Insight News ::: 04.24.17

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Insight News April 24 - April 30, 2017

Vol. 44 No. 16• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

‘Spaceship Project’ takes off Artist Charles Orange celebrates music icons with 3D art TURN TO PAGE 2

Charles Orange

Page 2 • April 24 - April 30, 2017 • Insight News

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Sky’s the limit for artist Charles Orange and his ‘Spaceship Project’

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor Everything is everything/ What is meant to be, will be/After winter, must come spring/Change, it comes eventually – Lauryn Hill “Everything is Everything” Charles Orange listened to those words over and over again. They encouraged him.

They comforted him. They inspired him.

“When I would go through certain things I’d listen to ‘Everything is Everything’ and it would put everything in perspective for me,” said Orange.

The 30-year-old Minneapolis-born artist, who has a degree in graphic design with a minor in art from the University of Minnesota, has honored Hill and others in his limited edition “Spaceship Project” – a collection of mixed-media works using acrylics and ink painted on raised glass and canvas in an 11x14 “shadowbox” that creates a 3D viewing effect.

In addition to Hill, Orange has recreated likenesses of Sade, Nina Simone, Aaliyah and Prince (featured in the April 17 edition of Insight News) for

his “Spaceship Project.”

“I call it the ‘Spaceship Project’ because to me these artists have taken their talents to another level where the sky’s the limit,” explained Orange.

Each work is a first run with no reprints and sells for $100 on the artist’s website, www.charlesorange.com.

The works take between six and eight hours to complete … if the work was done all at once, but that’s not the case.

“I go to a piece and come back to it, so it’s never done in a day,” said Orange. “I go back to each piece and make changes until I feel it’s ready.”

How Orange sees his work and how the viewer sees it could be totally different … and that’s OK by Orange.

“I want the audience to interpret it how they see it, not how I see it,” said Orange.

“You may see something, Joe may see something else and Mike may see something totally different. That’s part of the joy for me.”

In addition to the “Spaceship Project” Orange is working on a series called “Growing-Up Black” that draws inspiration from 1990s Black pop culture.

Harry Colbert, Jr.

Harry Colbert, Jr.

Artist Charles Orange displaying works of Aaliyah and Nina Simone - part of his “Spaceship Project” - during an event in Minneapolis.

Sade captured in a 3D “shadowbox,” a work by Charles Orange.

K-12 revolution will not be televised, but it’ll be parent-led Commentary

By Rashad Turner There’s nothing more revolutionary than an empowered parent equipped to be their child’s educational champion.

This past March, MN Comeback – a coalition of schools, advocates and funders organizing around strategies and resources to transform K-12 education – convened 200 parents for It Takes a Village, two workshops geared to facilitate community dialogue around K-12 education.

The workshops were free and open to the public, and sought to create opportunities for families to unpack the school search process through discussion and fellowship. The goal was to empower parents with transparent information about schools.

To help accomplish this, families in attendance received a copy of “Minneapolis School Finder – A Resource Guide for Parents.”

We created this parent tool to close the information gap on schools. Since releasing the guide into the community MN Comeback has distributed 4,000

copies.

As the director of community engagement at MN Comeback, I can tell you firsthand how inspiring it was to see parents engrossed in vulnerable dialogue about our schools and their role in them.

In a city where the vast majority of Black, Brown and Indigenous youth are not benefitting from most of our city’s schools in quite the same way as their white counterparts, there’s value in resisting status quo solutions.

Dr. Angela Davis said it best, “I’m no longer accepting the things I cannot change … I am changing the things I cannot accept.”

Change starts with providing Minneapolis parents with the information they need to reclaim the power of their collective voices.

The reality is, there’s an information deficit in Minneapolis between families and their access to reliable and objective information about our schools. For families of color and for parents most in need, this deficit gets in the way of their ability to know when and how to intervene. It’s vital that we as a community step-up to support our parents. We can’t shy away from the difficult

realities of K-12 – we must be unapologetically radical and collaborative in our approach.

Recently, I traveled to Chicago along with several other Minneapolis K-12 education leaders to observe its schools.

Along with principals, teachers, students and parents, I witnessed how Chicago schools provide educators with the autonomy necessary to create positive learning environments to maximize student achievement.

As a father, this resonated with me deeply. It’s all any parent can ask for – a chance for our children to succeed in the classroom regardless of the violence engulfing the world around them.

My Chicago trip also confirmed a glaring reality …

Minnesota’s “poverty argument” is played-out. We have to take a long, hard look in the mirror and examine why it is that a state that owns an economy as stable as ours also has some of the worst disparities in education for people of color, low-income families and for folks who exist within the intersections of both those realities.

That’s why “Minneapolis School Finder” is revolutionary as a parent tool. It includes easy-to-read and objective

academic information on 139 schools across Minneapolis, the percentage of teachers of color at each school, useful tips and resources for parents to use when touring a school or enrolling their children in a school. It repositions power back into the hands of the people who need it most.

We have to push back against status quo parent-school relationships if we’re going to create change – rigorous and relevant schools for all kids in our city.

While “Minneapolis School Finder” is a powerful firststep, it’s not how we’re going to win this marathon toward transforming K-12 education.

A parent-led movement in our community’s schools is possible, if we’re committed to working for it.

I’m calling all parents to action. Join MN Comeback’s Parent Advisory Council to gain the support and resources necessary to become leaders in K-12 education. The council will receive leadership development training, and to lead initiatives relevant to their school communities with the support of MN Comeback’s broad Coalition. To learn more, contact me at rturner@mncomeback.

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Educators and activists say there needs to be a new way of thinking when it comes to students of color. org.

To quote Davis once more, “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it

all the time.”

Our K-12 revolution must be parent-led. I’m here for this K-12 movement. Are you?

Remember the Chibok Girls

By Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.)

Three years ago, Boko Haram terrorists burst into dormitory rooms at the Government Secondary School in the northern Nigerian town of Chibok and kidnapped nearly 300 girls simply because they dared to get an education.

In the days leading up to anniversary of their kidnapping, there were plenty of headlines devoted to the “Chibok girls,” as these now young women are famously known. Some of us paused to remember the anniversary of this horrific, ongoing tragedy. Soon the news reports will fade and the story of the still missing Chibok girls will slip once more to the backburner.

The 195 Chibok girls who haven’t been able to escape their captives or were not among the 21 released last October are still the most compelling symbols of the Boko Haram insurgency, but we must never forget that the group has committed increasingly heinous acts in the past three years from which innumerable victims may never recover. Let me count the ways.

More than 2.6 million people are currently displaced

across Nigeria and its neighbor nations in the Lake Chad region; and Nigeria is in the process of building a comprehensive orphanage to house approximately 8,000 children who’ve been separated from their parents. At least one million children have been forced out of school. Millions more Africans are at risk of starving to death and countless men, women and children all of ages, both Christians and Muslims, have been kidnapped, tortured, and/or killed.

It gets worse. In addition to engaging in the human trafficking of women, forcing them into sexual and domestic slavery, the insurgents also use children as suicide bombers.

Even ISIS, to whom Boko Haram has pledged allegiance, has expressed concern that the group goes too far.

As a mother, a former educator, and indeed, a human being, I have felt heartbroken, shocked and angered by the daily horrors our West African sisters and brothers have been forced to endure. The actions of the world’s most deadly terrorist group have also emboldened me to use my voice and every resource available in the fight to ensure that the Chibok girls are not forgotten and to help eradicate Boko Haram and repair the damage it has caused.

I have traveled twice to

Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA Newswire

Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) (at the podium) speaks during a candlelight vigil for the missing Chibok schoolgirls in front of the State Department in Washington, D.C. on April 20, 2016. Wilson was joined by several members of Congress and some of the schoolgirls that escaped and have relocated to the Washington D.C., metro area.

