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Vol. 45 No. 26• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

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State Rep. Ilhan Omar won the DFL endorsement in her bid to become the next U.S. representative of District 5.

Uchechukwu Iroegbu

Page 2 •June June 25 - July 1, 2018 • Insight News

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If Omar wins she’ll be the first Somali-American elected to Congress, second Muslim to represent the district

Omar wins DFL endorsement

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor @HarryColbertJr

State Rep. Ilhan Omar is seeking to make history … again.

The DFL representative of Minnesota House District 60B is looking to become the next U.S. House representative of the 5th Congressional District – a seat currently held by Rep. Keith Ellison, but up for grabs now that Ellison has launched his bid to become the state’s attorney general. In a crowded DFL field that includes State Sen. Patricia Torres Ray, former Minnesota House speaker, Margaret Anderson Kelliher, engineer Jamal Abdulahi and former Republican Frank Drake, it was Omar who captured the party’s endorsement during a special convention held June 17. State Sen. Bobby Joe Champion’s name is also on the DFL ballot, but prior to the endorsement convention Champion announced he would not actively campaign, calling on party unity and stating his desire to continue to fight in the Minnesota Legislature for the residents in his senate district, District 59.

Omar not has only garnered her party’s endorsement, but she’s gained the endorsement of several prominent party leaders including Gov. Mark Dayton, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and six Minneapolis City Council members, including the council’s president, Lisa Bender. The social action group, MoveOn has also endorsed Omar.

A shooting star in American politics, Omar made history in 2016 when she became the first Somali-American to win a seat in a state legislature. Following her victory, Omar upped her profile with appearances on several national television programs and capturing a cover

Uchechukwu Iroegbu

Holding her youngest daughter, Rep. Ilhan Omar (center) and her husband, Ahmed Hirsi, great a supporter at a campaign event at Mixed Blood Theatre. Uchechukwu Iroegbu Omar’s ability to capture a wide swath of support helped to propel her to the DFL endorsement. of Time Magazine. Omar also appears in a Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. music video, “Girls

Like You.” Minnesota primary elections take place Aug. 14.

Uchechukwu Iroegbu

Omar’s ability to capture a wide swath of support helped to propel her to the DFL endorsement.

Uchechukwu Iroegbu

State Rep. Ilhan Omar won the DFL endorsement in her bid to become the next U.S. representative of District 5.

Natasha S. Alford named NABJ Emerging Journalist of the Year

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has selected Natasha S. Alford, deputy editor and digital host at TheGrio. com, as the Michael J. Feeney Emerging Journalist for 2018.

This award recognizes a Black print, broadcast, digital or photojournalist with less than five years of experience in the industry. Nominees must display a commitment to NABJ’s goals of outstanding achievement and providing balanced coverage of the Black community and society at large.

“Natasha is an extremely talented young journalist who exemplifies the qualities that the late great Michael Feeney represented,” said NABJ President Sarah Glover. “She has a strong passion for telling stories of significance to underrepresented communities.”

Alford’s work covers a wide range of topics including race, gender, politics, education and pop culture. She is renowned for her original reporting series, “True Story,” which TheGrio describes as an “intimate and inspiring video project” highlighting how everyday people can make a difference in society.

Alford, who has been in her current role since January 2016, gained acclaim for her continuing coverage surrounding the death of Delrawn Small, who was fatally shot by an off-duty New York City police officer on July 4 of last year. Her stories helped change the narrative of Small, going from originally being labeled the aggressor to a victim after a driving dispute with the officer, who was eventually found not guilty.

Natasha S. Alford Alford said journalists have an “awesome responsibility” to tell stories of people and movements. Without our words, reports and a dogged pursuit of the truth, the nation fails to live up to its ideals, she adds.

“Our words can shift consciousness and inspire real change. It’s what makes me proud to wake up each day and do what I do,” she said. “This award inspires me to keep fighting to tell the underreported stories of Black America, and to pursue my passion for impactful video journalism. For the people who’ve entrusted me with telling their most personal stories, I dedicate this award to them.”

Amy DuBois Barnett,

TheGrio’s executive vice-president and chief content officer, shares Alford’s sentiments.

“I could not be more thrilled for Natasha. She takes her craft so seriously,” said Barnett. “Natasha is a triple threat – she’s an amazing writer, a tremendous on-camera talent and she has a real feel for visual storytelling than most journalists I’ve ever worked with.

I think that Natasha is going to be one of the most prominent journalists of our time.”

Alford will be honored at the NABJ Hall of Fame Luncheon during the NABJ Convention and Career Fair on Aug. 4 at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center.

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Insight News June 25 - July 1, 2018

Vol. 45 No. 26• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Protesters arrested at Minneapolis City Hall In the sixth week of direct action and civil disobedience led by the Minnesota Poor People’s Campaign, six protesters were arrested Monday evening (June 18) in the anteroom outside the office of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

Before the arrests, supporters of the campaign chanted, sang, and spoke about their vision for a community where police are not needed, and where investments in other resources is the new model for peace-keeping. Participating groups included many clergy members, and leaders from MPD150, the Rye House, the Center for Prophetic Imagination, Black Visions Collective, Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, and other community groups, including Veterans for Peace.

Monday’s protest involved about 150 demonstrators who gathered outside Minneapolis City Hall around 4 p.m. Simultaneously, Poor People’s Campaign organizers delivered to Minneapolis’s 13 city council members copies of MPD150’s detailed policy brief on the history of the Minneapolis Police Department

Curt Goering

CVT working to end torture on a global scale

By Abeni Hill Staff Writer

Minnesota Poor People’s Campaign

Nearly 200 protesters converged on Minneapolis City Hall as a part of the national Poor People’s Campaign.

PROTESTERS 7

Walz, Flanagan tour North Minneapolis job training facility ing about his message, but more about hearing from the people.

One of those people is Jamez Staples, president of Renewable Energy Partners and owner of the property at 1200 Plymouth Ave. N. – site of the forthcoming Minneapolis Apprentice Training Center. The center will provide vocational training for Minneapolis students and adult learners. Walz said in hearing from Staples, he sees a vision of North Minneapolis being a workforce innovation hub.

“This (Minneapolis Apprentice Training Center) should be the center of innovation. This isn’t theory, this is practice,” said Walz. “This issue (of workforce development) isn’t just a

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor harry@insightnews.com The Northside will not be left behind.

That was the message being sent by Minnesota DFL gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Tim Walz (1st Dist.) and his running mate, Minnesota Rep. Peggy Flanagan (46A) as they toured a future job training facility along Plymouth Avenue in North Minneapolis. Walz and Flanagan are among the first gubernatorial and lieutenant governor candidates to campaign on the Northside – an area of some residents feel gets overlooked by statewide elected officials. Walz said the stop was less about talk-

Harry Colbert, Jr.

Minnesota gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Rep. Tim Walz (right) and running mate Rep. Peggy Flanagan, listen to Jamez Staples (left), president of Renewable Energy Partners, discussing the forthcoming Minneapolis Apprentice Training Center.

Torture, war atrocities, and other violations of human rights are global issues.

From forced family separation to rape to slavery, these issues can plague every country.

The mission of the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) is to heal the wounds of torture on individuals, their families and their communities and to end torture worldwide.

“When you have torture or war atrocities committed on a large scale it can leave entire communities traumatized,” said the organization’s executive director, Curt Goering.

“The purpose of torture is not only to destroy or impact an individual in a highly negative way it also impacts the community and the family as well.”

With families being separated at the Mexican border while trying to enter the U.S., more than two thousand children have been placed in cages while waiting to be reunited with their families.

“The separation of children from families at the border is something we are urging Congress to act on because what is happening is extreme cruelty if not torture,” said Goering.

As executive director, Go-

NORTHSIDE 5

CVT 9

Thor headquarters set to open in July The Thor Companies headquarters is nearing completion.

The 92,000 square foot, $36 million project at the corner of Penn and Plymouth Avenues North is transforming the landscape of North Minneapolis.

Opening in July with full occupancy, the building will be home to Thor Companies and house offices for the Target Corporation, Hennepin County, Meda, Build Wealth MN, a second location for Sammy’s Avenue

Eatery, an art gallery and a fitness facility. The structure also has parking for more than 600 vehicles.

