Insight News ::: 4.16.12

Afortunadamente, acá no los matan

By Alberto S. Barrow N. Una cosa en que probablemente todos podamos convenir al iniciar la lectura de este artículo de opinión es que su título no deja buen sabor de boca. ¿Una dosis de perversidad? ¿Acaso

cinismo? ¿Ironía?

Pero el título, tan malogrado como bien pudiera resultar al final del día, es probable que sirva el propósito de poner en controversial perspectiva una situación de ocurrencia

PANAMA TURN TO 6 English translation on page 7

Suluki Fardan

INSIGHT NEWS April 15 - April 22, 2012 • MN Metro Vol. 38 No. 16 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com

Florida arrests Zimmerman

L-R: Laysha Ward, Soledad O’Brien and Al McFarlane

Target Corporation

Creating community, one luncheon at a time

By Al McFarlane Editor-in-Chief Insight publisher, Batala McFarlane and I, were among 30 or so business and community leaders who enjoyed each other’s company while hearing compelling stories about being and staying connected.

The event was an exquisite Target Corporation luncheon at Minneapolis Ivy Hotel last Saturday that featured famed television journalist Soledad O’Brien, and Minnesota Orchestra’s Irvin Mayfield, both of whom were in town for concert collaboration at Orchestra Hall.

Target executive Greg

Cunningham, Sr. Group Manager, Strategic Partnerships and Lifestyle Marketing, orchestrated this eclectic networking assembly around a charge and challenge that those gathered connect and stay in touch in the spirit of creating, building community.

O’Brien illustrated the need for actions, large and small, institutional and personal, that could change outcomes in individuals’ lives. A gifted storyteller, O’Brien is fiercely proud of her roots. Her story illuminates the indignity of ignorance and institutional racism, faced-down, shattered, on a personal level, by strength of character and a legacy of achievement, and, by the unshakeable belief in the promise

of America.

“My mother is Black,” O’Brien said. “She is from Cuba.

My father is white. He is from Australia.”

The award winning CNN broadcaster said her parents, met, dated and fell in love in the 1950s when they were college students in Maryland. But, she said, they had to travel to Washington, D.C. to marry. Maryland law forbade interracial marriage. And when they returned to their Maryland home, they became illegals…not for immigration status, but for their marriage status.

O’Brien said her parents and her family defy naysayers who declare life would be untenable for mixed-race children. With Harvard degrees in their scabbards, O’Brien

and her equally accomplished brothers relentlessly pursue and achieve professional and personal accomplishment while reaching out to touch the lives of people they encounter in ways that link the young people they mentor to the promise of America as well.

“As a journalist, I’m passionate about justice and fairness and telling stories that challenge the conventional view of people and issues. Through my journey, I’ve learned that our lives should not only be measured by success but significance. My greatest rewards have been beyond the stories when I’ve been able to help change the outcome.”

COMMUNITY TURN TO 14

Florida law enforcement officials Wednesday afternoon arrested George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

Special prosecutor Angela Corey is charging Zimmerman with second-degree murder.

Zimmerman has admitted to shooting the unarmed 17-yearold Martin in February, but claims he acted in self-defense. Local police detained then re...leased Zimmerman, partly because of Florida’s so-called “stand your ground” self-defense law, which gives people wide latitude to claim self-defense in altercations.

Corey says that authorities did not come to their decision to charge Zimmerman with second-degree murder lightly, nor was it based on public pressure, according to an Associated Press and CBS News report. The charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Second-degree murder is typically charged when there is a fight or other confrontation that results in death and where there is no premeditated plan to kill someone.

Martin’s mother Sybrina

George Zimmerman Fulton said earlier she knows “justice will be served” in her son’s death.

The Martin’s attorney, Benjamin Crump, said the family urges communities nationwide to remain calm in response to the prosecutor’s decision. “We don’t need anybody taking these matters into their own hands,” Crump said.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, whose Justice Department launched an investigation of the Martin killing three weeks ago, said he would take appropriate action if evidence of a civil rights crime is found in the shooting.

PhotoXpress

US-Cuba policy:

Legislators decry wasteful spending 50 years of failure US Rep. Betty McCollum last week received a letter from more than half of the women state legislators of Minnesota that calls for a reduction in military spending. The letter was presented by Minnesota State Senators Sandy Pappas and Mary Jo McGuire and State Representative Phyllis Kahn.

“It is not acceptable for House Republicans to pass a “millionaires manifesto” that showers millionaires and billionaires with tax breaks and other benefits, and protect billions in oil company subsidies and wasteful Pentagon spending, while abandoning the middle class and local communities,” said McCollum.

“Washington should be a partner for opportunity and economic growth for our entire country by investing in education, basic research, modern infrastructure and clean energy.”

The letter points out that military spending will comprise about 56 percent of

By Alexander Frye

www.mccollum.house.gov

Peruvian Attorney and current legislative fellow in the Office of Senator Katie Sieben Patricia Lozada, Minnesota State Senator and WiLL VP Sandy Pappas, Congresswoman McCollum, Minnesota State Senator Mary Jo McGuire

SPENDING TURN TO 7

Sports

Marcus hill plays in NBA Philippines Typhoon Relief game

PAGE 3

Education

Northside Hmong students meet legislators

PAGE 4

This past February marked the 50thanniversary of Washington’s embargo against Cuba. The birthday, which went uncelebrated here and in the Caribbean, was a grim reminder of the persistence of one of Washington’s most egregious foreign policy blunders.

Enacted less than a year after President Kennedy’s illfated attempt to unseat Fidel Castro’s fledgling communist government at the Bay of Pigs, the embargo was designed with the express purpose of ousting Castro and his fellow revolutionaries from power.

Renewed on a yearly basis under the aegis of the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, the policy was last extended in September 2011 by President Obama, who stated, “I hereby determine that the continuation for 1 year of [the embargo] with respect to Cuba is in the national interest of the United States.”

Lifestyle

Dawoud Bey, Picturing People

PAGE 8

But is it?

In the 1960s, when the embargo was young and the United States was in the throes of the Cold War, that Washington would seek to ostracize the newly installed communist government in Havana is understandable.

Fidel Castro had, after all, just toppled the U.S.backed Batista regime, and subsequently nationalized all American holdings on the island. And in October 1962, a scant eight months after President Kennedy’s embargo went into full effect, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. U.S.-Cuban relations remained rocky throughout the Cold War, and in 1996, ties were further marred by an incident in which the Cubans shot down two privately flown Cessna planes which had crossed into their airspace, killing the four Cuban Americans on board.

CUBA TURN TO 7

Full Circle

What is a mid-life crisis?

PAGE 10

Page 2 • April 15 - April 22, 2012 • Insight News

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Frias named to philanthropy post Luz Maria Frias has joined The Minneapolis Foundation as the new Vice President of Community Philanthropy. Frias currently serves as Director of the City of St. Paul’s Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity Department. She brings to the Foundation a wealth of expertise in human services, strategic planning, public policy, budget developing and management, and many other valuable skills. In addition to her expertise, she also brings a strong commitment to justice and a clear vision of what it takes to create a more equitable community – core values and priorities of the Foundation.

In her new role, Frias will oversee The Minneapolis Foundation’s Community Grantmaking, which distributes $5 million each year to transform education, promote economic vitality, and build social capital.

She will also provide strategic direction and leadership to the Foundation’s community initiatives and will partner with

agencies across the city and state, as well as the Foundation’s many donors, to create more community impact.

Frias has more than 20 years of experience with community engagement, and has demonstrated an ability to build productive partnerships with a diversity of communities, policy makers, and organizations to achieve better outcomes for Twin Cities residents. In 2006, Frias joined Mayor Chris Coleman’s staff as external affairs director and in 2009 was appointed to serve as the first director of the newly created Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity Department. In this role, Frias oversees $400 million in public procurement and contracts across city and county offices, as well as provides leadership and oversight of the City’s human rights investigations and promotion of expanded business opportunities for small, women and minorityowned businesses, among other responsibilities.

Luz Maria Frias “Luz’s commitment to low income residents and communities of color, inclusive approach to addressing issues, tactical tenacity and strategic planning skills will make her a valuable asset to the Foundation,” said Sandra L. Vargas, president and CEO of The Minneapolis Foundation. “She has served

as a great steward of public tax dollars, and we believe she will also be a faithful steward of the Foundation’s charitable resources – listening and responding to community needs to address the greatest challenges facing our city efficiently and effectively.”

Frias’ previous professional experience includes serving as chief legal officer of Centro Legal, and working as a Family Court Magistrate in the Second and Fourth Judicial Districts in Minnesota, and work for the Minnesota House of Representatives. Frias received her J.D. from the University of Iowa’s College of Law, M.A. from the University of Iowa, and her B.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is involved in the Twin Cities community and has served or currently serves on the boards of HealthPartners, The Saint Paul Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation, Council on Crime and Justice, Ramsey County Juvenile Detention

Alternatives Initiative, and various other organizations.

“Among an exceptional pool of candidates, Luz demonstrated the leadership, vision, and outcomes-driven perspective needed to move toward a more equitable community. She has deep expertise and a passion for making sure that every Minneapolis child has access to a great education, every adult has the tools needed to participate in our workforce, and every person can speak for themselves,” said Lynn Casey, CEO of Padilla Spear Beardsly and Chair of The Minneapolis Foundation’s Board of Trustees. “The common thread that runs through all that Luz has done is her focus on social, racial, and economic equity – a perspective that is consistent with the Foundation’s work.”

Luz will formally begin her role at The Minneapolis Foundation on April 30, in order to provide a seamless transition from the City of Saint Paul.

“I’m honored to have this

opportunity to contribute to the Foundation’s work and mission, particularly as it pertains to the OneMinneapolis initiative, which has a tremendous ability to help us prioritize goals, leverage our resources, and measure our progress,” Luz said. “I have long admired The Minneapolis Foundation’s unparalleled leadership in the fight to advance racial, social and economic equity in Minneapolis and across the Metro Area.”

