Insight News ::: 10.27.14

Sonja Park stars in Children’s Theatre Company’s ‘Seedfolk’ More on page 10

Insight News October 27 - November 2, 2014

Vol. 41 No. 45 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

The elephant in the room, or, is this a scene from ‘12 Years a Slave?’

Republicans relentless in attack on Senator Jeff Hayden Analysis and Commentary by Al McFarlane, Editor-In-Chief Most of us don’t get to the Capitol to witness the inner workings of our government.

When we do, most of the time, the experience is enlightening, encouraging and uplifting. We leave with a sense that justice prevails, that decency continues to emerge and that truth – even when crushed to the ground – eventually will rise and that freedom will reign.

That’s the America we believe in. It’s the Minnesota that we voted for.

Sen. Jeff Hayden

But from time to time we experience the rude awakening occasioned by the vicious underbelly of Machiavellian partisan politics. We witness a pernicious guile that descends to deeper levels of incredulity especially when Black people’s interests, and Black men in particular, are involved.

Case in point is what seemed like a Republican call for a modern day witch hunt, I believe, intended to break the will and spirit of Minnesota’s Black community, here personified in the stellar leadership and representation of Sen. Jeff Hayden and Sen. Bobby Champion, both of Minneapolis.

The skeptic in me suggests that the Republican ethics

complaints against our senators is an attempt to create headlines and voter disenfranchisement calculated to keep Black and progressive voters from the polls next week, and further, demoralized and confused about the need for aggressive, proactive, non-apologetic advocacy of our rights and needs, and our demand for a fair share of resources that can enable and empower our community to be on the solution side of the horrific disparities debacle that shames Minnesota.

Senate Minority Leader David Hann (R-Eden Prairie) brought ethics complaints against Sen. Hayden and Sen. Champion seeking to investigate

Hayden Turn to 8

Citizens march, rally against police brutality

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer

Tom Gitaa

Richard Aguilar

Nearly 100 people gathered in north Minneapolis to rally against police brutality.

The protest that brought out a diverse group of citizens was a part of the National Day Against Police Brutality.

Along with activities in the Twin Cities, protest and rallies were held in more than 90 other cities throughout the

Protest Turn to 7

Harry Colbert, Jr.

A diverse group of nearly 100 protesters marched and rallied against police brutality. The march and rally were part of the National Day Against Police Brutality.

Housing segregation played role in Ferguson tragedy Wameng Moua

Al McFarlane

Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC) announces new slate of officers for 2014-2015: Gitaa named Chairman, Aguilar named President The Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC) announced its 2014 – 2015 slate of officers including a new board chair, Tom Gitaa of Mshale Newspaper.

MMMC is the service arm of minority publishers and broadcasters in Minnesota, and

this year completes its 22nd year.

The 2014 – 2015 Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium officers are chairman, Tom Gitaa, president and publisher, Mshale Newspaper; president: Richard Aguilar, CEO and publisher,

MMMC Turn to 3

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, in Ferguson, Mo. Darren Wilson, a White police officer, was as much as the product a century of housing segregation spurred by federal, state and local policies as longstanding tension between Blacks and police, according to a new report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

Richard Rothstein, a research associate at the nonpartisan think tank and author of the report, said that the long pattern

Health

Business

How breast cancer targets African American women

Hidden fundraising challenges

Page 3

of housing segregation was not an accident.

“It wasn’t because of people’s choices, it wasn’t because African Americans were too poor to live in middle class neighborhoods. It’s because they were purposefully locked into segregated neighborhoods because of federal, state and local policies,” he said.

The report said that “In St. Louis these governmental policies included zoning rules that classified White neighborhoods as residential and Black neighborhoods as commercial or industrial; segregated public housing projects that replaced integrated low-income areas;

By Freddie Allen NNPA Senior Washington Correspondent

Page 4

Ferguson Turn to 7

Education Technology can transform the 21st century classroom

Page 8

Car review 2015 Acura TLX

Page 9

Page 2 • October 27 - November 2, 2014 • Insight News

insightnews.com

The Family Place launches Montessori program

By Lydia Schwartz The Family Place (244 E.10th St., Saint Paul), the only day shelter for homeless families in Ramsey County, is finally getting into gear their long-awaited Montessori program, all thanks to the generosity of 10-year-old Bella Lauer.

“When I was little, I always wanted to do something to change the world,” said Lauer. “When my mom found this day center and I saw the children’s room, I knew I had found a way to do it.”

