Mista Maeham: As real as it gets MORE ON PAGE 10
Insight News April 20 - April 26, 2015
Vol. 42 No. 16 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
MUL RESPONDS
Star Tribune article about Urban League intentionally misleads Jim and Sylvia Clingman
The April 13 article by Star Tribune Reporter Alejandra Matos, “Minneapolis Urban League Under Fire for Potential Double Billing” was intentionally misleading and failed to share the true facts. We were quite disappointed to read Ms. Matos’ final product after spending hours with her and providing her with copies of contracts and reports. We even offered to make available students and program participants to tell the tremendous impact that the Urban League Academy Alternative School and the Urban League 13th Grade Program has had on their lives.
‘FIRST YOU CRY’ Jim Clingman, his family, their faith and their fight By Hazel Trice Edney (TriceEdneyWire.com) - It was the perfect plan. After living in his native Cincinnati, Ohio for all of their 22 years of marriage, Sylvia and Jim Clingman were preparing to move to another state and start a new life.
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School board tables MUL Academy contract renewal The Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education voted Tuesday evening to table the approving the Urban League Academy’s contract for the coming 2015-2016 academic year while MUL explores location options for the next school year. The Board took this action despite the recommendation of Interim Superintendent Michael Goar that the Board renew the Urban League Academy contract for another year, as it ultimately did for its other contract alternative schools. The Minneapolis Urban League currently owns several, underutilized buildings.
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Batala McFarlane
Fire devastates West Broadway businesses, upstairs housing units By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer A Wednesday (April 15) early morning fire roared through a row of businesses and residences leaving many
homeless and one high profile community organization in search of new operating facilities. The fire that started in the UnBank, a check cashing business located at 913 W. Broadway in north
9 a.m. the fire had already claimed several of the block’s businesses and apartments. No injuries were reported but there was extensive property damage along the block.
Minneapolis, quickly spread to neighboring businesses and second floor apartments in the connected row of the 900 block of West Broadway Avenue. The first call to the fire department came in around 8:30 a.m. and by
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Justice Wilhelmina Marie Wright
Obama nominates Justice Wilhelmina Wright to United States District Court for Minnesota WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, President Barack Obama nominated Justice Wilhelmina Marie Wright to serve on the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.
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Ellison, Pocan lead call for Constitutional amendment to guarantee the right to vote By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer
Harry Colbert, Jr.
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) [center] along with Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) [seated left], Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon [standing left] and Wintana Melekin of Neighborhood Organizing for Change (NOC) gather to discuss a proposed amendment to the Constitution to ensure the right to vote.
Literature Iyanla Vanzant delights, inspires at Delta luncheon
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Women Leading Change The top six books on leadership for social justice
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With the right to vote being questioned in states throughout the nation, representatives from neighboring states are calling on Congress to amend the Constitution to ensure citizens’ rights to vote. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)
and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) gathered this past Thursday (April 9) with organizers in North Minneapolis to rally support for an amendment that would end what they called an assault on voting rights throughout the nation. The pair of Democratic representatives said they are trying to build bipartisan support for the proposed amendment, but say
most challenges to voting are coming from the Republican right. “Coming from Wisconsin we have some of the best to show for in the past in this area (of protecting the right to vote), and some of the worst in the current,” said Pocan, referring to current Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker,
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Business
Commentary
Progress MN: Louis King II
MLB continues to honor Jackie Robinson while struggling to attract Black fans
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Iyanla Vanzant offered inspiration and laughs during her hourlong talk to more than 600 attendees at the 19th Annual Delta Literary Luncheon.
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Photos: Harry Colbert, Jr.
Hug an Angel. Attendees at the 19th Annual Delta Literary Luncheon hug one another as instructed by keynote speaker Iyanla Vanzant instructed them to do. “You are all angels,” Vanzant told the crowd.
Iyanla Vanzant delights, inspires at Delta luncheon By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer In a room filled with more than 600 people – 580 or so women – author and television personality Iyanla Vanzant offered words of inspiration that had most proclaiming, “It’s my time.” Vanzant was the featured speaker during the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Minneapolis/ St. Paul Alumnae Chapter’s 19th Annual Literary Luncheon. The sold out event was held April 11 at the Crowne Plaza St. Paul Riverfront Hotel. From the moment Vanzant entered the room, the host of “Iyanla: Fix My Life” had everyone acknowledging “It’s
my time” with her three-plus minute walk to the stage being accompanied by the Kelly Price tune, “It’s My Time.” “It’s your time to grow, to prosper, to love,” said Vanzant, during her walk to the room’s stage. Vanzant’s walk was slowed by her graciously taking time to greet many in the audience who came to hear from the New York Times bestselling author. Once on stage, Vanzant, who entered to a standing ovation, asked the crowd to remain standing and to join hands with one another. “You are holding the hand of an angel,” proclaimed Vanzant. “You never know who’s going to be your angel. You never know whose angel you are for
somebody else.” Vanzant told the captivated audience that she was not there to serve as a motivational speaker, but to serve as a teacher. The lesson she imparted on the crowd was one of the Bible – Proverbs 4:23. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it flows the issues of life,” said Vanzant, quoting the passage. “So very often we expose our heart because we don’t understand the power we have within us.” In a presentation that was as much comedy as it was gospel, Vanzant, who was once a mother on welfare, preached of the power within. “As women, we need to be committed to stop being
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victims,” said Vanzant to the room made up almost exclusively of women. “One of the ways we stop ourselves from moving forward is our own drama … the drama we create.” Vanzant told a story of her daughter being recently hospitalized with a case of double pneumonia – an issue that Vanzant said was brought on by her daughter’s worry. “My daughter was breaking down because she was moving on to a new job after (being on her current job for) 10 years and because of two sons in their 20s having to figure out things – that’s why she got sick,” said Vanzant. “When negative situations come into your life you have to ask, how did you create this, how did
you attract this.” Vanzant called on the audience to know and understand what she called the universal law. “I am a teacher, that’s who I am and I teach the universal law,” which Vanzant explained was knowing one’s true purpose in life. “And many of us are living illegally because we don’t know the law exists.” Though the attendees of the luncheon were overwhelmingly female, Vanzant made it a point to acknowledge the men in attendance. “We need to give the men some love. We need to make an impression on them so they remember the love of their mothers, their sisters, their daughters. They need to
know we love them,” said the acclaimed author, who posed for a picture with all the men in the room at the conclusion of her talk. The Literary Luncheon, in its 19th year, serves as a major fundraiser for the area chapter of Deltas, with many of the proceeds going to fund scholarships for high school students. Five students were awarded scholarships during this year’s event. Recipients were Hassan Aden, Micayla Batchlor, Alexander Mackiel, Zerbine Rypa and Sydney Scott. Past authors featured during Literary Luncheons include Hill Harper, Omar Tyree, E. Lynn Harris, Walter Mosley and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Bunch: Smithsonian’s African American museum to tell ‘unvarnished truth’ By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer The history of Blacks in America is not necessarily a pretty one … but it is an important one. While the story of AfricanAmericans includes the triumphs of Dr. Charles Drew, Jesse Owens, Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Elijah McCoy, Madam C.J. Walker, our current president, Barack Obama and numerous others; it also includes the inescapable truths of brutal slavery, sharecropping, lynchings, bombings, Jim Crow and even being subjected to government experimentation. And the story cannot be told without exploring the horrific Middle Passage, where enslaved Africans were transported as a commodity to the New World. The tale of the African in America is quite a tale indeed. But the Smithsonian, under the direction of historian Lonnie Bunch is hoping to tell the story – the good, the bad and the ugly – and in the process bring about healing. “Often, when you look at history like the African-American story, a lot think it’s a story for just a small segment of the population or for certain people,” said Bunch, the director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. “Crafting this museum helps all Americans see how important of a story this is to all, and my hope is that it can help us come together as a nation.” Bunch said the museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., which will be complete within 18 months, will seek to tell the story of African-Americans in its entirety. “As (historian and author) John Hope Franklin said, ‘we’ve got to tell the unvarnished truth,’” said Bunch, who told of the words of a Mr. Johnson who is an African-American who lives on a former slave plantation in South Carolina. “He said, ‘your job is to help people to remember not what they want to remember, but what they need to remember.’ So this museum has to be a place to remember (the Rev. Dr.) Martin Luther King, Jr., Sojourner Truth and Gordon Parks but it also has to be a place that tells the story that nobody remembers – the story of the African-American woman
Harry Colbert, Jr.
Lonnie Bunch, director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture was recently in St. Paul to tell of the progress of the museum, which is slated to open on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. within 18 months. who was a slave but never let it strip it of her humanity. This is not a Black story for Black people … this is the quintessential American story.” For the museum’s director, one of the major challenges of telling the “unvarnished truth” is knowing that people of all sides are uncomfortable with the realities of history when it comes to African-Americans. Bunch said he received hate mail from whites who said he was drudging up the past and he has had more than a couple of African-Americans applaud his and the museum’s efforts but ask that the museum not mention slavery. At one point he was advised to use the example of the Holocaust Museum to tell an unpleasant story but Bunch noted on key difference in the story of the Holocaust and that of atrocities upon AfricanAmericans. “With the Holocaust, the bad guys aren’t American,” said Bunch. But overall, in his travels to find pieces for the museum, Bunch said the reaction has been overwhelmingly in favor, with people donating wonderful items for display. The museum has upwards of 35,000 items including items once possessed by Harriet Tubman, a plane flown by the Tuskegee Airmen, glass shards from the bombing of the
16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. and even the bible of Nat Turner – who lead the nation’s most well-known slave uprising. Turner’s bible was actually donated by a white woman whose family suffered the greatest loss of life during the uprising. Bunch shared his insights on the coming museum while in St. Paul speaking at the Penumbra Theatre. The museum, which came about by an Act of Congress in 2003, was first discussed as early as 1913, according to Bunch. The museum has a significant local connection as Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) serves as the lead Democrat on the committee that funds the Smithsonian. McCollum was on hand at Penumbra and noted the rich history of African-Americans in the Twin Cities. “It’s fitting Mr. Bunch is here in Minnesota – particularly St. Paul,” said McCollum. “We are home to Pilgrim Baptist Church – the oldest AfricanAmerican church in Minnesota – with a history deeply rooted in the Underground Railroad and America’s struggle for racial equality and social justice.” Thus far the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture has received nearly $450 million in donations – much of it coming from private citizens.
