California or New York, which all require that in order to apply for a concealed carry permit an applicant must first demonstrate good cause or a justifiable need. Forcing all states to recognize the concealed carry requirements of all other states regardless of their own laws and protections poses a significant threat to public safety across the nation. The concealed carry bill must not be taken up in the Senate. Several other bills have recently been introduced in Congress and offer potential progress. I hope we will take any

positive steps we can to move them forward. For example, the Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act (S.2044/ H.R.4186) would close loopholes in federal law that currently permit the sale and possession of weapons to dating partners or former dating partners convicted of domestic violence crimes and prohibits the sale or possession of a firearm by a person subject to a temporary domestic violence restraining order. Research shows women in domestic violence situations are five times more likely to be killed if their abuser owns a gun and their children are also at risk. An analysis by Everytown for Gun Safety found a majority of mass shootings from 20092016 were related to domestic or family violence. Only 13 states require law enforcement to remove firearms at the scene of a domestic violence incident. A domestic violence conviction should have barred the individual who killed 26 people in a Sutherland Springs, Texas church in November from purchasing a gun. The Air Force failed to report his conviction to the national background check system enabling him to clear a federal background check to purchase the rifle used in this horrific crime. The bipartisan Fix NICS Act of 2017 (S.2135) would help ensure data gets promptly and accurately reported. It requires federal agencies and states to create plans to comply with existing federal laws requiring reporting of mental health and criminal records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) and provides financial support to states that comply and penalizes agencies that fail to report these records to the system. Both these bills are common-sense approaches to help limit gun violence. While they do not close all the dangerous federal loopholes that allow potentially dangerous people to get deadly weapons, their passing would be a critically important first step. There also are pending bills that would allow more research on gun violence, prohibit the sale of guns before completion of background checks, close loopholes in the background check system, and

ban devices like bump stocks allowing shooters to increase the rate of fire of their semiautomatic weapons. All these positive steps deserve a vote. And it is also past time to reinstate the ban on assault weapons and highcapacity ammunition magazines that consistently increase the body count in our all-too-frequent mass shootings. We must keep using our votes and voices to move forward and never, never ever give up until we succeed. Every person who cares about protecting children and human life must stand up right now with urgency and persistence, join hands with those directly affected by gun violence, and demand Congressional action to prevent and break up the uniquely evil American love affair with guns and stop the scourge of gun violence that has killed more than 140,000 people and devastated thousands of families between Sandy Hook and this week’s tragedy. A child or teen dies from gunfire every 2 hours and 48 minutes in the United States and 3,128 children and teens died from guns in 2016 … enough to fill 156 classrooms of 20 children. It is a profoundly immoral travesty that the NRA and its craven Congressional allies continue pushing to weaken gun laws although the majority of Americans cry out for stronger safeguards and children witness and suffer from mass shooting after mass shooting. In memory of the 17 children and adults whose lives were snuffed out at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the two children killed at Marshall County High School in Kentucky less than a month before, the 26 who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and the tens of thousands more children and adults killed in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Charleston, Seattle, Orlando, Las Vegas, New York City, New Orleans, Sutherland Springs, and cities and small towns across our country now is the time to call and visit your elected leaders urging them to protect children, not guns. Marian Wright Edelman is President of the Children’s Defense Fund. For more information go to www. childrensdefense.org.

AGE said they were outside of the three-tier system of alcohol regulations, which includes producer, distributor and retailers. Retailers have delivery services, but producers do not. “We are operating as breweries’ agents. We are a

delivery service,” said Tut. “We are skipping the three-tier system and going from the producer to the customer.” Currently, Running Tap delivers within 10 miles of downtown Minneapolis. “I think the long view is making it as scalable as getting Domino’s

delivered to your house,” said Moses Tut. Moses Tut was a guest on “Conversations with Al McFarlane,” which airs Tuesdays at 1 p.m. on 90.3 FM, KFAI and online at www.kfai. org.

Step — 7pm Thursday, 3/1 Discussion Leader: Neda Renee Kellog $5 tickets: mspﬁlm.org or at the door

Running Tap From 3

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of the idea expanded beyond the legal ramiﬁcations.

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Insight News • February 26 - March 4, 2018 • Page 5

Post Grad FUNdraising Chronicles Good Times

By ByMel Julianne and Pearl Malveaux Shaw

Page 6 •February 26 - March 4, 2018 • Insight News

Insight 2 Health

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Insight2Health Fitness Challenge builds strong bodies and stronger bonds By Alejandra Oliveras Afrodescendientes

