Groundbreaking DJ, Nappy DJ Needles comes to Minneapolis for Memorial Day day party MOREWeekend ON PAGE 10 MORE ON PAGE 10
Insight News May 18 - May 24, 2015
Vol. 42 No. 20 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges
California Dreaming Master nail technician Ryan Morgan last month took the scenic route, scanning the horizon over Hollister, CA. in his first ever skydive. Morgan said he and friends found a super coupon offer for Hollister Skydiving, and decided to go for it. “You have to sign your life away, promise that you won’t sue and that your relatives won’t sue. And they tell you “accidents do happen…” Morgan said he was a little nervous, but relaxed when met the dive instructor, Braxton, who had just landed from a previous jump
Hodges: Inclusive growth critical Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges participated in the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention in Washington, D.C. The mayor said her participation was a part of her ongoing efforts to improve outcomes for young people of color, what she called a critical piece of her initiative to foster inclusive growth. Since 2012, Minneapolis has been a federallydesignated National Forum city. Attorney General Loretta Lynch
half an hour earlier. The fact that Braxton, to whom Morgan was harnessed, was an accomplished skydiver, “made me comfortable,” Morgan said. He said the jump from 8,000 feet from a plane flying at 120 mph included a 20-30 second free fall before the parachute was deployed. “I learned how to steer the parachute. Would I do it again? At first I said, ‘No,’ but, now I think I would if my son Ryan, Jr., wanted to try it,” he said.
FORUM TURN TO 7
10-year-old pepper-sprayed by police during downtown protest By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer A 10-year old boy was among protestors subjected to spraying of a harsh chemical irritant by a Minneapolis Police Department officer Wednesday night. About 100 people took to the streets in downtown Minneapolis, marching in support of Tony Robinson, killed in March by a Madison, WI police officer. The street protest was to show solidarity for protesters in Madison, WI who are angry that a police officer would be charged for the killing of a 19-year-old man.
Women Leading Change By Dr. Artika Tyner
@micamaryjane
PROTEST TURN TO 7
10 -year-old Taye has milk poured into his eyes after being pepper-sprayed by Minneapolis police
Blacks becoming more comfortable discussing mental health By Jazelle Hunt NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that there are more than 40 million Americans currently dealing with mental illnesses, not including issues related drug and alcohol use. But mental health treatment goes far beyond diagnoses and prescriptions. “You don’t have to be what we know as mentally ill. You don’t have to be schizophrenic or bipolar to seek therapy. You can
Barbara Arnwine: Advancing justice
Terrie Williams, award-winning mental health advocate and author of “Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting.”
Insight 2 Health Improve your gut health!
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seek therapy because your dog died, and you just feel sad about it,” says Nikki Davis, a prison psychologist and substance abuse and family therapist in Virginia. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Your weakness comes from [when] you don’t seek the help you know you need.” Davis was about 10 years old the first time she saw a therapist. One of her siblings seemed to be struggling with an emotional disorder, and her parents felt the whole family could use some help. May is Mental Health Month and for many Black people, the concept iof mental health
treatment s somewhere between laughable and extravagant. Reasons abound for Black people who dismiss mental health treatment. “In the Black community we are hesitant to trust medical professionals. We think that mental health or mental illness is a White person’s disease. We have a tendency to want to pray it away,” Davis says. “[In therapy] they get an unbiased opinion. You’re going to get a non-judgmental and unbiased environment that is going to be as honest and forthcoming as it can be without
HEALTH TURN TO 7
Barbara Arnwine has played a key role in advancing justice in the arena of civil rights. Arnwine has served as the president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law for more than 26 years. Within this leadership role her stance has been strong and her commitment has been unwavering to secure through rule of law, equal justice under the law. One such example is her determination to protect one of our most fundamental rights – voting. She has waged war against the direct assault of democracy as evidenced by laws and policies that restrict access to the ballot box. For example, she has fought against the restrictive voter id laws. Voter ID laws serve as an active barrier for the 11 percent of voting age citizens, who lack a government issued photo ID. Arnwine is fighting to protect the rights of these 21 million citizens. Furthermore, she is a prominent
Barbara Arnwine leader in Election Protection, which is the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition. Equal Protection plays a vital role in supporting and protecting voters. Moreover, in 2011, Arnwine and the Lawyer’s Committee began tracking suppressive voting legislation across the nation, which led to the creation of the well-known “Map of Shame.” This map provides an in-depth look at trends in voter disenfranchisement legislation. Arnwine has positively
ARNWINE TURN TO 3
MLK Park
Our agenda
Commentary
Breaking ground in the spirit of MLK, Jr.
Let’s stop using the ‘p’ word, now!
Challenging economic racism in America Part II
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Page 2 • May 18 - May 24, 2015 • Insight News
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Improve your gut health! One of the most important things you can do for your health bacteria that By Julie McMahon CHHC pathogenic cause disease. When the Sound Nutrition LLC bad outweigh the good, we Your health begins with your gut! In Western medicine we are not taught the importance of good gut health, yet it is at the root of your overall health. In Eastern medicine, this is commonly acknowledged and this is where they begin whether you are going in for emotional, neurological or physical reasons. We have an entire ecosystem within us that works in harmony to keep us looking good, feeling good, healthy and strong. We have an estimated one hundred trillion bacteria in our gut! There are more bacteria in our gastrointestinal track than cells in our body, by about ten to one. There are about 400-1000 different species in our GI track and they weigh about four pounds. Wow! It is sometimes referred to as our “second brain” where 90% of our serotonin and 50% of our dopamine is made. There are both good and bad microflora. When the good outweigh the bad we experience balance and harmony. These friendly creatures strengthen our immune system, and help the body defend against the fungus, yeast, viruses and
experience symptoms of imbalance in our body. It may surprise you to know that most of us are walking around with some type of gut imbalance at any given time in our life. It is therefore important to take care of our gut, by populating it with friendly bacteria and giving them an environment where they can thrive! Benefits of an optimized gut: • Strong immune system • Detoxify well • Manufacturing of B vitamins and Vitamin K2 • Proper digestion and absorption of nutrients • Wards off depression and anxiety • Optimal weight Are you out of balance? Some signs of imbalance are: • Digestive issues common in IBS, bloating, belching, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, bad breath, abdominal pain, indigestion • Lactose intolerance • Food allergies and sensitivities • Chronic fatigue • Joint pain • Fibromyalgia • Allergies • Yeast infections • Thrush • Lowered libido
• • • • • • • •
Fatigue Mental fog Sugar cravings (including alcohol, pasta, breads) Weight gain Skin problems such as acne or hives Nail fungi Hyperactivity; learning and behavioral disorders Depression
What you can do about it! • Eat fermented foods such as Sauerkraut or Kimchi. Make sure they are Raw and NOT Pasteurized! (Pasteurization kills the good bacteria we want) • Take a probiotic supplement. Look for ones that are 20 billion cfu or more and contain multiple strains. • Drink probiotic beverages like coconut water kefir • Avoid sugars and processed foods AND eat plenty of leafy greens and vegetables Julie McMahon, Founder/ Owner of Sound Nutrition, is a Certified Holistic Health Coach and Raw Food Nutrition Educator who is passionate about Nutrition, Health and Wellness. Julie believes in the power of whole
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Minutes matter when it comes to stroke By Dr. Irfan Altafullah, Stroke Center Medical Director North Memorial Health Care The statistics around stroke are staggering. Each year over 130,000 people in the United States die after experiencing a stroke and according to the Minnesota Department of health, since 2005, the number of stroke hospitalizations has remained between 11,000 and 12,000 a year. For minorities, the numbers are even more alarming. Minorities have higher stroke risks, stroke occurrence at an earlier age and, for some, more severe strokes. Although certain risk factors for stroke, such as genetics or family history cannot be controlled, others such as high blood pressure or diabetes can go unrecognized. African Americans are more impacted by stroke than any other racial groups within the American population. African Americans are twice as likely to die from stroke as then Caucasians. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel going to the brain is disrupted either by a blood clot or a ruptured vessel. This process is similar to that which occurs in a heart attack. Deprived of oxygen, the cells in the affected area of the brain cannot function and often die. The parts of the body controlled by those cells are then unable to function. When a stroke does occur, timing is everything! Every minute counts – treatment within three hours of the first symptom is the most effective for reducing long-term damage from a stroke and preventing death. And treatment within the “golden hour” of a patient arriving at a hospital and receiving the appropriate treatment is crucial in the management of an acute stroke. Risk Factors Knowing your risk factors for stroke and controlling them is the first step in preventing
Dr. Irfan Altafullah a stroke. Although some risk factors, like genetics or family history, cannot be controlled other risk factors should be monitored and regulated. Research points to the following risk factors as major contributors to stroke: • High blood pressure: As the number one risk factor for stroke, 1 in 3 AfricanAmericans suffer from high blood pressure. • High Cholesterol: The buildup of cholesterol or plaque in the arteries block normal blood flow to the brain • Diabetes: People with diabetes have a higher stroke risk. • Smoking: Risk for stroke doubles when you smoke. If you stop smoking today, your stroke risk will immediately begin to decrease. • Obesity: Adopting a lowersodium (salt), lower-fat diet and becoming more physically active may help lower blood pressure and risk for stroke. Signs of a Stroke Because time is critical when it comes to stroke treatment, knowing the signs of stroke saves lives. The acronym F.A.S.T. is promoted by the American Heart Association as a common and easy way for recognizing and responding to a stroke. The letters in F.A.S.T. stand for: Face Drooping – Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person’s smile uneven? Arm Weakness – Is one
arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? Speech Difficulty – Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like “The sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly? Time to call 9-1-1 – If you notice any of these symptoms, even if they go away, call 9-1-1 and get the person to the hospital right away. Be sure to check the time so you know when the symptoms first appeared. May is American Stroke Month and a great time to not only make sure you are familiar with the signs of stroke but also be proactive about your health – especially if you are at risk for a stroke. Ask your doctor about which tests you should have based on your age and other health factors. Your numbers provide a picture of your health status and your risk for certain diseases and conditions, so keep track of them. Learn more about our stroke program at https://www.northmemorial. com/stroke. At North Memorial we pride ourselves on being a Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, which means we provide the highest level of stroke care and treatment, so if you have any concerns as far as stroke symptoms or questions call 763.581.CARE (763.581.2273) to make an appointment.