Lauer was honored with The Family Place’s First Annual Outstanding Youth Award for her inner beauty and graciousness in

helping children in the community.

At her last birthday party, instead of presents, Lauer asked for donation money to provide books and toys for The Family Place’s infant and preschool-aged children’s room, now renamed Casa de la Bella.

Lauer raised almost $5,000.

The children’s room has been completely refurbished and The Family Place has been able to begin training its staff and volunteers in Montessori teaching methods.

“And it’s all because of Bella,” said Dr. Margaret Lovejoy, founder of The Family Place, who has been fighting alongside homeless families on many fronts for more than 13 years.

It’s just amazing to have a place like this. - Nikki Johnson-Huston

“It’s important that we have the courage to be able to help children learn,” said Lovejoy.

“We’re doing our best to make this a better place for children and their families. When we look

at the Montessori part, it’s about process and there’s a need for parents to show their children how to process.”

Lovejoy says that since The Family Places’ inception in 2001,

70 percent of its participants have been children. She sees the parents that come through the program battle daily trying to overcome tremendous hurdles, which are growing in depth and scope as the economic divide widens. Simply escaping poverty has become the cause of many social ills, including homelessness.

Local churches volunteer to house homeless families overnight on a monthly-rotation, and a shuttle busses them to the day shelter in the morning. At The Family Place, families in crisis find healthy meals and clean showers, laundry facilities and storage lockers, and the support they need to find permanent housing.

In addition to Casa de la Bella, The Family Place also has a Life Skills Center, outfitted with computers and other resources

for parents to use while the older children go to school. Parents can also enroll in a 16-week basic life skills training course with a curriculum on subjects such as finding housing and tenants’ rights, wellness and motivation, financial literacy and finding employment.

“Education Changed Everything” Successful tax attorney turned childhood homelessness advocate, Nikki Johnson-Huston, was keynote at The Family Place’s 13th anniversary fundraiser on Oct. 11 at the Embassy Suites in downtown Saint Paul.

At nine years old, JohnsonHuston and her brother found themselves on living on the street. she was eventually placed into

FAmily Turn to 4

Your right to remain silent

By F. Clayton Tyler and Karen Mohrlant Most people are aware that, in certain circumstances, the police must inform you: “You have the right to remain silent.” What too many people do not understand is that you have this right, whether the officer tells you about it or not.

As a result, in too many criminal cases, the defendant’s own words become the key to his conviction.

In our practice we have seen too many cases in which the evidence we believe clenched a guilty verdict came from the defendant’s own words in statements to the police, text messages, or jail phone calls.

The Miranda Warning Most people would be surprised how often, after being advised of the right to remain silent and to be represented by an attorney, a suspect gives a voluntary statement to the police.

Some people believe if they make a statement, then they will not be charged or arrested. Others believe they are smarter than the police, and that a few small lies won’t hurt them. Sometimes the suspect first asks the officer whether he needs an attorney. The short answer is yes. If the police have read you your rights, you absolutely need to talk to an attorney – before you say anything to the police. Many attorneys will give a free initial consultation to discuss whether you need representation and what your options are.

Traffic Stops Most traffic stops do not rise to the level at which a Miranda warning is required. But even though the police are not required to tell you about it, you still have the right to remain silent. While you are required to provide identifying information, you do not need to tell the officer how fast you were going, how much you had to drink, where you are coming from, or any other substantive information. You can – politely – decline to answer these questions. You can also tell the officer you would like to talk to an attorney before making any statements.

Jail Phone Calls Jail phone calls are recorded and monitored. Too many people assume that either the police will not actually listen to their calls or will not understand them.

It is very unwise to assume you can outsmart prosecutors and investigators. Police and prosecutors routinely review recorded jail calls in preparing their cases. It is understandable that if you are in custody you would want to talk to friends and family about your case. But you should save these conversations for visits with your attorney.

Statements to Others Most people know that statements you make to your attorney are privileged and cannot be used against you. With limited exceptions, what you say to other people is not privileged and can be admitted at trial, whether you testify or not. This includes things

you say to your parents, friends, cousins, and acquaintances.

In recent years, electronic statements have become a particularly useful weapon for police and prosecutors. While verbal statements are admissible, it can be difficult for the police to find and use them. On the other hand, police and prosecutors often can and do get warrants to obtain copies of text messages, facebook messages and posts, Instagram postings, and other social media.