Nigeria to meet with victims’ families and government officials and brought the #BringBackOurGirls movement to the United States. Each week that Congress is in session, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle participate in a “Wear Something Red Wednesday” social media campaign that helps maintain pressure on the Nigerian government to keep working to negotiate the release of the remaining Chibok girls and pull out all stops to defeat Boko Haram.

On Dec. 14, President Barack Obama signed into law legislation that Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and I sponsored that directs the U.S. secretaries of State and Defense to jointly develop a five-year strategy to aid the Nigerian government, the Multinational Joint Task Force created to combat Boko Haram and international partners who’ve offered their support to counter the regional threat the terrorists pose.

In a telephone conversation

between President Donald Trump and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in February, the two leaders pledged “to continue close coordination and cooperation in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria,” according to a readout from the White House. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also has reportedly praised the Multinational Joint Task Force’s efforts to defeat Boko Haram a “success story,” but while the terrorist group may be down, it is far from out.

On June 12, we will mark

another milestone in this terrible saga. That is the day the State and Defense departments’ fiveyear plan is due. It also is the deadline for the director of National Intelligence to assess the willingness and capability of Nigeria and its regional partners to implement the strategies outlined. We must use our collective voice to ensure they don’t miss this urgent deadline.

By now you may be asking yourself why any of this should matter to African-Americans who are fighting their own battles to close the economic and opportunity gaps that still exist here at home and to exercise fundamental rights like the right to vote. Some of you may have never even heard of the Chibok girls. But if we don’t, who will?

If we don’t teach the world to acknowledge that Black lives matter across the globe, who will? Until then, it will continue to cry for victims of terrorism in European nations, the Middle East and even Russia, while African and African-American lives lost go ignored.

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and represents parts of northern Miami-Dade and southeast Broward counties. She serves on the House Education and the Workforce Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

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Insight News • April 24 - April 30, 2017 • Page 3

aesthetically speaking

Aesthetically It!: Events, concerts, venues in the Twin Cities

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Insight News April 24 - April 30, 2017

Vol. 44 No. 16• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Tired of being the victim

At risk in shootout; disrespected by cops Commentary

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor I’m angry.

Actually, I’m boiling hot. But I’m more saddened and sickened by what’s been going on directly outside my front door (literally … directly outside) in North Minneapolis.

North Minneapolis has been my adopted home for a little more than 10 months now, as I’ve settle in at the Marcus Garvey House on Bryant Avenue North – home to Insight News. I’ve gotten to know many of the residents and business owners in the area. I’ve become familiar with the neighborhoods, the schools … and unfortunately, sounds of gunfire and the police.

I’m not sure how many times I’ve heard gunfire while in

my office. I can say, I’ll never get the image of Larry Flowers lying dead on Nov. 16 – blood gushing out of his face – outside of the Little Caesar’s on West Broadway Avenue, less than a block from my office. The part of that image that haunts me is not just a man dead; it’s of the little boy peering out the window of the pizza chain, staring at a fresh slaughter.

Fast forward to March 28.

I was working late … sixish or so, but still daylight hours … when I exited the building to find the front porch roped off with yellow police tape that extended throughout the block. According to our neighbors police rode up on them and began questioning them about if they heard shots fired or if someone in their home was shot.

The neighbors replied they hadn’t and according to them one officer asked “Would you tell us even if there was?”

That’s an interesting question to say the least.

However, moments later a man drove up outside our office while police were still on the scene and collapsed … victim of a gunshot. The man was said to be in critical condition, but thankfully, it was later reported that he survived.

Just as with the killing of Flowers, with yellow tape surrounding the crime scene, the image that sticks with me is one of a small child, this time a little girl playing on her scooter as if everything was normal. Nothing about this should be normal … especially for a child.

During the entire investigation there was a tenseness in the air. Certainly to be expected considering the circumstances, but the tension was less about

Harry Colbert, Jr.

VICTIM 5

Yellow police tape ropes of the 1800 block of Bryant Avenue North in Minneapolis. The neighborhood has been the site of several shootings within the past few months.

Ellison and local business owners call for tax fairness

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor

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Thus far, Black unemployment has remained stagnant under President Donald Trump.

Mike Sherwood, owner of Pizza Nea, 306 E. Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis, is used to early mornings and late nights.

He is used to being the boss, the human resources department, the marketing department, the host, the waiter, and even the custodian. In that aspect he is no different than any other small business owner in Minnesota. In other respects he is no different as well.

“I have employees that make more than I do,” said Sherwood, who has been in business for nearly 22 years and has operated Pizza Nea since 2003. “And I’m proud to say that I pay my employees well. It means they can buy nice homes and have a nice life. But it’s a challenge being a small business owner.”

Job prospects flat for Black workers

Harry Colbert, Jr.

By Freddie Allen NNPA Newswire Managing Editor

Rep. Keith Ellison (left) talking to a group of small business owners including Danny Schwartzman, owner of Common Roots Café and Todd Mikkelson, owner of Sprayrack, a water and air filtration testing company. The discussion took place April 17 at Pizza Nea in Minneapolis.

That challenge of owning a small business – and in particular, the proposed tax plan of President Donald Trump, which some say is beneficial only to large corporations – was the focus of a discussion among several area small business owners and U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-5th Dist.) and State Rep. Erin Murphy (D-64A) last

Monday morning (April 17) at Sherwood’s Pizza Nea. The business owners are all members of the Main Street Alliance, a small business advocacy group.

Ellison said the concerns of small business owners should be paramount, as they employ more than 50 percent of the workforce in Minnesota.

“These are businesses we

should support, but our tax code does not support them. We (the federal government) claim to protect small businesses, but our code is beneficial to big business,” said Ellison. “And while big businesses complain about being taxed the reality is

The employment prospects for African-Americans showed little improvement in March,

Inclusion of faces of color in art has come a long way according to experts representing various theaters and art centers.

Robin Hickman, Elsa Perez Vega, Maria Isa – all consultants at The Ordway Theater – Rishi Donat, human resources director at The Walker Art Center and Cara Martinez, director of Community Engagement at the Guthrie Theater gathered with Al McFarlane on “Conversations with Al McFarlane” to assess and evaluate the progress that has been made thus far and the work that needs to be done to ensure equity in the arts.

She said since much of the

arts are funded through taxes, everyone has the right to feel represented, including people of color.

“It is about filling the seats but also who we have on stage because it offers visibility to the children who take it as an example,” said Hickman.

Isa sees a change in demographics giving people of color a platform to demand equal representation. Art institutions need to make more efforts to have equity in exposure of artists of color according to Isa, a singer and hip-hop artists from St. Paul with Latin roots.

The Guthrie is working to ensure diversity both on

DIVERSITY 6

Business

Anti-trust lawsuit could shake up newspaper industry

PAGE 4

BLACK WORKERS 5

ELLISON 4

Equity in the arts

By Ingrid Ferlo

according to the Labor Department’s most recent jobs report.

The labor force participation rate, which is the share of Blacks who either hold jobs or are looking for

Biography.com

Neil Gorsuch

Anxiously awaiting Gorsuch impact

By Rushawn Walters Howard University News Service WASHINGTON, D.C. – African-Americans, Hispanics, Muslims, the nation’s LGBT community and women are watching anxiously as the U.S. Supreme Court considers important cases with the addition

SPNN

Robin Hickman, founder SoulTouch Productions

Health

News

Parental involvement essential for Obama’s ESSA

PAGE 5

EPA awards Flint $100 million for water crisis

PAGE 6

of conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Many are worried his judicial ideology, which is closely aligned with the arch conservative judge he is replacing, will erode existing civil rights protections for people of color, women and the LGBT community and will thwart efforts to expand those

GORSUCH 5

Community

Letter to the Editor: A case to retain rank choice voting in St. Paul

PAGE 9

Page 4 • April 24 - April 30, 2017 • Insight News

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Business

Anti-trust lawsuit could shake up newspaper industry

Companies of color fight for equity in advertising

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Contributor Retailers, restaurants, healthcare companies and technology firms often turn to newspaper inserts as a tried-and-true method to reach consumers; especially minority consumers.

