Blues hall of famer Joe Louis Walker brings ‘Hornet’s Nest’ to the Dakota MORE ON PAGE 10
Insight News April 13 - April 19, 2015
Vol. 42 No. 15 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
Black Press seeks greater economic accountability, equity and parity
Sydney Latimer Poet and Huffington Post blogger
By Freddie Allen Senior Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Jordan Shanks, a sophomore English major at Howard University admitted that before Black Press Week, he didn’t know much about the Black Press or the Richmond Free Press, the Black newspaper published in the Virginia city where he grew up. “The state of the Black Press is impacted by the generation gap between the older folks and the younger folks,” said Shanks. Members of the Black community, young and old, believe that bridging that gap will be critical to the future of the Black Press. Despite myriad challenges facing the Black Press, Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA), a federation of more that 200-Black owned newspapers, said that 188-year legacy of African American newspapers remains strategically important, insightful, indigenous and impactful. “The challenge for us today, however, is to have a greater sense of economic accountability and economic equity and parity with those companies that are the profit beneficiaries of the trillion dollar consumer spending
By Toki Wright Twitter: @mrwrighttc Popular blogger and poet, Sydney “Divinewords” Latimer was raised in Minnesota but relocated to spend a little more than the first decade of her adult life in Los Angeles before recently returning home. She’s become one of the premiere new bloggers for the Huffington Post with her innovative Peacock Bride blog. Her recent story, “A Letter to My Late Father Eight Months after My Wedding” has been shared internationally. Blending the heart of the Midwest experience with the hustle of the entertainment capital, Latimer spoke with Aesthetically Speaking about how she’s been able to explore areas that are rarely part of the popular conversation.
LATIMER TURN TO 8
Drew James Photography
Sydney Latimer
PRESS TURN TO 4
Kiah Clingman
Veteran Black press columnist Jim Clingman has been diagnosed with ALS.
Columnist battles for life after ‘devastating’ diagnosis TriceEdneyWire.com For the past 22 years, Jim Clingman has published his cutting edge “Blackonomics” column in Black-owned weekly newspapers around the country. The column mainly pushes for economic justice, which he views as a core necessity for Black progress in America. But as this award-winning columnist, author of four books, college professor, entrepreneurship expert, speaker and businessman continues to fight with his pen, Clingman, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, is suddenly engaged in an unexpected and devastating personal battle. It is a battle for his own life - and quality of life.
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Time to end mass incarceration Michelle Alexander’s brilliant best-selling book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, provides a classic analysis of the twin problems of race and injustice. Alexander revealed how the socalled criminal justice system reinforces racial discrimination and bigotry aimed particularly against Black Americans and other people of color. Whether it is an “old” or “new” Jim Crow, the impact of decades of massive unjust imprisonment on the Black American community continues to be devastating. The “war on drugs” launched by the Reagan administration in the 1980s devolved into a “war on
Black Press of America By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President and CEO, NNPA Mass incarceration in the United States is counterproductive and disproportionately causes a longterm injury to Black Americans and others who remain trapped in poverty and disillusionment. How is it that the richest nation on earth and the most technologically advanced society now has the largest prison population in the world?
INCARCERATION TURN TO 5
Economy Economic recovery eludes Black workers
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FUNdraising Good Times
Women Leading Change
Motivational Moments
Butterfly effect: Gifting butterfly grants
How to become a drum major for justice
Take time to sit and be alone
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Page 2 • April 13 - April 19, 2015 • Insight News
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Conversations with Al McFarlane: Tuesday, April 7th, 2015 recap Conversations with Al McFarlane last Tuesday opened with the rhythmic and sultry vocals of Twin Cities jazz stylist Thomasina Petrus’ interpretation of Billy Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” from the Petrus CD “If Only ... Billie Unsung.” The program celebrated Holiday’s 100 birthday. Holiday died at the age of 44. Moms Rock Expo™ Moms Rock Expo™ producer and local business mom Tonya Coleman of Soiree Event Design Shop joined Conversations with Al McFarlane by phone from Chaska, MN. With her son on her hip, Coleman created Soiree Event Design Shop business as a fusion between graphic design, event planning and branding. The company shows tips and tricks to pull off wonderful parties with custom party printable personalized items. “It’s all about attitude. Sell yourself” says Coleman “Not arrogance, confidence.” Coleman will be a featured presenter at the Moms Rock! Expo™ Saturday May 2, 2015 (10am-5pm) and Sunday May 3, 2015 (10am-4pm). For more information go to www. momsrockexpo.com African American Experience on Ice “Quiet As It’s Kept,” is a theatrical modern dance-figure skating fusion production which tells a story about the complexities of African American cultural history and how ideologies from the past persist today. It is a collaborative project between master jazz vocalist Thomasina Petrus and Deneane Richburg, a competitive figure skater for over twenty years. For Richburg, dancing is a means to complement her ice skating training. Competing at the regional and national levels, Richburg won coveted Gold medals in freestyle. Richburg also received a Horace J. Bond fellowship with the Penumbra Theater in St. Paul, MN, one of the oldest and largest African American Theater companies in the nation. “Skating is my breath” exclaimed Richburg, one of the first African Americans to break
Tonya Coleman
Makeda Norris
Deneane Richburg
NO EXCUSE! Urban League Minneapolis: Reduce the 2015 tax penalty for those uninsured Angela Williams and Makeda Norris from the Minneapolis Urban League said they are extending their hours Tuesdays and Thursdays during April to help Minnesotans in the Minneapolis/ Hennepin County area who must pay the tax penalty for not having 2014 health coverage, and who did not enroll in 2015 health insurance, to get 2015 coverage during MNsure’s special enrollment period which ends April 30, 2015. Getting enrolled during this special enrolment period will substantially decrease the amount of a 2015 tax penalty you may have to pay. Working in partnership with Mad Dads, teams headed by Alonzo Elem will be facilitating outreach BBQ informational and educational events at the following locations and dates: April 15th: Brooklyn Park Library April 22nd Minneapolis Urban League April 29th Kmart Lot on South Side
Thomasina Petrus the myth that people of color don’t ice skate. “Ice is how I breathe.” Thomasina Petrus will be providing the vocals, some of which are her original scores. “From the moment you walk in the door you are on a journey from lobby to ice arena.” said Petrus. “The skaters put their soul into the dance.” Joined by professional figure skaters including Rohene Ward, a native of Minneapolis, the performance on ice will depict the history of race-based oppression and how this history relates to our contemporary 2015 American ideologies. There will be a post-performance discussion.
Performance times: Thursday, April 30 (metro-area public schools) Friday, May 1 (metro-area public schools) Friday, May 1 OPENING NIGHT: 5:30pm reception at 44 Café, 2203 44th Avenue North and 7:30pm performance Saturday, May 2 1:00pm and 7:30pm performances Performances will be scheduled at Victory Memorial Ice Arena, 1900 43rd Avenue North, Minneapolis. Be sure and dress warm, bring jackets and blankets! For more information or to RSVP go to www. browndody.org
Angela Williams Lunch and literature with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Laverne McCartney Knighton and CeLois Steele said Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is a private, non-profit legacy institution, which allows women to focus on giving back to others so that they can be empowered. The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Minneapolis/St. Paul Alumnae Chapter has been presenting and supporting authors and artists of color since 1996. This year they welcomed to their 19th Annual Literary Luncheon Iyanla Vanzant, inspirational speaker, author of 16 books (5 New York Times Best-Sellers) and Executive Producer and Host of the critically acclaimed reality
series Iyanla: Fix My Life. The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is made up of college educated women who are able to bond and support one another. Collectively they are torch bearers for our people and for our nation, Knighton and Steele said. The more than 200,000 members reach out and automatically come together allowing women to do meaningful public service work. With Delta Chapters across the nation, a Delta ‘sister’ is never alone, they said. You can visit www.dstmsp.org for information and to learn more about this legacy institution which focuses on giving other ‘sisters’ nuggets of life to use collectively in support of the community.
Anyone with questions should call the Minneapolis Urban League at (612) 302-3145 during the hours of 9:00am to 5:00pm. You can also call the MNsure Contact Center at 1-855-366-7873. This special enrollment period does not apply to those who already purchased 2015 coverage. Open enrollment for 2015 coverage began November 15, 2014 and ended February 15, 2015. Minnesotans eligible for Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare can enroll year round. As of May 2014, 95% of Minnesotans have health coverage—the highest percentage in state history. The 2016 open enrollment period is scheduled to begin November 1, 2015, and end on January 31, 2016. The message was a clear one. “This is no reason not to take advantage of this special enrolment period. There is no reason NOT to have health insurance” said Williams “It is essential you get yourself covered. There are free to no cost plans.”
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Insight News • April 13 - April 19, 2015 • Page 3
Economic recovery eludes Black workers By Freddie Allen NNPA Senior Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The slow-moving, uneven economic recovery continues to elude Black workers and some economists predict that even with a falling unemployment rate, at the end of 2015, Blacks will still be further away from full recovery than Whites. A recent study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a Washington, D.C.based think tank focused on low- and middle-income families, said that in the fourth quart of 2014, the national unemployment rate for Whites was “within 1 percentage point of pre-recession levels, while the Black unemployment rate was 2.4 percentage points higher than it was at the end of 2007.” The report also explained that, “True labor market improvements are more likely in those states experiencing both unemployment declines
and increases in the share of workers employed,” also known as the employmentpopulation ratio or EPOP ratio. The study continued: “On the other hand, declining unemployment in those states without increasing shares of workers employed may suggest workers are simply dropping out of the labor force.” Valerie Wilson, director of the Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy for EPI, analyzed 2014 data for the unemployment rate, the EPOP ratio, and the long-term unemployment rate, and said that using the unemployment rate to determine the health of the labor market may be overstating the progress of the economic recovery in the U.S. “Between 2013 and 2014, the annual black unemployment rate declined most in Arkansas (6.5 percentage points), Indiana (4.6 percentage points), and Tennessee (3.6 percentage points). Of these, only Arkansas had a significantly higher Black employment- topopulation ratio in 2014 (from 46.8 to 50.1 percent),” stated the EPI report. “Among states
Valerie Wilson for which reliable estimates could be calculated, 15 states experienced a significant decline in the Black unemployment rate between 2013 and 2014 and in six of those states the Black EPOP increased. On the other hand, between 2013 and
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THREE COMMUNITY LEADERS MAKE THE HONOR ROLL.