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Insight News • May 18 - May 24, 2015 • Page 3
Left to right: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Commissioner Scott Vreeland (District 3) with his grandson; Jerry Urbaniak, Bobby & Steve’s Auto World Youth Foundation; Marina Ostendorf, Bobby & Steve’s Auto World Youth Foundation, owner of Nicollet Ave. station; Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene (District 3); Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin (District 4); Felicity Britton, People for Parks; Jayne Miller, Superintendent of Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board; Charles Mays, Co-Chair of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park Legacy Council; Sandra Richardson, Co-Chair of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park Legacy Council; Shalette CauleyWandrick, artist on the design team; Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Commissioner Brad Bourn (District 6) and Esther Osayande, artist on the design team.
Candace Amberg, Senior Landscape Architect, WSB & Associates; Charles Mays, Legacy Council Co-Chair and Rochelle Callendar, Legacy Council member.
Breaking ground in the spirit of MLK, Jr. Community, business and political leaders at Noon on May 6th gathered for the groundbreaking celebration for the new playground at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, 4055 Nicollet Ave. S. The playground will be the first in the state of Minnesota to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights Movement, and African American History. A unique collaboration with four local African-American artists, Shalette Cauley-Wandrick, graphic artist, Esther Osayande,
conceptual artist, and master artists Tacoumba Aiken and Seitu Jones, the neighborhood and its stakeholders community leaders say they are creating a park that will inspire children, their parents, fellow neighbors and friends. The new playground will include: • interpretive panels with historical information and QR code links to Benjamin McHie’s African American Registry website • a climbing structure replicating the Edmund
Pettus Bridge • a climbable mountaintop • an educational staircase illustrating authors of African Heritage • a flag from the Red Hand Division WWI AfricanAmerican regiment • themed children’s play to highlight African-American inventors, including our own Minnesotan, Frederick McKinley Jones. Co-chairs Charles Mays and Sandra Richardson, speaking on behalf of the Martin Luther
King Jr. Memorial Park Legacy Council, said the creation of the innovative civil rightsthemed children’s playground is foundational in MLK Memorial Park’s emergence as a major destination not only for local communities, but for national and international visitors to Minnesota. “We envision a day when tourists will list Mall of America and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park as their top destinations when they visit Minnesota,” said Mays.
Richardson said the new playground is stage two of a multi-stage vision intended to establish the park as a world class destination and resource for the community. The renovation comes as a cost of about $500,000, which is more than normally budgeted for playground renovations. The passionate leadership from the MLK Legacy Council, and the generous investment support of local business induced reallocation of Park Board
resources to make the project happen, said Jane Miller, Superintendent, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. The new playground will formally open in a ceremony on Saturday Aug 23. For further information visit: https://www. minneapolisparks.org/park_ care__improvements/park_ projects/current_projects/ rev_dr_martin_luther_king_ jr_park_playground_and_site_ improvements/
Arnwine
social change. I still remember vividly in 2007, my law school, University of St. Thomas School of Law, hosted Arnwine as a speaker. I had expected to hear a lecture on the history of voting rights in the United States but instead she explained how the past is a prologue for the future. I quickly realized that I was disillusioned about the Civil Rights Movement. Like many, I had accepted the myth that the battle for equality was won and
the promise of democracy was secured 50 years ago with the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Arnwine spoke truth to power as she challenged each of us to remain vigilant in the quest for justice in order to move from complacency to action. Her message was clear that lawyers must pick up their mantle of leadership and finish the work of the Civil Rights Movement. I left her speech with a renewed commitment to become a social
engineer who creates new inroads to justice and freedom. This takes me to the second lesson that I learned from Arnwine. As lawyers, we must have a passion for justice. Charles Hamilton Houston wisely stated a lawyer as a social engineer is a “mouthpiece of the weak and a sentinel guarding against wrong.” Arnwine has lived this mission as she delivers a stirring call to action for all lawyers to take a stand in advancing equal justice
under the law. She reminds each of us that we who believe in freedom cannot rest. The third lesson I got from her is work on the ground. In order to create change, the community members must be informed and engaged. She uses a multimedia approach to raise awareness about injustices impacting communities of color. People can find Arnwine tweeting for justice (@barbs73), lifting her voice for justice on her Radio One
broadcast (“Igniting Change with Barbara Arnwine”) and writing for justice in newspapers across the nation. Arnwine is a shining example of the key role women lawyers can play in society as gatekeepers of justice. Dr. Artika R. Tyner is an assistant professor at the University of St. Thomas College of Education, Leadership and Counseling.
From 1 impacted my life by modeling excellence in leadership and service in the community. The first lesson she taught me was the importance of lawyers serving as leaders. Leadership is about influence and leveraging this influence to plant seeds of
ACT FAST AT THE SIGNS OF STROKE. Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States suffers a stroke, and unfortunately, every four minutes one person dies. Time is critical with a stroke. It’s an emergency. Know the signs of a stroke and take action FAST: Facial droop Arm weakness Speech difficulties Time to call 911 immediately Call 911 and come directly to North Memorial ER if you have any symptoms. North Memorial is a leader in stroke care and is committed to rapidly assessing and treating stroke patients. Go to northmemorial.com/stroke to learn more about our award-winning stroke program.
You belong. The health plan with you in mind.
Melvin Stroke Survivor
At Medica, you’re not just part of a health plan. You’re part of a community that believes in better health for all. Learn more at medica.com
Page 4 • May 18 - May 24, 2015 • Insight News
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BUSINESS Finding apartments and rental properties Warmer temperatures are here, students are moving out of dorms and people of all ages have begun the process of searching for new apartments or rental properties. Whether you’re a student, relocating for work or simply looking for a new living space that better accommodates your needs, Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) reminds people it’s important to consider a wide variety of factors. “The Internet makes it very easy to search for rental properties today,” said Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota. “However, we still suggest onsite visits, to see apartments firsthand and weed out bogus rental ads created
solely to defraud people.” In an effort to help tenants avoid rental scams and narrow down their searches, BBB has compiled some helpful information and tips as a starting point for those that are in the market for a new place to live: Do your research. Start with apartments or rentals that are centrally located by assessing how far your commute to work or school will be. A shorter commute will save you time and money. You can always research rental companies for free at bbb.org and go over customer reviews. According to Apartment Finder, 96 percent of apartment hunters said that online reviews influenced their decision when it came to choosing an
apartment. Review the lease before signing. It pays to be thorough when you’re reading a lease. Put a mark next to anything that you have questions about. If there’s something you wish to change in your lease agreement, it never hurts to ask. If there is an issue with the apartment that the landlord agrees to fix before you move in, be sure to get it in writing – including a date by which the repair or repairs will be completed. Be careful on craigslist. If you take your apartment hunt to craigslist, some ads might ask the potential leaser to wire money in order to secure the rental. Never wire or forward funds to someone you don’t know and never agree to a rental without first inspecting
the property in person. Be aware that scammers will go to rental websites, copy the rental listing – including photos – and repost them to craigslist at a much lower cost. Renters should be wary of deals that sound too good to be true. Budget for utilities. This includes cable, Internet, gas or electricity, water, trash pickup and pet fees. These things can add up quickly. Find out if any of these are covered by the landlord or apartment complex. Take additional costs into consideration. Some rental properties might require an application fee upfront. This covers a background check – including your credit score, criminal record and rental history. These fees are usually nonrefundable, even if you’re
not approved. If you are approved, you will likely be asked to pay a security deposit. Make sure you’re clear about the conditions under which that deposit is refundable. In an effort to help apartment hunters steer clear of rental scams, BBB warns renters to watch out for situations where: The deal sounds too good to be true. Scammers will often list a rental for a very low price to lure in victims. Find out how comparable listings are priced, and if the rental comes in suspiciously low, walk away. The landlord is located elsewhere and prefers to communicate solely through email. If the landlord claims they are unable to show you the apartment because they are traveling - or recently relocated
due to work - this is often a sign it’s a scam. The listing contains misspellings or grammatical errors. In most cases, this means the ad was created by a scammer overseas, one who isn’t familiar with the nuances of the English language. High-pressure tactics are being used. Though the rental market is tight, there are always places for rent. Don’t be afraid to walk away you if you feel pressured to sign a lease. Ask for a copy of the lease agreement and give yourself enough time to review it in detail, including the fine print. For the latest consumer news, fraud alerts and free BBB Business Reviews visit bbb. org.