The first class of the 10week Insight2Health Fitness Challenge (I2HFC) got off to a wonderful start. During the Feb. 17 registration participants received an informative seminar to begin implementing significant changes in their diets and eating habits by nutritionist Karen Blanchard of NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center, setting the stage to for participants’ success in the coming weeks. I2HFC participants learned food portioning guidelines and tips to modify their everyday habits; learning to eat the foods they love while, shifting to a healthier diet. “This is boot camp. This is no joke,” reminded Blanchard. Participants learned about food tracking, so they could confront what they were welcoming into their bodies, and the importance of holding themselves accountable for the

things they chose to eat. They discovered healthy snacking before exercising was crucial to keeping their energy levels up, and participants left the Cory McCorvey YMCA full of hope and intent to begin living a healthier version of themselves. Monday, Feb. 19, 6 a.m. On a snowy Monday morning full of sunny smiles and cheerful disposition, sleepyeyed participants arrived at their ﬁrst day of training not knowing what to expect. Valerie Fleurantin, one of the instructors from Noir Elite Fitness, promptly let everyone know it was assessment day. “Everybody, get a riser,” the instructor demanded. “Up, up, down, down,” she commanded into the air, demonstrating the ﬁrst exercise and getting everybody’s heart rate going. “Keep pushing, you’re almost there.” Let’s not lose sight of the fact that this is boot camp, after all. The rest of the class went on without incident. As springy

V. Rivera Garcia

Participants of the Insight2Health Fitness Challenge rise to the occasion during the first week of workouts at the Cora McCorvey YMCA in North Minneapolis. steps slowly began to drag, participants learned proper technique for push-ups to avoid injury and performed for one minute, carefully recording their numbers. They were also shown how to safely do crunches, partnered up and crunched

away for another minute. Individual ﬂexibility was tested and carefully annotated as well, so it and all other stats could be recorded and compared throughout the challenge, so each participant’s progress could be measured throughout the 10-

week event. The most wonderful thing that happened that misty, icy Monday morning had nothing to do with heart rates, healthy diets or ﬂexibility. Bonds began to form in front of our very eyes as strangers who had never

spoken to one another before now smiled at each other and encouraged each other to push harder, be stronger and do better. They will surely come together to form a support system for one another without even realizing it, and during the coming weeks those bonds will tighten, relationships will strengthen and friendships will grow. United by their desire to become a healthier version of themselves, they will learn together how to make changes to their diet to eat healthier and what exercises are best to reach their goals. The most important thing they’ll learn is how strong they really are and of what they are truly capable. Participants will also learn to rely on one another for encouragement, to search for a friendly hand to help them up if they fall, for it is through initiatives such as the Insight2Health Fitness Challenge that a sense of community is built, and humans come together as people that hope together and achieve together their dreams.

High blood pressure - know your numbers and make your plan Dr. Nicole Winbush Staff Physician NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center When is the last time you checked your blood pressure? Has it been a while? If you have a diagnosis of high blood pressure then perhaps you are checking more frequently. Many people who do not have a diagnosis may go years without having it checked. This can be a problem when you consider that only half of the people who have high blood pressure have been diagnosed. Even if in the past you were told that your blood pressure was “good”, it might be a good idea to get your blood pressure check updated as the goals for blood pressure control are changing. This is because we realize that even modest elevations in blood pressure over time can signiﬁcantly increase the risk for complications like stroke, heart attack and kidney disease. The American Heart Association

now recommends an ideal blood pressure is less than 120/80. Blood pressure readings between 130-139/80-89 are considered stage 1 hypertension and readings greater than 140/90 are considered Stage 2 hypertension. Based on these new guidelines it is estimated that about 46 percent of all US adults and more than 55 percent of African-Americans will be considered hypertensive. This is a crucial health issue. Many people worry that receiving a diagnosis of high blood pressure (hypertension) will mean they must go on medication. If your blood pressure is signiﬁcantly elevated at the time of diagnosis, your healthcare provider will likely recommend medication. However, it is important to know lifestyle interventions (i.e. changes in our routines related to eating, physical activity, sleep, and stress handling) can make a big diﬀerence in your blood pressure numbers. Lifestyle is part of an overall plan to help control blood pressure and improve your

health. Even small decreases in blood pressure can translate into big reductions in your risk of developing hypertension-related complications. Reducing blood pressure by 12-13 points can decrease your risk of stroke by 37 percent and your risk of heart disease by 21 percent. Lifestyle interventions that have been shown to be helpful include weight loss, diet changes, quitting smoking, reducing salt intake, getting adequate sleep and managing stress. For example, if you are carrying around extra weight, losing just 10 pounds can often reduce blood pressure an average of four to nine points. Diet changes can have a big impact on blood pressure. Eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains can lower blood pressure up to 11 points in those with high blood pressure. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet and Mediterranean Diet are two speciﬁc eating plans that have been shown to be eﬀective in lowering high blood pressure. If you smoke, work on

nutritionist Karen Blanchard, RD, LD, and Dr.Kevin Gilliam, MD. With baseline assessments, nutrition and life coach support, North Point Health & Wellness brings balanced robustness to the fitness training at the core of Insight2Health Fitness Challenge. A beautiful scene unfolded as nutritionist Karen Blanchard led participants up the grand foyer’s winding staircase to the offices of North Point Health and Wellness clinic housed on the second floor. Femi Akinnagbe, mindfulness yoga and meditation instructor, led participants through a

meditation/relaxation technique, helping create an environment of internal calmness, harnessing energy for the 10-week journey of personal challenge that lies ahead. He invited participants to visualize this experience as the journey of a lifetime, challenging ourselves to aim for the best we can be. Akinnagbe will lead weekly I2HFC yoga and meditation sessions. Currently, he is a third-year medical student at the University of Minnesota. He hopes to serve as a bridge between Eastern and Western healing modalities for both mind and body.

