Insight News ::: 4.30.12

A Celebration of Revelations Robert Battle, Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya, Associate Artistic Director America’s cultural ambassadors return with two equally explosive evenings.

May 1st and 2nd, 7:30 PM at the Orpheum Theatre. For more information or tickets visit ticketmaster.com or call 1-800-745-3000.

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER Photo: Andrew Eccles

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre’s Linda Celeste Sims & Glenn Allen Sims in Revelations

INSIGHT NEWS April 30 - May 6, 2012 • MN Metro Vol. 38 No. 18 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com

“We are here for a purpose. We are all on a mission.”

Al McFarlane I thank the Creator and the ancestors for what they have done in your life and in the lives of our people around the country. I thank all of those who have come before us, who make it possible for us to fight every day, to carry on, to believe that redemption is at hand and that a brighter future is ahead that will come through our continued work and struggle. I thank the Creator and the ancestors for assuring us that we are equal to the task.

King Peggy I am so happy to be among all these powerful and very educated people in this room. My given name is Peggieline Bartels. Most people ask me, why don’t you have an African name?

Suluki Fardan

KING TURN TO 2

Nana Amuah-Afenyi VI (King Peggy)

Zimmerman does not get the “Hispanic” pass card on racism Commentary

By Irma McClaurin, PhD Culture and Education Editor

George Zimmerman has finally been arrested. But is it too little too late? Perhaps, but it is important that those who follow this case not get confused by the assertions that Zimmerman could not be racist because he is “Hispanic.” What has been missing from the discussion thus far is an analysis of race and racism in the countries of Central and South America, and how

Spanish-speaking immigrants (and/or their American-born children) can harbor cultural baggage that includes their own brand of racism rooted in slavery and the subsequent disenfranchisement of people of African origins who reside in the countries of Latin America.

Fortunately, my fellow writer for Insight, Alberto Barrows, an Afro-Panamanian and an

attorney, has given us a firsthand analysis of what the cultural baggage of racism looks like up close and personal in Central and South America-- http://www. insightnews.com/news/8786afortunadamente-aca-no-losmatan#.T4l6VByeOqU.email Overlay this history of a Latin-American formulated racism (racismo) towards Afrodescendientes (people

of African descent) with the United States’ history of racism towards Blacks, and we have a collision waiting to happen.

George Zimmerman does not get the pass card on racism because he is “Hispanic,” for the simple reason that many light/ white-skinned (blanquitos/as) people with origins in Central and South America have been socialized in their own histories

and cultures to regard los negroes (Blacks) as less than themselves.

First we must understand that the term Hispanic is an invention of the U.S. Census. It references a large group of people from different countries of origins who share a similar language— Spanish.

ZIMMERMAN 8 TURN TO

St. Paul Foundation honors citizens working to fight racism

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer ST. PAUL – Nearly 600

attendees were on hand to help The St. Paul Foundation honor a group of recipients for their works to end racism and improve race relations throughout the state.

The sixth annual Facing Race Ambassador Awards, held this past Monday (Apr. 23) at the Crowne Plaza in downtown St. Paul, honored the works of

Mahmoud El-Kati and Steve Pederson in their efforts to stamp out racism in Minnesota. El-Kati, a professor emeritus of history at Macalester College, helped found

the African American Studies department at the University of Minnesota. Pederson, who is white, lives in rural Alexandria and has two adopted African

American children and works with regional advocacy groups such as the Diversity Resource

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AfroDescendientes

Negritude Afro Descendientes

By Alberto S. Barrow N.

Artika R. Tyner

Artika Tyner

Education policy reform motivates leadership scholar Source: ABA Spotlight: Artika Tyner received her B.A. from Hamline University (Major: English; Certificate: Conflict Studies). Due to her passion for advocating for social and

educational policy reform, she decided to pursue graduate studies at the University of St. Thomas. Tyner obtained her Juris Doctor, Masters of Public Policy

TYNER TURN TO 6

Full Circle

Peace of Hope works to assist families of those incarcerated

PAGE 3

Es posible que este artículo le parezca una colcha de retazos, y a lo mejor así es en efecto, porque intenta, en una suerte de síntesis, exponer dos corrientes de opinión, contrastadas entre sí, ambas sin duda interesantes.

En esta costura hecha con ideas ajenas, desde luego algunas de las cuales comparto y otras no, las puntadas recogen visiones que se han cruzado en las redes sociales, a partir de la publicación de la denuncia de Hilda García, una afropanameña, madre de cuatro hijas, a quienes ha tenido que plancharles el cabello, porque en el centro educativo a la que asisten se le dijo: “Su hija no puede venir a la escuela con ese peinado”.

NEGRITUDE TURN TO 13

Las travesuras racistas de Delmiro Nuevamente, el caricaturista Delmiro (Diario El Siglo / Panamá), esta vez en la edición del sábado 21 de abril, y apelando a una representación de la afropanameñidad del periodista Ricardo Jaramillo, quien estuvo en primera fila

Aesthetics Getting Ziggy with it

PAGE 5

de una malograda rueda de prensa que ofreció el presidente Ricardo Martinelli, coloca al comunicador social como un rastafari.

Suluki Fardan

Karl Reichart

The Capri Theater: Bringing up the lights on Broadway Business Leadership Profile

By Erin Jerabek, Executive Director West Broadway Business Area Coalition North Minneapolis’ Capri Theater, located at 2027 W. Broadway has been in the

DELMIRO TURN TO 10

Health

Robbins Wellness Center expands practice, vision

PAGE 6

spotlight recently with Mayor R.T. Rybek’s State of the City address and Minnesota Monthly naming the Capri, the “Best Jazz Venue” in the Twin Cities. All the positive support for the Capri has left people wanting to know more about how they can be involved in this North Minneapolis destination.

The Capri Theater was built in 1927; once named the Paradise Theater (1933-

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Lifestyle

Volunteers landscape foreclosed and tornado-damaged properties

PAGE 8

Page 2 • April 30 - May 6, 2012 • Insight News

King From 1 I am originally from Cape Coast, and during the slave trade era most of us were given English names and we never changed them. So I say that is my name given to me by my parents and, this ,my journey is very unique.

As many may know, in Africa women are not supposed to be kings; we crown them as queens.

But four years ago, at 4 a.m. I got a call that changed my life.

My cousin just kept saying “Nana, Nana, Nana.” Then finally I said, “tell me exactly what you want. What money are you asking for now?” Thinking surely he or someone in the family needed money and that is why he was calling that early.

I was just about to hang up the phone and then my cousin said, “No, Nana, don’t hang up!

Our uncle, the king has gone to a village and he is not coming back anytime soon.” This is the code in royal families to let you know that someone has passed on. After hearing this I then

insightnews.com understood why my cousin was calling me Nana... Yet, I was still a bit reluctant. I said to myself is this guy kidding. A woman king?

A voice told me “hold on, there is something here that you have to listen to.” So I listened to him and he kept on saying Nana, you have been chosen to be a king. So I told him “Go and tell them to give me three days to think about it.” Because when you become a king or queen in African towns or villages, it is not like a silver platter thing like it is in Europe, where you don’t do have to do much other than to play the part. In Africa you are the one expected to better the lives of people in your town. And here I am a woman, a secretary, with little money, living in the United States with my own bills, which I can barely afford to pay sometimes. The first question that came to my mind is, “Can I do this?”

Over the next three days, every time I was sitting I would hear voices; it was very strange to me. The voices would talk to me as I am talking to you all in this room “Nana it is your destiny. You have to go for it. It is not every day that a woman is going to be a king or someone is going to be a king.” But when I looked around to see who was speaking, no one was there. So I said, to myself, maybe I am just tired or getting sick; to be honest, it really started to scare me a bit.

At this time I was driving a1992 Honda Accord. I typically always used the back roads when going to work and there was this one particular T-junction at this park and there was a little ravine.

Anytime I get to that T- junction a voice would be in my car. It would say, “Nana, I am telling you go for it. It is your destiny.

You have to help your people and you are not going to be alone in this journey. We are going to help you and people are going to help you”.

I would start looking around and as soon as I would make a left turn to go onto another street, the voice would stop. So it went on like this for three days. It was really amazing. I have never ever heard anything like this in my life and it is something I am really going to cherish because anytime I talk about this story the voice comes back to me. So I went to work and I said to myself, the third day I have to accept it. And then the voice came back once I was in the office. I said, “Listen,

Suluki Fardan

L-R: Tera Cole, Nana Amuah-Afenyi VI (King Peggy), and Natonia Johnson whoever you are, I don’t see you.

You may be God. You may be my ancestors. You may be my mother. Leave me alone--I am going to accept it.”

And as soon as I said that I was very calm inside. I wasn’t depressed or worried like before.

So I went to my boss and I said “Boss, I need to talk to you.”

He said, “What have you done now?” Are you arguing with somebody again?” Because most of the time in the embassy, if you step on my toe, I never let it go. I will argue with you for a year till I become satisfied and my boss was aware of that.

I said “No, Boss I am not.

Your secretary here is going to be a king”. And then he looked at me as if I am sick. And he said, “A king, in Ghana?” I said, “Yes, this secretary is going to be a king!”

When I first arrived, I thought everything will be on a silver platter. I will have a beautiful palace and a beautiful car. I also thought that I would be given money to do my coronation, but I soon learned that was not the case.

Finally, I asked my elders, “Where is the money that you have collected from the fisherman for fishing on our beach and the money from the land we sold?

Finally, the treasurer came and said, “I don’t know.”

There was no money in the coffers. I had to foot the bill for the entire coronation. This incident really troubled me and on my way back to the United States, I said to myself, “there is something wrong with this town.” I felt that there was a hidden secret in the town and that is why the voice was telling me to go and rescue them. *** I went back to the village the following year in September and had a serious talk with the

elders. Now traditionally most African women are afraid to speak seriously with men since women are not supposed to challenge men. You don’t speak back to a man. It was also an awkward situation because I, a younger woman, was coming to rule people who were between 80-90 years old. I knew there was going to be a battle, but I was determined to not only fight this battle but to win, as well. *** The battle lasted from 4 a.m. until 8 p.m. the next day.

My focus of that meeting was to understand where the money was. So I asked them, “what happened to the money?” and “What are you people doing?”

One elder said, “Well, Nana we don’t know anything about it.”

The town doesn’t have a bank or anything.” So I told them, “Where I come from we have banks and we are going to open up a bank in this town.” He said, “No, no, no, you are not going to do that. You are not bringing that American system over here.”

I looked at him and said, “You people chose me. Despite me being in America all this time, the ancestors and my God chose me over anybody else. So I am really going to make a difference in your lives.”

They said, “No it is not going to happen. You are a woman. Sit down and let us rule you.”

I finally defeated them by saying, “I am a woman. I have the strength of a male. I am here to help you. And if you give me the chance, as I have been given a chance by God and by my ancestors, I will help you. I am here for a reason. So you all sit-down and listen to me.” And they all just became silent, I am not sure what happened; they just shut up and sat down.

So I opened the bank and the

people who have supported me have opened accounts and started putting the money in. Now, as I am speaking, we have at least $20,000 in the bank, which is not much here but in Ghana it is 200 million, which can do a lot for the town.