Your fantasy celebrity board FUNdraising Good Times
By Mel and Pearl Shaw
If you could have any five celebrities on your nonprofit board, who would you pick? Visualize yourself as chair of the board of a nonprofit you believe in. Maybe it’s a university, an early childhood education center, a food bank, international research institute, or performing arts company. You pick the nonprofit –
Can you think of people in your community who can help you bring your vision to life?
and the board members! Focus first on your vision: as board chair, what do you want the organization or institution to accomplish under your leadership? Be specific. Do you want to ensure all first year college students graduate in less than five years with less than $12,000 in student loan debt? As an early childhood education program, are you seeking to enroll 97% of children under five years of age within a two mile radius? Do you need to fully automate the warehouse for the regional food bank? Maybe you want your research institute to bring two new drugs to clinical trial. As a performing arts company, do you seek to increase the number and quality of performances? You determine your vision, and then pick your board. Make a quick list. Does it include Sheryl Sandberg, Malala Yousafzai, George Lucas and Melissa Harris Perry? Are Sean Hannity, Whoopi Goldberg, or Mark Zuckerberg on your list? What about Kim Kardashian, Lorretta Lynch, John McCain, and Jon Stewart? Or
maybe you are thinking of Serena Williams, Beyonce, Joel Osteen, Ellen DeGeneres and Michelle Obama. You have a universe of celebrities to pick from! Review your list with an eye to the qualities “your” celebrities
possess. Look beyond the obvious “rich and famous.” In fact, don’t consider wealth and fame. Think about what attracts you to each celebrity. Is it their creativity, persistence, sense of justice, risk taking? Remember to focus on your vision. Which celebrities possess the qualities, experience and connections that can bring your vision to life? Are they accessible? Committed to a personal or public vision that dovetails with yours? Are they passionate about it? Do they have access to people who can bring your vision to life? Do they follow through on their promises? Are they willing to be an advocate? Can they move beyond their “celebrity” to let a cause be the focus? Are they respected? Do they have political connections, influence, a proven track record – are they involved with other
nonprofits? Once you have your top five it’s time to determine how to approach each. Remember, this is your fantasy board – there are no barriers standing in your way. So, what will you say? How will you make your case? What do you want your celebrities to actually do as board members? Now, back to reality: can you think of people in your community who can help you bring your vision to life? Who will you pursue and why? The choice is yours. Copyright 2015– Mel and Pearl Shaw Mel and Pearl Shaw position nonprofits, colleges and universities for fundraising success. For help with your fundraising visit www. saadandshaw.com or call (901) 522-8727.
427 African Americans in Minnesota are currently waiting for life-saving organ transplants. Nationally, African Americans are the largest group of people of color in need of an organ transplant. African Americans have higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure than Caucasians, increasing the risk of organ failure.
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Insight News • May 18 - May 24, 2015 • Page 5
Let’s stop using the ‘p’ word, now! Our agenda By Jeffrey A. Hassan, Executive Director African American Leadership Forum When I was growing-up in the 1950’s and 1960’s they used to refer to Black folks as being “Poor.” The new word for poor today is “Poverty” – a word with terrible implications. Webster’s dictionary defines poverty as being destitute, being a beggar, lacking in nutrition, and lacking in fertility. We need to stop referring to ourselves and our people as being poor or living in “Poverty.” African American scholars and community leaders like
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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 Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Associate Editor Culture and Education Irma McClaurin Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Ben Williams Production Intern Sunny Thongthi Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Contributing Writers Harry Colbert, Jr. Julie Desmond Fred Easter Timothy Houston Penny Jones-Richardson Alaina L. Lewis Darren Moore Carmen Robles Lydia Schwartz Ryan T. Scott Toki Wright Photography David Bradley Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55411.
Professor Mahmoud El-Kati, Alfred Babington-Johnson, and Yusef Mgeni, back in the 1960’s and 70’s, began changing the narrative about referring to Black folks as being “poor.” They stated that “We aren’t poor – we just don’t have any money!” And, there’s a BIG difference. Being without money or material resources doesn’t define our existence. They stated that, in point of fact, we, as a people are rich - in heritage, in culture, spirituality and tradition. Professor El-Kati told us that Black folks in Africa had the world’s first colleges and universities in Timbuktu, Mali and Songhai, during a time when people on the continent known as Europe were still living in caves. He argued that we, as a people, were the inventors of the only original American music art form – jazz!! BabingtonJohnson argued that in African American culture, it is about the “We” and not the “Me.” We have a long history of African American scholars and leaders, who grew-up without money or material means; but, none of whom were poor or living in poverty! Many were born into slavery, but the cruelest form of material deprivation did not stop them from becoming leaders. Like Fredrick Douglass, who was an abolitionist, a suffragist, and advisor to President Abraham Lincoln in the 1800’s; Ida B. Wells, who was a journalist, newspaper editor, and women’s voting rights advocate in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s; and, George Washington Carver,
We can’t let money and material possessions define who we are as a people.
also born a slave, who became a college professor at Tuskegee Institute and an inventor, who was a renowned scientist in the early 1900’s. W.E.B. DuBois, graduated from Fisk University in the 1880’s, and was the first African American to obtain a PhD from Harvard University in 1895. He went on to establish the Niagara Movement, which went on to become known as the NAACP; and, Paul Robeson, who, along with President Barack Obama, is one of my all-time favorites. In 1919, Paul Robeson was an All-American football player, Phi Beta Kappa and class valedictorian at Rutgers University. He spoke 15 different languages, performed in movies, on Broadway and in theatres in London. In the 1940’s and 50’s, Charles Hamilton Houston, Dean of the Howard University Law School, crafted the legal strategy that struck down American Apartheid in schools, colleges and universities, hotels
and public accommodations, and more. Very few of these outstanding leaders, if any, came from a background of wealth and comfort; but, none were “poor.” In fact, the opposite is true - they were all very rich – with the history, culture and traditions of our people. And, let’s not forget our President, Barack Obama, who came from very humble origins. He was raised by a single mother and grandparents – who, by today’s standards, might have been living in poverty. President Obama’s father, a Kenyan African, left him when he was a young child. His mother remarried an Asian man, and Barack lived for a period of time in Indonesia, among people that our society would label as living in “poverty.” But, Barack did not growup poor and he didn’t live in “poverty” - He wasn’t destitute, a beggar or lacking in any way, shape or form. To the contrary, he was rich in understanding
other people, their cultures and traditions; riches that have served him well as President of the United States, as he moves seamlessly between leaders of Asia, India, Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. What other president of the United States can you name that has accomplished what this man of humble means (read poverty), has accomplished? He’s reversed the worst economic disaster the United States has experienced since the Great Depression of 1939; he created more jobs in one year (2010), than his predecessor, George Bush, created in eight years in office; and, during his administration, more than 10 Million jobs have been created; the American stock market is trading at its highest level in the history of the country; he kept the automobile industry from bankruptcy and in the process created and saved as many as 1 million jobs; middle class tax rates are the lowest they’ve been since the 1950’s – cutting taxes to 95% of working families; and, he’s passed Universal Health Care – commonly called “Obama Care,” which has insured millions of Americans who did not have insurance; and, he’s gotten America out of the two longest running wars in U.S. history – Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, we use the “P” word – “Poverty” – to describe people who don’t have a “socially acceptable amount of money or material means. Poverty originates from the Latin word “pauper” – someone who is poor or without means. Other definitions include
scarcity, debility due to lack of nutrition, lack of fertility. Synonyms for poverty include beggary, destitute, needy and impoverished. It is critically important that all people have the opportunity to earn a decent wage, and to support their families with the material possessions that we desire. But, we can’t let money and material possessions define who we are as a people. If we do, we’ll go down the same slippery slope of materialism that we’ve seen in the broader culture. It’s going to be hard to stop using the “P” word of Poverty, because everywhere we go, from the federal, to state and local government, we see it being used to describe our people – so much so, that we, too, bandy it about as though it has no meaning or implications to the people it seeks to describe. Is there anyone who would want to be defined as living in poverty? By these definitions, I, and most of the folks I grew-up with, were living in “poverty.” However, no one ever told us that, so we didn’t think of ourselves as “living in poverty.” We grew-up with healthy positive self-images of ourselves. By the time we found out we were living in socalled “poverty,” it was too late. We were already on our way to claiming our rightful place in the world – not shackled by the constant drum beat of negativity of not having material means. We must give everyone that opportunity - Let’s stop using the “P” word!!