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Insight News • April 20 - April 26, 2015 • Page 3
HEALTH Stemming the tide against Alzheimer’s disease By U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar Many of us know a loved one who has faced Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a wrenching experience—watching them slowly slip away, trying to be a source of comfort and companionship, even as a cure remains painfully out of reach. Alzheimer’s has come to be known as the “long goodbye,” a disease that gradually takes its toll on millions of people in Minnesota and across the country every year. As one of the leading causes of death in the United States, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia claim more than 500,000 lives per year. Right now, there are close to 5.2 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, including nearly 100,000 right here in Minnesota. In 2013, more than 15 million family members and friends cared for someone with
Vote From 1 who pushed through legislation in the state calling for all voters to have government issued identification in order to cast ballots. “The fact is we have politicians trying to select the voters rather than voters selecting the politicians and the people most affected are often minorities, the elderly and
Wright From 1 “I am proud to nominate Justice Wilhelmina Marie Wright to serve on the United States District Court bench,” said President Obama. “She has a long and distinguished record of
Article From 1 Ms. Matos rejected our offer and ignored the pages of material we presented documenting our great work with these programs. Sadly, she chose to present a biased and cynical fairy tale masquerading as a news story. The bottom line—The Minneapolis Urban League did not break any rules, did not “double bill”, and has not been “under fire” for violating our contracts with either Minneapolis Public Schools or the Minnesota Department of Education. This purposefully vague article ignored our positive outcomes that have been officially recognized by both the Minneapolis Public Schools and the Minnesota Department of Education. Fact: The Urban League Academy is a 40-year partnership between the MUL and MPS. The Academy’s mission is twofold— giving students that are often the most marginalized in a traditional school setting another chance at graduation, as well as equipping them to earn a postsecondary credential leading to a living wage job. Our students are typically African American, below the poverty level, have failed at anywhere from three to five MPS high schools, and have faced trauma such as abuse or homelessness. Even with so much stacked against them, in 2014 67% of the students eligible to graduate walked across the stage and received the diploma they earned. Fact: The 13th Grade Program is a college and career pathways readiness program for young adults age 17-24. This non-credit program focuses on the academic, technical, and soft skill building of disconnected unemployed or underemployed young adults not enrolled in a postsecondary institution. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), which is run by Commissioner Brenda Cassellius, reviewed and approved our work plan, including specific program goals and learning objectives on September 25, 2013. The MDE Program Manager assigned to monitor the 13th Grade Program met with MUL staff to review the program model on April 11, 2014 and did not express any dissatisfaction with our program. Fact: Many 13th Grade
scientists, advanced research initiatives, and skilled doctors with the resources to conduct trials and care for patients until we finally find a cure. That is why I have joined with Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine to call on Congress to make the necessary investments. We are pushing to make combatting
Alzheimer’s a top national priority, including doubling the research funding by 2016 with a goal of developing effective treatments by 2025. This funding will build on the momentum and cutting-edge research already being done at great institutions such as the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic. Exciting medical advancements hold the promise of revolutionizing the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. We have already begun to see extraordinary results in precision medicine approaches that tailor prevention and treatment by taking into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle in other diseases, and related research for Alzheimer’s is currently underway. These investments make sense because we know that they will pay off. For example, simply delaying the onset of
Alzheimer’s by five years would significantly cut the government’s spending on care and most importantly, give people more time with their loved ones. But medical research is only part of the solution. We also need to develop policies to help caregivers meet the challenges of caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s. That’s why my bipartisan Americans Giving Care to Elders Act would give family caregivers a tax credit and other assistance to help alleviate the financial burdens that come with caring for a loved one. Alzheimer’s disease presents one of the toughest medical, economic, and social challenges facing our country. Solutions to problems this vast and devastating aren’t going to just fall out the sky. Instead, we need decisive and bold action that will bring the possibility for a cure within reach and finally end this horrific disease.
In addition to trying to protect the right to vote for those already on the rolls, there is a growing call to extend the right to vote to those with felony convictions. Most states deny felons the right to vote and only two states, Maine and Vermont, allow prisoners to vote. In Minnesota, felons are not allowed to vote if they are on probation, parole or incarcerated. It is estimated that between 45,000 to 60,000 Minnesotans are affected by
this law. “As an ex-offender, my voice has been silenced due to me having an ‘F’ on my report card,” said Nathanael Doching, of TakeAction Minnesota’s Justice 4 All project. Doching has a felony conviction on his record. “I’ve been labeled with a shunning mark that is only visible when you research my past instead of focusing on my future. Wintana Melekin, an advocate for voting rights with
Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC), said she realized the seriousness of the issue of felony voting rights when she was out door knocking trying to register voters for the 2014 elections. “When knocking on doors, I found out that every fifth door I went to had a person with a felony,” said Melekin. “I realized we have a problem. “This is a serious civil rights issue,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.
Simon said with this year serving as the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, now is the perfect time to bring the issues of voter disenfranchisement to the forefront. “The more people understand the cost … not just the dollar cost … but the cost to democracy, they’ll get behind this cause.” “We don’t want people with records thinking nobody’s here for you,” said Ellison. “We’re here so don’t give up.”
Justice Wilhelmina Marie Wright: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota Justice Wilhelmina Marie Wright has served as an Associate Justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court
since 2012. Previously, she served as a judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals from 2002 to 2012 and on the Ramsey County District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota from 2000 to 2002. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Justice Wright served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Minnesota from 1995 to 2000. From 1991 to 1995, she
was an associate at Hogan & Hartson LLP (now Hogan Lovells LLP). She began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Damon J. Keith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1989 to 1991. Justice Wright received her J.D. in 1989 from Harvard Law School and her B.A. cum laude in 1986 from Yale University.
participants have a diploma or GED, but have not yet identified a career pathway, and/ or have basic skill deficits that make it challenging for them to master postsecondary and vocational coursework. Our July 2014 Interim Progress Report, which is required by the MDE, fully documented that 100% of our 13th Grade participants passed the program’s first phase requirements and 75% are now employed. Our assigned MDE Program Manager approved our 13th Grade Interim Report and the Supplementary Outcome Data on August 6, 2014. Fact: Just two months ago, February 12, 2015, we received a financial desk audit conducted by MDE staff. This audit was “clean”—in other words, it did not contain any findings of deficiency or concerns. We shared this audit report with Ms. Matos, who chose to ignore it her article. Fact: During the first report for the 13th Grade Pilot Program, MUL enrolled 89 participants. The Urban League Academy students who participated in the pilot program were primarily 11th and 12th Grade students who requested additional career development and college access
educational services. These students participated in the program after school and gained no high school credit for their participation. Fact: In the second year of the 13th Grade Program, there are 119 participants and 6 of them are students at the Urban League Academy. There is nothing in our contract that precludes these students from receiving extra counseling, jobs, career-building skills, or other wrap-around services our organization offers. Clearly, what these at risk young people need all the services we can muster to help them overcome the many obstacles in their path. The 13th Grade Program should be lauded for being the successful program that it has become. Unfortunately, the Star Tribune has unwisely used its platform to sow further political disillusionment that ends up hurting young people in Minneapolis. Every day at the Minneapolis Urban League, we have young people come through our doors looking for an opportunity. Our traditional schools have failed them, leaving them more disconnected every day. Programs like the 13th Grade Program give them a new chance
to get on a career track. Right now, we have participants in college who never thought they would achieve any more than a GED. We would hope that a media organization like the Star Tribune would strive for fairness, factchecking and balance; but sadly it appears the organization is more interested in tabloid headlines, shoddy research and sensational scare tactics. Minneapolis Urban League constituents and the residents of our city deserve better.
Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. Most troubling, this problem is projected to grow dramatically in coming years as the Baby Boomer generation ages. By 2050, it is estimated that 13.5 million Americans will be living with Alzheimer’s—nearly triple the number of people affected today. The financial costs of providing care for those afflicted is staggering. Whether the expenses cover treatment, hospice, or long-term care, they can take an enormous toll on family and government budgets. This year alone, we will spend $226 billion caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. By 2050, that number is projected to reach an astronomic $1.1 trillion. Of course, these numbers don’t tell the most important part of the story, that of the countless families shattered by
Alzheimer’s and the enormous toll it takes on those living with the disease. Each of their experiences remind us that now is the time to stem the tide against this horrific disease. We can start by making investments in cutting-edge research today that will make a difference tomorrow. We need to make sure there are dedicated
students – people who don’t typically vote Republican.” Ellison, who was among those who championed the defeat of a bill to restrict voting in Minnesota in 2012, said there needs to be uniform protections to preserve the right to vote in America. “And the best remedy is a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to vote,” said Ellison, who said 83 restrictive voting bills in 29 states were introduced in 2014.
service, and I am confident she will serve on the federal bench with distinction.”
Simply delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s by five years would significantly cut the government’s spending on care and most importantly, give people more time with their loved ones.
Scott Gray, president and CEO, MUL; Steven Belton, interim president and CEO, MUL; Clinton Collins, Jr., board chair, MUL.