Frias will replace Karen Kelley-Ariwoola, who recently left her position as Vice President of Community Philanthropy after more than 18 years of service to spend more time with her family.

Rebecca Driscoll, a principal at KeyStone Search, led the Foundation’s recruitment and hiring process.

For more information on The Minneapolis Foundation’s community grantmaking, visit http://MinneapolisFoundation. org/CommunityGrants.aspx.

2012 state road construction program underway MnDOT last Friday, 4/6/12, announced that the 2012 construction program includes

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Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane CFO Adrianne Hamilton-Butler Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Vice President of Sales & Marketing Selene White Culture and Education Editor Irma McClaurin Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Ben Williams Production Intern Natalie Benz Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Facilities Support / Assistant Producer, Conversations with Al McFarlane Bobby Rankin Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Staff Writer Ivan B. Phifer Contributing Writers Cordie Aziz Maya Beecham Harry Colbert, Jr. Brenda Colston Julie Desmond Fred Easter S. Himie Oshana Himot Timothy Houston Marcia Humphrey Alaina L. Lewis Lydia Schwartz Stacey Taylor Photography Suluki Fardan Tobechi Tobechukwu Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55411.

316 projects around the state with a construction cost of $1.1 billion. “The program moves us closer toward our goal of building and maintaining a transportation system that improves Minnesotans’ quality of life by relieving congestion, improving regional corridors and enhancing safety on the state’s 12,000-mile trunk highway system,” said Rebecca Fabunmi, MnDOT Customer Relations Manager.

“This year’s program will aid the state’s economy by supporting

David Gonzalez, MnDOT Photographer

Rebecca Fabunmi

thousands of jobs this year. The highway construction industry employs thousands and is a key partner in our efforts to deliver this program,” she said, adding that MnDOT is committed to ensuring equal opportunity for all businesses and personnel on MnDot projects.

State highway construction projects scheduled for this year include work on the Interstate I-694/Highway 10 interchange in the Twin Cities metro area and the final wrap-up of bridge and pavement replacement on

a section of I-35 in Duluth. In addition, several modal projects are scheduled that will improve safety at railroad crossings, repair seawalls and docks and make improvements on runways and terminals at regional airports.

Projects this year in the Twin Cities metro area include: Continuing work on the Highway 52 Lafayette Bridge in St. Paul.

Resurfacing Interstate 35E between St. Paul and Forest Lake.

Continuing work on the Hwy

169 and I-494 interchange.

Projects in Greater Minnesota include: Constructing an interchange on Highway 14 in North Mankato.

Resurfacing portions of Hwy 10 between Clear Lake and Big Lake.

Resurfacing 28 miles of Hwy 71 in Koochiching County.

For more information the 2012 construction program, including statewide project lists and maps, visit www.dot.state. mn.us/construction/.

Postal Service tests ability to deliver medication in a public health emergency On Sunday, May 6, U.S. Postal Service volunteers will make an unusual delivery in selected Twin Cities neighborhoods: An empty pill bottle at each residential mailing address. In the west metro, all residential addresses in ZIP codes 55411 and 55422 will be a part of the exercise, so people in parts of north Minneapolis,

Crystal, Golden Valley, and Robbinsdale will receive the delivery. People who receive the pill bottle do not need to do anything—just recycle the bottle.

The event is part of “Operation Medicine Delivery,” a test designed to see how fast postal teams can deliver medicine to homes in a simulated public health

emergency. As part of the exercise, postal volunteers escorted by law enforcement officers will deliver a simulated supply of medication to approximately 37,000 residences.

Each household will get an empty pill bottle and a flyer explaining the purpose of the exercise.

Delivery will occur in ZIP codes 55101, 55102, 55411 and

55422 in Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Robbinsdale, Golden Valley, and Crystal. The May 6 event is only a test, and there is no reason to believe an emergency is imminent.

Each household involved in the exercise will receive a flyer in the mail in the days leading up to the exercise, so residents know what to expect.

Agencies participating in the exercise include the U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Minnesota Department of Health, ECHO Minnesota, and local public health and law enforcement agencies.

In this exercise, government agencies will test the postal plan to help communities prepare for and respond to various public health emergencies. For example, if there were a bioterrorist attack using anthrax, people would need to get started on antibiotics with 48 hours. Local public health agencies would set up special clinics to get people medicine, and they may also use postal delivery to quickly distribute medicine.

An ample supply of medication has been stockpiled for use in emergencies. These medications would be provided to the public free of charge.

The idea of using postal delivery teams to distribute preventive medication during an emergency has already been tested, on a limited basis, in Boston, Philadelphia, and Seattle.

However, this is the first metro area to recruit a full complement of postal participants, and set up a fully developed postal delivery system.

More information about Operation Medicine Delivery is available at the MDH website at www.health.state.mn.us/ oep/postal.html.

Emergency, Community, Health, and Outreach (ECHO) Minnesota also has a variety of information on the exercise available in multiple languages through phone recordings, a video, and printed materials which are available at www.echominnesota.org (or by calling 888-883-8831 after April 11).

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Insight News • April 15 - April 22, 2012 • Page 3

Marcus Hill Group

L-r: Coach Andre Cobbs, Juaquin Hawkins, Alastair Baird (little boy), Keith Closs, Tony Farmer, Marcus Hill and Sheila LaRue.

Marcus Hill plays in the NBA Philippines Typhoon Relief Game

By Alaina L. Lewis Contributing Writer On March 25 th, a select few former NBA players joined coach Andre Cobbs of United Recreational Sports and C-1 Group for a charity basketball event. Held in Los Angeles, CA, the basketball game raised money for the Philippines typhoon relief, a tragedy that occurred in December 2011 and took the lives of thousands of Filipinos.

Brooklyn Park native, Marcus Edward Hill, formerly of the NBA D-League team Springfield Armor, was on the roster. Hill’s participation in the game gave him the opportunity to hoop with some NBA greats and international ballers who came from the Philippines for the charity event.

“I’m really thankful to have had the opportunity to take something that I love like basketball, and use it to help other people around the world,” Hill stated. “What

happened in the Philippines was a tragedy— I can’t even imagine what they’re going through right now. I think it’s a great thing when you can pull together a strong team and we’re all able to stop, reflect and do something huge to help out our fellow brothers and sisters. I’m just really happy to have been a part of that.”

Other players who participated in the event included Keith Closs (Los Angeles Clippers) Corey Benjamin (Chicago Bulls), Juaquin Hawkins (Houston Rockets), and Tony Farmer (Golden State Warriors). In addition to the basketball game, there was also a silent auction and plenty of musical entertainment. A day prior to the game Hill and the other players spent the afternoon at a church block party benefiting the Typhoon Relief in an effort to promote and further assist in raising money for this cause.

“All of the week’s events really spoke to me and the work I already do with youth in our community in Minnesota,

so I was glad to get the call to come out to Los Angeles and participate in something this important,” Hill said.

Hill has recently done some mentoring and volunteer work with local organizations like Youth Determined to Succeed, The Boys and Girls Club and Inner City Impact in Chicago.

His mission has always been to encourage others to look towards the road ahead, even if they’re not where they want to be now.

To prepare for the game, Hill spent the week in Los Angeles training with the creator of the charity event, Coach Andre Cobbs. Cobbs has trained his roster of clients to be in top competitive shape for film roles as well as important tournaments. His clients include Jamie Foxx, famed boxer Manny Pacquiao, and now Marcus Hill.

Hill’s workout regimen for the week included multiple runs up and down a monstrous mountain, to a new age and redefining work out at the Crystal Fitwell Clinic where the machines are look like

something at a NASA space center. Hill eased in 15 points and 8 assists while playing 24 minutes of the game.

Currently Hill is looking to play professional basketball internationally, and is keeping his eyes and ears open for the

right opportunity out there.

To follow Marcus Hill on his basketball journey, visit: www. theevolutionofmarcushill.com

www.stanthony.k12.mn.us/district/news-81.html

St. Anthony Village High School junior Jamie Piekarcyck’s artwork, titled “73’ Duster”, was awarded first place in Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District 2011 Art Competition. Pictured above, from left to right, are Congressman Keith Ellison, Jamie Piekarcyzk, St. Anthony Village High School Principal Wayne Terry, Robert Weiss, and Sarah Gunderson, St. Anthony Village High School art teacher.

Ellison to host the Annual Congressional Art Competition Rep. Keith Ellison (DMN) is inviting high school students in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District to enter the annual Congressional Art Competition. The Congressional Art Competition-- An Artistic Discovery, which members of the U.S. House of Representatives sponsor each spring, recognizes and encourages students’ talent in the visual arts.

The Minneapolis Metropolitan region has a long history of appreciating the arts and is known nationwide for having a vibrant arts community. Last year, more than 15 high schools participated in the competition. Jamie Piekarcyck of St. Anthony High

School was the overall winner and her artwork is displayed in the U.S. Capitol, along with artwork from other first-prize winners nationwide. The second- and thirdplace winners will have their art displayed in the Congressman’s offices in Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis respectively.

Participating students must be in grades 9 through 12. However, 7th and 8th graders who attend a combined school featuring grades 7 through 12 can also enter the competition.

Please submit the student release form at http://www. house.gov/content/educate/ art_competition/pdf/studentinformation-release-form.pdf and

a one-paragraph artist statement to Aya Johnson at Aya.Johnson@ mail.house.gov by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, April 23, 2012.

All artwork will be collected Friday, April 27 from 3:00 p.m.6:00 p.m. at the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, 2117 West River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55411.

Rep. Ellison will also host the Arts Education Forum and Awards reception at the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, April 30, 2012 from 6:30-8:30 pm. All contestants, their families, art teachers, contest judges, and the public are invited and the Congressman will announce this year’s winners.