A major anti-trust lawsuit has been filed by the owner of an independent marketing company, who says that, if he’s victorious, millions – if not billions – of dollars in pre-print advertising (inserts) could begin to flow freely to minority-owned publications that serve ethnic

INSIGHT NEWS www.insightnews.com

Insight News is published weekly, every Monday by McFarlane Media Interests.

Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Assistant to the Publisher Shumira Cunningham Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Managing Editor Harry Colbert, Jr. Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Associate Editor Culture and Education Dr. Irma McClaurin Associate Editor Leadership and Social Enterprise Dr. Anita Davis-DeFoe Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Content & Production Coordinator Sunny Thongthi Yang Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Contributing Writers Melvin Carter, Jr. Julie Desmond Fred Easter Gloria Freeman Timothy Houston Penny Jones-Richardson Michelle Mitchum Darren Moore Artika Tyner Toki Wright Photography David Bradley Rebecca Rabb 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.

communities; publications that are often locked out of the market due to “forced buys.”

Redan Bilingual Media, a Dallas-based strategic marketing company that specializes in helping companies reach the Hispanic-American community through out-of-home Hispanic marketing programs, bilingual employment recruiting and translations services has filed an action against the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and its parent company, McClatchy, alleging fraud.

Further, the 15-page lawsuit filed in the District Court of Tarrant County, Texas notes that Redan and its founder, Brent Murphy, believe that publications that serve the Hispanic, AfricanAmerican and general markets may not be aware that they’re losing opportunities to compete for millions in advertising dollars, due to the actions of a few publishing conglomerates, who dominate the industry and might be colluding with some advertisers, while others are unaware of the controversy.

“We believe that the national advertisers are not aware of this issue,” said Murphy. “We believe that national advertisers may not understand how their own agencies may be working in concert with conglomerate publishers. We believe national advertisers will be very interested to learn how ‘forced buys,’ fraudulent audit reports and industry collusion may have forced these national advertisers to spend millions over the last four years on products that they could have obtained at a much lower rate.”

As much as $6.24 billion in revenue was generated

Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA

Black and Hispanic newspaper publishers have joined forces to investigate unfair advertising practices in the newspaper industry. In this photo, NNPA President Benjamin Chavis speaks outside of the U.S. Capitol during a joint press conference between NNPA and NAHP. The press conference was attended by Washington, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (far left). by the local media industry from advertising inserts, also known as “circulars,” in 2014, according to the latest figures published by Borrell Associates, a research and consulting firm that tracks local advertising and helps media companies develop executive strategies.

The suit alleges that the Star-Telegram provided Redan with outdated media kits, which did not contain current and accurate audit results. The newspaper had misrepresented and mischaracterized the distribution of past products, the suit said.

Redan said it relied on accurate information when selling advertising in En Casa or Mercado, both Spanishlanguage publications.

Also, after promising not to convert En Casa from a Spanishlanguage publication to a bilingual one, the Star-Telegram did proceed with those plans, resulting in significant economic

loss to Redan, including the ultimate shuttering of Mercado.

Further, Redan said it had a longstanding business relationship with the marketing and advertising company, Motivate, Inc. Motivate, Inc. agreed to place multiple pre-print and run of paper advertising orders for its customers through Redan, but the Star-Telegram, in breach of its agreement to extend an exclusive rate structure to Redan for the sale of advertising in En Casa, offered significantly lower prices to Motivate, Inc. in order to persuade the company to place insert orders through the Star-Telegram.

The Star-Telegram did so despite the knowledge that Redan had an existing agreement with Motivate, Inc., which caused Redan to lose an entire year’s worth of insert orders and run of paper advertising in En Casa and Mercado, which contributed to the ultimate loss of Redan’s

publication, Mercado, among other costs and expenses.

Further, the suit states that Redan and Valassis had an agreement that Valassis was to place multiple pre-print insert orders for En Casa and Mercado from 2015 through 2017.

In October 2015, Redan received insert orders from Valassis for placement of preprint inserts in En Casa, orders which were filled, but went unpaid by Valassis, the lawsuit alleges.

Leaders at the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) and the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) said that they’re keeping a close watch on the court proceedings.

Leaders from both groups said that they believe insert advertising in the print industry may be skewed, due to forced circulation buys, which don’t put the advertiser’s best interest first and restrict the advertiser’s ability to work with media companies that specialize in the Hispanic and Black markets; that omission could also inhibit the buyer from choosing the best consultant and publication for a campaign, the leaders from the NNPA and NAHP said.

That practice, the organizations said, decreases the equal opportunity for all publishers to compete and those serving communities of color are mostly affected.

“Insert ads are very important because obviously, all publications, minority-owned and other companies, rely on this advertising to remain afloat,” said John Trainor, who runs the innovation and marketing company, Kreativa in Chicago.

Trainor is also the former CEO of Papel Media, a Hispanic advertising agency that also has history with Valassis.

“I’ve been involved in the insert industry for two decades and the problems that I saw 20 years ago, are similar to what we see today,” said Trainor.

“Minority publications tend not to be home delivered and have a small subscription base and a lot of them are free, so advertisers, who have coupons of value are going to try and stay with publications that give them a little more control on inserts and the costs add up.”

Trainor said that today the goal is to win the digital age.

Still, the Redan lawsuit could potentially open a Pandora’s box that major publishers and some advertisers fear could leave them exposed to even more lawsuits from ethnic-owned publishing firms serving the Hispanic and African-American communities, according to court documents.

“The National Newspaper Publishers Association and the National Association of Hispanic Publications have established an ongoing strategic alliance to increase the advertising business opportunities for our member publishers across the nation,” said Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the NNPA. “We are very interested in the Texas case concerning advertising inserts. We support all efforts to establish more economic equity and parity in the marketplace for Black and Hispanic publishers with specific reference to the billions of dollars annually spent on newspaper inserts.

How to approach corporate, philanthropic decision makers FUNdraising Good Times

By Mel and Pearl Shaw One way to help sustain your organization is to build and nurture relationships with decision makers who can provide finances and resources.

Be intentional as you expand the number of decision makers who know your organization.

It takes time for an executive within a corporation – or a board within a foundation – to decide to make a major gift or grant.

Ellison From 3 most of them don’t pay taxes due to loopholes.”

Ellison claimed the effective tax rate for large corporations is just 12.1 percent.

Holly Hatch-Surisook, who owns, Sen Yai Sen Lek, said her concerns as a small business owner are far different than those

While many executives have the authority to make discretionary grants, in most cases these are substantially smaller than grants made through the formal grant making process.

Here are some things to consider.

First, if you know an executive who can make a discretionary gift, be sure to speak with him or her about giving to your organization.

But be prepared when you do so. Research their business priorities, locations and target markets. Learn about their philanthropic priorities. Find out if they have a foundation, and how it operates. When you do meet, ask for insights into the different ways in which gifts and grants are made. Funding may be available through business divisions or departments,

through a corporate foundation or division of social responsibility.

Foundations invest research and thoughtful discussion before defining their giving priorities.

They know the impact they want to make. As with corporations, take the time to understand their focus and desired impact.

If you know a program officer or executive, talk with him or her to learn what drives the foundation’s decision making.