Page 4 • April 20 - April 26, 2015 • Insight News
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What are you reading? The top six books on leadership for social justice Women Leading Change By Dr. Artika Tyner Leaders are learners. Effective leadership begins with the process of learning through an exploration of leadership theories and the study of leadership profiles. A study of leadership serves as your “leadership compass,” an indispensable navigational tool. This compass will aid you in developing your leadership skills and creating a vision for the future of social change. These six books will provide you with practical guidance for developing your leadership compass and promoting social justice. Each book provides
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a glimpse into the landscape of current racial justice and economic justice issues. In addition, you will gain new insights on how to build and sustain social change. Lastly, you will be compelled to take action in order to write your own leadership chapter in the course of history. 1) Leadership for Social Justice Groundwork: Charles Hamilton Houston and the Struggle for Civil Rights by Genna Rae McNeil 2) Root and Branch: Charles Hamilton Houston, Thurgood Marshall, and the Struggle to End Segregation by Rawn James Jr. Civil rights pioneer, the late Charles Hamilton Houston, developed the theory of “social engineering” due to his lifelong commitment to burying the remnants of
racism and promoting equal justice under the law. Houston characterized a social engineer as the “mouthpiece of the weak and a sentinel guarding against wrong.” As a civil rights pioneer, he exercised leadership as a tool for promoting the common good and creating access to justice. His advocacy laid the foundation for the monumental case of Brown v. Board Education which overturned the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ (Plessy v. Ferguson). 3) Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson Bryan Stevenson demonstrates leadership by not just simply espousing his vision of justice. He lives out this vision each day as he represents clients and advances policy reform. One such example is the 2010 case where Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative team
city’s fast-food workers during a nationwide strike to raise the minimum wage. Our message was clear: America’s workers deserve better. Today, our message is amplified by the voices of students, teachers, parents, and those from the private and public sectors. Their collective support for a living wage and the right to collectively bargain can be heard from coast
Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane
Clingman
Assistant to the Publisher Shumira Cunningham
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start our downhill retirement at least enjoy being here together.” Having met Jim, who is 19 years older, more than two decades ago at a reception in her native city of Chicago, Sylvia was smitten by this distinguished gentleman. Even now, she seems to blush when she speaks of how debonair he is in a suit. “Jim is the only man to me who looks just fabulous and handsome in a suit. No one can wear a suit like Jim.” Though they only spoke a few minutes at that event where they met, he was obviously equally impressed. A few weeks later, he called her at the hospital where she worked and the rest is history. They married on Dec. 15, 1991, and were now preparing to start a new season in their lives. But, that dream took a sudden and traumatic turn 18 months ago when Jim Clingman was diagnosed with ALS, so-called “Lou Gehrig’s disease”. It is the neurological illness in which the normal prognosis is that the patient gradually becomes paralyzed and then dies within two to five years, although some have lived much longer and some patients have even seen their symptoms stop, according to the ALS Association.
Insight News is published weekly, every Monday by McFarlane Media Interests. Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane
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Mrs. Clingman, a neonatal intensive care nurse manager, had accepted a new job at the Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville, S.C., one of the nation’s best cities for retirees, according to AARP. In the comfort of their new home in a beautiful quiet subdivision, Jim would continue writing his national “Blackonomics” column for weekly Black newspapers and serve as a consultant to his clients while also enjoying bicycling, one of his favorite pass times, along the rolling hills of Greenville. Kiah, their only child, was independent and away at college most of the time. The popular student leader and graduating senior at Howard University was focused on her career in advertising and marketing. “My goal was that we would enjoy a place where I’d anticipated, number one, starting a new life,” recalls Mrs. Clingman. “A warmer place, where I would take up some cycling with him, where we would start our cycling together. Where we would grow old and
Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Contributing Writers Harry Colbert, Jr. Julie Desmond Fred Easter Timothy Houston Penny Jones-Richardson Alaina L. Lewis Darren Moore Carmen Robles Lydia Schwartz Ryan T. Scott Toki Wright Photography David Bradley Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55411.
4) Love Leadership: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World by John Hope Bryant Leadership should empower and uplift followers however fear can serve as an active barrier to achieving this goal. Love leadership coined by John Hope Bryant (Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE) responds to the fearful nature of leadership. It recognizes that fear manipulates and limits possibilities. In contrast, love motivates and unleashes infinite possibilities for the future. 5) The New Jim Crow: Mass
Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Edelman
America has the highest rate of incarceration in the world with more than 2 million people in prison and 65 million people with a criminal record. Michelle Alexander has created a blueprint for ending mass incarceration. Alexander warns: “The fate of millions of people—indeed the future of the black community itself— may depend on the willingness of those who care about racial justice to re-examine their basic assumptions about the role of the criminal justice system in our society.” She exemplifies the qualities of a transformational leader by challenging the status quo and seeking to promote social justice.
Marian Wright Edelman’s servant leadership has laid the foundation for the Children’s Defense Fund (“CDF”). Over forty years ago, Edelman founded CDF with the goal in mind of ensuring that no child is left behind and creating a level playing field for all children. CDF has been instrumental in shaping a National dialogue on the future of children, providing key research on issues impacting children, and advancing policies which support children’s rights. Each of these books serve as an inspiration for my work as an educator. I have used these books to spark a dialogue with my students on how to leverage leadership for social justice. What are you reading?
6) The Sea Is So Wide and My Boat Is So Small: Charting a Course for the Next Generation by Marian Wright
Dr. Artika R. Tyner is an assistant professor at the University of St. Thomas College of Education, Leadership, and Counseling.
Gwen Moore supports higher wages for America’s workforce WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to demonstrations across the country to spread awareness about the need to for a living wage and the right to collectively bargain, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-04) released the following statement: “Last year, I was arrested in Milwaukee while protesting shoulder to shoulder with our
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argued before the U.S Supreme Court to end the sentencing of children to mandatory life sentences without parole. In this historic case, the U.S. Supreme Court deemed life without parole sentences for juveniles as unconstitutional. This is one victory on the pathway to justice.
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to coast, sending a clear message to America’s workforce that we are in their corner. I am proud to be one of those voices. “I stand with the brave activists back in Milwaukee and across the country who are speaking out today for a fair minimum wage of $15 an hour and the right to form a union. Over 55 million workers make less than $15 an hour, a wage
too low to support a family. Minorities are particularly likely to make less than $15 an hour, including 54% of African American workers and 58% of Hispanic workers. “There are those who believe that the opportunity for prosperity and success should be exclusively for those with white-collar jobs, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Jim and Kiah Clingman While Mrs. Clingman had moved ahead to start the new job as her husband prepared to join her, his weakened left foot and calf continued to grow worse despite surgery and batteries of tests. Finally, there came the devastating diagnosis August 23, 2013. “We put her on speaker phone,” he recalls. “She just lost it. I immediately got in the car and drove down there and just spent a couple of days so we could both be together and just accept it.” “Accept it?” How does one “accept” a prognosis like that of ALS? According to Jim Clingman, “First you cry.” But, then what? Contemplating the question, he speaks slowly, thoughtfully, a man who has never even spent a night in a hospital, now trying to wrap his mind around what has become the spiritual test of his lifetime. Miraculously, he has found blessings, even in the midst of this tragedy. “It’s a day to day thing. I have to put it like that,” he explains. “I try to look at the positives like the fact that it started in my foot instead of in my face. It can start in arms, hands, etc. The doctor told me that, ‘If there’s anything good about this it’s where it started in you because it started in your foot and has to work its way up.’” Jim’s faith in God’s will for his life has been his rock. “If I didn’t have that Hazel, I’d be a wreck. I know it...If it weren’t for that, I’d be a basket case.” It also helps that he is not physically alone in this journey. In addition to Sylvia, Kiah and extended family members, the popular columnist, speaker and author of four books has scores of friends and thousands of fans. They include his lifelong pastor and his new pastor in Greenville. Both marvel at how Jim Clingman is handling this. “I remember when Jim decided to give his life to God. It was on a Mother’s Day,” recalls Richard A. Rose, Sr., then pastor of
Gray Road Church of Christ in Cincinnati. “He came down that aisle at church and never looked back,” Rose recalls that moment 17 years ago. “He became a teacher, he even delivered sermons in my absence. Wherever he was needed, he was ready. There was no job too big or too small. So, he’s the leader in that family when it comes down to the faith. His faith will help Sylvia and help Kiah.” While leaning on God for his future, the blessing is also in the life that he has lived and continues to live, says Rev. Rose. “Everybody in Cincinnati knew who Jim Clingman was. He did so much for so many people. And, so when the doctor’s first told him that he had ALS, it kind of set him back a little bit...But, God is greater than any doctor, than any degrees, and if it is not his will to deliver you from it, he will give you the strength to take you through it.” Now attending Grace View Church of Christ in Anderson, S.C., Clingman has remained steadfast in service. “He’s not wavered in his faith at all,” says Grace View pastor, Bryan Jones. Clingman even preached at his church earlier this year. Seated in the pulpit, he encouraged the congregation with the message titled, “Tickets Please”. From Hebrews 9:10, it was about “how Christ died once for all. Everybody has a free ticket,” Clingman recounts. “There’s been some challenging times in which I would see him high and see him low,” says Jones. He calls Clingman his “hero” because of his thoughts of others in the midst of his own trials. “Every time I saw him have a weak moment, it was never because of his own personal illness or health. Any time he’s ever been down, it’s always because of the pain he has because of his family having to deal with it. Not himself.” A major part of that pain has been his concern for their
America’s workers – from fast-food employees and child care providers to educators and manufacturers – are the backbone of our nation’s economy. Despite their pivotal role in spurring economic growth and development, many of these workers struggle to provide the basics for their family. This is simply unacceptable.”
beloved Kiah. Always a daddy’s girl, she too was naturally devastated by the diagnosis. “My Dad actually tried to hide it from me for a while,” Kiah recalls. She was about to leave for London for an educational endeavor in the fall of 2013 when she found out from a relative who mistakenly let it slip out during Thanksgiving break. “I didn’t want to go anymore,” she recalls. “After I read the diagnosis two to five years to live immediately what was going through my mind was he’s had these symptoms for two years now so how long does he have left? That was the only thing on my mind.” Fast forward through the tears, her parents convinced her to go to London. Eighteen months since the diagnosis, his faith has indeed encouraged the entire family. “I guess my Dad has actually been the reason I’ve been able to keep going, keep fighting, his resilience, his drive,” says Kiah. “My Mom and I have no choice but to be strong for him and sometimes it feels like we have ALS. But, his drive to keep going every day is what keeps us going.” Like her father, Kiah is also a fighter. When the Veteran’s Administration turned him down for assistance, she persisted, searching the Internet and making phone calls until she found someone who would listen. Finally, Clingman, a veteran of the U. S. Navy, was informed that he would receive full benefits. That moment was part of an answer to his prayers that his wife would never be saddled with debt because of his illness His other greatest concern is still in the works. Now, his heart’s desire is to “Get Kiah off into her adult life and to be there when she graduates” Saturday, May 9, 2015. “I’m praying that my strength lasts at least until then because I don’t want to be there so debilitated that the focus is on me rather than her and her achievements. Then, I want to see her on firm footing as she moves into adulthood.” Meanwhile, America is to hear much more from Jim Clingman. He has just completed his fifth book, “Black Dollars Matter! - Teach Your Dollars How to Make More Sense.” And he continues to write his Black press column, “Blackonomics”, which he also posts on his website, Blackonomics.com. No matter what the doctors say, this family still has hope “The doctor gave me a death sentence, but God has already given me a ‘Life Sentence,’ and eternal life sentence,” Clingman said. “I never refer to it as false hope because God can do anything,” says Rose. “There is hope, the hope in God. Any hope that you have is not in science, but in God.” Jim Clingman can be reached at JClingman@Blackonomics com.