quitting. This will lower your blood pressure as well as your risk for several other health conditions. Also, reduce your salt intake. Most of us eat more than the recommended amount of salt. Most of the salt we eat come from prepared or processed foods. Read labels, look for lower sodium options, and consider cooking more food from scratch so you can control the salt content. Finding ways to reduce your salt intake can help lower blood pressure. Blacks, people over the age of 50 and those who have a diagnosis of high blood pressure experience the largest beneﬁts from salt reduction. Lowering salt intake can also help most blood pressure medications work better as well. Inadequate sleep can contribute to high blood pressure as well as a host of other health problems. Try to maintain a regular sleep schedule, have a relaxing bedtime routine and try to limit stressful activities and the use of electronics in the one to two hours before bed. If you are having problems sleeping

discuss your issues with your healthcare provider as more evaluation may be needed. Emotional and psychological stress can increase blood pressure. It is important to ﬁnd and use a variety of tools to manage stress. It is also important not to delay treatment of persistently high blood pressure with medication while ﬁnding ways to address the stress component. All of the aforementioned lifestyle strategies can be helpful to decrease your risk of developing high blood pressure, lower blood pressure if you already have the diagnosis and potentially allow you over time (and in consultation with your healthcare provider) to lower doses of current medications. So, be sure to know your blood pressure numbers. Get your blood pressure checked routinely. Most guidelines recommend screening once a year for those who are over 40 years of age or at increased risk. In my opinion, this is a minimum standard and if you have been told your blood

pressure is borderline, or have a strong family history, it may be beneficial to monitor more often. It is important to know that blood pressure can vary significantly throughout the day and to get an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to measure your blood pressure at different times of day over time. If you have borderline high blood pressure or a diagnosis of high blood pressure, your insurance may pay for a home blood pressure monitoring cuff. This can be an important tool to help you better manage your blood pressure. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have questions about obtaining a blood pressure cuff. Finally, medications may be an essential part of a blood pressure control plan. Medications will be more effective (or possibly not needed) if you also incorporate lifestyle changes that support blood pressure lowering and your overall health. Be sure to share your questions or concerns with your healthcare provider so together you can come up with a plan that works for you.

I2H From 3 around. “We started our business with three kids between us and $17,” said Turner, her eyes glowing with excitement. A little tear gathered at the corner of her eye as she watched the historical scene unfold in the lobby of the Cora McCorvey YMCA, proof that passion, commitment and perseverance always win the race. Recruiting support of community agencies that are revitalizing North Minneapolis neighborhoods one block at a time, was McFarlane’s strategy; to create and support articulated neighborhood interests in improving individual residents’ opportunities to pursue personal health improvement goals and to elevate health and ﬁtness awareness. Stella Whitney-West, executive director of North Point Health & Wellness Center is taking a leadership role in bringing I2HFC home to the Northside. North Point Health & Wellness Center is providing scholarships for staﬀ and clients; providing expert support from

V. Rivera Garcia

Workouts are in full swing for participants of the 11th edition of the Insight2Health Fitness Challenge. Neighborhood partners for the inaugural North Minneapolis Insight 2 Health Fitness Challenge include Hawthorne Neighborhood Council, LindBohannon Neighborhood Association, Northside Residents Redevelopment

Council (NRRC) and Cleveland Neighborhood Association. Insight2Health Fitness Challenge receives ﬁnancial support from the Medtronic Foundation and other corporate supporters. And so, it begins. A new

year. A new ﬁtness challenge. A new you. A stronger community. Join us. For more information on the Insight 2 Health Fitness Challenge call Carmen Robles at (612) 588-1313 or email at carmen@insightnews.com.

insightnews.com

Insight News • February 26 - March 4, 2018 • Page 7

Grants address disparities in African-American births

$1.3 million in Human Services grants aim to enhance prenatal care The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) recently awarded more than $1.3 million in grants to help enhance prenatal clinical services and reduce signiﬁcant health disparities in birth outcomes for African-Americans. The Integrated Care for High-Risk Pregnancies (ICHRP) pilot program aims to address signiﬁcantly elevated rates of babies born with low birth weights to African-Americans in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Grants totaling $1,334,000 went to The African American Babies Coalition and Projects, St. Paul, $534,000; Ramsey County Care Collaborative made up of Open Cities, West Side Community Health Services and United Family Medicine, $350,000 and NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center Inc., a multi-specialty agency in North Minneapolis, which received $450,000. The funding will support enhanced prenatal services and promote babies’ healthy devel-

opment, with the goal of improving overall birth outcomes for African-Americans in the Twin Cities area. Although Minnesota, as a whole, has some of the nation’s lowest rates of prematurity, low birth weights and infant mortality, disparities among African-Americans and Native-Americans for these indicators are among the highest nationally, compared to the white population. “African-American babies in Minnesota face substantially