Even if you trust the person you send the message to, if there is an electronic record, the police very well may find it. Do not assume that the use of an alias or a disposable phone will protect you. We have seen cases in which investigators found both.

The Whole Truth None of the above is designed to encourage or help people circumvent the law. However, all people should be aware of their rights, and understand that there are good reasons not to talk to the police if you are a suspect.

On the other hand victims are strongly encouraged to give statements to the police, and people who witness criminal activity should generally cooperate in police investigations.

Additionally, under certain circumstances, a suspect may give statements in an effort to be cooperative and get consideration in return. A suspect who decides to cooperate with the police should do so with the advice and assistance of an attorney.

If you do give a statement to

the police, do not embellish or exaggerate, or give statements which are misleading or incomplete. When it comes out (and you should assume it will) that your statement was less than completely honest, you lose credibility. If your statement is far enough from the truth, you could find yourself facing charges such as giving false information, obstructing justice, or aiding an offender. When in doubt, consult an attorney – you have the rights to remain silent and to be represented even if you are not a suspect.

In our system of justice, it is law enforcement’s job to gather information and evidence and the prosecutor’s job to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. You are under no obligation to assist them in proving the case against you. Your words can be very powerful evidence against you.

If you are suspected in a criminal case, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to consult an attorney before giving any of your words to the other side.

F. Clayton Tyler and Karen Mohrlant are attorneys practicing primarily criminal defense (www. fctyler.com). F. Clayton Tyler, P.A. does represent individuals at all stages of criminal proceedings, including investigation, prosecution, appeals and expungement. F. Clayton Tyler is a certified criminal law specialist.

They can be reached at 612-3337309.

Let’s talk Lunch!

By Julie McMahon, CHHC Sound Nutrition (612) - 270 - 9344 Let’s face it, we are all busy people! We run around all day from the moment we wake up.

The key to feeding yourself right is to have a plan....otherwise when the afternoon munchies arrive you will want to grab anything that’s handy. Don’t get stuck in the “fast food” trap, instead let’s talk about having some good ideas, that are quick, convenient and ready to grab.

1. The easiest thing to do is pack up your lunch the night before. Pack up some of your leftovers from dinner and have them ready to grab in the morning.

2. A sandwich is okay....a sandwich loaded with veggies is even better...a sandwich, loaded with veggies and put in a wrap instead of a big bun or bread is even better, or best yet, take all your sandwich fixings and roll them in a large lettuce leaf. I love Ezekiel wraps, look for them in the refrigerator section at the grocery store. Skip the chips and pair your wrap with fruits like apples or pears or berries or veggies like carrots, celery and radish.

3.

Salads! For my week I like to keep a big

batch of a couple different kinds of salad that I can just grab throughout the week. A simple green salad can be upgraded just by adding chicken, nuts, seeds, peppers, onions, olives or whatever veggie you love! Try the recipe to the left....I’ll be sending more out as we go through the challenge!

4.

Soups!! Even though it’s hot outside, the air conditioning is probably blasting at your work and soup or chili may taste good. Again, it has the advantage of making a big batch on Sunday and having it ready to go in your refrigerator all week! Watch for soup recipes in future emails!

5. Spring Rolls!! Again, I make up a huge batch at the beginning of the week and keep them in the fridge to munch on for lunches and snacks. Roll your favorite veggies, such as carrot, zucchini, peppers and avocado along with sprouts and cooked quinoa or rice, into a rice wrap or nori wrap... if you are a sushi fan you will love the nori (seaweed). ****Think Fruits and Veggies....ditch the fast foods, sodas, chips and fries!! Think about Eating from all the colors of the rainbow...not from skittles, but from all the lovely produce that is now in season!! These foods will give you energy and have you feeling great!!

Citrus Basil Quinoa Salad Recipe!!

For the Quinoa Salad: 1 1/2 cups dry quinoa 3 cups water 1 cup Orange Basil Dressing (recipe below) 1/2 cup finely diced red onion 1 cucumber, chopped 2 cups fresh spinach 1 red bell pepper, chopped salt and pepper For the Orange Basil Dressing: 1/2 cup orange juice 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1 tablespoon honey

fluff with a fork. **To prepare the Orange Basil Dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a blender, and blend until completely smooth and emulsified.

Adjust the flavor to taste, if desired. **Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and toss with one cup of the Orange Basil Dressing and all of the chopped vegetables. (Don’t be surprised if the spinach wilts from the heat of the freshly cooked quinoa.) **Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Serve chilled, or at room temperature. **This dish will last for up to a week in the fridge, when stored in a sealed container. The flavor gets better as it marinates!