2014 the Black unemployment rate significantly increased in Missouri (3.2 percentage points) and Wisconsin (4.8 percentage points).” With a Black population of 6.5 percent, Wisconsin recorded the highest annual jobless rate
for Blacks in the U.S. in 2014 (19.9 percent). Paul Randus, a columnist for MarketWatch.com, said that Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin and a Republican presidential hopeful, is known nationally, “as the governor who eliminated collective bargaining rights for most public employee unions in Wisconsin – and then beat back a recall motion over it.” Randus wrote, “The win further emboldened Walker,” and that the governor recently signed a “right to work bill” that economists say will chip away at labor union power in the state. The policies were supposed to spur job and business growth, but the governor has fallen almost 100,000 jobs short of his 2010 pledge to create 250,000 jobs during his first term. The anti-union policies in Wisconsin are a big problem for both White and Black workers in the Badger State, said Wilson. Even though, Black workers in Virginia (19.7 percent Black population) experienced the lowest annual Black jobless rate in 2014 at 8 percent, it was still, “higher than the highest White rate of 7 percent in Nevada,” stated the EPI report. In the fourth quarter of last year, the 11 percent Black unemployment rate was, “higher than the national unemployment rate at the peak of the recession (9.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009).” The Black jobless rate is expected to dip to 10.4 percent, by the fourth quarter of 2015, but that’s nowhere near the prerecession unemployment level, which was 8.6 percent. “In 2014, long-term unemployment among African American workers (39.7 percent) was the highest of any racial or ethnic group, although it was down 3.7 percentage points from 2013,” stated the report. “Among states with a large enough sample size for reliable estimates, only three had significant declines in longterm unemployment between 2013 and 2014: North Carolina (14.4 percentage points), Florida (10 percentage points) and
Texas (8.2 percentage points). In 2014, the highest shares of long-term unemployed black workers were in the District of Columbia (56.3 percent), Illinois (52.7 percent), Alabama (48.9 percent) and New Jersey (48.6 percent).” The U.S. economy added 126,000 jobs in March, far below analysts’ expectations, and the national unemployment rate was still 5.5 percent. Wilson said that recordsetting snow falls and cold temperatures suppressed hiring and demand consumption in March. The Black jobless rate decreased from 10.4 percent in February to 10.1 percent in March, compared to the White unemployment rate, which was stagnant at 4.7 percent. The unemployment rate for Black men over 20 years old decreased from 10.4 percent in February to 10 percent in March and the EPOP ratio also rose from 60.3 percent to 60.5 percent. The jobless rate for White men was 4.5 percent in February and 4.4 percent in March. The EPOP ratio was unchanged at 69.2 percent. Wilson said that she will be keeping a close eye on the unemployment rate for Black women, which has increased over the last three months from 8.7 percent in January to 9.2 percent in February. The EPOP ratio for Black women over 20 years old was 55.8 percent in March, the same mark recorded last month. The jobless rate for White women was 4.2 percent in February and March and the EPOP ratio was down 55.2 percent to 55 percent. “The recovery has been moving at a less than optimal pace for the last five years, partly due to inadequate demand sufficient enough to drive job growth,” said Wilson. “We need strong job growth to continue beyond this year, if we’re going to see the Black unemployment rate drop significantly below 10 percent and get anywhere near what can be considered a recovery-level rate.”
You belong. The health plan with you in mind.
Congratulations to Dr. Frank Wilderson Jr., David Goodlow and William “Bill” Smith, winners of the 2015 Turning Point Honors. Their achievements – and their exceptional service to our community – have touched the lives of so many. Turning Point is a community-based agency that provides inpatient and outpatient chemical dependency treatment, housing programs, support services, and Culturally Specific training seminars. North Memorial is proud to partner with Turning Point in serving the people of our community. The third annual Turning Point Honors event will be held on April 17 at 6:30 pm. Call (612) 520-9187 for tickets.
At Medica, you’re not just part of a health plan. You’re part of a community that believes in better health for all. Learn more at medica.com
Page 4 • April 13 - April 19, 2015 • Insight News
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Capacity building key focus of DFL training summit
secretary under the Obama administration. Bill’s previous campaign work includes communications director of the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee (DCCC), communication advisor to Congressmen Dick Gephardt and Bill Luther, Senators John Kerry and Tom Harkin. With EMILY’s List since 2010, McIntosh, a graduate of New York University, has worked in research and communications for several successful campaigns: Sen. Al Franken (the campaign, recount, and his first year in the senate), Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Jess served as Minnesota DFL’s Communications Director
early in her career. Breakout sessions will provide party leaders, activists, candidates, and campaign workers the skills needed to help the DFL build to win, build to last. The sessions are divided into three categories – grassroots organizing; effective campaigning; and data and technology. The registration fee is $35. It covers all training sessions, lunch and an evening social hour. Anyone with questions about the event can contact Training & Party Affairs Director Vicki Wright at vwright@DFL.org.
a stroke one neuron at a time,” he says. “It’s very slow. It’s subtle. But it’s determined. It’s deliberate. It’s a literal assault on your body. And every day you get up you do inventory: ‘Let me see, is this still working okay? Is that still working okay?’ And you know we have billions of neurons, so it’s like a death by a thousand cuts. A slow process, but a deliberate process.” So far, the creeping symptoms which he first noticed six years ago in 2009 with a weak foot that caused him to stumble when he tried to bowl, have gradually grown into the loss of his ability to walk without help from a walker to sturdy himself. The weakened muscles in his feet and calves have also ended his beloved 35-year bicycling activity. But because the disease is so mysterious, he recalls how just getting to an actual diagnosis was literally a roller coaster. First, in 2010, he went to a doctor who said he had a spinal stenosis, which means a nerve in someone’s back, protruding through the vertebrae and irritably rubbing on the bone. The doctor said, “it’s pretty simple to fix” by shaving the bone so the rubbing couldn’t happen, Clingman recounts. Attempting to avoid the surgery, he went through a few months of therapy first. But, then he noticed that his left calf was becoming smaller than the right and that his left leg had become weaker. So, in November 2011, he went ahead and got the back surgery, which healed in a few weeks. But, it was his wife, Sylvia, a nurse, who said “it didn’t look like my walk was getting any better...I had back surgery for nothing.” Then, “I did every test known to man. I went to two neurologists who just threw up their hands and said, ‘I don’t know what this is.’” Finally, a doctor gave him
a battery of tests, “An MRI, cat scans, blood work. He had to rule out everything: Cancer, MS, Parkinson’s disease.” Then, on Aug. 23, 2013, he received the devastating news. For a healthy man then 69, an avid cyclist who could ride a hundred miles on his bicycle, the diagnosis literally rocked his world. “I’ve never spent a night in the hospital, never had a broken bone, never been sick other than just a cold. When I was a child, I had measles and chicken pox, that kind of thing. But, I never had anything lingering or wrong with me physically. I’ve always been pretty active, even up to a couple of years ago...So, this was like devastating, you know.” Now, 18 months since the diagnosis, Clingman is beginning to feel the effects in his upper limbs. “I can feel a little something in my fingers and arms feeling weaker than normal. As I sit here and write, I sometimes miss the keys, making more mistakes.” And then there’s the mindnumbing prognosis. Typically, ALS patients live between two and five years after diagnoses, according to the National Institute of Health. But Jim Clingman - and his family - are anything but typical. Alongside his wife, Sylvia, a neonatal intensive care nurse, and his daughter, Kiah, a graduating senior at the Howard University School of Communications, this family is standing on their spiritual faith in God while doing all they can in the natural to fight. “It’s a day to day thing. I have to put it like that. I try to look at the positives like the fact that it started in my foot instead of in my face. It can start in arms, hands, etc. The doctor told me, ‘If there’s anything good about this it’s where it started in you because it started in your foot and has to work its way up.’” The ALS Association reports
that about 30,000 people in the U. S. are currently diagnosed with ALS. About 5,600 people are diagnosed with it each year. Meanwhile, there is only one drug for ALS that is approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It’s called Riluzole. A blue bottle of it sits on Clingman’s desk in a den otherwise surrounded by photos of loved ones, books - lots of books - of course his computer, and his walker nearby. Riluzole “slows progression of ALS but does not cure it,” according to NIH. The agency also reports studies that conclude that Riluzole only prolongs life for a range of months. “It keeps your diaphragm from collapsing, which would prevent breathing,” Clingman explains. But, other, even better medications are being studied. The New York Times reported in February this year that a new ALS medication called GM6 still in experimental stages - has now shown to “dramatically slow down the progression” of ALS. The article reports that after using the drug, at least one man “showed small improvements in speech and swallowing, and certain proteins used to signal disease progression actually moved back toward the normal range.” But, the article, written by Angelina Fanous, a 29-yearold who has been diagnosed with ALS, comes to a similar conclusion that Clingman expressed in the interview. Fanous writes, “Unfortunately, given the length of time it takes to win approval for a new drug, it will be about 12 years, $4 billion and many more deaths before GM6 makes it into my medicine cabinet. I will be in a wheelchair, using a feeding tube, or dead by then.” Genervon, the maker of GM6, which it calls GM604, posted a press release on its website March 21 saying it met with the FDA
in February and “we have filed a formal request for the Accelerated Approval (AA) Program and are now waiting for a final decision.” Meanwhile Genervon stresses, “In the U.S., it is illegal to access GM604 without FDA approval or outside a clinical trial.” An online petition, already signed by a half million people at Change.org, offers some hope to influence the FDA to accelerate approval. Here’s the URL: https://www.change.org/p/ lisa-murkowski-fda-acceleratedapproval-of-genervon-s-gm604for-use-in-als The petition appeals to U. S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Sen. Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat on the committee; as well as Janet Woodcock, the doctor who is director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation & Research. About 18 other people, including senators and FDA administrators are also listed. ALS notwithstanding, Jim Clingman is up for this fight. He is well aware of the petition and hopeful that millions will sign it and that the powers that be will listen. “The FDA and the bureaucrats won’t allow it to be used...The petition asks them to accelerate the process.” But, as he waits, he and his family are leaning on their faith, which right now, is everything. “If I didn’t have that Hazel, I’d be a wreck. I know it. Doctors give death sentences, but God gives life sentences eternal life.” He recalls his initial response after receiving the diagnosis, captured in his now daily journal writings. In a nutshell, he says, “First You Cry.” Next Week, Part II of ‘First You Cry’: Jim Clingman - His Family, Their Faith and Their Fight
financially more sustainable and profitable.” Chavis and others also echoed Shanks’ concerns about a generational and cultural gap preventing youth from engaging with the Black Press. E.R. Shipp, an associate professor and journalist-inresidence at Morgan State University in Baltimore, said that shortly after she began teaching a course on Black
media at the school, she showed her students the documentary “The Black Press: Soldiers without Swords,” then she tasked them to start tracking Black newspapers online. “Oh, my God, my students didn’t find too much to be impressed with,” said Shipp. “After seeing all of this glorious past, they saw a very disappointing present,” said Shipp. “Too many people
involved in the Black Press today think that they are living that glorious past and they are not being real about what’s happening now.” Many students have never heard of the Black Press, said Shipp. “The challenge is not just to celebrate what has gone before, to celebrate that legacy, but to actually do something to make sure that the Black Press is known by the younger generation, embraced by the next generation, and eventually taken over by the next generation,” said Shipp. “But right now, I say the state of the Black Press is shaky as far as reaching beyond those who have grown up in the Black Press.” Jake Oliver former chairman of the NNPA and publisher of The AfroAmerican newspapers, said that there’s a demographic challenge that the Black Press needs to address. “We seemed to get distracted by our quest to go after the dollars and we forget that we also have to go after readers,” said Oliver. He said that the playing field for newspapers has never been more level and that taking advantage of social media will be the key to capturing market share in the new digital news delivery space. Oliver added that his staff at the Afro has grappled with social media for eight years, but saw a breakthrough about two years ago when Facebook started to allow users to “like” articles from their cell phones. The number of “likes” on the Afro’s Facebook page jumped from 15,000 to 100,000 in a month, said Oliver. Now, the Afro’s Facebook page is closing in on 430,000 “likes” Oliver said, adding that the Afro also has 11,000 Facebook followers in India. “I’m excited about what we’re about to do,” said Oliver. “Within the next 3-5 years, if not sooner some
startling innovations, not only technologically, but also as a result of some of the programs that the NNPA is about to promote and create will form a foundation so that we can reconnect all segments of the community in a way that has never been done before.” Chavis recommended developing new revenue streams, including a leased photographic images service, similar to Getty Images, mounting regional polling services to take advantage of the upcoming 2016 election cycle, and launching a national public awareness campaign on criminal justice reform. Shanks suggested that Black newspaper publishers show a greater willingness to engage in what’s going on with the younger generation through social media, especially through student government associations at Black colleges. Shanks said that a negative experience with a reporter in the mainstream media influenced him to change his major from communications to English, but that he’s reconsidering a career in journalism after Black Press Week. “[Black Press Week] taught me that you can be authentic in journalism and still tell the story,” said Shanks. “It’s about finding the audience that audience that wants to hear it and the publication that wants to put it out.” The upcoming 75th NNPA annual convention in Detroit, Mich., will also feature “the first day totally dedicated to uplifting, mentoring, and encouraging our youth to prepare for leadership, entrepreneurship” in the Black Press, said Chavis. He added, “We have come a mighty long way from Freedom’s Journal [the nation’s first Black newspaper] to today. We have made progress. But we still have a long journey ahead.”