Ask if they would consider an application, and what they would want your organization to focus on when applying.

In all cases where you know someone who can make a meaningful gift or grant, talk with her or him before sending a letter. Most unsolicited requests for funds never make it to a decision maker’s desk. Make a call, have a conversation, and

then ask if it would be appropriate to submit a written request.

When meeting with decision makers, seek out areas of shared values or priorities. Explore how giving to your organization could help a donor or funder meet some of their business or philanthropic priorities.

If your organization focuses on workforce development, a business may want to build a relationship that helps ensure the company has a pool of qualified employees to hire. If your organization is committed to community health and preventive healthcare, a hospital or medical insurance company may want to support your work because you have a shared vision such as healthy residents who access preventive healthcare instead of the emergency room. You won’t know where

the common ground lies until you begin the conversation.

While these activities may not result in an immediate gift, they contribute to a pipeline of potential donors and funders that can be cultivated over time.

That is what major fundraising is all about – mutually beneficial partnerships and relationships.

Take the time to introduce your organization to new leaders and decision makers.

You will be investing in your organization’s future and the future of those you serve.

Copyright 2017 – Mel and Pearl Shaw Mel and Pearl Shaw are authors of four books on fundraising available on Amazon.com. For more information visit www. saadandshaw.com or call (901) 522-8727.

of corporate CEOs. She said issues of employee health and wellbeing are greater for owners who form close relationships with their employees.

“We need to invest in affordable childcare, affordable housing, affordable healthcare,” said Hatch-Surisook, who employs about 25 workers. “All of these are huge issues for small businesses. For one employee to go on leave, that’s a big deal for small businesses.”

To understand the benefits

of supporting small businesses and the middle and working class, Frank Brown, owner of Minuteman Press Uptown said all we need to do is look at our neighbors in Wisconsin.

“In Minnesota we’re taxing the wealthy and we have a great, low unemployment rate. In Wisconsin Gov. (Scott) Walker (R) is not taxing the richest and they are losing jobs,” said Brown. “That tells the story right there.”

From February of 2016 to

January of this year, according to Congresses’ Joint Economic Committee, Minnesota had a job growth rate of 4.1 percent compared to Wisconsin’s rate of 3.7 percent. The national job growth rate was 3.5 percent.

“Small businesses are going to be more and more the employers of people as large corporations are becoming more and more automated,” said Todd Mikkelson, owner of Sprayrack, a water and air filtration testing company.

Ellison said he empathizes with the plight of small business owners, having been one himself and he encouraged greater participation at the local, state and federal levels of government, but acknowledged the challenges of being heard.

“In a true democracy the voice of the small business owner shouldn’t need to hire lobbyist to get heard,” said Ellison, who is the co-chair of the Democratic National Committee.

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Insight News • April 24 - April 30, 2017 • Page 5

Parental involvement essential for Obama’s ESSA

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Contributor According to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), President Barack Obama’s education law, states and local school districts are required to intervene in the lowest-performing schools.

That requirement has educators, parents and community stakeholders searching for innovative strategies to fulfill the mandate, as the law begins to take effect next school year.

“Interventions can be anything from changing the principal or some of the personnel to closing the schools, converting them to charter schools or transferring the students to better schools,” said Marilyn Rhames, a 2016 Surge Institute Fellow, parent of three school-aged children and an alumni support manager at a K-8 charter school in Chicago.

Rhames said historically,

Victim From 3 the victim and more among the residents and the members of the Minneapolis Police Department who were investigating. It should be noted that in the community that is almost all people of color, there wasn’t one officer of color of the more than a dozen who were on the scene.

Fast forward again to just this past Tuesday (April 11) and again my “calm” was interrupted.

This time the shots came to our

Black workers From 3 work, remained unchanged from February (62.3 percent) to March. The share of Blacks who have jobs within the population (employment-population ratio or E-POP) was also flat (57.3 percent). The Black unemployment rate improved slightly, decreasing from 8.1 percent to 8 percent in March.

Meanwhile, the key labor market indicators for white workers continued to improve under the Trump Administration.

The labor force participation rate for white workers ticked up from 62.9 percent in February to 63 percent in March and the E-POP increased from 60.3 percent to 60.5 percent last month. The unemployment rate for white workers also improved, dipping below 4 percent in March.

The labor force participation rate for Black men over 20 years old climbed up a few rungs from 67.8 percent in February to 68.1 percent in March and the E-POP ticked up from 62.5 percent to 62.6 percent. The jobless rate increased from 7.8 percent to 8.2 percent in March, which may occur when workers are optimistic about their prospects.

The labor force rate for white men over 20 years old decreased from 72 percent to 71.9 percent in March. The E-POP also declined from 69.3 percent in 69.2 percent. The unemployment rate improved from 4.1 percent to 3.9 percent, but this was most likely the result of white men leaving the labor market in March.

The labor force rate for Black women over 20 years old was the same 62.7 percent in March that it was in February.

The employment-population ratio increased from 58.3 to 58.6 percent in March. The jobless rate for Black women fell from 7.1 percent to 6.6 percent in March.

The labor force rate for white women over 20 years old rose from 57.6 percent to 57.8 percent in March. The E-POP also increased from 55.5 percent

Gorsuch From 3 rights. Gorsuch is filling the vacancy left by Antonin Scalia, who died last year. Scalia was seen as a formidable enemy of civil rights and a forceful legal opponent to affirmative action and various civil rights matters, particularly protections for LGBT Americans. Gorsuch will be pivotal on several cases expected to come before the Supreme Court, including a Texas challenge to an Obama immigration policy and another on the ability of unions to collect fees. Experts say other upcoming cases that the new justice could tip the scales on deal with employment and immigration, religion and education.

Currently, Gorsuch and other justices are considering whether to hear a case involving the right to carry concealed weapons publicly.

Kyle Barry, policy counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), said his organization and others are

school officials tend to make cosmetic changes that don’t necessarily address the problems.

“It’s not clear which path states will take right now but, historically, they’ve not closed many schools,” said Rhames.

Further, history has shown that without pressure from parents schools do not always provide the right instruction or atmosphere for children of color and the ESSA law should help to ease that problem, said Andrea Flake, a mother of four K-12 students. Flake is a member in the northeast chapter of the National Black Parents Association (NBPA).

“The more we know the truth about what is going on in the classroom, we, as parents, can band together and put the proper pressure on educators to make sure our kids are getting what they need and certainly what they deserve,” said Flake.

ESSA promises to advance equity by upholding critical protections for America’s disadvantaged, high-need, and students of color, said Dr. Allen Lipscomb, a professor at the

doorstep. There were multiple shots … multiple people shooting.

Thankfully, I later found out that no one was physically injured.

Mentally, several of us have been emotionally scarred.

But the victimization wasn’t just from the fools doing the shooting. It was also from the police.

While there were several people outside at the time of the shooting … and while a patrolman was parked just feet away … no one was able to offer a description of the shooters. When asked why, the reasoning was pretty sound.

“When I heard the shots I hit the ground. All I saw was grass,”

to 55.7 percent in March. The unemployment rate for white women fell from 3.7 percent to 3.5 percent in March indicating that white women entered the labor market and found jobs at higher rates in March compared to February.

The national unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in March and the economy added 98,000 jobs, the lowest monthly job growth under the Trump Administration, so far.

The professional and business services sectors added 56,000 jobs and retail trade lost 30,000 jobs in March, according to the Labor Department.

In a statement about the March jobs report, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) said the current economic growth, once again, disproves President Trump’s claim that he was “handed a mess” by the Obama Administration.

“President Trump and Congressional Republicans have failed to build on the economic progress made during the Obama years,” said Scott.