“We wanted to do something meaningful for the community and the entire Minneapolis landscape,” said Ravi Norman, Thor Companies CEO. “We’re going to have six African-American CEOs in one building.”

While Thor has worked on

THOR 5

Business

Chicago Reader now Black-owned

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Harry Colbert, Jr.

D’angelos Svenkeson, vice president of Thor Development (center) gives a tour of the rooftop patio at the new Thor Headquarters in North Minneapolis.

Insight 2 Health Black mothers are dying but we can stop it

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Lifestyle

A sit down with the chief of Metro Transit Police

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AS

Minnesota State Fair announces new foods

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Business

Chicago Reader now Black-owned

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Contributor

Dorothy Leavell, chairman of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and publisher of the Chicago and Gary Crusader newspapers, announced she has led a group in purchasing the Chicago Reader.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s a historic purchase that brings the alternative newspaper with an audited weekly circulation of about 85,000 into the NNPA family of

220 African-American newspapers and media companies. The Reader is much like the City Pages of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The paper had most recently been owned by the Chicago Sun-Times, which reportedly will maintain a 15 percent stake in the Reader after the sale closes later this month.

“I see this as an opportunity to enhance the value of the Black Press through the (Chicago Reader),” Leavell told NNPA Newswire. “It is (now) definitely Black-owned.”

Sun-Times CEO Edwin Eisendrath joined Leavell at the Rainbow PUSH Convention in Chi-

cago to first reveal the sale.

“We love the Reader and have worked hard to be sure it has a foundation for the future. All of us at the Sun-Times are thrilled that the Reader’s future is in such good hands,” said Eisendrath.

Such a marriage perhaps had less than a small chance of being consummated 25 years ago when the Reader staff poked fun at the NNPA and Leavell after Civil Rights Leader Nelson Mandela failed to attend a Black Press convention when he toured America after being released from prison in 1993.

In an article headlined, “Black Press feels neglected,”

the Reader noted how Mandela found time for Ted Koppel, The New York Times and The Washington Post, but not the NNPA, which held its annual convention in Chicago at that time.

“The NNPA, which is the nation’s principal Black Press organization, was deeply insulted,” according to the article, which quoted Leavell, then secretary of the NNPA. Leavell and then-NNPA Executive Director Steve Davis jointly told the media that it wasn’t Mandela’s fault but those who scheduled him. “The visit has brought us to the realization that we must insist on the right to participate in all decisions

Worsom Robinson/NNPA

NNPA Chairman Dorothy Leavell said that she wants to expand the Chicago Reader’s long-form, investigative reporting.

involving the welfare of Black people,” they declared.

Now a quarter of a century later, Leavell has purchased the Reader.

“The NNPA resolutely congratulates our esteemed chairman, Dorothy R. Leavell, the publisher of the Chicago Crusader and the Gary Crusader, on her acquisition of the legendary Chicago Reader publication,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the NNPA. “This acquisition comes at a strategic national moment when the Black Press in America is growing, expanding, in-

CHICAGO READER 8

Energy industry continues to court younger, more diverse workforce

By Freddie Allen Editor-in-Chief, NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com As workers in the energy sector reach retirement age, the need to recruit, train and hire younger, more diverse talent will increase, dramatically.

That’s why the American Petroleum Institute (API) has increased their outreach and engagement efforts in the Black community. According to a report by IHS Global prepared for API, “nearly 1.9 million direct job opportunities are projected through 2035 in the oil and natural gas and petrochemical industries” and “African-Americans and Hispanics will account for over 80 percent of the net in-

(Pexels.com)

David McGowan, the executive director of the North Carolina Petroleum Council (not pictured) says that the energy industry must recruit a younger, more diverse workforce. crease in the labor force from 2015 to 2035.”

David McGowan, the execu-

dustry “absolutely” sees the value in the ability of the Black Press to reach audiences that can benefit from learning more about opportunities in the energy sector; that’s especially true when it comes to reaching Black families with young children.

The key, McGowan said, is to empower parents and students, beginning in elementary school, with information about the importance of a rigorous education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics commonly known as STEM. “Starting that conversation early with students and encouraging them to look at fields of study that would prepare them for any type of energy industry career path, whether that path is in oil and natural gas, electric

tive director of the North Carolina Petroleum Council (NCPC), said the oil and natural gas in-

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ENERGY 8

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Insight News • June 25 - July 1, 2018 • Page 5

Commentary Black clergy jailed, shackled for Supreme Court prayer protest NNPA Newswire Columnist

By Julianne Malveaux Faith and prayer have been the backbone of the African-American community since we came upon these shores.

We have counted on our faith leaders (the roll call would include Revs. Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, James Walker Hood, Martin Luther King, Jr., Wyatt Tee Walker, Jesse L. Jackson, William Barber, Vashti McKenzie, Barbara Williams Skinner and many others) to articulate the justness of our cause and to mobilize us to work for the justice that is called for in the New Testament, especially in Matthew 25: 35-45. Our ministers are revered leaders who often stand in the face of injustice. We are not surprised, and indeed, encouraged, when their firm stands in the face of oppression lead to collisions with

the law. Still, when faith leaders are treated harshly, it forces us to examine the injustice in our system. When King wrote the “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” in 1963, he chided white ministers who made a public statement about his methods, suggesting that segregation should be fought in the courts, not in the streets.

His letter moved the white faith community to confront some of the injustices of segregation and to form alliances with the Civil Rights Movement.

King spent 11 days in the Birmingham jail in extremely harsh conditions. However, the oppressor does not learn from its excesses. On June 12, nine faith leaders were shackled and held for 27 hours after being arrested for praying at the Supreme Court. The multicultural group of men and women are part of Barber’s Poor People’s Campaign ( A National Call for Moral Revival). Their effort is to bring attention to the amazing inequality and moral bankruptcy of our nation. Their prayers at the Supreme Court were extremely timely given the court’s recent actions to make it more difficult for people to vote in Ohio, and given the injustices,

this court continues to perpetuate.

Like King, the nine who were arrested were subjected to extremely harsh conditions.

No threat to anyone, they were shackled, placed in handcuffs

even in the face of economic expansion. Like King’s Poor People’s campaign, this 21st century Poor People’s Campaign, launched 50 years later, is an attack on poverty, racism, and militarism, and also ecologi-

...they were shackled, placed in handcuffs and leg irons, confined to roach-infested cells with nothing to rest their heads on, but a metal slab. and leg irons, confined to roachinfested cells with nothing to rest their heads on, but a metal slab. This is the 21st century, but you wouldn’t know it by the way these clergies were treated.

Yet, their actions and those of the Poor People’s Campaign are writing the contemporary letter from the Birmingham jail. Their brief incarceration, in the name of justice, is part of a larger movement to bring attention to increasing poverty and injustice,

cal devastation and our nation’s “moral devastation.”

At the 2018 Rainbow PUSH International convention on June 15, Barber railed against interlocking injustices that did not begin with our 45th president, but have been exacerbated by the depravity he represents.

In a rousing address that wove humor, statistics, public analysis and a scathing attack on our nation’s immorality, Barber argued that “the rejected,” which may

comprise more than half of our nation, will lead to the revival of our nation.

Who would have thought that nine faith leaders would be among the rejected? Who would have thought King would have been? But King eagerly embraced the status of “rejected.”

He once preached, “I choose to identify with the underprivileged. I choose to identify with the poor. I choose to give my life for the hungry. I choose to give my life for those who have been left out of the sunlight of opportunity.” The Rev. Liz Theoharis told “Democracy Now’s” Amy Goodman that the conditions she and fellow clergy experienced, while uncomfortable, were the same conditions poor inmates experienced. That’s the power, in some ways, of the Poor People’s Campaign. Clergy and others are forcing the issue, lifting their voices, making connections, claiming the discomfort and pain of the rejected, embracing the fact that they, too, are among the rejected.