So this, my journey, is not really a small journey, but I am determined. I have to prove to the men. I don’t mean them any harm. I also want to prove to the men that a woman can do it and not to underestimate women. If a secretary with a very small salary can do this, anyone can help his or her own village. You may not be a king, you may not be a queen or a chief but you can become a leader in your community like all of you are doing.

So when the calling comes, be ready to accept it because people are there to help us. We have super beings around us that are helping us. I know this because of the libation ceremony that took place before I became king. There were 25 males, I was the only woman. When they poured the libation for each of them it sunk to the ground. But when it came to the last name on the list, which was mine, the libation simmered.

When it simmered they looked at each other. I told them, “You put my name last thinking the first would be the next king, but God is telling you, you are wrong.”

And that is why I was chosen to be king. I am glad I am doing it. Being king has really transformed me. Every bit of energy that I have I channel to my village. I think about them. I may not be there physically but mentally I am there with them 24x7 and every time I think about them I think of what to do for them. Ancestors continue to guide me from the spiritual world. Sometimes it is a dream telling me what I need to do.

Whenever I get these dreams and I just ponder and work on it, until I do what they have advised me to do. So I advise each and every one in this room that we all have people protecting us.

Whether you believe it or not we are not alone on this earth. We are here for a purpose. We are all on a mission. So if you really believe in yourself and then you work hard and be very honest with yourself, your calling will come. So when it comes, don’t run away from it. Take it and help the people. So this is my journey.

That’s why I am here.

insightnews.com

Insight News • April 30 - May 6, 2012 • Page 3

FULL CIRCLE Peace of Hope works to assist families of those incarcerated

By Ivan B. Phifer Staff Writer Most people are aware of the strict rules and lifestyle incarcerated individuals face. However, the focus is so much on the inmates, the affects on family and friends tend to go unnoticed.

Peace of Hope, founded by Sharon Brooks, a member of New Salem Missionary Baptist Church in North Minneapolis, has a mission to provide resources to people who have loved-ones incarcerated. One of the goals is to alleviate the shame and embarrassment associated with being related to or close friends of someone whose been incarcerated.

Brooks said she herself was affected by the incarceration of a loved one.

“I knew he was (her lovedone) doing time, but what could I do for myself for support?” said Brooks. “I looked around and there were no organizations to help me cope, assist with transportation to

“Peace of Hope wants to incorporate ourselves in the lovedone’s life and become (family) members with them. I will write your loved-one and you write mine. With the membership, we provide the stamp, envelope and the comradeship.”

Peace of Hope looks to meet two times a week. Within each meeting, there is a short 15 minute training video, “What to do When Your Loved-One Is Incarcerated.”

Brooks said the video is screened because a lot of people do not know what to expect the first time they visit.

“Peace of Hope is a place where all who are experiencing difficulty during this time can turn this negative feeling into something positive and uplifting,” Brooks said.

For more information or to become a sponsor of Peace of Hope contact Sharon Brooks at 612-220-4678 or peaceofhope@ excite.com.

the prison, counseling, or writing letters.”

“Most prisons are located 70 to 400 miles away. The nearest are the workhouses or county jails,” she said. “When a person is sentenced to prison, a loved-one has to have legal transportation, no warrants, automobile insurance, and enough gas to make it there and back. Transportation becomes a problem.”

Peace of Hope plans to provide transportation to Minnesota prisons beginning May 3. The trips are free.

“The second biggest piece is letters and phone calls,” said Brooks. “Unfortunately we have the highest incarceration rate percentage wise. In a family of 3, sometimes more, usually only one person is writing or receiving, and being financially responsible for those calls. Postage on both ends becomes a burden as well as the emotional piece.”

Brooks said this is what motivated the Peace of Hope letter writing campaign.

Sharon Brooks

Kamouri

Woodrich to lead council of churches the DIW budget grew from $1 million to almost $4 million, programs have expanded from six to 19 and partnerships and relationships with more than 25 governmental, nonprofit and community organizations have been strengthened.

Woodrich, an Athabascan Native-American, said she has worked closely with

Noya Woodrich For the first time in its 107year history, the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches (GMCC) will be led by a woman and NativeAmerican.

After an intensive national search, the human service nonprofit stayed close to home, naming Noya Woodrich, the GMCC senior vice president and executive director of the Division of Indian Work, as president and CEO to succeed Gary Reierson.

“I am very excited and

GMCC

honored to be selected to continue to grow with the organization that I have spent my career at; one with a strong foundation and history of accomplishments,” Woodrich said. “I am looking forward to the challenge of continuing to build on our legacy of service to this community.”

Woodrich came to the Division of Indian Work (DIW) in 1991 as a volunteer and youth worker. Ten years later, she took the helm and during her 12 years of leadership,

outgoing GMCC president Gary Reierson to dispel initial misconceptions in the NativeAmerican community about the DIW/GMCC partnership and enhance that relationship.

“I am thrilled that Noya Woodrich has been named as my successor,” Reierson said. “I have had the pleasure of watching her grow into

a first-rate leader, and I am confident that she will do an outstanding job moving the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches to the next level of impact in our region.”

Simon Foster, chair-elect of the GMCC board, said the search committee and KeyStone Search conducted an intensive national and local

search, screening more than 300 candidates. According to Foster, after interviewing a broad range of qualified business and nonprofit leaders, the search committee realized the best candidate was already on staff.

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Page 4 • April 30 - May 6, 2012 • Insight News

insightnews.com

EDUCATION Contract a cornerstone of reform efforts Building Creative Capital

By Bernadeia H. Johnson MPS Superintendent On Tuesday, April 17, the Minneapolis Board of Education

approved a new two-year labor contract with the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) that supports and advances student achievement.

The teachers’ union and MPS reached agreement on key issues such as providing students with more time to learn, allowing teachers more time to effectively prepare for classes each day and establishing a more collaborative and focused professional

development plan.

This contract is only one cornerstone of our reform efforts to turn around underperforming schools and improve academic outcomes for all students. We take the challenge of educational improvement seriously and are launching some substantial revisions to our structure and practice to build momentum for increasing success in our most struggling schools. This work

includes focused instruction – what we teach, how we teach and how we measure student progress; teacher evaluation that is both supportive and meaningful; partnering with successful charter schools like Harvest Preparatory; and utilizing instructional time, including summer school, more effectively.

While the labor contract is not the only way for us to achieve

improvements in these schools, it is a vital part of the overall equation. We must continue to align contracts to support school district reform efforts. This contract is not an end in itself; it is a foundation to help build future success. This contract continues to change the way we do business.

Teacher contract negotiations might get most of the public’s attention this week, but it is

important to continue pointing out that many factors can prevent a child from getting the best possible education.

Some we cannot fix alone as a school district; tearing down the insidious walls of poverty, racial inequality and economic inequities requires community effort. But there are things we

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Sanchez Beltran awarded “Beat the Odds” scholarship Roosevelt High School senior Eduardo Sanchez Beltran on March 16 was awarded a $4,000 “Beat the Odds” scholarship from the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) – Minnesota.

Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak accompanied Sanchez Beltran to the awards event, held at The Depot in downtown Minneapolis.

Sanchez Beltran was one of four students chosen from almost 100 applicants across the Twin Cities.

CDF – Minnesota recognizes four local teens annually who have overcome extreme adversity including painful family separation, poverty, illness, loss of family and abuse to succeed in school and life.

At age six, Sanchez

Eduardo Sanchez Beltran Beltran and his family came to Minneapolis from Mexico in search of a better life for the

CDC

family. That supposed betted life did not come without peril.

His family lived in a single

room sharing one bed for four people and his parents each worked two jobs and were rarely home. Walking to the school bus stop alone with his brother each morning through a violent and dangerous neighborhood brought continuous fear and anxiety. When Sanchez Beltran was 11 years old, he was caught in the middle of a gang shootout while sitting in his father’s truck. Bullets hit the truck’s windshield, broken glass pierced Sanchez Beltran’s skin and he said was afraid he would die.

Three years later, eight gang members shoved a gun in his stomach and held a knife to his neck. He survived, but developed post-traumatic stress disorder.

Sanchez Beltran withdrew and had difficulty concentrating and socializing. He sought out

help and through counseling and theater courses at Green Central Community School and Roosevelt High School, he learned to cope and began to pursue his dreams. Pillsbury House’s theater program became his second home. On stage, Sanchez Beltran said he forgot his troubles and became someone who was not troubled or scared. Offstage, his friends and mentors helped guide him beyond his terrors and toward a hopeful future.

Sanchez Beltran continues to participate in theater, is president of the National Honor Society at Roosevelt High School, volunteers and helps his father in his construction work. Sanchez Beltran has been enrolled in international baccalaureate courses at Roosevelt and will graduate with

a 3.7 GPA. He will be the first in his family to attend college and is considering attending Loyola University or North Central College in Naperville, Ill. to study journalism. Sanchez Beltran wishes to, “serve as a role model for other young people who have to overcome difficult challenges.”

“It was really a remarkable thing to stand up there to be recognized with three other students whose stories were amazing,” said Sanchez Beltran of receiving the award. “I learned early on that only I could choose my future and I chose to make the most of my experiences in school.”

View the video produced by the Children’s Defense Fund on YouTube at http://www.youtube. com/user/ChildrensDefenseMN

Target to renovate three school libraries On Monday, Apr. 23, 2012, Target announced that it plans to impact 150 elementary schools through its 2012 Target School Library Makeover program.

Target will renovate libraries at 32 elementary

schools in partnership with The Heart of America and will revisit each of the 118 schools that previously received a Target School Library Makeover to provide additional reading resources for students and teachers.

This initiative represents an investment of more than $12 million and is part of Target’s plans to give $1 billion for education by the end of 2015.

In Minneapolis & St. Paul, three schools including Best Academy and Harvest Prep,

Marcy Open School, and the American Indian and World Cultures Middle School will receive a library makeover this year that will include 2,000 new books, furniture, carpet and shelves, and a complete technology upgrade including

new iPads.

“At Target, we understand that a quality education can empower and prepare children to become the leaders of tomorrow,” said Laysha Ward, president, community relations, Target. “Through

the Target School Library Makeover program and collaboration with partners, educators, parents and caring adults, Target hopes to pave a path to graduation for more U.S. children.”

insightnews.com

Insight News • April 30 - May 6, 2012 • Page 5

AESTHETICS

Getting Ziggy with it Interview

By Kam Williams kam@insightnews.com David Nesta “Ziggy” Marley was born in Trenchtown, Jamaica on October 17, 1968 to Bob and Rita Marley. A five-time Grammywinning musician, actor, artist, activist and humanitarian, Ziggy has enjoyed a prominent presence on the public stage for over a quarter-century.

At the age of 10, Ziggy first sat in on recording sessions with his father’s band, the legendary Bob Marley and the Wailers. Later,

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

he joined with his sisters Sharon and Cedella and brother Stephen to form Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers, which enabled him to craft his own soulful sound blending blues, R&B, hip-hop and roots reggae. The Melody Makers earned their first Grammy (Best Reggae Recording) for their third album Conscious Party (1988), produced by Talking Heads Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, which included the hit songs “Tomorrow People” and “Tumbling Down.”

