Insight News ::: 9.17.12

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INSIGHT NEWS September 17 - September 23, 2012 • MN Metro Vol. 39 No. 38 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com

The street of Jesus del Gran Poder

Abeni Hill

Dateline Spain

By Abeni Hill Insight Intern Photos: Harry Colbert, Jr.

Terra Cole passionately tells attendees at a DFL Unity Breakfast that she is going to fight hard to defeat the proposed voter ID amendment as Rep. Keith Ellison (standing, right) looks on

Ellison calls for party unity following DFL primaries

SEVILLE, SPAIN - Hello Insight Readers!

This is Abeni Hill reporting from Spain. I have been in Seville, Spain, about a week and I am already learning so much about the culture and city of Seville and Spain as a whole.

During my semester in Spain I

hope to give you an inside look at all types of different aspects of Spanish culture such as art and dance to the daily ritual of the siesta, a nap period in the middle of the day.

My first journal entry is inspired by my many trials and errors during my first week in Europe; I call it Abeni’s Top 5 rules for traveling and/or studying abroad in a different country.

SPAIN TURN TO 11

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer Weeks after several hard-fought primary races – one so hotly contested, a recount was needed to determine the victor – one of the DFL deans called for party unity.

US Rep. Keith Ellison held a breakfast at his West Broadway campaign office with several of the candidates in attendance as a show of party unity. All of the candidates pledged to support efforts to defeat two November ballot initiatives – one to force voters to show state-issued identification in order to cast a ballot, and the other to ban gay marriage.

Larry Palmer

Conference probes remedies to economic inequality

Linda Higgins (standing, left) looks on as her opponent and fellow DFLer, Blong Yang tells an audience that he’s committed to a spirited fight for the Dist. 2 County Commissioner seat

DFL TURN TO 11

Ben Jealous

An event of national and international significance will take place in Minneapolis on October 11-13, 2012. The Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota will host the 4th World Conference on Remedies to Racial and Ethnic Economic Inequality. This free conference

will interest all those who see, every day, the consequences of inadequate education, housing, health care, and income. It is an opportunity to learn from and interact with prominent researchers and policy makers from around the world who are committed to finding solutions.

CONFERENCE 12 TURN TO

Ellison condemns attacks on diplomatic missions

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer With the Sept. 11 attacks on United States Embassies in Libya and Egypt and continued unrest in the Middle East, Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison has called the actions of the attackers deplorable.

“I am deeply disturbed by the attacks on our diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt,” said Ellison in a statement issued to Insight News. “Four Americans have now been killed, including

35MultiMedia LLC

Programs strengthens civic engagement

By Ivan B. Phifer Staff Writer The last Friday in July marked a very special day

for the students in the Public Allies program. It was a day of celebration, promise and growth for its graduating class.

Public Allies mission is to advance new leadership

Afro Descendientes

Excerpt of “Aspects of the Black Experience in Panama”

PAGE 2

to strengthen communities through nonprofits and civic participation. Its goal is to propel African-Americans into more leadership positions within the nonprofit sector.

Technology

It was created in 1992 by Vanessa Kirsch and Katrina Browne, with its first program launched in Washington, D.C.

ALLIES TURN TO 14

Youth

Computers as lifejackets at LifeTrack Resource Center

Student stands up against genocide

PAGE 3

PAGE 7

U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens. My heart goes out to their families. They were brave public servants working tirelessly to improve relations with Egypt, Libya, and the rest of the world.

This is a tragic loss.”

Stevens and three others were killed when the U.S. Embassy in Libya was breached by as yet to be identified terrorists. No official group has claimed responsibility for the Libyan and Egyptian attacks.

ELLISON TURN TO 13

Michael Clarke Duncan Kam’s last interview with the gentle giant

PAGE 9

Page 2 • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Insight News

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AfroDescendientes Excerpt of “Aspects of the Black Experience in Panama”

By Alberto S. Barrow N. COLÓN, PANAMA - Speech

by Alberto Barrow at the 14th Annual Special Recognition Program honoring the West Indian Builders during the construction of the Panama Canal.

Sunday, 12 August 2012 / Centro Regional Universitario de Colón, 2:00 pm.

Black labor has been central to the growth and development of the isthmian economy.

Panama’s colonial and postcolonial economies were built on the backs of Black slaves brought to the Isthmus from Africa, the Iberian Peninsula and other Spanish colonies who played key roles in the emergence of the service oriented Isthmian economy, moving goods and services from the Pacific to the Atlantic side of the country, where the Spanish Crown organized commodity exchanges with its Latin American colonies at Portobelo on the Atlantic end of the isthmus. Leslie Rout informs us that at the end of the

Construction of the Panama Canal in 1907

Wikmedia Commons

colonial period in 1789 Panama City had 35,920 residents, 22,504 of whom were black slaves.

Although they and their progeny resisted slavery and oppression under Spanish colonialism and during the first part of the 19th century under Colombia, the black population, so-called Negros colonials, were eventually assimilated into the country’s mainstream, albeit for the most part occupying positions at the very bottom of the socio-economic ladder.

Black labor and foreign capital were also central to the modernization of the Panamanian economy during the hundred year period (18501950). This time it was contract labor from Jamaica that built the Panama Railroad in the 1850s, followed by tens of thousands of English and French speaking West Indians who worked on the French canal enterprise in the 1870s and 1880, and who built the Panama Canal (1904-1914) and maintained it during most of the twentieth century. These workers and their

families, brought to Panama to work on the Panama Canal, the 50 mile waterway and its 500 square mile of adjacent territory, remained under U.S. jurisdiction during the construction period.

However, many unable to find employment and housing in the U.S. controlled Canal Zone trickled into equally segregated spaces in the terminal cities of Panama and Colon, inhabiting the overcrowded tenement buildings of Colon City on the Atlantic and the popular neighborhoods of El Chorrillo, Calidonia, San Miguel, Guachapali on the Pacific end of the Canal.

Unlike Colonial Blacks who assimilated into the social fabric of Panamanian society mostly as second-class citizens, Caribbean or West Indian Blacks, despite many decades on the Isthmus, were largely constructed by Panamanian elites as perpetual foreigners beholden to the British and to the Americans; as ungrateful “guests” who were reluctant to embrace Hispanic culture; as foreign to the body

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Wreath-laying ceremony at The African Burial Ground in New York City NEW YORK CITY - During the 67th Session of the United Nations, (September 18 – 20), Heads of States, Foreign Ministers, Ambassadors and others have been invited by South African Arts International, Ltd. (USA) to pay homage to the ancestors in lower Manhattan.

At the African Burial Ground Visitor Center, located adjacent to the Ted Weiss Federal Building at 290 Broadway, the National Park Service will coordinate tours of current exhibits for dignitaries.

On September 22, the children of the Diaspora and others will release the wreaths into the Atlantic Ocean as a memorial.

The African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan represents the important role and major contribution that enslaved African men, women, and children made to the economy, development, and culture of America, both in the South and North. The Rites of Ancestral Return commemorative ceremony, which began with an Evening Departure Ceremony at Howard University,

Courtesy of GC Media

Victor Mooney lays on a grave during a naming ceremony at the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan

documented and celebrated the contribution of African Americans as the ancestral remains from the African Burial Ground were returned from Washington, D.C., to New York City. The remains were given a permanent resting-place at the African Burial Ground Memorial Site on October 4, 2003.

Later this year, South African Arts International, executive director, Victor Mooney will make his fourth bid and row “the Spirit of Malabo” from the Canary

Islands to New York City for an AIDS-free generation.

“Only the strongest (of his African ancestors) survived the arduous task of crossing the Atlantic Ocean,” said Mooney.

“I’m determined with the fathers’ blessing to complete this mission. We also will raise funds and awareness for the Permanent Memorial at United Nations In Honor of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade”, Mooney added.

For the latest news, visit http://www.goreechallenge. com.

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Insight News • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Page 3

TECHNOLOGY Computers as lifejackets at Lifetrack Resource Center up jobs online.” Daryl Starkley, who comes in to use the center almost every day to search for jobs, is very happy with the easy access to computers. “They help out a great deal. I went on a job interview just this morning!”

Starkley is not the only user who is seeing results. Schilling tells the story of another young man who was able to find a job, thanks to the use of BAP computers. “There’s one guy that just recently got employed.

He’s a chef and he came in here every single day and was doing resumes online every single

Lifetrack Resources computer lab In a busy, colorful room in the Lifetrack Resource Center in Saint Paul, men and women are hard at work searching for jobs, writing resumes, seeking information, and connecting with loved ones. These industrious community members are taking advantage of a valuable resource: a Broadband Access Project (BAP) public computer lab. The BAP was developed through the University of Minnesota’s Urban Research and Outreach/ Development Center (UROC) and seeks to lessen the digital divide by increasing high-speed Internet access, awareness, and use in four federally designated poverty zones in the Twin Cities metro.

With the exponential increase in technology use in the past few years, there is a growing gap between those who have access to this resource and those who do not. Technology has infiltrated our jobs, our homes, our schools,

our entertainment, and even our personal relationships. Although technology is becoming so commonplace, it is still very expensive. Many Americans are unable to access computers, more specifically the Internet, simply because they cannot financially afford it. In order to make strides to fix this problem, the BAP has developed and enhanced 12 public computer centers throughout the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. Each lab is outfitted with varying numbers of computers with high-speed Internet capabilities, as well as up-to-date programs, such as Microsoft Office. Many of the labs reside in public community centers or public residential areas.

Unlike computers labs in public libraries, there is no time limit on the use of BAP computers. Addition, a trained apprentice is on hand at all times to provide personal, one-

day and applying to multiple jobs, did multiple interviews and he just got hired at the Mall of America at a really, really good job. Which I thought was exciting for me because I kind of got to know him and so now he’s not coming back here and he has a job!” she glowingly remarks.

Even though job search shows many tangible results, it is not the only important benefit of computer use. People with even a small amount of computer knowledge are much more employable than those without it.

The Internet also provides access

to a wealth of information that is otherwise very hard to come by.

Email has become an important resource in maintaining and communicating with loved ones from large distances.

Although there are other public computer centers around the metro area, BAP labs stand out with their upto-date equipment, individual attention, and unlimited time use on computer. Danika Burch particularly appreciates how

LAB TURN TO 5

BAP

on one help to users. Leaders of the project understand that computer adeptness has become a key job skill, therefore, the development of computer literacy through education is an important aspect of the BAP. Group classes targeting all levels of proficiency are offered at the larger BAP computer labs. These classes cover topics regarding Microsoft Office, financial support, social media for business use, and even Internet programming and design. Since 2009, the Broadband Access Project has opened doors for community members to develop the technological skills needed to succeed in today’s times.

