Insight News ::: 06. 01.15

“Firebird” shows author Misty Copeland is a force to be reckoned with

aesthetically speaking

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Insight News June 1 - June 7, 2015

Vol. 42 No. 22 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Bethune mural depicts fun, successful kids

Bethune Community School in Minneapolis is getting an exciting new mural thanks to the 1st and 2nd grade teachers, the art teacher, artist Greg Preslicka and Turnaround Arts Minnesota, who is helping to fund the project.

Preslicka worked with the 1st and 2nd grade students at the school to generate ideas for what the mural might contain. The theme for the mural is “A Community of Fun & Successful Kids.”

The meaning behind the layout chosen is mature trees are a sign of strength, growth, shelter and are a sign of a community with deep roots. Two intertwined trees represent the school and the community. The negative spaces between the branches create windows into the students lives: in school on the left and at home

& in the community on the right.

The leaves are a product of the trees and represent the students.

A tree grows the leaves only to let them go one day. The same happens when the students get older the school and community must let go of the children as they go to middle school and beyond.

The leaves are painted by the students and are made of wood.

The students paint whatever they wish on the leaves. A more warm earthy color palette is provided for them.

Preslicka is scheduled to complete painting at the school on Jun 3.

This is Preslicka’s 57th mural in Minnesota. For more info about the artist www. thebigpicturemurals.net or school www.bethune.mpls.k12.mn.us

Jay-Z and Beyoncé are Saving our sons Creating good from the following a rich tradition painful, unimaginable

By Melvin Carter II Columnist

Black Press of America

The Carter family lost two family members to a double homicide. The date May 30th would have been the birthday of a dearly departed, next of kin.

We remember them with the Save Our Sons annual fundraiser, the last Friday of May. This year’s event, held Friday, May 29th, at 1791 Dayton Ave. was a festive yet serious affair. We thank the neighbors and friends, civic and community leaders who joined us for food, live music, and the chance to reflect on how we have and must continue to create good from the painful, unimaginable.

SOS strives to prevent other families from experiencing such heart breaking losses.

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President and CEO, NNPA Hip-hop culture is about transformation. It is more than a global genre of music. Hiphop is a transcendent cultural phenomena that speaks to the soul, mind, body and spirit of what it means to dare to change the world into a better place. Hip-hop is not just about acquiring funds or “stacking paper.” It is also about giving back. I have personally been a long term advocate for the unbridled intellectual genius and social consciousness of hip-hop.

So when I heard that recently Jay-Z and Beyoncé travelled together to Baltimore, Md. in the wake of the massive “Black Lives Matter” protests, I was not surprised. In fact, I give them both a big thumbs-up salute in gratitude for their leadership example. The impact of the injustice of the horrific police killing of Freddie Gray was profound not only in Baltimore, but also across the nation.

They did not wait for a “cooling off” period before going

We have had many successes, and a few devastating failures.

African American males absorb the fullest brunt of secular impurities.

Save Our Sons (SOS) was founded in 1992, by African American men from two churches to reclaim our youth, and assist youth into manhood.

SOS runs silent and runs deep, in the trenches of youth reclamation.

With a mindset of “Let my people go!” SOS works with youth in the system. We continue in the city, and in the fields. We embrace them when they come, and when they go, to prevent them from “getting lost in the system.”

The better we keep them in community, the better we keep them out of the system.

SOS TURN TO 8

Blacks, Native Americans bear brunt of police arrests

CHAVIS TURN TO 3

Jay-Z

Beyoncé

Insight 2 Health

Women Leading Change

Get outside and get healthy

Top 10 movies on leadership

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Creative Commons

The American Civil Liberties Union’s Criminal Law Reform Project and the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota released their study of more than 96,000 arrests made by Minneapolis police officers for low-level offenses from January

2012 through September 2014.

Picking up the Pieces: Policing in America, a Minneapolis Case Study reveals that Black people were 8.7 times more likely than

POLICE TURN TO 7

Commentary

Community

Overmedicating children in foster care

WholeSoul Pop Up Restaurant a success

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Page 2 • June 1 - June 7, 2015 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Get outside and get healthy

By Julie McMahon CHHC Sound Nutrition LLC How often do you get outside?

Too many of us are spending way too much time indoors and are paying the price for it with our health! When we get outside we get Vitamin D from the sun, fresh air for our lungs and brain to give us energy and we reconnect to the natural state of the world around us.

There’s a whole field of research called “grounding” which shows that we actually need to touch the earth at least 20 minutes a day to restore our bodies natural electrical charge. We simply have lost touch with this, since we are walking around in shoes on concrete flooring, using electronic devices throughout the day and spending a large part of our days indoors in artificial lighting. A simple, free thing to do everyday is to GET OUTSIDE!! Take a walk, hike, bike or run....bring your family or a friend OR just go alone!

One of my favorite outdoor activities is to garden. Start with a simple container garden of tomatoes or herbs on your front step, or dig a plot in your yard , OR join a community garden!

Community Gardens starting popping up around WWII out of necessity. People needed to grow their own food to get by. After the war, there was a huge economic boom and families started buying all sorts of convenience foods. We know now that all that convenience came with a price as we have seen a steady rise in obesity, diabetes and obesity since the 1960’s.

Gardens are a lot like our bodies! In a garden there needs to be plenty of nutrients in the soil. If the soil is depleted you will notice that the garden plants are diseased and unhealthy. Ever notice how some people are sick all the time.... more nutrients would keep them healthy, just like the plants.

Gardening gives us a chance to connect with our food and know where it comes from. Fresh grown tastes best and is loaded with nutrients! As I said before,

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gardening gives us a chance to actually touch the earth. We are electrical beings and need to “get grounded”. Twenty minutes barefoot on the ground each day or digging your hands in the earth will help ground you and give you energy and balance to keep you healthy!!

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 foods to create optimal health and maximum energy flow and works with her clients in a step by step approach to achieve their personal vision of health. For more information, or to schedule a nutrition consultation, visit: www. mysoundnutrition.com or call NutritionJulie at 612-270-9344.

UCare’s Ghita Worcester receives Women in Business honor UCare’s Ghita Worcester, senior vice president of public affairs and marketing, was selected by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as a Women in Business honoree for 2015.

The business publication recognized 51 women, including industry-leading executives and entrepreneurs, for their professional achievements, leadership qualities and contributions to the broader Twin Cities community.

“All of us at UCare know that Ghita has been a trusted and able leader for 20 years. I am very pleased that our local business community also is recognizing her skills, contributions, and business acumen with this well-deserved honor,” said UCare president and CEO Nancy Feldman.

Worcester joined UCare in 1995 and oversees the

Ghita Worcester organization’s federal and state health care reform efforts and policy formulation related to national and state health issues.

Worcester also is instrumental in the development and

implementation of UCare’s strategic and operational plans.

Before joining UCare, Worcester served as director of policy and operations for Minneapolis-based University Affiliated Family Physicians, the management company that started UCare in 1984. In that role, Worcester directed the development of new HMO products and policies, and helped develop and implement HMO strategic and operational plans. Before that, she worked for 13 years in a communitybased family medicine program operated by the University of Minnesota – Department of Family Practice.

UCare is an independent, nonprofit health plan providing health care and administrative services to more than 500,000 members.

Akon unveils new solar campaign for Africa (GIN) - Senegalese-American R&B singer Akon has been lighting up Africa with solar energy even while the solar industry in the U.S. struggles to catch fire.

The Missouri-born artist has become a rising star in the movement to bring electricity from the sun to rural communities.

Launched in February 2014, “Akon Lighting Africa” (ALA) describes its aims as “bringing electricity to African villages by a clean and affordable solar energy solution.” The company uses a micro-lending model to provide solar-powered micro-grids and street lighting systems.

Akon unveiled his latest plan to launch a solar energy jobtraining program in Bamako, Mali, during a presentation this past week at the U.N.’s second Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) forum.

The venture joins a relatively crowded field of entrepreneurs and investors— and governments—looking to establish off-grid solar projects across the continent, but ALA is growing at warp speed.

In an interview with the Wall St. Journal, Akon described how his company funds initial projects in order to demonstrate

Creative Commons

Akon

the technology and benefits to potential buyers. An average investment per village is $75,000 and the firm has invested almost $400 million so far, he said.

“We invest our own money to get things started,” Akon says.

“We go in, plead our case to the country, put up pilots with our own dollars using sophisticated

equipment and we make sure we do the installation right. It shows people that we’re not coming in to pull money out of the country, we’re there to provide jobs for the locals and to enable them to feed their families.”