Subsequent albums included the Grammy-winning One Bright Day (1989), Jamekya (1991), Joy and Blues (1993), Free Like We Want 2 B (1995), Grammywinning Fallen is Babylon (1997), Spirit of Music (1999) and Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers Live, Vol. 1 (2000), featuring some of their biggest hits, as well as a cover of Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved.” While selling millions of records and selling out numerous concerts, Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers never lost sight of their foundations in faith, fellowship and family.

Involved with a breadth of charities, Marley leads his own, URGE (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment), a nonprofit organization that benefits efforts in Jamaica, Ethiopia and other developing nations. The charity’s missions range from building new schools to operating health clinics to supporting

projects presuming to tell his story, but I thought it was time for one coming from his family, not from some third party claiming to be the authority on Bob Marley or reggae. The only thing that would be me more authentic than this would be Bob himself.

KW: It’s definitely a very rich and spiritual film which humanized him in ways I never expected.

ZM: Jah, mon, we want people to feel that human connection, that emotional connection, that real connection, and Kevin [director Kevin Macdonald] did a great job of achieving that.

Ziggy Marley charities like Mary’s Child, a center for abused and neglected girls.

The title of his latest album, Wild and Free, is a little ironic, given his time-consuming commitments to family, philanthropy, songwriting, producing, studio work and touring. Ziggy also continues to head Tuff Gong Worldwide in honor of his father’s own music label Tuff Gong Records, working on the re-launch of the official Bob Marley website and an exhibit at the Grammy Museum in L.A. Ziggy divides his residency among Florida, Jamaica and

California, and has his own website at: www.ziggymarley. com. Here, he talks about Marley, a new documentary about his father.

Kam Williams: Hi Ziggy, thanks for the interview.

Ziggy Marley: Thank you, Kam. KW: Do you remember Ras Karbi, who played with your dad in Jamaica before embarking on a solo career?

ZM: Jah, mon.

KW: Well, during my brief career as a musician back in the

Magnolia Pictures

Seventies, I got to play on an album with Ras after he moved to the States.

ZM: Nice, nice.

KW: I loved the movie Marley. It taught me so much I never knew about your father. Why did you decide to make it?

ZM: It came from a personal need for me, as Bob’s eldest son, to be a part of a film about my father.

There have been a lot of other

KW: Wesley Derbyshire asks: How do you think your father’s music has made a lasting effect on the world?

ZM: My father’s music gives hope to people and also inspires them to break the bonds of injustice and to be positive in life. I’ve seen that everywhere I go, especially in poor countries and poor neighborhoods. Even in speaking to actual freedom fighters from South Africa to Ethiopia, they always told me how influential the music was in

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Page 6 • April 30 - May 6, 2012 • Insight News

insightnews.com

HEALTH Robbins Wellness Center expands practice, vision

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer People may come to chiropractor, Dr. Juneau Robbins for treatment of an ailing back, but many leave with more than just an adjustment.

“True health is not just physical, it’s emotional; it’s spiritual,” said Robbins, who’s been practicing chiropractic medicine in North Minneapolis for nearly 15 years. “Anika, (his wife Anika Robbins) and I have been talking for years about providing a holistic onestop-shop for wellness.”

So, when the real estate office formerly housed in the same building as his Cultural Chiropractic, 2524 39th Ave. N./3900 Thomas Ave. N., closed, the couple decided to take over the space and launch the Robbins Wellness Center. The center offers yoga,

massages, Zumba (a Brazilian fitness dance), a youth spa, healthy cooking classes and forums on health issues such as breast cancer awareness and STD prevention and awareness.

“The overall goal is to engage the community in healthy living and get a conversation going on about what is a healthy lifestyle,” said Anika Robbins, who owns Anika International, a parent company for her skincare and personal styling businesses.

And though Anika Robbins’ husband and business partner is a doctor, Anika Robbins said they do not want the center to feel like a typical doctor’s office.

“We don’t want it to feel so clinical, but a client will still receive the clinical aspect to health and healing,” said Anika Robbins.

The idea that Cultural Chiropractic and the Robbins Wellness Center are not

Harry Colbert, Jr.

Dr. Juneau (above) and his wife Anika Robbins outside Dr. Robbins’ chiropractic office, Cultural Chiropractic. Cultural Chiropractic is connected to the adjoining, recently opened Robbins Wellness Center. “typical” doctor’s digs is evidenced by the smells of incense emanating from the waiting room and the sounds of smooth jazz, neosoul or sometimes gospel spilling out of the office speakers. The wellness center features a large open area for activities such as yoga and Zumba and a small store selling certain herbs, spices, oils, skincare products, garments and Dr. Robbins’ book, “121 Tips on Raising a Child of Color,” which was coauthored by his father, Larry Robbins.

The Robbins’ said having

Anika Robbins (left) and Dr. Juneau Robbins show off their market inside the Robbins Wellness Center at 3900 Thomas Ave. N.

a wellness center in North Minneapolis was of great importance to them.

“North Minneapolis is where we live, it’s who’s supported us the most and we want to be here for the community indefinitely,” said Dr. Robbins.

For more information of the Robbins Wellness Center, visit www.robbinswellness.com or call (612) 522-9536.

State gets $73 million in health care cost savings

Lucinda Jesson Healthcare workers serving persons who receive assistance from Minnesota Medical Assistance and Minnesota Care programs applaud the return of $73 million in health care cost

savings to the state by major health plans. The return is thanks to the 1% cap on profits agreed to last year between Commissioner of Human Services Lucinda Jesson, HealthPartners, Medica, UCare, and BlueCross BlueShield.

When combined with the additional one-time return of funds last year by UCARE, over $100 million in HMO profits have already been returned to the state since Governor Dayton took office.

This unprecedented return of taxpayer dollars is the latest in a series of reforms to Minnesota’s health care system, focused on providing better taxpayer value at a better price. It’s also an example of the increased accountability

healthcare workers say they have been demanding . SEIU members in healthcare and other industries participated in months of protests in 2011 calling for greater accountability from HMOs. “Minnesotans sent a loud and clear message that our tax dollars should be spent on care, not on padding the HMOs’ bottom line,” said Julie Schnell, president of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and the SEIU Minnesota State Council. “We applaud Governor Mark Dayton and Department of Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson for their resolute action to increase transparency and accountability in our state health programs; today, we see the early results of those efforts.” added Schnell.

Governor Dayton and Commissioner Jesson negotiated a 1% cap on health plan profits for 2011, and began a move towards competitive bidding for health plan contracts in 2012 and beyond.

“As we continue our efforts to hold HMOs accountable for their impact on state programs, we look forward to our continued work with Governor Dayton to reform our state health care system to ensure every Minnesotan has access to quality, affordable care,” said Schnell.

Tyner From 1 and Leadership, and Doctorate in Leadership. Dr. Tyner’s dissertation is entitled Planting People, Growing Justice: The Role of the New Social Justice Lawyer. (It is a case study of lawyers as leaders.) The findings of this study will inform the development and adoption of leadership curricula in law schools and the creation of a learning community for new social justice lawyers. Further, Tyner’s scholarly interests include developing educational pedagogy for teaching social justice lawyering, aiding law students in cultivating their leadership capabilities, exploring contemporary civil rights issues, and implementing alternative dispute resolution techniques (restorative justice, mediation).

For the full text, please visit: http://www.americanbar.org/ publications/gpsolo_ereport/2012/ april_2012/committee_highlight_ member_spotlight.html

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Insight News • April 30 - May 6, 2012 • Page 7

Prior arrests reduce job chances

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer With the several years downturn in the economy, finding a job has become a daunting task for many Americans.

And with the applicant pool so saturated, many prospective employers are taking unprecedented steps to whittle down the applications.

Increasingly, employers are conducting criminal background checks on job seekers. And though a person may have a clean conviction record, arrest can and do show up on many background checks, even if the

Marley From 5 their struggles.

KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: What is the most significant life lesson you learned from your father?

ZM: Everything I’ve taken away from my father has been significant. So, I can’t say that any one lesson is the most significant.

By being around him, I learned that there is a purpose in life, and that if we are inspired to help people, we should do it. And that there is a spiritual side to life as well as to music, and that we are here for a bigger purpose than just ourselves. Those are some very significant ideas of my father’s that I have carried with me all my life and still cherish to this day.

KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles asks: What was it like growing up as the son of such a famous icon?

ZM: I’d divide it into two periods.

Bob wasn’t as big an icon as he later became after he died. When he was alive, he just acted like what he was, a musician that people loved. He never behaved in any superficial or iconic way. He was just being himself.

There wasn’t anything special

Schools From 4

arrest did not result in a conviction or even being charged with a crime. And while Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from using methods that disproportionately affect a protected class, such as African Americans, these criminal background checks can do just that.

Ashley Oliver a law student at the University of St. Thomas said African Americans in Minneapolis are 15 times more likely to be arrested or cited than their white counterparts.

“For far too long we’ve acquiesced to the problem of African Americans being placed early on into the criminal justice

system,” said Oliver who, along with Roger Maldonado and Leah Yamada hosted a symposium on criminal records and the collateral consequences they have on the African American community.

“No longer can we accept and acquiesce.”

While the unemployment rate in the Twin Cities is 6.6 percent for whites, Oliver says that rate is 20.4 percent for African Americans in the metro.

Oliver pointed to a recent $3.3 million-dollar payout by the Pepsi Beverage Co. as evidence that employers are using arrest records to discriminate against African Americans. Though Pepsi denied any discrimination, it agreed to

pay approximately 300 African American applicants who were denied employment based upon prior arrest; even if there was no conviction. Pepsi also agreed to offer the once-denied applicants employment.

Many of the background checks are provided by online data miners and have little or no accountability or regulation according to the trio.

“In Minneapolis, African American youths are five times more likely to be arrested than whites yet white youths are 60 percent more likely to be arrested for series offences such as assault, rape, robbery and murder,” said Yamada “Most of the African

American youth arrests were for smaller violations such as curfew violations, loitering, etc.”

And while it is assumed that juvenile records have no impact on people as adults, the records can stay with a person until 28-years of age according to Yamada.

A person with an arrest can appeal for an expungement, a legal process that removes a conviction from public records, but that process is limited, sometimes costly and time consuming. Those wishing to file for expungement must file in the county (or state) where charged. However, Oliver said individuals still on probation or parole, with pending cases, or who owe fines or restitution

are unlikely to be granted an expungement. Expungements are also limited in scope due to the severity of the crime for which a person has been convicted.

The presenters of the forum called for an end to aggressive policing against people of color to combat the criminal records disparity. They also suggested for people who have been arrested to run their own background checks to see what may be out there and verify that the information is accurate.

“Even if your record has been expunged, these internet data sites still may have a negative arrest record on you. They’re not always 100-percent accurate,” said Oliver.

or different about our lives. In Jamaica, everybody’s the same.

The second period began after he passed away, when his iconic stature grew and everywhere we went people would show us a lot of love as Bob Marley’s kids. That was very positive for us.

something that we’re focusing on right now. When we are ready, it will have to be a magnificent piece of work.

\KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?

