THE TWIN CITIES BLACK FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS:
AN EVENING WITH FOXY BROWN: ACTRESS PAM GRIER Saturday May 14th, 2011 7pm-1am at the Radisson Plaza Hotel 35 South 7th Street in Minneapolis. For more information: http:// www.tcbff.com or tcbff@hotmail.com. Phone: 612-309-3818.
INSIGHT NEWS April 25 - May 1, 2011 • MN Metro Vol. 37 No. 17 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com
Elliot Stewart-Franzen
Suluki Fardan
Eddie Jackson and Artie Crawford worked on construction of the new Target Field stadium as a part of Summit Academy’s 100 Hard Hats program, a community-based, skills-focused training effort that combines community services, vocational training and employer services.
Louis King, President and CEO Summit Academy OIC
Summit Academy OIC expands partnerships with unions Partnerships ensure minorities have access to opportunities within the high skill trades Summit Academy OIC offers specialty training in three high-skill areas thanks to strong partnerships with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and Cement Masons, Plasterers & Shophands, Local 633. Summit developed a similar partnership in 2010 with the International Union of Operating Engineers – Local 49. “These partnerships demonstrate the ability to turn conflict into progress,” said Louis King, CEO of Summit
Academy OIC. “They also serve as a template of what is possible when there is a commitment to integrity, hard work and fair play because partnerships between labor and the AfricanAmerican community are mutually beneficial.” Summit Academy OIC partnered with Local 49 in 2010 to offer a first-of-its-kind heavy equipment operator training – a hands-on, hightech, 20-week program with 15 weeks of classroom, online and simulator training at Summit’s
Minneapolis facility and then five weeks on the actual machinery in Hinckley. Twenty students are currently enrolled in the program. “The partnership with Local 49 came after months of legislative testimony, protests and negotiations by Summit Academy OIC to ensure MnDOT would develop a multimillion dollar plan that extends to 2014 to increase the number of people of color and women in the trades,” King said. “Local 49 was the first union to extend
an invitation to partner, which is significant because they are the dominant trade in the road construction industry which includes the light rail project.” Earlier this year, Summit forged partnerships with Local 633 and IBEW. Currently 24 students are enrolled in the cement finishers program and eight individuals are training with IBEW in St. Michael. Summit Academy OIC is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit educational and vocational center that teaches individuals
from economically depressed neighborhoods in the Twin Cities to become educated, employed, contributing members of the community. For more information, visit www. saoic.org. About Summit Academy OIC Summit Academy OIC (SAOIC) is a nonprofit educational and vocational training center that empowers adults residing in the most economically depressed neighborhoods in the Twin Cities to become educated,
employed, contributing members of the community. Focused on high-demand, high-growth industries, Summit’s results-oriented programs effect long-term change. Summit graduates are skilled and motivated workers who can stop drawing public assistance and start caring for their families, paying taxes and helping to stabilize and vitalize their communities. For more information, visit www.saoic. org.
UJAMAA Place: Transforming lives By Ivan B. Phifer Staff Writer Ujamaa (pr. oo-jah-Ma-ah), Swahili for familyhood, is a word that encompasses within itself bonds like brotherhood, kinship and extended family. At Iris Place, 1885 University Ave in St Paul, the Ujamaa Place is Courtesy of the office of Congressman Keith Ellison
Darlynn Benjamin
Benjamin named 5th District Director US Rep. Keith Ellison last week named Darlynn Benjamin as the new District Director for his Minneapolis office. Currently serving as Ellison’s Deputy District Director, Benjamin will succeed Brian Elliott, who is leaving Ellison’s office to become the Executive Director of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Minnesota State Council. “I am proud to name Darlynn as our next District Director,” Ellison said. “Darlynn has provided
exceptional service to the people of the Fifth District over the past four years, and I am pleased that she will continue to do so.” Benjamin has over 20 years of leadership experience in both public and private sector organizations. Prior to serving as Ellison’s Deputy District Director, she was a managing principal of The McClung Consulting Group, LLC, a company she and her husband created. The
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Plan Your Career
A good stretch after a long nap
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Suluki Fardan
Roy Barker
a program initiated by Executive Director Roy Barker—who appeared on the April 18 broadcast of “Conversations with Al McFarlane” on KFAI 90.3FM. The goal of Ujamaa Place is to transform the lives of African American men between the ages of 17 and 28, who come from economically disadvantaged
backgrounds. This eight-month long program offers educational skills and training to help turn their lives around; guiding these men towards becoming productive members of their families and communities. The program runs Monday through Thursday from 9:30 am–3:30
UJAMAA TURN TO 3
St. Paul supports single payer health plan St Paul City Council follows Minneapolis and Duluth in passing a resolution in support of the single payer Minnesota Health Plan The St. Paul City Council unanimously voted to endorse a resolution in support of The Minnesota Health Plan, which calls upon the council president to inform area legislators of the council’s support for universal health coverage, and urges them to vote in the affirmative for the Minnesota Health Plan. Lisa Nilles M.D., Acting Director of The Minnesota Universal Health Care Coalition, applauds the move, noting that St. Paul now joins the Minneapolis and Duluth
Education
Jones wins National Achievement Scholarship
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russfoward4.org
Russ Stark
Melvin Carter III city councils in endorsement of a bill that will provide health care for all Minnesotans, at less cost to individuals, businesses, and the government.
The resolution noted that in 2009, approximately 14% of St. Paul residents were without health insurance. Given that the uninsured have a higher
Health
Avoid temporary tattoos with ‘black henna’ or ‘premixed henna’
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Dave Thune mortality rate than those with insurance, Nilles says that “over 1 in 10 St. Paul residents
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Business
Why saving money matters
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Road resurfacing for North Minneapolis The Hennepin County Transportation Department will resurface West Broadway (County State Aid Highway 81 and CSAH 66) and Washington Avenue North (CSAH 152) starting this summer. One lane of traffic will be maintained throughout the projects, but residents should prepare for delays while workers mill and overlay the roads. “This winter has been hard on these two roads and especially the Washington Avenue/West Broadway intersection,” said Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Stenglein. “This is not a permanent fix but it will help preserve the road – and make the ride smoother.” Hennepin County staff is preparing the summer 2011 resurfacing schedule; additional information will be released when the schedule is finalized: • West Broadway will be resurfaced from Girard Avenue North to West River Road. • Resurfacing from Washington Avenue North to Girard Avenue North is tentatively scheduled to start mid-June; from Washington Avenue North to West River Road is tentatively scheduled to start the end of June. • Washington Avenue North
INSIGHT NEWS www.insightnews.com
Insight News is published weekly, every Monday by McFarlane Media Interests. Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane CFO Adrianne Hamilton-Butler Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Vice President of Sales & Marketing Selene White Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Ben Williams Production Intern Andrew Notsch Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Facilities Support / Assistant Producer, Conversations with Al McFarlane Bobby Rankin Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Staff Writer Ivan B. Phifer Contributing Writers Maya Beecham Brenda Colston Julie Desmond S. Himie Marcia Humphrey Alaina L. Lewis Ryan T. Scott Lydia Schwartz Stacey Taylor Photography Suluki Fardan Tobechi Tobechukwu Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55411.
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will be resurfaced from 22nd Avenue North to 15th Avenue North. Pedestrian ramps in the intersections will also be replaced
to make them ADA compliant. Ramp construction will take place before the resurfacing, which is tentatively scheduled to begin late
in the summer. The Hennepin County Transportation Department maintains more than 2,100 lane
miles and 145 bridges. In addition to the resurfacing, the 2011 road construction season consists of approximately $54 million in
construction projects throughout the county, including the Lowry Avenue Bridge.
Hennepin County board approves legislative priorities The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved the following projects as priorities for state bonding in 2011: • Access to I-35W from Lake Street: $6.75 million • Hennepin County Sherriff’s 911 Communications
Facility: $30 million • The Interchange in downtown Minneapolis (LRT enhancements): $20 million • Southwest Corridor LRT: $5 million The board also voted to support two projects led by
others: • Northern Lights Express passenger rail line to Duluth: $5 million • Minnesota African American Museum and Cultural Center $1.2 million The Interchange and the
Minnesota African American Museum and Cultural Center were included in Governor Dayton’s bonding recommendations. The Governor is urging the legislature to enact a $1 billion bonding bill; his
recommendations total just over half that amount, with the other half to be determined by the legislature. Negotiations on the bonding bill are expected to take place later in the legislative session.
Health
in 2009. The single most important thing we can do in this state to completely eliminate the fatal disease of uninsurance is to enact The Minnesota Health Plan.”
The resolution was introduced by Councilmembers Carter, Stark and Thune. Dave Thune noted that in 2010 the city of St. Paul spent 12.4% of its annual budget on health
care for its employees – a total of $26,300,000. Thune said, “the city of St. Paul, like all Minnesota municipalities and businesses, needs to rein in health care costs. A singlepayer system is the only way
to do that.” And, to Councilmember Carter III said The Minnesota “because it’s the do.