In Guinea Conakry, for example, Akon says the company is employing 5,000 people to install its systems.

A $1 billion credit line with the Chinese provider of its solar systems helps ensure rapid growth. “It means anyone who installs our systems can make payments over [several] years,” says Samba Baithily, an ALA partner. “Most of these countries couldn’t allocate the money to pay for a big project up front, but they can afford if they pay by installments.”

Since launching a year ago, Akon’s group has operations in 11 nations, including Guinea Conakry, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Benin and Sierra Leone.

“In any emerging market there will be a lot of difficulties— the countries are not necessarily stable and infrastructure isn’t there, but if you understand that, it’s not difficult,” Akon said in the WSJ interview.

“The hardest part is getting people to believe.”

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Insight News • June 1 - June 7, 2015 • Page 3

Clean power plant affects Black quality of life

By Jazelle Hunt NNPA Columnist WASHINGTON (NNPA) – When Cheeraz Gormon received an invitation to lobby in Washington on behalf of President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan with environmental legal advocacy nonprofit, Earthjustice, she was bewildered.

“You couldn’t have told me even last month that I would be on Capitol Hill actually talking about the Clean Power Plan. I was like, ‘Wait, I don’t deal with climate change or any of that,’ I don’t have any expertise in it,” said Gormon, an international spoken-word artist, activist, documentarian, and awardwinning advertising copywriter.

She felt if anyone could use an advertising makeover, it was environmentalists. Gormon always thought of them as people who chained themselves to redwood trees.

“But it was always an infamily conversation. Why there’s no trees in our neighborhood, why we have to live near all these factories that [are closed], the different smells, what they’re spraying in the air, saying they’re spraying for mosquitoes. After I accepted the invitation, I went back and connected the dots,” Gormon said.

In her hometown of St. Louis, where half the population is Black, the Meramec coalpowered electricity plant that sits on the Mississippi River pumped an average of 20,000 tons of sulfur dioxide into the air per year between 2007 and 2010, according to an NAACP report.

This byproduct contributes to acid rain, as well as chronic heart and respiratory diseases such as COPD, asthma, and emphysema.

The power company has not installed a sulfur dioxide monitor

Chavis From 1 to the scene of the protests. Jay and Bey also spent some quality time consoling Freddie Gray’s family.

Giving back sometimes involves more than financial contributions.

Taking sincere acts of solidarity and empathy with those who cry out for equal justice is also a meaningful expression of caring and lending one’s public brand to support the demand for justice.

One of the reasons why I believe that the combined creative talent of this gifted couple will continue to soar with career success is that they both believing in giving back. They give back substantively to their communities in New York, in Texas and throughout the world. From assisting global Red Cross efforts to helping the United Nations to provide safe clean drinking water to millions of people in Africa, Jay-Z and Beyoncé continue their transformative philanthropic campaigns.

Of course whenever public

at this plant, but has spent $600 million on purifying “scrubbers” at its St. Charles County facility, west of St. Louis near the airport, where the population is 88 percent White.

In Missouri, 83 percent of the electricity comes from burning coal, which higher than the national figure of 50 percent.

These coal power plants are the nation’s and the world’s chief source of air pollution. The Clean Power Plan – a component of the latest update to the Clean Air Act, which began in the 1950s – requires states to reduce their coal power plants’ emissions by 30 percent of 2005 levels, over the next five years.

Neighborhoods that border power plants and refineries are known as “fenceline communities,” and are almost always low-income, of color, or both.

The NAACP report grades and ranks the nation’s coal-fired

power plants based on how harmful they are to communities of color. Among the top 12 most hazardous plants, Black people accounted for 76 percent of the surrounding populations.

Another study by the University of Minnesota found that people of color are exposed to 38 percent higher levels of nitrogen dioxide – a gas that irritates and weakens airways and aggravates existing heart and respiratory issues – than Whites. For families living in fenceline communities, such as Port Arthur, Texas, Dearborn, Mich., and Pennsylvania, Pa., cancers, heart, and lung conditions strike across generations.

Satoria Briggs, activist and member of the Hip Hop Caucus, knows that from first-hand experience.

“Moving into the Southeast side of Chicago…there’s things I can’t do because of my activityinduced asthma. But it’s activityinduced – it shouldn’t just be there.

When there’s piles of petcoke sitting around my neighborhood, that’s directly affecting me,” Briggs explained. “BP has a huge refinery where they have petcoke piles. The cancer rate is higher in this area. You’re being affected.

And because you’re not going to say anything much, they’ll throw you this and that.”

Petcoke is a powdery black byproduct of the oil refining process that can be reused as a fuel in some cases. Some oil companies keep it outside in neat exposed mounds, where the dust is easily whisked into the wind and air each day. Briggs recalls seeing schoolchildren arrive to school lightly dusted in it.

Last year, the Hip Hop Caucus launched the People’s Climate Music project and the Home album, featuring tracks about climate change from artists such as Common, Raheem DeVaughn, Ne-Yo and many more. Earthjustice invited Briggs

to lobby as a representative of the Caucus.

The finishing touches on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan are expected next month, but the plan has drawn fierce objections from the beginning. Concerns center on energy companies’ profits and the financial burden of meeting tighter standards; states rights and the EPA’s limited power in creating or enforcing rules covering the energy business; and the political struggle between state legislators and local economies lubricated with coal and oil money.

The plan mandates that coalfire power plants must choose from four methods to reduce their carbon emissions. They can upgrade their facilities and/ or practices with state-of-the-art public health-friendly equipment; convert to natural gas, nuclear, or renewable energy; or switch customers to energy efficiency programs and practices.

icons such as Jay and Bey attempt to help make a difference for besieged and underserved communities, there will always be a cynical group of “player haters.”

But all of the negative responses to the goodwill actions of Jay and Bey will in no way be successful in tarnishing their righteous acts of helping others.

I well remember when the Godfather of hip-hop, Russell Simmons, was joined on New York City in 2001 by P. Diddy, Sister Souljah, Queen Latifah, Jay-Z, Will and Jada Smith, and many other hip-hop icons to establish the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) as a nonprofit advocacy organization. The artists decided that the theme of HSAN would be “Taking back responsibility” for the empowerment of families and communities in America and internationally.

Jay-Z and Beyoncé have helped HSAN immeasurably over years to register millions of young people to vote and to encourage Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) programs in many cities and states. Again, it was not surprising to hear Jay-Z’s latest

rap featuring lyrics about the unjust deaths of Freddie Gray, Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin. In classic Jay-Z style, he poetically said, ““You know when I work, I ain’t your slave, right? You know I ain’t shucking and jiving and high-fiving, and you know this ain’t back in the days, right? Well I can’t tell how the way they killed Freddie Gray, right? Shot down Mike Brown how they did Tray, right?”

Beyoncé also has a very long list of charities that she supports financially, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Oxfam, UNICEF, Global Poverty Project, and Keep a Child Alive. Yet, probably one of the most private and telling acts that Jay-Z and Beyoncé have done over the past year anonymously was the paying of thousands of dollars for the release from jail bails for the hundreds of persons arrested in Ferguson and in Baltimore who were protesting police brutality.

In the 1960s, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, James Baldwin, Dick Gregory and many other performing artists

and authors would pay the bail money to get hundreds civil rights workers out of jails during the many struggles for equality and justice. Thus, Jay-Z and Beyoncé today are continuing that proud tradition of giving to support the

causes of freedom, justice and equality.

Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and can be

States will be required to provide the federal government with a proposal on how they will use these methods to comply with the Clean Power Plan. States that refuse or submit inadequate plans will have to comply with a cookiecutter plan from the federal government.

Critics assert that the plan violates the Constitution by giving a federal agency power over a state function. They also argue that it hinders private profits without providing “due compensation.”

Some feel the plan is unnecessary.

Over the past several years, some companies have been voluntarily reducing their impact on the air and surrounding neighborhoods. Some critics say that these efforts would have reached the Clean Power Plan’s goal in time, without federal intervention. Further, even if the plan is successful, it will do little to impact climate change. The EPA concedes that the proposed reduction pales in comparison to the level of greenhouse gases produced across Asia.

But as state legislators, energy companies, pundits, and the White House squabble, Blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans disproportionately suffer the effects.

“We can’t keep thinking that this environment stuff is separate from your asthma, or your ADD, or your COPD. All this stuff comes from the environment,” Briggs says.

“When I was first asked to do this, I was not super knowledgeable on everything.