Page 4 • April 15 - April 22, 2012 • Insight News

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EDUCATION

Hmong students urge Representative Bobby Joe Champion (DFL, Minneapolis) to support school bus transportation to Hopkins, Wayzata

Jay Clark

Northside Hmong students meet legislators

By Jay Clark On April 5, 25 North Minneapolis Hmong students stormed into the Minnesota state capitol. All these students go to school in the Hopkins and Wayzata school systems, and they went to the capitol to urge the legislators to continue to support their school bus transportation.

The Hmong fought along side the Americans in the Vietnam war, saving many downed pilots.

After being forced to flee Laos in 1975, many Hmong families were trapped for decades in Thai refugee camps. In 2005 the last Hmong refugee camp closed, and hundreds of Hmong came from Thailand to North Minneapolis.

Beginning n the 2007-2008 school year, some of these newly-

arrived Hmong refugee students started entering the Hopkins and Wayzata school systems. They wanted to learn English as fast as possible and get a quality education enabling them to go to college. Bus transportation has been provided through the Choice Is Yours program.

The students talked with close to 20 legislators, including all but one of the Minneapolis senators.

They told legislators that they like going to Hopkins and Wayzata because they are surrounded

by English speakers, take very challenging classes, and get lots of help from their teachers. They explained that their classes are smaller, they have more class offerings, and because the other students in their classes study hard to go to college, and it pushes the Hmong students to study harder

also.

For the past three school years, the University of Minnesota has been studying the progress of these Hmong refugee students in the Hopkins school system. In a soon-to-be published report, the researchers conclude that the Hmong refugee students are succeeding at Hopkins.

The study cites: Supportive, competent teachers

go out of their way to help students during and after school Students are pushed hard in mainstream classes, and specialized staff give additional help on the hardest courses such as history and science Their academic English continues to steadily improve.

CAPITOL TURN TO 14

EMS academy: In the tradition On April 16, the fifth graduating class of the Saint Paul EMS Academy will receive their EMT certifications.

Saint Paul EMS Academy is unique in many ways, including its holistic, multi-faceted teaching and support services that stand out among traditional EMS training programs.

“Forty years ago, there was an institution remarkably similar: the Freedom House Ambulance Service.

What began as a grassroots, civil rights and community organizing center, Freedom House later grew into the first paramedic service in the United States. It was directed and staffed by entrepreneurial African American men and women of a low-income Pittsburgh neighborhood who wanted to save lives and serve their community. Their efforts resulted in the nation’s earliest paramedic program and catalyzed the birth of modern pre-hospital medicine,” said Luz María Frías, director of St. Paul’s Office of Human Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity which sponsors the training program.

“This April, the City of Saint Paul and its partners

will recognize the Freedom House Ambulance Service for its courageous leadership and enduring legacy. In partnership with Macalester College and Inver Hills Community College, the Saint Paul EMS Academy has arranged for three of the original Freedom House paramedics to visit Saint Paul during these festivities. We are thrilled that these individuals will participate in a series of public events and deliver the EMS Academy’s graduation keynote address,” Frias said.

Schedule of Events: April 16th, 8:00-9:00 a.m.

-- Saint Paul Fire Station 51 Renaming and Dedication Ceremony 296 West 7th Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102 Station 51, home of the Saint Paul EMS Academy, is to be renamed “Freedom House Station 51.” The Office of Mayor Chris Coleman will present three of the original Freedom House paramedics with city proclamations, dedicating Station 51 in honor of the Freedom House Ambulance Service.

April 16th, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. -- Freedom House “Street

Saviors” - Documentary Film & Discussion Inver Hills Community College, Room FA 165 (Black Box Theater) On-campus screening of the award-winning documentary, Street Saviors, which tells the Freedom House story.

April 16th, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

-- EMS Academy Graduation Ceremony Dayton’s Bluff Recreation Center, 800 Conway Street, Saint Paul, MN 55106 Graduation of the EMS Academy Class of Spring 2012, featuring keynote speakers of the original Freedom House Ambulance Service.

April 17th, 2012, 3:15 – 5:30 p.m. -- Freedom House “Street Saviors” - Documentary Film & Discussion Wellstone Center, 179 Robie Street East, Saint Paul, MN 55107 A public screening of the award-winning documentary, Street Saviors, which tells the Freedom House story. Panel discussion following the film.

To view Street Savior documentary trailer: h t t p : / / w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=vi-qt6fyAKU

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Insight News • April 15 - April 22, 2012 • Page 5

AESTHETICS River’s Edge Music Festival lacks diversity

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer With the Taste of Minnesota gone from Harriet Island in St. Paul, the site will now play host to the two-day River’s Edge Music Festival, but do not expect to see much in the way of R&B or hip hop.

The June 23 and June 24 festival, expected to attract more than 40,000 daily, will feature prominent acts the Dave Mathews Band and Tool with several other established and local artists. And though the Dave Mathews Band

is diverse in its make-up, the current line-up lacks the same diversity. But officials from Live Nation, the company responsible for bringing the new festival, said additional acts will be named and it is quite possible these acts could be of the soul/R&B or hip hop genres.

“There’s no question we’re missing a couple of genres of music,” said Mark Campana, president of Live Nation. “There are more acts to come and we’d love to see a great hip hop act to fill the bill.”

Campana said Live Nation has rights to produce concerts

for mega-star Jay Z, but he is committed to a series of European shows with Kanye West during the time of the festival. Local promoter, Tommy Ginoza, who is assisting Live Nation with finding acts for the two festival stages said he was also concerned with stepping on the toes of the already established hip hop event, Soundset, which takes place on May 27 at Canterbury Park in Shakopee. Soundset will feature acts Lupe Fiasco, Bit K.R.I.T., Wu Tang members Ghost Face Killah and Raekwon and several local artists.

“But this (River’s Edge) isn’t

just a one-time thing and I’ve got some really cool ideas that I hope the city (St. Paul) will go along with in the future,” said Ginoza.

The producers of River’s Edge are working with St. Paul city officials including the mayor and police department on several logistical issues including public safety, parking, and noise control.

Campana said he has assured the city it the festival will conclude at 10 p.m. nightly.

Tickets for the two-day event are on sale now at www. riversedgemusicfestival.com and the Xcel Center box office. Twoday passes are being introduced

American Family at Park Square Theatre

Play explores the other side of racism

By Alaina L. Lewis Contributing Writer Playwright Carlyle Brown knows how to stir some echoes. His latest piece, American Family, closed April 7th at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul, charts the story of a young Caucasian woman named Mary Ellen (Tracey Maloney), and her journey to mentally and emotionally find her way back to a family she was ripped from as a child due to the racially charged South.

The play sees Mary Ellen in two different lights. One as the 10-year-old who struggles to understand life apart from her dolls and youthful innocence, while the older Mary Ellen is layered in hate and confusion towards a mother and family who let her be drug from their home by an emotionless and racist father (John Middleton). Her father couldn’t fathom her growing up in a home with a Black man. No matter what Mary Ellen’s mother and stepfather do, they never are able to get her back.

For Mary Ellen, this abandonment translates as her mother choosing a Black man

Petronella Ytsma

Laura Collins Richardson (Noel Raymond), Jimmy Richardson (Gavin Lawrence), Mary Ellen (Megan Fischer), Narrator (Tracey Maloney) over her. Unfortunately, the feeling of being tossed away causes her to grow up and explore the world of hate crimes and racism alongside a boyfriend who bows to the Ku Klux Klan. The only thing that eventually pulls

Mary Ellen out of this black hole, is word from her mother in a letter that she has a half brother named Tommy (Michael Terrell Brown).

It’s stifling for her to think that the slaying of innocent Black men could easily translate as karma

for other hate groups to kill her brother, Tommy. This is enough to pull Mary Ellen out of hell.

We only hate what we fear and it

FAMILY TURN TO 11

at $99 with no service fees. This price is in effect until Apr. 20.

After that date, the price will escalate to $110 and service fees will apply. Campana said oneday tickets will be available and he expects those tickets to be priced at $75.

Campana said River’s Edge is partnering with The Children’s Cancer Research Fund and will donate a portion of sales to the local charity. In addition, Live Nation will fund the July 4 fireworks show at Harriet Island.

Page 6 • April 15 - April 22, 2012 • Insight News

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HEALTH Understanding healing and domestic abuse

By Dr. Jeanne King, Ph.D Emotional verbal abuse in marriage is commonplace in couples of all walks of life.

Sometimes it’s an innocent

reflexive gesture that comes out unconsciously. And other times, it’s an oral blow intended to smack you across your heart and soul.

The question is what do you do in the moment it comes your

way? And then, as a result of this, what follows?

Swallowing emotional and verbal abuse Spousal abuse survivors become accustomed to swallowing emotional and verbal abuse as though it was part of their daily bread. They come to see it simply as “what he does.”

They know that if they challenge it, there will be more. So, they quietly hold their own...chewing...stewing... digesting the indigestible.

Then the day comes when they say to themselves, “That’s it, no more!” But this doesn’t stop his being emotionally and verbally abusive.

Dodging emotional and verbal abuse in marriage Now, the path of least resistance is to disappear psychologically and hide out inside your skin as though you were not there. For some spousal abuse survivors, this method of dealing with verbal emotional abuse may “work” temporarily.

It’s like you don’t allow the

Dr. Jeanne King, Ph.D. dart to pierce your flesh, but the fact that you see it coming still hurts your soul. From here, you suffer in silence.

Responsibly deflecting verbal emotional abuse Imagine for a moment that you had the skill, felt the freedom and knew the safety of openly sending the dart back for you partner to own. Now, I realize that this sounds like a tall order for those in an abusive relationship.

Panama From 1 cotidiana en Panamá, a la cual buena parte de la sociedad no le ha prestado, hasta ahora, la atención que su gravedad amerita.