Most of the people using the computers at the Lifetrack Center on this day are looking for jobs. Stephanie Schilling, an employee of the center, explains that, “Most of them [computer users] are unemployed, they come in to do resumes or look

2012

Minnesota

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Discount coupons available at participating locations:

Page 4 • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Insight News

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BUSINESS Rasmussen, Martin named Vice Presidents at Northeast Bank

Routine helps workers win the distraction battle

Northeast Bank has announced the hire of two vice presidents.

E v a Rasmussen Eva Rasmussen has recently accepted the position of Vice President of Organizational Strategy and Analysis at Northeast Bank.

Rasmussen earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University in finance/international business, and her Master’s of Business Administration from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

She also studied at Oxford U n i v e r s i t y, Trinity College Photos: in Oxford, Northeast Bank England and the University Andy Martin of Copenhagen, in Copenhagen, Denmark while attending Georgetown.

Rasmussen most recently worked as Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at McAfee, Inc. She is currently attending the Colorado Graduate School of Banking.

In addition, Andy Martin has been hired as of Vice President of Information Technology.

Martin holds an associate degree in science (computer networking and telecommunications). Martin comes to Northeast Bank with 10 years of technology support experience with both US Bank and the Postal Credit Union. Both Rasmussen and Martin will work out of the main Northeast Bank location in Minneapolis.

Plan Your Career

By Julie Desmond julie@insightnews.com It’s a day-long competition: work vs distractions.

Combating interruptions usurps time and energy. Some people work long hours because, “I can’t get anything done until everyone else goes home.”

Anyone else sense resentment in those words?

So goes the battle. The day begins in a civil and organized way, with strong coffee and a lengthy to-do list, crafted yesterday and left where it can’t be missed in the morning, usually on a chair or desktop.

Reviewing the list, I see that items seven and ten are optional.

I opt out, checking these off the list. Five minutes in and I’ve already accomplished some things. Work - 5, Distractions - O. Yes. Then there is email.

Reading, literally, between the lines of work-related emails, I discover that my niece is selling jewelry on Ebay (click link) which reminds me that I wanted to meet with our marketing group about a new

idea (check calendar, propose meeting, follow up to change meeting time, decide a phone call will be more efficient, confirm meeting time over the phone, ask about the weekend).

Now I’m down by about 15 minutes. Work - 5, Distractions – 15. Uh, oh.

Before I delete the next four emails, I unsubscribe from each list. Down another 5 minutes, but let’s call this an investment and split the difference. Work – 8, Distractions – 22.

Admittedly, I am choosing to chase the distractions. Only I can decide how to respond to the world’s demands on my workday.

Recognizing the current score, I invoke the one solution that is effective across jobs, levels and industries: Routine.

Every workday has ebbs and flows, ups and downs. A waiter knows he will be busier between five and seven than he will be at 2:15.

Using the natural routine of a workweek can help with timeand resentment-management.

Use routine to schedule focused time.

For sixty minutes, timed, if it is not on the to-do list, it can wait.

This demands extraordinary discipline. It might require shutting down apps, turning off the phone or locking a closed

DISTRACTION 10 TURN TO

PhotoExpress

Minneapolis City Council approves strategies to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in employment The Minneapolis City Council approved a resolution supporting equity in employment along with a series of actions to eliminate the racial and ethnic disparities in employment in Minneapolis and

the entire region.

The Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro region has among the highest employment disparities in the country, with African Americans 3.3 times more likely

to be unemployed as whites in the Twin Cities.

“I am proud that we are taking this important step in our ongoing efforts to address the real, although often hidden, impacts of our long history of racism and discrimination,” said Council Member Cam Gordon, co-author of the resolution.

“While government cannot solve this problem alone, now we are more clearly committed to lead

by example, to develop better tools and practices that can be used by others, and to join more purposefully with our regional partners to end the legacy of institutionalized racism that continues to plague us, and create a more economically just city for everyone.”

City Council Member Don Samuels, who also coauthored the resolution, said its passing demonstrates the city’s

commitment to all of its citizens.

“We are reaffirming our commitment to being a city where everyone can thrive economically and where race will no longer predict an individual’s level of

educational attainment, likelihood of going to prison, life expectancy, income or employment status,”

COUNCIL TURN TO 5

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Panama From 2 politic and hence, unpatriotic and undesirable. The truth however is that these immigrant workers and their progeny were caught in the middle of an unequal power struggle between a less than sovereign Panamanian nation in search of its identity and an emergent regional and global power, namely the United States.

Despite being present in Panama since 1850, West Indians and their offspring were racially segregated in the Canal Zone by the United States until the 1960s and had weak to no claims to Panamanian citizenship until the late 1940s, explicitly written out of the nation in 1941 by racist constitutional changes introduced by the Arnulfo Arias government. Although racial segregation and Jim Crow policies in the Panama Canal Zone has suffered fatal blow with the passage of the 1977 Carter-Torrijos treaty, racial

Lab From 3 reliable BAP computers are. “I can come here and not worry about Internet service dropping, you know going through a real intense application and then everything being lost. I think they’re really reliable computers and if I do need to

Council From 4 said Samuels.

Minneapolis Mayor, R.T. Rybak said the resolution is an extension of programs already in place to close the economic gap in the region.

“With programs like STEPUP and One Minneapolis, we’ve created innovative programs aimed at eliminating the racial employment gap in Minneapolis, but much more needs to be done,” said Mayor R.T. Rybak. “With (passing the resolution), we are supporting and encouraging consistent, applied efforts by

Insight News • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Page 5

Panama’s Racial Paradigm: The Rainbow Society or “Crisol de Razas” Racism Panamanian style denies the existence of racism, as is the case in many Latin American countries. Instead it portrays Panamanian society as a perfect rainbow society (Crisol de Razas) of Spanish speakers, where whites, natives, and Blacks of colonial origins seamlessly mesh as one nation.

Under this racial system the only persons identified as Blacks are of West Indian descent with English surnames. It is designed to separate the black population into two categories: those with Spanish sounding surnames (Coloniales) and those with English sounding surnames, the latter referred to as Antillanos or Chombos. The notion of the rainbow society or Crisol de Razas, buttressed by the imposition of these categories, promotes racial mixture and

racial ambiguity, minimizes the presence of Blacks in the nation in spite of the fact that the Institute of DNA and Human Genome of the University of Panama concluded that 33 percent of Panamanians have black genes as compared to 38 percent with Indian genes, with a very small percent of white genes; promotes the idea of whitening and racial harmony, and makes it difficult to establish a unified racial agenda that includes the concerns and interests of all black and brown Panamanians.

Latin American racial order, including “Crisol de Razas” differentiates itself from that of the United States by stressing racial integration and racial harmony along what Richard Telles calls the horizontal axis.

What is usually absent from this discourse is the racial ranking and racial inequality found along what he calls the vertical axis, the location of class inequality and white supremacy. Like racial discourses and practices in other countries, Panamanian style racism is an integral part of

class/gender/racial exploitation and oppression. It is anchored in the patriarchal-oligarchical/ capitalist control of the country’s economy and the media by a white or near-white minority; it is a racism rooted in hundreds of years of black oppression and exploitation, and one that is evident in the nation’s cultural, political, social and economic institutions.

Nevertheless, there have been two periods, dominated by military strong men, where overt racial discrimination had been attenuated/and or addressed by government authorities in Panama. The first period 19471952 has its roots in President Arnulfo Arias constitutional reform of 1941, when Englishspeaking Blacks were explicitly excluded from citizenship, as is the case of today of Dominicans of Haitian origins. The height of the onslaught against West Indians and against Panamanians of West Indian descent came in 1940 when Dr. Arnulfo Arias, a Harvard-trained physician, assumed the presidency of

fax a resume to somewhere, the fax machines are always available and I think that’s nice.”

Angela Brown, the University of Minnesota apprentice that works at Lifetrack, hears from all kinds of users about how great it is that there is no time limit on computer use. “The computers here in this lab have helped a lot of people, as far as the time frame [and] not having to get up and leave in an hour.

We have free access, and … [this] have helped a lot of people fill out different things that they needed to take care of because of their unemployment, be it their application or schoolwork, and things like that. Here they don’t have a time limit on it, they’re able to finish whatever it is.”

In its three years of operation, the Broadband Access Project has seen major success and it hopes to continue to close the

digital divide in the Twin Cities, one user at a time. Technology has become an integral part of life for most Americans, and those without the ability to afford it should not be left behind. As Starkley puts it, “Without them [the computers] I think I would be totally lost.”

For more information or to find a computer lab near you, visit www.bap.umn.edu.

employers in Minneapolis and across the region to hire, retain and promote more people of color.”

According to the supporters of the resolution, the approved actions will help eliminate the disparities in employment in Minneapolis and the region.

Rybak and others says addressing racial disparities in employment has long been a priority of the city. In 2008, the city established a steering committee specifically designed to identify and implement tangible steps that could be taken to address employment disparity.

In December of last year, Mayor Rybak and the City Council adopted the 2012 budget that funds

the One Minneapolis initiative, and in January the Council established key benchmarks that make progress toward eliminating the disparities gap, with a goal of reducing the unemployment gap by 25 percent by 2016.

One of the most successful aspects of One Minneapolis is the RENEW initiative. Initially funded by economic-recovery dollars, RENEW trains and places people who have faced challenges finding employment in greeneconomy jobs. To date, close to 500 people have been trained through RENEW, and two-thirds have been placed in green jobs.

Since the STEP-UP program started in 2004, almost 16,000 Minneapolis young people have

been placed in summer jobs with many of the city’s companies and nonprofits. More than 85 percent of STEP-UP participants have been children of color. This year the city began a new leadership development program called Urban Scholars that introduces college students from diverse backgrounds to careers in the public sector. Eight students completed the program, three of whom were STEP-UP interns.

Supporters say this program creates a pipeline of experienced professionals for the public sector which is critical in light of the number of people positioned to retire from city government in the next four years and to increasing diversity in the city.

discrimination and white racism continues to proliferate in the sovereign Republic of Panama.

Panama after having spent several years in Hitler’s Germany. In 1941 he sponsored and approved a constitution that prohibited the immigration of Blacks and Chinese to Panama.

The constitution violated the civil rights of Chinese and West Indians already living in the country by denying them permanent residency, citizenship or property rights unless they could demonstrate a command of the Spanish language and knowledge of Panamanian history.

Taking advantage of popular uprisings against President Arnulfo Arias and of intra-oligarchical squabbling caused by U.S. disapproval of the president, West Indian institutions—churches, lodges, beneficent societies, and civic groups—led by George Washington Westerman (19101988) successfully organized to acquire citizenship and the right to vote in 1952, and in 1956 lobbied for the passage of the

PANAMA TURN TO 13

Page 6 • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Insight News

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EDUCATION BACK TO SCHOOL PART IV

Busara: Practical wisdom for finding help Murua (Swahili for ‘Respect’)

By Dr. BraVada Garrett-Akinsanya, Ph.D., L.P.