From 1 had a preventable fatal disease
Benjamin From 1 McClung Consulting Group provided professional services in program development, administration and project management. Benjamin consulted as a Research and Program Director for Minneapolis Public Schools, and the Women’s Cancer Resource Center. She was the Director of Planning and Development for Community Action of Minneapolis, and the Director of Way to Grow,
the
point, Melvin he supports Health Plan right thing to
a program of the Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board. Benjamin also worked for Wells Fargo Bank N.A. as a Home Mortgage Consultant specializing in the origination of Reverse Mortgages. Benjamin received a Master of Science degree in Public Management and Policy from Carnegie-Mellon University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Duquesne University. She is married to Lindsay L. Benjamin. They have three children and two grandchildren.
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BUSINESS Bruce Chamberlain named to Minneapolis Parks post Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Superintendent Jayne Miller last week announced the appointment of Bruce Chamberlain as the new Assistant Superintendent for Planning Services. “For more than a century, the Park Board has shaped the landscape of Minneapolis and I am elated to bring Bruce on board to serve in such an important role within the organization,” said Superintendent Miller. “Bruce understands the legacy of the organization and he has the skills and professional leadership to move us forward. He has a strong reputation in the community, has a strong record of public/private collaboration, and is known for his new ideas. He has extensive experience in visioning, strategic planning,
American Society of Landscape Architects
Bruce Chamberlain
community engagement, master planning, site design, construction budgeting, and personnel management.” The Park Board’s Department of Planning Services is responsible for applying land management practices consistent with the Park Board’s mission and policies. It programs, designs and constructs capital improvements to regional and neighborhood parks; conducts community research and development for projects and programs; leads comprehensive planning; and coordinates system-wide sustainability initiatives. The Planning Department applies for and receives millions of dollars annually from local, regional, state and federal funding sources to fund capital improvements. Extensive
community engagement is done during the decision making process for Park Board services, programs and facilities. “This Park Board has a strong desire to bring more innovative designs in our park projects that expand the amenities for Minneapolis citizens,” said John Erwin, Board President for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. “The Board was looking for experience, innovation, creativity, respect and responsiveness to the community, and an ability to attract external funding. We believe that Superintendent Miller found such a person in Bruce Chamberlain. We are thrilled he will be joining our team at the Park Board.” A long-time resident of Minneapolis, Chamberlain is a national award-winning urban designer who has spent his 22-
year career helping communities envision their futures. Since 1999, Chamberlain has served as vice-president of Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. in Minneapolis where he has led a variety of complex city-building efforts, including the Great River Park Master Plan in St. Paul, Upper Harbor Terminal Riverfront Vision in Minneapolis, and the Bassett Creek Valley Master Plan in Minneapolis. “It is an honor to assume the planning and design leadership of a world-class park system in the city I call home. The opportunity to help shape a 21st Century system built from a parks legacy as rich as Minneapolis is humbling and hugely invigorating,” said Chamberlain. Chamberlain will assume his new duties in June.
A good stretch after a long nap Plan Your Career By Julie Desmond julie@insightnews.com Getting anywhere in life and in work requires movement. Sometimes we walk, sometimes we run, sometimes we’re pushed in a new direction by people or circumstances. Occasionally, we stretch. Stretch. An unnatural movement, shifting from one pose into another, often quite different, position. A good stretch after a long nap is the most liberating feeling. A professional stretch after a long, comfortable career nap is sometimes uncomfortable, but always rewarding. Careerwise, there are two kinds of stretches. One is when there is a branch above and a roaring river below and the nearest companion is the sheer face of a one hundred foot cliff. This is the stretch of someone who jumps recklessly, getting involved in too much too soon. It happens to everyone at some stage. The grass looks so much greener, the potential
Ujamaa From 1 pm. Program participants are required to engage in and complete 16 hours of community service before graduating from the program. These community engagements include activities like serving food at a homeless shelter and more rigorous work like removing invasive plants and planting trees. “These young men are often called the ‘lost’ generation,” Barker said. “They are the last to get hired, the first to go to jail … ,” he said. “These young men have been marginalized by society for so long they no longer feel the desire to fit in. They become resigned to the fact that they will either die young on the streets or grow old in prison.” Barker himself was once a part of the marginalized and lost generation. His personal experience is what motivated him to establish and direct Ujamaa Place. A native of the south side of Chicago and the oldest of 11 children, Barker learned early on the harsh realities of survival. “I lived in projects called Altgeld Gardens; not a very nice area to grow up in,” Barker said. “The fact I did well in school often made me a target for other children. Neither learning nor education were admired there,” he said. Because his mother and grandmother did not finish high school, they persistently encouraged education. “By the time I was four, they taught me how to read,” Barker said. Despite coming from a stable family with both parents, and being encouraged to become educated, both parents worked two jobs, leaving him and his siblings to survive by any means. “As men, we seek dignity,
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for more (money, recognition, power) is right there for the taking, we think. So we stretch our commitment level beyond what we’re capable of achieving. Stretching without thinking is risky; succeed, and the world is yours. Fail, and you might take your career and those around you down with you. If you discover yourself stretching this way, your best survival strategy is to slow down and take an honest
authority and autonomy. The way we do that is when we find ourselves in an invalidating environment with no legal force or authority, we look to illegal ways in creating that force and authority,” Barker said. “It is not just a question of isolated failures, it’s a pandemic in our community,” said broadcast moderator Al McFarlane. “It is not a question of failure, though it is part of the equation. It is a question of the arrangement in the culture, arrangement in society that herds large numbers of our people in the arena of non-productivity”. Black males who have experienced similar experiences of violence, neglect and lower socio-economic backgrounds, go to Ujamaa Place to turn their life around. Ujamaa Place provides assistance with GED prep classes, job search assistance, life skills, empowerment training, personal coaching, and building strong community leaders by developing a positive male identity. It provides an environment where men can progress from dysfunctional to healthy behaviors. The program identifies family members, significant others, anybody that is in that person’s support group. In addition to Barker, there are many prominent community leaders involved in Ujamaa Place including: State Sen. John Harrington as CEO; Billy Collins, who is executive director of YWCA St. Paul, who serves on the steering committee; and city Councilman Melvin Carter III and his parents Melvin Carter Jr. and Commissioner Toni Carter. To find out more information about Ujamaa Place visit http:// ujamaaplace.org/, or contact Roy Barker via phone at 651 528-8006 or via e-mail at roybarker@ujamaaplace.org.
assessment of where you are. Look behind you at where you’ve come from, look ahead of you at where you are going, and seek out some familiar landscapes: aspects of the task or project that are familiar to you. Use these to gain a foothold and to move forward. For example, say you volunteer to train your coworkers on new company policies and procedures. You have never taught a thing to anyone in your life. Even your dog learns his tricks from someone else. Standing in front of your peers and telling them how to behave is terrifying to you. Look for the familiar in this situation. You do not know much about teaching. But you helped develop the policies you are addressing, so you have solid knowledge of your subject matter. Stretch into
training by focusing on what you know, the policies. Think about how to make the subject matter interesting, based on what you know about it and about your peers. Decide in advance what you hope to accomplish and then move forward in that direction. Don’t fail because you’ve never taught before; succeed because you are an expert on policies. The kind of stretch is when the brass ring is just above your head and your feet are planted firmly on solid ground, with friends wrapped around your ankles to keep you steady while you grow into whatever comes next. This is usually the easiest, most successful stretch. It is low risk, because you can clearly see your goal, you have the skills you need to take the next steps and you have the
support of others which is so essential in any career move. Some people miss out on opportunities to stretch into what naturally comes next because it seems too obvious, too simple. If you see someone else struggling and say to yourself, “I can do that,” that might be a good direction to stretch toward. If you pick up an extra project here and there because people tend to come to you for help or advice, you might be on the verge of stretching. Watch for opportunities, and be willing to move when it makes sense to do so. Remember, there is nothing as rewarding as a good long stretch after a nap. Julie Desmond is a recruiter with Specialized Recruiting Group in Minneapolis. Write to Julie@insightnews.com.
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EDUCATION Lessons on closing the achievement gap What began as Wendy Kopp’s senior college thesis has since evolved into a national force in education reform: Teach For America (TFA). This national nonprofit organization is dedicated to removing educational inequity by recruiting the nation’s top college graduates to commit two years to teach in urban and rural schools in low-income communities. Kopp, the TFA Founder and CEO, was in town last week for a special Minnesota Meeting at Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) studios in Saint Paul. Nearly 150 community and education leaders gathered to hear her chronicle the lessons she’s learned over the years about what it will take to close the achievement gap in her best-selling book A Chance to Make History.