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Insight News • April 20 - April 26, 2015 • Page 5
BUSINESS
Progress MN: Louis King II By Dan Heilman Louis King is often described as an innovator and an agent of change. But he mostly sees himself as someone who likes putting people to work. As president and CEO of the Minneapolis-based vocational training facility Summit Academy, King and his staff have done just that, graduating almost 1,500 students and finding jobs for most of them. King, 55, became involved with Summit after a stint in the Army. He led the 1996 merger of a pair of training entities, Twin Cities Opportunity Industrialization Center and Two or More Inc., which combined to become Summit Academy OIC. “Twin Cities OIC was in trouble, but it had a strong infrastructure,” recalled King. “Two or More was in a phase of rapid growth. We took the energy of a small one and put it into the structure of the big one, and here we are.” Summit was forced to focus when the economy soured in the early 2000s, and that led it to find its niche markets. State demographic studies at the time indicated that health care and construction would be two industries most in need of workers before long, and Summit adjusted its training curricula accordingly. “We’ve been riding a demographic wave from the very beginning,” said King. “Along the way, though, construction became our lead card. The Twins stadium, working with Mortenson, became our big breakthrough.” King also founded the Twin Cities Construction Consortium, a group of education institutions, and training, apprenticeship and
Louis King receives 2015 Progress Minnesota Award: Summit Academy OIC’s President Louis J. King II recognized as an innovator and agent of change at the 2015 Progress Minnesota award ceremony. King along with 23 businesses, 2 individuals and Lifetime Achievement honoree M.A. “Mort” Mortenson received their awards on April 9th in downtown Minneapolis from Finance & Commerce. employment organizations. The consortium develops partnerships and policies that maximize the human capital development of the area’s growing and diverse workforce in an effort to bridge coming employment gaps. King sees Summit’s legacy as having helped keep the region strong by helping disadvantaged people get into the economic mainstream in
an affordable way and with the skills that employers need. “This region is aging and browning, and these populations are the ones we’re going to need in the future,” he said. “We’re pivotal in that
whole exercise.” Title: President and CEO, Summit Academy OIC (opportunity industrialization center) Education: B.A., political
science, Morehouse College, 1982 Key turning point in career: Focusing on health care and construction after the 2001 economic downturn What’s next: Providing
workers for the Target Center renovation project Family: Wife, Beverly; children Aja, Kamaria and Lauryn Website: http://www.saoic.org/
Five thought provoking questions to ask job candidates FUNdraising Good Times
By Mel and Pearl Shaw Need a magic cure for nonprofit fundraising blues? Hire fundraising staff. That’s it. Problem solved. Time to get back to what we were focusing on before we “got sidetracked” into all this fundraising. Ah.... if only that were the case. If you have funds to hire staff how will you know you are hiring the right person? How will you evaluate this person? Will you know how to manage and coach your new hire? Will you depend on their progress reports to know whether or not they are “doing their job?” We raise these questions because we have found many organizations seek to build a fundraising program or increase their fundraising by making a new hire. That can be the right solution, but there are other prerequisites that need to be in place for a fundraising professional to be successful. Alas, making a hire is not the silver bullet! Earlier columns address things to consider when hiring; they are available online at our blog www. F U N d r a i s i n g G o o d Ti m e s . com. In this column we offer five questions to ask during the interview process. A candidate’s responses can provide insights to help you determine who is best qualified to help you meet your fundraising goals. 1. How do you feel about asking for money? This is really at the core of fundraising. Feelings about money – and people who have money – color many people’s consciousness and can interfere with fundraising. At a basic level being afraid to ask
for a gift means a fundraising professional may hesitate when soliciting. Confusing one’s own economic conditions with those who have more can cloud a solicitation with an unconscious attitude of “they have enough, they should just give us some.” 2. Share with me a professional or volunteer project you started and developed into something meaningful that you are proud of. Please share the challenges you faced, the solutions you proposed, and lessons learned.
Get your remodel rolling today.
3. How do you want to be evaluated at the end of your first year working with our organization? Answers to this question can provide insights into what is important to a candidate, and how they evaluate their work. 4. What resources and support do you believe you would need to succeed in this position? Learning a candidate’s expectations can help you prepare to bring him into your organization. You may also learn that you need to be better prepared to work with a professional, or that he has expectations you may not be able to meet. 5. How would you prepare for this position? This lets candidates know you expect them to prepare: success in a new position is a two-way street. How a person prepares for a new job may also reveal how they prepare for a solicitation or new campaign. Next week: Five questions for job candidates to ask! Copyright 2015– Pearl Shaw
Mel
and
Mel and Pearl Shaw position nonprofits, colleges and universities for fundraising success. For help with your fundraising visit www. saadandshaw.com or call (901) 522-8727.
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Page 6 • April 20 - April 26, 2015 • Insight News
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COMMENTARY
Members of the Twins coaching staff all wearing jersey number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson, the first to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
Harry Colbert, Jr.
Twins, Major League Baseball, continue to honor Jackie Robinson while struggling to attract Black fans Commentary by Harry Colbert, Jr. In what has now become an annual tradition, the Minnesota Twins along with every team in Major League Baseball (MLB) honored the legacy of baseball Hall of Famer and civil rights icon, Jackie Robinson. Robinson, who broke the MLB color barrier in 1947 when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, was a six time All-Star with a career .311 batting average and was the National League’s MVP and batting champ in 1949. Robinson was named the league’s
Rookie of the Year in 1947 when he broke in, doing so amid death threats and on-the-field assaults. Robinson retired in 1956 and in 1962 was elected to the MLB Hall of Fame. Robinson died in 1972. Where today in all professional sports the Black athlete is commonplace, prior to Robinson’s historic 1947 season there were no non-whites in any American professional league. And while African-American athletes dominate the landscape in professional football and basketball, African-Americans made up just 8.3 percent of last year’s MLB opening day rosters. On the other hand, Latin players,
many of African lineage, are thriving in baseball. Almost as nonexistent as the African-American ballplayer is the African-American baseball fan in the stands – at least in Minnesota. On the day set aside to honor Robinson, it would not be absurd to say that there were more AfricanAmericans working the game at Target Field – home of the Twins – as there were watching the game against the reigning American League champs, the Kansas City Royals. The struggle to attract fans of color is one felt throughout baseball, but it is certainly obvious here in Minnesota. Point of note,
the game only drew a paid attendance of 21,362, which is about half of what the stadium can hold, but of thousands of fans, the number of AfricanAmerican fans could have been counted by the dozens. That’s not to say that the Twins haven’t been making efforts to reach a more diverse audience, it’s just that the efforts have yet to bare much fruit. The organization has invested in inner city youth baseball and partnered with area community organizations, but attracting the African-American fan to the ballpark has been a struggle. It could be a case of the chicken and the egg, as there aren’t that
many African-American players in the league – or on the Twins – for potential fans to connect. On Jackie Robinson Day, the Twins had just one African-American on the roster – Torii Hunter. One of the few AfricanAmerican fans at the game, which was won by the Twins 3-1, Ted Anderson, blamed a changing culture for the lack of African-American players and fans. “This league is thirsty for Black players, but they’re just not there,” said Anderson. “Black kids are more into football and now even soccer than they are into baseball.” Anderson, 65, said he has
been a longtime fan of the Twins and of baseball. While the fight for AfricanAmerican fans in the Twin Cities may be an uphill battle, one fan visiting in the stands said it’s not such the case in other cities. Andy Duran, who is originally from the Dominican Republic and lives in New York said as the barber to many of the Twins players he has visited several stadiums and the games are being well attended by Africanand Latin-American fans. “It may not be the case in Minnesota, but in New York, Detroit… Cleveland, it’s full of (African- and Latin-American fans).