INSIGHT NEWS www.insightnews.com

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

Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane CFO Adrianne Hamilton-Butler Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Vice President of Sales & Marketing Selene White Culture and Education Editor Irma McClaurin Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Ben Williams Production Intern Natalie Benz Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Facilities Support / Assistant Producer, Conversations with Al McFarlane Bobby Rankin Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Staff Writer Ivan B. Phifer Insight Intern Abeni Hill Contributing Writers Cordie Aziz Harry Colbert, Jr. Julie Desmond Fred Easter Oshana Himot Timothy Houston Alaina L. Lewis Lydia Schwartz Photography Suluki Fardan Tobechi Tobechukwu Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)

In this final installment on Back-To-School issues, I’d like to address the issue of finding help for youth who are struggling with academic, emotional or behavioral challenges. The research on children in Minnesota tells us that when our children enter the mental health system they are often rated by clinicians as having the most severe challenges, requiring the most extensive supports and having the least access to services. One of my colleagues, Dr. Richard Oni, LICSW, contends that children of African descent are often “the most represented” and the “least served” in systems of care. Within that context other colleagues, such as Jamie Halpern, Area Manager for Policy Coordination and Legislative Analysis, Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department, is another strong advocate for addressing issues of disproportionally within Juvenile Justice systems. His work points out the multiple points of entry from which children of color, especially African American youth, must be addressed.

Thus, schools, mental health systems, and courts must be able to collaborate in addressing the unmet social,

economic, academic and mental health needs of our youth.

Finally, allies such as Judge Pamela Alexander, Executive Director of the Council on Crime and Justice, challenge us as a community to look deeply at the systemic

for help. We feel that we are “weak,” “lacking in faith” or “bad parents” because our children do not cope in ways that we would prefer. So, we let our shame become their shame.

We become immobilized because we do

Sometimes, [children] experience difficulties because we, as parents, buy into a stigma that is associated with asking for help. barriers that create the “cradle to prison” pipeline for our youth.

Children who chronically experience trouble at home, school and in the community sometimes end up in the Juvenile Justice system.

Sometimes, they experience difficulties because we, as parents, buy into a stigma that is associated with asking

not want anyone to know that we need extra help. At Project Murua: Pre-Mediated Parenting Boot Camp, parents learn that we have to fight hard to save our children’s lives. Our enemies are drugs, teen pregnancies, violence, academic failure, gangs...and sometimes ourselves.

But, we commit to the belief that we have a right to wellness,

our children have a right to wellness and our community has a right to wellness...and we vow to achieve it by any means necessary!

Consequently, at times, our children get into academic, emotional and legal trouble because of unmet emotional needs, poor academic abilities, unaddressed exposure to trauma, and faulty decisionmaking because of poor executive functioning in terms of the brain’s information processing abilities.

Executive function is a set of mental processes that helps kids “connect the dots.” Thus, they can see that one decision leads to another consequence, which leads to another outcome.

Thus, when we consider the ability to utilize the skills of executive functioning, we think about abilities that allow us to connect past experience with present action. People use executive functioning skills to perform everyday activities such as planning, organizing, strategizing, paying attention to and remembering details, and managing time and space.

That is why it is critical that when parents or teachers discipline youth, we take the time to explain to them how their decisions lead to different outcomes.

Imagine the brain is like a forest with multiple trails to the highway. While some of the trails may be quicker and more established, those quick trails may expose you to danger such as bears in the woods. Other trails may be longer, less worn, but safer routes to get to your destination. Sometimes our kids take the quicker, more dangerous routes which lead to them getting into trouble.

Our jobs are to repeat our child’s exposure to different safer routes that will not only make their choices better, but quicker. Therefore, the more youth learn to associate their poor decisions to unwanted outcomes, the deeper the pathways in their brains become and the quicker they “connect the dots.”

So, they will need multiple opportunities to try out new, better solutions. This means that in order for some kids to learn, they need to experience multiple opportunities to fail and succeed.

Psychologists have identified several treatments with the strongest evidence to date that help us turn kids around.

These treatments include parent management

SCHOOL TURN TO 7

Attendance is key to our students’ success Building Creative Capital

By Bernadeia H. Johnson MPS Superintendent

As we begin another school year in Minneapolis Public Schools, I am pleased to report that we are off to a great start.

We are excited about this year’s priorities, which will help us continue to improve teaching and learning in our schools. One of those priorities is the launch of our new

attendance campaign, Attend to Achieve. We know that attendance is critical to student success but far too many of our children are not attending school as regularly as they should. We know that students need to attend school to achieve in school. Study after study proves that being in

school leads to succeeding in school. The Attend to Achieve campaign supports our goal for all students to attend school at least 95 % of the time.

Students who attend school at least 95% of the time: • Are one-and-a-half times more likely to be on track to graduate on time • Perform better in math and reading • Have fewer suspensions • Are less likely to fail a class • Are more likely to achieve their dreams and enroll in college We are calling on the community to help ensure that students attend school – every student, every day. We simply can’t teach students when they are not in school. The impact of consistent student attendance reaches further than just the student; it reflects upon the performance of each school and the school district and correlates with safe and healthy communities, too.

Chronic absenteeism cuts across gender, income, age and cultural boundaries. It is a community issue, and it will take the community to solve it. Everyone can play a role in helping improve student attendance – by connecting with students, encouraging them to attend school and making school an interesting and welcoming place to learn.

• We encourage the community to talk to the young people you encounter about the importance of attending

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school.

• Ask students who are out during a school day why they aren’t attending school.

• Get to know young people in your community - students don’t care how much you know until they know that you care.

More information and ideas can be found at www. attendtoachieve.org.

When our students do well, our communities do well. But to do their best, students want and need relationships with caring adults – they don’t care what we know until they know that we care. We appreciate anything you can do to help us in this effort.

Attendance counts. Every student counts, and every day counts. Thank you for your support!

Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence and character.

Join the fun!

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Insight News • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Page 7

Jaelynne Palmer, far left, participates in program, Children of Genocide: The Holocaust, Rwanda, and Darfur

Rachel Beecroft

Student stands up against genocide World Without Genocide, a human rights organization located at William Mitchell College of Law, hosted the second annual Summer Institute for high school students from August 14-16 in St. Paul. The three-day program, Children of Genocide: The Holocaust, Rwanda, and Darfur, focused on the children that suffer from genocide – as child soldiers, victims, survivors, and refugees – and the connection between genocide and the

School From 6 training, multi-systemic therapy, multidimensional treatment foster care, cognitive problem-solving skills training, anger control training, functional family therapy, and brief strategic family therapy.

Parent Management Training changes parent-child interactions in the home, particularly those interactions related to child-rearing practices and arguments.

Multi-systemic Therapy focuses on the familial systems and their impact on the youth as a way to reduce symptoms and to promote pro-social behavior.

Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care Models focus on youth who are in placement and who seeking reunification with their parents or more permanent foster care. In this case, behavioral treatments in the placement and home are part of a comprehensive effort to integrate treatment and community life. When clinicians introduce Cognitive Problem-solving Skills Training, their intent is to focus on the individual thought processes and beliefs that underlie a child’s responses to social situations. Also cognitively based, kids who participate in Anger Control Training learn problem-solving skills training that help them identify triggers and responses within the context of groups in the schools. Functional Family Therapy, on the other hand, introduces ways of modifying a child’s behaviors by altering interactions, communication patterns, and problem solving among family members.

Finally techniques such as Brief Strategic Family Therapy focus on the structure of the family and provides family members concrete strategies that improve their patterns of interaction.

The Minneapolis

prevalence of hate and violence in our communities and around the world.

Jaelynne Palmer, who attends Hopkins West Junior High in Minneapolis, participated in the Institute as a first year student. She had the opportunity to meet with two local Holocaust survivors, learn about the psychology of hate, and participate in leadership development training.

Rachel Beecroft, Programming and Operations

Urban League and Brakins Consulting along with the African American Child Wellness Institute have an Academic Wellness & Success program funded through the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

The program accepts most major insurances, but also provides emotional support and mental health services to youth who are uninsured or under-insured who wish to gain access to these wonderful treatment strategies.

Clinicians provide daytime and evening in-home, school-based and office based services from Monday through Saturday every week.

Additionally, culturally competent and culturally specific providers create an atmosphere that is based on an African-Centered Wellness model designed to bring out the best in both kids and their families as they look for a new way to heal, grow and change together. Call us at 763-522-0100 or 612-3023140 for an appointment.

BraVada Garrett-Akinsanya, Ph.D., L.P. is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice, serves as President of Brakins Consulting and Psychological Services, and is the Executive Director of the African American Child Wellness Institute. The mission of the African American Child Wellness Institute is to promote the psychological and spiritual liberation of children of African Descent by providing culturally specific mental health services and by developing culture-based, holistic wellness resources, research and practices. Dr. Garrett-Akinsanya warns that this column should in no way be construed as constituting a therapeutic relationship through counseling or advice.

To forward a comment about this article or to make an appointment, please contact Dr. Garrett-Akinsanya by email @ bravadaakinsanya@ hotmail.com or by telephone at 763-522-0100.

Coordinator of World Without Genocide developed the Institute to train the next generation of leaders. She believes that violence and genocide happen for many complicated reasons, but they also for a very simple one – “because people let them happen.” She envisions a world without genocide, and teaching youth about these issues as well as the tools to stand up for human rights – both locally and globally – is a crucial step

in the prevention of genocide.

Palmer and other students met with John Bagwell of the Enough Project in Washington, D.C., an organization that focuses on human rights issues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Darfur.

Bagwell told students that the extraction of minerals in Congo continues a bloody conflict that has left over six million people dead in twenty years.

Those minerals are used in all small electronics products,

including cell phones and laptops. The Enough Project’s campaign, the Conflict-Free Initiative, encourages schools, communities, and cities to buy electronics only from companies not using ‘conflict minerals’ from Congo.

The Summer Institute gave students skills to become advocates for human rights in their schools, communities, and beyond. Students like Palmer will use that advocacy training to promote the Conflict-Free

Initiative in their schools and communities this year.

World Without Genocide, headquartered at William Mitchell College of Law, promotes education and action to protect innocent people, prevent genocide, prosecute perpetrators, and remember those whose lives and cultures have been destroyed by genocide. Visit www. worldwithoutgenocide.org for more information.

Page 8 • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Insight News

insightnews.com

LIFESTYLE

Starting a plastic revolution Gone to Ghana

By Cordie Aziz Columnist ACCRA, GHANA - I love living in Ghana.