Salvo por algunas voces persistentes, a muchos les viene más cómodo mirar para otro lado, cuando se señala que la Policía Nacional muestra una particular actuación ante ciertos sectores y grupos sociales, sin que con esto se desconozca que, en general, el conjunto de la sociedad panameña suele tener razones para cuestionar el tratamiento que en ocasiones recibe de los llamados agentes del orden público.

El tema de la conducta policial ante determinados sectores y

Albert S. Barrow N. grupos sociales es uno que se debate en distintas latitudes, y desde hace ya bastante tiempo.

Justamente, en estos días, se ha conocido de la muerte de un joven afroamericano, que fue impactado por el disparo de un vigilante privado, caucásico.

El hecho ha concitado una gran atención mediática y avivado en Estados Unidos el debate racial, uno que a mi juicio nunca se ha cerrado, con todo y la asunción a la Casa Blanca del Presidente Barack Obama, el primer americano de tez negra en ocupar el cargo. En poco menos de un mes, un hecho acaecido en una pequeña localidad del

Moreover, it is not your responsibility to stop him from being emotionally and verbally abusive toward you. But it is your responsibility to set your own boundaries and own the impact of his actions upon you.

From here, he can see what he is doing and can chose to change what he may not even be aware of doing. Sometimes batterers throw out emotional verbal pot shots without even realizing they are doing it.

This interaction pattern is so ingrained in them that they themselves don’t even know when they are sniping their survivor spouse. All they see is that she has become “cold and withdrawn” again.

Interrupting the cycle of emotional verbal abuse in marriage If you are in a relationship characterized by habitual verbal and emotional abuse, seek to become aware of your options for dealing with it. There are situations in which you can influence this pattern, and there are situations in which your only choice is to leave.

If you are at the stage in your relationship in which you have not thrown the towel in, but have personally run out of ways to deal with the verbal abuse in your marriage, then consider “abusive relationship therapy.”

Abusive relationship therapy, commonly known as domestic abuse counseling, is treatment for combative behavior in the context of relationship therapy. It may have a couples and an individual component to best address domestic abuse dynamics.

Dr. Jeanne King, Ph.D. helps people nationwide recognize, end and heal from domestic abuse. She is the founding Director of Partners in Prevention, a non-profit organization committed to helping bridge healthcare delivery and domestic abuse victim advocacy. © Jeanne King, Ph.D. Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention

Editor’s Note: Panamanian Attorney and rights activist Alberto S. Barrow reached out to Insight regarding a discussion in Panamanian media about whether Black girls should be allowed to wear braids in school. A child had been expelled with the argument that ethnic hair styles were a distraction from the central mission of education…learning. That thread will be presented in coming editions of Insight News and at our website, www.insightnews.com. But today, we are presenting, in Spanish and English another piece authored by Barrow: a commentary on racial profiling people of African descent experience in Panama, just like in Florida, as in the Trayvon Martin case. Most importantly this connection with Mr. Barrow has opened a doorway to an important content platform, Analisis Afrodescendiente, which we will engage to share with you issues, ideas, challenges and successes of descendants of Africa living in Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and beyond. These essays and discussion remind us and confirm that our struggle is the same worldwide: dignity and respect for our persons, our heritage and culture, and our right to full participation in the affairs of governance, locally, nationally and globally.

- Al McFarlane

Estado de La Florida ha alcanzado dimensión nacional y ha generado numerosas manifestaciones, en varias ciudades de EE.UU., de parte de las grandes minorías de ese país, que se han expresado en contra de la discriminación que el caso ha puesto en evidencia.

Trayvon Martin, de 17 años,

salió de casa el sábado 26 de febrero en la noche para comprar algo de comer. Cuando retornaba a su hogar, George Zimmerman, el precitado guardia de seguridad, advirtió su presencia en el camino, y llamó por radio a la policía identificando al joven como un negro “muy sospechoso”, que parecía que “iba drogado o algo”, encapuchado y caminando en medio de la lluvia. Después, se acercó a él y lo mató de un tiro.

En defensa propia, afirmaría luego de los hechos. Zimmerman fue dejado en libertad por la policía, aun cuando está confeso, y no le acompaña ningún elemento objetivo que justifique su conducta.

Trayvon Martin era negro y operó en su contra el perfilamiento racial, un fenómeno social que hace rato dejó de ser exclusivo, si es que alguna vez lo fue, de la sociedad norteamericana. En el caso de América Latina, el tema viene mereciendo una mirada, cada vez más cercana, del sistema de Naciones Unidas, la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, así como otras instancias internacionales.

Acá, en casa, Panamá, el perfilamiento racial ha estado presente, desde tiempos inveterados. Y tiende a agravarse.

Baste que hoy día se le pregunte a los jóvenes negros de nuestros barrios populares e, inclusive, de algunos sectores medios, con qué frecuencia son interpelados en las calles, sin ningún motivo, al menos aparente, por agentes de la Policía Nacional. ¿A cuántos se les maltrata, humilla, y exhibe ante el público, sin que hayan cometido acto contrario a la ley o falta alguna? Selectivamente, se les detiene en las calles, cuando no en las propias cercanías de sus casas, por la misma razón que en Sandford, esa pequeña localidad de La Florida, Trayvon Martin perdió la vida: Su condición racial; se les presume “sospechosos”.

Que no somos Estados Unidos.

Desde luego que no. Tampoco somos París, Londres ni Río de Janeiro, apenas para mencionar otras disimilitudes. ¿Pero, qué tan distinto es el perfilamiento racial en Panamá con respecto a otras sociedades que acusan este problema?

Me late que mientras en Panamá no hagamos conciencia del fenómeno, como sociedad, es probable que podamos asirnos del título que cuelga sobre este texto y sentirnos algo tranquilos: Afortunadamente, acá no los matan.

Personalmente, me sigo interrogando, tanto más que al inicio, ¿No sería eso una perversa, cínica e infortunada ironía? *El autor es abogado.

insightnews.com

Insight News • April 15 - April 22, 2012 • Page 7

Fortunately, they don’t kill them here

By Alberto S. Barrow N. Translated by Insight News Editor’s Note: Insight News translation of Spanish text story Afortunadamente, acá no los matan from page 1.

One thing we probably all agree upon before reading this opinion piece is that its title does not leave a good taste in your mouth. Is it evil? Is it cynicism? Irony?

But the title, as unfortunate as it may well be, at the end of the day, is likely to serve the purpose of stirring controversy around a grave situation of

Cuba From 1 The Cuba of the 1960s, however, is not the Cuba of today. Since his assumption of the presidency in 2006, Raúl Castro has done away with many of the restrictions on the purchase of cell phones, microwaves, and other longsought items previously prohibited under his brother’s rule. He has overhauled the system of compensation in all state-run companies to better reward the most productive employees, and has fired numerous government officials said to have been standing in the way of further economic reform. Raúl’s tenure has seen the privatization of portions of the economy so as to create and bolster a new “non-state” sector, as well as the release of the last of the political dissidents jailed in the 2003

Spending From 1 the discretionary budget in the coming year, and that deeper cuts to other areas of the discretionary budget will do little to alleviate the federal deficit and cause

daily occurrence in Panama, to which much of society has not paid attention so far.

Except for a few persistent voices, many are more comfortable looking away when the National Police shows a particular bias against certain sectors and social groups.

This, even though in general, the whole Panamanian society often has reason to question the treatment they sometimes receive from the so-called law enforcement.

The issue of police conduct to certain sectors and social groups is one that is discussed in different social classes.

The discussion these days is precipitated by the death of a

young African American who was killed by a Caucasian private security guard.

The incident has attracted huge media attention and fueled U.S. racial debate, one which I believe has never been closed, and included the White House of President Barack Obama, the first Black American in charge.

In less than a month, an incident that occurred in a small town in Florida has reached national dimensions and has generated numerous protests in several U.S. cities, by minorities which have spoken out against discrimination that the case has revealed.

Trayvon Martin, 17, left home on Saturday February

26 at night to buy food.

When returning home, George Zimmerman, the aforementioned security guard noticed him on the road, and radioed the police, identified the boy as a black, “very suspicious,” who seemed “drugged or something,” hooded and walking in the rain. Zimmerman said Martin attacked him so he shot Martin in self-defense.

Zimmerman was released by police.

Trayvon Martin was Black and a victim of racial profiling, a social phenomenon no longer exclusive, if it ever was, to American society. In the case of Latin America,

the topic deserves of a look, an examination by the United Nations, by the Commission on Human Rights and other international bodies.

Here, at home, in Panama, racial profiling has been around since time inveterate.

And it tends to worsen. Young Blacks of our neighborhoods, and even some middle class neighborhoods, often are challenged in the streets for no apparent reason by agents of the National Police. How many are abused, humiliated, and exhibited before the public, who have not broken the law?

Selectively, they are stopped in the streets, perhaps near or far from their homes, for the

same reason as in Sandford, Florida, where Trayvon Martin was killed: his racial status, are presumed “suspect.”

We are not America. We are not Paris, London or Rio de Janeiro.. But how different is the racial profiling in Panama compared to other countries?

Panama is conscious of the phenomenon, but as a society, we are likely to hold onto the title that hangs over this text and feel something cool: Fortunately, here they don’t kill them.

Personally, I keep questioning the title from the beginning: would not that be an evil, cynical and unfortunate irony.

Black Spring crackdown.

In 2010, Fidel Castro himself stated in an interview with Atlantic correspondent Jeffrey Goldberg that “the Cuban model doesn’t even work for us anymore.” After its publication, the aging exdictator claimed his comment was misinterpreted, but such a statement cannot be readily misunderstood, and the past few years have been telling.

Cuba is less ideologically motivated today than at any point in recent history, and the Castro brothers have repeatedly stated their desire to achieve reconciliation with the United States.

Yet Washington, for its part, continues its irrational and imprudent support of a policy which over the past five decades has proven itself an unequivocal failure. The Castros are still in power, and Cuba is still militantly socialist—though no more so than China or Vietnam,

with which the United States maintains relatively healthy diplomatic and economic ties.