Wendy Kopp “We can solve this problem. We can provide kids who face the extra challenges of poverty
with an education that sets them up to excel,” Kopp said. “The evidence is all around us.
It is up to us to step up and lead, the only remaining question is whether we will”.
Courtesy of the Minneapolis Foundation
Sandy Vargas, President and CEO of The Minneapolis Foundation, agreed. “Education
is the key to individual success and regional prosperity,” she said. “If we don’t close the achievement gap and prepare our students to compete globally, we will pay the price. We believe everyone has a role to play and a responsibility for our children’s success. “Wendy Kopp certainly made a compelling case for that this evening. It is a solvable problem and we must all do our part to transform public education at the systems level so all our children succeed.” This school year across Twin Cities alone, over 90 Teach For America corps members impacted the lives of more than 5,000 kids. Minnesota Meeting will be rebroadcast on TPT and is available for viewing online at www.minnesotameeting.com.
Jones wins National Achievement Scholarship Jabari C. Jones of South High School on April 6 was one of five high school seniors in Minnesota and 800 high school seniors nationwide to win scholarships through the National Achievement Scholarship Program. These awards totaling over $2 million dollars are financed by grants from approximately 30 corporate and professional associations and by National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Jones received the National Achievement UPS Foundation Scholarship. The National Achievement Scholarship Program is a privately financed academic competition established in 1964 specifically to honor scholastically talented Black American youth and to provide scholarships to a substantial number of the most outstanding participants in each annual competition. By the conclusion
of the 2011 program, marking the 47th annual competition, more than 31,000 participants will have received scholarships for undergraduate study worth about $98 million. The program is conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. Achievement scholar designees include 700 recipients of National Achievement $2500 Scholarships. All students who advanced to the finalist level in the 2011 competition were considered for these single-payment scholarships, which were awarded on a regional representation basis, in proportion to the population of Black Americans in each geographic region. About 100 scholars, including Jones, are winners of corporate-sponsored
Jabari Jones
Achievement Scholarship awards. Winners were chosen from among finalists who meet the criteria of their grantor organizations. Most are residents of an area served by the sponsor, children of the sponsor company employees or finalists planning to pursue a college major or career the sponsor wishes to encourage. Almost all corporate-sponsored scholarships are renewable and provide stipends that can vary from $500 to $10,000 per year, but a few provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000. More than 160,000 students entered the 2011 National Achievement Scholarship Program by requesting consideration when they took the 2009 Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/ NMSQT) as high school juniors. In September 2010,
approximately 1,600 of the highest scorers were named semifinalists on a regional representation basis. To continue in the competition, semifinalists had to fulfill requirements for finalist standing, which included having a record of consistently high academic performance, being endorsed and recommended by an official of their high school, earning SAT scores that confirm their PSAT/ NMSQT performance and writing an essay. From the semifinalist pool, some 1,300 advanced to the finalist level and all National Achievement Scholarship winners were selected from this group of outstanding students. Achievement scholar awardees are the finalist candidates judged to have the strongest record of accomplishments and greatest potential for academic success in college.
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Insight News • April 25 - May 1, 2011 • Page 5
AESTHETICS Sizzling Pam Grier still shining bright By Alaina L. Lewis Contributing Writer Legendary actress Pam Grier’s, artistic wick has never flickered through the changing of seasons. Today she is still as hot a star as she was when her career began in the late 1960s. When Grier began her journey to become one of the most well known African American actresses in the world, seeing brown faces on the small and big screens, truly meant you had to be a distinguished talent; integrating color in entertainment was still a slow moving bullet. Toughening up against an adverse industry, and proving that her talent grazed the rainbow a lot further than her undeniable beauty, Grier managed to shine like no other and found herself cruising on the side of success that many other African American actresses could only dream of accomplishing. Grier is best known for roles that called for a tough, nononsense Black female, who even through a sleek bravado could still exude eloquence and project the idea of what it means to be a lady. Sticking to this structure, which never let her down in her character climbing, is how she made famous the
character Foxy Brown, a sexy action hero who carried as much lethal sass as she did seductive beauty. Foxy Brown is the title character of a blaxploitation film, of the same name, made in 1974 that was written and directed by Jack Hill. Not only was that one of the pinnacle roles that helped establish Grier’s early success, but it is also was one of the most pivotal films in African American cinematic history. Grier can also be seen as the female face inside such films as Coffy (1973), Friday Foster and Sheba, Baby (1975), along with many other features that helped establish a Black presence in the early media industry. She later went on to star in films such as Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown (1997), last year’s hit film Just Wright (2010) alongside Queen Latifah, and the film Larry Crowne, written, directed and starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. Grier’s, accomplishments and history in film and entertainment not only make her a legend, but also exhibit an understanding as to why this African American cinematic queen has had a successful career that has spanned over four decades. Aside from making her stamp inside of a moving picture, she is also the heart inside the pen of her
Pam Grier
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memoir (a New York Times bestseller)”Foxy: My Life in Three Acts” which won best memoir from The African American Literary Award. Grier has teamed up with Natalie Morrow of the Twin Cities Black Film Festival, to bring some of that dazzle and intrigue to Minneapolis next month. The legendary actress will be in town on Saturday May 14th, 2011, 7 pm-1 am, at the Radisson Plaza Hotel 35 South 7th Street in Minneapolis for the event “The Twin Cities Black Film Festival Presents: An Evening with Foxy Brown: Actress Pam Grier.” The evening will consist of a screening of Foxy Brown along with a Groovy 70s party and contest. VIP tickets include a gift bag, meet and greet, and much more. Ticket Prices: $25 for General Admission, $65 for VIP. The 9th Annual Twin Cities Black Film Festival (September 15-17, 2011) exists to provide an opportunity for independent filmmakers of color in which to have their works showcased before the community. It also serves as an avenue of discovery for industry professionals seeking new talent worldwide. For more information: For information: http://www.tcbff. com/ or tcbff@hotmail.com Phone: (612) 309-3818
Going from the ghetto to Governor’s office jazz legends and that he was completely dedicated to his art, albeit to the exclusion of everything else.
Interview
KW: I was in Boston much of the same time that you were in school there, the late seventies, a period of virulent racism. I was run out of Fenway Park on
By Kam Williams kam@insightnews.com Deval Laurdine Patrick was born on July 31, 1956 in Chicago where he and his elder sister, Rhonda, were raised by their mother, Emily “Mae” Wintersmith, in the home of their maternal grandparents after she was abandoned by her husband. Their absentee father, the late Pat Patrick, was a legendary jazz saxophonist who recorded and performed with everybody from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis to Thelonious Monk to Sun Ra. Deval exhibited enough promise in junior high to land a scholarship to Milton Academy, a prestigious boarding school located in Massachusetts outside Boston. From there, he went on to earn both undergraduate and law degrees at Harvard University. He subsequently worked with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and then as an Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under President Clinton. He also enjoyed stints as general counsel at Texaco and Coca-Cola before deciding to run for Governor of Massachusetts, a position he has held since 2007. Last fall, he made history by becoming the first African-American in the United States ever to be reelected as a governor. Deval and his wife Diane, who is also a lawyer, have a couple of college-age daughters, Sarah and Katherine. Here, he talks about his autobiography, A Reason to Believe. Kam Williams: Hi Governor Patrick, thanks for the interview. Deval Patrick: You bet. Thank you. KW: I really enjoyed your autobiography on several different levels. But I should tell you right off the bat that I played in a group with your dad back in the day during my very brief jazz career. DV: Come on? KW: It’s true. And I even got to record on an album with him once, with the Sound Awareness Ensemble led by Robert Northern, aka Brother Ahh. Your father was a very positive influence on my life. DP: Oh, wow! I might have guessed that, because he paid a lot of attention to younger musicians. KW: Absolutely! And not just in terms of music, but as far as diet and nutrition, too. And that was also a pivotal period in my personal development when I took my African name, Kamau.
Gov. Deval Patrick DP: I remember how my dad was so into herbal solutions and health food well before that stuff became popular. KW: I hesitated to bring this up, because in your memoir you reflect upon the pain you felt because of being neglected by him for so many years. DP: I remember once when I was about six, after my parents had split, an occasion when my father was passing through town because he was playing with Count Basie at the Regal Theater on the South Side of Chicago, a famous destination.
He picked me up and promised to take me for ice cream after the show. But he had me waiting in the wings, and I just remember being knocked over by the sound which was too much for the ears of a little kid. And I was bored and kept asking, “Is it over yet? Can we go now?” Another time, I was in a smoky club where he was playing with Thelonious Monk, who was probably his favorite person to play with. Even though, back then, I was frequently frustrated as a youngster who just wanted to spend time with his father, I can now appreciate that he was in the company of all these
Opening Day one year just for being black. I was so scarred by the incredible intolerance I encountered in the city that I left town as soon I got my degree and never looked back. So, it’s amazing to me that you could remain there and think they’d vote for a black man as their Governor?