To shackle clergy simply for praying is to exhibit a peculiar form of cruelty and inhumanity. Shackling is reminiscent of enslavement; shackling is a

method of humiliation; shackling is an attempt to use the harsh lash of unjust law on the backs of those who pray for just law. The Rev. William Lamar IV, who has been arrested on three consecutive Mondays for protest action said the June 12 arrests and treatment were the harshest, he has yet experienced. In Washington, D.C., people who are arrested for protesting are usually given a ticket that requires a court appearance and a likely fine. What did the shackling say about the hallowed sacredness of the “Supreme” Court?

Shackling clergy for praying is like condemning the sun for shining. Unjust law enforcement can shackle arms and legs, but not movements. Harsh treatment of leaders in the Poor People’s Champaign only strengthens resistance against injustice, racism, poverty, and ecological devastation.

Julianne Malveaux is an author, economist and founder of Economic Education. Her latest book “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy” is available to order at Amazon.com and at www.juliannemalveaux.com.

Parental engagement secret to academic success

By Dr. Elizabeth V. Primas Program Manager for NNPA ESSA Public Awareness Campaign The National Family Engagement Summit of 2018 was held in Richmond, Va. Throughout the summit, multiple opportunities were provided for attendees to interact with some of the nation’s leading experts in parent and family engagement. Participants came from near and far. More than 300 teachers, parents, administrators and community activists participated, presented, networked, taught and learned strategies to increase family engagement.

One presenter described the difference between involvement and engagement as the level of commitment, stating, “It’s like you’ve got a ring (engagement) on it. You’re not just passively attending a few parent-teacher

Northside From 3 Minneapolis issue, it’s a statewide issue of workforce shortages.”

With well-documented disparities among Blacks and whites in

Thor From 3

meetings, but you’re planning, making decisions, running for the school board and more.”

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), speaks specifically to parent and family engagement. Data highlighted examples of the successful impact parents can have when they are present in their child’s school.

One presenter pointed out that, “Parents tend to be extremely involved with students in the early elementary grades. They bring them to school, speak with the teacher frequently, and are more likely to volunteer for field trips, classroom activities, and attend parent-teacher meetings.” However, around the third grade, parents start to reduce their involvement. They attend fewer meetings, volunteer for field-trips and other events less, and seldom spend time in the building. In some cases, they may have only met the teacher just once.

When students reach third grade and began to social-

Dr. Elizabeth Primas ize more independently with friends, parent engagement often wanes. It’s not surprising that after requiring almost, constant supervision that parents breathe a sigh of relief when their children gain newfound independence. However, these are the times when our children

cific technical education back to Minneapolis.”

Flanagan said what Staples is offering is a tangible solution.

education, employment and economics in Minnesota, Staples said the Minneapolis Apprentice Training Center can greatly improve outcomes for the state’s underserved residents.

“We have a workforce shortage and we want to make sure all of Minneapolis is ready to work,” said Staples. “Part of doing that is bringing career-spe-

“We’re good at admiring problems, but not addressing them; but something like this is real and making a difference,” said the lieutenant governor hopeful.

She said in touring the state

major projects throughout the nation including U.S. Bank Stadium, and TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and has a AAA credit rating, D’angelos Svenkeson, vice president of Thor

Development, said because of the desire to build in North Minneapolis, Thor faced financing challenges.

“Even with AAA credit, still some of our national banks adversely priced the project,” said

require increased attention, specifically our young Black males.

There is significant data to show a correlation between K-12 completion, literacy and adulthood incarceration. The NAACP reported that African-Americans are incarcerated at more than five times the rate of whites and, nationwide, African-American children represent 32 percent of children who are arrested.

Blacks make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population. Patterns, such as, absenteeism, delinquent behavior, and academic apathy, correlate with high suspension rates and subsequent incarceration.

ESSA places increased priority on parental engagement and requires states to provide innovative strategies to incorporate parental and family engagement into a school’s decision-making, and planning. ESSA stresses two-way communication. This requires teachers and administrators to reach out to parents in clear, concise, relatable ways she sees little difference in the needs and desires of various enclaves.

“We were up in Virginia (Minn.) and a lot of what the people there are saying is a lot of what we’re hearing right here,” said Flanagan.

Voters will go to the polls Aug. 14 to vote in the state’s primary election.

Svenkeson. “Without local bank support this project wouldn’t have gotten done.

The site of the new building sat as a vacant lot for nearly 25 years.

that encourage feedback and input at every level of implementa-

SUMMIT 7

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Insight 2 Health

Black mothers are dying but we can stop it Commentary by Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) Black mothers are dying and it’s time to do something about it.

Every year, more than 700 American mothers lose their lives to pregnancy or birth-related complications. Some medical professionals estimate that at least half, if not more, of these deaths are entirely preventable.

While the deaths of 700-plus American mothers should shock us all, the statistics are much worse for African-American mothers. We are three-to-four times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth than our White counterparts. A 20102011 survey of maternal deaths in Philadelphia found that threequarters of those deaths were Black mothers.

These shocking statistics cut across class, education level, and socio-economic status. Earlier

this year, Serena Williams shared her own story of nearly losing her life.

She, like too many other women, was ignored when she raised concerns about her own health and body. If this tragedy can befall a wealthy, world-class athlete who’s deeply in tuned with her own body, it could, and does, happen to anyone.

Sadly, the situation is getting worse, not better. American mothers are dying at higher rates every year.

Globally, we’ve had real success in pushing down the rates of mothers needlessly dying, especially in Africa and the Caribbean. Yet at the same time, the U.S. is one of a handful of nations where the number of mothers dying is increasing.

We can and must do better. All mamas deserve the chance to be mamas.

That’s why I’ve introduced the “Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness Act” or the MOMMA Act, for short.

Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) says that the MOMMA Act would improve access to culturallycompetent care throughout the care continuum.

This comprehensive legislation takes a multi-pronged approach to ending maternal mortality through increased access to care, expanded culturally-competent training and standardized data collection.

Currently, one of our greatest challenges in addressing the rising rate of maternal mortality is a lack of good data. We need to standardize data to find trends and protocols that work to save lives.

The MOMMA Act also establishes and enforces national emergency obstetric protocols and ensures the sharing of best practices between practitioners and hospital systems because, if it’s working, we want every doctor to know about it.

Additionally, the MOMMA Act would expand access to care by ensuring that mothers retain their Medicaid coverage for one year after giving birth, the entire postpartum period. Right now, mothers lose their coverage just two months after giving birth.

However, many women face significant health challenges, often weeks and months, after giving birth. One mom who spoke at my press conference unveiling the bill suffered a childbirth-related stroke 20 days after giving birth. Furthermore, we know that postpartum depression and other health challenges face new mothers; expanding access to care will ensure that moms remain healthy as they raise their families.

Finally, the MOMMA Act would improve access to culturally-competent care throughout the care continuum. For decades, we’ve known that culturallyincompetent care has had massive and negative impacts on our community and our health.

In 2018, it’s time to train health professionals to give appropriate care to all patients, regardless of their race.

I could not be prouder to have introduced the MOMMA Act or to have worked with the amazing women and men who helped us craft this important legislation to

save mothers’ lives.

It’s the product of months of work with families, mothers, doctors, nurses, midwives, doulas and policy advocates. I’m deeply humbled to have the support of Black Women’s Health Imperative, the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, the National Urban League, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and many others.

As a mother, I was lucky enough to experience two happy, healthy pregnancies. I want the same thing for every mother and family … a healthy, happy pregnancy and child.

Rep. Robin Kelly represents Illinois’ Second Congressional District. She is the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust and the cochair of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls.

She also serves on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Suicide isn’t just a ‘white people thing’ As a sociologist and criminolo-

By Dr. Kimya N. gist, I often do community outreach on mental health prevention.

Dennis, Salem College I urge organizations and prowww.TheConversation.com grams to avoid “one size fits all”

approaches. There are many ways that mental health issues can impact individuals, depending upon race and ethnicity, gender identity, sexual identity, religion and more.

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But I have found mental health conditions and suicide are often still considered a “white people’s problem.” When I speak with African-Americans and non-white Hispanics – groups that are often overlooked by the mental health community – I’m often asked why I’m “wasting time” addressing race, ethnicity and other cultural variations.