The conflicted existence of African American men: Rap, sports, prison & unemployment By Antonio Moore Entertainment attorney Today no group is more misrepresented in the American conscious than African American males. Their presentation in media is a glamorous image of Grammy Awards and NBA MVP statues. But their reality is one of failure unlike any other subgroup in all of America. Black maleness holds a bastion of unemployed, imprisoned and homeless. Our nation, not only forgot these men, it created their pseudo image as a placeholder for our country’s history. An image that has been painted with a cover of NFL logos and rap stars making millions of dollars. All as an optical illusion to accept our own conscious need to see this failure as personal, and not systemic. The idea that he didn’t try hard enough, is much easier to accept than the reality that no matter how hard he tried his fate was decided once his race and gender were chosen. Unable to shake the shadow that comes when you force-feed a country a false delusion, these young men are now lashing out, in Ferguson, Baltimore and so many
other cities. This is the result when you tell a country with the history of ours, “Everything is okay, as long as we have a singular Floyd Mayweather, or the rising of a President Barack Obama.” All the while failing to create systemic answers to the unresolved problems that were created by hundreds of years of oppression. African-Americans suffered as chattel slaves for generations. This type of bondage was one where they were treated as property rather than human beings. Unable to marry or form stable familial units, any idea of family developed in an environment of constant fear. As a result, the evolution of black masculinity was deeply affected. The development of an ownership of self and control of one’s own destiny was not only disrupted, it was altered into an altogether different idea of power over one’s future. After slavery, Jim Crow created new constraints. In his piece “Manhood Rights in the Age of Jim Crow,” Professor Martin Summers of Boston University stated: “Given the synonymy between manhood and citizenship, it is not surprising that African
American men viewed attempts to marginalize them politically, socially, and economically as assaults on their masculinity. In this period during which the privileges and protections of citizenship were being systematically rolled back – in the South as well as the rest of the nation – the struggle to maintain or regain them was framed as a struggle for “manhood Rights.” It is this backdrop that framed the existence of black males well into the 1960’s. They lived in a struggle to find self-identity, while being continuously pushed back into a secondary status. Over the last forty years entertainment via film, music and sports has created an alternative view of black men. With the early ascension of Sidney Poitier and Muhammad Ali, we saw a new kind of black male image take center stage. Strong, informed and outspoken on the social issues of the day, this was an identity of black men America had not seen
in such form. These men of great stature spoke to the social ills of the day and stood front line on issues of civil injustice. With their ascension they paved a path for a new crop of blacks in the media. Yet, despite the great promise of the new path they forged, the generation that followed was contorted and realigned with a new methodology. A decadent veil of wealth developed as the latest way to hide the struggles of black America. No group felt this veil’s pressure more readily than black men. This model was built upon taking a small number of black men and holding them up as the imagery of potential, while creating few, if any, real economic pathways for the many. I described this in a prior piece stating: It is this new veil of economics that has allowed for a broad swath of America to become not just desensitized to black poverty, but also hypnotized by black celebrity. How could we not? Our channels from ESPN to VH1 are filled with
presentations of black Americans being paid a king’s ransom to entertain. As black celebrity has been shown to millions of people, millions of times, the story of real lives has also been lost, and with it the engine that thrust forward the demand for social justice by the masses. The heartbeat of social action is to recognize your mistreatment, and demand better. With each presentation of Kobe Bryant’s 25 million dollar a year contract … a veil of false calm is created within the overall American economic psyche about the immense black wealth disparity. Young black men from ghettos across America that used to dream to make great changes in racial inequity now just dream to be a millionaire and be like Mike and dunk a ball or dance on a stage. Behind this image working class black men pressured themselves to make it in ways not seen prior. Creating alter egos that could be framed in the light of a superhero. Forming fanciful places where they would one day become rappers, or basketball players, instead of everyday fathers or workers at the corner store. All this while even the corner store wasn’t giving them full-time work. To live in such a world of delusion is so very different than the America experienced by everyone else. That world is full of normal teachers, secretaries and every day people. Instead this is a world where our poorest pressure themselves to become millionaires or bust, ignoring the fact that while money multiples it does not appear out of thin air. While the few playing on
MEDIA TURN TO 6
Obituary: Annie B. Dent Annie B. Dent of Richfield, MN passed away peacefully on Monday, May 4, 2015. Annie Bell Dent was born on August 16, 1948 in Emelle, Alabama to the union of the late James Watkins and Rosie D. Kennedy Allen and died on May 4, 2015 at the age of 66 ½ years old. She was preceded in death by her parents, grandparents Johnson and Lucy (Johnson) Kennedy Jr., step father AD Allen, brother Freddy Allen and her uncle Ed Kennedy. Annie grew up in Emelle until the age of 12 and then attended high school in Cincinnati, OH. Annie leaves to mourn in her passing: her husband of 44 years Japhus Dent Jr.; her daughter Husniyah Dent (Charles) Bradley and her son Japhus Dent III; Siblings: Lynn (Ben) Nettles of Cincinnati,
Annie B. Dent
OH, Juanita Allen of Cincinnati, OH, James (Shirlean) Watkins Jr. of Scooba, MS, Jimmy Watkins of Columbus, GA, David Watkins of Scooba,
MS, Freeman Watkins of San Diego, CA, Judy (Joe) Hatten of Birmingham, AL, and Imogene (Thomas) Weaver of Birmingham, AL; Uncle Kennard Watkins, Aunts: Delores Williams, Mary Moore, Lilia Bradley and Lizza Watkins and a host of other uncles and aunts; Two grandchildren – Kaiden and Gionni, Cousin Frank Watkins; and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Annie enjoyed the word of God, attending church and community functions and her involvement in the Eastern Stars, AEAONMS, the Golden Circle and the Red Hatters. Memorials are suggested to the “Annie B. Dent Memorial Fund” Attention: TCF Bank, 6501 Richfield Parkway, Richfield, MN 55423.
Page 6 • May 18 - May 24, 2015 • Insight News
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COMMENTARY Challenging economic racism in America - Part II Black Press of America By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President and CEO, NNPA There are many different manifestations of racism in America and throughout the world. But there is not a more insidious form of racism in the United States today than “economic racism.” Some scholars on the historical etymology of the term racism have proffered that it can be both intentional or unintentional while the results produce exactly the same terrible harm and injury to its targeted victims. But I believe, however, that economic racism is premeditated, deliberate, calculated and solely intentional. For example housing racial discrimination is intentional. It is not an accident or the socalled unintended consequence of racial bias or prejudice. Millions of Black Americans are experiencing financial hardship today at a significantly higher percentage rate than other racial groups as a direct result of housing discrimination and the systematic denial of access to home ownership.
From Ferguson, Mo. to New York City to North Charleston, S.C. to Baltimore, there continues to be a pattern of fatal police brutality. Yet, what is not sometimes focused on is the undergirding consignment to poverty and economic inequality of the Black American community that gives rise to wanton police violence and misconduct. I defined economic racism as the intentional racial discrimination against Black Americans and other people of color to prevent economic equality, justice, parity, advancement, and empowerment; it is the systematic racial exclusion of Black Americans and other people of color from economic policy-making at local, state and national levels in both corporate and governmental entities; and, it is the economic institutionalization of racial oppression, stereotyping, and profiling coupled with the ignorance of racial prejudice and hatred. Recently, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) under the leadership of Congressman G.K. Butterfield released a national study titled, “Economic Challenges in the Black Community.” The research document was prepared last month by the Democratic staff of the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress.
The solution to economic racism and injustice is to build a participatory sustainable movement for economic equality and justice.
The following eight highlights of the study substantiates the devastating impact of economic racism on Black America: • One-in-three (33 percent) Blacks in their late teens and onein-five (20.2 percent) Blacks in their early 20s are unemployed .High unemployment rates among young African Americans early in their careers can hurt their long-term employment and earning prospects. • In 2010, Black men were more than six times as likely as White men to be incarcerated, and Black women were almost three times as likely to be incarcerated as White women. Relatively high incarceration rates mean that Blacks are more likely to be absent from the labor force for significant portions of
their working careers, and once released they face challenges in securing and maintaining goodpaying jobs. • One-in-10 Black homeowners who took out mortgages at the height of the housing boom eventually lost their home to foreclosure. • The median income of African American households is $34,600 – nearly $24,000 less than the median income of White households ($58,300). • More than one-infour African Americans live in poverty (27.2 percent) – almost triple the rate for Whites (9.6 percent). • More than half of Black children raised in the bottom 20 percent of the income distribution will remain there as adults, compared to only one-in-
three White children who begin there. • The racial disparity in wealth has increased since the Great Recession. Median net worth among Black households fell by more than 40 percent from 2007 to 2013, compared to drop of 26 percent among White households. • White households typically have 13 times more wealth than Black households. In 2013, the median net worth of African American households was only $11,000 compared to about $142,000 for White households – a difference of $131,000. All of the above data exposes how deeply rooted the problems of imposed economic inequality are for Black America. But my intention is not to make anyone feel that this form of racism cannot be effectively challenged and overcome. I learned a long time ago, that before you can solve a problem, you first have to understand the root of the problem. The solution to economic racism and injustice is to build a participatory sustainable movement for economic equality and justice. The economic situation and condition of Black America is not hopeless. Remember Black Americans spend annually more than $1.2 trillion in the economy of the United States. Wealth building in the Black
American community will take place when more of us exercise greater self-control over how, where and when we spend the money that we have. We should focus on investing financially in our families and communities. Yes, the government also has a responsibility on this issue. Likewise, corporate America that financially benefits from Black American consumerism certainly has a responsibility to contribute to the sustainable economic development of the Black community. Economic racism and all the other forms of racial injustice must be challenged forthrightly. We have come too far on our journey to secure freedom, justice and equality to get weary or tired now. I am optimistic that we will rise to the occasion. Let’s increase our pace in the building and strengthening the movement for economic equality and justice. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and can be reached for national advertisement sales and partnership proposals at: dr.bchavis@nnpa.org; and for lectures and other professional consultations at: http:// drbenjaminfchavisjr.wix.com/ drbfc.