DP: I was indeed here then, and had an experience sitting in the bleachers at Fenway Park which affected my appreciation of baseball for a long time. And a white friend with me was just as rattled. He didn’t know what to
PATRICK TURN TO 7
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HEALTH Formaldehyde in hair-smoothing products Officials from the Minnesota Department of Health are warning hair salon owners and their customers about certain hair-smoothing products—sometimes referred to as keratin treatments—that may contain formaldehyde. Formaldehyde can present a health hazard if workers or customers are exposed. It can irritate the eyes, nose, and skin; increase the risk of asthma and/or allergic reactions; and is linked to an increased risk of some types of cancer. Responding to complaints about possible exposure to formaldehyde, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and some state occupational safety and health agencies are conducting investigations and issuing warnings. Federal OSHA has found formaldehyde in the air when stylists used hair-smoothing
products, some of which do not have formaldehyde listed on their labels or in material safety data sheets as required by law. Some of these products are labeled as “formaldehydefree,” cautions Dr. Edward Ehlinger, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health. “We hope salon owners will double-check their products to make sure they are not exposing their employees or customers to formaldehyde.” OSHA recommends that salon owners use products that do not contain formaldehyde, methylene glycol, formalin, methylene oxide, paraform, formic aldehyde, methanal, oxomethane, oxymethylene or Chemical Abstract Service Number 50-00-0. The products with the highest percentage of formaldehyde, as tested by
either Oregon OSHA or Health Canada, include: Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing solution “Formaldehyde Free” (8.8 percent) Brazilian Blowout Solution (8.0 percent) Brazilian Gloss Keratin Smoothing Gloss (7.3 percent) Brazilian Thermal Reconstruction by Cadiveu (7.0 percent) Global Keratin Taming System with Juvexin Strawberry Resistant by Global Keratin (4.4 percent) Global Keratin Taming System Strawberry by Global Keratin (3.0 percent) Pro-Collagen RX Keratin Treatment (2.8 percent) IStraight Keratin (Advanced Keratin Treatment) by IBS Beauty (2.3 percent) Chocolate, extreme de-frizzing treatment (2.0 percent) Additional products
can be found on the Health Canada website (http://www. hc-sc.gc.ca/index-eng.php) and Oregon OSHA’s website (http://www.orosha.org). Individuals who work with these types of products should be aware of the signs of formaldehyde exposure. Health effects include eye, nose and throat irritation; breathing difficulties such as wheezing, coughing, and asthma; headache; fatigue; skin rash; severe allergic reactions. Formaldehyde may also increase the risk of cancer, particularly nasal cancer. People who often work with these formaldehyde-containing products are at greater risk than those people who may have incidental or occasional exposures. However, MDH has received a complaint from an individual, who, following one of these keratin hair-smoothing procedures, experienced
both immediate and longterm symptoms that required ongoing medical attention. Formaldehyde can enter the body through the skin (dermal exposures), or through breathing in vapors containing formaldehyde (respiratory exposures). If acute symptoms occur, the individual should be immediately removed from the exposure. It is best to avoid the use of products that contain formaldehyde. If salons cannot find an acceptable product without formaldehyde, the first line of protection should be implementation of engineering controls. Local ventilation is the most common engineering control to use. Hair treatments that require the use of irritating chemicals such as formaldehyde should be carried out in well-ventilated areas. Employees should also
know the location of the nearest eyewash and safety shower, where spill cleanup materials are kept, and carefully read all labels and material safety data sheets before using chemicals. And they should never eat or drink near chemicals, and always wash their hands well with soap and water after using chemicals, even when wearing gloves. Finally, personal protective equipment should be considered when using chemicals. At a minimum, workers should use a work apron or lab coat, safety glasses or goggles and/or face shield, and gloves. Gloves should be made of nitrile or butyl rubber, as latex gloves will offer little protection. For more information go to http://www.health.state.mn.us/ asthma/. Source: MDH
Cities kick off 2011 Step To It Challenge Four years and more than a billion steps later, the fourweek Step To It Challenge promises to be bigger than ever when it launches, May 9, in 22 Hennepin County communities. Over 3000 residents in 18 communities participated in the physical activity competition last year, with Plymouth walking away with the Most Active City Award after reporting 96 million steps.
Hopkins claimed the Most Active Residents Award with the highest average steps per participant. “As our most recent SHAPE (Survey of the Health of All the Population and the Environment) results show, the rate of obesity among our local population continues to rise,” said Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman. “The Step To It Challenge can
be a fun and easy first step in creating a healthier lifestyle and community spirit.” The Minnesota Twins are again the corporate sponsor of this year’s challenge, offering plenty of incentives for individuals and organizations to get involved. The top stepper in each city will win a pair of Twins tickets and be recognized at Target Field during a Twins game this summer. Additional
Twins tickets will be given away through random drawings for adults and youth who log steps all four weeks of the challenge, with added incentives to schools that register the most participants by May 1. “The Step To It Challenge has become a Minnesota Twins tradition as we launch a new season of baseball every spring,” said Bryan Donaldson, Twins spokesperson. “It’s
great to see how Hennepin County residents of all ages are embracing this activity every year.” The Step To It Challenge, organized by Hennepin County, uses SHIP (Statewide Health Improvement Program) funding to help Minnesotans live longer, healthier lives. All living or working in Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Champlin, Crystal,
Dayton, Excelsior, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Independence, Maple Grove, Maple Plain, Minnetonka, Mound, New Hope, Plymouth, Orono, Osseo, Richfield, Robbinsdale, Rogers, Shorewood and St. Louis Park can register for the 2011 Challenge. To register online and get more information, visit www. steptoit.org.
Avoid temporary tattoos with ‘black henna’ or ‘pre-mixed henna’ CONTACTS: FDA, www. fda.gov; United Kingdom’s Health and Safety Executive, www.hse.gov.uk.
By EarthTalk® E - The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: My daughter loves those press-on tattoos, and they’re frequently given out at birthday parties and other events. But I’ve noticed the labels say they’re only for ages three and up. Are they safe? If not, are there alternatives? -- Debra Jones, Lansing, MI For the most part, so-called temporary tattoos are safe for kids and grown-ups alike, even if they do contain a long list of scary sounding ingredients including resins, polymers, varnishes and dyes. But if they are sold legitimately in the U.S., their ingredients have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FSA) as cosmetics, meaning the agency has found them to be safe for “direct dermal contact.” The FDA has received reports of minor skin irritation including redness and swelling, but such cases have been deemed “child specific” and were not widespread enough to warrant general warnings to the public. Those who are concerned anyway but still want a temporary tattoo might consider an airbrush tattoo— they are sprayed on over a stencil using FDA-approved cosmetic inks. The rub on these in the past was that they didn’t last very long, but new varieties are reported to last two weeks, and can be easily removed prior to that with isopropyl alcohol, just like their “press-on” cousins. Another alternative way to go is henna-based tattoos, which typically do not contain any additives whatsoever. Henna is a flowering plant used since the days of our earliest civilizations to dye skin, fingernails, hair, leather, and wool—and it makes for a relatively natural—although monotone—temporary tattoo. But the FDA warns consumers to steer clear of any temporary tattoos labeled as “black henna” or “pre-mixed henna,” as these have been known to contain potentially harmful adulterants including silver nitrate, carmine, pyrogallol, disperse orange dye and chromium. Researchers have linked such ingredients to a range of health problems including allergic reactions, chronic inflammatory reactions, and late-onset allergic reactions to related clothing and hairdressing dyes. Neither black henna nor premixed henna are approved for cosmetic use by the FDA and
EarthTalk® is written and
Digital Vision, courtesy Thinkstock
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the recent past issued import blocks on temporary tattoos that do not comply with federal labeling regulations. Buyer beware: Make sure the ones you get clearly list their ingredients on the packaging. should be avoided even if they are for sale in a reputable store. Something else to watch out for are the micro-injection machines used by some professional temporary tattoo artists such as might be hired for a corporate event or a festival While getting a microinjectionbased temporary tattoo may not hurt, it does puncture the skin. The United Kingdom’s Health and Safety Executive recently issued a warning that improperly cleaned machines could facilitate the spread of infectious diseases including HIV and hepatitis. As a result, several types of micro-injection machines
with internal parts that could carry contamination from one customer to another have been banned there. Such machines aren’t as popular in the U.S., but if you aren’t sure, it’s best to avoid it. The more familiar press-on temporary tattoos are a safer bet regardless. Just in case you’re worried that the FDA isn’t checking, the agency has in the recent past issued import blocks on temporary tattoos that do not comply with federal labeling regulations; buyers beware that the ones you get should clearly list their ingredients on the packaging per FDA requirements.
edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@
emagazine.com. Subscribe: w w w. e m a g a z i n e . c o m / subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.