Registration is now open for the Minnesota DemocraticFarmer-Labor (DFL) Training Summit set for June 20 at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. The event features nationally recognized speakers and dynamic breakout sessions. “Building party capacity through trainings is a top priority for me,” said DFL Chairman Ken Martin. “I’m excited to give DFLers this opportunity to hear from some of the most talented grassroots and political organizers in the country. We look forward to translating this energy into
action in our local races in 2015 and beyond. Special guest speakers include Bill Burton, managing director in the California office of SKDKnickerbocker, a strategic communication firm and Jess McIntosh, vice president of communication, EMILY’s List. Burton, a University of Minnesota graduate, has a career that has included working at the highest levels of national politics for 15 years. Including cofounding and senior strategist for Priorities USA Action, the super PAC dedicated to
Jess McIntosh
Bill Burton
the reelection of President Obama. Bill served as national press secretary on President Obama’s 2008 campaign, then as deputy White House press
Clingman
paralysis of the body and a most often two to five year lifespan after diagnosis. It is the ailment that has become known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”, named for the professional baseball player that died from it in 1941 at the age of 37. Many have learned of ALS from the so-called “ice bucket challenge” that has raised more than $100 million to research the mysterious illness. Despite the popularity and positive results of the challenge, it can effectually belie the physical, emotional and mental suffering of those who have been diagnosed with it. “We should not let the celebrity and the novelty overshadow the seriousness of this disease. It’s a terrible disease,” Clingman says in an interview with the Trice Edney News Wire. “It’s a terminal illness. They just kind of throw up their hands and try to figure out what they can do to help you manage because there’s no cure. People who know, know that it’s devastating. People who don’t know, they may ask what does that mean?” According to the ALS Association (ALSA.org), here is what it means: “Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.” If that’s too clinical, Jim Clingman, in his vintage, matterof-fact style of communicating, makes it simple: “It’s like having
Press
From 1 Eighteen months ago, doctors diagnosed Jim Clingman with ALS, the gradually debilitating disease that leads to partial or total
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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 Irma McClaurin 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 Harry Colbert, Jr. Julie Desmond Fred Easter Timothy Houston Penny Jones-Richardson Alaina L. Lewis Darren Moore Carmen Robles Lydia Schwartz Ryan T. Scott 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.
From 1 of [Black] people in the United States and throughout the world,” said Chavis. “What is the state of the Black Press in America and in the world today? It is financial assessment time,” said Chavis. “The Black Press needs to be
TInspiring h eChange S aThrough n kEngaging ofa Series Discussion and Reflection A community gathering and conversation on
The Education of our Children in the 21st Century Monday, April 20th, 2015, 6 pm to 9 pm BEST Academy 2131 12th Ave N Minneapolis, MN 55411 Keynote Speaker Eric Mahmoud Mr. Mahmoud is Founder and CEO of Seed Academy, Harvest Preparatory School, Best Academy, Sister Academy and Mastery Schools. Under his leadership Harvest Preparatory and Best Academy are the top schools in the state of Minnesota in closing the academic achievement gap between white and African American children. The mission of these charter schools are to instruct, empower, enable and guide African American children to achieve superior academic, social and moral development. The Sankofa Series Literature of focus is Mahmoud ElKati’s critical essay titled Towards an African Education. This enlightening, relevant and thought-provoking essay will be used to help inspire thought & commentary at our Tabletop Discussions. Furthermore, the community’s input from this event and other key contributors will help Professor El-Kati convert this collective wisdom into a community publication. Tabletop Discussions 20 young adult facilitators from our local activists movements and colleges will facilitate discussions among our community. We will reflect on our current condition, discuss strategies and commit to action that will further our work together to address this most pressing issue facing our community. Free & Open to the Public. Light appetizers will be served. Organized by the Sankofa Series Committee, Solidarity - Twin Cities with Support from the F.R. Bigelow Foundation. P l e a s e R S V P a t w w w. M a h m o u d E l k a t i . c o m .
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Insight News • April 13 - April 19, 2015 • Page 5
BUSINESS Butterfly effect: Gifting butterfly grants FUNdraising Good Times
By Mel and Pearl Shaw This is what we’ve heard – when a butterfly flaps its wings it can start a hurricane on the other side of the world. The idea being that a tiny movement can initiate unanticipated activities. We hope you will
join us in a burgeoning butterfly movement of unintended positive consequences. Here’s the back story. We were watching the show CBS Sunday Morning when we saw a segment of Chris Rosati of Durham North Carolina. He is living with ALS and chose – on a whim – to give two girls at a restaurant $50 each. He asked them to each do something kind for someone else. It was a no-strings gift to girls he might not ever see again. The girls gave the money to a village in Sierra Leone where they knew villagers were fighting
ebola. And, they shared their experience with Rosati, who had never thought he would hear from them. He was so delighted he has announced plans to give out butterfly grants - $50 each – to kids who want to change the world. Needless to say we were moved. We have vowed to be butterfly agents! That means giving people we know and love a gift that is equal to or greater than the amount we would have spent on a gift, and asking them to do something good for someone else. It will cut down on the challenges of
trying to find the perfect gift. More seriously we want to be part of this new “butterfly movement.” And, we want you to consider being a butterfly! You may never know what you set in motion, but we feel it will be something good. Here’s our plan: first birthday on our calendar is our nine year old niece. We will give her the gift money, ask her to do something nice for someone else, and ask her to let us know what she did. She may tell us, she may not. Our goal is for her to contemplate “who can I help?”
We look forward to learning her. Our hope is that the adults we touch with this type of gift – and the ones you touch – will also have a child-like moment of stopping and pondering, “what can I do for someone else?” It’s an intriguing proposition. The money is suddenly in your hands. You don’t have to decide how much to give, just who to give to. It’s different from being asked to make a gift to a nonprofit – though that’s a good choice. And of course there’s the chance that once receiving such
a gift you – or your friends – will choose to give others such a butterfly gift. View the Chris Rosati video online at http://bit.ly/ ButterflyGift. Copyright 2015– Mel and Pearl Shaw Mel and Pearl Shaw position nonprofits, colleges and universities for fundraising success. For help with your fundraising visit www. saadandshaw.com or call (901) 522-8727.
Don’t be fooled, phone scams continue to be serious threat nationwide WASHINGTON —The IRS warns taxpayers not to be fooled by the tricks scammers use to take advantage of those they target. Scammers use fake names, provide bogus IRS badge numbers and alter caller ID numbers to make it look like the IRS is calling. With less than two weeks of the filing season left and millions preparing their returns, taxpayers should be alert. “Everyone should be on the lookout for threatening calls from people faking IRS phone numbers and demands for immediate payment,” IRS Commissioner
John Koskinen said. “These are scams. I urge taxpayers to stay vigilant and remain aware of the constantly changing tactics used by these criminals.” As the filing season nears its end, there has been a surge of phone scams where scam artists threaten police arrest, deportation, license revocation and other threats. They often leave “urgent” callback requests and sometimes prey on the most vulnerable people, such as the elderly, newly arrived immigrants and those whose first language is not English. Scammers have been
known to impersonate agents from IRS Criminal Investigation as well. Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do.