ZM: I can’t think of one off the top of my head right now.

mirror, what do you see?

ZM: I don’t know what I see…

[Pauses to reflect] I see a body. I see a body.

KW: The Melissa Harris-Perry question: How did your first big heartbreak impact who you are as a person?

ZM: It makes you stronger. Yeah, it makes you stronger.

KW: Marcia Evans asks: How long did you live in Trenchtown?

ZM: I was born in Trenchtown and spent my early years there as a toddler. When my dad made more money, we moved out of the ghetto to a better neighborhood with better schools. Eventually, he purchased the home on Hope Road from [Island Records producer] Chris Blackwell, which also became his headquarters.

KW: Film student Jamaal Green says: First and foremost, I would like to say love and respect to you and your family for providing the world with generations of great music and good vibes. With the debut of the documentary Marley, is there a possibility of someday making a dramatic film about the life of the “Honor Rebel” Bob Marley? If so I would love to apply for the job.

ZM: [LOL] Jamaal, you just might be able to direct it. It’s going to take a few years to get there, so you might be perfect, if you’re available at that time. But it’s not

can and must do as school leaders to turn around and accelerate student achievement in our lower performing schools.

KW: Editor/legist Patricia Turnier asks: Who would you like to portray your father, if you make a movie about him?

ZM: That’s an issue. We don’t know.

KW: How about you?

ZM: I wouldn’t play him, but we haven’t looked that deeply into it yet.

KW: Patricia, who is HaitianCanadian, was also wondering whether the movie Marley will be available subtitled in French, her native language.

ZM: I hope that the distributors will make the movie available in whatever subtitles are needed in different areas.

KW: Patricia’s has a couple more questions: Do you enjoy listening to your own CDs? ZM: Umm… not really.

KW: And, what message do you think people will take away from?

ZM: I don’t think there’s a specific message. I want people to feel an emotional connection to Bob, a human connection as a friend, as family.

We must galvanize teachers, parents, staff, students and the community behind a vision of

KW: Your dad gave you the nickname, Ziggy, meaning Marijuana. And you are an advocate for the legalization of pot. Why is that, because you consider it a sacred herb or a recreational drug?

ZM: My interest in it is actually a much wider spectrum than merely smoking Marijuana. It’s all about the use of hemp for clothing, for building materials, and as a bio fuel, as an environmental alternative in the industrial sense.

Plus, the seeds have nutritional value. That’s what I’m interested in bringing to light, because everybody just talks about the smoking, the smoking, the smoking. I’m trying to get across to people that if we in this world are serious about the Green Revolution and saving the planet, then this plant has to be a part of the discussion, because it is the most suitable natural resource with thousands of beneficial uses.

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

ZM: Right now, just oatmeal.

KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?

ZM: Peace in the world.

KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?

ZM: Playing on the streets of Trenchtown.

KW: The Kerry Washington question: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

ZM: A snake.

KW: Bernadette also asks: What is your favorite charity?

ZM: I’m into anything that really helps children.

KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?

ZM: Successful people…

[Ponders the question] That’s kind of a trick question, because it depends on how one defines success? Success means different things to different people. To me, the greatest quality of successful human beings is the ability to love.

KW: Dante Lee, author of “Black Business Secrets,” asks: What was the best business decision you ever made, and what was the worst?

ZM: My best business decision was to be independent as a musician and artist. My worst was compromising on certain aspects of a deal for the sake of other members of my group when I shouldn’t have, because I was right in the end.

KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?

ZM: To tell you the truth, I don’t know. I don’t think about it.

[Laughs] KW: Thanks again for the time, Ziggy, and best of luck with the film and the concert tour.

ZM: Thank you, brother.

To see a trailer for Marley, visit: h t t p : / / w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=XP12LSwhkKc

KW: When you look in the

success.

We must break the mold of one-size, one-style fits all. We

must organize our instruction and staffing to meet student needs.

We must learn from other school districts like New Haven, among others, that have successful negotiated contracts that support aggressive academic reform and student achievement.

We must have the collective courage to abandon failed ways and move in a new direction, implementing research-based approaches to teaching and organization behind a creative and innovative plan for school improvement.

We are creating that vision, plan and attitude. Many teachers share our common view that students in difficult circumstances require different solutions. The achievement gap is very real and it will take real collaboration and conviction to close it. Business as usual is unacceptable because we will lose another generation of students if we fail to act decisively, driven by a healthy sense of urgency.

Reaching this agreement with MFT is not the end of a process; rather, it is the beginning of a continuing dialogue about how best to realign resources and reexamine restrictions that delay

real change and improvement.

We cannot allow anything to cloud our vision of what really matters. I challenge all who want radical change in our schools to continue being engaged in the process. None of us who truly believe in doing what is best for our children can afford to rest until we achieve better results.

Everyone must have a sense of urgency. We must all hold each other accountable in setting higher standards for ourselves, our schools and our communities.

People should not be complacent.

I want all of our stakeholders to expect more. I know that I do.

In a few short months, I look forward to seeing the next labor agreement that will move us even further down the difficult road to true reform in our schools.

I have confidence that we will continue to improve working conditions for teachers while getting great results for all of our students. The approval of this new contract continues to move the school district in the right direction. In the end, we all should be committed to what is best for our more than 33,000 students.

Page 8 • April 30 - May 6, 2012 • Insight News

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LIFESTYLE Comcast volunteers landscape foreclosed and tornado-damaged properties A team of 40 volunteers on Sat., Apr. 21, landscaped three properties in North Minneapolis that were first foreclosed and then damaged by last year’s tornado.

Comcast employees Wendie Graczyk and Britt Peterson led the mission to beautify the properties.

“My mom was raised in the neighborhood and we have friends there,” said Peterson. “It was easy for me to volunteer to be a co-leader for this Comcast work team.”

Comcast-supported work was actually started a couple of weeks in advance when The media company paid to have tree stumps removed from the yards of the vacant homes.

Comcast volunteers completed landscape designs provided by Hennepin County Master Gardeners.

Master Gardener Meleah Maynard worked along with the volunteers to interpret the design plans. Comcast paid for flowers, shrubs, and mulch.

The three sites, 3546 N. Fremont Ave., 1310 Lowry Ave. N, and 3627 Penn Ave N., are multiplex properties for rent.

The four-plex on N. Fremont was the most heavily damaged by the tornado. It lost its roof.

All three were refurbished by the nonprofit Project for Pride in Living using Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds administered by the Department

Zimmerman From 1 Who or What is Hispanic?

Hispanic first came into usage in the 1970s census, and was an attempt by the U.S. government to account for the increasing population of Spanishspeaking immigrants. In applying the term, the U.S. government simply homogenized all Spanishspeaking people (native-born and immigrants) into one monolithic group. According to the description

Two young volunteers lead the charge to help beautify the surroundings at Project for Pride in Living in North Minneapolis as a part of Comcast Cares Day.

Comcast

of Housing and Urban Development and appropriated locally by the State of Minnesota

and City of Minneapolis.

Comcast Cares Day is the company’s national day of

service. It has become one of the largest single-day corporate volunteer efforts in the country

with more than 62,000 Comcast employees volunteering at 620 nonprofit sites to improve

the communities they serve throughout the nation.

taken from the U.S. census website, Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity and not a racial category. Thus, the term attempts to reference cultural (primarily language) similarities, rather than supposedly biological similarities. This is how the U.S. Census website describes it: “Persons of Hispanic origin were identified by a question that asked for self-identification of the person’s origin or descent.

Respondents were asked to select their origin (and the origin of other household members) from a “flash card” listing ethnic origins. Persons of Hispanic origin, in particular, were those who indicated that their

origin was Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or some other Hispanic origin. It should be noted that persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.”

However one defines the term, its usage and application to such a diverse group of peoples, cultures, and countries is wrong and misleading. Are Brazilians, who speak Portuguese, included in Hispanic? What should they mark on the census? Outside of the island of Hispaniola, where the country of Haiti resides on one side and the Dominican Republic on the other, there is no Hispanic culture, ethnicity, language, or people. And while there are commonalities in the Latin-based lingua franca of Spanish that is the national language of countries in Central and South America, if you have ever had any conversations in Spanish with a Cuban, Puerto Rican, or a Dominican, you will realize immediately that the Castilian Spanish you learned in high school Spanish classes, based on how people speak in Spain, may be of little value to you. The main difference is accent, although there

are some differences of vocabulary and grammar usage.

What the term Hispanic also disguises is the reality that in most of the countries of Central and South America, the majority population is comprised of indigenous people who speak their own languages and dialects that bear no relationship to Spanish. A few learn Spanish, which creates some access to employment and education, but for the most part, they are isolated in rural villages with few resources. In countries such as Guatemala, they have been the victims of ethnocide (a systematic attempt by government to eliminate Maya peoples and cultures). And along the coast of many of these Spanish-speaking countries, where slave ships often harbored or were ship wrecked, you will find the ancestors of Africans.

In the Spanish-speaking Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic), the indigenous people were mostly annihilated (killed by violence or disease) but their cultural and genetic DNA runs through these island populations as does the

cultural and genetic DNA of enslaved Africans. Fidel Castro has been criticized for his 1966 post-Revolution pronouncement in Cuba that, “The blood of Africa runs deep in our veins,” mainly because structural discrimination that seemingly excludes Blacks from positions of power and influence in the government, based on our methodology of counting the number of Black people, continues to persist. But if you listen to people like Cuban poet, Nancy Morejón who is of African, Chinese, and European ancestry, her writings suggests that as a Black woman, her life would have been radically different without the Cuban Revolution, and Castro’s efforts to eliminate racial discrimination. According to the Wikipedia author, in her writings, Nancy Morejón “…

often expresses an integrationist, unifying stance, in which Spanish and African cultures fuse to make a new, Cuban identity. Much of her work—and the fact that she has been successful within the Cuban regime—locates her as a supporter of Cuban nationalism and the Cuban Revolution.”

La Lucha de Afrodescendientes/the struggle of African descended people To homogenize Spanishspeaking countries with their diverse histories, cultural practices, and mixture of people (whose origins can derive from any variety of Spanish and Indian; Spanish, Indian, and African; Indian and African; and African) is a misrepresentation of the

ZIMMERMAN 11 TURN TO

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Insight News • April 30 - May 6, 2012 • Page 9

COMMENTARY America’s wars on American people Nobody Asked Me

By Fred Easter Nobody asked me, which is probably a good thing, because I’m forgetting things these days. For example, there was a Protestant Bishop in Germany around the time Hitler was making many Germans and not a few Europeans -

miserable. I can’t remember the full quote accurately, but here’s my best shot: “When they came for the Jews, I was not a Jew, so I did nothing. When they came for the Communists, I was not a Communist, so I did nothing.

When they came for the Catholics, I was not Catholic, so I did nothing. When they came for me, there was no one left to do anything.”

I’m trying to remember this because I think there’s an important lesson there for us today.

For the past 30 years or so, there has been a “war on

drugs.” The only palpable result has been the incarceration of many hundreds of thousands of young Black men and women and has become financially, emotionally and psychologically devastating to their children and families.

Drugs still abound. New ones have even been invented since the “war” began. So, who’s winning and what is that war really about?