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Insight News • April 25 - May 1, 2011 • Page 7
Westbound Milkyway illuminates Spring sky By Deane Morrison U of M Starwatch During May the sun climbs almost as high as it will get, bringing balmy but shorter evenings to watch the heavens. This year stars get most of the attention, since all but one of the bright planets are now clustered in the predawn sky. Luckily, the lone bright evening planet is Saturn. Coming out in the east after sundown, the majestic orb traverses the night sky above the bright star Spica, in Virgo. Its rings are tilted only about eight degrees from horizontal, but through a telescope the planet’s golden color never fails to delight. Two other bright stars accompany Saturn in its journey. To the northwest, Regulus, the heart of Leo, anchors the Sickle of stars around the lion’s head. And to the northeast, brilliant Arcturus leads its kiteshaped constellation, Bootes the ploughman (or herdsman), across the sky. Just east of Bootes hangs Corona Borealis, the northern crown. Its brightest star,
University of Minnesota News Service
Alphecca, also called Gemma, sets off this celestial tiara. Moving east once more, we come to the upside-down form of Hercules with its signature hourglass of stars. Looking to the north, the Big Dipper “spills its water” down toward the Little Dipper. On the other side of the Big
Dipper (between its bowl and Leo) see if you can find three evenly spaced pairs of stars known as the Three Leaps of the Gazelle. If each pair of stars is a landing spot, it appears the lionleery gazelle leapt along a line heading northwest from a spot just above Leo’s hindquarters. In the morning sky, Venus is
Patrick
indifferent about the outcome of your efforts.
From 5
KW: Patricia also asks: Is it part of your administration’s plan to apply Geoffrey Canada’s model for the Harlem Children’s Zone in your state? DP: I haven’t gone to visit his schools, but the man is obviously a genius who is doing the most interesting things in education. A lot of the innovations we’re trying to implement would look very familiar to him.
re-election in a state with such a small minority population? DP: I very much believe in values-based leadership, and that the values that I believe in and try to govern by are transcendent values. They have nothing to do with race or even with political parties. Secondly, I think nothing substitutes for the power of the grassroots by showing them the courtesy of going to them where they are and inviting them to take part in the political process.
say. But Dr. King was right when he said that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice. KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier, who is FrenchCanadian, says: When I woke up this morning, I thought about how great your country is and that Dr. Martin Luther King didn’t die in vain. Then, I discover that I have this amazing opportunity to send you questions for Governor Patrick. This is really special. I think that being a teacher is one of the most beautiful professions. Can you tell us how a teacher enriched your life? DP: I had a sixth-grade teacher, this incredibly self-confident young woman who took the entire class to see the first opera I’d ever seen. She also took us to see The Sound of Music and used it as an opportunity to instruct us about the rise of the Nazis. She taught us how to count in German from a phrasebook. She was the first person who stoked my imagination in a way which made me feel like I could be a citizen of the big, broader world. So, I invited her when I graduated from prep school and from Harvard. A great teacher who is full of excitement and love for her students can make all the difference in their lives. KW: Patricia observes that you became a partner at a Boston law firm when you were 34. She asks: What advice do you have for jurists from visible minorities to break the glass ceiling by becoming partners? DP: That’s not an easy question. I think it’s absolutely obvious that you have to be prepared to sacrifice and to give it 100%, and then make it clear to everyone around you that you are not
KW: Leon Marquis asks: Will you run for the presidency in 2016? DP: [LOL] No, this is my last gig in elected office, as far as I can project ahead. Governor is the only office I’ve ever run for, and I did so in the first place because I felt that there was a contribution I could make right now in governing for the long term and by leading by values. I ran for a second term to finish the work we started. I’ll finish this out and return to the private sector, which I enjoy and miss in some ways.
slowly sinking, Mars and Jupiter are ascending and Mercury pops in for a short visit. All four planets will be up by about half an hour before sunrise,
but besides taking place at an unearthly hour, the spectacle unfolds so close to the horizon that it will be hard to see any of the players. By the end of the month, however, Jupiter will have climbed high enough to see and Mars, ascending in Jupiter’s wake, may be marginally visible. Mercury’s foray into the predawn sky may not dazzle us, but new images of the tiny planet from NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft are making a splash. They show the planet’s heavily cratered surface and mysterious deposits near its north pole. Among other questions, astrophysicists hope MESSENGER will shed light on how Mercury, which has a large, metal-rich core, came to be the densest planet and why Mercury and Earth possess magnetic fields while neighbors Venus and Mars do not. The Milky Way hugs the horizon during evenings in May. But if you stay up and watch until 1 or 2 a.m., you’ll see it lift up
in the east and move westward behind the spring constellations. Algonquin Indians knew May’s full moon as the flower moon, the corn planting moon or the milk moon. It shines the night of the 16th-17th and will be closest to perfect fullness when it sets at 5:24 a.m. The University of Minnesota offers public viewings of the night sky at its Duluth and Twin Cities campuses. For more information and viewing schedules, see: Duluth, Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium: www.d.umn.edu/ planet Twin Cities, Department of Astronomy (during fall and spring semesters): www.astro. umn.edu/outreach/pubnight 4/20/11 Contact: Deane Morrison, University Relations, (612) 624-2346, morri029@ umn.edu Find U of M astronomers and links to the world of astronomy at http://www.astro.umn.edu.
KW: Larry Greenberg says: I read that, when you were younger, you received some attention from an organization called A Better Chance. What would you encourage Americans to do to help other at-risk children realize their potential? DP: Well, I think that’s all about investing time in them. I believe children are hungry for the company of adults. At the
PATRICK TURN TO 8
KW: Cameron Williams, a recent graduate of the Williston Northampton School in Western, Massachusetts asks: How was your experience as a young African-American male in prep school? DP: It was like landing on a new planet. Everything from the dress code to the way people spoke to what their home lives were like. KW: Bostonian Irene Smalls asks: What achievement are you proudest of in your career to date? DP: I’m proudest of my two daughters, and the handful of other children my wife and I have helped to raise in the sense of living by your values and passing on your values. KW: Irene asks: To what do you attribute your election and
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Page 8 • April 25 - May 1, 2011 • Insight News
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Why saving money matters - tips for saving By Christine Hobrough U.S. Bank There is a great amount of attention being paid to saving money these days. It’s no surprise following a stormy economic downturn that caught many Americans with too much debt and not enough money in their rainy day funds. Saving is surely something banks are thinking about as more and more customers say, “I wish I could save more.” Saving money is important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is because it helps build a financial safety net for life’s unexpected changes. Loss of a job or a surprise addition to the family can send families scrambling to figure out how they are going to make ends meet. Saving money also helps build assets. The more cash you have available for things like a down payment, the more affordable it will be to finance that new car or house. Saving also sets a good example for those around you. Kids, in particular, will watch how their parents are with money far more than they will listen
to what their parents what they say about money. If parents are making a point to save each month, their kids – with a little encouragement – will naturally follow. U.S. Bank is helping customers answer the call to savings with a program that rewards them for starting down the path to a healthy savings habit. Savings Today and Rewards Tomorrow or S.T.A.R.T. allows customers to choose how and how much they wish to save, and rewards them when they reach their milestone. Enrolling in S.T.A.R.T. is simple. After opening an account, customers choose how much they want to contribute, and the method that works best for them. They can transfer an amount they choose on a specific day of the month, or an amount for each U.S. Bank Check Card or U.S. Bank Credit Card purchase. A calculator on usbank.com/start helps customers chart how long it will take to save based on the method and amount they choose to set aside. Once established, watch the savings grow. When the first $1,000 savings milestone
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is reached, U.S. Bank rewards customers with a $50 Rewards Visa Card to use as they wish. U.S. Bank will send another $50 Rewards Visa Card when the $1,000 balance is maintained for more than a year. A personal budget is a great companion to any savings program and creating one doesn’t have to be difficult. The most important step is to pay yourself first. Account for your monthly savings as firmly as you commit to your rent or mortgage, car payment or other major expenses. Second, brainstorm ways you or your family can save money. An extra $10 here or there can make a difference in the long run. Last, track your spending. Make sure it lines up with what you expected to spend, and if not, adjust your budget accordingly. Keep in mind that flexibility is key, but if you keep your eye on the end goal, it helps you stick to your plan. Just like any good habit, the results can be very rewarding. All you need is a little help to … start. To learn more about U.S. Bank’s S.T.A.R.T. program visit www.usbank. com/START.