Incarceration
millions of Black American families should be a national priority. But it isn’t. Even as many of our national civil rights organizations add mass incarceration to a long list of other issues of serious consequence, there is not yet a national consensus that it should rank at the top of that list. The truth is that poverty, unemployment, internecine violence within our communities, poor health care, economic inequity, and inadequate education can all be traced to the short- and long-term suffering that mass incarceration continues to have on Black American families. Now is the time to make move this issue to the top of the agenda. In the wake of the recent report by the U.S. Department of Justice about the systematic racial injustice in Ferguson, Mo., we should understand that what is happening there in St. Louis County is not limited to Missouri. The “caste” reality of judicial and correctional injustice is a national issue. Every state, especially where Black Americans are concentrated, you will find the largest manifestation of mass incarceration. The Justice Department report found that the consequences of mass incarceration in Ferguson went beyond just arrests; they also involved extracting large sums of money from those unjustly charged and jailed. Emails from police officers and court officials further exposed how commonplace racial prejudice was in Ferguson. Police Captain Richard Henke sent in on email, “We shouldn’t worry about [Obama] being president very long because what black man holds a steady job for four years?” There needs to be a stronger and more effective national
coalition established to end mass incarceration in America. Ironically, and this is good news, there appears to be a convergence of commitments from both liberals and conservatives to stand together to tackle this
From 1 Black America” where the courts and prisons became institutions to expand the racial oppression of more than 1 million Black Americans. Incarceration rates in the U.S. quadrupled over this period. According to Alexander, mass incarceration in America targeted Black Americans and maintained by a “racial caste” system of laws, policies and institutions. Alexander explained, “The term mass incarceration refers not only to the criminal justice system, but also to a larger web of laws, rules, policies and customs that control those labeled criminals both in and out of prison. Once released, former prisoners enter a hidden underworld of legalized discrimination and permanent social exclusion. They are members of America’s new undercaste.” I agree with Michelle Alexander that this caste system needs to be successfully challenged. The challenge is how to end the mass incarceration caste phenomenon. What strategies will be effective to end this injustice? This is an important question today. Yet, there appears to be some reluctance in the current public discourse to address this issue forthrightly. There are some who state correctly that we have made considerable progress in America toward a more just and equitable society over the past 60 years. However, that’s only half the story. The reality in 2015 is that the issue of over-incarceration and the lingering debilitating impact of the system of injustice that continues to negatively impact
The IRS will not: • Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill. • Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe. • Require you to use a specific
• If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. The
IRS workers can help you with a payment issue. • If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1-800-366-4484 or report it online at the IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting Page. • If you’ve been targeted by this scam, also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their FTC Complaint Assistant at FTC.gov. If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include
social, political and economic contradiction that stands in the way of the U.S. becoming a more perfected union of democracy, freedom, justice and equality. The time to end mass incarceration is now!
Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and can be reached for national advertisement sales and partnership proposals
payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card. • Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone. • Threaten to bring in local police or other lawenforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying. If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:
the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes. Remember, too, the IRS does not use email, text messages or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue involving bills or refunds. For more information on reporting tax scams, go to IRS. gov and type “scam” in the search box. Additional information about tax scams is available on IRS social media sites, including YouTube and Tumblr, where people can search “scam” to find the related posts.
at: dr.bchavis@nnpa.org; and for lectures and other professional consultations at: http://drbenjaminfchavisjr. wix.com/drbfc
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Page 6 • April 13 - April 19, 2015 • Insight News
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How to become a drum major for justice matter what,” according to Bates. This definition of leadership focuses on the power to influence the lives of others and challenges lawyers to exercise this power by advancing social change.
legal representation. Each day, she makes her dream a reality through her exercise of leadership and service in the community. Melanie Bates provides 3 leadership lessons for becoming a drum major for justice:
Women Leading Change
2) Take risks by being authentic
By Dr. Artika Tyner
1) Make a commitment to effect change
A drum major for justice is a leader who breaks down barriers that restrict access to justice and creates new inroads to freedom. Attorney Melanie Bates is a drum major for justice who has committed her life’s work to effecting social change. Bates is a Policy & Communications Associate with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of the Nation’s Capital. Early in her life, Bates recognized the important leadership role of lawyers and decided to unleash the transformative power within her hands to create change. Her dream was to become a lawyer in order to ensure that every person, regardless of socioeconomic status, has equal access to quality
The emergence of the pipeline to prison and impact of mass incarceration are evidence of a National crisis. The United States of America has the highest rate of incarceration in the world with over 2 million people in prison and 65 million people with a criminal record. Bates has made a commitment to dismantle this pipeline. She believes that poverty, lack of education, and other social issues should not feed the pipeline to prison. Instead, other alternatives should be available which support access to education, social mobility and community development. Through her consistent advocacy, she seeks to eradicate the factors that force many low-income
Melanie Bates people to become a part of this tangled web of mass incarceration and the legal system more broadly. Bates recognizes that in response to social injustices, there is a beckoning call for leaders to take a stand for justice. Bates defines leadership as taking charge to effectuate change. “Leaders empower those who support them. They provide the necessary resources and support to achieve a common goal. Leadership takes patience, humbleness, and a willingness to keep fighting – no
Bates’ leadership philosophy is inspired by a quote from a fellow colleague who participated in the 2014 New Leaders Council Institute, District of Columbia Chapter. “Great leaders take risks to share who they are, and in doing so, make a more meaningful connection with the people who support them.” These words gave Bates the courage to share her personal story without reservation. Bates believes that when a leader exemplifies this type of authenticity they are able to develop a deep connection with those who support them. Bates stated: “trust and confidence emerges when you connect with others, making it easier to accomplish your shared purpose.” This is a model of participatory leadership by which each person
plays a vital role in advancing a shared vision of justice. 3) Model the way Leadership is evidenced by action. Bates gives very practical advice and simple steps for exercising leadership. The first step is to get involved in the issues you are passionate about. Volunteer to be a part of a service project or join a professional association. Remember, it is tempting to wait to be asked before getting involved however leadership requires initiative and engagement. Another key step is seeking opportunities to develop your leadership skills. Bates supports young female lawyers in developing their leadership skills. She currently serves as President of the Greater Washington Area Chapter, Women Lawyers Division, National Bar Association (GWAC). GWAC is the premier organization for African-American women attorneys in the District of Columbia. They provide
educational programs, conduct community service projects, and hold networking events, among a host of other things. Bates wisely stated: “being active in a bar association is an excellent way to become involved in your local legal community, as well as develop your leadership skills.” We are the ones, we have been waiting for. Attorney Melanie Bates challenges each us to take action and leave the world a better place than how you found it. Changing the world may seem like an impossible feat however her advice is simple- start where you are. “Help someone. Hold the door. Give someone a ride. Buy someone lunch. Represent a litigant pro bono. No matter how small the task, a collective effort will make a tremendous impact on the lives of others.” The views expressed here are Melanie Bates’ own. Dr. Artika R. Tyner is an assistant professor at the University of St. Thomas College of Education, Leadership, and Counseling.
What is the African American Leadership Forum? AALF
By Jeffrey A. Hassan, Executive Director African American Leadership Forum PART 1 The African American Leadership Forum or AALF (pronounced “Alf”) as it’s known, is a thought or idea that we as African American people can be better together than we can apart. Let’s break it down. The name, African American Leadership Forum, suggests several things. First, and foremost, it not only suggests,
but proclaims that it’s about African Americans. So, we start there. Does one have to be African American to be a part of AALF? “No,” and “Yes.” No, a person doesn’t have to be an African American physically; but, Yes, a person does have to be African American in thought, purpose and mission. All of us, who have lived long enough, know that there are many people who have the skin pigmentation of an African American, but carry the mental baggage of a totally different, and at times hostile, thought or purpose towards the African American community. We’ve seen that drama played out over and over again throughout the centuries since Africans were brought to the shores of the Americas. On the other hand, we have brothers and sisters of a lighter hew or different ethnicity,
“Leaders” are you - and me. They’re anyone who takes individual ownership and claims that they want to be a Leader
who are as committed to the struggle and uplift of African American people as anyone. So, again, it’s about the thought or idea that counts – not necessarily the color or ethnicity. The word Leadership is,
Currently, there are 427 African Americans in Minnesota waiting for an organ transplant. #TalkDonation promotes conversations in the Twin Cities through art, media and events to ensure donation information, resources, and support are available to all people.
Saturday, April 18th #TalkDonation presents The Best of Us event series:
Celebration of Life 2–3 PM: Resource Fair with food, music by DJ Willie Shu, and poetry by Da Black Pearll, Keno Evol and Lucy Valentine 3–5 PM: YO MAMA presents: This Moment After Death: Celebrating the Afterlife LOCATION: The Center for Changing Lives 2400 Park Avenue South, Minneapolis
This family-friendly event is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit talkdonation.org or call 612.800.6100. The #TalkDonation campaign is funded by the generosity of everyday people who participated in the Department of Public Safety’s “You and $2” program which allows Minnesotans to contribute $2 toward organ, eye and tissue donation education on their driver’s license or state ID card application. The #TalkDonation campaign team is a collaboration of LifeSource, Minnesota Lions Eye Bank, American Donor Services and bfreshproductions.