Since 9/11 there has been a “war on terror.” That seemed like a good idea at the time.

In retrospect though, the 9/11 attacks seem more like a message/statement than the

first battle in a war. I wonder to whom the message was directed and why. None of the planes seemed to be headed for “Main Street”. I have to wonder how Republicans want government to be big enough to fight multiple wars around the world but not so big as to provide Social Security and Medicare for the elderly and working poor who live on Main Street. Some of my radical friends think Pres. George W. Bush’s CIA knew about Osama Bin Laden’s 9/11 plans and simply blamed Iraqi ruler, Saddam Hussein so it could settle an old score. Could the

so called war on terror just be a nom de guerre (a fictitious name) for some other goal?

Sadly, Americans are being coached to be suspicious of Muslims, Moslems and, now, even a Mormon. I say sadly because the Pilgrims came here seeking freedom from religious persecution.

In the last two years, we have seen a “war on unions”, and more recently, a “war on women.”

The war on women seems designed to keep women pregnant in summer. I fully expect that plans are being made somewhere that will keep

women barefoot in winter, as well. This, together with Right to Work (for less) laws being pushed across the country, seem designed to make peons out of the residents of Main Street. The population of the “underdeveloped world” will be little more than beasts of burden in high-tech sweatshops.

So, let us review. There seems to be a war on AfricanAmericans, non-JudeoChristian religious groups, unions and now women.

I have forgotten again, who was the poet who said, “Send not to ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”

The Howard Theatre: “The People’s Place”

By William Reed During the segregation era when Washington, D.C.’s U Street corridor was known as “Black Broadway,” the Howard Theatre was its crown jewel.

After a $29 million renovation, the 101-year-old “People’s Theatre” is starting to lift its show curtains once again.

Hopes are high among Black entertainers and entrepreneurs as the historic Howard reopens with a rebuilt stage, a state-of-the-art sound system, walnut paneling, oak floors and new seating. The reopening of the theater harkens back to a time when Blacks were big in the entertainment business. At its 1910 opening the Howard Theatre was billed as “the largest Colored theater in the world.” It was the first major theater built to feature Black

entertainers performing for a predominantly Black audience.

This time around, the Howard Theatre, an elegant edifice at 7th and T Streets in northwest Washington D.C. combines elements of Beaux Arts, Italian Renaissance and neo-classical design to its stature as a landmark of the historically Black LeDroit Park neighborhood.

The Howard Theatre appeared on the entertainment scene before Harlem’s Apollo.

Both venues came out of the “Chitlin’ Circuit” tradition, the string of performance venues that existed throughout the eastern and southern United States from the early 19th century through the 1960s. The name is a play on the collaboration that existed between Blacks and Jews and the term “Borscht belt” which referred to a group of venues

Harry Colbert, Jr.

Professor Mahmoud El-Kati accepts his award from The St. Paul Foundation for his works to end racism in Minnesota.

Award From 1 Action Alliance to foster inclusion initiatives in his community. As award recipients the two were given $10,000 grants in their name to be issued to the charity of

Capri From 1 1967), has been a community gathering spot over the years.

At one point the Capri was one of 12 north side theaters.

Today, the Capri is the only theater remaining.

The Capri has played a role in the career of several acclaimed artists including, in January 1979, Prince played three shows at the Capri helping to launch his career.

Since the 1980s, the theater has been owned and operated

by Plymouth Christian Youth Center (PCYC). PCYC is an arts and technology high school that offers program and workshop in web design, theater, acting, music and video production.

2007 was the beginning of the “Capri Renaissance” that Mayor Rybek cited in the 2012 State of the City address.

With strong support from the community and Mayor Rybek, the PCYC Board decided it was time to realize a better future for the Capri and “bring up the lights on Broadway,” by starting a campaign to

their individual choosing.

When it comes to ending racism, El-Kati said, “What is done by humankind can be undone by humankind. We call on you young people to be responsible, be useful, be compassionate.”

The 75-year-old El-Kati told the crowd that the idea of racism is rooted in the belief of white

renovate the Capri Theater.

The $700,000 renovation was completed in 2009.

Currently, the PCYC is considering phase two of the Capri Renaissance.

The plans are not finalized but the PCYC is looking at adding additional amenities to the space and expanding the theater’s street presence.

According to the PCYC it is dedicated to the revitalization of the W. Broadway corridor.

Karl Reichart, the director of the Capri Theater, said art and music education has a strong positive correlation with student’s academic achievement.

There are currently several ways for everyone including youth, theater and music enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and community members to get involved in the Capri’s exciting programming: #1: Freedom of XpressionPerform or take in talent at the Capri Theater’s open mic night, the first Monday of every month 7-9 pm, doors open at 5:30 pm. #2: Attend a ShowLegends Jazz Series, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and youth produced works are some of the many excellent

[primarily in New York’s Catskill Mountains] popular with Jewish performers during the 1940s-60s. Back in the day, the Howard Theatre represented a center of Black commerce and a thoroughfare of locally owned businesses. In city after city these thoroughfares included Black enterprises such as banks, pawnshops, hotels, funeral homes, fancy shops and upscale eateries.

Noted theaters on the Chitlin’ Circuit included the Royal Peacock in Atlanta; Carver Theatre in Birmingham, Ala.; the legendary Cotton Club, Small’s Paradise and the Apollo Theater in New York City; the Regal Theatre in Chicago; the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C.; the Uptown Theatre in Philadelphia; the Royal Theatre in Baltimore; the Fox Theatre in Detroit; the Hippodrome

Theatre in Richmond, Va. and the Ritz Theatre in Jacksonville, Fla. The theaters featured vaudeville, musicals and local variety and church programs. A network of business operators and operations flourished along the Chitlin’ Circuit. These businesses often included entertainment and illicit enterprises run by individuals involved in “the numbers” (illegal lottery businesses), bootleg liquor and money laundering. The Chitlin’ Circuit fostered the development of hundreds of Black businesses and artists who included T-Bone Walker, Ike Turner, Little Richard, James Brown and others.

The Howard Theatre is currently owned by the District of Columbia. Howard Theatre Restoration, Inc. (HTR), a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization,

leads a collaborative effort with the D.C. government to oversee the Howard Theatre’s business and cultural development. The venture is being managed by the Ellis Development Group.

Officials from U.S. Bank, Howard Theatre Restoration, Inc., and the Ellis Development Group said more that $10 million in financing was provided through a U.S. Bank community development subsidiary. U.S. Bank Vice President Laura Vowell said that financial support, “helped ensure that a building which played a significant role in Washington D.C.’s past will do so again in the future.” Other underwriters include Eagle Bank, Howard University and the National Park Service.

The Blue Note Entertainment Group signed a 20-year lease to operate the theater. The company

also operates the Blue Note jazz club in New York’s Greenwich Village, the B.B. King Blues Club in Times Square and the Highline Ballroom. The group books venues up and down the East Coast and manages District landmarks that include Georgia Brown’s restaurant.

“I’m excited to be associated with restoration of the legendary Howard Theatre,” said Steven Bensusan, president of Blue Note Entertainment Group.

“It’s an honor to be a part of this project and to help preserve the rich tradition of the Howard [Theatre], while bringing forth a modern concept in both design and programming.”

supremacy. “White is not a color,” said El-Kati. “It’s a state of mind – it’s even a moral choice.”

Pederson, brief in his remarks thanked the foundation for his award and thanked the people of Alexandria for supporting efforts to embrace diversity. Pederson is also a founding member of the Alexandria Cultural Inclusiveness Committee.

The event was keynoted by Dr. Anton Treuer, a professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University. Treuer, an advocate for Native rights in America said minorities have a common struggle and should lean on one another for support.

“The use of Native Americans as mascots for sports teams is a practice that’s got to go,” said Treuer. “And a majority of athletes are Black and I’m waiting for them to stand up on this issue.

People of any and every race can become blind to racism.”

Treuer pointed to the unemployment rates of minorities to highlight the fact that racism still exist. According to Treuer, nearly 50 percent of Native Americans were unemployed prior to states allowing Native American owned casinos to operate. He said that unemployment number, though down dramatically, is still near 20 percent.

The St. Paul Foundation also paid tribute to Elizabeth Campbell

for her works to create job opportunities for minority-owned contractors, Attorney Taneeza Islam for her works to defend the

rights of Muslim immigrants and T. Gregory Stavrou, executive director of the Rochester Civic Theatre. Each was honored with

a $1,000 grant to be given in the individual’s name to the charity of his or her choice.

opportunities to see talent at the Capri. #3 Host an event at the Capri – The Capri is available for rent for performing arts and community gatherings.

The Capri is a first class yet affordable 250-seat venue with LED theatrical lighting grid, enhanced sound system. #4 High School Theater!

The Capri Theater, in partnership with the Children’s Theater Company is offering free afterschool & summer programming open to all high school students. The program includes youth internships at the both the Capri & Children’s theater, professional instruction, and field trips.

Space is still available for students to be involved. #5 FLOW Northside Arts Crawl- The Capri Theater is a popular site on the annual Northside art Crawl FLOW. FLOW 2012 will take place on Saturday July, 28th 2-8 pm.

Visit flownorthside.org for more information on the event.

For more information on the Capri Theater visit its website at www.thecapritheater.org.

For more information on PCYC visit its website at www. pcyc-mpls.org.

William Reed is head of the Business Exchange Network and available for speaking/seminar projects via the Bailey Group.org

Page 10 • April 30 - May 6, 2012 • Insight News

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A woman’s perspective: Is he husband material?

Man Talk

By Timothy Houston At the beginning of this year, I wrote an article, “Is he husband material?” It listed five essential ingredients as seen from a man’s perspective.

My ingredients for husband material were responsibility, accountability, positive attitude about marriage, desire to be married, and a willingness to share his life. This week, I asked my daughter, Nicole, to share her top five items from a woman’s perspective.

These items will supplement my previous list and provide balance to the all important relationship discussion.

Here are Nicole’s five items that make up good husband material.

A good husband must make a woman feel safe. The most important thing that a husband can provide to a wife is a sense of security. Does he

Delmiro From 1 Delmiro, quien ha mostrado a lo largo del tiempo una “afición” por destacar la variable etnia negra en sus caricaturas, generalmente de forma negativa (ladrones, animales, “espíritus malignos”, etc.) en esta ocasión le pareció más apropiado personificar al comunicador social Ricardo Jaramillo como

make his woman feel safe?

When a man and woman are together, does the woman feel as if she is protected physically and emotionally? I remember when I was a little girl and my dad would be gone all night because he had duty as a Marine. Those were extra scary nights because our house felt unprotected. As soon as he walked through the door the next morning and yelled, “I’m home” it was as if an invisible barrier went up and our house was then safe. And all women want to feel like their husbands will take care of them.

A good husband shouldn’t overvalue sex.

Women and men value sex much differently. When men get married, they automatically think that the sex is going to become mediocre, decreased, or denied all together. Sex is something special, it is a joining of two people physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

If it is the most important thing to him, then everything else (trust, communication, understanding) will take a passenger seat. There are three inevitable facts about sex. First, sex will only take you so far in a relationship; your character,

parte de la comunidad rastafari, plenamente conciente de los prejuicios que existen en la sociedad panameña, en términos generales, con respecto a los rastas, prejuicios que desde luego debemos ir erradicando.