Eye of the Hurricane: My Path from Darkness to Freedom Book Review By Kam Williams kam@insightnews.com “You may have heard of me, Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, as having been a professional prizefighter. That, along with having been a wrongly convicted person who had to spend twenty years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, is a fact... I am not angry or bitter about my past or present circumstances. I do not worry about money or about not being able to pay my bills... I KNOW
Patrick From 7 time I was growing up on the South Side of Chicago, many families were broken, but it was still a community because back then every child was under the jurisdiction of every single adult on the block. If you messed up in front of Mrs. Jones, she would straighten you out, and then call your mother before you arrived home. What I think those adults were trying to get across to us, Kam, was that they had a stake in us. They were trying to teach us that being a member of community involves recognizing the stake that each of us has not only in our own dreams, but in
that I will be all right because I am connected to the source from which all life arises... Whatever is taken from you by those who abandon principle, you will ultimately win back through your priceless understanding that life has meaning. You will understand that nothing is more valuable than the love of the Spirit, and that each individual possesses that Spirit.” (Excerpts from the Introduction. pgs. 1, 22 & 23) Rubin “Hurricane” Carter was rising up the ranks of the middleweight division in 1966 when he was arrested for a triple murder he didn’t commit. His once-promising boxing career ended abruptly upon his conviction, and he proceeded to serve the next 19 years in prison, our neighbors’ as well. I’m so grateful to A Better Chance that it will receive a portion of the proceeds of this book. KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles asks: What has been your most important achievement as governor and what’s still on your agenda that you feel most needs to be addressed before you leave office? DP: Improving the quality of the schools and their ability to reach all the children who were being left behind, kids with special needs… poor kids… kids who speak English as a second language. That’s both my biggest achievement and my unfinished work, because I know both as a governor and from my own life just how transformative
Sue Folinsbee
Dr. Rubin Carter
10 in solitary confinement. He was finally able to clear his name after becoming the subject of hit song by Bob Dylan which a great education can be. KW: Harriet says: Your father refused to sign your application to the Milton Academy. Does one lose his or her AfricanAmerican ‘identity’ by attending an exclusive, predominantlywhite prep school? DP: My father’s biggest worry was that I would lose my black identity at a place like Milton Academy. But I’ve learned over the years that identity has a whole lot less to do with location or other people’s expectations than with your own sense of self and self-confidence. KW: Harriet also asks: Did you and your dad ever reconcile? DP: Fortunately, yes, and I discuss it at length in the book. KW: Tracy Ertl asks: What do you think of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ ex-girlfriend Judge Lillian McEwen’s new autobiography which belatedly vindicates Anita Hill?
in turn helped turn his case into something of a cause célèbre. Denzel Washington subsequently earned an Oscar nomination for his dignified portrayal of Carter in The Hurricane, a bio-pic chronicling Rubin’s legal ordeal from being framed through his ultimate vindication. But it’s been over a quartercentury since Hurricane was exonerated in 1985, and people might like to know that he has devoted most of his life since to overturning the convictions of similar victims of the criminal justice system. He is currently the CEO of Innocence International, although he has also worked with The Innocence Project and served as Executive Director of the Association in Defense of the
Wrongly Convicted. However, his new autobiography, Eye of the Hurricane: My Path from Darkness to Freedom, might strike some as a bit of a departure for a man so closely associated with prisoners’ rights. For here, the 73 year-old Carter focuses his attention on the notion of breaking the mental as opposed to the physical bonds which might limit anyone. It’s not that he’s backing off one iota from his indictment of the nation’s economic and racial biases which have led to the incarceration of over 2 million of the nation’s ignorant and poor. Rather, he simply shares the compassionate insight cultivated during his own experience while in the state pen that one can actually achieve a
priceless form of freedom via spiritual enlightenment even while still locked up. Introspection and meditation is the 21st Century equivalents of sneaking the proverbial file in a cake to a buddy behind bars.
DP: I’m ashamed to have to admit that I haven’t read it yet. But I’ve known Anita for years, from even before the Supreme Court confirmation hearings. She’s a person of total integrity.
KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy? DP: I am joyful, every day.
mostly jazz classics. And also a lot of John Legend.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would? DP: [Laughs] No. You know what Kam? I feel sort of questioned out. KW: What was the hardest subject to talk about in the book, your estrangement from your father, your wife’s battle with depression, or something else? DP: I think it was writing about Diane, which of course I wouldn’t have done without her permission. The beauty of Diane’s triumph over depression is that in going public about it, she saved a lot of lives. She gets mailing confirming that daily. KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid? DP: Oh yeah.
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh? DP: [Chuckles] This afternoon at lunch. It was great. KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure? DP: Dark chocolate, around this time, late in the afternoon. KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read? DP: I am reading The Warmth of Other Suns. It’s gorgeous. It discusses all my old neighbors in Chicago. [http://www. amazon.com/exec/obidos/ ASIN/0679444327/ref=nosim/ thslfofire-20] KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What are you listening to on your iPod? DP: You have to forgive me. It’s
Eye of the Hurricane: My Path from Darkness to Freedom By Dr. Rubin “Hurricane” Carter with Ken Klonsky Foreword by Nelson Mandela Lawrence Hill Books Hardcover, $26.95 350 pages, ISBN: 978-1-56976-568-5 To order a copy of Eye of the Hurricane, visit: http://www. amazon.com/exec/obidos/ ASIN/1569765685/ref=nosim/ thslfofire-20
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook? DP: I like it all. It depends on the season. KW: The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer? DP: I can’t help you with that. I’m not much of a clothes horse. KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see? DP: You know who I’m looking for? My grandfather Poppy, who was one of the most dignified and kind people I’ve ever known. KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for? DP: Can I have two. I always want to be fifteen pounds lighter. And I’d also like enough
PATRICK TURN TO 11
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Insight News • April 25 - May 1, 2011 • Page 9
COMMENTARY Dr. David French: Pioneering physician Child Watch
By Marian Wright Edelman “This was a man who lived a life of urgency, but never an urgency in the service of self, but rather in the service of the society, of mankind, of others.” So said Howard French at a memorial service for his father, Dr. David French who passed away March 31 at age 86. I was blessed to have him, his wife Carolyn, and their children as friends over many decades. As one of the founders of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, Dr. David French helped organize fellow medical professionals during the Civil Rights Movement to provide
first aid to marchers and protesters. His civil rights work was a turning point in a lifetime of pioneering professional work, from becoming one of the first Black board-certified surgeons in America to establishing innovative community health clinics in the United States and Africa. David French was born and raised in Ohio. Although his father had been forced to withdraw from Howard University as a young man because of lack of money, his parents stressed the importance of education for their own children. He was drafted into the Army during World War II, interrupting his premedical studies to serve in a segregated unit in Texas where he and fellow Black soldiers were assigned to pick cotton for uniforms. He noted that German prisoners of war held in Texas were treated better than Black soldiers seeking to
defend our nation. Determined to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor, he enrolled at Howard University School of Medicine through a military program where he was mentored by famed Black surgeon Dr. Charles Drew, who pioneered modern blood banking
Washington, D.C. As the Civil Rights Movement grew he joined the many unsung heroes—doctors, nurses, and other emergency medical professionals— providing frontline first aid to protesters brutally assaulted during marches. In 1964, few
“His groundbreaking work helped set the stage for today’s network of community health centers around the world. ” techniques. David followed in Dr. Drew’s surgical footsteps and went on to establish pediatric cardiovascular surgery departments at Howard, Freedmen’s Hospital, and D.C. General Hospital in
realized the essential service the newly formed Medical Committee for Human Rights performed. Many of the doctors and nurses, including him, took time off from jobs in the North to volunteer in the South. In
1965, David French coordinated the medical volunteers for the voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. After marchers were savagely beaten by state troopers during their first attempt to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on “Bloody Sunday,” he saved the day and the lives of the protesters by helping bring in the Johnson White House and the federal troops to protect them in the final march. One year later, as Dr. King, Stokely Carmichael, and other civil rights activists— including myself—completed James Meredith’s march from Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi after Meredith was injured by a sniper, David and Carolyn French joined in using their Dodge Camper as a makeshift ambulance for his medical team. The Medical Committee’s focus quickly expanded from protecting civil rights workers to fighting inequalities in
health care under the motto “Health Care Is a Human Right.” Driven by his passion for social justice, David French shifted his focus from surgery to public health. As he told the Boston Globe, “I became aware of overwhelming health problems in the marches in the deep South, but later realized that urban health problems with regard to delivery of services are just as difficult.’’ He went back to school and earned a masters’ degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. In 1969 he became the first chairman of Boston University’s Department of Community Medicine and was chosen as the first medical director of Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center, meeting the needs of one of Boston’s poorest communities. Roxbury
FRENCH TURN TO 11
Obama’s tightrope: What about the workers? Opinion
By Julianne Malveaux President Barack Obama is adept at walking a tightrope. That’s what he did last week when he talked about the budget, chastising both Democrats and Republicans. He spoke to the need for government to stand in the gap for the needy even as he understood the ramifications of the Ryan budget. Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), chair of the House Budget Committee, is bound and determined to reduce the size of government. He will
do it on the backs of the poor and the needy, and he will, if he has his way, eviscerate the role that government plays in providing a safety net for those at the bottom. President Obama has to negotiate all of this. He is in charge, but then he isn’t. His bosses, the folks that he has to run stuff by, are not in his corner. He can’t appoint a cabinet member without getting approval from people who have openly said they are not in his corner. He has veto power, but there are but so many vetoes he can manage. He is in charge, he is not in charge. Let’s add, or let’s not add, the matter of race. These Tea Party people seem committed to ideas and ideals, but there is a race component to the ways that they approach this president. When people say they want to
take our country back, I wonder what they want to take it back to, especially when there is this celebration of the Civil War that I, frankly, cannot understand. Why are we celebrating renegade states that chose to leave our union because they felt that strongly about slavery? Is there no sensitivity to those who are descendents of slaves? Back to the budget. Back to the funding cuts. Back to the exaggerations about the many ways we are on a “spending spree”. If we tell the truth and shame the devil, former President Bill Clinton racked up a surplus that President Bush spent profligately. And now, in the middle of an economic crisis, when spending is necessary to stimulate the economy, the same Republicans who encouraged the Bush spending are now crying foul.