I enjoy being able to go to sandy white beaches anytime I please or see a blue lagoon lined with palm trees. I love

the thought of weekend trips to the rainforest and waterfalls, and I love that one can still catch a glimpse of nature, untouched by man. However, I find it unfortunate that in order to have all of these wonderful experiences I must leave Accra.

You see Accra, like most major cities in the world, has an issue with pollution. Thanks to the overwhelming use of plastic bags in everyday life, Accra is figuratively being choked to death. Here, plastic bags are used for everything from packing ones groceries to drinking water sachets. People,

in fact, even use plastic bags to take home their favorite soup in lieu of take away containers.

After all, it is the cheapest raw material around and in a place where people are still paid a minimum wage of about $2.00 a day, every penny counts.

But the effect it is having on the environment is detrimental.

Everywhere you go in Accra, gutters are littered with plastic bags and sachets. Of course, these gutters run to the ocean.

So now, when one goes to the beach instead of seeing white foam glisten on top of the waves one sees plastic bags.

On some beaches, in Accra, plastic has even taken the place of seaweed, as it washes up in between a person’s toes an around ankles.

The pollution caused by plastic isn’t confined to the waters though. It eventually makes its way into the air, since

An accessory made from recycled plastic bags landfills get rid of garbage by burning it. One would think that the air pollution would be confined to one industrial area, but it’s not. Harmful smoke billows over residential neighborhoods, as overseers stand by inhaling the thick smoke; unaware of the danger in which they are putting themselves and others.

And although, many locals act as if the overflowing plastic doesn’t bother them, the government is actively seeking solutions. Parliament is currently working on trying to ban plastics in Ghana.

However, even if the ban takes effect, it will take years, if not decades, to dispose of the plastic already in the city.

One social enterprise here, Trashy Bags, has developed

Cordie Aziz

innovative ways to reuse the plastic bags by making them into everything from reusable bags to wallets, but since local demand is low, even they can only have so much impact.

But I have also learned that the greatest movements start with the smallest actions. So I, for one, will be saying no to plastic in Accra. I vow to use my fashionable Trashy Bags everywhere I go in hopes that it will catch on with all of my friends here. After all, if Americans can be retrained not to use plastic Ghanaians can be too, right?

Cordie Aziz is a former congressional staffer who relocated to Ghana in 2011 after losing her job. Find her on twitter @GoneiiGhana.

insightnews.com

Insight News • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Page 9

AESTHETICS MICHAEL CLARKE DUNCAN

Kam’s last interview with the late gentle giant KW: Tudor Electric Football! I had that, and an HO-scale race car set, too.

MCD: See, you know what I’m talking about, Kam. I can reminisce with you without sounding weird.

Interview

By Kam Williams

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

MCD: That’s a no-brainer. Just to have my mother’s health restored.

Arthritis and other ailments have taken their toll, and she’s not as vibrant as she used to be. My wish would be to have her health back the way it was in the Sixties when she would play catch with me, throw a football with me, and teach me how to hold a bat. Yeah, my wish would be for my mother to have excellent health.

kam@insightnews.com Michael Clarke Duncan (19572012) was born in Chicago where he was raised by a single-mom, before going from homeless to bodyguard to aspiring actor to a Hollywood star. His career took off after delivering an Oscarnomination performance in the pivotal role of gentle giant John Coffey in “The Green Mile.”

The towering, 6’5” thespian’s resume’ reveals a long list of credits, including “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li,” “The Last Mimzy” and “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” Among his other film credits are “The Island,”a “Daredevil,” “The Scorpion King,” “Planet of the Apes,” “See Spot Run,” “Bulworth,” “The Whole Nine Yards,” “Green Lantern” and “Armageddon.”

Duncan also lent his distinctive, deep voice to such animated projects as “Kung Fu Panda,” “Racing Stripes,” “Brother Bear,” “Delgo,” “Dintopia: Curse of the Ruby Sunstone,” “George of the Jungle 2,” and both “Cats & Dogs” and “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore.”

His television credits included a lead role on “The Finder,” and guest-starring roles on the hit shows “Two and a Half Men,” “Chuck,” “Family Guy,“ “The Jamie Foxx Show,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” “Weird Science,” “Married With Children” and “The Wayans Bros.”

I had the privilege of interviewing Bike Mike numerous times over the years.

Below is our last chat, which took place in 2011. He leaves behind his beloved fiancee’, the Reverend Omarosa Manigault, best known as a contestant on Donald Trump’s reality show, “The Apprentice.”

Kam Williams: Hi Michael, thanks so much for the time.

Michael Clarke Duncan: Hey, how’re you doing, Kam? KW: I’m fine, thanks. I think the last time we spoke was when you were doing The Island.

MCD: Man, that was a long time ago. But I remember that we share the same birthday. Isn’t that right?

KW: Almost. Mine is December 11th; yours is the 10th. But I also have a few years on you.

MCD: That’s alright. It’s all in your mind.

KW: I have a lot of questions for you from fans, so why don’t I jump right into them. Editor/ Legist Patricia Turnier says: I think you’re a great actor and you should have won the Academy Award when you were nominated for The Green Mile.

MCD: Thank you, Patricia. I have to admit that I agree with her. I think I should have won the Oscar and I believe The Green Mile should’ve won for Best Picture. It was the best movie made by anybody that year, hands down.

KW: Patricia asks: Is there a movie genre or type of role that you haven’t had the opportunity to do that you would like to?

MCD: Yes, what I have not done is play the lead in a romantic comedy. I have a comedic side and I bet people would enjoy seeing me get the beautiful woman in the end. Something like that would definitely work.

KW: Patricia also asks: What advice can you give to young people who want to follow in your footsteps?

MCD: First off, have a plan.

Know what you want to do, because if you don’t know what you want to do, you’ll get stuck.

It’s not as easy as people think.

A lot of kids think they can just go to Hollywood and become an actor or actress. It’s not that easy. There are millions of kids who come out here wanting to act. So, you have to have a plan, and you have to stick with that plan, because it’s not going to be easy by any means. You’re aware of that, Kam, because of all the degrees you have. You had to go to school and study.

Michael Clarke Duncan And aspiring actors need to take acting classes… know your craft inside and out… and get a job when you arrive in L.A. Don’t depend on acting as your sole source of income. Work nights, so you can have your days off to attend auditions. Have something to fall back on. That’s what my mother taught me, and it’s critical in Hollywood.

KW: You play voice of Kilowog in Green Lantern. Did you ever have to be on the set for this role?

MCD: No, I was never on the set, Kam. Martin [Director Martin Campbell] had me in a studio in Burbank. He knew what he wanted and was very specific.

He’s an excellent director who really drives you and pushes you hard.

KW: Teresa Emerson wants to know whether you enjoy doing voiceover work.

MCD: Oh, of course you have to love it any time you can go to the studio in pajamas, and the only preparation you have to do is take a shower and brush your teeth. You don’t even have to memorize your lines. The script is right there in front of you. So, yeah, I love voiceover work. It’s right up there with acting.

KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles says: Because of your size, you are often cast in a role of “The Heavy.” Since that is not the real you, how difficult is it to assume that role?

MCD: It’s kind of difficult, because once people enjoy you as “The Heavy,” they want to see you as that all the time. And if you become pigeonholed, then there are only certain limited roles you can play. To help, I’ve trimmed my weight down to a solid 275 instead of being over 300 pounds.

KW: Judyth Piazza asks: What is the most important lesson that you have learned working in Hollywood?

MCD: Save your money. Save your money, because you could be very busy for a year, but then have the next one off. That’s happened to me, but I put my money in the bank, Kam. I don’t splurge. So, my best advice about working in Hollywood is: Save your money!

KW: Judyth also asks: If you could change one thing about Hollywood, what would it be?

MCD: How they do business.

Kam, if you shake my hand and tell me we’re going to do this or that project together, I’d believe you. But when I first got to Hollywood, I’d believe all the people who’d tell me they were going to put me in a movie. And I still haven’t heard back from a lot of them to this day. I don’t like it when someone can look you in the eye and lie to you, or pretend that they’re more than you.

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

MCD: [LOL] No, I just like answering the questions posed, because people can really come up with some off the wall stuff.

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

MCD: I made myself some pancakes this morning that were off the chain. I have to admit that I love pancakes and vegetarian meatloaf. I am a food connoisseur, although I don’t eat pork. I’m lucky my girlfriend is a great chef, since eating is one of my favorite pastimes.

or follow your dream and try to make it. Today, I see a successful person when I look in the mirror.

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

MCD: [Chuckles] My earliest

KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?

MCD: Cheesecake! I just had some Cinnamon Chocolate Cheesecake, some German Chocolate Cheesecake and some Pineapple Upside-Down Cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory the other night. So, I had to work my butt off the next day, because I’m trying to get in shape for my new television series, “The Finder.”

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

MCD: An accomplished actor who was homeless twice. A person who was down on his luck in Chicago in 1996, crying his eyes out on the lakefront. I see a guy who told himself: There ain’t no use in crying because nobody cares. You can either be a bum

memory is of the Christmas my mother bought me an Aurora race car set. That was the only gift I got that year, but I was the happiest kid in the world when

Wikimedia Commons

she bought me that. I didn’t care about anything else. But that was back in the day, I don’t even know if Aurora’s still in business anymore. That and Electric Football were my favorites when I was a kid

KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?

MCD: Yes, extremely happy.

You gotta remember I was homeless. Whenever I think I have something to complain about. I go outside, walk across the street and look at my home, and remind myself of the time I was living on the damn lakefront in a car full of garbage bags with clothes, and ask myself, “What do you possibly have to be upset about?” Kam, I have nothing to complain about. A friend of mine was just murdered, shot five times last Thursday as he was driving on a freeway entrance ramp. The last thing he did was dial 9-1-1.

Another thing my mother told me as a child was, “Always wake up with a smile on your face, because a lot of people who went to sleep last night are not with us this morning.” So, I’m extremely

DUNCAN TURN TO 10

Page 10 • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Insight News

insightnews.com

HEALTH Prostate cancer: Be your own advocate and understand screening

By The National Cancer Institute September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed type

of cancer among American men.

For reasons that are still unknown, African American men are more likely to get prostate cancer than men from other racial/ethnic groups. They are also twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as other men.

You may have heard about

these higher risks from a news story, or from friends or family.

You may also have heard about prostate cancer screening and wondered if you should be screened. Cancer screening tests check for the disease before a person has symptoms. The goal of cancer screening is to decrease the risk of dying of the target cancer by picking it up at a sufficiently early stage.