Para el caricaturista no habría bastado representar a Ricardo Jaramillo como lo que es: Un comunicador social, afropanameño, quien vestía traje y corbata durante la citada rueda de prensa, al igual que el Presidente de la

morals, and adaptability will take you much farther. Second, sex is something that can be improved with openness and patience. And third, there is always going to be someone else willing and able to outdo what you do best. So be very sure that his value of sex is not the ultimate factor of him giving you the marriage stamp of approval.

A good husband must respect his wife. Although everyone wants to be respected, it is a must that a husband respects his wife. Women

have the tendency to be with men who substitute respect for compliments. Just because a man tells a woman that she is smart or independent does not mean that those are qualities that the man likes about a woman. A man who does not value what a woman has to offer will ultimately turn her into something less than the authentic woman she is truly. If he doesn’t respect a woman as a girlfriend, it will not change once the ring goes on the finger. As husband material, he needs to value her presence,

opinions, contributions, and feelings.

A good husband must be like-minded. A lot of relationships fail because the people are on two different paths through life. Husband and wife should be liked-minded in how they envision their future.

Biblically speaking, a person should be with someone who is equally yoked. Even though opposites attract, opposite paths will only lead in one direction, further way from each other. There should never be a need for a man to cross over someone else’s dreams to achieve his own.

A good husband must be ready. Women love to hint, prod, and practically force men into popping the question. Some have dreamed and planned every aspect of how those sacred moments will happen. Men, however, do things when they feel they are right and in their own time.

Men are like cakes. Read most directions on baking a cake, they read, “Insert a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean, your cake is ready.” If one takes the cake out too soon, there will be visible flaws like the cake is sunken and uneven

República y varios miembros de su Gabinete . Para Delmiro, también miembro del equipo de producción del programa “La Cáscara” (TVN Canal 2), había que mostrar a ese periodista como diferente, en este caso, rasta, repito, con toda la injusta carga negativa que tiene esa figura en la sociedad panameña. En eso no hay ninguna inocencia, sino otra de sus acostumbradas travesuras racistas.

Delmiro racist antics Again, the cartoonist Delmiro (El Siglo / Panama), this time in the Saturday edition of April 21, creates caricature as a Rastafarian of the Afropanamanian social communicator journalist Ricardo Jaramillo, who was at the forefront of a botched press conference that featured President Ricardo Martinelli.

Delmiro has over time made a “hobby” of highlighting the variable Black

race in his cartoons, usually in a negative way (thieves, animals, “evil spirits”, etc.).

This time he personifies the social communicator as part of the Rastafarian community, fully aware of the prejudices that exist in Panamanian society, in general terms about the Rastas, prejudices that must be eradicated.

For the cartoonist, it would not have sufficed to represent Ricardo Jaramillo for who he is: A social communicator,

PhotoXpress

or internal indicators like the cake is gooey and inedible. If a woman tries to make a man marry her before he is ready, the results will not be as good as they could have been if she had waited until the man was also ready.

There is no complete list for what is husband material. The ingredients will vary between men and women and from relationship to relationship.

As we continue down this discussion about what goes into a healthy relationship, meaningful communication will be the key ingredient.

The voice of both the man and the woman must be heard. As I continue in dialogue about this all important topic of relationships, I will continue to insert a woman’s perspective into the discussion.

Afropanamanian, who wore a suit and tie during that press conference, as did the President and several members of his cabinet. That Delmiro, also a member of the production team of “The Shell” (TVN Channel 2), had to show the journalist as different, in this case, rasta, I repeat, with all the negative connotations is unfair. This is not an innocent incident, but another of his usual racist antics.

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

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

insightnews.com

Insight News • April 30 - May 6, 2012 • Page 11

Zimmerman From 8 social reality and is confusing and misleading.

In Central and South America, and in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, Afrodescendientes (African-descended people) have long histories of struggle against inequality; in others, people of African ancestry have embraced the concepts of Mestizaje (mixture) and racial democracy in which a plethora of terms to describe difference have come into existence— moreno, mulatto, pardo, indio claro or indio oscuro, etc. Such terms do little more, according to anthropologist Dr. France Winddance Twine in her classic 1998 book Racism in a Racial Democracy: The Maintenance of White Supremacy in Brazil, than mask a harsh systems of racialization.

The evidence of such harshness can be found in the everyday experiences of people from in these countries who are visibly Black or whose ancestry reveals them to have African origins. With minor exceptions, which have occurred primarily because of the internal struggles and activism on the part of AfroLatinos, their experiences as Afrodescendientes are frequently and systematically characterized by economic, political, legal and social discrimination and disenfranchisement. There are sayings such as “money whitens” that imply wealth can act as a buffer or become a gateway to opportunities, but there is no guarantee if your skin is Black that you won’t be stopped, harassed, and humiliated.

As African Americans in the United States, we sometimes forget that our experiences of oppression are not the center of the universe, and that populations of Black people exist in other countries where they have their

Seminole County Sheriff’s Office

George Zimmerman own long histories of racialized oppression and of struggling against it. Governments of these Spanish-speaking countries have escaped the kinds of legal and political confrontations that are a part of U.S. Civil Rights and Black Nationalist history is by not keeping racial data as part of the census. This makes empirical documentation of discrimination against Afrodescendientes extremely challenging. The state’s argument has been that they don’t want to “target” those who have the mark of Blackness upon their skin. Nonetheless, our Afrodescendientes counterparts are building upon their histories of resistance (la lucha continua) to make increased demands for equal rights as citizens, access to fair employment and political representation, and the elimination of social practices that exclude them from public spaces and other opportunities.

As Black and white nativeborn people of the United States, we too often have viewed Latin

America through a white lens.

Some of this is the result of media magic: the public faces we see that represent “Hispanic” or Spanish-speaking people are all most frequently more white than Black or brown. As a result of these (mis)representations, we come to believe that only whiteskinned people live in Argentina, Columbia, Peru, etc. But a history of la esclavitud (slavery) and Blackness runs through the social (and phenotype) veins of Portuguese-speaking Brazil and Spanish-speaking countries, like Argentina, Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Spain, to name a few often portrayed as “white” or “mestizo.”

A Day in the Life of a Black Peruana Woman Perhaps no one understands how racism is a barrier to Blacks in Peru better than Monica Carrillo Zegerra, an AfroPeruvian, who also goes by the artistic stage name of Oru (www.oruperu.com). Listening to her daily experiences of

living as a Black woman in Peru, poignantly captured in the MTV global series “Element,” (http://www.element-tv.net/ news/2007/04/episode-4/), Monica’s life appears profoundly different from that of George Zimmerman’s mother, who has remained outside the limelight, but who is presumed to be a nonBlack Peruvian.

Monica Carrillo Zegerra founded the organization LUNDU: Centro de Estudios y Promoción de Afroperuanos (Center for the Study and Promotion of Afroperuvians) (http://lundu.org.pe/) when she was just 26 years old. Now in her thirty’s, Zegerra has spent her life as a political advocate and social force in Peru’s public arena and internationally speaking out against racism in Peru and globally.

A performance artist, “Oru”, uses traditional slave instruments alongside hip-hop rhythms, Zegerra the social activist launched a campaign in 2011 to remove from television a character entitled “Mama Negro,” which stereotyped Black Peruanos – think Amos and Andy meets the minstrel tradition in drag! While Zegerra and LUNDU were successful in their efforts, Zegerra was personally attacked via media like Facebook and Twitter by non-Black Peruvians who felt she was making a big issue out of nothing.

Despite the (mis) representation of Hispanics in the media (mainstream and Spanish-speaking) as primarily white or light skinned, in truth, the majority of the people living in these countries are indigenous and of Indian descent. In Peru, Amerindians are 45%, the next group, known as mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) are 37% but make up the bulk of the wealthy and middle class.

Whites are 15% of the Peru’s population, and the remaining 3% are described as Japanese,

Chinese and Black.

Zegerra might argue that the latter numbers for Blacks are suspect, since, as noted previously, many Spanishspeaking countries have official policies that promote “color blindness” when it comes to collecting census data. Despite a void in data, any observational or other type of analysis of the living and working conditions of Blacks in these countries reveal that whether you count race in the census or not, it has a very real and powerful impact on the life choices of Afrodescendientes structurally and experientially. In some of these countries, the lack of documentation has resulted in a complete erasure of the Black presence. And, outside of these countries, many of us know very little about the struggles of indigenous people and Blacks to gain greater access to educational, political, economic, and social opportunities. Does this sound familiar?

This lack of documentation coupled with a history and culture of Mestizaje, contrasts sharply with the United States history and its practice of hypodescent or the one-drop rule (one drop of Black blood defines you as Black). We have seen a growing interest in adding categories like “biracial” and “mixed” to the census. Such categories, given the history, contribute little to understanding what happens in your life (education, employment, health care), if you are perceived as Black. Thus, it matters little what you call yourself; what matters in this country is what people perceive you to be and the racial category to which they attribute you.

Interestingly, as a contrast, people of Latin America have historically embraced the idea of “blanqueamiento,” defined as “… both an ideology and a social practice that refers to ethnic, cultural, and racial whitening.”

Thus, as Blacks marry outside

of their own groups, they are viewed as less Black and more white. And even these terms have permutations that challenge our concepts of Black and white in the United States.

Much like a Facebook status, “it’s complicated.” However, the degree to which you are perceived to be Black regardless of your ancestral mixture, matters as much in Spanishspeaking countries, as it does in the United States.

No to the “Minority Defense,” and why Zimmerman does not get the Hispanic “pass card” This complex history of racial politics in Central and South America and the Spanishspeaking Caribbean is the singlemost reason why Zimmerman and his supporters cannot claim what Tamara K. Nopper calls the “minority defense” in her exceptional analysis, “20 Years in the Making: George Zimmerman’s ‘Minority Defense’ and the 1992 Los Angeles Riots.”

And although people like myself and others writing on this matter can deconstruct Zimmerman from a distance, only he and the deceased, Trayvon Martin, will ever know what really happened that illfated night.

What we do know is that the death of Trayvon Martin, a Black teenage, at the hands of Zimmerman, a Hispanic/White man reminds us graphically and tragically that race still matters in the U.S. and globally; and nothing, especially racism, xenophobia, homophobia, sexism, generic prejudice, and stereotyping, is a thing of the past.

Moreover, we must recognize that all of us carry cultural baggage; it clouds our judgment and informs our actions, and reconciliation can

ZIMMERMAN 14 TURN TO

Page 12 • April 30 - May 6, 2012 • Insight News

insightnews.com

BUSINESS Collecting benefits when you’re out of a job Plan Your Career

By Julie Desmond julie@insightnews.com During 2010, the Unemployment Insurance Program paid over $2.8 billion in unemployment benefits to more than 348,000 Minnesotans.

If a person is laid off, he or she might be among those eligible for unemployment benefits. If applying for unemployment benefits, do not

feel guilty, but do not expect a big payday, either. The program is set up to help job seekers squeak by until you can find new employment.