Planning for our own success By Jineea Butler NNPA Columnist Are we living in the last days? If so, what are we doing about it? It seems the world is coming apart at the seams. The Muslims are attacking the Christians, the Christians are attacking the Muslims; Africa is under siege, the Earth is shaking, the United States is waging war on its African American citizens, but why are you surprised? Yes, we live in the land of the free and home of the brave and are still not equal. Now what? Do you think we can make people care about us before we can care about ourselves? I am proud to see our people finally coming together and standing as one unit. Now what? Now that we all agree that we are not going to let anyone come into our communities and kill our people without a fight, we need to use the moment to improve
Media From 5 the Milwaukee Bucks make millions in the NBA playoffs and are shown across the globe
Jineaa Butler who we are and how we are perceived. Our action plan has to include more than threatening a march, pointing a finger and waiting to see if the Department of Justice is going to convict officers for their crimes. That is a distraction. It’s more than tearing up buildings, throwing rocks and dancing in the street for minor victories. It’s not
on TNT, Milwaukee as a city sees its rates of unemployed black males between 16 and 54 at rates over 50%. As the Los Angeles Clippers play at Staples Center on ABC, thousands suffer in its shadow on Skid Row only a few blocks away from the Los
about being interviewed for your perspective on the problem of police brutality. It’s succeeding out loud. It’s about making our money speak for us. It’s about going back to the drawing board to see what part we play in making America a better place for ourselves. The generation before us changed their status by getting educated, by changing their style of dress and their manner of communication. They outsmarted their opponent. We have to change how we are living. Point blank. Stop fronting like these killings are not exposing a bigger problem. We can’t expect to be treated fairly when we don’t even treat each other fairly. We turn up our noses and look down on our own people the same way these cops and the rest of America does. We just don’t kill people in the exchange. We have become complacent with a part of the community that is
underperforming. Everybody is toting signs saying “Black Lives Matter,” but who are we trying to convince? The world around us or ourselves? My beef is while we are rallying for justice we are leaving out a few key factors that are necessary for growth and development. How are we jumping out in the streets fighting the establishment, but not changing how we spend our money? Why is that not #1 on the agenda? Furthermore, if we are asking them to grow then we have to grow. We can’t spit in the face of our oppressor and then ask them to help us in the same breath. We have to have a plan for our own success. We have to be real about the problem, because the same reason you are not marching through the hood and telling every drug dealer, murderer and criminal that they can’t occupy the hood and kill the babies,
is the same reason these cops are on edge and quick to pull the trigger. Because there is a problem. I call it the Hip Hop Dilemma. You know that intense feeling you get when someone of the urban persuasion walks into your circumference. The feeling you get when you wait to see if they are a troublemaker, a fool or a Hip Hop musician. The feeling you get when you don’t want to confront this person because you don’t know if the response is going to be negative or lead to an altercation. This is the symptom of those suffering from the Hip Hop Dilemma. The cops are on the front lines dealing directly with this traumatizing experience and it is affecting their work performance. If we work to change the narrative of who we are, what we stand for and how we live. The cops will have to change how they are policing our communities, because they won’t know who to profile, they won’t know who to
arrest, because we all look like success. Sometimes we give the underperforming members of our community an excuse not to be the best they can be by leaning on white supremacy. It’s deeper than officers abusing the law, the war been going on and we have known it. Our response looks like a horse and pony show because as soon as the cameras arrive everybody throws their capes on and swoops in for the rescue, but the community has been burning for years. Why does everything become more important when the TV camera arrives? I’m fighting for our everyone in our community to step up and be better. We have to eliminate the reasons they are stopping us in the first place. Change the game.
Angeles arena. (Skid Row has the highest concentration of homeless in the nation. The population of which is predominately homeless black males). As the number of incarcerated African American men reached levels unseen, the term black man took on a synonymous meaning with the word prisoner. In the piece “The Black Male Incarceration Problem Is Real and It’s Catastrophic,” I showed that there are more African American men behind bars than the number imprisoned by 9 countries that
represent over 1.5 billion people. There are only about 18 million black males in total, counting children. Despite all of this, the imagery of black men on television and media took the from of the rap mogul Luscious Lyon ofEmpire, or the iconic sports figure LeBron James. Multimillionaire black males shown so many times that you would think they grew on trees. The irony being numerically in real terms they hardly exist. But unable to stomach it,
America refused to swallow the truth. So it made its own truth, a place where at any given moment you look to the cover of Yahoo and the same few black men in entertainment are shown daily as the top stories. All the while if you Google a common black male name and do an image search, it brings up a string of mug shots of men whose stories don’t make it to that premiere Yahoo news feed unless they are shot down. This is the conflicted place where African American men exist, from Baltimore to Ferguson
and beyond. This economic trap has created a monster of a problem that is bubbling and will burst upon all of our cities if unresolved.
Jineea Butler, founder of the Social Services of Hip Hop and the Hip Hop Union, can be reached at jineea@gmail.com or Tweet her at @flygirlladyjay.
Antonio Moore is a Los Angeles based entertainment attorney with several celebrity clients. He is also producer of the documentary on the Iran Contra & Crack Cocaine Epidemic“Freeway: Crack in the System presented by Al Jazeera”
Building stronger urban communities in partnership with North Minneapolis
UROC Community Day 2015 TO P M WEDNESDAY MAY
3 to 4 p.m. Robert J. Jones building dedication program Celebrate five years of UROC’s University-community partnerships with an open house featuring tours, displays, demonstrations, live music and food. Join University of Minnesota Regent Richard B. Beeson and President Eric W. Kaler in a special ceremony to dedicate UROC in honor of former University of Minnesota Professor and Senior Vice President Robert J. Jones. The event is free and open to the public. University of Minnesota Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center | 2001 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55411 612-626-UROC (8762) | uroc.umn.edu
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Insight News • May 18 - May 24, 2015 • Page 7
EDUCATION
Support student success An editorial submitted on behalf of Minneapolis Community and Technical College Growing up, Sheldon Fitwi never thought of himself as a leader. After serving on a tour in Afghanistan and making his way to Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC), where he spent the past year serving as the college’s student senate director of public relations, he now leads with ease and confidence. Fitwi is just one of many
Health From 1 damaging you.” Therapy or counseling involves talking to an educated and licensed medical professional in a safe, confidential, nonjudgmental environment. Regular counseling sessions take place in a comfortable, private office, and are usually about an hour each week or biweekly – but the client can request a different arrangement. The first visit is a basic meetand-greet, plus paperwork. The paperwork asks both standard medical questions, as might be seen in a doctor’s office or hospital, as well as personal life questions, such as “How much sleep do you get each night?” or “Is there any personal or family history of drug use?” The first few conversations will be light, centering on hobbies, work, and key people. Clients can ask questions of the therapist as well, both personal and as relates to counseling. In the following session or sessions, the conversation will likely be about whatever led the client to begin therapy. “A lot of times I’m not [clients’] favorite person. I don’t push and prod for you to make
Forum From 1 and Education Secretary Arne Duncan were also in attendance. The mayor spoke on a panel about the challenges and strategies leaders face when prioritizing youth violence prevention efforts in their cities. She addressed the need to get in front of problems before they happen and gain support from sectors across the community. “In Minneapolis, we know that youth ages 18-24 are at significantly increased risk for firearm-related assault injuries,” said Hodges. “We’ve seen a reduction in incidents but it is
Protest From 1 Social media videos capture scenes of a police officer spraying protestors. Outraged, some protestors and community members are demanding action be taken against the officer. Shortly after 10 p.m., videos began to surface showing protesters in the streets marching peacefully. Off camera, a police siren can be heard. Moments later amid screams, you could hear someone yelling, “You just maced a 10-year-old kid.” One video shows a Minneapolis Police Officer spraying people in the crowd. The identity of the officer in this video has not been confirmed by Insight News. Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau has responded to the allegations saying the department is looking into the incident. She issued a statement saying “I am launching a full investigation into the concerns brought forth. Our investigation will include gathering surveillance video and interviewing witnesses. I understand and appreciate people’s concerns and will gather the full set of facts as quickly as possible. I assure everyone this will be a thorough investigation.” At press time, a subsequent rally in protest of the officer’s use of spray has been planned and a follow-up will appear online at www.insightnews.com and in the next edition of the paper.