perhaps, the most controversial or, might I say, misunderstood part of the name of the AALF. Who are these self-appointed and so-called “Leaders” is often the question. Who elected AALF as leaders? Yes, indeed, who are these leaders; and, who appointed or elected them? The answer is that these “Leaders” are you - and me. They’re anyone who takes individual ownership and claims that they want to be a Leader – not a Leader because they want to be seen as a big man or big woman by others. Not a leader because they want some individual recognition for “helping others;” No, not that kind of a leader; but rather, a “Leader” for the community of our people. As Reverend Alfred Babington-Johnson proclaims, the African American leadership is really about “community.” It’s about us as a people, striving to improve, striving to be better. So, if you see yourself as a “Leader” in that thought or idea, then hop on board. As far as I’m concerned, you don’t even have to be a part of the AALF membership, to be a part of AALF, the thought or idea. If you’re out there doing your thing to help improve the conditions of our people, then you’re a part of the thought or idea that AALF is about. Finally, as the last word in the name “Forum” suggests, it is a place where African American leadership gather or come together to first get to know each other; and, then to share thoughts and ideas on how we, as a community, can be better. As Professor Mahmoud El Kati tells us, “It is not a physical place where we come together first, but rather, a mental and psychological place where we come together.” Once we’ve come together psychologically to decide that we’re better off acting together than acting on our own, then we come together physically. The Forum is a place where we come together to get to know each other in community; to interact, and share ideas about how we as a people can do better. Since 2009, AALF has held 9 such convening’s, or “Forums” as they’re known, bringing together leaders in our community to get to know each other. People who have participated, whose names you might recognize include, Al McFarlane of Insight News, Kelvin Quarles of KMOJ Radio, Tracy Williams Dillard, of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Spokesman Recorder, Senators Jeff Hayden and Bobbie Joe Champion, Peter Hayden, CEO of Turning Point, Inc., Toni Carter, Ramsey County Commissioner, Melvin Carter, III, former St. Paul City Council Member, and Paul Williams, former Deputy Mayor
of St. Paul. The list of names goes on and on. Since 2009, AALF has brought together more than 1000 African Americans in business and philanthropy, government and politics, faith and religion, and community action - many of whom did not know each other before these Forums took place. In bringing people together, we have found, in the words of Kim Nelson, Vice President of External Affairs at General Mills, Inc. “We have everything we need to be a better community – a better people. Now, all we need is organization and alignment.” And, that is the work of AALF – to organize and align ourselves around the issues that matter most to us. At our most recent Forum, on February 21, 2015, we brought together some of the most dynamic leaders in our community at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs to talk about Crafting a United Urban Agenda. Those leaders included U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison; Harvest Network of Schools Founder and CEO, Eric Mahmoud; Minnesota Senator Jeff Hayden; the aforementioned Kim Nelson; and, Pastor of New Salem Baptist Church, Reverend Jerry McAfee. In addition to these fabulous speakers, workshops were conducted around Education by Minnesota Representative Rena Moran and Dr. Sylvia Bartley, Senior Global Marketing Manager of Medtronic, Inc.; around Health & Wellness by Northpoint CEO Stella Whitney-West, and Open Cities Board Chair Eugene Nichols; around Economic Development by Senator Bobby Joe Champion, Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey, and Ramsey County Workforce Development Manger Nerita Hughes; and, around Criminal Justice by Metropolitan State University Adjunct Professor Jason Sole, and Take Action’s Justice 4 All Director Justin Terrell. The Sounds of Blackness provided the musical/ cultural backdrop for the Forum. You can go online to www.aalf. us to see the dynamic highlights of this Forum gathering. The theme of the Forum was Crafting a United Urban Agenda. As Dr. Josie Johnson pointed out, “When you say ‘Urban,’ you’re talking about ‘Us,’ aren’t you!” Yes, Dr. Josie, we’re talking about us. And, more specifically, what we’re talking about are those issues on which we can all agree. For too long, our community has split and fallen-out about those things on which we can’t agree. We’re always going to have our own individual agendas on which we cannot find consensus or agreement. That’s not what we’re working on here. As Reverend Jerry McAfee stated, “What we’re trying to do in Crafting a United Urban Agenda is to find those things on which we can agree.” For example, we most assuredly can all agree that our children should receive a high quality education, and should be ready for kindergarten by the age of 5; our children should be able to read at grade level by the 3rd grade; our children should be proficient in math by the 5th grade; and, our children should graduate from high school on time, ready to find
their place in the world. Surely, we can all agree that we need to reduce heart disease, diabetes, and obesity in the African American community – all of which contribute to African Americans dying long before the general population. And, we can all agree that the highest black/white employment gap for African Americans in the entire United States needs to be closed right here in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. So, you see, there are a lot of things around which we can find agreement. The question then becomes, “How do we get there?” At the AALF Forum on February 21, 2015, Congressman Keith Ellison told us that we need 3M: 1) Message; 2) Money; and 3) Mobilization. We have the message. We want a society that works equally well for everyone. In order to do that we need to improve educational, economic and health outcomes for the African American community. The issue of money is more problematic. As reported in Black Enterprise, a recent study by the Nielson Companies showed that in 2015 the African American community in the United States has $1.1 Trillion – yes Trillion with a “T” – in buying power. This buying power would make African Americans in the United States the 15th wealthiest country in the world, if we were a country. Bringing it closer to home, in Minnesota, Dr. Bruce Corrie, Professor of Economics at Concordia University in St. .Paul, has estimated that ethnic communities in Minnesota have $12.2 Billion dollars in buying power – that’s African American, Latino, Asian and Native American communities; and, according to the Council on Black Minnesotans, people of African descent have $3 Billion in buying power. So, the conclusion that can be reached is that we have the Money. Now, how we choose to spend our money is another issue. Do we choose to invest in ourselves as a community by supporting African American organizations and businesses that are improving the lives of African Americans. Or do we fritter away our dollars on frivolities like fancy cars, jewelry, and partying. Congressman Ellison posited that even those of modest means could contribute $50 a month or $600 a year if we gave up “Hot Cheeto’s and Orange Pop!!” Applying the third M – Mobilizing – we have proven that we can mobilize if need be, and when necessary. Movements like Black Lives Matter have proven that we can mobilize. And, although voter turnout was down in the most recent mid-term elections, turnout in north Minneapolis was higher. As Congressman Ellison has said, “Black folks will turn out to vote, if there is something to vote for.” Community leaders like Spike Moss, Reverend Jerry McAfee, Nathaniel Khaliq, Nikki McComb, and Justin Terrell have proven that we can mobilize our community when necessary. We have the 3M’s – Message, Money, and Mobilizing. Now, all we need to do is to get to work to make it happen – that’s the work of the African American Leadership Forum. It’s you and it’s me!
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Insight News • April 13 - April 19, 2015 • Page 7
EDUCATION U of M establishes region’s first dedicated research hub and portal on achievement gaps The University of Minnesota is establishing the region’s first dedicated research hub and portal for information about achievement gaps, President Eric Kaler announced April 2 in his State of the University address. The Educational Equity Resource Center will serve as a bridge between University researchers and resources and the educators who work with Minnesota’s children and
youth every day. “We must be engaged community members in this work to close educational disparities,” said Kaler. “It’s at the core of our land-grant mission and at the heart and soul of our strategic plan.” Addressing the achievement gap has been a centerpiece of Kaler’s personal engagement with business, community and education leaders. The University has identified about
140 faculty and researchers across the institution working on closing the achievement and opportunity gaps in Minnesota. “More and more schools and districts are coming to us to learn what we know, and we want to build on that to be an even stronger partner in closing the achievement gap,” said Kaler, co-chair of Generation Next, a broad partnership of organizations and leaders from across the Twin Cities working
to close the achievement gap. The leader of the U’s coordinated educational equity effort is professor and Campbell Leadership Chair Michael Rodriguez in the College of Education and Human Development. Rodriguez is meeting with hundreds of school leaders around the Twin Cities, and across the state, to talk about scaling up promising practices and supporting local efforts to
analyze progress. Rodriguez will co-direct the new center along with Julie Sweitzer, director of the U’s College Readiness Consortium. An advisory group of preK and K-12 educators will be formed. “We are beginning to move beyond ‘What works?’ to ‘What works for whom, and under what conditions and in what contexts?’” said Rodriguez. “We are more successfully translating research to practice
by tailoring our work to meet the needs and preferences of changing communities.” A new website will provide easy access to a growing body of research, professional development opportunities, curriculum and classroom resources, especially those focused on improving equity in educational outcomes. The site, which continues to add information, is: www.gap.umn. edu.
Hester named principal at FAIR Crystal Several administrative changes for the 2015-16 school year were recently approved by the Robbinsdale Area School Board, including the appointment of new principals at FAIR Crystal and Cooper High School. Current Cooper High School Principal Christina Hester will become the new principal at FAIR Crystal. She brings with her the experience not only of being a high school principal at Cooper, but also serving as a principal at two middle schools. “I’m very excited about this new opportunity,” Hester said. “This is right in my wheelhouse.” Frank Herman, the current
Christina Hester
Frank Herman
Mary Haney
assistant principal at Highview Learning Center, will become the new Cooper High School principal. He worked at Cooper prior to his time at Highview, and has also been the head principal at a comprehensive high school and alternative high school. Herman will continue to head the district’s career and college readiness efforts while serving in his new role. “It’s really exciting for me to be going back to Cooper,” Herman said. “Four years ago, I started at Cooper, and I fell in love with what it all stood for, with its students, talented staff and community.” Mary Haney, the current principal at FAIR Crystal, will
become the program director for alternative learning and secondary literacy. Haney brings not only her experience as a principal, but also experience working for the Minnesota Department of Education and as a consultant. “I feel very excited about this opportunity, particularly to build relationships with students and families at Highview,” Haney said. “There are innovations I feel are possible for all students.” Each of the changes will go into effect Wednesday, July 1. The action was unanimously approved by the School Board during its meeting Monday, March 16.
Metropolitan State wins Kennedy Center National Award for Outstanding Production of a New Work support of theater has grown into a network of more than 600 academic institutions throughout the country, where theater departments and student artists showcase their work and receive outside assessment by KCACTF respondents in regional festivals. “My Soul…” together with another invited (original) Metropolitan
“My Soul and other Broken Things” by Sarah Dewhirst Metropolitan State University has received the national award for Outstanding Production of a New Work for “My Soul and other Broken Things” from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), a national event involving 18,000 students from U.S. colleges and universities. The Kennedy Center is presenting Metropolitan State’s award in Washington D.C. on April 18 at the Kennedy Center. “My Soul and Other Broken Things” by Metropolitan State student Sarah Dewhirst, traces the coming-of-age of Sephora, a young woman who, guided by a mysterious stranger, returns to her Christian fundamentalist home, searching for her estranged mother. Sephora has been living a life that is repugnant to her family and everything they believe. Sephora takes us with her on a journey asking the everpresent question: “Is there a God?” This script, along with another original work which also participated in the regional completion, originated from work done in playwriting classes and was developed and premiered by Metropolitan State’s Theater Program and its producing organization, Theater Underground in 2014. “In playwriting classes, students begin by exploring the solid foundation of personal experience” said Gail Smogard, theater program director, “but as this play was further developed in rewrites and devising workshops, these themes were focused and heightened working hand in
hand with faculty directors— which is what our program strongly encourages.” The KCACTF honors excellence of overall production and offers student artists individual recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, criticism, directing and design. This production also placed for
“Distinguished” ensemble work, directing, scenic design, lighting and sound with additional “Commendations” in stage management, masks and technical direction. The KCACTF encourages colleges and universities to give distinguished productions of new plays, especially those written by students. Their
State production “Soderville: Excavation of a Life” were two of seven plays selected for this year’s 47th Region V Festival in January 2015. For more information about the theater program or productions, contact Jennifer Cha, theater production assistant, at 612-659-7222. Metropolitan State
University, a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, is America’s premier university for lifelong learning, providing unsurpassed, competitive academic and professional degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels while maintaining affordability.
Page 8 • April 13 - April 19, 2015 • Insight News
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LIFESTYLE
Take time to sit and be alone Motivational Moments
By Penny JonesRichardson This week I had the opportunity to spend time alone and to do some things that I desperately
needed to do. I needed to spend time identifying some new goals and working on the first steps to make those goals a reality. Why is it that when you take time to just sit and be alone, you see many different ways to make your life better and more complete. You then realize that you are also in need of changing things for the better. This quiet week has allowed me to write, to read and to evaluate my own journey. I often
talk about working on bettering yourself and your situation, but sometimes as we complete one goal we forget to add another goal to our list. Remember that this journey is all about reaching avenues in your life that you never thought possible. If you stop after you finish you list of goals, then you will never know what other great and wonderful things you can do. I am setting goals for myself that I never imagined for myself
until lately! My goals are very important to my future and the person that I am striving to be. I am excited about the next chapter of my life and what other goals I will add to my list. If you take time to think about what you would like your life to look like in five or even ten years you may be amazed at what you need to do to make it possible. Again I say, you can do anything you set your mind to with perseverance and determination. Hard work
pays off every single time. The first step however, is to set a goal and be realistic about what it will take to complete it. The second step is to not think your goals are out of reach. If you can see yourself doing it, then you can do it! So I would like to say again that it is important to spend time thinking of ways to better your life and to have all the things you ever dreamt of. Patience is the key and staying focused is the
answer! And as always, stay focused, stay determined, and keep striving for greatness. Penny Jones-Richardson is a published author and life coach. She can be reached via her website at www. thequeensproject.com or email at penny@thequeensproject. com.