worse birth outcomes,” said DHS Assistant Commissioner Nathan Moracco. “Through the Integrated Care for High-Risk Pregnancies initiative, we are supporting and funding the work our partners are doing to make sure Minnesota babies are born healthy.” Prematurity and low birth weight are strongly associated with social and behavioral risks. Infants with low birth weights (less than 2,500 grams, or about 5.5 pounds) are at substantially higher risk of dying during

their ﬁrst year. Although not all causes of low birth weight are understood, it is well accepted that addressing mothers’ needs during pregnancy and providing early access to quality prenatal care reduces the risk for low birth weight. Integrated prenatal care that links assessment of those risks with community-supported risk reduction interventions has been shown to improve these outcomes. In Medical Assistance, Minnesota’s Medicaid program,

the low birth weight rate is about 13 percent for African-Americans and 8 percent for whites. About eight in 10 births to African-Americans in Minnesota are covered by Medical Assistance, compared to about 43 percent of Minnesota births overall. Grant award contracts were signed in November 2017 for work to be completed by April 2019. DHS will report the results of the pilot program to the Legislature and make recommendations for future action.

Following dreams vs. embracing reality Post Grad Chronicles

By Abeni Hill Welcome back to the Post Grad Chronicles. It has been awhile since I last wrote to you all. At the risk of sounding cliché, the new year brings me the feeling of starting fresh and working on new goals. For me, I still have the

same goal(s), trying to survive the quarter-life crisis. It is one of the reasons I started this column. If you are new here, hello my name is Abeni. I turned 25 years old last year. Grappling with the fear of not knowing where I want to be in life, I started writing this column as a way of documenting my trials and tribulations in early adulthood. Under the umbrella of surviving adulthood, some other goals of mine are ﬁnding my direction in life as well as actually shaping what my life as an adult looks like. My therapist would ask me, “Who is Abeni

as a young adult? What does she like to do?” Honestly, I don’t know. I can say who I was as a child. I can say who I was as a teenager. I even can say who I was as a college student. I was someone who always knew what the next step was, whether it be the next grade, applying for graduate college, or ﬁnding that post-graduation job. Like I said in my ﬁrst column, with no tests to pass and no grades to earn, I feel like I am a walking ball of confusion, angst and anxiety. For most of my life, I have done what comes naturally to

me. I do what I feel is right in the moment. Since graduating college, I feel like what I have done is follow my dream. I traveled to China as a teaching assistant and stayed there for two years. I started to miss home so I came back with no clear plan. Now, I feel stuck. Following my dreams has led to amazing things such as riding a camel in the Sahara Desert, going to a radio station at psychiatric ward in Spain, backpacking through six southeast Asian countries in ﬁve weeks, seeing the cherry blossoms bloom in Japan, and much more. I love to travel, study cul-

ture and language, and be carefree, but now that I am in my mid-twenties I am starting to realize I need foundation. An example of pursuing dreams versus embracing reality, I really want to go to graduate school. I know I love to learn and school is comfortable for me. My current problem is finding a program that I like, is affordable and benefits my career. Nothing I have found so far meets all three of these requirements, but I keep looking. I did find one program that I think would be great, but it is expensive and doesn’t necessarily benefit my career.

Since the program wouldn’t beneﬁt my career, my therapist said maybe now isn’t the best time to apply, meanwhile my mother literally said the words, “follow your dream.” That is when it hit me. Sometimes following your dreams doesn’t always turn out to be functional and you must make choices about what you want to do and what you need to. Right now, I chose to focus on the things I need to do. Abeni Hill’s column, “Post Grad Chronicles” serves as a document of her trials and tribulations into adulthood.

Hartman, Hauswald join Blackwell Burke P.A. Two new litigators, Ted Hartman and Patrick Hauswald, recently joined Blackwell Burke, deepening the already-diverse skill set at the boutique law ﬁrm. Hartman brings litigation experience in products liability, premises liability, commercial litigation, real estate law, and contract disputes. Before joining Blackwell Burke, Hartman spent two years in private practice and then served as in-house counsel for Fidelity National Title Group,

where he worked on high-stakes litigation involving contract disputes and real estate law in federal and state courts. Hartman earned his B.A. from Concordia College in Moorhead in 2008 (magna cum laude) and his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2013 (magna cum laude). In law school, he was a Harno Scholar, and received the CALI Excellence for the Future awards in employment law, international law, and law and economics.

Hauswald comes to the ﬁrm from his judicial clerkship with the Hon. Kevin Ross of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. He earned his J.D. cum laude in 2016 from the University of St. Thomas School of Law, where he was an articles editor and an editorial board member of the University of St. Thomas Law Journal, as well as a Legal Writing Fellow for the Lawyering Skills Department. Hauswald was on the Dean’s List at St. Thomas and earned

the Dean’s Award for the highest grade in Lawyering Skills I, II, and III and Ethical Leadership in Corporate Practice. He earned his B.A. with distinction and honors in English in 2012 from the University of Iowa. Blackwell Burke P.A. is a Black-owned litigation trial ﬁrm with a national practice in litigation, MDLs, class actions and multi-state matters.