In some ways, this is not surprising. Whites make up more than 70 percent of the total U.S. population and have the highest rate of suicide relative to population size.

In the African-American community, there’s a tendency to label suicide and mental health conditions as “crazy” or evidence that you aren’t praying enough. People in this culture, as well as Hispanic, Asian and Native-American communities, are less likely to acknowledge the possibility of having a health condition or seek mental health services. Or, as some commentators and academics have said, suicide is seen as a “white thing” – “AfricanAmericans don’t ‘do’ suicide.”

Unfortunately, despite the existence of culturally specific support systems, many cultures still experience silence and shame around mental health issues.

This is reflected in the care that’s provided as well. Based on false assumptions, many health professionals and health services end up, intentionally or unintentionally, catering to predominantly white consumers.

The problem is partly due to data. Whites have a suicide rate of 18.5 per 100,000 people, leading to the highest total number of suicides for any racial or ethnic group in the U.S. Whites also comprise the majority of membership in suicide prevention organizations and have greater access to resources needed to seek out mental health services.

Meanwhile, African-Americans make up about 12 to 13 percent of the U.S. population and are underrepresented in suicide data. Data suggest African-Americans have approximately 6 percent of the recorded rate of suicide compared to whites. But this data is likely incomplete – thanks to deaths that have been misclassified.

African-American, Hispanic and Native-American suicides have historically been more misclassified than white suicide – and still are to this day. No one knows which specific deaths have been misclassified. However, researchers believe that these errors can be largely attributed to either the coroner’s misclassification of cause of death as

homicide or undetermined or the family’s desire not to record the accurate cause of death. That leaves data at the local, state and national level incomplete.

Over the past 40 years, there has been slight decline in the number of suicides misclassified as undetermined or unintentional, although this trend varies by demographics and cultures.

There’s no clear reason why the cause of death is becoming more accurately classified. Possible causes include more research on misclassification; better record keeping by law enforcement and coroners; and family awareness of cause of death.

Failing to seek help Societal attitudes towards African-American men may also partly explain why suicide data is incomplete.

When criminologists talk about violence, we often focus on how demographic factors such as race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status and gender apply to outward violence, or violence toward other people. But I believe that we should also talk about how these factors influence inward violence, or violence toward oneself.

The number one recorded cause of death for African-American males between the ages of 15 and 34 is homicide. But are these deaths often characterized by law enforcement, coroners and family as accidental or homicidal when, in fact, the individual wanted or expected to die?

African-American masculinity is arguably more confined than white masculinity. AfricanAmerican boys and men are even more likely to be labeled “weak” and “not a real man” when in need of help. In the “code of the street” described by sociologist Elijah Anderson, African-American boys and men must learn to hide weakness and appear strong and resilient.

Society tends to view African-American men as heteromasculine, unemotional and aggressive. As boys and as men, they are taught to never admit mental or physical pain.

Research shows that some African-American boys and men do not expect to live long. They grow accustomed to hiding their feelings, expressing negative emotions through violence. This can lead them to enter harmful, dangerous environments with the anticipation that it could lead to death.

Expanding our definition The false sense that “suicide is a white people thing”

has ated

created and perpetua problematic cycle.

Suicide and suicidal selfharm among Native-American and Alaskans is an example of this. In 2015 this group had the highest suicide rate of any race or ethnicity – 21.39 suicides per 100,000 people – while representing approximately 3 percent of the total U.S. population.

Native-Americans and Alaskan Natives tend to suffer from feelings of alienation and have less access to health services. This contributes to alcoholism and opioid addiction, as well as suicide and suicidal self-harm.

Cultural factors mean Native-Americans are less likely to recognize health issues and seek health services. In turn, the majority of health services are not designed for this minority group or any minority group.

There are mental health organizations and programs specifically designed to reach underserved groups. But all mental health and suicide organizations need to capture these cultural differences in their services.

Race and ethnicity – and other demographic and cultural factors – are often seen as merely a subtopic, reserved for special occasions or particular times of the year, such as Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. As these identities are so important in shaping our beliefs and experiences, I believe that they cannot be left as merely a side topic for one or two days out of the year.

Schools and programs that train mental health professionals should rethink their courses.

Mainstream mental health and suicide prevention organizations should rethink their delivery of care. Conduct annual assessments of the demographics represented at all events. Find practical ways to use funding and resources to reach demographically and cultural diverse populations.

It’s important to challenge mainstream organizations that provide health services, rather than just creating organizations and programs focused on minorities. This is a form of segregation. Health segregation allows mainstream health organizations to pretend health is culturally neutral and that services are “one size fits all.”

I believe it’s important to change the structure of mainstream health organizations so we can reach all cultures and communities.

Dr. Kimya N. Dennis is a consultant, speaker, community advocate, educator, and researcher working with organizations and community members about mental health, suicide and suicidal self-harm, reproductive freedom, and childfree-by-choice.

insightnews.com

Insight News • June 25 - July 1, 2018 • Page 7

MnDOT urges motorists to use emergency notification system signs at railroad crossings The Minnesota Department of Transportation reminds motorists to use railroad emergency notification system signs when there is a safety issue or emergency situation at a rail grade crossing.

The blue and white signs are posted near the crossing on both sides of the road and should be clearly visible to the road user.

The emergency notification system sign includes the railroad’s emergency contact number and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s national crossing number, which identifies the exact location of the crossing to the railroads.

“The seven number and letter crossing code and the railroad phone number are the only two things a motorist needs to know when reporting an issue,” said Jim Weatherhead, state rail program coordinator. “Motorists don’t need to know the name of the street or railroad.”

He said motorists can call the phone number listed on the sign to report emergency or dangerous situations such a signal malfunction, if someone or something is on the tracks or if the crossing is blocked for more than 10 minutes.

“The railroad can dispatch their own people or law enforcement. There might be times the railroad isn’t aware that a signal is malfunctioning or that an emergency or dangerous situation exists, so calling the number on the blue and white sign is the quickest way to contact the railroad or to reach emergency responders,” said Weatherhead.

The Federal Railroad Administration requires each railroad to have emergency notification system signs at all public crossings.

For more information, go to the Federal Railroad Administration’s website at www.fra.dot. gov.

Motorists can call the phone number listed on signs to report an emergency or dangerous situation.

to the police budget. Around 7 p.m. the majority of crowd left the building after a dispersal order from building secu-

rity. By 8:30 p.m. the six who camped out in front of Frey’s office were arrested. They were

cited and released without bail.

This last action brings the total number of arrests to 52 since the May 14 launch of the Minnesota Poor People’s Campaign, which is part of a national wave of non-violent civil disobedience and direct action. Nationally, more than 2,000 people have been arrested in almost 40 states in the revival of 1968 Poor People’s Campaign, championed by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Minnesota campaign has been gathering momentum, attracting larger crowds of supporters and capturing public attention. Week five’s actions resulted in the arrest of 15 protesters who blocked a major in-

ESSA does not dictate the ways in which schools are required to engage parents. However, educators should recognize the crucial role parental partnerships play in preparing students for college and careers.

This summer, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) will host its second National Black Parents’ Town Hall Meeting on Educational Excellence. The conversation on parent engagement will con-

tinue at the Gethsemane Community Fellowship Church on Tuesday, June 26, from 5 p.m.

– 8 p.m. CST. This event will be livestreamed and for the first time, NNPA ESSA will host two viewing rooms in California – one in Los Angeles, and the other in San Francisco. If you are not able to join us in Norfolk, you should certainly make your way to the viewing rooms in California or join the livestream online.

Participants who pre-register and are present in either location are eligible to win grand prizes.

Register today by visiting www. nnpa.org/essa/events.

Dr. Elizabeth Primas is an educator, who spent more than 40 years working towards improving education for children of diverse ethnicities and backgrounds. Dr. Primas is the program manager for the NNPA’s Every Student Succeeds Act Public Awareness Campaign.

Protesters From 3 and its alleged abuses, especially with regard to people of color and poor neighborhoods.