Those Republicans who are toeing the line on spending correctly note that we are borrowing about 43 cents for every dollar we spend. Yet, they don’t note that this amount ebbs and flows with the business cycle. Further, programs like the Senior Community Service Employment Program, which hires poor seniors to work and earn, will be cut by nearly half, putting at least 50,000 poor old people out of work. Is this compassionate? Does it reflect our national values? Should it actually occur? Indeed, if we are really concerned about our budget shouldn’t we be creating jobs, not eliminating them? There are 14 million officially unemployed Americans, half of whom have not worked for more than half a year. They are struggling, scrapings, trying
their best to survive. And, they aren’t paying taxes or anything else. Why not put them to work, make an investment in their survival and then, indirectly, in the survival of our nation? Because if we don’t put people to work now, there will be nowhere to work later. We are being battered by the rest of the world, and we refuse to make the same investment in the future that they have made. We are like greedy farmers eating our seed corn today instead of investing in tomorrow. And, our young people will resent our decisions as we move into the future. We spend more on the elderly than we do on youth. I am at the age when I look forward to the possibility of social security, but I do not look forward to the possibility that the young person who tends to
me in a nursing home will drop me out of the pique if she feels that I was part of a generation that did not invest in her future. Respecting our president, as I do, I understand that he offers, in Cornel West’s words, “Hope on a Tightrope”. Still, what about our nation’s workers? What about our students? What about the young people who have been kicked to the curb by a series of budget choices? What about the elderly poor? Why has defense (which could be called an offense) been taken off the table when we speak of budget cuts? Julianne Malveaux is President of Bennett College for Women and author of Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History (www. lastwordprod.com).
Page 10 • April 25, - May 1, 2011 • Insight News
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Coffee Break
STATEPOINT CROSSWORD
17. Dog-___-dog world 18. Radio sign 19. *Everybody loves THEME: TV CLASSICS him? 21. *Friday’s show ACROSS 23. Peyton’s Giant brother 1. Wharton’s “The House 24. Food wrapper of _____” 25. Tax helper 6. Between id and super- 28. *Ashton’s wife, forego mer “General Hospital” 9. Done to shirt after it’s soap star tied 30. *Hagman was shot on 13. Hula dancer’s hello this show 14. *”Scooby Doo, Where 35. Nazi villain Are ___?” 37. *Coleman, Bridge, 15. New Zealand resinPlato, Bain of “Different producer Strokes,” e.g. 16. “None the _____”
39. *_____ Park, where Eric, Kenny, Stan and Kyle live 40. Ancient Peruvian empire 41. Literary composition 43. Site of Trojan War 44. *”Growing _____” 46. Dance with leis 47. A devilish place 48. Cold-shoulder 50. Count on 52. “Rocky” creator 53. Ready to eat 55. Slight amount 57. *”Cheers” spin-off 61. King Arthur’s castle 65. Klondike gold rush site 66. Exclamation of surprise 68. Clarence Thomas’ accuser 69. Mack the _____ 70. Knightly title 71. DNA is a double one 72. Volcano in Sicily 73. *___ Arden, star of “Our Miss Brooks” 74. Old-time calculators DOWN 1. Bryn ____, liberal arts college for women 2. Hipbone 3. Like happy people’s glasses 4. *Will Smith performed his show’s _____ song 5. Maude’s unlikely beau 6. Looked at 7. India’s smallest state 8. One up 9. Euphemism for “darn” 10. Chinese monetary unit
11. Cleveland, OH lake 12. Scoop on someone? 15. Eucalyptus eaters 20. *Marilyn to Lily Munster 22. Relieve from 24. Cranny 25. *Ponch and Jon 26. Subject to punishment by law 27. American Standard Code for Information Interchange 29. *It ran longer than the war itself 31. Reluctant 32. Fisherman’s decoys 33. Circular island of coral 34. Bashfully 36. Crooned 38. *”... a ____ of a fateful trip.” 42. Site of 1945 Allied conference 45. Place of worship 49. Not a win nor a loss 51. Japanese electronics manufacturer 54. As opposed to poetry 56. Brightest star in Cygnus 57. Type of fish net 58. Smallest of a litter 59. Related 60. *Where “Friends” hung out? 61. Center 62. Snoopy’s original owner 63. Like ear infection 64. *About Sunshine Cab Company 67. T-cell killer
eek w e h of t
te o Qu “My
great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.
”
- Maya Angelou
Answers on page 11
Classifieds / Calendar Send Community Calendar information to us by: email, andrew@insightnews. com, by fax: 612-588-2031, by phone: (612) 588-1313 or by mail: 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis, MN 55411, Attn: Andrew Notsch. Free or low cost events preferred.
Events Sabathani to Host Community Meeting - Apr 26 Sabathani Community Center will host a public meeting to discuss a proposed Hennepin County Regional Services site at Sabathani. Users of county services or anyone interested are encouraged to attend. 6-8pm Tue., Apr. 26 at Sabathani. 310 E. 38th Street, Mpls. For more information, call Pam Young, 612-821-2308.
Rush Riverview Townhomes
Now accepting applications for our Section 8 waiting list. Please call 320-358-3917 or email us at rushriverview@metesbounds.com Equal Housing Opportunity
TELEMARKETING POSITION Insight News is seeking applicants for a part-time Classified Sales Telemarketing Representative.
PHONE: 612.588.1313
I’m Not Black, I’m Coloured - Apr 27 Local filmmaker Kiersten Dunbar Chace of Mondé World Films presents her award winning historical documentary film I’m Not Black, I’m Coloured – Identity Crisis at the Cape of Good Hope at the Minneapolis/ St. Paul International Film festival on Apr. 27 at 7:00pm - St. Anthony Main Theater. Special guest appearance Actress Lesley Ann Brandt (Spartacus / CSI-NY) Community Action of Minneapolis Southside Energy Clinic - Apr 27 Are you a low-income community member in Minneapolis that is in danger of having your electricity shut off? If so, please come to the Southside Energy Clinic and fill out an Energy Assistance application. Wed., Apr. 27 10am-2pm at the Minneapolis Urban League Sharon Sales Belton Center (411 E. 38th St., Mpls) For more information regarding the Southside Energy Clinic call 612.767.1734. Apply now to play an important role in redistricting in Mpls - Apr 29 There is still a chance for people in Minneapolis to participate in redistricting the city, creating boundaries for elections in 2012 and
beyond. The deadline to apply to join the redistricting Advisory Group has been extended to April 29. The job description and application form are posted on the Charter Commission’s website at www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/ charter-commission. All applications should be submitted as outlined in the application by the April 29, 2011 deadline. If your group is interested in a presentation or if you have any questions, please call the Commission Coordinator, Peggy Menshek, at 612-673-2287 or email her at peggy. menshek@ci.minneapolis.mn.us Saint Paul Art Crawl - Apr 29 - May 1 Where else can you see art by over 325 resident, guest and gallery artists? Info, contact: Art Crawl Hotline: 651292-4373. Be sure to see the Web Site: www.artcrawl.org, for maps, images and a database of artists. Play Ball! Minnesota Youth Clinic - Apr 30 Youth Clinic being held at the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, 919 Fremont Ave N in Minneapolis Sat., Apr. 30. The clinic is free and open to anyone between the ages of 6 and 16 and no registration is required. Kids ages 6 – 9 years should arrive at 10:00
This position is perfect for a college student or someone looking for part time employment. Hours are Mon-Thursday, 10 – 2 PM, not to exceed 20 hours per week. Position Duties: • Deliver prepared sales talks, reading from scripts that describe Insight News and www.insightnews. com, in order to secure classified advertising. • Contact businesses by telephone in order to solicit sales. • Adjust sales scripts to better target the needs and interests of specific individuals. • Answer telephone calls from potential customers who have been solicited through advertisements. • Telephone or write letters to respond to correspondence from customers or to follow up initial sales contacts. • Maintain records of contacts, accounts, and orders. This position requires a high school diploma, previous telemarketing experience and the ability to produce results. Please submit resume with three references to batalara@insightnews.com NO WALK-INS and no PHONE CALLS, please.