Ted Hartman

Patrick Hauswald

Page 8 •February 26 - March 4, 2018 • Insight News

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Insight News â&#x20AC;˘ February 26 - March 4, 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ Page 9

Black women and toxic policing: A case study A view from campus By Latisha Townsend Columnist As I get older, I am becoming more conďŹ dent in asking for what I want. I no longer consider the size of my request or the work it requires because I understand that the worst that can happen is being told no. In my prior column I talked about a recent transformative encounter I had with the Mankato Police. The incident left me feeling broken and confused. I asked myself, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why would this

happen to me?â&#x20AC;? and, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What did I do to deserve this?â&#x20AC;? With time, I have learned that the best way to heal is to look at every experience as a learning experience. I look at the recent series of events and ask myself, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What did this teach me?â&#x20AC;? One of the requests I made to the Mankato Department of Public Safety was to be given the opportunity to sit down with the oďŹ&#x192;cer who caused such fear and resentment. Shockingly, he agreed to have a sit down, which resembled the peer mediations we used to have in elementary school. He wore his uniform to the meeting, which made it easier for me to remember that morning. I sat at the end of a long conference table with him seated on my left side and the assistant public safety director on my right. For a moment I want you to imagine the visual of a young Black woman sitting at the head of a table telling white police

oďŹ&#x192;cers what they did wrong and how it has impacted my life. They said they were surprised that I was even willing to sit down with them and discuss the incident. I replied, â&#x20AC;&#x153;self-advocacy.â&#x20AC;? The oďŹ&#x192;cer and I went over the details of the night and he explained all of the moments where he and his team went wrong. He contributed most of the errors of that night (swabbing me, handcuďŹ&#x192;ng me, and ignoring the evidence of my innocence) to miscommunication between his colleagues and the company of new oďŹ&#x192;cers. It was diďŹ&#x192;cult to look in the face of a person who has caused such great harm and express every emotion I have experienced as a result of his actions. As a communication studies major, it is my job to know how to resolve conďŹ&#x201A;ict and eďŹ&#x20AC;ectively communicate my

perspectives. In addition, I must be able and willing to listen to other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspectives as well. I could tell from the demeanor of the oďŹ&#x192;cers, they were not used to young people being brave enough to take action. The reason I was willing to sit down with the oďŹ&#x192;cer and mediate is because this is something I would do with an average person who I felt wronged me. Why should a uniform make me feel any diďŹ&#x20AC;erent? As an open-minded person and a woman who was raised in a law enforcement family, I feel obligated to remain conscious. As I told him, I could have easily taken this situation and allowed it to shape my opinion of all cops. Because that has never been my experience, I am aware that this is only something I can place on him and his colleagues at this time. I thanked him for his apology, however I do not have to accept it

ever. What has been done is done even though I am choosing to look at it positively. Going forward I intend to have him and his colleagues come and do a policing event to discuss tensions between the students and Mankato police. I hope this will give us students a voice to express our concerns and share our experiences. I used to hate being called â&#x20AC;&#x153;strongâ&#x20AC;? because I think it takes away from the humanity of Black women. Black women are strong because we have no other choice, not because we like being treated like the Incredible Hulk. This world is no place for the weak. Black women face so much on a daily basis, whether it be poverty, single parenthood, increased vulnerability for sexual assault, verbal abuse or institutional racism. When I look at all the oppressional stressors that come

with being Black and a woman, I refuse for all of my hard work to be ignored or for my character to be attacked by anyone. Through this entire process, I was able to fall back on the strength of my loved ones and supporters and in return that gave me the courage to stand up for what I believe. It has all been a test of my faith. I will continue my work on my senior thesis about Black women and toxic policing. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if any of you have an experience you would like to share for my research. Latisha Townsend is a senior at Minnesota State University, Mankato majoring in Communications. She is the president of the student organization, Black Motivated Women. She can be contacted at Latisha.Townsend@mnsu.edu.

The Black Press remembers Lerone Bennett, Jr. By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Contributor Perhaps no other voice â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or pen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; captured the real life of Africans and African-Americans like Lerone Bennett, Jr., the former editor of Ebony and Jet magazines. Bennett died Feb.14 at the age of 89. Chicago Sun-Times reported Bennett suďŹ&#x20AC;ered from vascular dementia. Among his many hard-hitting and compelling works was the exposĂŠ, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Before the MayďŹ&#x201A;ower: A History of Black America,â&#x20AC;? in which Bennett traces Black history from its origins in western Africa, through the transatlantic journey and slavery, the Reconstruction period, the Jim Crow era, and the Civil Rights Movement. The book was re-issued ďŹ ve times and ultimately included life in the 1990s. Bennett would go on to pen at least 10 books, including the eyeopening, 2000 book titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincolnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s White Dream,â&#x20AC;? which, for some, shattered centuries-old myths about Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 16th presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s involvement in the freedom of slaves. Pointing to Lincolnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support