Later, demonstrators moved into Minneapolis City Hall and up to the third-floor office of Frey, where six entered to build a makeshift gravesite – a pile of dirt representing those killed by police. The protesters occupied Frey›s office, refusing to leave unless he signed a document committing to a moratorium on adding money

Summit From 5 tion. Some non-traditional communication strategies include social media use, e-newsletters and short surveys. Administrators and teachers are encouraged to schedule meetings that accommodate parents with different hours of availability.

Minnesota Poor People’s Campaign

Six protesters who constructed a grave symbolizing those victimized by police were arrested outside of the office of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

tersection in St. Paul in a demonstration demanding a $15

minimum wage for all workers in the city.

fresh • local • organic Your neighborhood source for local and organic foods and wellness products

2823 E. Franklin Ave. | Minneapolis & 317 E. 38th St. | Minneapolis w w w.seward. coop

Page 8 •June June 25 - July 1, 2018 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Lifestyle

A sit down with the chief of Metro Transit Police A view from campus

By Latisha Townsend Contributing Writer Recently I got the chance to interview a well-respected leader in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, John Harrington.

Harrington is the chief of Metro Transit Police and a former Minnesota senator. The Metro Transit Police are responsible for policing our buses, bus shelters and trains. The reason I wanted to interview Harrington is because I have witnessed many of my peers express interest in law enforcement and wanting to get involved because they want to make a change. The problem is many people don’t know how or where to start.

Personally, I believe the best place to start is from the inside.

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Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Managing Editor Harry Colbert, Jr. Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Associate Editor Culture and Education Dr. Irma McClaurin Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Content & Production Coordinator Sunny Thongthi Yang Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Staff Writer Abeni Hill Contributing Writers Nadvia Davis Fred Easter Timothy Houston Michelle Mitchum Artika Tyner Toki Wright Photography David Bradley V. Rivera Garcia Uchechukwu Iroegbu Rebecca Rabb Artist Donald Walker 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.

I want to share the valuable information that I got from the chief and hopefully it can help anyone feeling discouraged.

The most interesting part of this interview, for me, was learning that Harrington studied Far East religion and Chinese in college, not criminal justice.

You might be relieved to know that a career in law enforcement is still achievable even if it is not related to previous studies.

You can also join without any higher education experience.

When Harrington was recruited, the St. Paul community was requesting more minorities be hired. Representation was in high demand. This is something that we can take notes of when we feel that we aren’t seeing enough diversity in our community’s police departments. We can always make requests (demands) for change.

As of right now, the size of the Metro department is made up of about 115 full-time officers and 60 who are working part-time.

As transit grows, the department hopes to hire more officers.

John Harrington Harrington said coming from a time where people were demanding to see more representation has helped him to adopt the idea that a police department should have people who are responsive and reflective of the community. He said diversity is also important because initial interactions have the power to ef-

fect this outcome of a situation.

For this reason, Metro Transit Police wants to bring on people who speak multiple languages and can relate to a wide variety of people. This station is currently 38 percent diverse, which makes it the most diverse police agency in Minnesota.

Are you a person who is interested in becoming a transit officer? If so, you should know that police associations are the first place Metro Transit looks when recruiting new candidates. Minneapolis has a National Black Police Association, Minnesota Asian Peace Officers Association and the Minneapolis Association of Women Police, just to name a few.

It can feel lonely to be one of a small number of minorities in a department, which is why Metro Transit works hard to create a space that feels like home for officers of all cultures. They are expecting to hire more than two dozen more officers between now and 2019.

The first step to becoming a transit officer is to take an oral

test where community members and officers join to interview a candidate. This allows community members to look at someone who could potentially be responsible for their safety and make a decision about if they would trust this person to protect and serve them. Next is the chief’s interview followed by a background check. Once all are passed, candidates will attend a police academy that lasts for about 10 weeks. The final step in candidacy is to work with a field training officer.

Naturally, I had to ask Harrington how his station works to limit instances of over policing in our communities. I was pleased to hear all the community outreach plans that the department has because building relationships is highly effective. The station has built long lasting bonds with the young people by genuinely finding things in common and treating the kids as if they are just younger versions of themselves.

“Kids will be loud and it’s normal. Because of that, we

choose to use good judgement, (in not overreacting)” said Harrington. Metro Transit has also created a juvenile unit and hired experienced juvenile officers. Some examples of community outreach in the past have been holding police activities such as baseball games, sponsoring community events, and shopping with the youth.

“Our favorite time to build relationships is during the good times, not just during or after a crisis” said the chief.

As for words of encouragement for young people who want to get involved, Harrington wants to reassure you that young people have the power to make a difference. There is always a second chance to do right and being a city cop gives you the opportunity to do more on the front lines. Metro Transit is a growing department in our community and the chief is optimistic about the future of policecommunity relations.

Juneteenth: Three celebrations, one city

By Lee H. Jordan Minneapolis Juneteenth Committee - 2018 National Juneteenth Film & Bicycling Commissions I have never felt so proud of my heritage, culture and community.

I have been a part of Minnesota since I made the decision to leave my home of Arizona in 1976 – another monumental moment in the history of our Bicentennial birth of this country of ours. Heading for

Energy From 4 utilities, wind, solar or renewables … if they have that STEM

California, somehow, I ended up here in Minnesota.

So, when I say I’ve been around the block a few times, you can take that as truth.

I was walking around Bethune Park, overhearing different conversations regarding why three Juneteenth celebrations in one city, which is what occurred in Minneapolis. Good question. However, before I comment let me explain that I am a board member of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Juneteenth Celebration, and have had several conversations with the Rev. Dr. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., the

founder and chairman of National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) along with other community committees across the

background they’re going to be better served as students and as future professionals than if they didn’t have that background,” said McGowan.

NCPC is the division of API that represents the oil and natural gas industry in North Caro-

lina. McGowan joined API after serving as the director of regulatory affairs for the North Carolina Association of Realtors.

McGowan recently met with the North Carolina Black Press Association to discuss strategies for improving energy literacy

Lee H. Jordan, Minneapolis Juneteenth Committee

country.

Whether you celebrated, as a state, county, city, neighborhood or even just privately in your own home, it didn’t really matter. Juneteenth has been celebrated for more than 150 years.

The history shows us that on Jan. 1, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln created the Emancipation Proclamation, or Presidential Proclamation 95 and Executive Order. However, it wouldn’t be announced to southern slaves for another two and a half years; after the bloodiest conflict this country has ever known. I don’t look at

this as a time to talk about slavery and the lack of equality that exists even to this day, but rather as a real celebration to call our own.

I feel, I have an obligation to those past, present and even future to hold onto and help keep the feeling I get when I come to a Juneteenth celebration.

This is a celebration of freedom, not color, religion or gender. So regardless of which event you attended, it gives me joy to see you acknowledged all the hard work of those in the past who gave you the freedom to just be the you that you are.

and sharing aspects of the industry that many families in the Black community don’t know exist.

“It was a great first step in opening, what I hope will be, an on-going dialogue and relationship,” said McGowan. “That’s the model that we want to employ throughout our state network, because we recognize the value in those relationships.”

API partnered with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) to increase the awareness about job and business opportunities in the energy sector. The NNPA is a trade group that represents more than 200 Black-owned media companies in the United States, that reach more than 20 million readers, combined, in print and online every week.

“We not only have a need for a diverse workforce, but also a younger workforce,” said McGowan. “We need new workers to come into the industry.”

McGowan said a critical component to NCPC’s outreach efforts in North Carolina also includes engagement with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the state.

In a partnership with the American Association of Blacks in Energy, NCPC hosted an event about opportunities in the energy sector at WinstonSalem State University. NCPC also invited HBCU students from schools such as Johnson C. Smith University to attend an event focused on the oil and natural gas industry at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

“We’re not neglecting college students, that’s still an important outreach avenue for us, but we’ve seen, more recently, that it’s also important to start getting in front of these students earlier,” said McGowan. “We start (reaching) them at the elementary, middle and high school

levels so that they are aware of the opportunities in (STEM careers) and so that they’re best prepared to take advantage of those opportunities when they get to college.”

Touting the creation of job and business opportunities, McGowan said that his group advocates for expanding access to offshore environments and offshore waters off the coast of North Carolina for energy exploration and production in the Atlantic Ocean.