Minneapolis #1 on top 10 healthiest cities list There are two parts to every great healthy city. The first is access to quality and affordable health care. The second is promoting and enabling a healthy lifestyle for its residents through infrastructure and amenities. With this in mind, Livability. com has named Minneapolis the Top 10 Healthiest City, 2015. Minneapolis provides residents with exercise opportunities, good food choices and strong support networks to help live healthy lives. Livability.com explores what makes small to midsized cities great places to live, work and visit. They examine issues related to livability such as walkability, cultural amenities, transportation, urban planning, and sustainability through exclusive research and discussions on their blog. The editors at Livability.com looked at data compiled by the County Healthcare Rankings as well as spending data from Esri to find places with quality and affordable health care. They analyzed several measures of healthy communities such as the adult obesity rate, the percent of
Latimer From 1 AS: What do you aim to bring to the online world? SL: What I’m trying to bring to the blogesphere is the perspective that I don’t always see and things that aren’t always covered in a way that you’d want to see it as a person in the audience. The reason I started the Peacock Bride Blog was
activities from hiking and biking to swimming, kayaking and cross-country skiing, recreational centers and health clubs provide even more indoor exercise options. Fewer than 14 percent of residents smoke, while more than 87 percent participate in physical activities on a regular basis. Minneapolis ranks well in health-care statistics, and less than 11 percent of residents are uninsured, and most get annual checkups and health screenings. Recycling, composting, and walking or biking to work is a way of life for many of the people living in Minneapolis, and the downtown farmers market makes it easy for residents to get healthy foods.
Downtown Minneapolis
Bobak Ha’Eri
residents with access to healthy food and other stats. Also factored in were the number of hospitals, ratio of doctors to residents and more. In addition, the editors looked into city infrastructure
to promote healthy living, like access to farmers markets and parks, walkability, man-made amenities such as golf courses, as well as natural amenities. Additionally factored in was data from the EPA about the
environmental components of a healthy city such as clean air and water. “The link between cities and health is increasingly clear,” says Livability editor Matt Carmichael. “It’s not enough to
have a great hospital to take care of you when you’re sick. The city itself can help you lead a healthier life.” The Minneapolis park system covers nearly 17 percent of the city.. On top of offering
because I felt like within the wedding blogesphere they have either really offbeat weddings and people who are at the far left of it, or you have people who are just super traditional. On the left side you have a lot of judgments. On the other end you have (the) straight up wedding industrial complex. Everything is very cookie-cutter and by the book. I felt like I didn’t identify with either one of those categories. With me having deep respect for tradition, at our wedding we jumped the broom. Some people don’t incorporate any kind of
ritual or tradition because they are trying to get away from that. I feel there are people in the middle that don’t get catered to. The blog is more centered on figuring out what’s best to do yourself, and other services you could want. For me it is more about being authentic to myself. I’ve been trying to change people’s perspectives of what weddings are about. For me it was a rites of passage as a woman. One of my next articles is on the African-American presence in the aerial and circus arts. I looked up information and there was no concentrated area where that history was present online. Potentially the article will be something that people can reference that doesn’t exist now. That’s what I’m always looking for.
in the trucking industry he did a lot within the community. I started performing poetry in the 4th grade. When I was 15 or 16 (years old), the person who really got me into writing spoken word pieces was Mikey Larsen (Eyedea). We went to school together at Highland Park (Senior High). I was so inspired by that dude. He was my friend. I was the new kid at school and there (were) only two people who were really my friends and one of them was a young man that got shot and killed when I was a junior, and the other was Mikey who passed away – two people that will never know how they helped me out. The first poem that was any good was inspired by (Mikey). I ran back to school and read it to him and he gave me a lot of encouragement. I was one of the only female MCs in my school and that was hard. You either had to rap like a dude and be hard or be sexy. I grew up in that Lil Kim era where I love Kim but I feel women weren’t rapping as intelligently as I knew they were.
I had a bad nervous breakdown when I was 19 (years old) and the therapist suggested I write. That’s when I went to Java Noire and met you (Toki Wright) and Desdamona. Desdamona really took me under her wing. I worked closely with E.G. Bailey and Edupoetic Enterbrainment (and the) Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council. The community put me there. I later started blogging on Myspace.
AS: What would you consider your “roots?” SL: I grew up in St. Paul. My mom was a theater major and graduated from Macalester (College). Before my dad got
AS: What would you say has been the purpose of your poetry? SL: That’s more of a selfreflective thing where I am constantly analyzing my life and the world. I think, as a poet, what made me stand out was I always approached poetry in a fearless way about evaluating my life and my feelings. That in itself can be controversial … to put yourself out there. There’s a lot of fakery in the hip-hop and poetry realm. A lot of people may just talk about Black consciousness, or the
Top 10 Healthiest Cities, 2015 1. Minneapolis, MN 2. Cambridge, MA 3. Madison, WI 4. Miami, FL 5. Bridgeport, CT 6. Arlington, VA 7. Santa Ana, CA 8. Honolulu, HI 9. Fort Collins, CO 10. Yonkers, NY
love that they feel, or their heart being broken. For me it was a process of evaluating myself. I tend to go back to that when I can’t find the right words to express myself. Sometimes my interpretation of the things that I’ve been through or I see are a lot more poetic than I can describe if I sat in a therapist’s office and talked about my problems. For me poetry is free therapy. You perform it over and over again you tend to learn about yourself. I was very surprised with how many people would come to me and say, “I’ve been through that same thing but I never had the courage to speak out about it,” … to have people not feel alone in the struggles they go through. I have a community and a family too. To read more from Sydney Latimer visit www. huffingtonpost.com/sydneylatimer, www.divineology101. com, www.peacockblog. com or follow her on Twitter at @ThePeacockBride or @ Divineology101.
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Insight News • April 13 - April 19, 2015 • Page 9
COMMUNITY Bringing health care to our neighborhood or inpatient hospital admission showed on average a 50 percent reduction in these types of encounters three months after the initial community paramedic intervention. In 2014, North Memorial brought our Community Paramedic program to Turning Point. Just like the original vision of the Community Paramedic program, as paramedics we slow down our usual high intensity work and bring expertise outside of a traditional healthcare setting. What is unique about the Turning Point relationship is that we are part of a care facility and we are bringing our experience to our community neighbors in Minneapolis. The paramedics staffing Turning Point have years of 911 expertise in north Minneapolis and have longed for a mode to connect, more regularly, with the population residing in this community. Our staff averages over 20 years of experience and throughout that time have gained an appreciation for the need to be proactive versus reactive. Our medics at Turning Point
By Peter Carlson, Community Paramedic North Memorial Health Care In 2012, North Memorial Health Care launched an innovative program that helps patients beyond hospital and clinic walls. The Community Paramedic program removes emergency-trained paramedics for one or two days a week from our hectic routine of racing to the scene of accidents and instead we make scheduled visits to homes of frail or elderly patients, or those with chronic conditions like diabetes. When we started the Community Paramedic program nearly three years ago, it was the first of its kind of Minnesota. Since its launch, the Community Paramedic program has proven to be a success. To date, Community Paramedics have completed more than 2,500 visits and served nearly 300 patients. Patients who received a Community Paramedic visit after an initial emergency department
are the eyes and ears for North Memorial’s primary care clinics and offer clients at Turning Point a unique opportunity to stay connected to their physicians while receiving chemical dependency treatment. Community Paramedics do not work as solo care providers. We are aligned with physicians, pharmacists, care coordinators, dieticians and any other health professionals that have a role in each patient’s care. This coordination allows the entire team to address long-term chronic conditions and collaborate on solutions, which helps improve health and reduce costs. Our Turning Point services include; medication compliance monitoring, wound care followup, mental health surveys, follow-up blood work and basic system reviews to improve patient outcomes. Active care coordination is the future of health care and our medics, along with care coordinators, work to empower patients with the tools they need to live healthy lives.
THE SANKOFA SERIES
Forum to address the Education of Our Children in the 21st Century The Sankofa Series, a grassroots-based organization whose mission is to inspire change through engaging discussion and reflection, recently announced their next event. The Education of Our Children in the 21st Century will focus on the teachings and lessons of Professor Mahmoud El-Kati’s nearly completed essay, “Towards an African Education.� This enlightening, relevant and thought-provoking essay will be used to help inspire community thought and commentary that will assist Professor El-Kati in completing the manuscript and creating a collaborative publication in which he will serve as the editor. To help facilitate input, 20 young adult facilitators from local activist movements and
Studiotobechi
Eric Mahmoud colleges will host tabletop discussions. The discussions will be used as a platform to reflect on the education
Professor Mahmoud El-Kati
system’s current condition. In addition, groups will discuss strategies and commit to action in an effort to address this
most pressing issue facing our community. “Sankofa Series organizers are very excited about our
upcoming event,� stated Anura Si-Asar, a member of the event’s planning group and the owner of Papyrus Publishing. “The addition of community insights and opinions are a very unique and compelling approach to finishing “Towards an African Education.� With the current state of education, I’m very sure this Sankofa Series will be a very impassioned event.� Eric Mahmoud, founder and CEO of Seed Academy, Harvest Preparatory School, Best Academy, S.i.s.t.e.r. Academy and Mastery Schools will deliver the event’s keynote address. Under his leadership, Harvest Preparatory and Best Academy have shown the most impactful results in terms of closing the academic achievement gap between white and African American students. The Sankofa Series: The
Education of Our Children in the 21st Century will take place on Monday, April 20th from 6 PM to 9 PM at BEST Academy (former home of Lincoln Middle School), 2131 12th Avenue North in Minneapolis. Urban Agenda’s host Lissa Jones will emcee this event. The event is free and open to the public; however, event registration is strongly recommended. A complimentary copy of the foundational essay, “Towards an African Education,� will be given to each registered attendee. Additional information and registration sign-up is available at mahmoudelkati.com. The Sankofa Series would like to thank Papyrus Publishing and Solidarity-Twin Cities for their assistance and dedication to this project and the F.R. Bigelow Foundation for their fiscal support of this project.