Environmental Protection Agency/Creative Commons

Veteran journalist and author, Lerone Bennett, Jr. died Feb. 14 from advanced vascular dementia. He was 89. for the fugitive slave laws, his friendship with slave-owning Sen. Henry Clay, and conversations in which he entertained the idea of deporting slaves in order to create an all-white nation, the book, concludes that the president was a racist at heart, and that the tragedies of Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era were the legacy of his shallow moral vision.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Smart man and great author. His book (about Lincoln) changed my life,â&#x20AC;? said comedian Sinbad. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Before the MayďŹ&#x201A;owerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; educated me about the need to research our true history.â&#x20AC;? Others too expressed their sadness and profound gratitude for Bennett. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am personally saddened by the death of Lerone Bennett Jr. We

have lost another great journalist who will be sorely missed,â&#x20AC;? said Dorothy Leavell, the chairman of the NNPA and editor and publisher of the Crusader newspapers in Chicago and Gary, Ind. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We knew him as the conscience and voice of Ebony and Jet magazines and through the many books he published. The world is richer, because of his work here on earth

and we are grateful for his many contributions.â&#x20AC;? Bennett counted as an elegant scholar and freedom ďŹ ghter who used the power of his pen to awaken millions of people to the true history of African people in America and throughout the world, said NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bennettâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journalistic genius will be missed, but his contributions to documenting the struggles and triumphs of Black men, women and children will continue to be cherished by generations far into the future,â&#x20AC;? said Chavis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The NNPA salutes the living legacy of Lerone Bennett Jr. with a commitment to pick up his pen and put it into the hands of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s freedom ďŹ ghting publishers, editors and journalists.â&#x20AC;? Bennett worked for Ebony for nearly 50 years, after starting at Jet in 1951 and then moving to the sister publication in 1953. By 1958, he was the executive editor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lerone worked side by side with my father in establishing Ebonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice,â&#x20AC;? Ebony CEO Linda Johnson Rice told the Chicago Sun-Times. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was the guiding light for the editorial vision of EBONY. Lerone was not just essential in the formation of Ebonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historic trajectory, he was a pillar in the Black community.â&#x20AC;? Bennettâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s footprints are

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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 Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Managing Editor Harry Colbert, Jr. Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Associate Editor Culture and Education Dr. Irma McClaurin

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cemented at the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in Atlanta and he once served on President Bill Clintonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. The veteran journalist and historian also served as an early adviser to the Smithsonianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Content & Production Coordinator Sunny Thongthi Yang Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Staff Writer Abeni Hill Contributing Writers Nadvia Davis Fred Easter Timothy Houston Michelle Mitchum Artika Tyner Toki Wright Photography David Bradley V. Rivera Garcia Uchechukwu Iroegbu Rebecca Rabb Artist Donald Walker 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.

Page 10 •February 26 - March 4, 2018 • Insight News

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Monday, Feb. 26 POETRY Truly North: A Loft Cabaret The Loft Literary Center 1011 Washington Ave. S., Ste. 200, Minneapolis 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. $10 The Loft celebrates its True North series with readings from Dessa, Donte Collins, Marcie Rendon, Roy Guzmán and Mai Neng Moua.

Tuesday, Feb. 27 Feb. 26 March 11, 2018

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

HIP-HOP Ces Cru Azul Night Club 400 3rd Ave. N., Minneapolis 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. 21-plus $20 Strange Music duo Ces Cru return to play Azul with Sota Saiyan, MajorFlow Ent, Swifty of $wift Prodution$, Brandon Pulphus and Hollowpoint Underground.

Wednesday, Feb. 28 PROGRAM LAUNCH Be the Change mentoring celebration H. White Men’s Room 1500 44th Ave. N.,

Miguel

St. Paul.

Minneapolis 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. All ages No cover

Saturday, March 3 AWARDS

SAFE is celebrating the launch of its Be the Change mentoring program. The event will celebrate mentors, mentees, parents, partners and supporters.

Celebrating the Sistas DoubleTree by Hilton 1500 Park Place Blvd., St. Louis Park 5 p.m. $25

Thursday, March 1

Twin Cities Steppers Association is hosting the 10th annual Celebrating the Sistas Community Leadership Recognition Award. Honorees include Nekima Levy-Pounds, Dr. Artika Tyner, Vanne Owens Hayes, Dr. Sylvia Bartley and more. Dr. Josie Johnson will present the keynote speech.

FILM “Step” Capri Theater 2027 W. Broadway Ave., Minneapolis 7 p.m. All ages $5 The Film Society of Minneapolis-St. Paul presents “Step,” a ﬁlm based on a girls step team in Baltimore that uses dance to foster change in their lives and community.

Sunday, March 4 THEATER “Hairspray” Washburn Arts Council 201 W. 49th St., Minneapolis 2 p.m. All ages

Friday, March 2 R&B Miguel Palace Theatre 17 7th Pl. W., St. Paul 8:30PM 18-plus $43.50-$63.50

The award-winning play gets a high school rendition at Washburn High School.