Earlier this year, The News and Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) reported, “Supporters and opponents of offshore drilling gathered in Raleigh for the state’s only public hearing on the Trump administration’s controversial plan to open up the Atlantic coast for oil and gas exploration.”

While supporters of offshore drilling in North Carolina said that “the oil and gas industry would create good-paying, fulltime jobs to prospect and later drill for oil and natural gas,” opponents argued that “oil spills would be an ever-present threat to the state’s environment, its tourism and fishing industries, and coastal people’s way of life,” The Observer reported.

McGowan said based on research provided by API, more than 50,000 jobs would be created by 2035 if offshore drilling and exploration moved forward off the coast of North Carolina.

“That could be a tremendous opportunity, not only from an employment standpoint, but also from an economic development standpoint, as well,” said McGowan.

This article was originally published at www.BlackPressUSA.com.

Freddie Allen is the Editorin-Chief of the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com. You can follow Freddie on Twitter @ freddieallenjr.

Chicago Reader From 4 novating and increasing market share across the United States.”

Further, the NNPA is experiencing significant increase in readership and engagement of African-American millennials in both our print and digital products, Chavis said.

“The Black Press has consistently maintained its trustworthy status with Black America at a time when there has been an erosion of trust in so-called mainstream media,” Chavis said. “For all of these contem-

porary reasons the future of the Black Press is reassured and affirmed by 47 million AfricanAmericans and millions of others throughout the world.”

Leavell said that she’d like to see the Reader’s long-form, investigative reporting expanded.

“We are going to broaden that scope,” Leavell said. “We want to be in every community to bring you the news that you enjoy already. We’re going to be expanding. We will increase our cultural information. You want to know what’s happening in Chicago? You gotta read the Reader.”

This article was originally published on BlackPressUSA. com.

insightnews.com

Insight News â&#x20AC;˘ June 25 - July 1, 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ Page 9

Charles Goah, pastor and author, dies at 55 Charles Garjay Goah, a beloved Liberian-American pastor who delivered the gospel to many as the longtime pastor of United Christian Fellowship Church in Minneapolisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Northside, died on May 10. He was 55.

The cause was cancer, said his wife of 20 years.

For more than two decades, Goah led a ministry credited with winning converts with a style that went beyond the spiritual needs of those to which he ministered. Even as he preached the gospel, he was known to have a keen interest in the civic and entrepreneurial endeavors of those he ministered to, whether they were his parishioners or not.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;He would ask me every time we met, how my business was doing and if there was anything he could do to helpâ&#x20AC;?, said Theodore Morgan, a Liberian-American businessman.

Goah was also keen in building bridges beyond the Liberian community. Boyd Morson, a civic leader in Brooklyn Park wrote in a Facebook message, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pastor Goah was a friend and supporter of mine. And he shared meaningful and uplifting words and conversations with me about my campaign and vision as mayor in Brooklyn Park. Pastor Goah also sincerely thanked me for my presence, involvement and engagement within the Liberian

United Christian Fellowship Church

Liberian-American pastor, Charles Garjay Goah of United Christian Fellowship Church in Minneapolis, died of cancer on May 10 at the age of 55. He was buried June 16.

community over the many years.â&#x20AC;?

Goah was born in Liberiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital city of Monrovia on June 11, 1962. He ďŹ rst came to the United States as a youth missionary in 1988 before the civil war broke out in his native Liberia.

He had received some limited theological training in Liberia but got his full training as a minister while in the United States.

He received his bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in theology while in Virginia and a masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in theology from ACTS International Bible College in Blaine. He also received masters in global leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Goah met his wife Danuta Goah in 1995. She had come to the Unit-

ed States on a similar youth mission trip through a Polish church.

At the time of his death, Goah was enrolled at Bethel University pursuing his doctorate. He had already completed a year of the program. He is survived by his wife Danuta Goah, son Jakub Goah, daughter Mayetti Goah, his mother Julia Gaarduwar who lived with them, his brother in Liberia, Stanley Goah and a large extended family.

The late Charles Goah was also an author. He authored two books. The ďŹ rst one he wrote was â&#x20AC;&#x153;Adultery: A Contemporary Interpretation.â&#x20AC;?

In March 2017, he authored From â&#x20AC;&#x153;Praise to Petition: Expe-

riencing the Power and Passion of Prayer,â&#x20AC;? which is still available in bookstores, and Amazon.

He was also an active member of the Liberian Ministerial Alliance in Minnesota as well as the Brooklyn Area Ministerial Association.

He was known to preach love and peace and was prominent during diďŹ&#x192;cult times that the community faced.

In 2015, he was the presiding pastor at the high-proďŹ le funeral of Henry T. McCabe, a Minnesota Department of Revenue Corporate Auditor, who had been missing for almost a month and was discovered dead on Rush Lake in New Brighton.

Letter to the Editor: Ex-felons deserve the right to vote Since the founding of this country, our democracy has been under attack. Unfortunately, during an administration where every American voice needs to be heard for equality to prevail, the right to vote has been removed from more and more people,

often along racial lines. Across the country, 7.4 percent of Black men are disenfranchised, compared to just 1.8 percent of everyone else. In Minnesota, 12.5 percent of Black men cannot vote.

During the past elec-

tion, more than a quarter of all Minnesotans who were denied the vote were not behind bars.

Your neighbors, coworkers, and maybe even your family members were blocked from the ballot box while working, paying taxes and obeying the

laws being created without their representation. Not only is this wrong, it is unconstitutional. The 14th Amendment forbids disenfranchising citizens â&#x20AC;&#x153;except for participation in rebellion, or other crime.â&#x20AC;? The vagueness of â&#x20AC;&#x153;other crimesâ&#x20AC;?

has enabled politicians to enact policies in Minnesota that do not allow felons behind bars, on parole, or on probation to exercise the right to vote.

In November, 52,000 Minnesotans will not be able to vote for Minnesotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two sena-

tors and eight representatives.

The policy of disenfranchisement in the North Star State ensures the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s delegation does not wholly reďŹ&#x201A;ect the will of the people. This needs to change. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Morris Pearl

Two nonprofits team up to provide healthy food to those in need A partnership between the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation and Loaves and Fishes is bringing a steady supply of healthy food to people who lack access to grocery stores and farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s markets.

Twin Cities Mobile Market, a program of the Wilder Foun-

CVT From 3 ering oversees an international staďŹ&#x20AC; with oďŹ&#x192;ces in Atlanta, St. Paul and Washington D.C., and

Classifieds

dation, is a grocery store on wheels that brings aďŹ&#x20AC;ordable, healthy food directly into under-resourced neighborhoods.

Since February, local nonproďŹ t Loaves and Fishes has provided Twin Cities Mobile Market with 400-700 pounds of fresh produce each week in the form

of â&#x20AC;&#x153;goodie bags.â&#x20AC;? Anyone who spends $10 or more on the Mobile Market is eligible to receive a goodie bag full of fresh produce at no additional charge.

Since the partnership launched, Twin Cities Mobile Market has seen an increase in the num-

ber of shoppers each week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our customers love this program,â&#x20AC;? said Mobile Market Community Engagement Coordinator Filsan Ibrahim. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People can walk oďŹ&#x20AC; the bus with two bags full of fresh, healthy food for just $10.

Many shoppers say they have

been introduced to new foods because of the goodie bags.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like having a farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market come right to your door.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;This partnership allows us to make the most of our food supply,â&#x20AC;? said Cathy Maes, Loaves and Fishes executive director. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we have

food that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make it to our kitchens, we can oďŹ&#x20AC;er it to the Mobile Market to ensure it gets to the people who need it most. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a win all around.â&#x20AC;?

For more information about Loaves and Fishes, visit www. loavesandďŹ shesmn.org.

healing projects in Africa and the Middle East.

One of the more gut-wrenching tales, Goering shared the narrative of a woman, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mary,â&#x20AC;? he met a couple of weeks ago from Northern Uganda; who he said was kidnapped by a militia group at 9 years old and forced into sex slavery and became one

of the senior military commanderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife.