Attacking economic racism Black Press of America By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President and CEO, NNPA Despite ill-intended efforts to do it for us, Black Americans have a responsibility to define our own
reality. It is a fundamental human right recognized and respected by the United Nations. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to define, without apology, the deadly and debilitating manifestation of racial discrimination and injustice as “economic racism.” Why are so many Black Americans still mired down in intergenerational poverty, lack of health care, inadequate education, raging unemployment, disproportionate imprisonment, the highest rate
of housing foreclosures and housing discrimination, the lowest rate of bank lending and overcall exclusion from access to sustainable wealth generation in every region of the nation? How is it mathematically possible for Black Americans to spend more than $1.2 trillion annually in the United States, and yet the overwhelming majority of the companies that make huge profits from the annual spending of Black Americans do nothing more
than invest far less than 1 percent of their profits back into Black-owned businesses and grassroots organizations throughout the country? Why does the American economy remain racially segregated in 2015? Why are Black Americans consigned to poverty and economic inequality? The answer is amazingly simple: It is the reality of economic racism, defined as the intentional racial discrimination against Black Americans and other people of color to prevent economic equality, justice, parity, advancement, and empowerment; it is the systematic racial exclusion of Black Americans and other people of color from economic policy-making at local, state and national levels in both corporate and governmental entities; and, it is economic institutionalization of racial oppression, stereotyping, and profiling coupled with the ignorance of racial prejudice and hatred. Yes, this is an admittedly complex definition of economic racism. The matrix of complexity concerning economic racism, however, does not make it impossible to challenge and to overcome. No one is born a racist. We can and will eventually liberate ourselves from all forms of racial oppression and economic racism. We have not concentrated on economic racism as much as we should have because of the overemphasis on politics. But we eventually had to recognize that even our political system is controlled by economics and politicians tend to be more responsive to those who support
their campaigns economically. The economic liberation of Black America will require establishing more internal unity and more external coalitionbuilding and partnering with those who stand for freedom, justice and equality with their money, words and deeds. Organizing and mobilizing an effective movement to challenge and overcome economic racism is long overdue The perpetrators of racial injustice and discrimination are always reluctant to confess or acknowledge the reality of these centuries-old phenomena. In the United States, in particular, there is a historic and contemporary denial of how race plays a determinative role in all aspects of society. As former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley (D-NJ) was fond of saying, “Slavery was America’s original sin, and racism remains its unresolved dilemma.” And we see that racism manifested in so many ways. Today, it now appears that the only way to get people to acknowledge racially-motivated police misconduct against Black Americans and other people of color is to have a video tape of the transgression. Thank God for the recent videotape of the police murder of unarmed Walter Scott in North Charleston, S.C. Sometimes, as was the case with Eric Gardner in New York City, we can have videotape and rouge cops still escape punishment. Racism in all of its oppressive manifestations must not only be consistently called out and challenged, but also we must be vigilant and diligent to make sure that we are effective in the elimination of the undergirding factors that
cause racism to exist and persist in the first place. In my home state of North Carolina more than 32 years ago, while helping to lead civil rights protests against the digging of a massive toxic waste landfill in predominantly African American Warren County, I coined the term “environmental racism.” Warren County was also the place where Congress of Racial Equality Chairman Floyd B. McKissick Sr., the first African American to receive a law degree from the University of North Carolina, attempted to build Soul City as an economic empowerment zone and a new city for Black Americans and others who considered themselves progressive. Environmental racism is the intentional racial discrimination in the deliberate targeting of ethnic and minority communities for exposure to toxic and hazardous waste sites and facilities, coupled with the systematic exclusion of racial minorities in environmental policy making, enforcement, and remediation. As a result of the definitive work that we did on this issue back in the 1980s, today there are effective and transformative environmental justice movements and organizations across America and throughout the world. One day, I hope we’ll be able to look back and say the same about economic racism. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and can be reached for national advertisement sales and partnership proposals at: dr.bchavis@nnpa.org; and for lectures and other professional consultations at: http:// drbenjaminfchavisjr.wix.com/drbfc
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Insight News • April 20 - April 26, 2015 • Page 7
EDUCATION High school students take historic civil rights pilgrimage sponsored by Robbinsdale Area Schools (RAS) and the West Metro Education Program (WMEP) Fifty-two west metro high school students spent their spring break immersed in history and lifechanging experiences. These students participated in the Civil Rights Research Tour (CRRT), a collaborative cross-district effort including Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, Robbinsdale, St. Anthony/New Brighton, Wayzata and WMEP (The FAIR School). CRRT 2015 is a unique learning experience that immerses a group of AfricanAmerican student leaders with an intensive opportunity to explore the African-American experience in the United States. The tour is designed to provide students and staff with an up-close historical and experiential education of many events before and during the Civil Rights Movement that helped to shape and define the U.S. “This is a deep and enriching learning opportunity that makes a profound impact on the life of our students,” said Marcellus Davis, program director for achievement and integration with Robbinsdale Area Schools. “Our students come back from this experience on fire about history and eager to share what they have learned with their peers and teachers. Moreover, these students come back inspired to make change happen in their school and community.” This field experience is more than a tour – it helps to develop
Students meet with civil rights activist and politician Charles Evers, brother of Medgar Evers. Medgar Evers was an African-American civil rights activist from Mississippi involved in efforts to overturn segregation at the University of Mississippi. He was shot and killed on his driveway in 1963. A member of the local White Citizens’ Council was later convicted for his murder. the important skill of research, which is a necessary skill for higher education and attainment
of an advanced degree, as well as enhance critical thinking and presentation skills. According
to program officials, CRRT challenges students to examine history and prior knowledge
through the lenses of capitalism, racism, social movements, student activism, service
learning, and political power. Students will also use their research skills to help redefine how the Civil Rights Movement will be taught and learned in the future. Their content will be available for educators and community members to use in the classroom. In addition, students will preview their documentaries in the coming months. Traveling by bus, CRRT 2015 students and staff experienced numerous historic sites located in Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham, Ala.; Memphis, Jackson, Miss.; Charleston, S.C. and Washington, D.C. Sites included the Edmund Pettis Bridge, 16th Street Baptist Church, National Civil Rights Museum, the African American Civil War Museum, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and others. Students who participated in the tour documented their experiences using various methods and shared their experience through presentations for schools, administration, school board and community at large. The public can follow their work on Twitter using the hashtag #CRRT2015, follow @ WMEP6069, or check Facebook posts on the WMEP - West Metro Education Program page. “It’s exciting to see how eager the students are to express themselves after an experience like this,” said Davis.
Blake School sophomore Cameron Downey wins State Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest Cameron Downey, a tenth grade student from The Blake School in Minneapolis, was recently named the winner of the Minnesota Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest. She will now represent the state at the organization’s tenth annual national contest, which will take place April 27-29 in Washington, D.C. Downey first participated at regions on March 12 and then advanced to state where she competed against 12 students from Minnesota and was named the overall winner. As the state winner, Downey is receiving $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip with an adult chaperone to Washington to compete for the national championship. She
Cameron Downey
Mastery School teacher Terrence Price named one of 10 finalists for Teacher of the Year Terrence Price, a third grade teacher at the Mastery School in north Minneapolis, has been named one of 10 finalists for Minnesota Teacher of the Year. He has been at the Harvest Network of Schools for 10 years and is the only charter school teacher ever named a finalist. A 23-member selection panel will interview the finalists on May 2 and name the Teacher of the Year May 3 at a ceremony at the Radisson Blu Mall of America. Initially there were 123 nominees from across the state. That group was later narrowed to 30 semi-finalists. “I was very thankful to be considered in the top 30 of teachers (semifinalists) nominated,” Price said. “Once I reached the finals, I was really blown away. It’s truly an honor.” Price graduated from Minneapolis’ Washburn High School in 1996 and Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, in 2001. “The most meaningful part of teaching at the Harvest Network of Schools is connecting with the students and getting to know them and watching them grow academically, behaviorally, and socially,” Price said. “I’ve been able to see students move up through the years, providing mentorship and guiding them on the right path.” “I’m so proud of Mr. Price and all of his progress over the years,” said Eric Mahmoud, founder and president/CEO of the Harvest Network of Schools, a network of high-performing charter schools which includes the Mastery School. “Over the years Mr. Price has developed into a master teacher, taking some tough assignments and demonstrating the ability to turn adversity into success. For example, in 2010, Mr. Price was asked to take on a struggling Best Academy East classroom in the middle of the year. By the end of the year, the class exceeded all expectations and Mr. Price’s class
Terrence Price was outpacing the state average in math.” Price achieved similar results two years later at the Mastery School, where he worked with an all-boys 2nd grade class who were struggling with reading and followed the students through 3rd grade. His class actually outperformed the state average in math in 2014. Price’s work with those students was chronicled on CNN’s “Black in America” series that aired in 2013. “The love, commitment and support that Mr. Price provides his students is truly remarkable and has made a difference in their
lives,” Mahmoud said. “The most profound testimony to Mr. Price’s impact is the fact that he now has former students who are in some of the most prestigious colleges in the country. He has become a role model for many of the boys in his classroom.” The Harvest Network of Schools is a group of highperforming K-8 public charter schools, including Harvest Preparatory School, Best Academy, and the Mastery School. The Harvest Network serves nearly 1,300 scholars from north Minneapolis and beyond, delivering a wellrounded education, and achieving some of the state’s highest math and reading proficiency rates for low-income children, English Language Learners and children of color. Teacher of the Year is organized and underwritten by Education Minnesota, the state teachers’ union. It also receives support from the SMARTer Kids Foundation, the Radisson Blu Mall of America, the Harvard Club of Minnesota Foundation, United Educators Credit Union, McDonald’s Restaurants of Minnesota, TruStone Financial and Education Minnesota ESI.
will also receive a $500 stipend for her school, The Blake School, to purchase poetry books. At nationals, Downey and other high school students who have advanced from a field of more than 365,000 students nationwide will match skills in reciting classic and contemporary poetry from Shakespeare to Maya Angelou. Poetry Out Loud is the
nation’s largest youth poetry recitation competition. It encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation and helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage. Since its inception, three million students and 9,500 schools across the country have participated in the
program. Created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud is administered in partnership with the State Arts Agencies of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. For more information about the program visit poetryoutloud.org.
Page 8 • April 20 - April 26, 2015 • Insight News
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LIFESTYLE
I am better, not perfect Man Talk
By Timothy Houston The pursuit of perfection, although an admirable ambition, sometimes gets in the way of one enjoying the moment. In my younger years, I remember reading a story about two people who scored a perfect score on the SAT test. I was in the mist of preparing for the SAT test and decided that perfection was my only option. I took the test, and sadly, did not score a perfect score. Although I scored high enough to attend any school in the country, the thought of being perfect kept me from enjoying the moment. Since that time, I have learned to enjoy and celebrate my
continuous pursuit of being better. Here a few things you can seek on your way to excellence. • Seek purpose. On your way to excellence, seek your true purpose. To do the wrong thing perfectly is not perfection. To be perfect, you must do what you were created to do. If you know in your heart that you should be a teacher, teach. Being the best teacher that you can be is better than being a perfect engineer. Purpose leads to perfection. This realization is true for all the dimensions of your life. • Seek to be kind. Kindness is in your sphere of control. You do not need a degree, special training, or help from others to be kind. When others are unkind, you can still choose kindness. The way you get to perfection matters. Wounding others along the way takes away from your personal accomplishments.
I may not be perfect, but I am better. I pray that you will find the courage to make the incremental changes needed to be better.