Directions:

Note: The leftover Orange Basil dressing makes a delicious addition to any leafy green salad, and will last for up to a week in the fridge. Recipe from The Detoxinistra

**Combine the dry quinoa and water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat, allowing the quinoa to cook for 15 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat, and

Sound Nutrition LLC Julie McMahon, CHHC www.mysoundnutrition.com www.facebook.com/MySoundNutrition www.twitter.com/NutritionJulie

insightnews.com

Insight News • October 27 - November 2, 2014 • Page 3

Health

How breast cancer targets African American women: The importance of screening and what you should know at a younger age and in more advanced forms.

By Dr. Avanti Mehrotra, Medical director of North Memorial’s Humphrey Cancer Center Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among African American women and the leading cause of cancer death for African American women aged 45 to 64 years.

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), breast cancer death rate for women aged 45--64 years was 60% higher for African American women than white women.

This cancer divide in the United States is eye opening.

According to a recent New York Times article, the survival rates in the 1980s for the two were identical. But, the gap began to widen starting in 1991 as improvements in screening and treatment came into use.

Although breast cancer is diagnosed in far more in white

Dr. Avanti Mehrotra women, African American are far more likely to die of the disease.

During Breast Cancer Awareness month it’s important to point out the lesser known facts about this disease and how

it affects all women, specifically African American women. Here are a few of the most important points: • Breast cancer tends to appear in African American women

• • African American women are actually two times more likely to develop and aggressive form of the disease called triple negative breast cancer.

This form tends to grow and spread more quickly than most other types of breast cancer.

The best overall preventative measure for breast cancer is to reduce known risk factors as much as possible by avoiding weight gain and obesity, engaging in regular physical activity and minimizing alcohol intake.

Many women with early breast cancer may have no symptoms at all. That’s why self-exams and screenings by a doctor are so critical. Make sure to have your provider show you how to perform monthly breast self-examination (BSE) and perform it faithfully at the same time each month. Also,

determine whether or not you have dense breasts. If so, insist on a digital mammography or any of the newer more advanced technologies that help detect tumors. Beware of the other signs of breast cancer which can include: • Swelling of all or part of the breast • Skin irritation or dimpling • Pain in the breast or nipple • Thickening of the nipple or breast • Discharge other than breast milk If breast cancer is detected, women have many options to treat it. At the Humphry Cancer

Center and North Memorial Hospital, we sit down with each patient to make sure she is completely educated on her particular diagnosis. There is a physical and psychological component to treating breast cancer.

As physicians and educators we work to empower our patients to make decisions with confidence. After all, it is their health and their body we’re talking about. We call this the Humphrey Cancer Center family where cancer care is patient centered and individualized with that one patient in mind.

MMMC From 1 Latino American Today; secretary: Wameng Moua, president and publisher, Hmong Today and treasurer, Al McFarlane, president and editor-in-chief, Insight News.

“We’re looking forward to a fruitful and productive year filled with opportunities for our members to fulfill their missions of informing and advocating for their respective communities while being successful media entities,” said new MMMC chairman Gitaa.

MMMC was started by McFarlane of Insight News and Nghi Nguyen of Asian American Press in 1992 to enable Minnesota’s ethnic media to amalgamate readership and

Nghi Huynh of Asian American Press and MMMC Founder and Tom Gitaa, MMMC chair join Alisa Miller CEO of Public Radio International (PRI) during a panel discussion at the Humphrey Institute hosted by the Minnesota International Center. listenership to leverage increased revenue for member newspapers and broadcast properties. Today, MMMC includes membership

from all leading ethnic and immigrant media outlets including Insight News, Asian American Press, African News Journal,

Hmong Today, BMA Networks, La Raza 1400 AM, Latino American Today and Mshale.

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MDSP3024B Insight News.indd 1

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Page 4 • October 27 - November 2, 2014 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Business

Betraying the bucket list Plan Your Career

By Julie Desmond

julie@insightnews.com Member of a Board of Directors.

It’s on my bucket list. I have served on Boards for non-profits in the past and appreciate having had that opportunity. But not being on a Board now, well, I’m getting itchy. I want to return to

the table. I want to confer with other experienced, intelligent and witty professionals. I want to participate on committees and reach consensus on critical issues. I want to make motions that influence an organization and the people it serves.