If someone is a first time applicant for Unemployment Insurance benefits, the question may come, when and where to start? According to the Department of Employment and Economic Development, one should apply for benefits as soon as he or she is unemployed or when an individual’s hours drop below 32 hours in a week. Applying for benefits can be done online or over the telephone. For those who do not use English as a primary language, the automated system

allows speaking options in Spanish, Hmong or Somali.

After one applies, that person will receive a notification in the mail showing the weekly benefit amount and the total benefits available to that individual. This can be confusing because it does not necessarily mean that person is eligible; it is just an indication of what a person can receive if deemed eligible. Sometimes a representative will call requesting more information.

A person requesting benefits should respond promptly to any such request to avoid any delay in processing eligibility.

Benefits are not automatically sent to individuals

seeking unemployment insurance. Each week, it is up to the beneficiary to call or go online to request payment. The beneficiary may have to answer questions about whether he or she is available and actively looking for work. If one forget to call, payments can be delayed or lost altogether. Even while eligibility is being decided or appealed, one still needs to submit a request every week.

U n e m p l o y m e n t compensation is not a winning lottery ticket. The weekly benefit amount is about half of a person’s average weekly wage, up to a maximum of $597. During weeks when a person works more than 32

hours or earns more than the benefit amount, that person will not receive benefits for the week, but the money stays in that person’s unemployment account in case it is later needed.

If a person works less than 32 hours, 55 percent of earnings is deducted from a recipient’s benefit amount. This means working a little is better than not working at all because, first, a person is working, which will make it easier to find fulltime work and second, that person can still collect some benefits.

If a person’s hours vary every week that is okay. A beneficiary should request payment every week, as usual. Benefits will

be systematically calculated for the recipient.

If a mistake is made when reporting earnings, a beneficiary should call the Unemployment Insurance office immediately and report the error. If one knowingly underreports hours or wages, that person will have to repay the benefits.

Good information can be found online explaining the unemployment benefits process in more detail. For more information, visit www.uimm. org.

Woodrich

“I am very excited about Noya Woodrich becoming the next president of GMCC,” Foster said. “Her qualities of leadership and authenticity

as well as her strong track record and reputation in the community ended up making it a unanimous choice for the search committee.”

Art Coulson, DIW board chair, said that while DIW will miss Woodrich’s guiding hand, he expects she will build upon the strong foundation laid by Reierson over the past 23 years.

“I have had the pleasure of working alongside Noya at the Division of Indian Work for the past six years and have found her to be a deep strategic thinker as well as a compassionate leader,” Coulson said. “She has led DIW with distinction and we are comforted by the knowledge that we will enjoy an excellent working relationship with the new leader of GMCC right out of the chute.”

Woodrich, who has a 7-year-old son, Tuari, grew up in Wisconsin. She has a Master of Social Work

from Augsburg College.

Woodrich is on the adjunct and community faculties of Augsburg and Metro State University and serves on a number of community committees and boards, including vice chairperson for the Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors and on the executive committee for Youth Violence Prevention for Minneapolis.

Woodrich will assume her new position on July 3. GMCC has 30 programs focusing on helping seniors, empowering urban NativeAmericans, nurturing families, fighting hunger and reducing crime impacting 350,000 people statewide. With a $7.5 million budget, 700 member congregations and 25,000 volunteers, GMCC is the largest council of churches in North America.

To learn more about Woodrich, visit www.gmcc.org.

From 3

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Julie Desmond is Talent Manager for Lake Region Staffing. Write to julie@ lakeregionstaffing.com.

insightnews.com

Insight News • April 30 - May 6, 2012 • Page 13

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

Events Red Balloon Bookshop Events Apr. 7 – Apr. 30 April at The Red Balloon Bookshop is filled with story times, celebrations, and parties.

Events include National Poetry Month with MN poet Joyce Sidman- Apr.13, 7pm, Giggle, Giggle, Giggle, Quack story time with actress/ playwright Jennifer Kirkeby-Apr.14, 10:30am, A Secret Keeps publication party with author Marsha Wilson ChallApr. 21, 10:30am, and much, much more. For more info contact Holly Weinkauf 651.224.8320 or holly@redballoonbookshop.com.

For a list of events visit www. redballoonbookshop.com Nano Workshops at Sabathani Apr 28, May 12, and June 2 Science workshops for kids combining fun hands-on activities for an afternoon filled with fun and exciting Nano activities and

Negritude From 1 La denuncia, publicada en el diario La Prensa (Panamá), ha puesto sobre el tapete la discusión en torno a la prohibición impuesta a niñas y jóvenes afrodescendientes de portar peinados con trenzas (moñitos) en los centros escolares en Panamá. Sobre el particular, debo advertir que el tema no es nuevo, pues en el pasado se ha tenido noticias de la protesta de otras madres afropanameñas a quienes les ha parecido discriminatoria la medida. Pero nunca, como en esta ocasión, se había escuchado tantas voces al alza, acaso por el espacio y la fuerza que han ganado las redes sociales.

Básicamente, en el debate se vienen expresando dos posiciones. Una de las primeras voces en opinar públicamente, y que ha servido de portaestandarte a una de las corrientes de opinión, fue la de una psicóloga infantil quien dijo que: No se está discriminando a la etnia negra. Se trata de disciplina y reglas establecidas por el Ministerio de Educación.

Los alumnos no van a la escuela a lucir peinados o joyas. Van a estudiar y a concentrarse en aprender al máximo para ser buenos profesionales en el futuro.

Un primer cuestionamiento que esgrimen quienes tienen una visión distinta sobre el tema es el siguiente: ¿En base a qué se estableció la regla de que los moñitos (o trencitas) no son peinados adecuados para la escuela, y por qué se considera que el cabello lacio y suelto sí lo es? Afirman que: Las reglas son, precisamente, el instrumento de discriminación más utilizado a través de la historia. [Y que] Son innumerables los ejemplos de leyes, ordenanzas y reglamentos, ya sean éstos de carácter moral, social o jurídico, que han sido esgrimidos por las sociedades y los gobiernos para favorecer a una parte de la población en detrimento de otra.

El punto de vista de la psicóloga infantil ha sido compartido, como ya he adelantado, por varios intervinientes en el debate.

Ese es el caso de una persona que sentenció que: Cuando aceptamos el uniforme para

experiments, introducing YOU to the wonders of Nano Technology.

The workshops are free and open to the public. Sabathani is located at 310 East 38th Street in South Minneapolis. For more information contact Bobby Lay at Sabathani, 612-821-2329, or boblay@Sabathani.org MACY’S Twin Cities Events Apr. 10 – May 17 A variety of events including Star Spangled Sing-Off, Oval Room Event, Designer Capsule Collection Launch featuring Alberta Ferretti for Impulse, CosmoBella Bridal Trunk Show, Find your Magic Event, ThankA-Mom Movement, Francisco Costa For Calvin Klein Collection Launch, Brasil: A Magical Journey Launch Party, and much more. Please visit www.macys. com/events for all event details or visit your Downtown Minneapolis or Southdale Macy’s for more info.

High School Career Fairs March through May AchieveMpls Career Fair.

Connect with Minneapolis High School students and represent your career or industry.

Professionals from all sectors are welcome to participate. Contact

nuestros hijos en las escuelas los padres estamos aceptando que todos somos iguales. Si cada uno asiste como le da la gana, y en base a sus etnoculturas, entonces entramos en un contrasentido. Esos peinados funcionan en su casa o en lugares públicos.

En igual sentido, en la discusión algunos han cuestionado: ¿Por qué llevar todo al rango de discriminación? Hay que superar ya ese complejo, subrayan. En las escuelas hay que actuar con disciplina. Si no se hace, entonces cada estudiante iría como le viene en gana. Todo tiene su lugar.

En el curso del interesante debate, una voz ha lanzado una alerta en el sentido que muchos de los que aplican con suma rigidez reglas, que más parecen “castigos” que programas con justificación, deben ser examinados psicológicamente, porque bien pudiera resultar que encierran en su ser a un maltratador/a con el camuflaje de espíritus que intentan poner orden y disciplina. Pero además, dice quien así reflexiona, [que] puede tratarse de personas obsesivo compulsivas, o en un extremo de “psicópatas integrados” al sistema educativo, que potencialmente pueden hacer mucho daño.

Hasta ahora, una cosa que parece que va quedando clara en la discusión es que cuando una regla es impuesta con base en los intereses o en normativas culturales de solo una parte de la población, dicha regla deviene autoritaria y discriminatoria. Al menos, esa ha sido la ruta por la que va desfilando la mayor parte de las intervenciones que se han producido en las redes sociales, sobre una cuestión que, en una sociedad multiétnica y pluricultural como la panameña, es innegable que trasciende las trenzas y los moñitos de las colegialas negras de nuestro país.

Y qué decir de su autoestima.

En lo personal, suscribo una opinión que me pareció una acometida seria por delimitar la discusión. Y es la siguiente: Mientras todos los grupos culturales del país no tengan igual participación en la definición de lo que es o no es apropiado en la escuela, seguirá habiendo discriminación. Pienso que esa reflexión es válida para los múltiples y variados aspectos que cubre el sistema educativo panameño.

Phone: 612.588.1313

Rebecca Noecker at 612.455.1571 or rnoecker@achievempls.org Open house on Interstate-35W/ Lake Street proposed bus rapid transit station design May 1 Residents and businesses are invited to an Interstate-35W Transit/Access Project open house from 5 – 7 pm May 1, at the Whittier Community Center, 425 – 26th Street West, Minneapolis. The I-35 Transit/ Access Project involves transitand transportation-related improvements in the vicinity of I-35W, Lake Street and the Midtown Greenway. Staff from Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis will present updated information on proposals.

PACER Center Workshop - Transition from early childhood, special education to kindergarten May 1 Free workshop for parents of young children with disabilities and for professionals. Tue. May 1, 6:30 –8:30 pm, at PACER Center, 8161 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington, Minn. Advance registration is requested at (952) 838-9000, In Greater Minnesota, call (800) 537-2237 (toll free) or visit PACER.org

Mientras intento terminar de armar esta colcha de ideas en conflicto, el debate sobre este tema continúa en las redes sociales. Y muchos, los más, se siguen preguntando: ¿Por qué algunos piensan que el peinarse con moñitos o trencitas está reñido con el estudio, la concentración, el aprendizaje y, principalmente, con ser buenos profesionales?

Por mi parte, no pierdo la esperanza en que algún día “Panamá: Crisol de Razas” sea algo más que una frase bonita. *El autor es abogado.

Negritude: YES IN THE HOUSE, NOT IN SCHOOL? Perhaps this article will look like a patchwork quilt, and perhaps this is in effect, because it attempts, in a kind of synthesis, exposing two schools of thought, contrasted with each other, both doubtless interesting. In this seam made with ideas of others, of course some of which I share and others not, the stitches collected visions that cross social networks, from the publication of the report for Hilda Garcia, an Afro-Panamanian mother of four daughters, who had to straighten their hair, because at school they attend was told, “Your daughter can not come to school with that hairstyle.”