But I have 126 first cousins on my mom’s side. I can say 60 percent of them have asthma. You don’t have to actually know all the logistics. You should just know that if you can’t breathe, that’s an issue.”

reached for national advertisement sales and partnership proposals at: dr.bchavis@nnpa.org; and for lectures and other professional consultations at: http:// drbenjaminfchavisjr.wix.com/ drbfc

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Page 4 • June 1 - June 7, 2015 • Insight News

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BUSINESS

Waiting for a windfall FUNdraising Good Times

By Mel and Pearl Shaw You’ve written the perfect proposal. You submitted it on time. Perhaps you carefully reviewed the guidelines and found that your organization is a perfect match for what the foundation is seeking to achieve through its grantmaking. Or

maybe a program officer reached out and personally asked your organization to submit. Maybe your nonprofit or university has received consistent funding over the years, and you have submitted your annual request – on time, of course. But you haven’t heard a word.

You should have heard by now. The proposal guidelines gave a date for when funding decisions would be announced.

That date is now in the past.

Days have passed. Weeks. A month. Ninety days. What do you do?

You could send a follow up email, or place a call inquiring

INSIGHT NEWS

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

submit other proposals to other foundations or individuals in amounts that are equal to or greater than $50,000. And, don’t count each gift as if it would be received – use a 3:1 or 5:1 ratio of submitted proposals to funded proposals. Colloquially we call this “hedging your bets.”

In fundraising terms we refer to this as “making sure you meet goal.” Aggressively work on alternative prospects who could give gifts or make grants equal to or greater than the gift or grant you are “waiting on.” Don’t put all your eggs in that one basket.

There is no way that every proposal you submit will result

to avoid: sharing with the board that you were unable to meet the organization’s fundraising goal because a certain grant “did not come through.” Hedge your bets, be aggressive, meet goal.

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.

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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.

in a grant. Even if you’ve been given all the signals that “things are moving ahead.” Count only those gifts you can take to the bank.

While you can’t count money you don’t have, you can make sure you are ready to implement your proposal when the funds are received.

Have you identified the personnel you need? Do you have an evaluation process in place? Has your team created a detailed project work plan to guide their activities and ensure that project goals are met on time?

Here’s the position you want

ABUSED IN THE

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on the status of your proposal.

That’s a straight-forward and appropriate action. Let’s say you do, and you learn “the board meeting has been pushed back” or “we haven’t made a decision yet.” Now what do you do?

Here’s our suggestion: keep fundraising. Act as if you still have to meet your fundraising goal, even if you feel your proposal is a “sure thing” or a “slam dunk.”

For each gift or grant you are pursuing, have a “Plan B” and a “Plan C.” Here’s what we mean: if your nonprofit has submitted a grant to a foundation for $50,000 make sure you

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.

Advice on handling doorto-door solicitors Summer is almost here, and solicitors offering asphalt services and magazine subscriptions – among other products and services - will be making the rounds and may well wind up on your doorstep.

Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota ® (BBB) reminds people to stay alert and have a plan in place when it comes to door-to-door solicitors.

Though many door-to-door salespeople operate honestly and represent reputable businesses, there are others who are looking only to make a sale and move on as quickly as possible. BBB recommends the following on how to handle door-to-door solicitors: Ask for identification. A reputable seller will provide you with all the information you request, including ID and a business card.

Verify the individual and the company. If you are interested in a product or service, get everything in writing including price, contract duration and all other terms and conditions. Tell the salesperson you will check it out and get back to him or her. Then research the company yourself and contact them directly to verify the salesperson is an employee. Also, be sure to visit the company’s BBB Business Review at bbb.org.

Inquire about licensing.

Does your city require doorto-door salespeople to have a license? If so, have they secured their solicitor’s license?

Read the contract closely.

Make sure you understand all the terms and conditions before signing on the dotted line.

Don’t be pressured.

Watch out for high-pressure sales tactics and be aware that anything you sign could construe a contract.

Do the Math. Paying $30 to $40 per month for magazine subscriptions may not sound like much, but if the contract runs for two years – or longer – charges can add up fast. Make sure you have an idea of what the average subscription costs for any magazine that interests you. Most magazines have detachable postcards inside with some of the lowest rates available.

Know your rights. The Federal Trade Commission’s Three-Day Cooling-Off Rule gives the customer three days to cancel purchases over $25

that are made in their home or at a location that is not the seller’s permanent place of business. Along with a receipt, salespeople should also include a completed cancellation form that customers can send to the company to cancel the agreement. By law, the company must give customers a refund within 10 days of receiving the cancellation notice.

Listen carefully. Some unscrupulous door-to-door sellers will do everything they can to close a deal. Listen to their tone. Are they speaking more loudly as they get deeper into their sales pitch? Are they ignoring you despite your saying that you’re not interested? If so, find a way to end the conversation.

Stand strong. If you do allow a salesperson inside and decide during the presentation that you are not interested in making a purchase, simply ask them to leave. If the salesperson refuses to leave, tell them you will call the police – and follow through if they don’t leave immediately.

Steer clear of asphalt firms that say they have leftover asphalt from another job.

A classic tactic of less-thanreputable asphalt firms is to tell consumers they have extra asphalt leftover for another job and will perform the work for a minimal cost. Professional asphalt contractors know, with great accuracy, how much paving material is needed to complete a project. They rarely have leftover material. It’s also a good idea to get multiple estimates before choosing any contractor.

People who have issues with door-to-door solicitors can file a complaint with BBB at bbb.org, as well as with their local law enforcement, and state Attorney General’s offices.

The mission of Better Business Bureau is to be the leader in building marketplace trust by promoting, through self-regulation, the highest standards of business ethics and conduct, and to instill confidence in responsible businesses through programs of education and action that inform, assist and protect the general public. We are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact BBB at bbb.org or 651-699-1111, toll-free at 1-800-646-6222.

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Insight News • June 1 - June 7, 2015 • Page 5

Summer movie list: Top 10 movies on leadership Women Leading Change

By Dr. Artika Tyner Movies related to the topic of leadership can serve as an indispensable learning tool. I have compiled my top 10 into this list. I use these movies in my classroom to offer practical

examples of leadership in action.

We watch short video clips and then engage in a class discussion about the related leadership themes.

As you watch these movies, you will also learn about different types of leadership, explore problem solving strategies, reflect upon your leadership style, and gain new insights on how to lead effectively.

Are you ready to advance leadership for social justice?

These top 10 movies will provide you with the tools to serve and lead in the global community.

1. A Long Walk to Freedom (President Nelson Mandela’s life story as a transformational leader) Leadership Themes: Community-building, Social Justice 2. Amazing Grace (William Wilberforce’s advocacy to end slavery) Leadership Themes: Strategic Action, Public Policy Advocacy 3.

Gandhi (Mohandas Gandhi’s journey to address oppression and empower everyday people to lead their

own change) Leadership Themes: Empowerment, Community Organizing 4. The Great Debaters (Young people using their intellect and creativity to challenge injustices) Leadership Themes: Determination, Perseverance 5.

Invictus (President Mandela promoting National unity in South Africa) Leadership Themes: Shared Humanity, Common Destiny 6. Iron Ladies of Liberia (President Johnson Sirleaf’s first

year of presidency) Leadership Themes: Women in Leadership, Vision 7. Mother Teresa (Life story of Mother Teresa who modeled the principles of servant leadership) Leadership Themes: Authentic Leadership, Power of Love 8. Remember the Titans (Explores lessons on teambuilding and collaborative partnerships) Leadership Themes: Collective Engagement, Influence

9. The Rosa Parks Story (History of Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Parks’ courageous stand in challenging racial segregation) Leadership Themes: Courage, Strategic Action 10. Selma (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s work in leading the 1965 Selma March and advancing the passage of the Voting Rights Act) Leadership Themes: Charismatic Leadership, Coalition-Building

Star Tribune still wrong about Minneapolis Urban League

By Steven Belton Interim President and CEO Minneapolis Urban League I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but the Star Tribune’s relentless unsubstantiated attacks on the credibility of the Minneapolis Urban League (MUL), an 89 year old civil rights organization, has me wondering if they have declared open season on legacy institutions.

In a May 15 front page story and blog post at Star Tribune.com a day earlier the Star Tribune again wrote inaccurate and misleading information about the Minneapolis Urban League (“Urban League Academy to close amid scrutiny.” Staff writer Alajandra Matos and editor Baird Helgesen link the MUL board’s decision to close the Urban League Academy to their previous reporting of possible program overlap between the Urban League Academy (ULA) and a separate MUL program, the 13th Grade. They infer their reporting precipitated closing the ULA. Despite our repeated efforts to set the record straight the campaign of misinformation continues. Here are four facts the writers knew or would have known if they had bothered to

Steven Belton ask: First, there is no “double billing” and MUL consistently has denied that claim. Doublebill means to invoice two different accounts for the same service. That never happened.