Goering said CVT was working with survivors; victims of the Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Resistance Army, a rebel group battling the Ugandan government at the time of Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capture. Goering said she was in captivity for 11 years before she was able to escape

after she bore a child as a result of rape. She said she suďŹ&#x20AC;ered unimaginable emotional psychological and physical wounds as a result of what she had been through.

Goering said CVT interacts with about ďŹ ve thousand individuals like Mary every year.

CVT provides comprehen-

sive care for victims of government-sponsored torture, conducts research and training, and undertakes policy eďŹ&#x20AC;orts in the U.S. and other countries to work against torture and aid torture survivors. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the right kind of professional support people do improve, are able to recover and

become productive citizens of society again,â&#x20AC;? said the executive director.

Goering was a guest on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Conversations with Al McFarlane.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Conversationsâ&#x20AC;? airs on 90. 3 FM, KFAI on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. and online at www.kfai.org/conversationswithalmcfarlane.

Phone: 612.588.1313 Fax: 612.588.2031 Email: info@insightnews.com

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The NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center clinic at 800 W. Broadway is celebrating its one year anniversary.

We will be honoring former NorthPoint board chair Dr. John M. Williams by dedicating the dental clinic in his honor.

Get Ready Program Supervisors OHE Professional 1 Salary Range: $24.65 - $33.70 /hourly The purpose of this position is to oversee programming at Get Readyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partner schools, coordinating all schoolbased college and career readiness initiatives, supervising school-based staff delivering GEAR UP services, providing ongoing training and support to ensure effective implementation, and managing daily program operations at several middle and high schools in the Twin Cities metro area and/ or outstate Minnesota. This position has responsibility for ensuring that federal GEAR UP grant requirements, program goals, and target outcomes are achieved at each assigned school site, both at the student and system levels.

To view the complete description, please visit https:// mn.gov/mmb/careers and search for Job ID #23968.

If you have questions about the position, contact Lynne Richard at lynne.richard@state.mn.us or 651-259-3941.

Closing Date: 07/02/2018.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

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Please join us at 800 W. Broadway on Tuesday, June 26th at 5:15 p.m. to help us honor his work, and his legacy.

Call 612-543-2500 for more info.

1313 Penn Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 612-543-2500

Page 10 •June June 25 - July 1, 2018 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Toki Wright and DJ Miss Brit

Monday, June 25

Thursday, June 28

$10 advance, $12 door

FILM

NETWORKING/HAPPY HOUR

TruArtSpeaks will present internationally-renowned poet Amir Sulaiman as part of the organization’s annual sendoff show, which also features Michael Lee, Hieu Minh Nguyen and the Be Heard Youth Cohort.

Movies in the Park: “Wonder Woman” Beltrami Park 1111 N.E. Summer St., Minneapolis 9 p.m.

All ages No cover The DC box office smash, “Wonder Woman” plays for the Movies in the Park series.

June 25 July 8 2018

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

Tuesday, June 26 DANCE Youth Hip-Hop Camp Zenon Dance Company and School 528 Hennepin Ave., Suite 400, Minneapolis 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Ages 3 to 14 $15 (single day) Learn some new dance moves at Zenon’s hip-hop camp for young people.

Wednesday, June 27 HIP-HOP/ROCK Oake and Riley in the Afternoon featuring Dwynell Roland Hewing Hotel 300 Washington Ave. N., Minneapolis 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Join Brian Oake and Jill Riley for live music, trivia and spelling bee with Sean McPherson, and the chance to win swag, prizes, and tickets to upcoming shows. Featuring a live, free performance from Dwynell Roland.

National Black MBA Networking Happy Hour Chino Latino 2916 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Join other Black professionals for happy hour. Food provided and a cash bar.

HIP-HOP/R&B One for the Road: Toki Wright and DJ Miss Brit Going Away Party Icehouse 2528 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis 10 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.

Toki Wright and DJ Miss Brit are relocating to Boston. Come share memories plus celebrate with some of their favorite artists and friends performing to send them on their way.

Performances by P.O.S., Da Black Pearll, Mayda, La Vie Boheme, Big Cats and Chance York, Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay, Selph, Sims, Emmanuel Ortiz, Nomi of Power Struggle, DJ Willie Shu, GP Jacob, Mankwe and Medium Zach and more.

Friday, June 29 POETRY/SPOKEN WORD Poetry with a Purpose: The 2018 Be Heard Minnesota Team Sendoff Show Loft Literary Center 1011 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis 6:30 p.m.

All ages

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

21-plus $30-$35

18-plus $10 Metasota hits the stage at The Cabooze with Nazeem and Spencer Joles and Rich Garvey.

One of Minnesota’s premiere vocalist, Robert Robinson returns to serenade the audience at Crooners.

Friday, July 6

Tuesday, July 3

HIP-HOP

Saturday, June 30

R&B

WORKSHOP/FAITH

Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer Tour with St. Beauty State Theatre 805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis 7:30 p.m. $53.50-$93.50

Illfest 2018 The Cabooze 917 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis 10 p.m.

18-plus $10

A Woman’s Greatest Strength New Rules 2015 Lowry Avenue N., Minneapolis 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Find out what a woman’s greatest strength is and just how to use it. Founder, Lehlieh Kondeh, will be the instructor for this class.

Sunday, July 1 HIP-HOP Psalm One 7th Street Entry 701 N. 1st Ave., Minneapolis 8 p.m.

18-plus $12 Back from a worldwide tour, the Chicago spitter celebrates her birthday today at 7th Street with with Ossa Moon, Metasota, The Lioness, DJ Sophia Eris and host Angel Davanport.

One of the most creative minds and pure talents in art returns to Minneapolis. Check out new songs from the critically acclaimed album, “Dirt Computer,” at the State Theatre.

Wednesday, July 4 HIP-HOP Longshot and Lazerbreak Album Release 7th Street Entry 701 N 1st Ave., Minneapolis 9 p.m.

Chicago to Minnesota transplant, Longshot, debuts his new album with Doomtree’s Lazerbeak in the 7th Street Entry. Check out the project “Parades” before the show.

Ill Kartel, Destiny Roberts, TEK and more play The Cabooze.

Saturday, July 7 COMEDY Pump the Laughs Comedy Show The Pourhouse 10 5th St. S., Minneapolis 7 p.m.

21-plus $20 This comedy show features Pierre Douglas, Adrian Washington and Ashli Henderson.

Sunday, July 8 VISUAL ART

Monday, July 2

Thursday, July 5

SOUL

HIP-HOP

“Tracks in the Snow” Exhibit and Reception The Basilica of St. Mary 88 17th St. N., Minneapolis 1 p.m. – 3 p.m

Robert Robinson Crooners Lounge & Supper Club 6161 Highway 65 N.E., Minneapolis

Metasota The Cabooze 917 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis 7 p.m.

This traveling exhibit provides viewers with clues to help piece together the evolution that the Minnesota Muslim community has undergone.

Joyce Lester gives answers in newly released book, ‘Ask the Holy Spirit!: The Power Source Jesus Provided’ It’s a resource that is valuable to both clergy and laypersons according to Joyce Lester, author of the newly released book, “Ask the Holy Spirit!: The Power Source Jesus Provided.”

The book is garnering praise from religious communities across denominations throughout the Twin Cities and beyond.

Lester’s aim is to get the book into the hands of anyone seeking answers about the Holy Spirit and says she believes it will change readers’ lives.

“Our churches, communities, families, marriages, children, and even the world, can be transformed once they gain

knowledge of what it means to be led by the Holy Spirit,” said Lester. “Jesus commissioned me to teach believers about how the Holy Spirit was sent to provide guidance in every area of our lives.”

The long-time pastor, Bible teacher, lecturer, radio host and social worker takes readers on a journey filled with personal narratives and insights about how Jesus sent a “helper” in the Holy Spirit, because, as she explains, “He knew Christians could not live without Him.” “Ask the Holy Spirit!: The Power Source Jesus Provided” is available on Lester’s website at www.mjlestergroup. com.

Joyce Lester

insightnews.com

Insight News • June 25 - July 1, 2018 • Page 11

Aesthetically Speaking Minnesota State Fair announces new foods The Minnesota State Fair announces 27 official new foods and five new food vendors are being added to the menu.