The continuous pursuit of kindness is the forerunner to your continuous pursuit of being better. • Seek contentment. Contentment is happiness (temporal state) coupled with peace (permanent state). It is simply a way of accepting one’s current life state and being grateful,
happy, and at peace with it. This attitude of contentment leads to more positive outcomes as a result of the harmony that goes with being contented. Contentment is the ability to forget those things that are behind and to reach forward to those things that are ahead. This is the
stepping-stone needed for the continuous pursuit of being better. • Seek balance. Balance is the even distribution of weight that enables a person to remain upright and steady. Being upright is a vertical state that deals with your relationship with others, and is predicated on things being in their proper place physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You cannot be upright and depressed at the same time. Balance brings the steady positioning needed to make contentment possible. • Seek oneness with the Father. To seek perfection without seeking God is futile. Peace with God is the whole duty of man. “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” Matthew 8:36. The Lord’s Prayer admonishes you to refer to him as your
heavenly Father. He is the only one that is perfect so He is the only one qualified to lead you to perfection. The pursuit of God is the pursuit of perfection. Although I never received a perfect SAT score, I have a wonderful life. I have peace with God, family and friends who love me, purpose, balance, and contentment. Because of this, I can declare myself above all men most richly blessed. I may not be perfect, but I am better. I pray that you will find the courage to make the incremental changes needed to be better. Although you may never achieve perfection, you too can have a wonderful life! Timothy Houston is an author, minister, and motivational speaker who is committed to guiding positive life changes in families and communities. For copies of his book, questions, comments or more information, go to www.tlhouston.com.
Focused, determined and striving for greatness Motivational Moments
By Penny JonesRichardson At different times in life we set goals that will help us get
Fire From 1 In addition to the UnBank, a longtime neighborhood grocery store, Brix, was lost, as was the headquarters to community action group,
to our next level. It could be a goal of moving up the ladder at work, or completing a personal goal that you haven’t shared with anyone. Whatever the case may be, we never stop setting goals. Each time you think of doing something different with your life to make your life better, you are setting a goal. Some goals we don’t have to write down. I worked with a young
man many years ago who only set goals for himself once a year which he would do at the beginning of each year. His goals would be listed from most important to the least important. He said his list could include professional goals as well as those goals that he could finish in a day or two. But no matter what, he always completed everything on his list. I would be amazed by all he completed each year.
At the time I thought it was crazy to only set goals once a year, but as time went by I learned to appreciate what he was doing. He showed me how to stick to a plan and also how to be focused on the most important things in your life. This was the most disciplined person I had ever met at that time. I also learned that some goals will take time and some may take you all year to complete.
Lately I have had to set some personal goals of my own. I had to start thinking of finishing some things that I never thought about before. These goals are hug for me and they are going to take me staying focused and keeping my eyes on the prize. Just like that young man from my past, I have to start with the most important and map out my journey to completing it. What I’ve learned along the way is to
never lose focus of what’s best for me and to always remember that this journey belongs to me! And as always, stay focused, stay determined, and keep striving for greatness.
Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC). While the cause of the blaze has yet to be determined, there is speculation that the fire could have been intentional. “All we know is that the scene is under investigation, but some folks on the (fire) department that I talked to said
it’s unusual as to how quickly the fire spread and how hot the fire got,” said Anthony Newby, executive director of NOC. Calls to the Minneapolis Fire Department were unreturned. Newby said while his organization is without an office, he’s most concerned with those who are without a home due to the blaze. “Our first concern is for the residents who were living in the apartments on the second story,” said Newby. “Our thoughts and prayers go
out to them.” More than just thoughts and prayers, NOC is sending relief as well. The organization known for fighting for workers and voting rights set up a funding campaign that ran until noon on Thursday (April 16), with 100 percent of the proceeds going to assist the apartment residents. According to Newby, within the first 20 hours of the campaign the group raised more than $12,000. Without a home itself, NOC later began a funding campaign to keep its operation
afloat. “We don’t have an office, a pen, a pencil, paper, a chair to sit in,” said Newby. “Everything we use to function as an organization is gone.” While firefighters were still battling the blaze, workers for NOC were doing what they are known to do, which is organize. The group was granted temporary shelter just a block away in the offices of Juxtaposition Arts and workers used cell phones to reach out to potential donors. Newby said several unions have come to the group’s aid, offering operating space and Emerge, an employment agency in the 1100 block of West Broadway, has also offered the group a temporary home. “To see the community come together like this is a really good thing,” said Newby. “We’re going to come out of this on the other side a bigger and more powerful organization, but we need the community’s help to do so. Thankfully, there’s been a tremendous outpouring of support.”
Rep. Raymond Dehn (59B), who on the state level represents that portion of West Broadway, said he fully expects the area to recover. “This is yet another devastating blow to our community after the tornado of 2011 destroyed much of north Minneapolis,” said Dehn in a statement. “Broadway has continued to be an area where we’ve seen revival in north Minneapolis and I’m sure we’ll continue to see that spirit after this fire is extinguished.” Newby said a great concern to him is what will happen moving forward to the now gutted block of West Broadway. “The community has to have a say in what happens here. We want the community to get involved because oftentimes developers swoop in and whoever’s got the biggest check gets the prize,” said Newby. The NOC executive director asked for citizens to voice their concerns over any pending development by emailing NOC at info@ mnnoc.org.
Penny Jones-Richardson is a published author and life coach. She can be reached via her website at www. thequeensproject.com or email at penny@thequeensproject.com.
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Insight News • April 20 - April 26, 2015 • Page 9
COMMUNITY Interview with sixth grade principal, Shaunece Smith By Tylisha White, Tayveon Barmore and Aliyah Gardner Students in WE WIN’s Women and Men of Distinction program at Robbinsdale Middle School (RMS) studied and interviewed their assistant principal, Shaunece Smith. Although they see her five days a week, they didn’t know much about her. Tylisha White, Tayveon Barmore, and Aliyah Gardner interviewed Smith to gain insight about her history and what makes her continue to work with children. Student question: Where were you born? Ms. Smith: I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. I grew up in the projects and our family was on welfare. My mother was a single parent. I lived in the projects until I was 18 (years old). I grew up around a lot of violence and drugs. I knew that was not the life I wanted for myself. Student question: What person inspires you the most and why? Ms. Smith: My greatest inspiration is my mother. My father left the family when I was just a baby. My mother had to go on welfare and we moved to the projects. She had eight children. She is the strongest woman I have ever known. She is fearless, (a) warrior, and she kept us safe. My mother raised five boys and three girls by herself. Because of my mom, we are all alive and not on drugs. My mother is so incredible that when I was a teenager she went back to get her bachelor’s degree. All of her children were so excited when she graduated,
Shaunece Smith especially me. I had never seen anything as incredible as her commencement ceremony. My mother did not stop there, she kept going to school and earned her doctorate degree. Her example motivated me in the life choices I have made. Student question: Where did you attend college and why do you think college is an important
direction for young people to look at? Ms. Smith: I went to Century College and earned my associates degree. Then I went to the University of Minnesota and earned my bachelors, my masters and my principal’s license. College brings different experiences to the table for young people. When they come with a college education and
an understanding of their culture, it is an invaluable ingredient for any employer. Our country is becoming more and more diverse. Employers need educated people of color. Most careers in today’s society require college. No one can take an education from you. You will always take your education with you. Student question: How
long have you been working at Robbinsdale Middle School (RMS) and have you ever been a classroom teacher or just an administrator? Ms. Smith: This is my fourth year at RMS as the sixth grade principal. I have primarily been in administration. I began my educational career at North Junior High as a student learning advocate. This included doing home visits, bringing families and the school together and helping children be successful. I started at Armstrong High School as an assistant principal and went to RMS from there. Before I began my career in education, I was a MTC (Metropolitan Transit Council) bus driver for five years. Student question: What are some of your long term career goals? Ms. Smith: My goal has always been to impact the lives of youth. I want to break negative cycles and make a positive difference in their lives. I don’t only want to focus on academics, but the whole child. I would also like to be the principal of my own school. Student question: Do you have any children? Ms. Smith: Yes, I have two wonderful girls and one fabulous son. My son is 19 (years old) and he attends Rainy Rivers College in International Fall, Minnesota. I have a daughter who is 18 (years old) and she is a senior at Park Center High School and my baby is nine years old and she is in the third grade. Student question: What is your favorite color? Ms. Smith: My favorite color is midnight blue. Student question: Do you
have a favorite movie and song? Ms. Smith: My favorite movie is “The Five Heartbeats� and my favorite song is anything that Whitney Houston sings. (Back) in the day, I really loved Whitney singing, “The Greatest (Love of All).� When she would sing that song, I felt she was singing to me personally. I so loved Whitney. Student question: If you were not in education what other career might have you pursued? Ms. Smith: If I were not an educator, I would have probably worked to be a famous singer. Singing is my passion. I have sang since I can remember. My mom taught me how to sing growing up. Because there were eight of us, my mom had her own choir. She taught us things like how to harmonize, read music and sing in tune. I didn’t pursue a singing career because I needed a career that could guarantee a consistent income to support my children. I sing rhythm and blues and gospel, but I can sing almost anything because I am a lover of music. Student Question: What do you want the world to know about you? Ms. Smith: I want the world to know that everything that I have done is to be of service to others. I grew up in the projects, dodging bullets and I lived around lots of crime and poverty. I was a teenage mother; I had my first child at the age of 18. I moved to Minnesota and have devoted my life to being an example for my children. I knew I had to change the cycle of poverty. I aspire to share my story with teen moms. I believe my story can motivate them and help them give their best to themselves and to their children.
Artika Tyner named a finalist in the 25th Anniversary Midwest Book Awards The 25th Anniversary Midwest Book Awards has recognized “The Lawyer as Leader: How to Plant People, Grow Justice� by Dr. Artika Tyner as a finalist in the category of Current Events/ Political Science. Winners will be announced at the Midwest Book Awards Gala to be held on May 13, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Olson Campus Center at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. The competition, sponsored by the Midwest Independent Publishing Association, is judged by experts from all aspects of the book world, including publishers, writers, editors, librarians, teachers and book designers. They select award winners and finalists based on overall excellence. “The Lawyer as Leader: How to Plant People and Grow Justice� provides those who are passionate about social justice with the inspiration, ideas, and
tools to build and lead coalitions to fight for social, racial and economic justice. “It has been a pleasure working with so many talented authors and publishers of high quality books this year,� said Midwest Book Awards Chair Judith Palmateer. “I look forward to the gala, where we will be recognizing the achievements of all the finalists and winners as well as celebrating the strength and vitality of independent publishing in the Midwest.� Midwest Independent Publishing Association (MIPA) serves the Midwest publishing community in a collaborative sharing of publishing, production, promotion and marketing information. MIPA serves a 12-state region – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Academy
League Academy, located at 2201 Blaisdell Avenue South, is located in a MUL owned property that could be used more cost effectively and efficiently. Therefore, the MUL has secured a new tenant to lease the Blaisdell building, requiring it to relocate the Urban League Academy program.