As you may have heard or read, there is a controversy about whether the benefits of prostate cancer screening outweigh the harms. Some doctors screen some men for prostate cancer with the PSA blood test and with a digital rectal exam. The PSA test measures the level in the blood of a substance called PSA that is produced by the prostate gland.

Men who have prostate cancer or other prostate conditions may have an increase in their PSA level. The digital rectal exam is used to feel the prostate for lumps or other abnormalities.

In the last few years, clinical trials have shown conflicting results regarding whether regular prostate cancer screening of men with no symptoms of disease may prevent some prostate cancer deaths. If there is a benefit, it is likely to be small. Some men will die of prostate cancer even if their cancer is found early. And in addition to finding prostate cancer early, screening can also find prostate cancers that never would have caused harm in a man’s lifetime. In either case, screening does not bring benefits.

This matters, because screening can lead to unnecessary treatment, which carries important harms. All treatments for prostate

Distraction From 4 door. Because I do not work in a hospital emergency room, there is no exception, no situation that

Photoxpress

cancer have potential side effects, including trouble controlling urine flow, difficulty having sex, infections, and other serious health problems. Many expert groups now recommend against routine prostate cancer screening because, overall, the harms may outweigh the benefits.

But most groups also recognize that screening is an individual decision that is between a man and his doctor. Many men may want to know more about prostate cancer screening, especially if a close male relative, such as their father or brother, has had the disease.

You can ask your doctor questions to help decide whether screening is right for you, including: What are my chances of dying of prostate cancer if I am screened,

versus if I am not screened?

If a test indicates that I may have prostate cancer, what are the next steps?

If I do have prostate cancer, what are my options for treatment?

What are the potential benefits and harms associated with each type of treatment?

Is active surveillance— waiting and watching a prostate cancer that might not grow—an option for me if screening shows that I have prostate cancer?

To learn more about prostate cancer, visit the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Web site at www. cancer.gov (search term: prostate) or call 1-800-4-CANCER (that’s 1-800-422-6237).

NCI has extensive information on prostate cancer risk, prevention, screening,

treatment, clinical trials, and many other topics.

NCI leads the National Cancer Program and the NIH effort to dramatically reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI Web site at www. cancer.gov (or m.cancer.gov from a mobile phone) or call NCI’s Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-4226237). More articles and videos in the culturally relevant Lifelines series are available at www. cancer.gov/lifelines.

cannot wait for sixty minutes, or fifty or ten; remember, working through that hour moves us ever closer to coming up for air. Harsh? Maybe. Someone new to focusing might want to start with a ten minute session and develop stronger discipline muscles gradually.

When sixty minutes is up, work is decidedly in the lead: Work – 68, Distractions – 22.

Allow for time to unwind.

After tunneling through the to-do list for an hour, a session of pure distractedness is warranted. Even

football games have a half-time.

This is an excellent time to check personal emails, return calls and put out fires before diving into another hour of focused, to-do list activities.

“But I might forget something.” If it matters, you won’t forget. You won’t because throughout the day you are keeping a written, running to-do list, which you will leave on your chair as you head out the door.

As the day wears on, the distractions become less predictable. There is a power

outage, a client complaint, a co-worker’s birthday party in the break room. Work and distractions volley for points. A solid routine can make all the difference, so that at day’s end, we’ll chalk one up for Work in the Winners column, and we can all go back to our other lives ready to be fully distracted until tomorrow.

Duncan

butt just because I balled up a piece of paper and threw it out the window. She asked me, “Why did you do that?” I said, “Because they killed Martin Luther King.”

She said, “just think, where are we gonna buy our groceries, if they burn all the stores down?” I hadn’t thought of that.

and become a revolutionary student instead of a rioter.

MCD: And look what happened, from those words to you now.

That teacher had a profound impact on the way you think by saying that one phrase. And then you went on to Ivy League schools. Growing up back then, people cared about you. If you misbehaved, the elders in the neighborhood would pull your coat. You got all your degrees because of the way that your parents, your teachers and your community raised you and helped you get there. You probably had some excellent teachers who inspired you whose names you can still recall to this day, just like I did.

From 9 happy, Kam. KW: Looks like your mother has given you a lot of sound advice over the years.

MCD: Yeah, she’s never steered me wrong. I remember when Martin Luther King was shot and people started rioting in Chicago.

My mother whacked me on my

KW: I had the impulse to riot when King was killed, too, but I was lucky to have a teacher who suggested that maybe I should channel my energy constructively

Julie Desmond is IT Recruiting Manager for George Konik Associates. Write to julie@ lakeregionstaffing.com.

KW: Yep. MCD: Did you know that Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan is from Chicago?

His mother ran a center for underprivileged black kids in the hood. I told him to let me know whenever he wants me to speak on behalf of education. I believe that teachers committed to the community are the ones who deserve to earn the top dollar, a starting salary of a quarter million dollars a year, because they’re the ones that get the Michael Clarke Duncans and the Kam Williams ready for our careers. I’m sorry for going a little off topic, Kam. KW: No need to apologize.

MCD: Believe me, Kam, I’m the biggest sports fan there is, I love sports, but I’m still convinced that it’s teachers who deserve the big salaries, not athletes. When I reflect on my childhood, I could always count on my mother and my teachers the most.

KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?

MCD: I try to have a good laugh every day. Every day, Kam! KW: Well, thanks for another great interview, Mike.

MCD: Hey, much love, Kam, and give your wife and son my regards.

KW: Will do, brother.

MCD: Take care, man.

insightnews.com

Insight News • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Page 11

FULL CIRCLE He-motions: Sometimes confusing and complex Man Talk

By Timothy Houston Understanding man’s emotional center can sometimes be complex and confusing. God formed man from the dust of the ground, and he became a living soul. The “and” in this scripture indicates that there was a brief moment between man being formed and him becoming a living soul. For a brief moment man was an empty shell. This shell served as a temporary emotional storage container. It allowed him to wage war and put the horrors of war into that emotional storage container

DFL From 1 “North Minneapolis may be the most important community to beat this voter ID amendment,” said Ellison.

“I asked all the candidates to come together for the good of us all. We need you to come together to get out the vote.”

Spain From 1 Find a route that works for you In my first two days in Seville, I managed to get lost twice; once at night and once in the morning. It was terrible.

Even though my host mother did walk me to meet my orientation group on my first day, she took me through what I like to call the sevillano way, which translates to walking along multiple back streets and passing more landmarks than I care to remember.

While walking home from orientation in the dark of night, I struggled for an hour and a half to remember what this place had looked like in the sunlight. The next morning was a disaster that I do not want to dwell on. I ended up being 30 minutes late to orientation while navigating my way through El Centro, the center of the city and the section of Seville in which I live in.

Thankfully when I finally arrived at my destination, my group leader understood when I explained what happened.

Once we were dismissed for lunch, I headed straight home and took out a map and drew the easiest, most memorable route possible. I am happy to report that I can now arrive at my destinations easily and ontime.

2) Have no fear

delayed reaction to events does not mean those events did not impact him. It may be that he is in that mode where he is preparing to slay the dragon. He may also be incorrectly using his gift. All men must learn to wisely use their emotional reservoir. It is not a bottomless container; therefore, whatever is in it will eventually come out. I have made a promise to myself that I will become more in touch with my emotions and clean out my emotional reservoir.

On that day, I will weep, but today I must face the lion in my life.

cause him his life. This man, with his emotions deaden could focus on the job at hand. No tears

clouded his eyes, and no emotions clouded his mind. He was able to defend his family against all enemies foreign and domestic.

Emotional distractions are not expedient to the job at hand. In this instance, man’s empty shell is a blessing to him.

This is still true today. Every day, soldiers, doctors, athletes, police officers, and men of every walk of life must perform independent of their emotions.

They are blessed with the ability to pause their emotions. These men experience love, loss, and hurt like everyone else, but because of their design, they are able to temporarily put them on hold.

These men have learned the right use of their emotional reservoir.

Man’s emotions (He-motions) take longer to show up, but they are real and valid. Men are not robots void of emotions. His

“If we can get out the vote, we can win,” said Ellison.

In the race for state representative in Senate District 59B, only 20 votes separated the eventual winner, Raymond Dehn from his closest competitor, Terra Cole.

The race was also charged by a mailer with an image of a wolf beneath a sheep’s wool that went out to voters accusing candidate Ian Alexander

of being a Republican.

The mailer was sent by an independent organization that had no known ties to Dehn or Cole. Alexander has admitted that he was once a member of the Republican Party, but changed party affiance prior to his DFL run.

Alexander said he’s put the incident behind him and is ready to fully support Dehn.

“When elections are over,

they are over,” said Alexander.

“All three of us who ran had the potential to be incredible representatives.”

Ellison agreed with Alexander’s assessment.

“All of you (Dehn, Alexander and Cole) could – and I believe will – hold public office,” said Ellison.

Cole said she is ready to do what is needed to defeat the proposed voter ID law.

“If you’re a citizen, you have the right to vote; it’s just that simple,” said Cole.

Cole said party leaders need to do a better job of educating the electorate.

“During the re-count, there were 200 people who voted who didn’t vote for anyone in the race for the 59B seat,”

waiter in the restaurant or the server at the ice cream parlor completely understands my allergy to all types of nuts.

4) Stay connected to home One of the reasons I came to Seville was to become more fluent in Spanish because although I have been taking Spanish in school for six years, my speaking ability is not at the level I would like it to be.

My mother has always said for me to be fluent, I would have to live in a Spanish-speaking country and immerse myself in the culture.

While immersion is a very educational, you have to be careful of culture shock.

Culture shock can be described as a type of anxiety that occurs when one is surrounded by unfamiliar things.

Before I left the states, my study abroad program coordinator suggested that I bring mementos with me from home such as pictures and other things to remind me of home. I brought a small, purple plush elephant toy and a small ball that my father gave me.

Whenever I am sitting in my room and missing my family, I just look at my mementos and remember how much love I have brought with me to Spain.

Another good way to stay connected to home is to communicate with your family often. While traveling to Spain, I communicated with my parents through email.

After orientation, we had time to video chat. No matter how busy I get I always have to

make time to communicate with family because they have no other way of knowing whether or not I am alright.

5) Be prepared The summer and autumn weather can be notoriously hot in Seville. The weather has been in the upper 90s since my plane landed on September 4th. Based on last year’s temperatures around this time, this type of weather plans to continue into late October.

During orientation we had two- or three-hour walking tours of some of the most notable sights in Seville. I suggest being equipped with a reusable water bottle (there are few water fountains), sunscreen (the sun has no mercy), and a fan.

While walking around Seville, I noticed people fanning themselves as they strolled down the cobblestone streets. The fans varied from plastic to wood, plain to designed. Fans are sold in multiple stores and it is very easy to pick up one before you start your adventure.