Havana’s record on human rights remains lackluster— but so, too, does Beijing’s

dealing with them. Washington routinely associates with nations more oppressive and less democratic than its Caribbean neighbor, and yet with Cuba, it balks. Such

and a score of other U.S. trading partners’. And Cubans still do not enjoy fully free elections—but neither do the Saudis or Russians, and the U.S. has no compunction about

a towering inconsistency, in light of the productive relationships the U.S. pursues with other questionably democratic societies and the wholly unproductive nature of

its Cuba policy, cannot stand.

And were it not for Florida’s position as a swing state and the influence of the many proembargo Cuban Americans who live there, it would not.

Washington’s stubbornness has cost the United States billions of dollars in lost sales, and has, by Havana’s own estimate, cost the Cubans upwards of $975 billion since the embargo’s inception.

Though such a figure may be inflated, there can be no doubt that the U.S., whose economic size and close proximity make it a natural Cuban trading partner, is at least partly responsible for the island’s dearth of badly needed medical supplies and crushing shortage of building materials.

Unfortunately for the United States, to combat shortfalls, Cuba has increasingly turned to countries like Venezuela, Russia, and China, which have all condemned the U.S. embargo—along with the

entirety of the U.N. General Assembly, save Israel—and which have all been eager to peddle their goods and influence in the Caribbean. The United States, in both prestige and trading opportunities, is patently missing out.

President Obama has taken a step in the right direction by easing restrictions on travel to the island for Cuban Americans and certain student and religious groups. But if the U.S. would truly like to see an open Cuba, then it must go further. Considering the massive concessions it is prepared to make to such absolute pariahs as Iran and North Korea, it is long past time for Washington to end its 50-year tantrum. The Cold War is over; five decades of senseless stalemate is enough.

This analysis was prepared

by Alexander Frye, Research Associate for the Council on Hemispheric Affairs.

catastrophic cuts to the social safety net. It also calls attention to the Pentagon’s lack of budgetary discipline and inability to conduct an audit. The letter was an initiative of the Women Legislator’s Lobby (WiLL), a national network of women state legislators who work together to influence federal policy and budget priorities, for which State

Senator Sandy Pappas serves as vice president.

“Congresswoman McCollum has been a great ally in shining a light on wasteful, unnecessary Pentagon spending, and we want her to keep up that fight this year,” said Pappas. “We should spend what we need to keep our nation safe and secure,

and we must support our troops.

But we cannot afford to keep wasting money on things like an outdated excessive nuclear arsenal and weapons systems the Pentagon does not want or need.

Scarce dollars can be better spent investing in programs that keep us economically secure; things like education, infrastructure,

and health care.”

WiLL is a program of Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND), a national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women to act politically to reduce violence and militarism, and redirect excessive military resources toward unmet human and environmental needs. In delivering this letter, WAND hopes to encourage Congresswoman McCollum’s

work to reduce extreme military spending through her efforts on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, which has jurisdiction over the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other relevant agencies.

For more information, visit www.wand.org.

“Washington’s stubbornness has cost the United States billions of dollars in lost sales, and has, by Havana’s own estimate, cost the Cubans upwards of $975 billion since the embargo’s inception.”

Page 8 • April 15 - April 22, 2012 • Insight News

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LIFESTYLE

Dawoud Bey

Jason Smikle

Dawoud Bey, Picturing People If you are going to Chicago, don’t miss…The DAWOUD BEY, Picturing People – an expansive career survey of Chicago-based photographer Dawoud Bey, May 13 – June 24, 2012, with an opening reception Sunday, May 13, from 4-7pm presented by The Renaissance Society. The artist will speak at 5pm. The Renaissance Society, an internationally renowned contemporary art museum, is located on the University of Chicago campus at Cobb Hall, 5811 S. Ellis Avenue, in Hyde Park.

Ranging from street photography to formal studio portraiture, Bey’s body of work is distinguished for its commitment to portraiture as a means for understanding contemporary society.

Museum Director and Curator Susanne Ghez says, “Dawoud’s portraits capture the essential characteristics of individuals, and at the same time draw out the complications and varieties of the communities in which people live – whether in Harlem, Atlanta, or Chicago.”

Bey began his career as a photographer in 1975 with a series of photographs, Harlem,

A Young Man Wearing a Georgetown Jacket (1989)

by Dawoud Bey

U.S.A., that were later exhibited in his first one-person exhibition at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 1979. [In conjunction with The Renaissance Society’s career survey, The Art Institute of Chicago will exhibit Harlem, U.S.A. for the first time in its entirety from May 12-September 9, 2012. For more information on the Harlem, U.S.A. exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, please visit www.artinstituteofchicago.org] Bey has since had numerous exhibitions worldwide and his works are included in the permanent collections of museums including the Art Institute and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, the Museum of Modern Art (NY), the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and others. The Walker Art Center organized a mid-career survey of his work, Dawoud Bey: Portraits 1975-1995, that traveled to institutions throughout the United States and Europe.

Class Pictures: Photographs by Dawoud Bey was published by Aperture in 2007. In 2008, he completed Character Project, commissioned by USA Network and published by Chronicle Books in 2009. DAWOUD BEY, Picturing People will encompass works representing these projects and will also debut photographs from a new series titled Strangers/Community, which brings together for a double portrait people from one community who were previously unknown to each other.

Bey is a Distinguished College Artist and a Professor of Art in the Photography Department at Columbia College Chicago, where he has taught since 1998.

“My work as an artist has been about giving ordinary people an enhanced presence in the world through my photographs. I see my work as a way to bring the human community into a conversation with itself. Hopefully through my photographs viewers come to know not only something about the people that I photograph, but something about themselves as well. My career survey at the Renaissance Society is an opportunity to sum up what I have been doing and thinking about for the past 36 years. It is an opportunity to see all of these photographs and ideas in relation to each other,” said Bey. The Renaissance Society is an internationally renowned non-collecting museum of contemporary art.

Through exhibitions, commissions, publications, and interdisciplinary education programming, The Renaissance Society is engaged with the evolving question of what art is, and what art can be.

For more information on The Renaissance Society or DAWOUD BEY, Picturing People, phone (773) 702-8670 or visit www. renaissancesociety.org.

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Insight News • April 15 - April 22, 2012 • Page 9

COMMENTARY Board should reject proposed teacher contract

Once again our students are sacrificed

By Bill English It has been announced that Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) and the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) have reached a tentative agreement on a new contact.

Teachers will soon vote to ratify the agreement and the Minneapolis School Board will vote to accept the deal on April 17th. As an advocate over the years for all students, I believe this agreement essentially sacrifices the advancement of underachieving African American students to the benefit of adult teachers. If the board accepts this agreement it will not be in the best interest of those African American and other students who are not at grade level in reading and/or math. The Board should reject this agreement and send its negotiators back to the table to secure an agreement that will accelerate the academic achievement of underperforming students in district schools.

There are many reasons the Board of Education should

reject this proposed contract and the following will demonstrate exactly why our students will be sacrificed, or shortchanged, if MPS accepts the proposal.

The public should note that one of the schools with the highest achieving students of color is Harvest Preparatory Academy. At Harvest students have an extended day and an extended school year by thirty more days of classroom instruction. While the extra days of instruction are not the only reason Harvest Students are succeeding in the classroom, it is a critical element of their ability to raise student achievement in math and reading according the Eric Mahmoud, CEO of Harvest Prep. Additionally, because of the success of Harvest students the district just agreed to sponsor four more schools including one to start next school year. Each of these schools will extend instructional school days and the school year based on the Harvest Prep model. We applaud MPS for taking this bold step to advance student achievement and raise the question: If it is

good for Harvest students why not offer the same model to other underachieving schools in the city?

Further, we know that the research clearly demonstrates that extending instructional school days does accelerate student achievement. Moreover, Minneapolis public schools have historically had one of the shortest school years in the state. As a consequence we were encouraged when the district started contract negotiations by asking MFT to agree to extend the school year by 12 additional days for its 16 high priority schools. (These high priority schools are schools that have some of the lowest academic proficiency scores in the state and some of the highest populations of African American students in the district). Those two factors alone suggest that extending the school year by 12 additional days was at best less than half of the days that the evidence demonstrates is necessary to accelerate achievement to the appropriate level of state mandated proficiency. One can make a legitimate argument that

they should have asked for the full thirty plus days extended instruction if we are to really end this achievement gap. What is most disturbing is that MFT would not even agree to the 12 plus days and negotiated the district down to four additional days of extended instruction.

Any reader here can easily discern that if thirty is needed, you ask for twelve and you settle for four that our students’ advancement is being sacrificed for the benefit of adult teachers and for the district to reach an agreement. In this writers opinion to settle for this pitiful increase in instructional days is both disgusting and immoral.

This proposed contract because does not meet the objectives the district initially requested. The district originally requested that 16 so called high priority schools would be staffed by teachers selected by the district. Additionally, teachers at these 16 schools would not be subject to the usual rigid seniority system that allows excess teachers to bump those with less seniority. The reason the district requested these

rule changes was to provide these (16) schools with a stable instructional team that were committed to the school for a minimum period of three years.

Research supports that schools with low teacher turnover and a stable staff increase student achievement.

The current proposal does not give the district the right to achieve the initial objective.

Rather this new deal would create a committee that would determine staffing and stability criteria. This would be a joint management and teacher committee. When will the Minneapolis School Board and district administration shoulder the managerial responsibility to take control of the chaos that exists in our underperforming schools?

The Minneapolis school district’s contract with the teachers union is one of the largest (in terms of pages) in the country. It contains language that commits the district to collaborate with the union on many issues that should not be subject to negotiations. To its credit the teachers union has achieved its contract goals and the district has subjected normal management prerogatives to a joint committee or arbitration.