From 1 Over the past year MUL has been exploring options to lease some of this excess space and thereby release more money for its many programs. The Urban
Artika Tyner
According to MUL Interim President and CEO Steven Belton, “For the past 2 years, as part of our commitment to be strong financial stewards, MUL has been evaluating the use of space and relocating some of its programs for maximum efficiency.� Belton continued that “we have had ongoing discussions with MPS
Classifieds Case Manager Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative is hiring a Case Manager for our Families Moving Forward program center in Minneapolis. Help us end homelessness! Visit: www.beaconinterfaith.org/careers for details.
West Falls Estates Int'l Falls, MN ‡ (OGHUO\ GLVDEOHG EHGURRP DSWV ‡ 7RZQKRXVHV ZLWK RU EHGURRPV ‡ ,PPHGLDWH RSHQLQJV IRU EHGURRP WRZQ KRXVH EHGURRP HOGHUO\ GLVDEOHG DSDUWPHQW ‡ 5HQW EDVHG RQ RI DGMXVWHG LQFRPH &DOO 3DWULFLD %URZQ DW 7''
staff about our desire to make the best use of our resources including relocating our school.� CEO Belton added that “we are working on several possibilities for the future location of the Urban League Academy in conjunction with MPS. Superintendent Goar has offered the services of MPS architects to
Phone: 612.588.1313
VACANCIES
Chief Financial Officer NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center, Mpls. $76,824.80 - $119,548.00 Annually. This FT leadership position develops, implements, maintains, & evaluates its financial systems, financial best practices, & fiscal services for the clinic. Quals: Master’s degree or higher in business/healthcare/ public health admin, finance, or related field & 5+ years finance exp in a health care setting, at least 1 year in an administrative management position; leadership & mgt exp. For full description & to apply, visit www. hennepin.jobs. The posting is open until filled.
Child Development Center Teachers
Bethel University is seeking a Preschool and Toddler Teacher for our King Family Foundation Child Development Center located in the St. Paul Frogtown neighborhood. The position is responsible for implementing activities which are designed to develop a range of spiritual, social, cognitive, and/or motor skills for individual and/or groups of children and supervise the development of the whole child. Bethel is an institution of higher education committed to integrate the evangelical Christian faith into every area of life. For more information and application visit our website at https://www.bethel.edu/employment/openings/staff.
Cokato Apts, Cokato, MN (a seniors complex 62 or over or handicapped) has vacancies on 2nd Floor for one BR apts. Waiting list open. Contact Don at 320-286-2758. E-Mail cokapts@embarqmail.com
explore possible renovations at one of our existing properties to accommodate the Urban League Academy.� “We are committed to providing our Urban League Academy students with stability and a high quality learning community. Our goal is to finalize our work as soon as possible
Fax: 612.588.2031
and definitely have a plan before the end of this school year. We look forward to working with Superintendent Goar and his staff to develop a mutually acceptable and financial viable plan for relocating our school, which, as announced at tonight’s school board meeting, will be reviewed by the Board at a later date.�
Email: info@insightnews.com
RENTAL UNITS AVAILABLE
The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Housing Authority has rental units available in Cass County, MN. Please call 218-335-8280. Must meet certain qualifications.
Church Administrator
Church Administrator position needed at Pilgrim Baptist Church in St. Paul. Send resumes to sdilworth@pilgrimbaptistchurch.org
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
Quality Director
Director of Mental Health
(STATE PROG ADMIN MGR PRINC)
(STATE PROG ADMIN MGR PRINC)
St. Paul, MN
St. Paul, MN
$36.41 - $52.22 hourly, $76,024 - $109,035 annually
$36.41 - $52.22 hourly, $76,024 - $109,035 annually
This statutory unclassified position serves as the Quality Director for Direct Care and Treatment (DCT) Services Administration and is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to effectively support this healthcare network in its goal of providing quality services to the people served in DHS operated programs throughout the state.
As the Director of the Mental Health Division in the Department of Human Services (DHS), this position provides vision and leadership for a comprehensive, effective mental health system for children and adults in Minnesota. Some of the responsibilities include: Serving as chief spokesperson for agency and executive branch initiatives at the legislature and with advocacy groups, counties, communities and other interested parties. Overseeing the design and operation of statewide service and funding policies that promote community-based services.
The Quality Director oversees the critical areas of quality (safety and health, infection control, performance review, continuous improvement, and best practices) in DCT and will direct activities to monitor, audit, analyze, and report program performance against established standards. Master’s degree in healthcare management, public administration, law, or clinical health profession required AND at least 3 years of experience in quality management or closely related field.
Bachelor’s degree in social services, health, or a related field required, AND 3 years of experience supervising staff in a public or non-profit mental health organization.
Full details at: www.mn.gov/careers posting 15DHS000247.
Full details at: www.mn.gov/careers posting 15DHS000249.
DHS is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action, veteran friendly employer.
DHS is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action, veteran friendly employer.
Page 10 • April 20 - April 26, 2015 • Insight News
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MISTA MAEHAM As real as it gets By Toki Wright Twitter @mrwrighttc There’s one thing that anyone with an understanding of street culture will know and that’s the realness of the verses in a Mista Maeham song. This is not a fairytale created to sell records. This is a look into the areas of America plagued by crime, drug abuse, violence and extreme poverty. A lot of it is ugly and hard to swallow but it’s as real as it could possibly get. I recently spoke to Minneapolis hip-hop artist Mista Maeham after picking up his new album “Bacc 2 Business.” I was blown away by the grit, the delivery and authenticity oozing through the sound. With collaborations with Devin the Dude, Rich the Factor, Messy Marv and Reefa Ri the project is in fact “that deal.” His patience and serious grind has now caught national attention being picked up by Jamie Foxx’s XM Station Foxxhole as an “Artist to Watch.” This is a crash course on the side of the Twin Cities one rarely gets to hear about directly from the source. AS: When you were a homeless teen what was it that steered you to crime? MM: I had to eat man. People say that to justify what they do but I literally was 13 years old on the street. I’m literally sleeping in the streets with the dope fiends, hustlers and the pushers. I’m starving. I had nowhere to go so I figured, “hey let me go and get involved in this lifestyle.” The dope fiends would get me weekly hotel rooms so I could whip it (drugs) and not have to be in the street. My mom was on drugs. I was able to do whatever I wanted to do running in the streets all night getting into mischief.
AS: You mentioned earlier that some of the things you talk about you aren’t proud of and that they are embarrassing. What did you mean? MM: It’s embarrassing that I lost my mother while I was doing a prison bid and I couldn’t be there for my family and be at the wake. It’s embarrassing that I got involved with gangs as a youngster and things like that. I got my GED in jail. I’m not proud of that. I want to be remembered as someone that did positive things and made powerful moves as a respected person. While people glorify this lifestyle like it’s all fun and games and lie about it, it really isn’t. AS: Prison is not a light thing. It gets thrown around like a badge of honor for those that glorify it and have never stepped foot inside. If there is anything you’d want people to know, what would you say? MM: It’s your worst nightmare man. It’s not something that you would want to do with your life at all. It’s really modern day slavery. It’s the only place where it’s ok for you to work for way less than minimum wage. There’s people working for 12 cent(s) an hour. I’ve done more than one prison bid and now the prisons are packed. You are in this one little cell and now there’s two bunks in there. They’re making people sleep one on top of each other with a toilet in there and you have to smell another man. It’s the worst. You have to listen to someone to tell you what you need to do. Everything is horrible.
MAEHAM 12 TURN TO
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Insight News • April 20 - April 26, 2015 • Page 11
Dandies Project
MC Longshot
April 20 - 26
Aesthetically It! is a list of picks from the editors of Aesthetically Speaking. Aesthetically It! features venues, events, outings and more that are worthy of “It” status. If you have a venue, event or outing that you feel is “It” worthy, email us at aestheticallyit@ insightnews.com
WAR
Yasiin Bey
Monday, April 20 POLITICAL ACTION 4-20 Capitol Rally to Legalize Cannabis in Minnesota Minnesota State Capitol 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., St. Paul An estimated hundreds to thousands of Minnesotans will take part in this gathering to demand that state legislators end 78 years of the marijuana prohibition. A diverse lineup of speakers will testify for the movement.
13TwentyThree Photography
The Lioness
Tuesday, April 21 WALKER ART CENTER BOOK LAUNCH Dandies Project 2015 Book Launch Coup d’état 2923 Girard Ave S., Minneapolis 6 p.m. Richard Moody made a splash last year with his full-color fashion book focusing on men of color. The Dandies Project 2015 is sure to have some smooth looks with a new crop of local Dandies.
Wednesday, April 22 HIP-HOP/PERFORMANCE Longshot “#FTP” EP and Andre Mariette “Cloud 8.9” Release Party Nomad World Pub 501 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis 9 p.m. 21-plus $5 SureShot Productions and Timbral Studios present a double CD release party for Chicago to Minneapolis transplant, MC Longshot, and Andre Mariette with performances by Mike Mictlan of Doomtree, MC Longshot, Andre Mariette (with Jenessa LaSota), Big Jess & Big Wiz and DJ Softporecorn. The event is hosted by Phillip Morris.
Thursday, April 23 HIP-HOP/PERFORMANCE Lyric Madrid feat. Baby Shel Triple Rock Social Club 629 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis 8 p.m. $5 – $7
Fresh off of winning the Are You Local contest and being flown to Austin, Texas for a special set at SxSW and winning another showcase there, NativeAmerican emcee Baby Shel of Red Lake returns to the Minneapolis area.