students who achieve success at our college. He and thousands of his peers were able to reach their goals because of the outstanding work of dedicated faculty and staff and also because of the collective resources needed to make it happen. We all made an investment and it paid off. The legislative session has just a few weeks until completion. Legislators are considering many important investments, among them funding for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU), which includes
MCTC. Our colleges and universities have just two primary sources of funding – tuition from students and appropriations from the state of Minnesota. Thanks to the legislature and Gov. Mark Dayton, we have frozen tuition for the past two years, making college more affordable for students in Minneapolis and our surrounding neighborhoods. With the exception of a funding increase last session, over the past 15 years, state support for higher education has been on a steep decline. Since 1999, Minnesota has
cut funding by 53 percent. We used to lead the nation when it came to supporting our state colleges and universities but now we lag far behind. Once we were 21 percent above the national average and now we’re 20 percent below. It has become increasingly difficult to maintain the level of expertise and services that help students like Sheldon start a new path in their lives. Our ability to offer these opportunities has never been more important. Within five years, fully 74 percent of the jobs in Minnesota will require some
postsecondary credentials. At a time when the demographics of the state are such that 70 percent of our growth will come from underserved populations, MnSCU is one of the only resources able to respond. Our colleges and universities serve more first-generation students, more students of color and Native-American students, more low-income students, and more veterans than all of Minnesota’s other higher education options – combined. So as people hear about all the many investments being considered this legislative
session, we hope they will keep higher education in mind. We are united with the faculty and staff of the college as well as our friends at the MnSCU system office in encouraging our elected officials to continue investing in our statewide higher education. We must make room for our priorities in this time of competing priorities, and no need is as great as making access to college possible for all Minnesotans, meeting the future workforce needs of Minnesota, and protecting our ability to deliver programs to make that happen.
breakthroughs, but I will ask you those questions to make you think. So that’s one thing people don’t like to do, they don’t like to think about their own issues or their own flaws that might be contributing to the negative aspects of their lives,” Davis says. “If I can help someone say, ‘I’m going to break myself out of my own personal hell that I’ve put myself into’ by talking, then I’m going to do just that.” Everything said in counseling is strictly confidential – therapists cannot tell relatives or employers anything without the client’s permission, not even a confirmation that a person is receiving counseling. There are two exceptions to this: if the therapist received a subpoena, or if the client is an immediate danger to him/herself or others. While the need for therapy doesn’t always mean a mental illness is present, a therapist may sense something after several sessions. If this happens, they may suggest an assessment, which range from questionnaires to medical tests depending on the issue. If an undiagnosed mental condition is found, the client and therapist discuss treatment options together, as would happen in any doctor’s office. Sometimes a counselor can be a bad match for a client. For
example, if a counselor doesn’t have experience with the client’s concerns (such as race, sexual behaviors, substance abuse), the counselor may cause emotional harm or discomfort out of ignorance. A person can end therapy and/or switch therapists at any time, even after just one session – without advance notice and with no additional explanation beyond notifying the therapist of the desire to terminate. “There are plenty of therapists that have never gone to therapy, so they don’t understand what their clients are feeling – that I have to walk into this office, I don’t know you from a can of paint, and I have to divulge things about myself and expose my own personal vulnerabilities,” says Davis, whose master’s degree program required students to receiving counseling. In her adulthood, she has been treated for depression and an eating disorder. “I can tell you that it was amazing for me, because it helped me figure out more things about myself.” Terrie Williams, author of Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting, says that in the Black community, mental health awareness is slowly winning the fight against stigma. “I believe, sadly, that there is still stigma with mental illness,”
said Williams, who publicly disclosed her own challenge with depression. “At the same time, there has been considerable growth, greater awareness, greater space for people to share what it is that they’re dealing with. It’s a much more comfortable conversation among us than it had been in recent years.” The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Black people are 20 percent more likely to report “serious psychological distress” than Whites or Latinos. Black notables such as Metta World Peace (née Ron Artest), Halle Berry, and writers Mychal Denzel Smith and Bassey Ikpi routinely highlight and contribute to mental health awareness in the mainstream conversation. Ebony, Essence, Jet and Uptown magazines have all featured several pieces on mental health over the past few years. “So much of what happens in our everyday lives has to do with unresolved trauma. And we see it every single day in our streets,” Williams says. “There’s so much post-traumatic stress disorder in our community. You see somebody shot and killed right in front of you, and then you get up and go to work or school the next day like you didn’t just see that.” Williams, who is also an award-winning publicist, mental
health advocate and educator, says that there are many signs a person should pay attention to in themselves that may signal unresolved emotional pain. A few include: • Being consistently busy with no time given to oneself or selfcare; • Rarely talking about hurts or disappointments; • Excessive eating, drinking, shopping (outside of one’s means), or other overindulgence • Consistent low energy or excessive sleeping • Excessive gambling and other risk-taking The most common barriers to getting care, outside of the stigma, are lack of insurance or a way to afford the care; inadequate health care plans that do not cover counseling; and a lack of professionals in the area. People in these situations can call the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 24/7 treatment referral line (1-800-662-HELP, or, 1-800662-4357). The Department of Health and Human Services has Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) health centers around the country in both rural and urban areas where care is based on income; the nearest center can be found
at www.findahealthcenter.hrsa. gov, or by calling 877-4644772 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays. For help with suicidal thoughts or attempts, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline (800-273-TALK, or, 800-272-8255) is available at all times. Davis also points out that many employers have employee assistance programs that offer temporary mental health provisions at no cost. Additionally, all hospitals/emergency rooms have mental health professionals on staff at all times. Therapists are also receiving new guidelines on counseling clients remotely, through video chat apps. But simply deciding to seek therapy can be a higher hurdle than getting access. “Run to a therapist! Because everybody that you know is walking that fine line…there is not anybody on this planet who is not dealing with something,” Williams says. “Everybody wears a mask… we pretend that we’re fine when, really we’re just dying on the inside. When you can’t get at the person who harmed you, you will take it out on somebody else.” Follow Jazelle Hunt on Twitter at @JazelleAH.
critical that we continue to invest in prevention and intervention practices to ensure we keep moving in the right direction. If we don’t direct youth away from violence toward vitality, our vitality and growth as a whole is impacted.”
During the conference Hodges discussed efforts her administration has undertaken including a youth violence prevention initiative, President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper, Cities United – a national collective of cities committed to
reducing violence and violent deaths among young AfricanAmerican men, Promise Zone, and juvenile justice reform. Hodges was joined on the panel by mayors from Camden, NJ, Oakland, and Salinas, Calif. In April, Hodges worked with
mayors from across the country to reduce violence and violent deaths among young AfricanAmerican men at the Cities United in Philadelphia. Also in April, the Obama administration announced that Minneapolis was awarded a Promise Zone
designation. The designation, which aims to revitalize highpoverty communities across the country, will have a focus on youth violence prevention and intervention practices.
Page 8 • May 18 - May 24, 2015 • Insight News
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LIFESTYLE
Show yourself friendly Man Talk
By Timothy Houston A man who has friends must show himself friendly (Proverbs 18:24). If I believe this proverb to be true, then I must ask myself the question, “Am I showing myself friendly?” The ability to be friendly is in our sphere of control, and it will have a direct impact on our sphere of influence. The ability for others to approach us can and will impact our relationships. Because of this, it is necessary that we address the subject of showing ourselves friendly. What does it mean to show
yourself friendly? One definition defines friendly as easy to meet or converse or do business with. If you look further at some of the synonyms, you will find words like approachable, open, open-minded, amenable, accessible, and sociable. These are also the characteristics of those who people like taking to or doing business with. On the other hand, people whose emotions are unpredictable will be difficult to approach at times. Depending on the circumstance, they may appear unfriendly and people will shy away from them. Others watching this interaction may shy away as well. Showing yourself friendly is good for business and relationships. The effect of being friendly can be positive and rewarding. When you are open, and friendly, it will be communicable. People will feed off your friendliness. You can transform your home
You can transform your home or work environment by your demeanor.
or work environment by your demeanor. When it comes to environment, you can be a thermometer, responding to your environment, or you can be a thermostat, one who controls your environment. There is another upside to being friendly. When people feel
they can talk to you, they are open to during business with you. They will also give you valuable feedback about how your business is doing. If you are looking for a mate, you are what you attract, so friendly, open-minded people will come into your circle. Potential
suitors will approach you. They will see your smile and warmth as inviting and appealing. Good people will come into your sphere. The flip side of this is that there is a downside to being unfriendly. People avoid those who appear unfriendly, unsociable, and close-minded. Businesses fail, and potential relationships are missed. I knew of someone who had a business who was not very friendly. Those who came in contact with them did not feel welcome. They told others about how unfriendly that business was and eventually it failed. This is probably true for relationships as well. If you are not nice, word will get around and people will avoid you. People make determinations about you without ever approaching you. Many businesses and relationships have failed
because of the perception of unfriendliness. Being friendly will carry you far in business and relationships, and it will help you present yourself as more sociable. If you are in business, you do not have the option of being hot and cold. One of the simplest things you can do to show yourself friendly is to smile. People who smile are perceived as welcoming and pleasant. Your smile will be your calling card to others that you are approachable, sociable, and showing yourself friendly. 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.