Monday, March 5 HIP-HOP

Platinum superstar, Miguel, plays the newly renovated Palace Theatre in downtown

Vince Staples First Avenue

701 N 1st Ave., Minneapolis 6 p.m. All ages $30 advance, $35 door

challenges we face as a generation.” Join Minnesota Youth Collective for the launch of its new program.

Inglewood’s hope Vince Staples hits the stage in a return performance at First Ave.

Friday, March 9

Tuesday, March 6 FUNK/R&B JB & the Routine Minnesota Music Café 499 Payne Ave., St. Paul 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. 21-plus Expect to hear some great R&B and funk renditions at the Minnesota Music Café with JB & the Routine.

Wednesday, March 7 R&B/POP Ty Dolla $ign w/ Marc E. Bassy First Avenue 701 N. 1st Ave., Minneapolis 7 p.m. 18-plus $29.50 advance, $35 door Taylor Gang’s Ty Dolla $ign has been on a roll for the past few years bringing soulful party jams. For this show he plays with opener Marc E. Bassy for this show at First Ave.

Thursday, March 8 CELEBRATION Mar. 14 - 20

Speaking Youth to Power Nomad World Pub 501 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis 5 p.m. “When young people are at the table, we can develop creative and progressive solutions to ﬁght the huge

COMEDY/SPOKEN WORD Topshelf Comedy and Spoken Word Competition The Pourhouse 10 5th St. S., Minneapolis 7 p.m. 21-plus $10 Comedians and poets compete for $500 and a plasma television at the Pourhouse.

Saturday, March 10 BLUES/FOLK Andrea Gibson with Chastity Brown The Cedar Cultural Center 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis 7 p.m. Tennessee to Minnesota transplant Chastity Brown has been traveling the globe with her unique sound. Catch her tonight opening for Andrea Gibson. You might have to scalp a ticket, as this show is sold out.

Sunday, March 11 TEA/FUNDRAISER The Finer Womanhood Tea Sibley Park 1900 E. 40th St., Minneapolis 2:30 p.m. In celebration of Finer Womanhood month, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Iota Zeta Zeta Chapter presents, the Finer Womanhood Tea. Come celebrate community and support education by raising funds some outstanding young women.

Danai Gurira

Macalester grad, playwright Danai Gurira’s ‘Familiar’ at Guthrie The Guthrie Theater announced casting for “Familiar” by playwright, actor and Macalester College alumna Danai Gurira, directed by Taibi Magar. A co-production with Seattle Repertory Theatre (Seattle Rep), “Familiar” is set in the western suburbs of Minneapolis and takes a fresh look at tradition, immigration and assimilation as Zimbabwean-American parents prepare for their oldest daughter’s wedding to her white fiancé from Minnetonka. Gurira, a dynamic and indemand actor and playwright, currently stars as Michonne in AMC’s critically-acclaimed original series “The Walking Dead” and in the recent Marvel megahit film, “Black Panther.” Her play, “Eclipsed,” starring Lupita Nyong’o, garnered multiple nominations and awards including the Obie Award, Drama Desk Award and Tony Award. “Eclipsed” made history as the first play with an allBlack, female cast and creative team to premiere on Broadway. With “Familiar,” Gurira examines the stories of

women of African ancestry, utilizing disarming humor and heart. There’s something old, something new and something borrowed in this feisty, heart-warming play about a Zimbabwean-American family preparing for their daughter, Tendi’s wedding. Marvelous and Donald have built their American dream in Minnesota, so when Tendi requests a traditional African blessing before marrying her white fiancé from Minnetonka, and a surprise guest drops a bombshell, the rehearsal dinner can’t come soon enough. Family fireworks are interwoven with questions of cultural identity in this acclaimed play. The cast features Harvy Blanks, Shá Cage Quinn Franzen, Perri Gaffney, Aishé Keita, Austene Van, Wandachristine and Michael Wieser. “Familiar” plays March 10 – April 14. Single tickets start at $15 for preview performances (March 10-15) and are on sale now through the Guthrie Box Office at (612) 377-2224 and online at guthrietheater.org.

insightnews.com

Insight News • February 26 - March 4, 2018 • Page 11

‘Step’ plays First Thursday Films at the Capri As a part of First Thursday Films, the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul and the Capri Theater present “Step,” the award-winning documentary about a Baltimore school’s celebrated step dance program and some of its participants. “Step” is the true-life story of a Baltimore girls’ high school step team. These young women learn to laugh, love and thrive – on and oﬀ the stage – even when the world seems to work against them. Empowered by their teachers, teammates, counselors, coaches and families, they chase their ultimate dreams – to win a step championship and to be accepted into college. The Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, where the members of the step team attend school, is reshaping the futures of its students’ lives by making it their goal to have every member of their senior class accepted to and graduate

from college; many of whom will be the ﬁrst in their family to do so. Deeply insightful and emotionally inspiring, “Step” embodies the true meaning of sisterhood through a story of courageous young women. The March 1, 7 p.m. showing at the Capri, 2027 W. Broadway Ave., N., will be followed by a discussion led by Neda Renee Kellogg, founding executive director of Project DIVA. Project DIVA is a personal development and coaching organization for young Black girls in grades 3-12. Volunteer coaches and mentors provide spaces for these girls to grow into young women by encouraging them to discover who they truly are, without limits. Tickets to First Thursday Films are $5 and can be purchased in advance at www. mspﬁlm.org or at the door the night of the show.