The Minnesota Department of Education was billed for career readiness services provided to 13th Grade participants and MPS was billed for ULA students. A few individuals were both ULA students and 13th Grade participants, which is commendable given the intensive resources needed to move this population to self-sufficiency. The Star Tribune’s characterization of this as double-billing is inaccurate and intentionally inflammatory.

Matos, when I spoke to her, attributed the allegation of double-billing to Michael Goar,

MPS interim Superintendent.

Helgesen, in a recent email said the Star Tribune had extensive conversations with Goar and “the school district made very clear [overlap between the two programs] could not happen.”

No one at MPS, including Goar, has told MUL alternative school students cannot receive additional or overlapping services, and for good reason.

MPS uses multiple state and federal funding sources for its traditional students, including revenue for general education aid, referendum proceeds, special education funds, federal grants, compensatory aid, integration aid, extended time aid and limited English proficiency monies. If MUL is double-billing (and, it is not), then MPS is double-billing times four.

The Star Tribune repeatedly has stated, “Urban League officials said there was nothing in the two contracts that prevented double billing,” which implies we acknowledge double billing but argue it is contractually permissible.

Matos and Helgesen contend Scott Gray, my predecessor as CEO, made that statement. What Gray actually said was the ULA and 13th Grade contracts do not prohibit mutual enrollment of participants. He did not admit or defend the practice of double billing as the Star Tribune clearly intends to

imply.

Second, the decision to close ULA was driven by financial considerations. The MUL board voted in April to lease our school building to a private concern, well before the Star Tribune’s reports about program overlap. That decision left our alternative school without a home for the coming school year. After a diligent search for a substitute site and architectural assessment of our other buildings provided by MPS, we determined it was not financially feasible to lease or convert alternative space. The Star Tribune inferred we closed due to their critical reporting, but that is self-serving puffery.

Third, MUL has not been “looking for ways to increase revenue through new programs,” contrary to the Star Tribune’s assertion. Chasing grants is not a sustainable growth strategy and, moreover, is inimical to the integrity of MUL’s mission. Our approach is to create innovative and better ways to serve, consistent with our mission and core values.

The Star Tribune’s reporting has been a distraction from our work to eliminate barriers and build pathways to success for African descendants. News organizations have a right to raise questions about public billing. But, to ignore facts and mischaracterize truth in pursuit of a predetermined narrative is

wrong. You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to reach that conclusion.

Steven L. Belton is interim president of the Minneapolis Urban League.

Page 6 • June 1 - June 7, 2015 • Insight News

insightnews.com

COMMENTARY Overmedicating children in foster care Child Watch

By Marian Wright Edelman On any given day nearly one in four children in foster care is taking at least one psychotropic medication—more than four times the rate for all children. Nearly half of children living in residential treatment centers or group homes take psychotropic medications.

Children in foster care are more likely to be prescribed multiple psychotropic medications at very high doses, although research shows higher doses can result in serious side effects.

Viewers of the ABC News program 20/20 may remember Ke’onte Cook from a few years ago, a 10-year-old who had already spent four years in foster care being treated with a dozen different medications for conditions including seizures, bipolar disorder, and ADHD. Ke’onte had never been diagnosed with the conditions some of the medications were meant to treat.

Under his adoptive parents’ care he stopped taking all the medications

and started relying on therapy, and with that new treatment plan he was transformed. Why are some children in foster care being overmedicated, and what steps do we need to take to do something about it?

Psychotropic medications act on the brain and central nervous system to cause changes in mood, behavior, or perception. They can be effective treatments for certain serious mental health conditions but there is a growing concern that too many children in foster care are overmedicated—in some cases as a form of behavior control.

Children who come into foster care often have been exposed to multiple traumatic events including the removal from their families, and may be at higher risk for mental health problems and emotional disorders. Too often multiple medications may be used without other kinds of effective treatments that might better address the underlying trauma children are experiencing. There’s evidence some children in foster care are subjected to powerful medications at very young ages and/or in combinations and amounts that are unsafe for children of any age. Many psychotropic medications are not approved for use in children at all.

Often children in foster care

Too many child welfare agencies lack the proper nonpharmacological treatments to address the mental health needs of children in foster care.

are prescribed drugs without any psychotherapy because resources aren’t available. They may not receive a proper initial diagnosis or any of the ongoing monitoring or extra services that should accompany the use of such powerful drugs— all essential considering the serious side effects from some that can include nightmares, hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, and even death. The 20/20 special included the heartbreaking story of Gabriel Myers, a Florida sevenyear-old who hung himself in his foster family’s bathroom. A state investigation concluded the use of psychotropic drugs was a contributing factor in his death.

His foster father said the doctor who prescribed the many drugs Gabriel was taking—some so strong that even the pharmacy filling them raised red flags— would spend no more than five minutes with the little boy before sending him out the door with another prescription.

We must do better. Last year JooYeun Chang, Associate Commissioner of the Children’s Bureau in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children, Youth, and Families (ACF), testified before Congress that despite important steps taken by the Administration and Congress to promote the monitoring and

management of psychotropic medications and the development of trauma-informed practices, too many child welfare agencies lack the proper non-pharmacological treatments to address the mental health needs of children in foster care. This year, for the second time, in President Obama’s budget proposal ACF and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have jointly proposed a demonstration to promote trauma-informed psychosocial interventions to meet the complex needs of children who have experienced maltreatment and other trauma and to address the over-use of psychotropic medications for children in foster care.

The Administration seeks to reduce the over-reliance on drugs and increase the use of appropriate screening, assessment, and interventions. ACF is asking Congress for $250 million over five years to create the necessary infrastructure to do this, including creating a special workforce to recruit families who can care for children receiving alternative treatments; better training in trauma-informed practice for child welfare professionals; better coordination between child welfare and Medicaid agencies in case planning and case management; and better

data collection and information sharing by child welfare agencies, Medicaid, and behavioral health services. The budget request also includes an additional $500 million for CMS to provide incentives to states that demonstrate improvements to reduce inappropriate drug prescribing practices and overutilization of psychotropic medications, increase access to evidence-based and trauma-informed therapeutic interventions, promote child and adolescent wellbeing, and improve outcomes for children in the child welfare system. These common sense and necessary steps build on best practices already in place in some states. May is National Foster Care Month and now is the right time to ensure children in foster care get the treatment and care they truly need.

Marian Wright Edelman is President of the Children’s Defense Fund whose Leave No Child BehindŽ mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. For more information go to www. childrensdefense.org.

Politicizing donations to Clinton Foundation Black Press of America

By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief Like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest

philanthropy that primarily funds education, world health and population projects, the Clinton Foundation was established to address such issues as climate change, global health, economic development, health and wellness and problems involving women and girls.

In a crass effort to derail Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign bid, major Republican figures and Fox News, their

partner-in-crime, are peddling the idea that there is something inherently wrong with supporting private efforts to improve the world.

As Media Matters observes, they are “falsely equating donations to the Clinton Foundation with contributions to a Democratic political campaign.� The media watchdog group observes, “The foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit

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organization, which means it is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

Media Matters wrote, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Paul Waldman, an American Prospect senior writer and former Media Matters senior fellow, criticized Politico reporter Dylan Byers for drawing a misleading â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;parallel between donating to a candidateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campaign and donating to a charitable foundation run by an ex-president.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Other media figures have similarly made the false political campaign comparison.

Fox News host Gretchen Carlson, Breitbart.com, National Review Online, and HotAir. com, all suggested a donation to the foundation was equivalent to financing Democratic candidates. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As Waldman explained at The Washington Post, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notable that everyone is now treating the Clinton Foundation as if it has long been central to sort of scheme to personally benefit the Clintons, and not a charitable foundation.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; He added that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;judging by the way the foundation is now talked about â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as if anyone who has had any association with it is tainted â&#x20AC;&#x201C; youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d think it was running a network of international assassins instead of distributing malaria medication.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

Partisan critics conveniently neglect to note that prominent Republicans are also generous contributors to the Clinton Foundation.

For example, Rupert Murdoch, founder of the News Corporation Foundation, and his son, James, have given more than a million dollars to the Clinton Foundation. In fact, more than a

dozen news organizations have donated to the foundation.