Scott also noted that the House Republicans of the 115th Congress have rolled back protections that would help Americans stay safe at work, have access to a highquality education, save for retirement, breathe clean air and drink clean water.

In a blog post about the March employment numbers, Elise Gould, a senior economist with the Economic Policy Institute, said despite Trump’s claims, the economy has been slowly but steadily headed evercloser to full employment for years.

Gould also refuted Trump’s assertion that he could enact policies that will see the American economy add 25 million new jobs over the next 10 years.

“This pace of job growth over a decade is pretty much impossible to envision,” said Gould. “But we could in theory see two to three years of significantly faster job growth than what has characterized the recent past. Unfortunately, no sign of this theoretical possibility has shown up in the data yet.”

concerned because the effect of Gorsuch’s ruling and presence on the court will be for years.

“This is for the next generation,” explained Barry.

“We’re talking about a life tenured position for a relatively young nominee who may serve for decades while in the Supreme Court.”

The LDF reviewed Judge Gorsuch’s judicial record, with a focus on the civil rights and constitutional issues that are of greatest relevance to the clients LDF represents, Barry said.

Its legal analysts examined all of his written opinions and dissents that bear on issues of employment and housing discrimination, criminal justice, voting rights and access to the courts – as well as his votes in relevant cases in which other judges authored the decision.

“Based on a review of his record, we’ve found he has applied civil rights very narrowly, including discrimination in the workplace and even whether or not civil rights cases can have their date in court in the first place,” said Barry.

Amanda Lucidon/Official White House Photo

President Barack Obama signing S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), during a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building South Court Auditorium on Dec. 10, 2015.

College of Social & Behavioral Science at Cal State University Northridge.

“Addressing not only academic needs, but mental health needs and what trauma looks like … these identity markers play a crucial role in students’ ability to succeed,” said Lipscomb.

Rhames said that parents need the truth, which should include student testing data, parental surveys and discipline reports.

“Schools need to listen to parents,” said Rhames.

Researchers offered four recommendations to improve the education of Black students including expanding community networks to further advocacy efforts, providing leaders with the tools to advocate for Black youth, championing the message of positive African-American community engagement in education and being involved.

“As the ESSA implementation moves forward,

said an earwitness.

Makes sense.

And again, there was a police officer in the same proximity to the shooting and even he said he didn’t see anything.

But that just didn’t sit too well with one officer.

Upon finishing the on-scene investigation one officer decided it was time to blame the victims for their misfortune. And trust, when bullets are flying and you’re scrambling for your life, you’re a victim. He said because they were hanging out on the porch of

a residence in which they legally reside, that somehow that act alone was justification for people to wage war and start shooting at one another. He berated the very people who minutes earlier … some with small children … were within feet of being carted off in a body bag. Because he didn’t like the answers to his questions, somehow the victims were at fault.

I can’t quite recall if his words were “well that’s what happens,” or “well that’s what you get.”

Within 30 minutes of being victimized by random shooters,

there are various ways that Black leaders can help shape education reform at the local and state levels,” said in a statement Brian Bridges, a co-author of the new report. “(This) is a call to action for Black leaders to use their influence to not only highlight the crisis in education for Black youth, but to also find tangible ways to get involved.”

Bridges said when it comes to the implementation of ESSA, parents need to get involved immediately and not wait.

So, where should parents go for more information about the ESSA law?

“There are organizations like Education Trust, as well as civil rights organizations like Leadership Council for Civil Rights that are paying more and more attention to the educational quality for children of color,” said Rhames. “But the truth is, our local schools need to work harder to engage parents. At the same time, some parents also need to engage more. Parents should spend time with their children and teachers and ask as many questions as they can.

And, they should not go away

until the answers satisfy them.”

Regulations to implement the data reporting requirements should promote universal access to cross-tabulated data and expand on the availability of data disaggregated by categories, Education Trust officials said, adding that technical assistance should also encourage districts and states to collect and report data in this further disaggregated manner.

“The biggest impact on children is that the current law, like the old law, requires annual testing in math and reading so we know how the kids are doing,” said Rhames. “But, the new law could make it harder for parents to understand whether the school is really doing its job. Some states are making it more complicated than it needs to be by eliminating summative ratings. A lot of states are getting rid of the A-F rating system, which some people criticize as simplistic, but at least you get it. How schools are rated needs to be simple and clear so that parents understand it and can act accordingly.”

my block was now under attack from a police officer as well.

Minutes after I called police, I wished that I hadn’t. After all, what was accomplished? The fools who did the shooting got away.

Thankfully no one was struck by one of the 10 or so bullets. Just a “normal” day in the ‘hood.

Again, nothing about this should be normal. It’s not normal to see killing. It’s not normal to walk out your door to police tape and a collapsed body. It’s not normal to have to scramble for cover in your home or place

of business due to a shootout.

And it’s not normal to have to be victimized by police once you call them for assistance.

Thankfully there were other officers on site who handled the situation with the integrity one would expect. Thankfully it was just one who decided to take a tense situation and escalate it.

Hopefully the next time police are called it will be an exchange of mutual respect. Hopefully … hopefully there isn’t a next time.

I refuse to accept it as my new normal.

Page 6 • April 24 - April 30, 2017 • Insight News

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Insight 2 Health EPA awards Flint $100 million for water crisis

Buried in the 24-hour news cycle of Russian conspiracies, presidential tweets and White House nepotism, the Trump Administration found the time to set aside $100 million for the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Mich.

According to a press release about the grant, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) $100 million to fund drinking water infrastructure upgrades in Flint.

The press release read, “The funding, provided by the Water Infrastructure Improvements

for the Nation Act of 2016, or WIIN, enables Flint to accelerate and expand its work to replace lead service lines and make other critical infrastructure improvements.”

In the statement, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said the people of Flint and all Americans deserve a more responsive federal government.

Wikimedia Commons “EPA will especially focus on helping Michigan improve Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said that the EPA grant will help her Flint’s water infrastructure administration replace 6,000 pipes this year and make other as part of our larger goal of improving America’s water needed infrastructure improvements. infrastructure,” said Pruitt.

During a March 22 meeting at the White House with seven Black Caucus, Rep. Brenda she and President Trump spoke members of the Congressional Lawrence (D-Mich.) said that about assistance for Flint.

Diversity

stage and behind the curtains according to its director of Community Engagement.

“The Guthrie is in process of refocusing the vision on those we hire. We want to properly

From 3

represent the arts and not just stamp a western frame on it,” said Martinez, emphasizing the Guthrie has reviewed its hiring practices to gather a pool of candidates that include a mixture of people from different

“He said he thought it was awful and criminal. I was surprised he understood how that happened,” said Lawrence, who added that the president also wanted to know who was responsible for the lead in Flint’s water.

After the EPA announced the news, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver expressed appreciation for the funds.

“The city of Flint being awarded a grant of this magnitude in such a critical time of need will be a huge benefit,” said Weaver in a statement. “These funds will give us what we need to reach our goal of replacing 6,000 pipes this year and make

communities.

The Walker Art Center is also engaging diversity in staff and exhibits. According to Donat, the Walker’s director of Human Resources, inclusion and diversity are embedded in

SPNN

Maria Isa the organization’s culture. Donat said in hiring, the organization often waits until a specific qualified candidate of color is identified to fill a post.

The intentionality with which diversity and inclusion is approached by major art centers in the area is the product of long and hard work that has been taking place over a period of 50 years according to veteran in the field, Perez Vega.

Martinez praised the work done over the decades by Perez Vega and organizations that have reached out to their communities and maintained a presence in them. Perez Vega said the biggest difference that can be made for small art organizations is consistent funding to reassure artists that their work will continue.