During this past summer in anticipation for my travel abroad, I watched a few travel videos about the city of Seville.

One of them mentioned that some of the streets are called “kissing streets” because the buildings are so close together that if cars can drive on that road it is only a one way. The travel guide in the video also said the streets were built this way to block out the scorching sun and shield the people from

its rays.

Thank you for reading my first column. l look forward to

writing many more.

Hasta Luego (See later)

so he could go home and love his family. The ability for man to delay his emotional feelings can come across as not caring. This is not always true. Depending on the man, this ability can be a blessing or a curse.

Emotional detachment is a curse when it is used intentionally or unintentionally to harm others. Unfortunately, some men have fallen into the trap of using their emotional reservoir to the detriment of themselves and others. They deaden their emotions to children and family, being able to leave them without giving them a second thought. To these men, no one is safe, not even their mother. If she is not careful, she may find herself in the place where he does not feel, enabling him not to call or write for months on end. This is the wrong way to use this emotional container.

Other men have wisely decided to use this temporary emotional container as a blessing.

Before the invention of modern day weaponry, the only thing that stood between the ferocious

Ellison said polls show the controversial, proposed voter ID amendment is leading by nine percentage points. If passed, Minnesotans would need to show a valid state-issued ID card or driver’s license in order to vote. According to the bill’s detractors, this would disenfranchise thousands of citizens who do not currently possess such identification.

When I was lost that morning, I did stumble upon some really cool sights such as the Flamenco museum.

As I walked inside to ask for directions, I saw gorgeous pictures of dancers in motion and I could hear the sounds of the dancers moving across the dance studio in the back.

Unfortunately I couldn’t stay because I needed to get to orientation, but it taught me that you can find the most amazing things when you are not looking for it.

3) Learn some key phrases Before I came to Spain, I borrowed travel guides and Spanish instruction books from my local library. While reviewing the basics such as the alphabet and grammar, I learned some general phrases such as “Can you tell me where this is?” and “I am allergic to...”

Back to that morning when I got lost, I felt that knowing the phrase “Puede usted decirme donde está este calle”, which means “Can you tell me where this street is?” really helped me be more confident when asking locals for directions.

For me it was showing a sign of respect by speaking their language instead of asking do they speak English.

I think it is extremely important to let people know what allergies you have especially if you have potentially fatal allergies like I have. I am more secure with my health if I know the

lion and a man’s family was him and his spear. For him to be emotionally distracted would

Men are not robots void of emotions. His delayed reaction to events does not mean those events did not impact him.

Timothy Houston is an author, minister, and motivational speaker who is committed to guiding positive life changes in families and communities. For questions, comments or more information, go to www.tlhouston.com or email at tim@tlhouston.com.

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you

Page 12 • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Insight News

Shá and e.g., 18 days before their baby’s birth

insightnews.com

Lyonel and Kathy, 18 months after their daughter’s departure

Dona Schwartz

Award-winning photographer is looking for portrait subjects for a soon-to-be published book Dona Schwartz is an awardwinning documentary photographer and a faculty member at the University of Minnesota’s School of Journalism. For the past five years she has been working on a portrait project called On the Nest and she’s looking for people to participate by having a portrait shot. Her project is about two key transitional moments in life—the transition to parenthood with the birth of a first child, and the

transition to an empty nest when grown children have left home.

Schwartz photographs expectant parents in the spaces they have prepared for their newborns, and she photographs parents who are empty nesters in the vacated bedrooms of their grown children. She says she is interested in these two moments “because they usher in significant changes in identities, relationships, and routines. The pictures speak volumes about

the different hopes, dreams and circumstances we bring to the act of parenting.”

On the Nest is nearly done and Schwartz is closing in on the finish line. She has found a publisher for what will be her fourth book—the second devoted solely to her photographs—and she’s lining up exhibitions of On the Nest. Photographs from the Nest project have already been published in newspapers and magazines around the world,

exhibited internationally in museums, galleries and festivals, and they have won prestigious awards.

But Schwartz isn’t ready to pack up her camera and turn off her strobe lights just yet. She says, “I am working to add diversity because I want the project to acknowledge the many kinds of parents and families that nurture, raise and successfully launch children.” Schwartz is looking for people of different races, religions,

ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and ages who are expecting their firstborns or who are recent empty nesters. She plans to keep shooting portraits through the fall—the book will be available late fall, 2013.

Schwartz invites potential project participants to email her at dona@umn.edu. There are also downloadable fliers with information about Schwartz and the project online at http://

umn.edu/~dona. Schwartz says, “Please download fliers, tell your friends to tell their friends about On the Nest. It’s so important to me to add diversity to the project because everyone experiences family and parenting, and there is no single template for bearing and nurturing children. I want to show the many different ways parents love and launch the next generation.”

Conference

be seen in income, employment, and wealth formation in the minority populations of any region. The consequences of these disparities manifest themselves in home ownership rates, small business ownership rates, credit

access, incarceration rates, child welfare system involvement, academic achievement, family structure and even health outcomes.

Why do these differences arise and persist across the globe?

“Efforts to combat racial and ethnic economic inequality must be grounded on a solid understanding of the underlying causes of the differences,” explained Roy Wilkins Center Director Dr. Samuel L. Myers, Jr.,

Director, a national authority on the methodology of conducting disparity studies and a pioneer in the use of applied econometric techniques to examine racial disparities, “The traditional process of analysis, on which policies are based, does not account for the structural differences that exist between communities of color and majority-group communities.

The history, culture, and relationships in our communities are ignored. In their place, flawed assumptions about the deficient behaviors within communities of color become the foundation of policy. Such policies will not work. Problems of inequality are best solved when those who have the problem act to define the solution.”

At the World Conference, scholars and researchers from India, New Zealand, Kenya, Korea, Bulgaria, Brazil, Norway and China will engage community activists from Portland, Durham, Des Moines, Omaha, Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Seattle to examine successful local initiatives from around the world that show great promise. The interaction between scholars, policy makers, and community leaders will bring a practical dimension not often found in an academic conference.

Conferees will examine: • How the leadership of communities that face the greatest economic distress can be strengthened • Why racial and ethnic disparities may be traceable to differences in access to early childhood education • Whether concentrations of poverty via heavy segregation of neighborhoods can explain racial and ethnic economic disparities • How economic and health

disparities influence each other • How various biological, social and cultural categories interact on multiple levels to contribute to systematic social inequality.

• Participants will then ask: Does this model work? If so, why? If not, why not? Will it work here in Minnesota.?

From 1 No matter where you travel in the world, economic disparity can

The 4th World Conference on Remedies to Racial and Ethnic Economic Inequality has attracted prominent researchers and policy makers seldom brought together in one place.

The keynote speaker at the opening luncheon on October 12 is Larry Palmer who was appointed United States Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean in March of 2012. A career diplomat, Ambassador Palmer entered the U.S. Foreign Service in 1982 and was posted around the globe.

Most recently, he was the U.S. Ambassador to Honduras from 2002–2005 and then served as the President of the Inter-American Foundation from 2005 to June 2010. Ambassador Palmer is a native of Augusta, Georgia. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Emory University, a Master of Education in African History at Texas Southern University, and a Doctorate of Higher Education Administration and African Studies from Indiana University in Bloomington.

The World Conference coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice. The Wilkins Center is the first endowed chair established in a major public policy school named after an African American.

CONFERENCE 14 TURN TO

insightnews.com

Ellison From 1 Though the reason for the attacks are not fully known, a YouTube video that depicts the Muslim prophet, Muhammad, in an unflattering light has been speculated as a source for angering Muslims and inciting extremists to violence.

Ellison, who is Muslim, spoke harshly against the makers of the film and the extremists who

Panama From 5 first anti-discrimination law.

During the military dictatorship 1968-1989 General Omar Torrijos Herrera sought to legitimize his military regime by seeking support from all social groups for his populistnationalist project. Organized groups of Antillean Panamanian at home and in the United States joined labor, peasant, and student groups, in their support for the Torrijos government’s Canal negotiations with the United States, particularly in the years 1973-1978. In previous works we have argued that it is in these two periods that the modern Black movement, largely led by West Indians and Panamanians of West Indian descent, emerged and developed. I have further argued that at the core of the movement was/is the struggle for citizenship and socio-political inclusion, which required and still requires extensive negotiations of cultural, ethnic, racial, class, and national identity, particularly with party and state actors who act as gatekeepers.

Racial mobilization during military eras: Panamanians of West Indian descent played a modest but important role in the negotiation and ratification process of the Torrijos-Carter treaty and in the recuperation of national sovereignty, and within the first five years of military rule they formed new organizations, some transnational, to secure full economic, social, cultural and political citizenship. It is within this new political environment of military led populism and nationalism that racial discrimination and racism was attenuated in Panama as progressive and black groups emerged to gain greater visibility, challenged racial stereotypes, and forged transnational bonds.

In an earlier essay I observed that while in the 1960s Panamanians of West Indian descent had downplayed racial and ethnic representation in favor of nationalist politics, in the 1940s and 1950s they had effectively mobilized around race and ethnicity to secure citizenship and political participation. I further observed that by the mid-1970s Antillean Panamanians had returned to ethnic/racial mobilization to combat discrimination, gain greater national visibility and political participation.

To those ends, several community and political organizations led by AntilleanPanamanians emerged in Panama as well as in the United States. In Panama the ones that

Insight News • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Page 13 committed murder in the name of Islam.

“The amateurish and stupid video that sparked these riots was deeply offensive not only to Muslims but also to anyone who respects the faith of others,” the statement read. “It was designed to provoke, and sadly, the provocateurs successfully induced some people to take the bait. Instead of ignoring or peacefully condemning the film, they resorted to violence and mayhem.”

Ellison reserved his harshest

had the greatest impact and visibility were Union Nacional de Panamenos (UNDEP); Acción Reinvindicadora del Negro Panamaneno (ARENEP), and Los Doce, all of whom drew their base of support from the predominantly Antillean communities of Rio Abajo, Parque Lefevre, and Colon, espousing a race-first agenda.

Motivated by their desire to affirm their citizenship rights in Panama and having been influenced directly by the Civil Rights Movement, AfroPanamanians in the United States, and to a lesser degree in Panama, challenged the extant racial paradigm of “Crisol de Razas”, and mobilized around ethnic/racial issues. To one extent or another having negotiated away their ethnic and racial identity to acquire recognition as Panamanian nationals, many questioned the traditional concept of the monocultural and monolingual nationstate, proposing instead a more inclusive concept of the nationstate, where Afro-descendants, Blacks, Antilleans-Panamanians, and indigenous peoples would have a place.