This kind of agreement would be fine if it achieved the goal of great student outcomes for all of our

children. But it has not, in spite of having the highest salaries for teachers on average in the state, Minneapolis has one of the largest achievement gaps in the nation for African American and other students of color. When issues are decided by a vaguely defined joint committee, the implication is that no one is in charge or accountable. That is why African American children in Minneapolis are failing and these business as usual work rules and hundred page contracts have not served our students to a level of academic excellence.

The current chair of the school board has stated publically that he will not apologize for collaboration with the union on this contract. I agree: he should not apologize.

However he should recognize that by collaborating only with the union and not engaging the parents of the 16 high priority schools on any level, he ignored a very important group of constituents. While Director Monserrate exhibits considerable promise as chair of the board he has failed our children if he supports this deal.

How long should the African American community wait for children to achieve academic proficiency that will lead to

SCHOOLS TURN TO 11

Page 10 • April 15 - April 22, 2012 • Insight News

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FULL CIRCLE

What is a mid-life crisis?

Man Talk

By Timothy Houston This week I attended a motorcycle safety course.

This was my last step before purchasing a motorcycle.

Because my first attempt of owning and riding a motorcycle is taking place after turning 50, the question of a mid-life crisis has come up over and over. Despite my pleas that this desire comes more from the fact that I am at a time and place emotionally and financially to purchase one, friends and family alike believe this is caused by my mid-life crisis. Rather than continue to dispel the notion, I decided to research it and see if I could gain some insight.

What is a mid-life crisis?

When does it begin? A midlife crisis might occur anywhere from about age 37 through the 50. By whatever term, the crisis or transition tends to occur around significant life events, such as your youngest child finishing college, or a “zero” birthday announcing to the world that you’re entering a new decade. The mid life transition is far more than a

handful of physical changes.

It often brings a re-ordering of priorities, a change in values, deep soul-searching about the meaning of life, the facing of your own mortality, and a loss of social power.

For most men, the idea of going though any crisis is something that they would not subscribe to. This idea offends a man’s ego and attacks his vitality on many levels. The belief that half way through

For those men who may be experiencing it, here are some symptoms: insomnia, fatigue, despair, morbidity, inability to concentrate, ruefulness about roads not taken, dread that life holds no more surprises, regrets, or a sharp longing for something. Men in crisis often obsess about big questions, as in, “Does my life matter?”

These men start to think in terms of how little time they have left,” In severe cases, some

spirit, and even more attractive than ever. The touch of gray in our hair, and the passion of life in our hearts will speak volumes about our journey through life. We should never allow our age to define or limit us. Middle age is truly a time to live life and not dread it.

To all my family and friends concerned about my mid life, thank you for your concern. I am not going through a midlife crisis. Know that I am the

“Our goal should be to come through middle life as better men. Because of our life experiences, we should be wiser, calmer, stronger of spirit, and even more attractive than ever.” a man’s life, he is going to fall apart or regress back to boyhood is nonsense to most men. According to a Washington Post article, academic research since the 1980s rejects the notion of midlife crisis as a phase that most adults go through. In one study, fewer than 10% of people in the United States had psychological crises due to their age.

So although mid-life crisis do exist, less than 10% of men experience it.

fantasize about just lighting out, casting off their old lives and starting over. Because of the long term consequences of these symptoms, any man experiencing them should seek qualified professional help.

You may be in the 10% and not know it.

For those of us in the 90%, we should continue to evaluate ourselves. Our goal should be to come through middle life as better men. Because of our life experiences, we should be wiser, calmer, stronger of

best man that I could ever be, and as a ride my motorcycle with the wind blowing over my balding head, I will be smiling as I live the best life possible.

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

For questions, comments or more information, go to www. tlhouston.com or email at tim@tlhouston.com.

insightnews.com

Schools From 9 high school graduation and either college or post-secondary training? The district touts its goal of “every child college ready,” but graduates less than fifty percent of African American students. In reality they are condemning our students that fail to graduate to a lifetime of poverty and or prison. The pipeline from failing to graduate to prison is well known to MPS and to this board. How many more African American students will they leave behind because they are unwilling to make bold changes that they know will improve student success.

It is one thing for the board and administration to know what it takes to accelerate student achievement for all students of color. It is another when they

Family From 5 is with Tommy’s help that Mary Ellen finally finds peace.

The talent of every actor participating in this play made the production feel more like looking into the window of your neighbor’s home, only to cringe at the secrets you never knew they had tucked away. It’s as if these people are real, and that feeling will find the audience falling to their own emotions while watching this play.

Gavin Lawrence plays Jimmy, Mary Ellen’s African American stepfather. Noel Raymond plays her mother Laura. The great and talented Greta Oglesby plays Mary Ellen’s step grandmother and playwright Carlyle Brown cast himself in the production as the grandfather. As for the young Mary Ellen, Megan Fischer does

Insight News • April 15 - April 22, 2012 • Page 11 have neither the courage nor the fortitude to make the bold changes necessary to achieve it. That is why those of us who developed and promote the Contract for Student Achievement are disappointed with this deal. That is why we are asking that this contract be rejected and they go back to the table and achieve a contract proposal that accelerates the growth and achievement of our students.

We recommend that the district propose the same number of instructional days for these 16 schools that Harvest Prep students receive.

That would be 35 more instructional days. We also demand that the district and the board take control of these 16 schools that are totally failing our students and hold the principals, teachers, staffs and families accountable for ending the achievement gap. They can

an outstanding job of projecting such a big story from such a tiny stature; the proof is in the details and how many eyes won’t stay dry in the room when she’s on stage.

American Family is undoubtedly rich in meaning and will make you blush at every angle. Its message doesn’t stutter; it delivers raw reality from a time when love wasn’t colorblind and sometimes hate took precedence over our hearts. Although this seems like a story we’ve already heard before, Brown was able to give it a new and engaging twist. How often are we given an eagle eye view of the other side of racism? Do we ever really dare to think about how it affects the white child in a mixed race family? Well, maybe now we will.

For more information about American Family and to view Park Square Theaters exciting season, visit: www.parksquaretheatre.org.

do this by granting guaranteed stability in the instructional staff by requiring a minimum of a three year commitment to the school site by all the teachers selected. They should commit to placing the best teachers in the district in these sixteen schools and pay them well for their three-year commitment, longer school year and bonuses for accelerating student achievement.

We also challenge this board that so often speaks

about parent engagement to ask the parents at these 16 schools their preference for the shorter or longer school year and teacher stability as called for initially or the mushy deal currently on the table. In other words broaden their collaboration to those parents and students most affected by their decision.

Finally, this board can show its real commitment to bold changes by rejecting the current proposal. It can demonstrate

its responsibility to end the achievement gap. This is no longer a new board. This board owns the achievement gap and must be held accountable for ending it. We cannot afford tinkering around the edges of change we must make bold changes that is evidenced based and has demonstrated it can make a huge difference in our students education. If the board really believes this proposal advances student achievement then allow those

board members with children to place them in one of these 16 schools, which they are so willing to impose on our children. But beyond that, if this experiment fails will they admit failure and step down to allow bold changes with a real sense of urgency to occur in these sixteen schools that are so desperately in need of change, dynamic leadership and accountability.

Page 12 • April 15 - April 22, 2012 • Insight News

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BUSINESS Promotions are not always good Plan Your Career

By Julie Desmond julie@insightnews.com Nico is about to lose his job.

He does not realize it, but his company set him up to fail, and he drank the Kool-Aid. He was the best account exec in the firm, and he had been there the longest, so when it came time

to hire a Sales Manager, he was first in line. He accepted the promotion and it has been all downhill from there. How can this be?

Some of the best employees are graduates from the College of Common Sense. Who should play drums in the band? The person who plays drums. Who should manage the sales team?

The person the sales team turns to with questions, concerns and new ideas. Managers are born, not made. They are the people who quietly nudge others in the right direction, with or without the manager title.

The best manager candidates might even seem less able in a lesser role. For instance, Nico had the highest sales numbers. But Cal had the ear of the sales team. When Cal made a suggestion, people listened. His sales numbers might have been affected because he often spent time training new salespeople and was known for occasionally handing a tip to a coworker when it made sense to do so.

Rather than competing with coworkers, Cal brought out the best in others. Meanwhile, Nico ran ahead of the pack by

keeping his head down and working hard toward his own goals.

So we come to myriad problems for the company.

Both Nico and Cal are critical to the company’s success, and both are about to leave.

Nico, because he is unhappy and Cal, because he has been passed over. Nico wants to sell. He is gifted when it comes to uncovering accounts and turning them into clients. Now the company not only has a frustrated manager on their hands, they have removed their best salesperson from the

board. Nico needs to get back to sales and fast.

But Nico deserves a promotion. He has worked long and hard and should be recognized. The answer is lateral. The horizon is always out there, just beyond reach.

Nico ought to be reaching for lateral promotions, for the horizon instead of the stars.

He will benefit by having more territory, more complex projects or a new incentive plan. He will not thrive for having more direct reports.

Cal is already managing.

Let him. Let him take that

strength to a new level, with a focus on taking the team to a new level. Let Cal move “up” and watch the whole team thrive. The manager is not more important than the team.

The person who understands this will be the better manager.

Some people should move up, some should move out and some should move on. The best companies recognize the difference. It’s common sense.

Julie Desmond is Talent Manager for Express Employment Professionals. Write to Julie. desmond@expresspros.com.

Are you part of the digital revolution?

Dissecting Diversity

By Cheryl Pearson-McNeil You know this already, but I’m going to share it with you anyway – there’s a digital revolution going on! Now when I say “revolution” I’m not talking about the overthrowing the government kind – but I am talking about a “sudden, complete or marked change in something.” And if you

personally haven’t experienced this through digital technology in the last few years, I’d like to know where you’ve been living. I’m not going to say it’s someplace cliché-ish like under a rock – but I’m going to guess it’s some place pretty darn close, because even my 71-year old mom has gotten with the program. She does everything from filing taxes online to scolding us kids via a Facebook post. So yes, that’s revolutionary in my mind. But even I didn’t realize how pervasively digital technology has shaken things up until I saw Nielsen’s recently released U.S. Digital Consumer Report. And my, my, my. What a difference a decade makes.