Damali Ayo keynotes Facing Race Ambassador Awards The Saint Paul Foundation will celebrate racial equity leaders at the ninth annual Facing Race Ambassador Awards on April 28. The Facing Race Ambassador Awards program was created in 2007 to recognize anti-racism leaders and promote the need for productive community wide conversations about race. “Achieving racial equity is one of the most critical challenges and biggest opportunities facing Minnesota communities,� said Carleen Rhodes, president and CEO of the Saint Paul Foundation. “We are committed to this cause and honored to celebrate the dedication and often unrecognized efforts of individuals fighting to end
racial disparities.� This year’s celebration will honor two racial equity advocates with Ambassador Awards – Lucila Dominguez, an organizer with Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL) and Nekima Levy-Pounds, professor of law at the University of St. Thomas and director of the Community Justice Project. “Lucila Dominguez and Nekima Levy-Pounds have demonstrated tremendous leadership,� said Rhodes. “We are honored to recognize their tireless social justice and antiracism work, which has often required them to take personal and professional risks.� As award recipients, Dominguez and Levy-Pounds will each designate a $10,000 grant from
Classifieds Case Manager Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative is hiring a Case Manager for our Families Moving Forward program center in Minneapolis. Help us end homelessness! Visit: www.beaconinterfaith.org/careers for details.
West Falls Estates Int'l Falls, MN ‡ (OGHUO\ GLVDEOHG EHGURRP DSWV ‡ 7RZQKRXVHV ZLWK RU EHGURRPV ‡ ,PPHGLDWH RSHQLQJV IRU EHGURRP WRZQ KRXVH EHGURRP HOGHUO\ GLVDEOHG DSDUWPHQW ‡ 5HQW EDVHG RQ RI DGMXVWHG LQFRPH &DOO 3DWULFLD %URZQ DW 7''
Damali Ayo
The Saint Paul Foundation
Phone: 612.588.1313
VACANCIES
Chief Financial Officer NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center, Mpls. $76,824.80 - $119,548.00 Annually. This FT leadership position develops, implements, maintains, & evaluates its financial systems, financial best practices, & fiscal services for the clinic. Quals: Master’s degree or higher in business/healthcare/ public health admin, finance, or related field & 5+ years finance exp in a health care setting, at least 1 year in an administrative management position; leadership & mgt exp. For full description & to apply, visit www. hennepin.jobs. The posting is open until filled.
Child Development Center Teachers
Bethel University is seeking a Preschool and Toddler Teacher for our King Family Foundation Child Development Center located in the St. Paul Frogtown neighborhood. The position is responsible for implementing activities which are designed to develop a range of spiritual, social, cognitive, and/or motor skills for individual and/or groups of children and supervise the development of the whole child. Bethel is an institution of higher education committed to integrate the evangelical Christian faith into every area of life. For more information and application visit our website at https://www.bethel.edu/employment/openings/staff.
Cokato Apts, Cokato, MN (a seniors complex 62 or over or handicapped) has vacancies on 2nd Floor for one BR apts. Waiting list open. Contact Don at 320-286-2758. E-Mail cokapts@embarqmail.com
the Saint Paul Foundation to an organization working to end racial disparity. Four additional individuals will receive honorable mentions for their efforts to end racial disparities in Minnesota. They include Russel Balenger and Sarah Balenger, cofounders of the Circle of Peace movement; Dr. Delores Henderson, principal, Hazel Park Preparatory Academy, St. Paul Public Schools and Chaun Webster, curator of literature at Ancestry Books and director of Free Poet’s Press. Honorable mention recipients will designate $1,000 grants to organizations of their choice for the purpose of furthering racial equity. The celebration will also feature a keynote address
Fax: 612.588.2031
by author, activist and artist Damali Ayo whose books, essays, artwork and commentaries have been featured in more than 100 publications worldwide and on public radio. The Ambassador Awards celebration takes place on Monday, April 28 at the Crowne Plaza Riverfront (soon to be the Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront Hotel), located at 11 E. Kellogg Blvd., downtown St. Paul. A reception with appetizers begins at 6 p.m., followed by a one-hour program and awards ceremony starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are free but RSVPs are required by April 17. RSVPs can be made online at www. saintpaulfoundation.org or by calling (651) 325-4265.
Email: info@insightnews.com
RENTAL UNITS AVAILABLE
The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Housing Authority has rental units available in Cass County, MN. Please call 218-335-8280. Must meet certain qualifications.
Church Administrator
Church Administrator position needed at Pilgrim Baptist Church in St. Paul. Send resumes to sdilworth@pilgrimbaptistchurch.org
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
Quality Director
Director of Mental Health
(STATE PROG ADMIN MGR PRINC)
(STATE PROG ADMIN MGR PRINC)
St. Paul, MN
St. Paul, MN
$36.41 - $52.22 hourly, $76,024 - $109,035 annually
$36.41 - $52.22 hourly, $76,024 - $109,035 annually
This statutory unclassified position serves as the Quality Director for Direct Care and Treatment (DCT) Services Administration and is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to effectively support this healthcare network in its goal of providing quality services to the people served in DHS operated programs throughout the state.
As the Director of the Mental Health Division in the Department of Human Services (DHS), this position provides vision and leadership for a comprehensive, effective mental health system for children and adults in Minnesota. Some of the responsibilities include: Serving as chief spokesperson for agency and executive branch initiatives at the legislature and with advocacy groups, counties, communities and other interested parties. Overseeing the design and operation of statewide service and funding policies that promote community-based services.
The Quality Director oversees the critical areas of quality (safety and health, infection control, performance review, continuous improvement, and best practices) in DCT and will direct activities to monitor, audit, analyze, and report program performance against established standards. Master’s degree in healthcare management, public administration, law, or clinical health profession required AND at least 3 years of experience in quality management or closely related field.
Bachelor’s degree in social services, health, or a related field required, AND 3 years of experience supervising staff in a public or non-profit mental health organization.
Full details at: www.mn.gov/careers posting 15DHS000247.
Full details at: www.mn.gov/careers posting 15DHS000249.
DHS is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action, veteran friendly employer.
DHS is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action, veteran friendly employer.
Page 10 • April 13 - April 19, 2015 • Insight News
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Blues hall of famer Joe Louis Walker brings ‘Hornet’s Nest’ to the Dakota Blues Hall of Fame member, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Joe Louis Walker, touring in support of his latest album, “Hornet’s Nest,” will perform at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis on Friday, May 1. Walker is among the greatest bluesmen of his generation, and is known worldwide as one of the genre’s top musical trailblazers and a mesmerizing guitarist and soul-testifying vocalist. On his dynamic CD, “Hornet’s Nest,” Walker’s music is equal parts rock and blistering blues. “Hornet’s Nest” was recorded in Nashville and produced by songwriter/drummer Tom Hambridge (producer of James Cotton’s Grammy-nominated “Cotton Mouth Man,” Buddy
Guy”s recent Grammy-winning CDs and Walker’s previous CD, “Hellfire”). “Hornet’s Nest” – featuring 12 songs, including nine new originals – blends Walker’s boundless energy and his myriad influences into a contemporary blues tour-deforce. The band – Hambridge on drums, Reese Wynans on organ and piano, Rob McNelley on guitar, and Tommy MacDonald on bass – pushed Walker to deliver what he considers his absolute best. “It comes through loud and clear,” said Walker. “If I don’t believe it, nobody is gonna believe it and ain’t nobody is gonna listen to it or buy it.” Walker picked up the guitar as a child, and by 16 years of age
he was regularly backing touring blues artists rolling through town. He was the teenage house guitarist at San Francisco’s famed musical playground The Matrix, where he played with or opened shows for everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Thelonious Monk. Walker learned from some of the greats including Fred McDowell, Ike Turner, Albert King, Freddie King, “Lightnin’” Hopkins and others. Inspired by these masters, Walker developed his own fiery, melodic and unpredictable guitar attack. Walker met legendary guitarist Michael Bloomfield in 1968 and the two became fast friends. Bloomfield helped push Walker’s blues in a more rock-
WALKER TURN TO 11 Photo: Michael Weintrob
Joe Louis Walker
ORDWAY CENTER PRESENTS
Diavolo / Architecture in Motion The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts will present Diavolo/Architecture in Motion, an award-winning dance company known for its athletic and daredevil performance style, for one night only on Saturday, April 18. The show, which is part of the Ordway’s World Music and Dance series, will include two pieces – a new work entitled “Cubicle,” co-commissioned by the Ordway along with the Des Moines Center for the Performing Arts, and “Transit Space.” Tickets start at $23 and can be purchased online at www.ordway.org, by phone at (651) 224-4222 or at the Ordway ticket office. Founded in 1992 by artistic director Jacques Heim, Diavolo/ Architecture in Motion uses architectural structures to explore the relationship between the danger of our environment and the fragility of the human
body. The company has become known for its high risk performance style in which dancers leap from and tumble on large architectural structures, creating what the company calls “Architecture in Motion.” “This group pushes the boundaries of modern dance, combining aspects of ballet, contemporary dance, acrobatics, gymnastics, martial arts and hip-hop. Their inventive performances create a thrilling and unique experience for the audience,” said Dayna Martinez, Ordway’s artistic director of World Music and Dance. “It’s an honor to present a group that captivates its audience by emphasizing its graceful yet daring aerobatics, while incorporating strong personal themes into their works, such as human struggle, fear, danger, survival, chaos, order, deconstruction, reconstruction, destiny, destination, faith and
love.” Set in an abstract but strikingly familiar version of corporate America, “Cubicle,” the company’s newest work, explores themes of confinement, freedom, homogeneity, individuality, monotony and anarchy. The work features an architectural set piece developed by engineering students from the University of St. Thomas Engineering Department constructed during the Ordway’s Campus Connection program in 2009. The second piece, “Transit Space,” explores themes of feeling lost, finding a sense of purpose and coming together. Influenced by skateboarding culture and the documentary “Dogtown and Z-Boys,” “Transit Space” uses skateboard ramps as set pieces to represent an urban environment with ever-shifting physical and emotional spaces.
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Insight News • April 13 - April 19, 2015 • Page 11 The Center for Changing Lives - Lutheran Social Service of MN 2400 Park Ave. S., Minneapolis 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Lucy Valentine
Saul Williams
TEEN Capri Glee High School AfterSchool Music Club/Session 2 Capri Theater 2027 W. Broadway Ave., Minneapolis 3 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (also on Wednesdays) Free Dennis Spears and Greta Oglesby are at the helm of this special singing experience for high school-age students. “We’ll make some really great music together and give the students a great sense of accomplishment,” said Oglesby. In addition to choral music, the program may also incorporate spoken word, guitar and piano and other instrumental talents the students bring to the club. The sessions are free and open to all high school students, grades 9 – 12. For more information call (612) 643-2024.
Tuesday, April 14 HIP-HOP/BOUNCE/CLUB NIGHT 2 on Tuesdays with special guest DJ Snuggles Nomad World Pub 501 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis 10 p.m. No cover
dance night at the Nomad in the Riverside neighborhood. The duo provides an eclectic soundtrack that’s greater than its parts – forgotten classics, current bangers and future bounce. Special guest this week, DJ Snuggles, just released his new single “Drank” with Metasota, Mike Mictlan and Manchita.