The report, published in the newspaper La Prensa (Panama), has brought into sharp focus the discussion on the ban on girls and young women wearing Afro hairstyles with braids) in schools in Panama. I note that the issue is not new, as in the past there has been news of the protest from other Afro-Panamanian mothers who have found it discriminatory.

But never, as on this occasion, have we hear so many voices rising, reflecting the space and

Fax: 612.588.2031

Exhibit on Minnesota’s American Indian Nations and the History of Treaty Making to Open May 1 Free exhibit open May 1–30, 2012, at Historic Fort Snelling.

A collaboration among the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, the Minnesota Humanities Center and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. The public is also invited to attend free programs related to the exhibit on May 5 and May 19. Calendar of events is posted online at events.mnhs.org/ calendar. . For more information, call 612.726.1171.

Above the Falls Health Impact Assessment Training May 1–2 May 1 8:30am–4:45pm: Introduction to HIA and Above the Falls, HIA project description, HIA methods. May 2 8:30am –4:15p: Intervention points in regulatory processes and land use planning Developing HIA recommendations, HIA methods, Moving forward with the Above the Falls HIA. Advocates of redevelopment along the Minneapolis riverfront, policy makers, residents, professionals interested in HIA are encouraged to attend. Located at UROC 2001 Plymouth Ave. North. For

strength social networks have gained.

Basically both positions are expressed in the debate. One of the first voices in public opinion, and has served as the bearer of one strand of opinion was that of a child psychologist who said: We are not discriminating against the black race. It is discipline and rules set by the Ministry of Education.

Students do not go to school to show off hairstyles and jewelry.

Study will focus on learning and best to be good professionals in the future.

A first question that people have to put forward a different view on the subject is as follows: Based on what was established rule that braids are not appropriate hairstyles for school, and why it is considered that the hair straight and loose hair it is? They say: The rules are precisely the most widely used instrument of discrimination through history. [And that] are countless examples of laws, ordinances and regulations, be they moral, social or legal, who have been put forward by companies and governments to favor one part of the population over another.

The point of view has been shared by child psychologist, as I advance, several participants in the debate. This is the case of a person who ruled that: When we take the uniform for our children in schools parents are accepting that we are all equal. If each one goes as he pleases, and based on their ethno-cultures, then enter a contradiction. These hairstyles work at home or in public places.

Likewise, in discussing some have questioned: Schools must act with discipline. If not done, then each student would go as he pleases. Everything has its place.

During the interesting debate, one suggestion is that many rules

STATE OF MINNESOTA COUNTY OF HENNEPIN

TCF National Bank,

DISTRICT COURT FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT Case Type: Contract

Court File No.: 27-CV-12-7310

Plaintiff, v.

SUMMONS

Christopher Lachmansingh,

THIS SUMMONS IS DIRECTED TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANT: 1.

YOU ARE BEING SUED. The Plaintiff has started a lawsuit against you. The Plaintiff ’s Complaint against you is attached to this Summons. Do not throw these papers away. They are official papers that affect your rights. You must respond to this lawsuit even though it may not yet be filed with the Court and there may be no court file number on this Summons.

2.

YOU MUST REPLY WITHIN 20 DAYS TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS. You must give or mail to the person who signed this Summons a written response called an Answer within 20 days of the date on which you received this Summons. You must send a copy of your Answer to the person who signed this Summons located at Koepke Law, Ltd., 3161 Fernbrook Lane North, Plymouth, Minnesota 55447.

3.

YOU MUST RESPOND TO EACH CLAIM. The Answer is your written response to the Plaintiff ’s Complaint. In your Answer you must state whether you agree or disagree with each paragraph of the Complaint. If you believe the Plaintiff should not be given everything asked for in the Complaint, you must say so in your Answer.

4.

YOU WILL LOSE YOUR CASE IF YOU DO NOT SEND A WRITTEN RESPONSE TO THE COMPLAINT TO THE PERSON WHO SIGNED THIS SUMMONS. If you do not Answer within 20 days, you will lose this case. You will not get to tell your side of the story, and the Court may decide against you and award the Plaintiff everything asked for in the Complaint. If you do not want to contest the claims stated in the Complaint, you do not need to respond. A default judgment can then be entered against you for the relief requested in the Complaint.

5.

LEGAL ASSISTANCE. You may wish to get legal help from a lawyer. If you do not have a lawyer, the Court Administrator may have information about places where you can get legal assistance. Even if you cannot get legal help, you must still provide a written Answer to protect your rights or you may lose the case.

6.

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION. The parties may agree to or be ordered to participate in an alternative dispute resolution process under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice.

You must still send your written response to the Complaint even if you expect to use alternative means of resolving this dispute.

The object of this action is to enforce Plaintiff ’s rights and remedies against Defendant.

KOEPKE LAW, LTD. Dated: January 20, 2012

By: Scott R. Manthei (#0389092) 3161 Fernbrook Lane North Plymouth, Minnesota 55447 Telephone: (763) 201-1207 Fax: (763) 201-1212 Email: smanthei@koepkelaw.com Attorneys for Plaintiff Insight News: 4/23/2012, 4/30/2012, 5/7/12

Email: natalie@insightnews.com

more info contact Dave Johnson at (612) 673-3948 or david. johnson@minneapolismn.gov

Central University - Trask Word and Worship Center - 1410 Elliot Ave, Mpls.

‘Peace of Hope’ trip to St. Cloud-MN DOC May 3 Pre-registered visitors are welcomed to accompany “Peace of Hope” to visit their loved ones.

Cost is free. Leaving promptly at 6:00pm from Lyndale & Broadway. Contact: S. Brooks at 612.220.4678 for more details.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s to hold upscale resale sale May 5 Featuring new and gentlyused clothing, furniture, toys, household items, electronics, books, and many more treasures.

Early bird entry will be at 8 am for $3, and free admission will be from 9 am. until closing at 2:30 pm. A bag sale (a bag full of items for $5) will run from 1:30–2:30 pm. Visit the school’s website at www.BSMschool.org.

Morrill Hall Rachel Tilsen Social Justice Fund 3rd Annual Benefit Gala May 5 Recognize those who have contributed so much for Social Justice and continue to work for Justice with The Sounds of Blackness, The Poetic Assigns, and Calliope. Sat. May 5, 2012 University Hotel 615 University Avenue Mpls. MN 55414.Tickets on sale now.

An “Olde Tyme Gospel” Concert Honoring Our Mothers May 5 TCC Gospel Choir artistic director Sandra Robinson Hodges invites you to celebrate the mothers in your life at an event filled with joy, hope and gospel music. Tickets are $15 and available at www. tccgospel.org. Sat. May 5, North

with extreme rigidity look more like “punishment” that programs with justification, and should be examined psychologically, because they may well be abusive though camouflaged by the spirit of trying to bring order and discipline. It suggests people can be obsessive compulsive, “psychopaths integrated” into the educational system, which potentially can do much damage.

Until now, one thing that seems clear in the discussion is that when a rule is imposed based on the interests or cultural norms of only part of the population, the rule becomes authoritarian and discriminatory. At least that was the route that goes marching for most of the interventions that have occurred in social networks, on a point that in a multiethnic and multicultural society such as Panama, it is undeniable that transcends the braids and the bows of black schoolgirls in our country. And what about selfesteem.

Personally, I agree with an opinion that I thought would be a rush to delimit the discussion. And is this: While all cultural groups in the country do not have equal

Development Assistant Development Asst. for SMRLS’ fundraising arm, the Campaign for Legal Aid. $27K + DOE, v. g. bens. Resumes to: smrls.administration@smrls.org, Kathie Battle Sayles, SMRLS, 55 E. 5th Street, Ste. 1000, St. Paul, MN 55101.

EOE/AA

Medical DoctorKnapp Promotes Spiritual Healing May 6 Dr. Knapp, researcher, teacher and demonstrator of methods for healing the whole person, will speak at the 10:00AM worship service and offer an afternoon workshop, 12:30 – 2:30PM. Both are open to all.

There is a $20 class fee for the afternoon workshop, payable at the door. Unity South Church is located at 7950 First Avenue South in Bloomington. For more information and directions please visit www.unitysouth.org or call Unity South at 952-884-6656.

participation in defining what is or is not appropriate in school, there will still be discrimination. I think that reflection is valid for the many and varied aspects covered by the Panamanian educational system.

While trying to finish assembling this quilt of conflicting ideas, the debate on this topic continues in social networks. And many, most, are still wondering: Why do some think the hair with braids is at odds with the study, concentration, learning and mainly to be good people?

For my part, have not lost hope that one day “Panama: melting pot” is more than just a pretty phrase. * The author is a lawyer.

Administrative Assistant Twin Cities Community Land Bank LLC has an opening for an Administrative Assistant, fulltime.

Duties include: file creation, management, organization, compiling and completion of pre-closing documentation, post-closing document file management including making copies, scanning, filing, data entry, communications and additional duties as assigned. Skills: experienced user of Microsoft Office, multi-function copier, scanning, organization, follow-through, multitasking and prioritizing, attention to detail. Work experience in a bank or real-estate environment a plus.

Qualifications: High School Diploma or GED required, Associate Degree or higher preferred (2 or more years of work related experience will be considered). Apply: Applications should include a resume and cover letter and be submitted electronically to Shana Wenger at shana.wenger@ tcclandbank.org. The application deadline has been extended; applications received electronically through Monday, May 7, 2012 will be considered. EOE. www.tcclandbank.org.

Page 14 • April 30 - May 6, 2012 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Suluki Fardan

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

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

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

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Recover Energy-from-Waste.

Northside resident and master chess player Donald Hooker Sr. sits proudly with son Donald Hooker Jr. (DJ) to display DJ’s winning trophy for the 2012 National High School Championship USCF. The chess tournament was held April 13-15, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis. For the past few years DJ and his father have volunteered to teach chess at the North Regional Library.

The father-son chess master duo holds court every Saturday from noon to 2pm at the library, 1315 Lowry Ave. N., Minneapolis.

Zimmerman From 11 only come through a heightened consciousness and an improved

justice system that treats every citizen equitably will prevent us from descending into pre-Civil Rights (hell, Pre-Reconstruction) era social conditions. In the 21st century, W.E.B. Du Bois’

prophetic statement, “… for the problem of the Twentieth century is the problem of the color-line,” continues to ring eerily true.

Appeal to the Humanity of my Country: America, we still have a long way to go in resolving race relations and restoring social justice for all. Martin and Zimmerman are only the most recent faces that beckon us to take heed and do some collective soul searching as a nation and to make haste to implement judicial reforms that will ensure fair and equal treatment for all citizens, regardless of age, race, color, gender, health status, sexual preference, religion, or national origins, under the law. ©2012 McClaurin Solutions Irma McClaurin, PhD is the Culture and Education Editor for Insight News of Minneapolis. She is a bio-cultural anthropologist and writer living in Raleigh, NC, the Principal of McClaurin Solutions (a consulting business), and a former university president.

She has led workshops on intergroup relations between African Americans and Latin Americans, in 2003 she established the forum Encounters/Encuentras: Conversations between African Americans and Latin Americans at Fisk University, and funded the Afro-Latin@ Project at Queens College while serving as a Program Officer at the Ford Foundation. (www.irmamcclaurin.com) (@ mcclaurintweets)