The powerful ability of art to be a catalyst for people to transform their lives by giving them a moment to imagine themselves differently cannot be underestimated. According to Isa, people of color need to see more of themselves represented in the arts, saying it is not only putting people of color on the

other needed infrastructure improvements. We look forward to the continued support of the EPA and federal government.”

Additionally on March 28, a U.S. District Court settlement was announced, forcing Michigan to set aside $97 million to replace defective water lines in Flint. The settlement money will cover 18,000 homes in the city by the year 2020.

Lauren Victoria Burke is a political analyst who speaks on politics and African American leadership. She is also a frequent contributor to the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA. com.

stage acting out stories written by white authors, but there is a more urgent need to tell the stories that are authored by people of color.

Hickman added, “Little black girls need to be seeing art and thinking, ‘that could be me; they are talking about me.’”

The way forward will be forged by proactive measures coming from partnerships with communities of color and white communities.

“Be open to equalize money and funding for minority art centers to have resources and be sustained,” said Donat.

The leveraging of resources is an important factor that can help elevate smaller, communitybased art centers according to Martinez, who said with the demand of equal representation from the audience, one art house won’t be able to fill all roles, but spreading out the work can help ensure more representation.

Perez Vega sees a bright future for upcoming artists of color.

“I see a new place and works, and relevant works in drama and theater moving forward; not reliving the past but going forward,” said Vega Perez.

This episode of “Conversations with Al McFarlane” airs Tuesday (April 25) at 9 a.m. on KFAI Radio (90.3 FM and online at www. kfai.org) and on television on SPNN (Channel 19, St. Paul) at 9 p.m. on Tuesday and again on Thursday and MTN (Channel 16, Minneapolis) on Friday; also at 9 p.m.

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Insight News • April 24 - April 30, 2017 • Page 7

Page 8 • April 24 - April 30, 2017 • Insight News

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Insight News • April 24 - April 30, 2017 • Page 9

Momentum builds for Career Academies Career Academies, a movement in high school education that combines career-focused curriculum and experiences with postsecondary opportunities for seems to be gaining momentum.

Anchored by United Way in partnership with schools, government agencies and employers, Career Academies seeks to close the education opportunity gap between white students and students of color.

Now in its second year, Career Academies shows some promising early results. When the program launched, 355

students enrolled; 65 percent of those were students of color. To date, students have earned 1,075 college credits and 53 industry credentials.

Students gain careerbased learning and workplace experiences that introduce them to high demand fields such as healthcare, construction, manufacturing, engineering, information technology and more.

The initiative has seen exceptional results. In its first year, 61 percent of Career Academy participants graduated

high school compared to the typical Alternative Learning Centers graduation rate of 17 percent.

“The Destination: Diploma to Degree (D3) program is providing ALC students access to the transformative power of education. Prior to D3, many were in danger of dropping out or aging out of the K-12 system before they completed high school,” said Minneapolis Community and Technical College president, Dr. Sharon Pierce. “Now, not only are they finishing high school; they are

“We know that equipping young people with the knowledge, job skills, and empowered mindset they’ll need for their future will build a stronger Minnesota,” said United Way President and CEO Sarah Caruso

earning college credits and on a path to promising careers.”

“We know that equipping young people with the knowledge, job skills, and empowered mindset they’ll need for their future will build a stronger Minnesota,” said United Way President and CEO Sarah Caruso. “We are grateful for the support of the Bush Foundation and are thrilled to expand Career Academies into Greater Minnesota.”

Letter to the Editor

Retain rank choice voting in St. Paul shutterstock.com

Reader Ed Davis believes rank choice voting allows the true will of the people to be executed.

The current proposal to vote again on the rank choice voting system is not fair and will simply waste money on another election that will probably affirm the previous vote.

First, a significant number of people formed a caucus to prove that the citizens of St. Paul wished to vote on a rank choice voting system via a petition.

Second, the citizens voted to use a ranked choice voting system.

Third, a minority of voters on the Charter Commission that are appointed are attempting to reverse a popular voter-based

decision. Consequently, the proposal to revisit this issue after only a couple of years is not appropriate and will waste public funds.

I would like to also comment as a prior St. Paul City Council candidate about local governance and why rank choice voting fosters better governance.

Local government is personal. It involves numerous face-to-face exchanges.

Consequently, it differs from state or national governance where the issues become more generalized and the impacts

are often spread across many more people. Rank choice voting encourages the civility and more personal leadership needed at the local level via the candidates desire to get second or third votes. In my personal experience, I did not unfairly denigrate Dan Bostrom during my run, since I hoped the independent Democrats would vote for me if they had some issues with him. Hence, the candidates tend to express negatives more politely with rank choice voting.

Along with an increase in civility over time, rank choice voting significantly removes the party politics, which does not need to be in local governance.

St. Paul is run by the DFL and I do not believe that this situation is completely positive

Classifieds

for the city. The voting system with parties, primary elections and general elections helps to promote and reinforce this dominance. Today, the financial power and opinion of the parties is significant. Therefore, the endorsed candidate of a party gets significant advertisement and face-to-face promotion.

Often, people who identify with a party will simply vote by party affiliation without really knowing the candidates and their positions. This situation is even more so with the busy lives of middle and lower income citizens that are struggling to raise their families and cannot participate in the old system via several vote events.

As a candidate without a party designation in a rank choice voting system, I found it

Phone: 612.588.1313

easier to register and campaign for my message with just one voting date. I enjoyed the forums that allowed me and another outside candidate to debate the Eastside issues. The campaign also focused on issues rather than party endorsements. In addition, I believe that had someone had additional campaign resources (forums, signs, and door knockers), they could unseat a party candidate. The bottom line is that local leadership should be very personal and hands-on. The party system interferes with this kind of representation through the excessive financial resources that our current political system combined with the media markets now allow. The decision to use rank choice voting should stand.

Ed Davis

Fax: 612.588.2031

Email: info@insightnews.com

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Page 10 • April 24 - April 30, 2017 • Insight News

insightnews.com G Sharp

Desdamona Photo by Jesse Jaze

Monday, April 24 FILM FESTIVAL Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival St. Anthony Main Theater 115 Main St. S.E., Minneapolis 7 p.m.

(Runs through April 29) Check out some of the best new independent films from around the world at this annual festival.

Tuesday, April 25 THEATRE

April 24 May 7, 2017

“The Bluest Eye” Guthrie Theatre 818 2nd St., Minneapolis 9 p.m. $26-$72 Toni Morrison’s debut novel, “The Bluest Eye,” takes life at the Guthrie.

Aesthetically It! is a list of picks from the editors of Aesthetically Speaking. Aesthetically It! features venues, events, outings and more that are worthy of “It” status.

If you have a venue, event or outing that you feel is “It” worthy, email us at aestheticallyit@ insightnews.com

Wednesday, April 26 HIP-HOP/JAZZ/POETRY The Feels – A Night of Alignment ft. Sassy Black Icehouse 2528 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis 9:30 p.m.

21-plus $8 The Feels presented by Jazz 88 and Soul Tools Entertainment, is where hip-hop and jazz meet. It’s a night of live instrumentation featuring singers, poets, emcees,

comedians and more. This month’s guests include national recording artist SassyBlack formerly of Seattle’s Theesatisfaction (Queens), K. Raydio, Joe Davis and DJ Miss Brit ending the night with a dance party.

Thursday, April 27 HIP-HOP Stalley and Beanie Sigel The Cabooze 917 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis 8:30 p.m.

18-plus $20-$25 GainesFM and DJ D-Mil join the Broad Street Bully and the MMG member, Beanie Sigel, at Cabooze.