Left: Neda Renee Kellogg leads the conversation after the movie Step, 7pm Thursday, 3/1. Tayla Solomon (front left above) and the Lethal Ladies of Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women rehearse a step routine in a scene from the documentary Step.

Sonic Universe Project with Douglas Ewart, Wadada Leo Smith, Roscoe Mitchell, Oliver Lake, Anthony Cox and Hamid Drake at Walker Art Center An all-star lineup of master jazz innovators spanning three cities (Minneapolis, New York, and Chicago) and two generations has created a new sextet for an exclusive Walker Art Center engagement. The ensemble includes visionary trumpeter/composer Wadada Leo Smith, a transformative ﬁgure in jazz; powerhouse saxophonist/composer Roscoe Mitchell, a founding member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago; Hamid Drake, one of the great drummers working in jazz and global music today; Oliver Lake, longtime member of the World Saxophone Quartet;

bassist Anthony Cox, one of Minnesota’s most in-demand musicians for years and composer/ ﬂutist/saxophonist Douglas Ewart, who helped bring these master musicians together. The show takes place in the William and Nadine McGuire Theater at the Walker, 725 Vineland Pl., Minneapolis, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 3. Tickets for the show are $30 ($24 for Walker members). To purchase tickets call the Walker box oﬃce at (612) 375-7600 or purchase online at www.walkerart.org/tickets. The performers will be available following the show for a post-show reception.

Michael Jackson

Oliver Lake

Wadada Leo Smith

Dan Norman

Parris Bennett (second from right) shines in her role as Dorothy, along with (left to right) Dwight Leslie (Scarecrow), Rudolph Searles, III (Lion) and Dennis Spears (Tinman) in the Children’s Theater/Penumbra production of “The Wiz.”

‘The Wiz’ is a delight for the young and young at heart By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor @HarryColbertJr

Living here in this brand new world/Might be a fantasy/But its taught me to love/So it real, real, real to me/And I’ve learned/That we must look inside our hearts/ To find/A world full of love/Like yours, like mine/Like home – “Home” Such a fantasy indeed. If you haven’t yet treated yourself to the Children’s Theatre Company and Penumbra co-production of “The Wiz” you are doing yourself a disservice. Even if you are void of a child (as I am and many of the other theater goers), the production is still a must see. And Paris Bennett as Dorothy is phenomenal. Of course the former “American Idol” top five contestant can sing, but her acting is on par with her beautiful and powerful vocals. Her comedic timing is impeccable and her portrayal of a little lost girl trying to find her way home can best be described as adorable. Adapted for younger audiences, “The Wiz,” at the Children’s Theatre until March 18, 2400 3rd Ave. S., Minneapolis, shortens many of the scenes from the original 1975 production, but the story, the songs and the feelings remain larger than life. Many of the lines were also adapted to offer a more “homey” feel to the production (as I recall, the original mentioned nothing

about Lake Minnetonka). While Bennett shines, she is not the only star on stage … or in the family. Jamecia Bennett, Paris Bennett’s mother, shows the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when it comes to vocal bravado in her roles as Glinda, Good Witch of the North. T. Mycheal Rambo is a riot as

The Wiz and Dwight Leslie (Scarecrow), Dennis Spears (Tinman) and Rudolph Searles, III (Lion) all oﬀer memorable performances. Special meet-and-greet Members of the cast of “The Wiz” will be at H. White’s Men’s Room, 1500 44th Ave. N.,

DAZZLING JAZZ & SOUL

Minneapolis, for a unique meetand-greet this Tuesday (Feb. 27) beginning at 5:30 p.m. The meet-and-greet is free and open to the public. Tickets to “The Wiz” are available online at www. my.childrenstheatre.org.

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Page 12 •February 26 - March 4, 2018 • Insight News

insightnews.com

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IN THE HISTORIC HAMM BUILDING

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For six years Positive Image has been dispelling the myth. The myth is Black men are somehow absent from the Black family. And while rates of marriage in the U.S. are down among all ethnicities, most Black fathers have been … and continue to be … actively involved and by in large, positive forces in their children’s lives. To celebrate fathers and further strengthen the bond between father and daughter, Positive Image held its Father Daughter Dance this past Sunday (Feb. 18) at the Earl Brown Center in Brooklyn Center. The event, which sold out, brought together fathers and daughters of all ages and ethnicities in a celebration and call to unity. Above are scenes from the powerful annual event captured by Insight photojournalist MK Xiong.