A Board of Directors is either a selected or elected group of anywhere from 5 to 30 people who meet to discuss and plan an organization’s operations.

Board members usually serve on committees with other Board members, such as a finance, compensation or audit committee. Boards will have

other committees relevant to the interests of the organization they serve. As Chair of the Family Communications Committee for a private school’s Board of Directors, I was busy throughout the year collaborating on upcoming events, understanding internal issues and liaising between parents and the school’s administrators.

The activities of a Board of Directors are sometimes called a Board Process. The process involves selection of Board members, setting of clear objectives for the Board, and creating an agenda for the Board’s

meetings. Following a meeting, members will complete whatever action items were created at the meeting. The decisions made by a Board of Directors can impact the direction an organization takes and the activities it gets involved in, so in that way can be extremely influential. Our school’s Board was involved in hiring classroom teachers and made financial recommendations for the school, as well.

Board members are assigned through a variety of processes, depending on the organization.

At my neighborhood organization’s annual meeting

recently, nominations were being accepted for election to the Board; due to term limits, several people were being forced to resign. Someone suggested I run. I should have said yes.

I should have jumped at the opportunity. I would have plenty to bring to that table, and I have the time right now to serve in that capacity. But I said no.

I said no. I took a look at my bucket list and betrayed it. This was a good board, a professional group with a track record of success leading a major Minneapolis neighborhood community.

There would

be projects and issues and excitement and opportunities to leave a legacy. And I said no.

There are other Boards.

There will be other opportunities to impact my community. There is space on any number of committees right now where I might leave my mark. Maybe it’s just not time to cross Board Member off my list. Not yet.

Julie Desmond is IT & Software Recruiting Manager with George Konik Associates, Inc. Send your career planning questions to Julie at jdesmond@georgekonik.com.

Hidden fundraising challenges INSIGHT NEWS

generating enthusiasm in giving?

Are you actively competing for the philanthropic dollar or waiting for it to come your way? You need an infectious excitement that is communicated verbally, in writing and electronically. Put fundraising at the top of your list each day.

FUNdraising Good Times

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 Assistant to the Publisher Shumira Cunningham Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Vice President of Sales & Marketing Selene White

By Mel and Pearl Shaw You can’t see what you can’t see.

There may be some challenges facing your nonprofit that you’re not be aware of. They are insidious and sometimes deadly.

Taking a close look at “what’s really going on” may refocus your energy and resources, and rescue your fundraising.

Here’s some background.

Nonprofit organizations and institutions play a key role in communities across the country.

Healthcare, education, advocacy, homeless services, domestic violence prevention, athletics, the opera, symphony and theatres are just a few of the ways in which they add to our collective life.

PhotoXpress

The rewards from such work are many. And, unfortunately, challenges abound. Top ones include board involvement, staffing, money, resources, exposure and awareness, and volunteer involvement. These are real. And at the same time, for

some organizations the challenges are actually a little deeper. They lie in what you can’t see. And they inform or exacerbate the visible ones.

Lack of urgency and excitement. It’s hard to raise

money and engage volunteers without a sense of urgency and excitement. Have you made the case to a potential donor regarding why it is important to support the priorities of your nonprofit today, and not tomorrow? Have you created a mechanism for

Repeatedly soliciting the same donors and funders. This is an “under the radar” challenge that sometimes isn’t even identified as such. The positive spin is: we have a few committed donors who consistently support us. That may be true, but how long will it last? Are they providing enough funding, or is your organization cutting staff and services in order to operate? What if donors suddenly changed their giving?

Donor retention isn’t a given: things change. Don’t put your nonprofit at risk: broaden your fundraising.

Next week we will cover more.

Culture and Education Editor Irma McClaurin Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Ben Williams Production Intern Sunny Thongthi Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed

Good-bye, short-term fixes.

Hello, long-term improvements.

Copyright 2014 – Mel and Pearl Shaw Mel and Pearl Shaw position nonprofits, colleges and universities for fundraising success.

For help with your campaign visit www. saadandshaw.com or call (901) 522-8727.

Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Contributing Writers Harry Colbert, Jr. Julie Desmond Fred Easter Timothy Houston Penny Jones-Richardson Alaina L. Lewis Darren Moore Lydia Schwartz Ryan T. Scott Toki Wright

Family From 2

Photography Michele Spaise David Bradley Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)

Duplication of services. You may be 100% committed to your organization, its services or advocacy, and the people it serves. But, are you the only game in town, or are there a multitude of organizations doing similar work? When there are too many organizations providing comparable services it can be difficult for donors and funders to understand why they should fund your organization over a similar one. You may not get funded.