Aside from the overt political attack on the Clinton Foundation, the case of George Stephanopoulos, a former Clinton administration press secretary, illustrates the problems associated with a political operative switching careers in hopes of being viewed as a credible journalist.

Too often TV talking heads are labeled â&#x20AC;&#x153;journalistsâ&#x20AC;? when they are anything but. As the American Press Institute notes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information.â&#x20AC;? In other words, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not merely the ability to share oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opinions.

Stephanopoulos erred by making a $75,000 contribution to the Clinton Foundation, knowing it could call into question his ability to be fair. He compounded the mistake by failing to disclose it to the public. Like it or not, if journalists want to maintain their credibility, they must refrain from participating in overt political acts or behavior that can be perceived that way.

Britt Hume of Fox said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śif thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one thing he [Stephanopoulos] needed to do in doing that was to sever any real or apparent ties with the Clintons.

Contributing to their foundation is one thing. And now it also turns out that he participated in panels and other events connected to the Clinton Global Initiative. It is a mistake to do that. You want to be seen as independent.â&#x20AC;?

Evidently, you get a pass if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at Fox News. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fox News has attacked ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos for participating in Clinton Foundation-affiliated events, calling it a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mistakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; that compromises â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;good coverage,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

Media Matters found. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo moderated or participated in at least eight [Clinton Global Initiative] events between 2008 and 2013 while at CNBC.â&#x20AC;?

Yet, Fox is not calling that a â&#x20AC;&#x153;mistakeâ&#x20AC;? that compromises â&#x20AC;&#x153;good coverage.â&#x20AC;?

Judy Woodruff, the co-anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour, was criticized for making a paltry $250 donation in 2010 to the Clinton Haiti Relief Fund. She issued a statement, saying: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I made the gift in response to an urgent joint appeal from former President Clinton and then-President George W. Bush for aid to the victims of the Haiti earthquake,â&#x20AC;? Woodruff explained in an email to the Wall Street Journal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seeing the massive loss of human life and the terrible conditions for survivors, I wanted to make a contribution and saw this as a way to do that.â&#x20AC;?

Yes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;journalistsâ&#x20AC;? must walk a fine line, not crossing over into political partisanship. And, yes, they must avoid even the appearance of such activity. But letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s be equally clear: The Clinton Foundation is a highly respected charity, not a political offshoot of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

George E. Curry, former editorin-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA) and BlackPressUSA.com. He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. Curry can be reached through his Web site, www.georgecurry.com. You can also follow him at www.twitter. com/currygeorge and George E. Curry Fan Page on Facebook.

See previous columns at http:// www.georgecurry.com/columns.

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Insight News • June 1 - June 7, 2015 • Page 7

EDUCATION Armstrong, Cooper High School students visit Spain Nineteen Armstrong Spanish students and one Cooper Spanish student traveled to Spain March 26 to April 6 along with Spanish teachers Mark Mertens and Lisa Norrbohm Jones. In addition to Madrid, students visited Segovia, Toledo, Sevilla, Granada and Malaga.

“We ate cochinillo asado, watched flamenco dancing, toured the Real Madrid soccer stadium, danced in a teenage discoteca, played basketball with some Madrilenos, and went to the various museums,” Mertens said. “Students stayed with host families in Sevilla, where it was Semana Santa, or Holy Week. They were able to watch and/or participate

in Procesiones, which are ‘parades’ of sort,some up to 12 hours long. This was a pretty unique experience.”

Students on the trip included Alexis Babos (grade 11), Chase Beaty (12, from Cooper High School), Hunter Bellcour (12), Rebeccah Davison (10), Liz Donnelly (11), Natalie Dutton (12), Markus Farr (12), Carolina Jauregui (12), Lathan Jerde (11), Sarah Jewett (11), Ellen Johnson (12), Ben Kaufmann (12), Jordan Kuznia (12), Brian Li (12), Hunter Link (11), Amy Master (12), Laura Mayer (12), Pierce Nelson (12), Emily Roth (11) and Kelsey Sather (12).

Students on top of the La Alhambra in Granada.

Cunningham, Boese named to foundation board Metropolitan State University has named two new members to the Metropolitan State Foundation Board of Trustees.

Gary L. Cunningham, Minneapolis, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA), and Christine M. Boese, Vadnais Heights, vice president of patient care services/chief nursing officer at Regions Hospital, were elected to service three-year terms.

Cunningham joined MEDA in 2014. MEDA works to break down barriers to wealth and selfsufficiency for entrepreneurs of

color. Prior to joining MEDA, Cunningham served in leadership positions at several community, government and education organizations including Northwest Area Foundation, NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center, Hennepin County, Scott County, Minneapolis Public Schools, and University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

Cunningham was selected as the 2014 Alumnus of the Year at Metropolitan State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts before obtaining his master’s degree in public administration

Police

bias that we’re seeing across the country and that demands reform,” said Emma Andersson, staff attorney with the ACLU. “In Minneapolis, the eyes of the law look at Blacks and Native Americans differently than whites. The resulting injustices—more fees and fines, more time in jail, more criminal records—hurt Minneapolitans and undermine public safety.”

Picking Up the Pieces explores how racial disparities

From 1 white people to be arrested for a low-level offense—any offense with a fine of $3,000 or less and/ or a year or less in jail. Native Americans were 8.6 times more likely than white people to be arrested for such offenses.

“Minneapolis police show the same patterns of racial

Chris Boese

Gary Cunningham

from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.

“I strongly support the mission of the Metropolitan State University Foundation–quality,

accessible higher education for all leads to a stronger economy and brighter futures,” Cunningham says. “What an honor and a privilege it is to join the board

and overcriminalization affects the city’s homeless population and its young people. For example, among young people ages 17 and under, Black youth were 5.8 times more likely to be arrested for low-level offenses than white youth; for Native Americans, this figure was 7.7.

Police arrested Black youth disproportionately for curfew violations; 33 children under age 10 received curfew citations, 20 of whom were Black.

The case study also presents detailed recommendations for reforms that will move Minneapolis toward more democratic and effective policing, such as • Strengthen the Minneapolis Police Department’s current ban on racial profiling • Ensure the evaluation system for police officers doesn’t reward them for the numbers of stops and arrests for lowlevel offenses they make

of trustees to partner in making a difference in the lives of a diverse student body.”

Since 2007, Christine M. Boese has been in her current role at Region’s Hospital, where she is responsible for patient care and nursing operations. She provides leadership and oversight for all nursing functions and other patient care areas. Boese started at Regions as a registered nurse in 1988 and served in several leadership positions during her career there before being named vice president of patient care services/chief nursing officer.

Boese holds an associate degree

in nursing from Minneapolis Community College, and from the University of Minnesota, a bachelor’s in psychology and a Master of Science in Nursing Administration.

“I work at a Saint Paul hospital that benefits from an employee pool that has had the excellent training and preparation that Metropolitan State University provides to students,” Boese shares. “I also appreciate that Metro State values and actively seeks to serve a diverse student population that ultimately improves and enriches our community.”

• Establish an empowered civilian review body that has authority to discipline officers when necessary • Expand pre-arrest diversion programs that give young people and homeless people alternatives to arrest “The ACLU commends Minneapolis Police Chief Harteau for recent changes, such as adding implicit bias training.

However, these changes are only a start. We urge the chief

and other policymakers to engage in the sweeping reform necessary to correct the extreme racial disparities documented in this analysis,” said Charles Samuelson, executive director of the ACLU of Minnesota.

Picking Up the Pieces: Policing in America, a Minneapolis Case Study is available here: https://www. aclu.org/feature/picking-pieces

Page 8 • June 1 - June 7, 2015 • Insight News

insightnews.com

LIFESTYLE

Follow your dreams Motivational Moments

By Penny JonesRichardson What does it mean when people say, “Follow your dreams?” I

think that means to never give up on what you really what to do or be. I believe it also means that your dreams are your true calling.

“What is a true calling?” That is something that you were destined to do. That thing that you can’t seem to stop thinking about and that you believe you will eventually find yourself doing.

I once believed that my true calling was to write and maybe write something that would

change the way people look at life and want to better themselves.

My true calling is exactly what I’m doing now, writing and helping to motivate individuals to see that they are powerful and can do incredible things! I write not because I am forced to, I write because it is what I’m called to do. Sometimes I feel like I’m writing for others, but the truth is I write for me.

There was once a young

lady that I met who shared with me the true meaning of doing what you were really called to do. She stated that she was called to help children and give them a place to live. (She did foster care in her home.) I once asked her how she knew for sure that this was a calling, and not just something that she wanted to do. She said that the difference between wanting to do something and being

summoned to do it, is one is something that you work at and the other is something that doesn’t feel like work at all.