Notwithstanding these efforts, the racial ideology embedded in the notion that Panamanians comprise a “Crisol de Razas” prevailed in Torrijos’s Panama. While the Torrijos regime can take some credit for furthering Antillean-Panamanian integration, it continued to equate the national culture with cultural symbols and practices emanating from the White-Mestizo region of Azuero, particularly from the province of Los Santos.

All other cultural symbols and practices, for example those of the Congo—African-derived— from the provinces of Colon and Darien, were seen as mere additions to the national culture.

Despite these limitations, AfroPanamanians—of Antillean or Colonial descent—made cultural strides during the military rule of Omar Torrijos.

The tragic and untimely death of Omar Torrijos in 1981 set in motion significant economic, political and social arrangements that affected the life chances of Panamanians, particularly browns and Blacks. First, the Torrijos “interventionist” state that had brokered the populistnationalist alliance and that had eased social and racial tensions was replaced by Manuel Antonio Noriega’s (1981-1989) embrace of the politics of structural adjustment agreements, national security, and confrontation with the United States, policies that disproportionately affected Afro-Panamanians. Second, the U.S. invasion of 20 December 1989 excessively affected El Chorrillo, Colon, and San Miguelito, communities whose

U.S. Representative Keith Ellison

criticism for the Libyan attackers, saying there is no justification for the violence aimed towards Americans.

“The abuse of free speech rights, no matter how offensive, does not give license for senseless acts of violence,” said Ellison.

The Minnesota Congressman also wanted to make clear that the film in no way represents the views of the United States government or the majority view of Americans.

“People need to understand

that the United States government had no role in creating this film,” the statement continued. “In fact, the government has condemned it and the American people have rejected it. It violates the American value of religious tolerance.”

Ellison said the vast majority of Christians, Muslims, Jews and people of other faiths live in peace and harmony in the United States, and reject what he called the hateful expressions in the film. He said

the United States Constitution protects religious freedom, but it also prohibits the government from silencing individuals who abuse free speech rights.

“Hateful provocateurs will always try to stir the pot, but it’s up to us to remain calm and not let it boil over. Now innocent public servants who dedicated their lives to building bridges between people are dead,” said Ellison. “What we need is more understanding and tolerance, not conflict and bloodshed.”

residents are predominantly black and brown. Third, the invasion created conditions for the establishment of an economy that according to the then VicePresident Billy Ford (19891994) was “100 percent private enterprise” based on neoliberal policies that exacerbated socio-economic inequalities, accompanied by increasing racial/ethnic exclusion of black and brown Panamanians.

A cursory look at the 2000 Panamanian National Census and of President Mireya Moscoso Agenda Social 20002004 reveal the new levels of social inequality, particularly of those residing in rural communities or classified as Indigenous. According to the Agenda Social 2000-2004, the Panamanian population grew from 2,329,329 to 2,839,177 between 1990 and 2000, with over 48.9 percent residing in the Province of Panama (Panama has nine provinces and Indigenous reservations). The report finds that of the 2,839,177 inhabitants, thirty-seven percent or 1,139,300 million live in poverty, the great majority in rural areas.

Furthermore, it details the extent of indigenous rural poverty, but no mention of black poverty. The fact is Afro-Latinos constitutes at least thirty percent of the

population of Latin America and the Caribbean and about 92% live at or below the poverty line while 32.5 percent are illiterate, yet they remain invisible, excluded and oppressed.

In Panama the national census had not accounted for race since 1940, and with the exception of a passing mention of Afro descendants in a 2005 Ministry of Education Report, race and ethnicity remain missing from policy analyses and governmental programs, and with the exception of Panamanians of West Indian descent who are seeing as black and identify as such, AfroPanamanians remain invisible and uncounted; therefore untargeted by state sponsored policies and programs. The Black movement demanded that race be included in the 2010 National Census. We all know what when down: We were not counted properly. Again, we remain invisible. This is one of several challenges faced by the movement as it struggles against the ideology of “Crisol de Razas” and against the notion that the only Blacks in Panama are those of Antillean origins.

There is no doubt that the level of poverty generated by the Panamanian economy is the result of structural adjustment

agreements and neoliberal policies imposed on the country’s majorities and embraced by recent governments.

Nevertheless, its origins is to be found in a historically failed economic model; one that privileges services and commerce at the expense of the agricultural and industrial sectors, both of which remain at the margins of the Panama Canal, an enterprise that served the interest of the United States and major shipping countries and which, under Panamanian control, continues to serve these interests and that of the financial and real estate sectors of the Isthmus.

The upcoming modernization and widening of the Panama Canal, as presently conceived, will continue to serve these interests rather than the interest of the Panamanian people, so argues Marco Gandásegui, one of the country’s leading political and social analyst. But even if there were such a national economic plan to include the interest of the Panamanian people, if that plan did not include the particular interest of Afro descendants, many of whose ancestors built the waterway and maintained throughout most of the twentieth century, they would continue to remain marginal to

the economic development of the country; socially invisible when not maligned, and politically marginalized. This is the state of Piel Oscura Panamá, Black Panama, notwithstanding recent high-level appointments of Panamanians of West Indian heritage and colonial heritage to the executive and judicial branches of government.

In order to move beyond the denunciation of racial discrimination and toward state sponsored affirmative action, the Black movement must demand that race be included in the 2020 National Census. This is one of several challenges faced by the Black movement as it struggles against the ideology of “Crisol de Razas” and against the notion that the only Blacks in Panama are those of Antillean origins, and as they attempt to forge a common anti-racist agenda with those Hispanic origins to combat the many faces of neoliberalism.

There is no doubt in my mind that racism is one of these many faces. We still have work to do in order to gain full citizenship in this country. Again, “Crisol de Razas” sounds good, but as Blacks, as sons and daughters of the Diggers, we will be plenty more “comfortable” if we were included as part of that beautiful melting pot known as Panama.

Page 14 • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Insight News

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COMMUNITY Open Streets/Harvest Fest promotes preventive health One of the largest annual events in North Minneapolis just got bigger due to the inclusion of Open Streets.

Harvest Fest, which began four years ago to celebrate the reopening of the Lowry corridor in North Minneapolis, has joined forces with Open Streets Minneapolis to expand the reach of and participation in the event. Open Streets Minneapolis, an initiative of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, has coordinated an event on South Lyndale Avenue the past two years.

“We are excited to combine Harvest Fest with Open Streets Minneapolis. The residents of North Minneapolis and surrounding neighborhoods have always been the heart of Harvest Fest and there is no better way to further involve the community than by including Open Streets Minneapolis,” said one of Harvest Fest’s founders, Darryl Weivoda, owner of North End Hardware and The Lowry Cafe.

Open Streets events are designed to help promote

environmentally friendly transportation choices, such as walking, bicycling and mass transit. They are also held to promote good public health by encouraging active, healthy lifestyles. The event closes a long section of a street to motorized transportation thereby giving families and neighbors the opportunity to come together to mingle, have fun and shop in a safe, car-free environment.

Harvest Fest/Open Streets will close approximately 1.5 miles of North Lowry Avenue from Victory Memorial Parkway to Fourth Street. The event, which will take place on Saturday, September 29th, will start at 11:00 a.m. and end at 6:00 p.m. It will include all the traditional Harvest Fest fare such as live music, an art fair, car show, food vendors and multiple kid zones. Added, thanks to Open Streets, will be a KMOJ stage with live music, a complete urban agricultural node, healthy eating exhibits, youth-orientated music, fitness classes, creation of

Eric Shoultz

a community mural and other happenings yet to be announced.

“We are thrilled to be part of Harvest Fest and thereby continue to expand the reach

of Open Streets Minneapolis and all of the good things associated with walking, biking and other forms of nonmotorized transportation,” said Colin Harris, vice president

of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition.

Harvest Fest/Open Streets is being sponsored in part by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota as part of Prevention

Minnesota, Blue Cross’ longterm health improvement initiative that works to tackle the root causes of preventable heart disease and cancer, and the Pohlad Family Foundation.

2012 Freedom Ride to Liberty Bell The A. Philip Randolph Institute, a Black labor organization, is sponsoring a Freedom Ride from Martin Luther King Park in Minneapolis, MN, to the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, PA on Friday, September 28 and returning on Sunday, Sept. 30. The ride will pass through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, all of which

have onerous new election laws or proposals for new laws. A number of organizations are expected to co-sponsor the ride.

Freedom Rides started in 1961, aimed at ending racial discrimination in public transportation and public accommodations. Many people were severely beaten and white mobs and the Ku Klux Klan killed a number. Four young

Black girls were killed in a church bombing. Those rides generated a revolution, which culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Since then, Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers, and Malcolm X have been assassinated.

Many states instituted election reforms aimed at removing barriers to voting.

Calendar • Classifieds

Phone: 612.588.1313

Conference From 12 On the evening of October 12, Benjamin T. Jealous will be the featured guest at the 20th Anniversary Celebration Dinner at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Appointed as President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 2008 at the

world that are descended from the historic movement of peoples from Africa, often referred to as the African diaspora. The conference will gather academics, farmers, activists, artists, community gardeners, environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts.

Many public events are free to the general public, age of 35, Benjamin T. Jealous is the youngest person to lead the century old organization. This is the first time in recent memory that a top executive of the NAACP has addressed a University of Minnesota audience.

The appearance of Benjamin T. Jealous is a fitting tribute to the work of Roy Wilkins. Roy Wilkins was a 1923 graduate of the University of Minnesota who spent his entire career with the NAACP. For twenty-two years,

The requirement to present a government generated picture ID before being permitted to vote will disenfranchise lowincome people and students, who tend to move frequently and lack resources to buy ID’s, and seniors who have no driver’s licenses. In some areas, restrictions on voting are obviously aimed at minority populations*. The plight of

Fax: 612.588.2031

homeless people, who are unable to prove the eligibility of their place of residence, is especially poignant: Take My Job, Take My Home, Take My Vote!

For more information call on the Freedom Ride 2012 call Ruth Cain at 612 822-4483 or Shada Buyobe Hammond at 612 872-1149.

Email: natalie@insightnews.com Harp song book. Everyone is welcome regardless of musical ability. Sing or just listen. Sat. Sept 22, at Calvary Lutheran Church 3901 Chicago Avenue S. MPLS, MN 55407 & Sun. Sept 23 at Town Hall at The Landing 2187 Highway 101 Shakopee, MN 55379. Both days are 9:30am–3pm, with potluck lunch , 12–1pm. Free.

Donations requested to cover

EVENTS

materials and creations.