Friday, April 28 CONFERENCE Art, Social Justice and Communities of Color Symposium Katherine E. Nash Gallery 405 21st Ave. S., Minneapolis 11 a.m. (also Saturday) This symposium demonstrates how culture in general and art in particular can be used as a political tool to challenge and reimagine the place of queer communities of color in society.

Saturday, April 29 DANCE PARTY McKnight Reading with Kiese Laymon

The Loft Literary Center 1011 Washington Ave S, Ste 200, Minneapolis 7 p.m. $10 ($5 for members) Award-winning author Kiese Laymon’s book “Long Division” was named one of the Best of 2013 by Buzzfeed, The Believer, Salon and more.

Check out a public reading at The Loft.

Sunday, April 30 DISCUSSION “Let’s Talk About it” Youth and Mental Health Discussion SPNN 550 Vandalia St., St. Paul 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

This will be a round table discussion along with an open discussion with all who attend.

Hosts Sanni Brown, David Billingsley, Shay Glorius “Glo” Martin and DJ Mickey Breeze will lead the discussion and give insight about topics such as depression, low self-esteem, cyber bullying and other topics that are effecting our youth.

Monday, May 1 OPEN MIC Freedom of Xpression Open Mic Capri Theater 2027 W. Broadway Ave., Minneapolis 5:30 p.m.

All ages Joe Adams and Desdamona host this monthly open mic at Capri Theater in North Minneapolis.

Tuesday, May 2

HIP-HOP/JAZZ/ PERFORMANCE Land of the Lost Art Honey 205 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis 9 p.m.

“Land of the Lost Art” features live painting, glassworks, taxidermy jewelry, clothing vendors and live performances ranging from hip-hop, acoustic, R&B, new age, and electric soul jazz. Performers include Will Robinson, Deeply Rooted Tribe, Sieed Brown and more.

Wednesday, May 3 FUNDRAISER/ SKATEBOARDING Indeed We Can x City of Skate Indeed Brewing Company 711 15th Ave. N.E., Minneapolis 3 p.m. – 10 p.m.

The “Indeed We Can” series from Insight Brewing Co. features City of Skate. Each beer ordered will help to build skateparks in Minneapolis. For more information go to www. indeedbrewing.com/indeed-wecan.

Thursday, May 4

Genreal “The 516 EP” Release Party Golden’s Lowertown 275 4th St. E., St. Paul No cover New Hampshire to Minnesota transplant Genreal has been all over the place lately. For this show he performs alongside DJ Miss Brit, Mild Manner, Ole Soles, Tommy Coughlin aka Forecast of the No Good Neighbors, Off-10 Publications and Noah James.

Saturday, May 6 OPEN HOUSE C2i’s 4th Annual Kentucky Derby Fundraiser Warehouse Winery 6415 Cambridge St., St. Louis Park 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. $30 advance, $40 day of Connections 2 independence (C2i) is kicking off National Foster Care Month with the 4th Annual Kentucky Derby Celebration: Run for the Roses.

Come enjoy the Derby while giving back to a population of youth who are forgotten in our community; older youth in and aging out of the foster care system. Activities include casino gaming, a fashion show, best hat contest, Derby viewing and more.

OPEN MIC

Sunday, May 7

Open Mic Riverview Café and Wine Bar 3745 42nd Ave. S., Minneapolis 7 p.m.

SOUL MUSIC

Every Thursday night open mic takes place down at Riverview Café.

Friday, May 5 HIP-HOP

G Sharp and the Bizne$$ Lee’s Liquor Lounge 101 Glenwood Ave., Minneapolis 21-plus $7 Join G Sharp and his band of nearly 10 (or more depending on the night) as they cover your favorite soul and funk classics.

Harry Colbert, Jr.

Each year teams throughout Major League Baseball pay tribute to Jackie Robinson by wearing his number 42. This is a 2015 photo of the Minnesota Twins taken on Jackie Robinson Day in 2015.

Tribute to Jackie Robinson’s

greatness masks, spite

By Fred Easter Sports Editor April 15 is usually remembered for being Tax Day in this country.

This year we got a break as Tax Day was moved back a few days due to the Easter holiday. This year, April 15 was solely observed as the day Major League Baseball honors Jackie Robinson. As it has been for several years now, all players wore Robinson’s number 42 on their game uniforms.

I was a young diehard baseball fan living in Harlem, N.Y. when Jackie broke into Major League Baseball with the hated Brooklyn Dodgers. I was a Yankee fan. I lived right across the bridge from Yankee Stadium. I hadn’t quite turned six years of age and my sense of history and politics hadn’t yet developed. Today, they both have.

I watched Jackie do things on a baseball diamond that hadn’t ever been done before and haven’t been done since.

For example, Jackie stole home 19 times in his career … 19 times. You will not find a year in which home was stolen 19 times in all of baseball, maybe not a decade. Roger Kahn, in his book “The Boys of Summer” recounts Jackie getting into a rundown, on purpose, between third base

and home and toying with the defense until a frustrated pitcher tackled him as he crossed home plate safely.

Jackie clearly took great to a new level. There ought to be a special Hall of Fame for him alone. Still, I must confess to some ambivalence as Jackie’s greatness is celebrated. I wonder if all the noise is designed to provide America with an excuse to forget how hateful, spiteful, small and inhumane this country was, and is, at its heart. It is as if his greatness, achieved as it was, on ballfields across the country, reflects greatness onto Major League Baseball and America itself. Of course, the opposite is true. Jackie Robinson’s treatment at the hands of this country and its signature game is mute testimony to their true character.

The national anthem is played before every game.

During the seventh inning “God Bless America” is performed.

Recite the words of those songs to yourself and imagine Jackie being refused service where the rest of the team was taking its meals or finding death threats in city after city “from sea to shining sea.” Think of the “brave” Black soldiers returning home to discrimination and racism after vanquishing Hitler and Mussolini. Think of Hank Aaron getting death threats as he neared Babe Ruth’s

home run record. We call the men memorialized on Mount Rushmore the fathers of our country and step neatly over the fact that two of them were slave owners and one had children were born to a woman he enslaved. Think of modern day Republicans labeling game changing health legislation after a Black man so Americans would hate it, even as they signed up for it under its real name. America cannot accept the idea of Black heroes.

Even as Jack Roosevelt Robinson’s career is being celebrated and this country’s history is being swept under the rug; the numbers of AfricanAmericans in professional baseball is shrinking. Some would have you believe that the cause is either Blacks don’t go to college or Title IX has cut college baseball scholarships or Blacks prefer football and basketball because the route through baseball’s minor leagues is so arduous and long. I don’t buy it. Major League Baseball operates baseball academies throughout Latin America. It houses, trains, teaches cultural cues to ease adjustments to this country. No such programs exist in my childhood home of Harlem. Therefore there are no future Jackie Robinsons, Willie Mays, Hanks Aarons or Curt Floods being imbued with the love of the game that I had at six.

insightnews.com

Insight News • April 24 - April 30, 2017 • Page 11

Raul Midón masterful at the Dakota

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor

Prior to four years ago I had never heard of Raul Midón … I had never seen him.

I was a big fan of Lizz Wright and she was on the bill at the Ordway back in October of 2013. She was performing with someone … didn’t know who, and really didn’t care. I was set on seeing Wright. That someone was Midón. The show was outstanding. I’ve been a fan of Midón ever since.

So, when I saw he would be performing at the Dakota Jazz Club I was beyond excited to get to see the talented artist again. But this time around I

Harry Colbert, Jr.

Multi-talented singer and musician, Raul Midón, during his April 17 performance at the Dakota Jazz Club. was less interested in seeing him. I wanted to just hear him.

I wanted to experience the music

the way Midón does … without the “distraction” of sight.

Midón, who plays the guitar,

piano, bongos and trumpet – sort of – has been blind almost since birth.