Take time to pause: Be grateful for the beauty in the journey that you’re on now Motivational Moments
By Penny JonesRichardson Today was another day of focusing on what’s most important in my life. I do
this so often to reflect on the beautiful things around me that I may get to busy throughout my week to notice. For instance, sometimes I forget how wonderful my family is and how patient they are with me. I am a very busy person sometimes with all of my writing and working that there are times when I have to just pause and thank God for all of my wonderful blessings. I find that it is very
important to look around and be appreciative of what you already have. Of course working on goals to better your life is wonderful, but never forget what you’ve already been blessed with. I’m not saying that you should settle, but be grateful for the beauty in the journey that you’re on now. Stopping to smell the roses is always wise. I remember not so long ago working with a person
who decided to quit their full time job and start a business. This business was one that she worked on night and day and even on weekends. There was never any time to celebrate with friends or even spend time with family. She missed a lot of family time and before she knew it, her family was older and had families of their own. The bad part about this she once shared with me, was that she didn’t really have to
work as hard as she did. She came from a very wealthy family and starting her own business was just something that she wanted to prove she could do. But in proving she was this great business woman, she missed out on being this great mother, wife and friend. Sometimes you don’t get second chances. On your journey of life, remember to stop and spend time with friends and loved
ones. Because time waits for no one. And before you know it, your time could be gone! And as always, stay focused, stay determined, and keep striving for greatness. Penny Jones-Richardson is a published author and life coach. She can be reached via her website at www. thequeensproject.com or email at penny@thequeensproject.com.
May is Older Americans Month By Deb Taylor In the closing months of his Presidency, John F. Kennedy
designated May as Senior Citizens Month, later to be renamed Older Americans Month. In 1963, only 17 million Americans were 65 or older.
To d a y , more than 45 million seniors live and work among us, and that number will only grow as the 78-million members of Deb Taylor the baby boom generation continue to age. The boomers started turning 65 in 2011 and ever since the demand for senior services has increased. Ahead, there are challenges as we enable older adults and caregivers to take charge of their lives, to take steps to ensure independence, and to enjoy a full life of meaning for as long as possible. It’s what we all want, right? At Senior Community Services, we place a priority on remaining engaged. Loneliness and isolation are caustic to the spirit and in time can lead to depression and physical health problems. That’s why the seniors centers we operate, thanks to the help of many volunteers, are so important. They provide socialization opportunities for seniors to come together for fellowship, enjoy a meal, take in a ball game, play cards, visit a museum or take a drive through the countryside. As one senior told me, “Looking back, I was so lonely and sad. Coming to my local senior center changed my life, and extended the quality years I still have.” Comments like this
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motivate us to do even more for the older adults among us. That’s one way we help Minnesotan’s Reimagine Aging, bringing the proper mix of resources around the senior (and their caregiver) to help them enjoy a higher quality of life. Our Household and Outdoor Maintenance for Elderly (HOME) program is another example. HOME provides low cost services to help seniors live independently in their own homes. The program mobilizes bighearted people - volunteers and trusted professionals - to provide affordable home maintenance and chore services. This network of reliable workers and volunteers provide indoor and outdoor chore services to residents ages 60 and older in many of the suburban communities of Hennepin County. Similar programs exist across the state. And by visiting seniorcommunity.org, you can order chore services for a loved one. As spring unfolds, the need for help with yard cleanup, windowwashing, lawn mowing, and painting is growing. Eleanor, 80, loves her cozy suburban home, but she once worried her days of independence might be ending. Eleanor struggled to keep up with household tasks like window-washing, minor repairs, raking leaves and snow shoveling. Daughter LeeAnn did some research and discovered the HOME program. Soon, a group of enthusiastic young volunteers from a local church arrived to help with spring cleaning and yard work. And an affordable handyman fixed a loose downspout on her roof. Eleanor is content again, free of worry. “Thanks to Senior Community Services, I can continue to live in my own home. I’m so grateful for all they do.” And daughter LeeAnn is grateful for the respite. Working full-time, she struggled to manage caregiving duties and household chores at her mother’s home. “After awhile, you can run out of steam,” she says. “Senior Community Services’ volunteers and staff are partners with us and the result is so much better than what I could do on my own.” That’s what feels good when we Reimagine Aging - life’s made better. Deb Taylor is CEO of Senior Community Services (www. seniorcommunity.org) and its Reimagine Aging Institute, a nonprofit that advocates for older adults and helps seniors and caregivers maintain their independence through free or lowcost services.
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Insight News • May 18 - May 24, 2015 • Page 9
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1) Soul/funk/hip-hop fusion group, Hawthorne Headhunters -- Black Spade (left) and Coultrain, (center with the mask) rock the crowd at the Fine Line Music Cafe opening for Hiatus Kaiyote. The Headhunters, St. Louis natives now residents of Hawthorne, Calif., were backed by Nappy DJ Needles (right), who will be back in town on Saturday, May 23 at Darby’s for Expressions Graphic T-Shirt Day Party (2 p.m. - 7 p.m.)
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2) Soul Sistas -- Spoken word artist Kayde Takeiteasy and her sister Meghan Robinson hanging out at the Fine Line Music Cafe 3) Mashwell Brothas DJ, Levy Jones hanging out at the Hiatus Kaiyote/Hawthorne Headhunters show. 4) Legendary DJ, Nappy DJ Needles showing off his All Props clothing line and mixtapes after rocking a killer set for the Hiatus Kaiyote/Hawthorne Headhunters show.
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One (1) electronic copy and five (5) bound copies of Sealed Proposals shall be submitted to Mortenson at the address provided below no later than 2:00 pm on May 21, 2015 for PP #13 which is the deadline for submittal of Proposals. M. A. MORTENSON COMPANY 1010 SOUTH 7TH STREET, SUITE 100 MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55415 ATTENTION: KEVIN DALAGER, CONSTRUCTION EXECUTIVE PHONE: 763.287.5804
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Proposals shall be valid for 120 days. Proposals will be opened privately by Mortenson in the presence of the representatives of the Minnesota Sports Facility Authority and the Team. The subcontract will be held by M. A. Mortenson Company. The form of Subcontract Agreement, together with the Construction Services Agreement between the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and Mortenson, are attached for reference. The Owner has adopted a comprehensive Equity Plan for the construction phase of the Project. The Targeted Business Program sets an 11% and 9% goal for construction contracts for the Project to be awarded to women- and minority-owned Minnesota-based business enterprises (MWBE), respectively. The Targeted Business Program also establishes a Veterans Inclusion Program to ensure that our veterans have every opportunity to participate in the Project. The Veterans Inclusion Program will include efforts to include small veteran-owned businesses. The Work Force Program sets a 32% and 6% goal for workforce utilization for the Project of minorities and women, respectively. The Equity Plan applies to all subcontractors and suppliers of all tier levels. The Veterans Inclusion Program will also include efforts to utilize veteran in the construction workforce. Proposers are expected to use all necessary and reasonable means to comply with the Equity Plan, including without limitation soliciting work from a broad number of Targeted Businesses and for work scopes suitable for their participation. The project is subject to an Owner Controlled Insurance Program (OCIP), specific to General Liability Insurance only. Furthermore, all Subcontractors, regardless of tier, that have been awarded contracts for work on the Project shall accept and be bound by the terms and conditions of the Owner Controlled Insurance Program. Pre-Proposal Meetings, MWBE Meet and Greets and Interviews have been scheduled as follows:
All questions regarding this RFP shall be directed in writing to Tom Clark, Mortenson Assistant Project Manager at the address above or via e-mail at Tom.Clark@Mortenson.com. Interpretations or clarifications considered necessary by Mortenson in response to such questions will be issued by Addenda to all parties recorded as having received the RFP documents. Questions received less than fourteen (14) days prior to the date for openings of the Proposals may not be answered. Only responses issued by formal written Addenda will be binding. Oral and other interpretations or clarifications will be without legal effect. Addenda may be issued to modify the Proposal Documents as deemed advisable by Mortenson. Mortenson is an “EOE/Affirmative Action/M/F/Veteran/Disabled Employer�
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Courtesy of the artist
Groundbreaking DJ, Nappy DJ Needles comes to Minneapolis for Memorial Day Weekend day party With the advent of the internet success can come in an instant. And while some will only see that seminal event that brought success and notoriety, others will know and understand the painstaking years, weeks, days and hours that lead to that “overnight” success. So when website after website and person upon person began sharing a video mash-up with the lyrics of the 1995 hip-hop classic, “Luchini” by Camp Lo and the beat of 2014 club hit “Hot N****” by Bobby Shmurda, many saw a “new” DJ on the scene with an innovative blend. But for the people of St. Louis and others in the know, they saw it as one of
the best DJs out finally getting his national props. Such is the case with the genius behind the blend (titled “This Is Hot”), Nappy DJ Needles. A native of East St. Louis, Ill., Nappy DJ Needles (born James Gates, Jr.) is considered one of the top hip-hop, soul, alternative soul DJs in the nation. And he has the so-called hardware to prove it. Nine times, Needles has received a Riverfront Times (RFT) award for his work behind the turntables. The Riverfront Times is to St. Louis what City Pages is to the Twin Cities. This past year he took home the title of Best DJ (all genres), an honor
he also received in 2011 and 2012. His other RFT awards include Best Hip-Hop DJ (2005 – 2008 and 2010) and Best Rap DJ (2003). Having proven to be one of the best DJs in St. Louis – a feat of great praise considering one of his contemporaries is DJ Charlie Chan Soprano, now Run DMC’s DJ – Needles has become one of the more sought-after music selectors in the country. What makes Needles unique is that he doesn’t just play what’s popular right now … he just plays what he wants. And close to 10 times out of 10, what Needles wants is exactly what the crowd came to hear.