Wednesday, April 15 ART EXHIBIT International Pop Walker Art Center 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. $9 students, $12 seniors, $14 adults (free Thursdays) International Pop is an exhibit organized by the Walker Art Center that chronicles the global emergence of pop art from the 1950s through the early 1970s. This exhibition follows the trajectories of pop and its critical points of contact with global developments in art.
Thursday, April 16 REGGAE/DANCEHALL/ CLUB NIGHT The One Love Movement First Avenue/Record Room 701 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis 10 p.m. $6 Verb X and Don Dadda Steele hold the hometown title for livest Thursday night spot for reggae and dancehall music. Head down to the One Love Movement to groove to a Caribbean vibe.
Friday, April 17
DJs B-Rock and That Dude Trey bring a new weekly
Walker From 10 fueled direction, and he became the biggest early influence on Walker’s sound. From 1975 to 1985, Walker performed nothing but gospel music. In 1986, after Walker returned to playing the blues, Hightone Records released his debut CD, “Cold Is the Night.” Firmly rooted in blues, gospel, R&B and rock, the album caught the attention of music fans around the country. Before joining Alligator Records in 2012, Walker had released 23 albums and toured the world virtually non-stop. He has garnered four Blues Music Awards (and has been nominated 52 times) and holds an international reputation as one of the blues’ most prolific and talented stars. He’s also recorded as a guest with some of the blues world’s best-known artists, including appearances on Grammy-winning records by B.B. King and James Cotton. His Alligator debut, “Hellfire,” took the blues world by storm in 2012, receiving the Living Blues Critics award for Blues Album of the Year. In 2013 the Blues Foundation inducted Walker into The Blues Hall of Fame. “I am honored to be in the
RACIAL JUSTICE/TRAINING Identities and Worlds: Farr Well Party Bedlam Lowertown 213 4th St., St. Paul, Minnesota 10 p.m.
Register for the workshop at www.talkdonation-yomama. eventbrite.com.
April 13 - 19
Monday, April 13
Sunday, April 19
African-Americans are the largest group of people of color in need of an organ transplant. Currently, there are 37,187 African-Americans waiting on the organ transplant list in the United States and 427 in Minnesota. Be a part of the conversation about organ, eye and tissue donation.
A-Z Tek
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
work of Ron Brown, Hawona Sullivan Janzen, Peyton and John Anderson.
company of the great artists already inducted,” said Walker. “I hope to live up to the honor.” Joe Louis Walker Friday, May 1 Dakota Jazz Club
SPOKEN WORD/HIP-HOP Saul Williams 11 p.m. Dakota Jazz Club 1010 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis $20 Joined by Sons of an Illustrious Father and Haleek Maul, Minnesota welcomes back this generation’s most recognized performance poet, Saul Williams. Williams is currently on the Martyr Loser Kingdom tour in promotion of his new LP. HIP-HOP/SPOKEN WORD/ THEATER Dosh, Sambo Makti, Mina Moore Amsterdam Bar and Hall 6th St. W., St. Paul, Minnesota 8 p.m. 21-plus $8 Multi-instrumentalist, Dosh plays alongside Aesthetically Speaking 5 for ‘15 R&B/soul recognized artist, Mina Moore.
Saturday, April 18 PARTY/DANCE/FASHION To the Nines Walker Art Center – Garden Terrace 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis 9 p.m. – 1 a.m. 21-plus $20 advance, $25 door Been itching to wear that stunning dress that’s been in the closet but didn’t have an occasion? Been wanting to show off that suit and tie game but no event was chic enough ... fly enough? Join Thee Urbane Life for an evening of entertainment and style with To the Nines at the iconic Walker Art Center. To the Nines is about being chic ... it’s being stylish, and being bold. Entertainment is provided by DJ Willie Shu and there are complimentary hors d’oeuvres
and a cash bar. Advance tickets are available at ToThe9s.bpt.me. JAZZ/FUNK/ PERFORMANCE J Young and the Lyrics Factory: Tribute to Herbie Hancock and Earth, Wind, and Fire Dakota Jazz Club 7:30-11
Come celebrate the release of emcee turned photographer, A-Z Tek’s mixtape “Farr Well,” a hip-hop story about quitting rap and creating new images of Blackness. “Farr Well” is a blend of multiple worlds and realities.
The event features music by DJ Willie Shu, poetry from Da Black Pearll, Keno Evol, and Lucy Valentine. There will also be food and the unveiling of the #TalkDonation media campaign, featuring the
Download “Farr Well” at www.
Bassist Jay Young has been widely acknowledged as a virtuosic sideman for such stars as Debbie Duncan, Bruce Henry, Moore by Four and more. Hear him with an all star cast including drummer Kevin Washington at the Dakota. HIP-HOP/PERFORMANCE Fifth Element/Rhymesayers Record Store Day Fifth Element 2411 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Free Catch performances by Freez, Uprock, Greg Grease, Andrew Broder and Crescent Moon and more at this year’s celebration of vinyl. SPOKEN WORD/HIPHOP/ PERFORMANCE #TalkDonation: The Best of Us - Celebration of Life
ON STAGE AT THE GUTHRIE
The Guthrie Theater in a co-production with American Conservatory Theater presents
ANNE WASHBURN score by MICHAEL FRIEDMAN lyrics by ANNE WASHBURN directed by MARK RUCKER
1010 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis (612) 332-5299 8 p.m. $25 www.dakotacooks.com
by
NOW – MAY 10
by
ARTHUR
MILLER
directed by
JOE
DOWLING
NOW –– MAY MAY 24 24 NOW
612.377.2224
GUTHRIETHEATER.ORG
Page 12 • April 13 - April 19, 2015 • Insight News
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AUNJANUE ELLIS AND CLEMENT VIRGO
“The Book of Negroes” interview to be, then why do you have slaves?” This picture does a great job of shattering the myths perpetuated in many schoolbooks.
By Kam Williams Aunjanue Ellis starred as Aminata Diallo in “The Book of Negroes,” the hit, TV-miniseries based on Lawrence Hill’s awardwinning best seller of the same name. Here, she and the picture’s director, Clement Virgo, share their thoughts about the adaptation of the historical novel chronicling the life of an 11 year-old girl kidnapped in Africa and enslaved for decades in the U.S. until she manages to escape to Canada. Kam Williams: Hi Aunjanue and Clement, thanks for the interview. Aunjanue Ellis: Thank you, Kam. Clement Virgo: Absolutely! KW: What interested you in “The Book of Negroes,” Aunjanue? AE: To be honest, the first thing that interested me was seeing that the CBC [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation] and BET [Black Entertainment Television] were partnering on the project. In my mind, I couldn’t think of two more divergent networks. Then, I found out it was based on this wonderful historical novel about a woman’s story of survival. I love doing that kind of work. KW: Did you read the book before accepting the role? AE: Yes, I did. KW: Clement, what inspired you to turn it into a mini-series? CV: The book was quite a phenomenon in Canada, where it won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and sold a million copies. I fell in love with Aminata Diallo and enjoyed reading
Canadian Film Centre
Aunjanue Ellis about the period of history that she takes us through. I thought I knew about the American Revolutionary War and about my own and Canadian history. But I didn’t know about people migrating from New York to Nova Scotia, or appreciate that if you were African-American, you really had to choose sides during the Revolutionary War. And I saw Aminata as being a lot like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” where she was caught up in this twister of slavery, and all she wanted to do was get back home. Her determination to survive was so powerful, I felt like I had to tell the story. KW: Given the facts brought out about the Revolutionary War by “The Book of Negroes,”
Clement Virgo do you think that the American colonies were on the wrong side of history? The film suggests that the British were lesser of two evils. Have Blacks been mis-educated into siding with the Patriots over the British Loyalists in the same way Native Americans talk about being manipulated by movies as children into rooting for the Cowboys over the Indians? AE: The British kept their slaves while wanting to get rid of America’s, so you can take from that what you will. It’s a lot more complicated than we’re led to believe. KW: Do you think George Washington’s ex-slave, Henry Washington, should be more of a hero to African-Americans than
his master, the first president of the United States? After all, he escaped from slavery and then gained his freedom by fighting with the British during the Revolutionary War. AE: America is steeped in mythology. The problem is that it’s been living a myth since its inception, starting with The Declaration of Independence. How can you say that all people are created equal, but mean only if they’re white and male? So, we, as its citizens, have continually had to die in the streets to force the country to live up to that promise and be more than a myth, and be a reality for all. That’s why it’s so genius that Clement has Aminata say to George Washington, “If this is what you’re claiming
KW: This film actually moved me to tears on several occasions, like the very touching scene where Aminata tracks down her baby shortly after it was sold, but was immediately ordered off the plantation by its heartless, new slave owner. CV: I’m glad to hear that. It was important to all of us to capture the totality of these characters’ humanity and not just reduce them to their circumstances. Aminata fascinates me, because she reminds me of all that black people have had to overcome. I also appreciated the fact that she was a midwife, since one of the last things she had been told by her mother before being kidnapped and sold into slavery was, “As long as babies are being born, life will go on.” So, her subsequently bringing life into the world is very, very significant. KW: Editor Lisa Loving says: I meet so many people who don’t really know, or worse, don’t think about, the racist roots of our country which have grown into this imperfect present day. Do you see the success of “The Book of Negroes” miniseries as part of a greater awareness in the United States of our racist history and how we should be living now? CV: I consider it part of my job as a filmmaker to put art out into the world that is positive and affirms life. Yes, it says the roots may be racist and brutal, but it cannot define us and it cannot stop us.
KW: Lisa also asks: Who do you feel is “The Book of Negroes’” intended audience? AE: Everybody. KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: How much of YOU is in Aminata Diallo, and how much did you allow yourself to get lost in the character? AE: Aminata couldn’t be more different from me than any character I’ve ever played in terms of her temperament, her world view and the way she carried herself with so much wisdom and grace, even as a child. My sense of self is a lot more haphazard. I lost myself with her, when I put my costume on. You can’t go through what she went through as an actor without giving yourself over to it completely. And I did. So, it got very hard and depressing. Who she is, is not me, which is why playing her was so rewarding ultimately. And I’m very grateful when anyone compliments me on my performance, since that means that they didn’t catch on that I was acting. KW: Lastly, what’s in your wallet? CV: [Laughs] What’s in my wallet? I have a check for $257 that I’ve been walking around with for three weeks that I need to cash. AE: [Laughs] I have a wallet that I got when we were shooting in South Africa. What’s in it? Some change from Canada and other places, and my expired driver’s license. [Laughs some more] KW: Thanks again for the time, Aunjanue and Clement, and best of luck with all your endeavors. AE: Thank you so much, Kam. CV: Bye!