Jazz Noir premieres on Jazz88 KBEM MORE ON PAGE 5
April 8 - April 14, 2013
Vol. 40 No. 15 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
PROFILES IN EXCELLENCE
Justin Terrell rages against the machine Harry Colbert, Jr.
Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey (left) and Deputy Commission of Revenue, Mike Masserman discuss the governor’s budget with residents of North Minneapolis at the Minneapolis Urban League
Commissioners outline Governor Dayton’s budget priorities By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer For years, residents of North Minneapolis have felt slighted by state leaders, but Gov. Mark Dayton and his administration have been making efforts to reach out to citizens on the north side. As a part of the efforts to reach out, the state’s commissioner on human rights and deputy
Karen Carter-Richards
commissioner of the Department of Revenue hosted a town hall meeting at the Minneapolis Urban League, 2100 Plymouth Ave. N., to inform area residents about happenings with the state budget and various human rights initiatives. The nearly two-hour town hall outlined the governor’s vision for spending in critical areas such as education and job creation
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By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer The system is broken and it needs to be fixed. For Justin Terrell it is just that simple. The current way the country goes about servicing and caring for its poor is in dysfunction. In the eyes of Terrell, something has to change, and he is at the forefront of a growing movement for change. Make no mistake, Terrell is not just a voice for change, he is quickly becoming an agent for change. The 32-year-old former college football running back, is attacking poverty in the same bruising style in which he ran the ball. “For the past 10 years I’ve done direct service work,” said Terrell, who is the program manager for TakeAction Minnesota’s Justice 4 All campaign. “After doing 10 years of really cool work I was dismayed at the way the system is
set up to keep people poor.” Terrell said his most recent job prior to him joining TakeAction Minnesota led him to an epiphany. “I used to run a men’s shelter and that job made me realize we need systematic change. Yeah, every night I helped 27 people get a bed, but at the end of the day, the way the system is set up, it still keeps them homeless,” said Terrell. According to Terrell, in order for men to qualify for a bed in the shelter, the men had to have zero income. For many homeless, they receive government assistance in the amount of $203 a month – certainly helpful, but not nearly enough to live off. “We had a policy that if someone got a government assistance check they could not qualify for a bed,” said a frustrated Terrell. “So when you had money you had to sleep on a
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Justin Terrell
Harry Colbert, Jr.
James Washington
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
Opportunity to improve, advance health equity; reduce disparities
Sonny Messiah-Jiles
Jake Oliver
Publishers reflect on legacy of the Black press
Pleading our own cause By Eleska Aubespin Special to the NNPA from The Houston Defender March 16 marked the 186th anniversary of the founding of Freedom’s Journal, the country’s first Black newspaper. Its editors, Rev. Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm, proclaimed in the first edition, “Too long have others spoken for us…We wish to plead our own cause.”
Each year, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Foundation – comprised of 200 Black newspapers – celebrates the milestone with Black Press Week. To mark the observance, the Defender interviewed four Black newspaper publishers for their thoughts. They are: Jake Oliver, AFRO-American Newspapers, Baltimore/ Washington, D.C., founded
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Roundtable
100% college-bound at Minneapolis College Prep
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OccupyHomesMN
Ellison speaks at Rose McGee’s rally
Judge orders mediation as Rep. Ellison and community rally to halt Rose McGee eviction Close to 50 community members rallied in support of Rose McGee as she faced off against Fannie Mae in settlement court alleging wrongful foreclosure. When Fannie Mae still refused to offer what McGee felt was a fair deal, the judge ordered for them to return for further court mediation on May 14. McGee has been fighting for more than a year to save her Golden Valley home.
Appetite for Change
Fresh Fridays mean free produce at Northside corner stores
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“The outcome of the court process today was very disappointing,” said McGee. “The offer that Fannie has made is unreasonable. If they made a reasonable offer, I would gladly accept it. I think now that I’m being used as a scapegoat because they’re faced with so many cases like mine that they don’t want to set a precedent of losing this one.” McGee, who has been
fighting her foreclosure for over a year, fell victim last May to a process called dual tracking – a process where a lender (in McGee’s case CitiMortgage) tells a homeowner it is modifying the loan, yet at the same time seeks to sell the home in foreclosure. In January, McGee met with Fannie Mae
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Full Circle
Obituary: Christopher was active in community affairs
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By HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius April is National Minority Health Month, a time when we reflect on the incredible opportunity we face as a nation to improve minority health, advance health equity, and eliminate health disparities. Fifty years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to remind America of the “fierce urgency of now.” That message is as meaningful
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Health
Nearly five children a day die from child abuse, neglect
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