Just recently, Needles was in town performing with longtime friends, Hawthorne Headhunters, who opened for Hiatus Kaiyote. Before the show and in between sets, Needles took to his Technique 1200s and rocked a Prince inspired opening and later followed with an ode to Michael Jackson. Just by chance, the Purple One popped up late in the evening to check out Hiatus. Most likely he missed Needles blending and remixing some of his classics, but the hundreds who were there at the time loved it. For Needles, his love for music comes honestly. Needles is the son of legendary St. Louis radio disc jockey, “Gentleman”
Jim Gates. Gentleman was known as a pure soul jock, but his son has expanded on the family legacy making hip-hop and neo-soul a cornerstone of his arsenal. Gigging at iconic record shop, Vintage Vinyl in University City, Mo, also helped to expand Needles’ vast music vocabulary. Besides DJing for the Headhunters, Needles has also spun for hip-hop god, Talib Kweli and appeared on the same bill as Erykah Badu, Eric Roberson, Anthony David, N’dambi and many others. On Saturday, May 23, Needles returns to Minneapolis at Darby’s, 315 5th Ave. N., downtown Minneapolis, to
serve as the music selector for Expressions – the Twin Cities’ official graphic t-shirt party. The Memorial Day Weekend event is a day party that takes place from 2 p.m. – 7 p.m. The event is the fifth in the series produced by Thee Urbane Life. Admission to the 21-plus party is $10. Thee Urbane Life presents Expressions Vol. 5 featuring Nappy DJ Needles Saturday, May 23 2 p.m. – 7 p.m. Darby’s Pub & Grill 315 5th Ave. N., downtown Minneapolis 21-plus $10
Renaissance Man Chadwick “Niles” Phillips presents the Avant Garde By: Toki Wright @mrwrighttc Renaissance by definition is both “a new period of growth or activity” and “interest in something that has not been popular in a long time.” For a man to participate in this authentically, he has to go through his own process
of rebirth. Michigan native Chadwick “Niles” Phillips relocated to New York and landed a major label recording deal before settling down in Minnesota. I spoke with Niles about his Hip-Hop, History and the Arts curriculum, the widely popular Avant Garde series, and his upbringing. AS: How would you describe your work?
CP: I’m someone who’s blessed to be able to express myself in a lot of different avenues in art. I’m a hip-hop artist to the core. Hip-hop is where I started off and branched into acting. AS: You’re originally from the Midwest but have experienced living in a few different cities. What’s the story behind your moves?
PHILLIPS TURN TO 11
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Insight News • May 18 - May 24, 2015 • Page 11
Ordway presents 2015 Flint Hills International Children’s Festival Ordway Center for the Performing Arts presents the 15th Annual Flint Hills International Children’s Festival in 2015. The family event – one of the largest children’s festivals of its kind in the country – showcases diverse art, cultures and perspectives from more than 25 different countries. The May 30 – 31 Family Weekend line-up features local, regional and international artists on indoor and outdoor stages in downtown St. Paul’s Rice Park, Landmark Center, Landmark Plaza, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and the Lehr Theater. This year’s headlining artists represent three continents, but their works circles the globe. New Orleans-based Lightwire Theater, Samite from Uganda, Italy’s Compagnia TPO, Scotland’s Visible Fictions and Antonio Zepeda from Mexico will perform on indoor stages. Tickets for their shows are $5.
Phillips From 10 CP: I was born in Lansing, Mich. Lansing is a small city near Michigan State University. Living there you get a little bit of every region. You could say Lansing is a smaller version of Chicago. It’s about an hour away from Detroit, so you get those influences. I have seven siblings and things weren’t the easiest growing up. We came up living in and out of the Homeless Rescue Mission. My mother was always strong throughout it all. I wanted to please her so I focused on good grades. My story is a regular upbringing of a young man of color. You know, having dreams of going to the NBA and being in the music industry, but I was
Courtesy of the Ordway
World-renowned musician Samite was born and raised in Uganda, where his grandfather taught him to play the traditional flute. Today, his smooth vocals, accompanied by the kalimba, various flutes, guitar and percussion mesmerize audiences throughout the world. The 2015 outdoor highlight is “A Second Life,” a highenergy “crossover” circus show performed by Belgium’s Cirq’ulation Locale. This thrilling spectacle is said to provide a rambunctious mix of
juggling, trampoline acrobatics, improvised dance and humor. Family Weekend also features free entertainment and hands-on activities in the parks. Performances celebrating the diversity of the region and
representing cultural traditions from Vietnam, Ukraine, Puerto Rico, Laos, Ireland, Mexico, China, India – and new this year – Tibet and Venezuela. The Xcel Story Time Garden blossoms during the Festival in
always part of a few programs for exceptional youth from the inner city. I started off doing sports and went to State as a track runner in high school at Park Center (High School in Brooklyn Park, Minn.) in the 100 meter dash and 4x100 meter dash. I ended up graduating from Michigan State University with a B.A. in Communications.
opening for Raekwon in Staten Island, the DJ Scratch Summer show, Summer Jam and more. I worked in film at BET. I worked at CBS as a broadcast associate and on Fashion Week. On the flip side, I had to deal with life.
working in special education at W. Harry Davis Academy and Phyllis Wheatley. Here I am, I just performed at the Summer Jam Festival twice with DJ Envy in the Giants Stadium driveway. It’s bitter sweet and New York was like a dream.
AS: You had a major label recording deal. A lot of people aspire to be in that position. What was it like? CP: I won a talent search with Hot 97 through KOCH Records to have multiplatinum producer, Boola from Roc-A-Fella, produce a track of mine. Before I won the talent search I was just getting my name known by going to different open mics and getting a lot of love. I ended up
AS: What brought you to Minnesota?
I started working as a paraprofessional from there, teaching afterschool at Sojourner Truth Academy. I taught at a 4-H youth program at the University of Minnesota, Green Central, North Central University, and a youth summer program at Watershed High School in acting and creative writing. High School for Recording Arts brought me in as an advisor for two years working with 30 students to carry them through credits towards graduation. I ran performance for the Pick Me Up school-wide concert every two weeks. From there
CP: The price of New York City is super high. KOCH pushed the single but after that I went back to being independent. On the surface there was pretty nice prestige from the deal, but in the end it came down to finances. My sister and aunts were in Minnesota. I ain’t gonna front, leaving that life behind was painful when everything seemed in order. How it seemed and the actual are two different things. It was a humbling experience. It showed me what life is really about as a man. I ended up
an installation that will be located this year between the Ordway and RiverCentre. Artists, Mark Granlund and Angela Koebler, from St. Paul’s Parks and Recreation Department lead the design and creation of an intricate interactive plant and flower display built onsite in collaboration with Blooming St. Paul. In addition, Ordwaycommissioned kite artist, Barbara Meyer, will create colorful banners to embellish the space. During Family Weekend, the Xcel Story Time Garden features Twin Cities storytellers and musicians who share folktales and songs from around the world. “The Flint Hills International Children’s Festival has become a Minnesota tradition unlike any other,” said Scott Lindemann, vice president of operations and plant manager for the Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery. “Nowhere can you find a more diverse celebration of culture
that includes everything from arts and crafts to world-class performances by international artists that each year inspire and entertain more than 50,000 children and their families.” “We’re thrilled to be celebrating the 15th birthday of this fantastic event. Art brings people together,” said Dayna Martinez, artistic director of world music, dance and international children’s festival programming at the Ordway. “This is really what it’s all about. We’re grateful to Flint Hills Resources for its support of the festival from the very beginning. Our special partnership gives people the best opportunity to experience world-class art from far-away to close-to-home.” General admission tickets to the indoor headliner performances can be purchased ahead of time through the Ordway ticket office and online at www.ordway.org/festival.
I had to step out on faith as an independent contractor with my curriculum Hip-Hop, History and the Arts. That’s where everything took a life of its own.
who are living alternative to mainstream culture while also brining it to the masses. My father came up influenced by Bebop era and worked around Thelonious Monk and has a doctorate in music from Juilliard. Conversations I had with my dad move me into bringing artistic and cultural aspects to the worlds of the arts.
AS: What is the Avant Garde and what should people expect? CP: The Avant Garde is something I always had an affinity for – to create an atmosphere of people being motivated to be on a natural high. It is a unique alternative. On the other side of the “turn up” crowd there are people very interested in things outside of that diaspora – people who love neo-soul; Erykah Badu, Mos Def, D’angelo, etc. I thought, if I have the opportunity to create this it will pay homage to the Bebop Era and the Cotton Club. We’re creating a platform for people
The next Avant Garde takes place Saturday, May 23 at Como Dockside Lakeside Pavilion, 1360 Lexington Parkway N., St. Paul. Doors open at 6 p.m. and it is an all ages event. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door with performances by Proper T, Cassandra Telae, Kortland Jeray and Aleesha Clomon. Tickets are available at www.ticketfly.com, Avenue Eatery, Amsterdam Bar & Hall and Electric Fetus.
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FALLING 12 STORIES LIFE HAS NO REWIND
Page 12 • May 18 - May 24, 2015 • Insight News
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