While much of the time during Midón’s hour-plus long show, I did take in the performance with my eyes open, at some point I decided to close my eyes and just listen. What I heard was magical … masterful.

Genre defying, Midón is one part jazz, one part soul, one part folk. At times, there are traces of the recently departed Al Jarreau in his voice; other times its Kem. Then there’s the folk of Bob Dylan. And then … then there’s the most beautiful sound of a trumpet that could easily be the work of virtuoso, Dizzy Gillespie. The one caveat – Gillespie actually needed the horn to create his magic. Midón needs only his lips, lungs and imagination.

For Midón’s Dakota show

there was no backing band … none needed. While the artist offered brief introductions before each song, the songs spoke for themselves.

If there is any criticism of Midón’s Dakota show, it’s not directed at the artist, but at the audience. While certainly appreciative, the crowd was a bit sedated … a bit too polite. At some point I was expecting … hoping … someone would yell “Alright now. You better play that ‘trumpet.’” Instead there were just polite applause. I don’t think the crowd was believing what they were seeing. Had they just done what I did … just closed their eyes and listened.

Maybe they would have fully appreciated the magic.

‘Chasing Trane’ offers wonderful insight into John Coltrane’s life

By Dwight Brown NNPA Newswire Film Critic “My music is the spiritual expression of what I am … I want to be the force that is truly for good.”

It was a while before the legendary jazz musician and saxophonist John Coltrane got to a place where he could articulate his mantra that clearly.

The legacy Coltrane left behind is a bit more cryptic than that of Miles Davis or Charlie Parker. More of his devotees are hardcore jazz aficionados than casual music listeners. Chiefly because his last bodies of work and musical style, “Free Jazz,” were so cacophonous, fast paced and not that easy on a regular set of ears that might interpret his art form as screeching noises.

Though, hardcore jazz fans knew his genius and appreciated the sounds he made in his later years.

To understand how Coltrane got to that musically intense space, you have to see Coltrane and his music evolve, and that’s where this enlightening documentary, “Chasing Trane,” is very helpful.

Writer/director John Scheinfeld is best known for his

investigative documentary, “The U.S. vs. John Lennon.” He has experience digging out the facts and creating a body of work that exhibits his findings. Scheinfeld assembles a very impressive roster of family, friends and fellow musicians whose recollections pull together the chapters of Coltrane’s bio.

Coltrane’s stepdaughter, Antonia Andrews, recalls a night when her dad walked all the way home from a gig so he wouldn’t spend money on carfare. He wanted to buy her a pair of shoes and every penny counted. This was a sign of his love and caring that she never forgot. She also recalls the night he left her mom and her. Both moments bring tears to her eyes.

Jimmy Heath, a good friend and fellow saxophonist, remembers the night Dizzie Gillespie caught Coltrane and him in a basement doing heroin.

Both got kicked out of the band, but Coltrane begged for his job back, and got it.

Yasuhiro “Fuji” Fujioka is possibly the number one collector of Coltrane memorabilia in the world. His love and obsession for the musician started in high school when he heard Coltrane on the radio. It was a revelation.

He went on a lifelong quest to collect every record he could

Meteor 17

Saxophonist John Coltrane is the subject of “Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary.” find and other mementos. His love for the man grew more when Coltrane toured in Japan and showed a deep compassion for the country, its people and the suffering they endured during and after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Fujioka spent a lifetime, as he says, “chasing Trane.”

With all the interviews – from Coltrane’s children, intellectuals such as Cornel West, musicians such as Sonny Rollins and Carlos Santana and dignitaries such as former President Bill Clinton – you almost don’t notice that there are no live interviews with Coltrane himself; just photos and glimpses of him playing with

his band. That’s because he only did print interviews, and those precious words are voiced on screen by Denzel Washington.

In a strong, illuminating manner, Washington’s voice and deliberate cadence take you within Coltrane’s soul and thought process.

Scheinfeld uses cutouts, collages and montages to liven up the screen. The reminiscing by the interviewees is provocative and vivid. Photographs from the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s make you feel like you are leafing through someone’s family album. What’s on view looks like a fine PBS documentary or educational film. It misses the mark as a major theatrical

jazz documentary like “I Called Him Morgan.” But, within its own specific genre, this film is illuminating.

Born in North Carolina in 1926, John Coltrane was lucky to be part of a tight loving family with strong father figures. He was unlucky at age 12, when he lost his father, uncle and two grandfathers in the space of just two years. Needing an income, his mother moved him to Philadelphia, where she could find work. She made enough money to afford music lessons for her son who had learned to master the saxophone.

Coltrane’s talent blossomed and seemed to reach another level when he met and was influenced by the double-timing, rapid-fire playing of Charlie Parker. It was a style that he would incorporate into his own.

Subsequent gigs with Gillespie’s band and Miles Davis’ band brought Coltrane further along his own road. That progress was hindered by an addiction to heroin, which he managed to kick on his own.

Freeing himself from that vice set him on a spiritual journey that meshed with his music.

Meeting pianist Alice McCloud at the club Birdland in the early ‘60s was another milestone.

They married and started a new

family.

Under the influence of this stability, in 1964, upstairs at his split-level home in Dix Hills, Long Island, Coltrane would create his opus jazz record, a four-part suite called “A Love Supreme,” which was released in 1965. It was a blend of forceful hymn-like melodies that were a triumph of music and spirituality and displayed a tenor saxophone dexterity. This is a Zen moment in jazz. This is the album that raised Coltrane to a status on the level of Davis and Parker.

As the documentary winds down and a deadly disease takes Coltrane away from his fans and the world at age 40, what remains is his music and his desire to only spread good throughout the world. The loving thoughts, by all the interviewees, sustain his spirit, as does listening to his catalog of music during the film’s 99-minutes.

Indeed, Coltrane’s music was the spiritual expression of who he was. This film confirms it.

Dwight Brown is a film critic and travel writer. As a film critic, he regularly attends international film festivals including Cannes, Sundance, Toronto and the American Black Film Festival. Read more movie reviews by Dwight Brown here and at DwightBrownInk.com.

MNHS.ORG

Explore art, race and a nation on stage through the prism of the African American experience.

NOW ON VIEW 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., Blvd St. St Paul Paul, MN 55102 adapted by LYDIA R. DIAMOND directed by LILEANA BLAIN-CRUZ

Now – May 21 612.377.2224 / guthrietheater.org

Page 12 • April 24 - April 30, 2017 • Insight News

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Snapshots

‘V-Day’ What do you get when you combine a St. Paul photography studio location with a New Orleans bounce music theme?

You get one heck of a party! That was the backdrop for Vanessa McDuffie’s 30th birthday celebration held on April 15 in Lowertown.

About 50 or so diverse and eclectic party goers came out to help McDuffie bring in her Dirty 30. Insight News had an exclusive invite. Here is some of what our lenses captured.

Rockin’ the headdress all night, Vanessa McDuffie (second from right) partying with Corey Collins (left), Nick Hooks (second left) and Ieesha Collins.

Photos by Harry Colbert, Jr.

(Left to right) Reunited besties Lasha Raddatz, Kenyatta McCarty and Heather Hall celebrating Vanessa McDuffie’s “V-Day.”

(Left to right) The birthday girl, Vanessa McDuffie, Ieesha Collins, Akilah Mahon, Katie Troter and Devonda Scott.

The man who provided the bounce, Anthony “DJ A-Quil” DuBose.

Model Elly Olson (left) and the “V-Day” girl, Vanessa McDuffie.

The love story that inspired the hit musical RENT.

May 6–21

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BUY TODAY This show will sell out!

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612-333-6 6669 Raynardo Williams in the groove.