274 million Americans had Internet access as of the last quarter of 2011, which is more than double the 122.2 million of us with Internet access in 2000.

The DVD took over as the predominant home video format in 2002, making our VCRs almost obsolete – (I still keep a VCR/ television combo in the house in case I ever want to watch the appearance I made on Oprah in the 80’s! Wouldn’t you?)

When it comes to watching video, including TV shows and movies, 165.9 million Americans currently watch on a computer.

Remember “Member Community Sites?” Me either.

But, back in 2005, we spent 6.6

billion minutes on them. Fast forward to today and they’re known as Social Networks and blogs, and as of the last quarter of 2011 we spent 81 billion minutes on them, more than 12 times that 2005 figure.

Do you remember when you had to visit “computer labs” to access data from a computer?

And when cellular phones were as big as bricks? All that has clearly changed: now the “minime” version of a computer, aka, the smartphone, allows us to text, instant message, visit social media sites, watch video content, web browse, shop, email or actually talk to each other, any place, any time. And mobile phones are

so small we keep them in our purses or back pockets and often accidently “butt call” people. (One of these days that’s going to get somebody into serious trouble…)

But let’s look at some of the other changes: In 2006, 3.2% of mobile subscribers owned a smartphone.

By the last quarter of 2011, that number had skyrocketed to 44%.

Smartphone owners are evenly 50-50 male/female; 61% white, 12% African-American. Most owners (39%) skew younger, 1834; followed by those age 35-49 (30%), 50-64 (20%) and 65+ (6%) Though 12% of all Americans are smartphone owners, 48% of all African-Americans own a smartphone.

44% of all new mobile phones purchased by Blacks are smartphones.

64% of mobile phone time

is spent on applications (Apps); and there are Apps for virtually everything. (FYI, data shows that APP use among adults peaks at 5 pm, which means we don’t let playing with APPS interfere with our work day, right? Wink, wink.)

Even though we can watch video on the Internet or on our phones, television (albeit hightech) still rules: 76.6 million TV homes are high definition capable (67%) 58.6 million TV homes have digital cable (51%) 47.4 million TV homes have a DVR (41%) 35.9 million TV homes have 4 or more TV sets (31%) While talking about TV, I can’t forget the ubiquitous tablets and e-readers that have flooded the

DIGITAL TURN TO 14

insightnews.com

Insight News • April 15 - April 22, 2012 • Page 13

COMMUNITY

4 precinct crime report th

MURDER: Murder 35th & Fremont Ave N Monday, 4/9/12, 2034hrs 12-106190 Officers responded to a shooting & located V1/adult male, on the sidewalk. V1 was pronounced DOA on the scene. No further info at this time.

ARSON: Arson 49XX Aldrich Ave N Friday, 4/6/12, 0417hrs, 12102488 MFD responded to a garage fire at this location & learned there had been a small fire involving some tools. The owner stated he observed kids in the alley around 3 a.m. There was no gasoline odor in the garage & the fire was confined to the top of an ice auger. The owner changed his story & MFD investigator did not believe his account of the incident. Property damage is estimated at $20 for particle board & $300 for contents. No injuries.

ASSAULT: Assault 3----Significant Bodily Harm 14th Ave N & Thomas Ave N, Tuesday, 4/3/12, 1300hrs 12-1012324 V1/male, 35 yrs, walked into the 4th Pct & informed the Desk Officer that he had been assaulted a few days prior & did not make a report then as he had been in the hospital since the incident.

V1 stated he went to his exgirlfriend’s house to pick up his 1 month-old baby. S1/male, 2530 yrs is the current boyfriend of V1’s ex (OT1) & ran at V1 along with 2 other males. Parties knocked V1 to the ground & kicked him all over his body.

V1 sustained a stab in his leg with an unknown object. V1’s

cousin took V1 to the hospital, as he could not walk. V1 showed officer photos from his cell phone of stitches in the back of his head, lacerations over his eye & cut wounds to his leg & an injury to his foot. V1 could not provide the last name of S1. V1 was instructed to keep the photos of his injuries.

Assault 2---w/a Dangerous Weapon 45th Ave N & Knox Ave N Wednesday, 4/4/12, 2135hrs 12-100969 Officers responded to the above location on a Suspicious Person call & observed V1/male, 23 yrs, walking in the area with blood all over his shirt. Officers noticed that V1 had a deep cut on the side of his face. EMS responded & transported V1 to the hospital.

Officers went to the hospital & found 4 other male victims, 1720 yrs, with lacerations, broken bones, & bruises, from what they all stated was a mutual fight between 2 gangs. Photos were taken of all the injuries. Victims provided the name of S1/male, 19 yrs, who was is a member of the “NT” gang, as is V1 & V4.

V2 & V3 are members of “116.”

No wounds were life-threatening.

Assault 2---w/a Dangerous Weapon / Auto Theft 36XX Colfax Ave N Saturday, 4/7/12, 2250hrs 12-120446 Officers responded to unknown trouble at 34th & Colfax Ave N. RP1, a male caller, stated he observed V1/female, 28 yrs, walking naked on the sidewalk & let her into his car. V1 told RP1 that she had been assaulted by her friends. Officers observed V1 in the car, wearing a jacket that RP1 gave her to cover up.

V1 stated she was at her friend’s house at the above location & was accused of stealing morphine pills & a cell phone. V1 stated 2 known females, & one unknown

female punched & kicked her in the ribs & head.

Known S1/30 yrs, held V1 at knifepoint & threatened to stab her if she didn’t take her clothes off. V1 took her clothes off & was forced to walk out the back door naked. V1 was checked by ambulance crew. Officers went to the location of the incident, but parties would not open the door.

Assault 2---w/a Dangerous Weapon 36th Ave N & Fremont Ave N, Sunday, 4/8/12, 0155hrs 12-104650 Officers responded to the hospital on a stabbing report & met V1/ female, 26 yrs, who stated she had been assaulted by 2 unknown females. V1 stated S1 stabbed her in the back of her arm. V1 stated she was at a party drinking alcohol with her fiancée, OT1, when S1 confronted V1 about a purse she bought from her in the past. S1 stabbed V1 in the arm, & OT1 transported V1 to the hospital. Wound was non-life threatening.

Assault 2—w/a Dangerous Weapon / 2nd Degree Domestic Assault 37XX Dupont Ave N, Sunday, 4/8/12, 0208hrs, 12-104664 Officers were dispatched to a Shots Fired call at the above location. RP1/female, 16-18 yrs, stated her father fired shots in the house. V1 & V2, males, 17 & 22 yrs, stated they were in the house at the above location when RP’s father, S1/male, 32 yrs, told them to leave or he would hit them with his handgun. S1 then shot a round, pointing at V1’s head.

The round missed V1’s head, but hit the wall behind him. S1 then got into a vehicle & drove off.

No injuries.

Assault 2---w/a Dangerous Weapon 35th Ave N & Fremont Ave N, Sunday, 4/8/12, 2030hrs

Calendar • Classifieds

12-105205 Officers responded to the report of one being shot & located V1/ male, 33 yrs, with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

V1 stated unknown S1/male, 15-25 yrs, stepped in front of him as he was walking home from the store & shot him in the abdomen. V1 was transported to the hospital via ambulance. At the hospital, V1 was uncooperative & told officers he was in a lot of pain & did not want to answer any more questions. No further info at this time.

Assault 2---w/a Dangerous Weapon / Burglary of Dwelling 4XX Oliver Ave N, Monday 4/9/12, 0540hrs, 12-105505 V1/male, 36 yrs, heard a loud noise coming from the rear doorway of the address. V1 opened the door & immediately bumped into unknown S1/male, 20-30 yrs, causing S1 to lose his balance. S1 had his back to the door & when V1 shut it, he heard gunshots. Officers observed 4 shell casings & noted 4 bullet holes in the rear door as well as bullet holes in some interior walls. V1 was not injured. S1 was GOA. ROBBERY: ROBPAG 18th Ave N & Fremont Ave N, Tuesday, 4/3/12, 1700hrs 12-100577 Officer was dispatched to the hospital to meet V1/male, 45 yrs, who had been assaulted the prior day. V1 stated he cashed his check & was walking to the bus stop when he was approached by 4 unknown males, who began to punch & kick him in his head. V1 fell to the ground where the assault continued &V1 lost consciousness. V1 stated no weapons were used or implied. When V1 regained consciousness, he noticed the money ($50) was gone from his

Phone: 612.588.1313

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

Events Help Prevent Identity Theft Apr. 26 Northeast Bank Partners with the Minneapolis Police Department and Shred-it© to Help Prevent Identity Theft Thur. Apr. 26. A presentation featuring Minneapolis Police Department staff will take place in the Walter C. Rasmussen Community Room from 10am – 11am. This event is free and open to the public.

ROBPER Broadway Ave W & Fremont Ave N, Tuesday, 4/3/12 1715hrs, 12-099423 V1/female, 53 yrs, stated she just used an ATM in the above area when unknown S1/male, 20’s, ran up from behind her, ripped her purse off her shoulder, & fled.

Loss included the purse; house keys; ID; & $400 in cash. V1 was not injured.

ROBPER Broadway Ave W & Emerson Ave N, Friday, 4/6/12, 1214hrs 12-102701 Officers were conducting a Traffic stop when they were approached

by V1/male, 19 yrs, who stated he had just been robbed. V1 stated he cashed his check at the “Unbank” on Broadway when a male approached him & asked if he could make change for a $20 bill. V1 made change & continued walking to the bus stop at the above location. The male followed V1, as did 3 other males, all 15-19 yrs. They punched V1 knocking him to the ground. Suspects took the money ($400) that V1 just obtained from cashing his check, & fled. V1 was transported to his mother’s place of employment. Suspects were not located.