Friday, April 24 FUNK/COMEDY WAR feat. Cheech and Chong Mystic Lake Casino Hotel 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd., Prior Lake 8 p.m. $54 Most widely known for the classic hit “Low Rider,” the multi-ethnic legendary band from Long Beach, Cal., WAR, hits Mystic Lake with an opening set from equally legendary comedians Cheech and Chong.
Saturday, April 25 HIPHOP/PERFORMANCE Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def Skyway Theatre 711 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis 8 p.m. $30 Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def ) celebrates 15 years since the release of his classic album “Black on Both Sides” at the Skyway Also on the bill are Sarah White and Muja Messiah, plus an all vinyl DJ set from DJs D.Mil, Dan Speak, Dudley D, Espada, Kool Akiem, Mike Mack, King Otto, Stage One, That Dude Trey and Verb X.
walkerart.org 612.375.7600
HIPHOP/SPOKEN WORD/ PERFORMANCE/PARTY Hot Mess Party feat. Lioness Triple Rock Social Club 629 Cedar Ave S., Minneapolis 9 p.m. $5 advance, $7 door 18-plus Lucy Valentine, Stetzy the Kid, Lo.Dahl, Jay Hollywood, The Man With the Jelly Fingers and Illwin celebrate the release their albums with performances by K.Sno and Markus Blex and special guest, Lioness. The show is hosted by Miss Brit of KFAI and Markus Blex with DJ Keezy on the 1s and 2s. Presale tickets available at www.ticketfly. com/purchase/ event/818235?utm_ medium=bks.
Sunday, April 26 JAZZ/THEATER Jazz Noir presents “Morning Follows Night” Vieux Carré 408 St. Peter St., St. Paul 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. $25 Cutty Franklin is many things – a decorated World War II hero, a fan of the Near North Jazz scene … and an ex-con. After he’s released from prison, Cutty will stop at nothing to find out the real reason why he was double-crossed in a blackmail scheme that went south. Set in Minneapolis, during a 10 year time span, the radio drama captures the essence of jazz clubs of the Near Northside and the mint movie houses of the city in this violent game of blackmail and revenge.
JASON MORAN & ROBERT GLASPER Sat, May 2, 8 & 10:30 PM First show sold out, second show added! Two of today’s most influential contemporary jazz pianists team up for a US-exclusive performance combining their artistry and virtuosity for an unforgettable evening. Also in the Cinema: Jason Moran: Looks of a Lot Two free screenings Apr 30, 6:30 & 8 pm Sponsored by
Additional support provided by Producers’ Council members Leni and David Moore, Jr. / The David and Leni Moore Family Foundation and Mike and Elizabeth Sweeney.
The Walker Art Center’s Music Season is sponsored by Sponsor
Media partners
Page 12 • April 20 - April 26, 2015 • Insight News
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BOOK REVIEW
My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me By Kam Williams “When Jennifer Teege, a GermanNigerian woman, happened to pluck a library book from the shelf…she discovered a horrifying fact: Her grandfather was Amon Goeth, the vicious Nazi commandant chillingly depicted in Schindler’s list—a man known and reviled the world over. Although raised in an orphanage and eventually adopted, Jennifer had some contact with her biological mother and grandmother as a child. Yet neither revealed that her grandfather was the Nazi ‘Butcher of Plaszow,’ executed for crimes against humanity… The more Teege reads about Amon Goeth, the more certain she becomes: If her grandfather had met her—a black woman—he would have killed her.” Excerpted from the Bookjacket How do you think you’d react if you were black and you inadvertently uncovered evidence that the mother who callously left you at an orphanage at less than a month-old was the daughter of an infamous Nazi who ran a concentration camp? That’s precisely what happened to Jennifer Teege who learned at 38 that her grandfather was Amon Goeth, a monster who not only ordered the extermination
of thousands of Jews, but took a certain sadistic pleasure in participating in all the torture, maiming and killing. For, while serving as warden of the Plaszow death camp in Poland, the coward was very fond of shooting Jews for sport from the balcony of his home overlooking the prison yard. That’s just one example of Goeth’s numerous atrocities recreated in Schindler’s List, the Academy Award-winning Best Picture where his character was played by Ralph Fiennes in a chilling, Oscar-nominated performance. Understandably, Jennifer became severely depressed upon unearthing her genealogy, especially since she’s of AfricanGerman extraction, being the product of a brief relationship between her mother and a Nigerian. Among other things, she found out that her white supremacist forebear was so proud of his mass murder of people he considered subhuman, that his last words before his death by hanging were a defiant “Heil Hitler!” So, Jennifer’s emotional tailspin made sense seeing how her bubble was burst, given how orphans are more inclined to fantasize that they’re descended from royalty than the scum of the Earth. Now, how was she to square having the blood of an inveterate anti-Semite coursing through her veins when
she was adopted and raised by a loving couple who had encouraged her to speak fluent Hebrew and get a college degree from Tel Aviv University in Israel. My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family’s Nazi Past represents the culmination of a bittersweet quest for closure uncovering some of the most disgusting skeletons imaginable. In fascinating fashion, the author recounts her two-year, intercontinental trek during which she both confronted her long-estranged, biological mother and revisited the concentration camp and Jewish ghetto where her despicable granddad did his dirty work. Yes, he must be spinning in his grave or perhaps more likely rotating on a spit in Hell about his granddaughter’s skin color, but let’s all give thanks that Jennifer in spite of his genes turned out to be a rather respectable apple that fell far from one very gnarly family tree. My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me A Black Woman Discovers Her Family’s Nazi Past by Jennifer Teege with Nikola Sellmair The Experiment Publishing Hardcover, $24.95 230 pages, Illustrated ISBN: 978-1-61519-253-3
BOOK REVIEW
Corruption Officer By Kam Williams
“This shocking memoir from a former corrections officer… shares an eye-opening, gritty,
and devastating account of his descent into criminal life, smuggling contraband inside
the infamous Rikers Island jails. Gary Heyward… was warned of the temptations he’d encounter as a new officer, but when faced with financial hardship, he suddenly found himself unable to resist the income generated from selling contraband to inmates. In his distinctive voice, Heyward takes you on a journey inside the walls of Rikers Island, showing how he teamed up with various inmates and other officers to develop a system that allowed him to profit from selling drugs inside the jail. Corruption Officer is… a rare insider’s look at a corrupt city jail.” -- Excerpted from the back cover After being honorably discharged from the Marines, Gary Heyward had a hard time finding a decent paying job. That took a toll on his marriage, so he ended up moving back in with his mother in Harlem, while his childhood sweetheart took custody of their two kids and returned home to stay with her own mom. Gary’s fortunes changed for the better the fateful day in 1997
Maeham From 10 AS: When did you decide to make music your path? MM: It’s crazy because it was when I was in prison man. Before, when I was 13 and 14 out on the block and running around we freestyled. When I had time to sit down I wrote my first song. I would go on the yard and everybody would go crazy (listening to my song) that’s when I realized this is what I’m going to do. AS: What was the name of that first song? MM: “132 Thoughts.” And it wasn’t no hook – I didn’t really know how to count my bars. It was just a long verse (laughs). But I was just spitting and tearing it up. The homies were like, “man you going in but you might want to split that up.”
that he received a letter from the New York City Department of Corrections offering him a position as a prison guard. During basic training, he was warned by instructors that he could jeopardize his career by fraternizing with inmates. And upon graduating from the Academy, he was assigned to work at the infamous facility on Rikers Island. Unfortunately, Gary didn’t keep his nose clean very long. His descent into depraved behavior began with sleeping around with female officers, even going so far as to record the act. He would subsequently pass his cell around the locker room to impress his male colleagues with proof of each conquest. Next, he started smuggling contraband behind bars: coke, booze, telephones and whatever else convicts’ friends and relatives were willing to pay a pretty penny for. Gary eventually escalated to pimping in an attempt to cater to his captive clienteles’ carnal needs, too. He referred to his whores as “copstitutes” since they were fellow corrections
officers secretly supplementing their modest civil service salaries by fellating and fornicating with felons in Rikers’ utility closets. All of the above is recounted in riveting fashion in Corruption Officer: From Jail Guard to Perpetrator inside Rikers Island, a jaw-dropping memoir that’s as demoralizing as it is shocking. After finishing this eye-opening page-turner, one can’t help but wonder how much hope there can be for a country where the cops are just as crooked and as degenerate as the outlaws they’re supposed to be protecting society from. A brutally-honest confessional exposing the ugly underbelly of an American incarceration system that nobody really wants to take a long, hard look at.
AS: When you got out was there an opportunity waiting for you?
is loyal to me. I cut different topics, it just always comes out Street.
MM: I had to grind it out. You know, the homies knew that I had talent, I had a lot of homies with money, but they didn’t know what to do to mash with it. 50 Cent was getting down on the mixtapes rapping over other people’s beats so I said let’s go ahead and do that. We had “Banned from the Club” which was like the “In the Club (Remix).”
AS: When you say “street” what does that mean?
AS: Do you ever feel pressured to lighten up your music? MM: I do. My DJ, Enferno, has been telling me, (I) have too much talent to corner it off and stick to one lane like that, but what I feel when I hear an instrumental and what comes to my heart that’s what I put down. I don’t like to force other stuff because I’ve tried that before and it won’t come out right. It don’t sound authentic. It just don’t sound like me. The underground
Corruption Officer From Jail Guard to Perpetrator inside Rikers Island by Gary L. Heyward Atria Books Paperback, $16.00 284 pages ISBN: 978-1-4767-9432-7
MM: The struggle. The ghetto. The heartache. The hurt. The pain. The poverty. The fatherless children. The children that hurt and they don’t know why so it comes out sideways. That’s the music that I make. The people that sell dope, that’s all that they know at that point. I don’t try to make excuses, glorify and justify it, but it’s going on every day. Mista Maeham’s new album “Bacc 2 Business” is available now at Electric Fetus, Cheapos, Urban Lights, Hood Goodies, Spotify and more. Audiences can see him live with Mac Irv Friday, June 26 at The Cabooze, 917 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis. Find out more information online at www.Mistamaeham. comule.com and on Twitter @ MISTAMAEHA.