Now that is a great feeling!

I share this with you today because I want you to listen to the small still voice inside of you that keeps telling you that there is something you could be great at if you go for it and have faith in yourself. Follow your dreams and with hard work and

determination you can live your true calling also.

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.

Balancing your life: Mentally, physically and spiritually

By Lyndia Grant Special to the NNPA from The Washington Informer This article is about our health mentally, physically and spiritually. The Bible says it is in 1 Corinthians: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” It’s that time of the year again; my third radio show anniversary is in June.

This year, my health fair will be held in Baltimore. Yep, and that was scheduled well before the big hoopla. It is the third anniversary of my radio show.

I had the first one in D.C. and the second in Dallas, and now this year it will be in Baltimore.

Lyndia Grant ‘Your body is a temple’ is what it’s called. Though your temple may not be in great condition, it is still your temple. Mentally, nothing matters when you’re not in your right mind. It is important to keep our minds sharp and in tiptop shape. Work on projects that challenge your thinking process. It will help you during your senior years.

Physically, you’re still here, aren’t you? Your spiritual side, though, is your key! Our Heavenly Father is your best doctor! Hear His voice, and do what He says. We get into so much trouble when we decide to do things our way.

Recently, as I walked briskly, caring for my temple and my mental and physical self, my late mother came to mind. I thought how difficult life had become for her. She had Type 2 Diabetes and both her legs still, the doctor would insist she walk up-anddown the hallway of our home several times daily, and he said “It will help her blood sugar levels go down.”

Type 2 Diabetes wasn’t familiar to us at all, but because of what the doctor said to mother, I would go outside and walk around our home,

circling. Afterward, I checked my blood sugar to see if it had improved; always, that number had gone down. Exercise is key!

Other than exercise, we must watch the quality of food we eat. For those of you reading this column, sickness is all over the land, my friends, partially because of MSG foods. This true story about MSG and weight gain is also about how bad Type 2 Diabetes really is and why.

“John Erb was a research assistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and spent years working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called “The Slow Poisoning of America.” He discovered how MSG is in so many of our

foods, yet it is poisonous.

In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists were creating obese mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. These morbidly obese creatures were injected with MSG at birth. The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing rats (and humans?) to become obese. According to several reports by Dr. Andrew Wilson, who grew up in New York state, MSG is in most every processed food product.

Finally, for your spiritual well-being, just continue to ask the Lord to order your steps. Lean not to your own understanding, and in all of your ways, acknowledge Him. And He will direct your path.

This one can be very hard. One day last week, I went outside for my morning time with

the Lord and said my prayers as I looked into the heavens, asking for His blessing over life. Then, less than an hour later, boom! Car accident. All I could do was remind myself of my favorite scripture. “All things work together for good to them who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.”

In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will surely direct your path. Amen!

Lyndia Grant is an author, inspirational and motivational speaker, radio talk show host and columnist; visit her new website at www.lyndiagrant. com, email lyndiagrant@ gmail.com, or call 202-2634621. Tune in Fridays at 6 p.m. to the radio talk show, 1340 AM, WYCB, a Radio One Station.

Soothing senior grief

By Deb Taylor, CEO of Senior Community Services Life brings different rhythms different timetables - for each of us. We lose dear loved ones, we grieve, we face changes diminished mobility, an end to driving the car, maybe a different place to live after decades in the long-time family home.

Often, stressors push down on us as we give up the familiar, the comfortable, the sense of control. We may start feeling diminished and depressed.

Isolation sets in and home may suddenly feel like a prison rather than a sanctuary. The morning glance in the mirror may reveal new lines or drooping in places that didn’t droop before. Selfpity is a very human first reaction, but consider turning the issue on its head instead.

Why not celebrate your years and experience. An acquaintance once talked about putting on her ‘reverse glasses’ to look at life from a new perspective, through new lens so to speak. Suddenly, you’re running into time. Things are going right. It’s not your

SOS From 1

fault. You can’t lose. You’ve got plenty of energy. Everything is so easy. What new opportunities will today bring?

In other words, embrace aging. Learn to appreciate yourself and what you have to offer. We can all befriend another and be a blessing. Acknowledge your imperfections because no one is perfect. Accept your limitations; if you can’t run the mile in under six minutes, then embrace the beauty of a slow stroll on a beautiful morning.

Enjoy the quiet times. Celebrate impermanence; if everything was permanent, nothing would In 2010, SOS received the Natalie S. Bimel Award from the Annie E. Casey Foundation for Outstanding Contributions

change. It’s never too late so create a list of things you’d like to still accomplish and set out to do them. Finally, rather than dwelling on regret and the things you can no longer do, focus on what you can do. Live vitally, and be sure to laugh often and maintain a sense of humor. It helps you maintain perspective.

And soon the doom and gloom will bloom into something healthier.

If you are a caregiver, your selfless service to help another may sometimes feel like a sacrifice. One caregiver said it helps her to think of caregiving as adjusting rather than sacrificing.

Adjusting seems more like a sideways shift rather than a loss of something, she explained.

You’re Never Alone No matter the challenge or struggle, support is always available. Every day, Senior Community Services helps seniors and caregivers find the right supportive services to improve daily living. We help them connect with local senior centers where joy, fun, and fellowship are everyday experiences rather than loneliness and isolation. to Juvenile Detention Reform by a Community Member for its work advancing social justice for communities of color.

A Non-Traditional, Cutting Edge Experience! Be Ready for Truth, Healing, Teaching and Transformation!

Circle of Healing Ministry The Only “Worship in Circle” Church Experience

Pastor Roslyn Harmon Sundays 2-4pm

1015 4th Avenue North|Minneapolis, MN 55405

Visit Us: Circleofhealingministry.org For More Info: 612.564.9962

We help with household chores that may be impossible for them to manage, find affordable healthcare insurance, help them manage care, and reduce burdensome medical debt that taxes limited and fixed incomes.

The challenges are here to stay awhile. Roughly 11,000 people - on average - are expected to turn 65 every day for the next 15 years, according to the federal government. So needs will only grow.

A little focused expertise applied properly - can make a world of difference. It’s quite a prescription for living in the later years. And when we take steps to enhance daily living, we Reimagine Aging, not only for a growing number of older relatives, friends, and neighbors, but for all of us.

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 low-cost services.

We push at the helm of justice at the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative.

Our effectiveness has been phenomenal.

We push for police reform, representing the African American community at the State Violent Crime Coordinating Council.

Heart n’ soul, love, and pure raw dogged determination are our main resources. From molehills of resources we produce mountains.

With inches, we’ll travel miles. We regard our teenage babies as a precious gift from God. All lives matter. Every life is precious and sacred. To heck with the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!

SOS presents workshops entitled: Escaping The System, Violence Avoidance, Channeling Anger, Drug Abuse, Avoiding Sexual Violence, Surviving Police Encounters, as well as African/African American History.

Save Our Sons is a taxdeductible 501C3 non-profit corporation.

“We make it do what it do!”

Find out more on YouTube.

See Sgt. Carter’s Save Our Sons.

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Insight News â&#x20AC;˘ June 1 - June 7, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ Page 9

COMMUNITY WholeSoul Pop Up Restaurant a success

By Shaina Brassard, West Broadway Business and Area Coalition On Saturday, May 16th, WholeSoul-A Lavender and Sage Eatery drew a crowd of diners that formed a line out the door of 1210 West Broadway.

North Minneapolis residents and visitors hungry for a sit down, wholesome southern meal in their own neighborhood enjoyed Chicken Wings, Remoulade Catfish Poâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Boy Sliders, Backyard BBQ Dawgs, Mean Beans, Red Beans and Rice, Veggie Mac & 7 Cheeses, Remoulade Coleslaw and Seasoned Fries.

WholeSoul is a family owned and operated start-up business. The single day pop up event was a low-overhead way for WholeSoul to test out the market and gain experience in the practicalities of running a restaurant. Owner Kathleen Johnson, a celebrated local singer, started WholeSoul; her business partners are her daughters, Khelli â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lavenderâ&#x20AC;?

Johnson and Ordia â&#x20AC;&#x153; Sageâ&#x20AC;?

L to R: Ordia â&#x20AC;&#x153; Sageâ&#x20AC;? Drew, Kathleen Johnson, and Khelli â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lavenderâ&#x20AC;? Johnson at the West Broadway Farmers Market.

Drew.