ROBPER (Attempt) 17XX Washington Ave N, Friday, 4/6/12, 1242hrs 12-102732 Officer responded to 23rd & Washington Ave N on a Robbery of Person call. V1/ female, 33 yrs, drove there from the location of the incident, listed above.

V1 stated she was stopped at a red light when unknown S1/male, 20-22 yrs, opened the passenger door of

Fax: 612.588.2031

From 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Northeast Bank has partnered with Shred-it© to provide free document shredding services to customers and members of the community. Both events located at Minneapolis office, located at 77 Broadway Street NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413.

Contact: Suzanne Sjoselius, 612-362-3219: or sms@ northeastbank-mn.com Create A Band Auditions Mar. 26 – Apr. 25 Auditions for solo musicians and singers performing all types of music. Preregistration is $25.00. To schedule an appointment by/ before Apr. 4 and/or Apr 25 contact Penny Wallace 612.333.6618.

What

wallet. V1 still had his wallet, backpack, & cellphone. V1 went to the hospital this day to receive treatment for a swollen & bruised eye & forehead.

Happens

MPD provides this public safety information as a public service. These highlights are not reflective of all incidents handled or investigated by the MPD at this time. All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

ABBREVIATION GUIDE V=Victim (V1, V2, etc…)

S=Suspect (S1, S2, etc…)

AP=Arrested Party (person taken into custody or cited & released for a crime) W= Witness (W1, W2, etc…)

OT= Other (a party on the scene that often played no specific role or is not a victim) RP= Reporting Party (Example: “RP told officers there were people trying to break into his neighbor’s house) PV=Police Officer is the victim PG=Parental Guardian EMS= Emergency Medical Service DAC=Driving After Cancellation DK= Drunk GOA= Gone on Arrival HCJ= Hennepin County Jail JDC= Juvenile Detention Center “KOPS” alert---Keeping Our Police Safe CHIPS=Child in Need of Protective Services ID’d= Identified (“He ID’d the suspect as a classmate”) SHOW-UP =Suspect is shown to victims to see if he/she can be positively ID’d as the person who committed the crime DOA= Dead on Arrival MTP= Metro Transit Police PC= Probable Cause (Evidence points to reasons to be arrested…i.e. “He was booked in HCJ for PC Weapons”)

her vehicle.

V1 feared that S1 would take her purse or try to carjack her, so she drove away. V1 did not see a weapon.

Information was aired, but S1 was not located. V1 was not injured. No loss.

Email: natalie@insightnews.com

Who Age Out of the Child Welfare System? Apr. 26 Hear from professionals, foster care youth, and agencies about “What Happens to Youth who Age out of the Child Welfare System”. Thursday Apr. 26, 6pm -7:30pm, Rondo Library (Community Room) 461 Dale Street N. Saint Paul, MN 55103.

School Integration April 26 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm Anwatin Middle School Media Center 256 Upton Avenue South, Minneapolis.

Hear from Minneapolis families about how the district’s integration policies have impacted them directly. To RSVP or learn more, contact Regan Smith at 612-455-1535 or rsmith@ achievempls.org.

to Youth High School Career Fairs March through May AchieveMpls Career Fair.

Intake/Financial Technician and Temporary (one year) Docket Clerk The U.S. District Court, District of MN is accepting applications for a full-time Intake/ Financial Technician and a Temporary (1 year; possibility for extension) Docket Clerk.

Starting salary for both positions $36,403 - $45,518. For complete job descriptions please visit the court’s website, www.mnd. uscourts.gov, Employment.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

Assumed Name 1. State the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted: Peace of Hope 2. State the address of the principal place of business: 6457 Zane Avenue North, APT. 301, Brooklyn Park, MN 55429 3. List the name and complete street address of all persons conducting business under the above Assumed Name OR if an entity, provide the legal corporate, LLC, or Limited Partnership name and registered office address. Attach additional sheet(s) if necessary: Sharon Brooks, 6457 Zane Avenue North, APT. 301, Brooklyn Park, MN 55429 4. I certify that I am authorized to sign this certificate and I further certify that I understand that by signing this certificate, I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Minnesota Statues section 609.48 as if I had signed this certificate under oath.

Signed by: Sharon Brooks Date Filed: 03/02/2012 Insight News 4/9/2012, 4/16/2012

Connect with Minneapolis High School students and represent your career or industry. Professionals from all sectors are welcome to participate. Contact Rebecca Noecker at 612.455.1571 or rnoecker@achievempls.org Red Balloon Bookshop Events Apr. 7 – Apr. 30 April at The Red Balloon Bookshop is filled with story times, celebrations, and parties. Events include National Poetry Month with MN poet Joyce SidmanApr.13, 7pm, Giggle, Giggle, Giggle, Quack story time with actress/ playwright Jennifer Kirkeby-Apr.14, 10:30am, A Secret Keeps publication party with author Marsha Wilson Chall- Apr. 21, 10:30am, and much, much more. For more info contact Holly Weinkauf 651.224.8320 or holly@ redballoonbookshop.com. For a list of events visit www. redballoonbookshop.com MACY’S Twin Cities Events Apr. 10 – May 17 A variety of events including Star Spangled Sing-Off, Oval Room Event, Designer Capsule Collection Launch featuring Alberta Ferretti for Impulse, CosmoBella Bridal Trunk Show, Find your Magic Event, Thank-A-Mom Movement, Francisco Costa For Calvin Klein Collection Launch, Brasil: A Magical Journey Launch Party, and much more. Please visit www. macys.com/events for all event details or visit your Downtown Minneapolis or Southdale Macy’s for more info.

Teatro del Pueblo and Pangea World Theater present The House on Mango Street, Apr. 13 – Apr. 28 A story based on the young adult novel by Sandra Cisneros, chronicling the challenges of a young woman coming-of-age in “El Barrio.”

For tickets and more info call 1-800-838-3006 or purchase online at brownpapertickets. com For group sales, please call 651-224-8806.

The Southern Theater is located at 1420 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55454.

Page 14 • April 15 - April 22, 2012 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Community From 1 With her husband, she created The Soledad O’Brien & Brad Raymond Foundation to empower young women to overcome obstacles to achievement through life-changing mentorship, access to transformative education, and practical resources to create opportunities for success.

“Through our Scholars Initiative, the structured network of support has produced success in our measurement areas of educational attainment and personal growth. We are transforming the lives of girls one at a time,” she said.

“Today, too many kids are falling into the achievement gap, dropping out of high school, and not reaching their full potential. If these trends continue, our nation will be without the workforce and leaders of tomorrow and hinder our ability to compete in our global economy,” said Laysha Ward, president, Target Community Relations.

“That’s why Target is honored to join Soledad O’Brien and other cross-sector leaders in addressing the education crisis in America.

It’s why Target is on track to give $1 billion to education by the end of 2015. And it’s why we give 5% of our income - that’s more than $3 million every week - along with the time and talent of our team members,” she said.

“No one can solve the education crisis alone. But in

Digital From 12 market since the introduction of the Amazon’s Kindle in 2007 and Apple’s iPad in 2010. Tablets, by the way, are the only category dominated by men (53% to 47%).

They are also popular for multitasking purposes, while watching TV.

Capitol From 4 Students are thriving in science classes and ELL classes Students value the abundance of academic activities, both during school and after school, that are helping their academic success.

Target Corporation

Soledad O’Brien and Greg Cunningham partnership with educators, parents and caring adults, and leaders like you, we can put more kids on the path to high school graduation so they’re ready for college, a career and life,” Ward said.

CNN’s Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien from 7-9 a.m.

(Eastern) marks the return of the former American Morning anchor to the daily broadcast lineup.

American Morning was created in the months following the September 11th attacks and was based in New York City. O’Brien left the morning anchor job to work on CNN documentaries and special programming in 2007.

Her 2009 project, Latino in America, was a wide-ranging look

at Latinos living in this country.

Earlier that year, O’Brien reported for Black in America 2, a fourhour documentary focusing on successful community leaders who are improving the lives of African-Americans.

O’Brien’s original Black in America in 2008 was a revealing look at the state of Black America 40 years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

57% check email during the program; 59% wait until the commercial.

44% surf the net during both.

44% visit social networking sites during both.

If you know someone who still needs to get with the program and join this digital revolution, please implore them to do so.

With a buying power of almost $1 trillion, we need marketers to understand like never before

that we are front and present and highly accounted for when it comes to technology. I know You Matter. They need to know it too.

Achievement data shows they are making steady academic progress With the help of an excellent education, the first Hopkins Hmong refugee student entered the University of Minnesota this fall.

When KaoXue Vang first landed with her family at the Minneapolis airport in 2004, the only English word she knew was “love.” She has succeeded through hard work

and supportive and challenging teachers.

On Sunday nights KaoXue now tutors other Hopkins and Wayzata Hmong refugee children, helping them achieve academic success.

The students spent hours trudging up and down the capitol steps talking with legislators. But they consider the effort to be worth it if they can continue their studies at Hopkins and Wayzata.

Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien Twitter: @startingptcnn Facebook: Facebook.com/ startingpointcnn http://soledadobrieninfo.blogspot. com/

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Nielsen. For more information and studies go to www. nielsenwire.com

THIS IS MY GREEN JOB. Every day, I help turn Hennepin County’s postrecycled garbage into enough clean, renewable energy to power 25,000 Minneapolis homes.

In addition to serving the community with sustainable waste disposal and clean, renewable energy, the Hennepin Energy Resource Center (HERC) provides well-paying, green jobs for area residents.

For more information on HERC and its operations, visit covantaenergy.com or hennepin.us/herc.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Recover Energy-from-Waste.