Exciting oddities and rare finds at bargain prices. held in the courtyard of the Q’arma Building 1224 Quincy Street NE. For more info about this event or Altered Esthetics, contact Lupi McGinty at press@alteredesthetics.org or http://www.alteredesthetics.org

“Back to School” Arty Garage Sale at Altered Esthetics Sept 22 Featuring a variety of artistic

Minnesota State Sacred Harp Convention Sept 22 & 23 Sing hymns, anthems, and gospel songs from The Sacred

he was their top executive. During Roy Wilkins tenure, the NAACP led the nation into the Civil Rights movement and spearheaded efforts that became significant civil rights victories, including Brown vs. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Benjamin T. Jealous, is a product of that history. A fifth-generation member of the NAACP, he is the heir to freedom fighters on both

sides of his family. Jealous, a Rhodes Scholar, is a graduate of Columbia and Oxford University, the past president of the Rosenberg Foundation and served as the founding director of Amnesty International›s US Human Rights Program.

As President of the NAACP, Benjamin Jealous has opened national programs on education, health, and environmental justice.

The featured speakers,

the panelists, and those who submit papers at the 4th World Conference on Remedies to Racial and Ethnic Economic Inequality will present models for change that can be adapted here in Minnesota. For those who have spent a lifetime working for their community, findings from the World Conference can be translated into ammunition for your community to make its own case to elected officials, policy makers, and funders. In the fall

of 2013, Minnesota attendees will reconvene to compare the progress that they have made.

Although the World Conference is free, registration is required. Go to www.roywilkins. umn.edu to see the conference schedule and panelists, complete registration, and reserve a place at the Roy Wilkins Center 20th Anniversary Celebration Dinner ($125) on October 12, 2012.

Allies

It was not until 2010 however, that Public Allies would launch in Minneapolis. Public Allies training is supported by the

Urban Institute for Service and operated by Pillsbury United Communities, a nonprofit organization working to create choice, change and connection for people from all walks of life.

“Essentially, we are working to change the face of leadership in the nonprofit sector through building pipelines to organizational leadership for those who may not ordinarily have access to opportunities to lead, while simultaneously building capacity of our local nonprofit sector,” said Ernest Comer III, program manager, media coordinator and recruiter for Public Allies Twin Cities.

“A year after I graduated, I was contacted about an opportunity to be one of the founding staff. Now we operate the twenty-first of 21 sites of Public Allies nationally,” said Comer who said Public Allies has identified three focus areas involving education, economic opportunity and healthy futures. “We select partner organizations that focus in these areas and make a sustainable effort to build on the assets of local communities to make them stronger.”

Comer said leadership can be found within all communities.

“We recognize leading as an action anyone can take rather than focusing on leadership as a position that a select few can hold,” said Comer. “(This)

belief is at the foundation of the work that we do and it allows us to engage the communities more effectively and work together to identify a promising group of participants each year who are dedicated to having a strong and sustainable impact.”

To be selected as a participant of the Public Allies program, the application process is extensive and competitive. All participants go through individual and group interviews facilitated by local staff, as well as participate in a matching fair and interviews with potential partner organizations. Generally the online application process begins at the end January and closes at the beginning of June.

Once selected, individuals participate in the program, which runs from October through July the following year.

Public Allies Twin Cities is a 10-month paid apprenticeship program focusing on a variety of topics including asset-based community development, nonprofit basics, history of community and community organizing.

Public Allies is an AmeriCorps program and graduates earn a $5,000 education award that can be used to fund post-secondary education opportunities.

For more information about Public Allies Twin Cities, visit www.PublicAllies.org/ TwinCities or call (612) 3023425.

U of M conference to engage community in issues of Black environmental justice, agriculture - Sept 21 The Department of African American and African Studies at the U of M will host the three-day, national Black Environmental Thought II conference, held Sept. 21-23 at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus to address environmental justice and agricultural practice of communities throughout the

In Minnesota, postcard registration and Election Day registration were enacted in 1973 over strong (but not total) Republican opposition. Now legislation has been passed or proposed in a number of Republican controlled states to institute stringent voter ID requirements, despite the absence of fraud resulting from voting under a false identity.

however, pre-registration for the conference is required.

Community members qualify for a reduced fee of $50. Online registration is open at http://z.umn.edu/ bet2registration.

A complete schedule can be found at http:// blackenvironthought.wix. com/bet2

From 1

Send Community Calendar information to us by email: natalie@insightnews.com, by fax: 612.588.2031, by phone: 612.588-1313 or by mail: 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis, MN 55411, Attn: Natalie Benz. Free or low cost events preferred.

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Insight News • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Page 15

COMMENTARY The decline and fall of “Chocolate City”

By William Reed Washington was carved from two slaveholding states in 1791, it has been a special place for Blacks. Nowadays, most Black Americans know the nation’s capital by the moniker: “Chocolate City.” By the 1960s “Chocolate City”, was the center for “Black Power” in America. The “most important city in the world”, D.C. was a symbol of pride and power for African Americans advancing in lifestyles and “power positions.”

The country should be on the alert that now that Washington is no longer considered a “Chocolate City,” other cities like it may be next.

Back in the day, African Americans in Washington were experiencing unprecedented political, social and economic status. In the 1970s, D.C.’s Blacks made their move from the streets to the suites. Black professionals moved up private sector and government career ladders and became the policy and decision-makers on rules and regulations that benefited Black people and institutions.

thecotiliononline.com

Denise Rolark Barnes

Marion Shepilov Barry Jr. exemplified a machine boss who dominated politics for more than a decade serving as the second elected mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995 to 1999.

Barry is remembered fondly as a champion of the young, the aged and the poor, having plowed hundreds of millions of tax dollars into summer jobs programs, senior centers and an

DFL From 11 said Cole. “What was it that stopped those people from voting? What it tells me is we still have people to reach.”

Dehn said he will be a better representative because of the tough battle he endured in securing the DFL nod.

“My challengers made me work hard. They made me a better candidate,” said Dehn who will face-off against Republican Gary Mazzotta in the Nov. 6 general election.

“I know all of you here didn’t vote for me, but I hope you will support me.”

Ellison, who early-on supported Dehn – a white candidate who ran against two African-Americans – addressed not supporting an African-American candidate in the race.

“A lot of people believe this seat is a historically Black seat, and that’s very important

Calendar From 14 expenses. Child care and loaner books are provided. For more info, call 651-457-7762 or visit www.mnfasola.org.

KFAI’s 2012 Speakers Series welcomes Amy Goodman Sept 22 Amy Goodman, Media activist and co-host of Democracy Now! Will be in the Twin Cities to speak about her upcoming book, “The Silenced Majority: Stories of Uprisings, Occupations, Resistance and Hope.” Sat. Sept 22, 7–9pm at Wesley United Methodist Church, 101 E. Grant St. MPLS MN 55403. Tickets at www.kfai.org or 612.341.3144 ext. 23 for will call.

21st Annual “Signifyin’ & Testifyin” Black Master Storytelling Festival Sept 27–29 Celebrating the power of the

March on Washington array of social welfare programs that ranked among the most generous in the nation. He also used the city’s bureaucracy as a vast employment program that fostered the growth of a Black middle class that have the highest paid municipal jobs in America.

All of that is long gone. The people that Barry made middle class have taken their salaries and taxes and moved out of D.C. to make Prince George’s County, “America’s wealthiest majorityBlack county.” As the Blacks of means leave D.C., more Whites, Asians and Hispanics are moving in. The District of Columbia’s Black population is under 50 percent. The city that once had a 70 percent Black population has dropped down to just 301,000 Blacks of the city’s 601,700 residents. The “Black Power Elite” that came to be in the ’60s and ’70s are eroding in power and prestige. The “Black Power” way of life is at an end in D.C. Back in our days of dominance, Calvin Rolark got his calls to City Hall returned promptly. Dr. Rolark was an

influential community leader as publisher of The Washington Informer newspaper and head of United Black Fund. Today, Rolark’s daughter, Denise gets scant attention and few “call backs” from current D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray.

The awarding of D.C.

government advertising contracts is a case that should be a cause célèbre for majority-Black populations and governments across America.

[Public Notices] are advertisements that generate billions annually in America. Public notices placed in newspapers include contract

Warren K. Leffler

opportunities, foreclosures, unclaimed property, community information and more. The issue and controversy in D.C. is about a $30,000 contract to advertise unclaimed property in the city.

Washington Informer publisher Denise Rolark Barnes claims that her paper was denied a chance at

the contract by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer because her paper’s coverage centers on Washington’s Black residents.

Barnes has filed a protest over the awarding of the contract.

The conflict, a test-case in reverse-discrimination, hinges on whether The Washington Informer counts as a “newspaper of general circulation.” In her complaint, Barnes quotes a city contracting official saying that The Washington Informer’s editorial focus toward Black Washingtonians means it isn’t a “newspaper of general circulation.”

Are Blacks headed toward being invisible in America again? In recent generations “Black Power” is on the decline in D.C. and across America. D.C. illustrates that government sector contracting is fundamental to the successes of minority-owned businesses such as The Washington Informer. As Blacks in every locale should, Blacks in D.C. are concerned that the 47-year-old Informer publication has been deemed “irrelevant” by the decisionmakers who currently occupy the top realms of D.C. government.

(William Reed is head of the Business Exchange Network and available for projects via the Bailey Group.org)

Thank You Fans

– I understand that. Not all who said that were Black either,” said Ellison, who said Dehn will be a servant of civil rights. “It’s not 1971 where there were no people of color in the Legislature. If only Black people stand for racial justice it won’t work as well.”

In addition to the candidates from the 59B race, DFL candidates Linda Higgins, Blong Yang, Don Samuels and Tonia Johnson from the race for Dist. 2 County Commissioner were in attendance at the breakfast.

The primary, which was nonpartisan, produced two DFL candidates, Higgins and Yang, who will face one another come November. The two stood together, but vowed a spirited fight.

“We are going to get out the vote like never before,” said Yang. “I’m looking forward to this race and to a spirited debate; and I’m going to say it, I want to win.”

Approximately 50 people attended the Saturday morning breakfast.

oral storytelling tradition as practiced by African people in the Diaspora with a lineup of world renown Master storytellers.

For festival locations, times and for more info visit www.blackstorytellers. com or call 612.529.5864.

Wells Fargo brings NeighborhoodLIFTS program to St. Paul and Minneapolis Sept 28 Potential homebuyers can find out if they qualify for the down payment assistance program and reserve funds–of $15,000 – for 60 days, even if they have yet to find a property. The program will include a free large-scale homebuyer workshop on Fri. and Sat. Sept. 7 and 8, at the Minneapolis Convention Center , Hall A, from 10am– 7pm. Prospective homebuyers can register until Wed. Sept, 5 and learn more about the NeighborhoodLIFTS program at www.neighborhoodlift.org or by calling 866.858.2151.

We come together and unite around one team, your team, the Minnesota Twins.

We thank each and every one of you for the continued support throughout the season.

Page 16 • September 17 - September 23, 2012 • Insight News

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