The May pop up restaurant was the result of a collaboration with local nonprofit, the Northside Economic Opportunity Network (NEON).

In early 2014, Ms. Johnson went to NEON (neon-mn.org) looking to build a business around her prized recipes focused on a nutritious, healthy variety of soul food. After graduating from the Plan It Entrepreneur Training

course last year, Kathleen, Lavender and Sage went on to vend at multiple festivals and events, including the weekly West Broadway Farmers Market (www.westbroadwaymarket. org). â&#x20AC;&#x153;At NEON, we strongly believe that when entrepreneurs have the opportunity to try out their business model at pop up events and temporary marketplaces before they

Red beans and rice, veggie mac and 7 cheese, greens and cornbread. open or expand, they are more likely to succeed,â&#x20AC;? said Marcus Owens, executive director of NEON. Staff from his organization assisted WholeSoul with marketing and logistics, securing access to space at the new Breaking Bread Cafe, which opened on West Broadway in late April but has not yet scaled up to weekend service.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a reason NEONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first pop ups have focused on

food businesses. Data provided by the city of Minneapolis show that of the $37 million spent at restaurants by North Minneapolis residents each year, over $17 million of that is spent outside the Northside community. Those dollars spent externally, known as retail leakage, mean lost potential income for food entrepreneurs, job opportunities and businesses that serve as vibrant gathering

spaces. Places to share and enjoy food are essential to the cultural and social, as well as economic health of all communities.

The success of the WholeSoul pop up, which attracted 200 people between 11am and 6pm May 16, is strong evidence of the need for more unique, full service restaurants on West Broadway and in North Minneapolis.

One diner stated in the post-meal survey, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was the best food I ever ateâ&#x20AC;ŚI ordered one of everything.â&#x20AC;? Another, responding to a prompt about what they enjoyed most about the pop up experience: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Being supportive of economic growth and diversity on the Northside.â&#x20AC;?

Follow WholeSoul, A Lavender & Sage Eatery on Facebook to find them at special community events this summer, including Rondo Days, Juneteenth, Flow Northside Arts Crawl, Uptown Art Fair, TC Jazz Festival, and other live music events. The WholeSoul team is also working towards opening a food truck.

Broadway Flats: New housing, retail and revitalization Last week elected officials, community and business leaders, friends, and neighbors came together at 2220 West Broadway to celebrate the groundbreaking for Broadway Flats. This new four-story mixed-use development brings 103 units of workforce housing, 19,000 square feet of storefront retail space, and other important amenities to North Minneapolis.

Located at the intersection of Penn Avenue North and West Broadway, 2220 West Broadway Avenue has weathered generations of change, but nothing could compare with the complete devastation that befell this central corridor when it was struck by a tornado in 2011.

The historic storm destroyed popular retail landmark Broadway Liquor Outlet and

other buildings in the immediate vicinity owned by the Rose Family. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After the tornado, we had a choice to rebuild in another location, but with three generations of history on the Northside, we decided to leverage our insurance proceeds and rebuild with the help of our partners and create a development that was holistic in approach and design,â&#x20AC;? said Dean Rose. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Incorporating a unique housing concept along with transit-oriented amenities, retail, and public realm enhancements will allow us to create a true destination location at West Broadway and Penn Avenues for decades to come.â&#x20AC;?

The $25 million project is being developed in partnership with Lupe Development, Rose

Broadway Flats (Rendering) Development, and Minnesota Attainable Housing Corporation.

While a for-profit project with 75% private equity and debt, many local agencies including the Metropolitan Council, the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota Housing, and DEED partnered to make

this project go from concept to construction. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Broadway Flats development is great news for the Northside.

This development will bring over 100 apartments to North Minneapolis and much needed retail space to West Broadway,â&#x20AC;?

June 4th meeting at Harrison Neighborhood Park and Community Center:

Public gets to see LRT station plans A meeting on June 4 will offer the first chance for the public to see new station area plans for the proposed METRO Blue Line extension, also known as Bottineau LRT. The plans cover neighborhoods within a halfmile â&#x20AC;&#x201C; about a 10-minute walk â&#x20AC;&#x201C; of four proposed LRT stations in North Minneapolis and Golden

Valley. Two are along Olson Memorial Highway at Van White Boulevard and at Penn Avenue, and two are on the east side of Theodore Wirth Park at Plymouth Avenue and at Golden Valley Road.

The meeting will take place at Harrison Neighborhood Park and Community Center,

503 Irving Avenue North in Minneapolis. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with a presentation from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by an open house from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The station area plans are the result of a nine-month effort, which included monthly meetings with community working groups for each station

area, and two previous public meetings. â&#x20AC;&#x153;June 4 is an opportunity for us to share planning work that has been done so far, and to let people know about what happens next,â&#x20AC;? says Darlene Walser, a planner with Hennepin County.

The Blue Line extension is

said Ward Five Council Member Blong Yang. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to thank Dean Rose and Steve Minn for the commitment they are showing to the Northside.

Developers may not be running to invest in North Minneapolis now, but I know the success of this development will help change that.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Broadway Flats is a much needed addition to the neighborhood; it is the definition of revitalization!â&#x20AC;? said Dr. Tara Watson, owner of Watson Chiropractic and West Broadway Anytime Fitness, both neighboring businesses on West Broadway and Penn and the Chair of the West Broadway Business and Area Coalition (WBC). â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am excited about the new retail businesses the project will attract, and it will

bring in the needed residential tenants that will strengthen the community and improve local spending.â&#x20AC;?

Broadway Flats will feature 10 studio, 78 one-bedroom, and 15 two-bedroom apartments.

Amenities include a business center, fitness room, hospitality and conference room, and laundry. Underground parking will be provided for residents with bike mounts at each parking space as well as an indoor bike storage room for 38 bikes. A Metro Transit shelter will be integrated into the exterior of the building to accommodate the future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) C Line scheduled for 2017. In addition, there will be shared surface parking for both retail uses and use by the adjacent church.

currently scheduled to open in 2021. It will be 13 miles long, with 11 stations in Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Robbinsdale, Golden Valley and Minneapolis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The community working groups helped us gather an enormous amount of information and some great ideas,â&#x20AC;? says Walser. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All of this will be valuable as we move forward with the project.â&#x20AC;? She points out that the development process works on two tracks. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One is designing and building the LRT line, which is the responsibility

of the Metropolitan Council.

The other is Hennepin County continuing to work with the cities of Minneapolis and Golden Valley to ensure that local communities can make the most of this new transit service.â&#x20AC;?

For more information or to request special assistance to attend this meeting, such as translations, contact bottineau@ hennepin.us or Denise Engen at 612-348-4454. For information on the METRO Blue Line Extension (Bottineau LRT) project, visit BlueLineExt.org.

Career fair matches jobs with workers Hennepin County Work and Economic Resource Center will sponsor a career fair, on Wednesday, June 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Sabathani Community Center, Room 216, Banquet Center, 310 East 38th Street, Minneapolis, 55409.

This is part of a series of

events to pair employers looking for workers and employees looking for job opportunities.

The event is free and open to the public.

People looking for employment can connect with recruiters from these companies:

Apple American, Comcast, Cub Foods, Delta Global Services, Doherty Staffing, Doubletree by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton Minneapolis Park Place, Embassy Suites, Family Dollar, FedEx Ground, Hilton, Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington,

Classifieds

HMS Host, Home Depot, Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, Life by Design, Living Well Disability Services, Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Downtown Minneapolis, Options Residential, Inc & Options Family & Behavior Services, Perkins, Pizza Hut (Muy Pizzas), Sea Life Aquarium,

Phone: 612.588.1313

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RENTALS Tapestry Management, LLC has various sized apartments/townhomes for rent in the following locations: St. Paul, Golden Valley, Mankato, Red Wing, N. St. Paul, Rochester, Plymouth, Jordan, Winona, Olivia, and Redwood Falls. Rental assistance is available to qualified applicants in all locations. Please contact the appropriate location for availability and additional information.

Birmingham Townhomes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; St. Paul 952-854-8800 Calvary Center Apartments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Golden Valley 763-546-4988 Colonial Square Apartments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mankato 507-345-1321 Cooperidge Apartments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Red Wing 651-388-1500 Franklyn Park Apartments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; N. St. Paul 651-770-1504 Innsbruck Townhomes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rochester 507-289-1319 Mission Oaks Townhomes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Plymouth 763-559-5770 Newbridge Apartments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rochester 507-282-8284 Northgate Community Housing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rochester 507-289-1319 Oakridge Apartments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rochester 507-281-1031 Schule Haus â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Jordan 952-492-2084

Sheraton Minneapolis West, St. Louis Park Transportation, State of Minnesota, the Marquette, Two Men and a Truck, Wheel Fun Rentals and more.