New foods include BBQ Split – scoops of barbecue pulled pork, mac and cheese and coleslaw served sideby-side with a pickle spear – at Midtown Global Market’s Mama D’s, the ahi tuna poke bowl (pronounced PO-kay at Café Caribe, bananas foster French toast at Hamline Church Dining Hall, blueberry rhubarb cobbler at Farmers Union Coffee Shop, and firecracker shrimp stuffed avocado at the Hideaway Speakeasy.

New vendors are Midtown Global Market’s Mama D’s, the Anchor Coffee House: Serving cold brew coffees, lattes and banana chocolate chip glutenfree muffins, The Hangar, Midtown Global Market’s Taco Cat and Nordic Waffles.

In total, nearly 500 foods are available at 300 different concession locations throughout the fairgrounds.

BBQ Split

Bananas Foster French Toast

Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl

‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ is pure, sci-fi movie magic

By Dwight Brown, NNPA News Wire Film Critic Lions and tigers and bears, oh my; tyrannosaurus, velociraptors and brachiosaurus … run for your lives.

The cloned dinosaurs from the theme park Jurassic World are in trouble on the volcanic isle of Isla Nublar, which is erupting, spewing hot lava and emitting a deadly ash cloud. If they aren’t rescued, they will die.

That’s the premise in this sequel to “Jurassic World.” The question is will this follow-up to the wildly successful “Jurassic World” be enough to hook action/adventure/sci-fi fans and reel them into the theaters?

Colin Trevorrow, the director of Jurassic World, passes on direction duties to Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona (“Orphanage,” “The Impossible”), and the difference in style is negligible. Trevorrow wrote the script with Derek Connolly (“Jurassic World,” “Kong: Skull Island”).

Editor Bernat Vilaplana worked with Bayona on “The Impossible,” as did cinematographer Oscar Faura. Composer Michael Giacchino won an Oscar for his original score for the animated feature “Up.” Add in creature sculptor Wayne Anderson (“Underworld: Blood Wars”) and it’s no wonder that the footage rips along at a breakneck pace, with wondrous views of a paradise island being ravaged by 700-degree orange liquid rock and ancient beast running rampant.

Everything is neatly coordinated – right down to the last scream for help.

Three years have passed. Isla Nublar, an isle 120 miles west of Costa Rica that housed the now abandoned reptile theme park, is desolate except for lush green vegetation and gigantic beasts.

The Dinosaur Protection Group, run by former theme park manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard, “Jurassic World,” “The Help”), is out to save the gigantic animals. They aren’t as aggressive as PETA, but they’re dedicated.

Claire is approached by the duplicitous Eli Mills (“Life of Pi,” “The Big Short”), who has a plan to relocate the behemoths to a sanctuary, but not out of the kindness of his heart. Dearing is pulled into the mission. She enlists her ex-boyfriend Owen (Chris Platt), who trained some of the less hostile and very intelligent velociraptors. A techy/ hacker, Franklin Webb (“Justice Smith,” “The Get Down”), and an equally young paleo/veterinarian, Zia Rodriguez (Danielle Pineda, television’s “The Detour”), become part of the team.

Of course, nothing goes as planned.

The simple premise hovers around animal rescue. Working within that blueprint, the film moves quickly to add in a chain of action scenes, daring escapes, fist fights, dinosaur wrestling matches and some graphic violence (a man gets torn apart, so be wary of bringing really young kids to this movie) as it builds into several crescendos. Just as you think there can’t possibly be more mayhem or another challenge, there is; not ad nauseum, but it’s enough to make you shell-shocked.

The bad guys want to use the behemoths for an evil purpose that involves weapons of destruction. All the subterfuge, angst and cause animal rights activism is a ploy to whip the audience’s emotions into a frenzy. On some levels it works.

But most astute viewers will understand that there is no moral theme of any consequence in this reptiles gone wild orgy.

The relationship between Claire and Owen is fun, until they do stupid things like kissing in the middle of an action scene.

The two leads have charisma and you like them regardless.

Spall as Mills gives you a fitting antagonist to hate, and you hope he gets his just rewards.

Ditto for Toby Jones who plays Mr. Eversol, a trafficker, and Ted Levine, as Ken Wheatley, the vile man who heads the rescue and misleads Claire. Smith provides some comic relief as Webb the nerd who hates to get his feet dirty. And, Pineada shows spunk as the brainy and fearless Rodriguez.

It’s obvious the dinosaurs aren’t real, but thanks to the special effects and photography, with a gigantic assist from the sound effects department (Marti Albert sound effects editor), your nerves will get frayed.

You’ll jump out of your seat or sit with dread as you watch gnashing teeth bear down on human flesh. Also, a shout out to the vivid images of the volcano and the gorgeous shots of the island which perfectly set up the atmosphere for a verdant paradise gone wrong.

The 128 minutes roll by and you’ll feel like you just got back from a tour of duty in the wartorn jungles of some tropical island nation. Your adrenalin will be high. Your thoughts will race. You will not feel like you just watched the most innovative action/adventure/sci-fi film in the world (“Avatar”), but you’ll have to admit that “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” worked its magic in its own way, even if its aura doesn’t have a long-lasting effect.

Dwight Brown is a film critic and travel writer. Read more movie reviews by Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.

Universal Pictures

Bryce Dallas Howard (left) and Chris Platt star in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.”

AMERICAN ROOTS, BLUES AND PROHIBITION-ERA JAZZ

Universal Pictures

Justice Smith (“The Get Down”) stars as Franklin Webb in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.”

ENING A DOUBL E BIL L E V MUSIC OF NE W OR L E A NS

DAVELL D R O F W A CR A ND T HE

JULY 11 • 8 PM

D N A B S S A R B N E Z O D D IR T Y JULY 10 & 11 • 7 & 9 PM

ADMISSION $15 ADVANCE • $20 DAY OF THE SPIRIT OF NEW ORLE ANS IN MINNESOTA

IN THE HISTORIC HAMM BUILDING

408 ST. PETER STREET • ST. PAUL, MN 55102

FOR MORE INFO: vieux-carre.com • 651.291.2715

Eat. Drink. Listen.

1010 NIC OL L E T M A L L , MINNE A P OL I S

Page 12 •June June 25 - July 1, 2018 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Avery*Sunshine delights the Dakota Who said you can’t have a party on a Monday?

Avery*Sunshine was supposed to have a concert June 18 at the Dakota Jazz Club, but instead she turned it into a party. From the moment she hit the stage until the time she left – almost two hours later – the soul/neosoul/ jazz crooner energized the packed house at the famed

venue. Playing keys and piano and accompanied by her husband, Dana Johnson, simultaneously on guitar and drums, Sunshine’s voice shined on every note. But it wasn’t just the singing … it was the storytelling and crowd interaction that set this concert apart from most others. During her encore the humorous and vivacious

performer called her mother on Facetime and had her speak to the audience.

Sunshine also sang a Prince tune, “Kiss” before signing her name inside the Dakota’s grand piano, which is also signed by Prince.

Avery*Sunshine’s show was the perfect way to kickoff a week and the summer concert season.

Jeannine Patterson (left) and Shayna Carter before the show.

Harry Colbert, Jr.

Avery*Sunshine under the iconic Dakota sign.

UNCF’s Laverne McCartney Knighton.

Founding members of Sounds of Blackness, Bobby Commodore (right) and Ginger Commodore.

612.377.2224

Giving life to a Monday night, Ms. Avery*Sunshine.

guthrietheater.org

West Side Story Now – Aug 26 based on a conception by JEROME ROBBINS book by ARTHUR LAURENTS music by LEONARD BERNSTEIN lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM directed by JOSEPH HAJ Sponsored by

(Left to right) Kimberly Ferguson, sisters Latanya Daniels and Delphanie Daniels, Dr. Carlondrea Crawley Hines and Sharon Kennedy Vickers.

The Legend of Georgia McBride July 14 – Aug 26

by MATTHEW LOPEZ directed by JEFFREY MEANZA

(Left to right) Sabrina Mason Moore, Sharon Gilyard, Alice Washington and Jacqueline McAdory.