FAX: 612.588.2031
Congratulations graduate! YOUR MESSAGE HERE STUDENT PHOTO HERE
STUDENT NAME SCHOOL NAME Class of 2011
Special Offer
Congratulate your graduate Just $25.00 per week Call Patricia @ 612.588.1313 or email patricia@insightnews.com
EMAIL: andrew@insightnews.com
a.m.; kids ages 10 – 16 years should arrive at 11:30 a.m. Hosmer Library Talent Show Apr 30 Do you have Talent? Love to perform? Want to see Minnesota’s Youth at it’s Best? Everyone is welcome to perform: Singers, Dancers, Poets, Rappers, Musicians, and Actors. All ages and all levels of talent. Show Your Talents at Central Gym 3416 4th Ave. S., Mpls. Sat. Apr. 30 2pm. Call (952) 847-2900 to register your act. It’s Raining Cats and Dogs - Apr 30 Animal Ark, a non-profit animal welfare organization located in Hastings, invites the Twin Cities community to partake in the open house event on Sat, Apr. 30 from 124pm to showcase animals available for adoption, the organization’s state-ofthe-art facilities and renowned animal advocate and author Dr. Michael Fox. 2600 Industrial Ct. Hastings, MN YO MAMA: In the spirit of Our Mothers - May 1 1-4pm at St. Jane House, 1403 Emerson Avenue N - a gathering to honor our ancestral and contemporary mothers. We will share personal and collective stories about our mamas, share music, song and prayer to celebrate and heal our most important relationship. Refreshments and gifts. Donation $25.00 EX.I.T.E. Camp Applications Are Due - May 1 PACER Center’s EX.I.T.E. Camp (EXploring Interests in Technology and Engineering) is accepting applications for its August 2011 session. Applications are due May 1. The day camp, held at PACER Center, 8161 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington, MN., runs for five days in August. For a camp schedule and application, call PACER at 952-838-9000 or visit PACER.org/stc/exite/Camp.asp. Twin Cities RISE! Annual Report to Stakeholders Luncheon - May 2 Please join us for our Annual Report to Stakeholders Luncheon, and learn about the state of Twin Cities RISE! and our 2010 results and plans for 2011. 12-1:30pm Marriott City Center 30 South 7th St., Mpls. RSVP by April 26 to 612-279-5886 or clawrence@
twincitiesrise.org. MCTC Student Portfolio Show - May 3-4 A 2-day event featuring the work of MCTC’s design and media production programs: Tue., May 3 - 10am-9pm & Wed., May 4 - 10am-7pm. There will be free food, cupcakes and, of course, great design! MCTC Whitney Hall L3000 1501 Hennepin Ave S Mpls. Admission is free and parking is free after 4:30 in the ramp across the street from MCTC. Facing Race Ambassador Awards May 3 The Saint Paul Foundation will host a celebration to honor those committed to creating a racially equitable community. Feat: Mohammed Bilal, a well known diversity consultant, musician, writer and alumus of MTV’s Real World. Tue., May 3, 6pm. Crowne Plaza Riverfront 11 E. Kellogg Boulevard in St. Paul. Free. In Our Own Words: Mothers Remembered - May 3 Open mic event that gives voice to the unique experience of being adopted and fostered with musings on how Mother’s Day arouses complex emotions around the issues of identity, family and motherhood. Tue. May 3 6-9pm at The Lyric at Carleton Place 765 Hampden Ave S. St. Paul, MN 55114. 100 Years of Chinese American History in MN - May 4 The Project will highlight the Chinese American Minnesotans, their contributions and struggles, with a special emphasis on the Oral and Photo History throughout MN. The project will kick off at the May 4th, 2011 at the Landmark Center 75 5th St W., Saint Paul, MN. 5-7pm. 4th Annual Fakoly Drum & Dance Project - May 4-8 Master drummer Fode Bangoura will be hosting his 4th Annual Fakoly Drum & Dance Project! 5 days of daily drum and dance classes taught by Master Drummers and Dancers from West Africa. The workshop will culminate in a Guest Artist performance Saturday evening May 7th at The Southern Theater. Visit www.duniyadrumanddance.org for full details & Registration.
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Insight News • April 25 - May 1, 2011 • Page 11
Rainbow, Roundy’s Foundation donate more than $31,500 in food and money to Twin Cities food pantries Working families are visiting area food shelves in record numbers. Last year visits to emergency food shelves jumped 14 percent. Rainbow Foods and the Roundy’s Foundation’s Focused on Feeding Families tour made a stop in the Twin Cities. A truck loaded with food pulled into the Lake Street Rainbow store (2919 26th Ave S) on Wednesday, April 13 at noon to donate food and money to six local pantries and a local food drive. The Focused on Feeding Families tour donates $225,000 in food and money to 50 food pantries in five days twice a year in the spring and fall. Each pantry receives approximately 3-thousand pounds of food valued at $4,000, in addition to $500 to purchase perishable food items. Local pantries helped by this year’s spring tour are the following: • Hallie Q. Brown Food Shelf • Merrick Community Center • Minnehaha Food Shelf in south Minneapolis • Sharing Korner • Simpson Food Shelf • Senior Food Shelf Additionally, all Rainbow stores encouraged customers to drop food in the Emergency FoodShelf Network (EFN) barrels at the store in a community-wide food drive. The Roundy’s Foundation also donated a pallet of food to that food drive benefitting EFN.
Courtesy of Roundy’s Supermarkets
(L-R) Julius Scarver, Executive Director Jonathan Palmer and Sherman Townsend of Hallie Q. Brown Food Shelf pose with their check and pallet of food donated by Rainbow Foods and the Roundy’s Foundation.
Vivian King, director of public affairs for Roundy’s and Rainbow Foods, addresses the crowd before the company and foundation donate more than $31,500 in food and money to six local food pantries and a local food drive.
Solutions From 10
Lavon Jordan, a driver for the Emergency FoodShelf Network (EFN), works to load a pallet of food donated to EFN by Rainbow Foods and the Roundy’s Foundation.
Patrick From 8
TV CLASSICS
money and time to guarantee that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will be stronger for another generation.
KW: The Rudy Lewis question: Who’s at the top of your hero list? DP: Nelson Mandela tied with Martin Luther King.
KW: Do you ever wish you could have your anonymity back? DP: Sure, but one great thing about being a black man is that if you put on a hat, you can move around unnoticed.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps? DP: Persevere! Never, ever, ever give up!
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory? DP: Sitting at the kitchen table at the age of three when my father poured a glass of milk on my sister’s head.
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered? DP: It’s way too soon for that. I’ve got another fifty years in me, I hope.
KW: What has been the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome? DP: My own impatience. KW: The Flex Alexander question: How do you get through the tough
French From 9 Comprehensive Community Health Center was one of the earliest community health centers and became a model for providing health services for the poor. David French then set his sights on the African continent, believing the community health center model could deliver the
crucial primary care so many desperately needed. He and his family of eight beautiful children spent a decade living in the Ivory Coast as he oversaw a program coordinated by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Boston University that trained health care workers in 20 African countries to set up networks of clinics providing primary and preventive care.
His groundbreaking work helped set the stage for today’s network of community health centers around the world. According to the National Association of Community Health Centers, the United States now has 1,250 community health centers providing vital primary care to 20 million lowincome children and adults. This crucial lifeline of services saves between $9.9 billion and $17.6 billion a year by helping patients avoid emergency room
times? DP: Through prayer, taking time to reflect, and by staying busy.
care. Last week, the majority of funding for community health centers was saved at the last minute by the compromise budget agreement that averted a government shutdown. How shortsighted, uncaring, and fiscally irresponsible are those who would cut life and cost saving programs. I applaud Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders who has stood up for this vital health safety network through thick and thin. But, community health centers are still at risk
KW: Thanks again for the time, Governor, and best of luck with the book and the balance of your second term in office. DP: Thank you, Kam. This has been great.
in the House budget plan that seeks to dismantle Medicare and Medicaid and balance the budget on the backs of poor children and families. Millions of low-income families are in danger of losing the quality health care they desperately need. Let’s honor the legacy of Dr. David French and the life of urgency he lived and make the right and moral choice to care for America’s poor children and families and preserve—yea expand—the vital network of
community health centers. Marian Wright Edelman is President of the Children’s Defense Fund whose Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. For more information go to www. childrensdefense.org.
Page 12 • April 25 - May 1, 2011 • Insight News
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