Representatives from American Red Cross, Hennepin County Child and Teen Checkups, Jewish

Fax: 612.588.2031

Accounting and Office Assistant

Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative is hiring an Accounting and Office Assistant for our administrative office in St. Paul. Visit www.beaconinterfaith.org/careers for details.

Case Manager

Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative is hiring a Case Manager for our Families Moving Forward program center in Minneapolis. Help us end homelessness! Visit: www.beaconinterfaith.org/careers for details.

DUMP TRUCK DRIVER Wanted experienced dump truck driver. Only experienced need apply: Call Jesse Green (651) 815-7197 or email jessegreen625@yahoo.com

ADMIN ASSISTANT Full-Time Admin Asst/Office Manager needed for small, busy, high energy office that supports radio station operations. Must have strong skills in Word, Excel, Quick Books, detail oriented, highly organized, prompt and forward thinking and able to work with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. Salary DOQ/competitive.

Letter of Interest and resume to: ATTN Personnel Dept, personnel@kmojfm.com

Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Family Services, Open Access Connections, Community Actin Partnership of Suburban Hennepin and Project for Pride in Living will be available to provide information about their community programs.

Email: info@insightnews.com

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Page 10 • June 1 - June 7, 2015 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Credit: Gregg Delman

“Firebird” shows author

Misty Copeland is a force to be reckoned with

American Ballet Theatre

By Kam Williams “With spare, poignant text, American Ballet Theatre soloist Misty Copeland writes of a young dancer whose confidence is fragile.

Through hard work and dedication, Misty shows her how she can reach the same heights as Misty, even becoming the Firebird, Misty Copeland’s signature role.

An affecting story echoing Misty Copeland’s own remarkable and meteoric rise in ballet, paired with vibrant, memorable art with plenty of style and flair—a must-have for any lover of ballet.”

-- Excerpted from the Bookjacket

Christopher Myers

Misty Copeland has undeniably arrived. First, this force to be reckoned overcame poverty and

being a minority en route to earning a coveted spot as a prima ballerina in the prestigious American Ballet

Company. She subsequently went on to write a bestselling memoir ostensibly designed to inspire others from humble backgrounds to pursue their own seeminglyunreachable dreams.

More recently, Misty was not only the subject

of a feature story on CBS’ 60 Minutes, but she also landed on the cover of Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Obviously, this is a woman with much more to share than dancing on her tippy toes.

For these purposes, the subject of discussion is her latest opus, Firebird, a delightful picture book appropriate for aspiring ballerinas up to about the age of 8. Dazzlingly-illustrated

by Caldecott Medal-nominee Christopher Myers, the enchanting tale is basically a poetic pep talk delivered by Misty in heartfelt fashion to a promising protege plagued with self doubt.

Misty’s points out that she herself was once “a dancer

just like you... a dreaming shooting star of a girl with work and worlds ahead.” And in a telling postscript for the parents she explains how it isw her aim “to pave a more definitive path than the one that was there for me.”

A modern Horatio Alger parable with the perfect prescription for motivating many a rug rat to find their voice and spread their wings.

“Firebird”

by Misty Copeland Illustrated by Christopher Myers G.P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group Hardcover, $17.99 36 pages, Illustrated ISBN: 978-0-399-16615-0

insightnews.com

Insight News • June 1 - June 7, 2015 • Page 11 ShabazzPalaces

Haphduzn

June 1 - 7

E.G. Bailey and Sha Cage

Aesthetically It! is a list of picks from the editors of Aesthetically Speaking.

Aesthetically It! features venues, events, outings and more that are worthy of “It” status. If you have a venue, event or outing that you feel is “It” worthy, email us at aestheticallyit@ insightnews.com

The ANCHORMEN

Chaun Webster and Verna Wong Ancestry Books

Monday, June 1 PLAY/READING The Sankofa Reading Series: Plays from the Black Dramatic Canon Intermedia Arts 2822 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis 7 p.m.

No cover Tru Rut’s Freestyle Theatre (E.G. Bailey and Sha Cage) presents a new series, the Sankofa Reading Series: Plays from the Black Dramatic Canon. The series will allow participants to witness plays that are not often heard or seen from the African Diaspora.

Tuesday, June 2 READING Octavia’s Brood: A Fly, Futuristic, Imagine Another World Reading The Lowry Cafe 2207 Lowry Ave. N., Minneapolis 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

“Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories From Social Justice Movements” is edited by world renowned writer and organizer Adrienne Marie Brown along with Walidah Imarisha. Autumn Brown and Bao Phi will also join in to read from their contributions to the new book.

HIP-HOP/CONCERT Sol-Ra: A Toast to the Summer Sun 7th Street Entry 701 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis 8 p.m. $5 – $7 Mic Q.A. headlines this excellent lineup of Twin Cities hip-hop artists performing to to celebrate the start of summer.

Sol-Ra also features Tall Paul, Sieed Brown, EJ Nate, Young Lou, Nyasia and DJ Keezy.

Thursday, June 4 AFROFUTURSIM/CONCERT Shabazz Palaces Fine Line Music Café 318 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis 8 p.m. $17 – $20 Possibly the most innovative group to emerge in the last decade, Shabazz Palaces features Ishmael Butler – also known as Palaceer Lazaro (formerly Butterfly of Digable Planets) and instrumentalist Tendai “Baba” Maraire, who is the son of Mbira master Dumisani Maraire.

Fans can listen to the album for free at www.bigwiz.bandcamp. com/album/above-sea-level.

LATIN/SOUL/DANCE PARTY

Mxdwell Celebrates Loving Day Loring Park 1382 Willow St., Minneapolis 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Radio Pocho First Thursdays Bedlam Lowertown 213 4th St., St. Paul 9 p.m.

DJ Miguel Vargas of KFAI’s Radio Pocho host this monthly dance party in Lowertown St. Paul.

Friday, June 5 HIP-HOP/RELEASE PARTY The Anchormen Album Release Party Nomad World Pub 501 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis 9 p.m.

21-plus $5

North Community High School 1500 James Ave. N., Minneapolis 6 p.m. $15 ($10 for groups of 10 or more)

Long Doe Records, Cherry Sky Studios and House of Djs present the Anchormen (Big Wiz, Aquafresh and T la Shawn) “Above Sea Level” album release party with performances by J Plaza ( Mill City Collective), Freez (Soultools) and That Dude Trey on the turntables. There will also be a guest DJ set by Mike the Martyr.

“Mind Games” explores the lives, friendships and plutonic and romantic relationships of eight characters and demonstrates the importance of how people can uplift one

another in times of struggle.

“Mind Games” was written

by Minneapolis’ Tina Turner, Demi Callender and Gigi Tillis and stars Bruce Leroy Williams, Pierre Douglas, Marie Chate, Jermz the Teacher and more.

Sunday, June 7 PARTY

Ancestry Books First Anniversary Party The Lowry Café 2207 Lowry Ave. N., Minneapolis 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

One of the states only person of color owned bookstores, Ancestry Books celebrates one year in business. Head down to The Lowery Café next to Ancestry for music, food and more.

Rhiannon Les Exodus.jpg Giddens .jpg

Saturday, June 6 OUTDOOR CELEBRATION

Would you sell your soul to win?

Come celebrate the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to legalize interracial marriage and multiculturalism in the Twin Cities.

Loving Day is hosted by Alissa Paris with music by DJ Willie Shu. Performances include Mundo Libre, J Hard, Energy Dance Collective, Jayanthi Kyle and the Crybabie, and Haphduzn. The event also features local vendors, yoga workshops for kids, free massages, food and more.

PLAY “Mind Games”

Wednesday, June 3 VISUAL ART/OPENING PARTY Intersections: Made Here Launch Party Marin Restaurant & Bar 901 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Intersections: Made Here highlights 30 exhibits done by 58 artists in vacant commercial storefronts. The party will feature live entertainment on Hennepin Avenue by Douglas Ewart, Afrobilly, Dallas Johnson Jr. and more.

WORDS AND MUSIC BY RICHARD ADLER and JERRY ROSS

BOOK BY GEORGE ABBOTT and DOUGLASS WALLOP

Based on the novel by Douglass Wallop “The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant”

JUNE 16-28

ORDWAY.ORG 6 5 1 . 2 2 4 . 4 2 2 2

Page 12 • June 1 - June 7, 2015 • Insight News

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