Or you – and your like-minded nonprofits – may be splitting a pool of funds with the result being that no one raises enough money to effectively advance their mission. If duplication of services is an issue for your nonprofit, you may want to consider the unthinkable: merging, or refining/ changing your mission.

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Existing customers are eligible with at least a $20,000 increase in balance and commitment amount. After the five month introductory period: the APR is variable and is based upon an index plus a margin. The APR will vary with Prime Rate (the index) as published in the Wall Street Journal. As of August 25, 2014, the variable rate for home equity lines of credit ranged from 3.75% APR to 8.25% APR. Higher rates may apply for lower credit limits (depending upon the market), an LTV at or above 80%, a low credit score and/or not having a U.S. Bank personal Package Checking account. The rate will not vary above 18% APR, or applicable state law, or below 1.50% APR. Choosing an interest only repayment may cause your monthly payment to increase, possibly substantially, once your credit line transitions into the repayment period. An annual fee of up to $90 may apply after the first year and is waived with a U.S. Bank personal Platinum Checking Package. See the Consumer Pricing Information brochure for terms and conditions that apply to U.S. Bank Package Checking accounts. Loan approval is subject to credit approval and program guidelines.

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foster care, while she bounced around the country staying with relatives. Although she struggled finishing school, through the generosity of others, JohnsonHuston was able to fulfill her dream of becoming a lawyer, with a successful practice in Philadelphia.

A few years ago, her brother passed away because of a drug addiction. “When my brother died, I knew I had to do something to help other people not find themselves in his situation,” said Johnson-Huston.

“We often blame the people who are homeless for the problem. But it’s not just alcoholics, drug addicts or people with mental health issues. It’s more complicated than that. For me, education changed everything.”

Johnson-Huston praised Lovejoy and the work of The Family Place.

“The Family Place and the work that Margaret (Lovejoy) has done here is amazing,” said Johnson-Huston. “It’s sad that we still have this problem and that there are more and more people ending up on the street, so it’s just amazing to have a place like this.”

For more information on volunteering or to make a donation, visit www.FamPlace. org.

insightnews.com

Insight News • October 27 - November 2, 2014 • Page 5

Lifestyle

Man interrupted Man Talk

By Timothy Houston Men are born whole. They come into the world full of wonder and potential. Their souls and spirits are one, and they are at peace internally and externally.

As life goes on, the good in man is processed normally, but when something happens that wounds his ego, attacks his sexuality, or scars him emotionally, a tear is made in his masculine soul. In some men, this attack took place before his clear memory was formed or at an age that caused his desires to be sidetracked. His soul is interrupted, and his thick skin is no longer his protection.

He is now a man interrupted who is sexually, emotionally, and spiritually derailed.

First, we must acknowledge that a boy interrupted becomes a man interrupted. When a man is scared at a young age emotionally, he only knows what he knows so his broken life may seem normal to him.

Men who have spent a lifetime masking the shame associated with their emotional scars are now asked to uncover them for healing sake.

He may view his vices and addictions as a part of his life’s choices. To some degree that may be true, but it may also be true that someone else impacted his life. He may need help in understanding that things that he has done may be a by-product of the things that were done to him. A man can no more create a tear in his masculine soul than he can perform open heart surgery on himself. Because someone outside of him was involved in creating the tear, someone outside of him will be involved in the healing process as well.

Secondly, a man interrupted is a wounded soul, and the

wounded man must allow medicine to get to the wound.

This may be very painful.

Covering up the wound and healing is not the same.

Wounds have to be exposed to be treated properly. Sensitive nerve will become visible and inordinate affection will rise to the surface. Men who have spent a lifetime masking the shame associated with their emotional scars are now asked to uncover them for healing sake. Despite this reservation, exposure is needed for permanent healing to take place.

Finally, a man interrupted is in serious need of spiritual

and emotional healing. Once the wound has been exposed and medicine applied, the man must submit himself to the aftercare process. Emotional and spiritual wounds will have to be addressed and treated properly.

No single therapy or counselling session will be sufficient. Men who are wounded need a safe, healthy environment to recover.

This environment must be sterile and free from the vices that have once ruled their life. The wounded man will need to stay clear of any situation that has the potential to injure him again.

This is the role of the church, to provide a safe place for spiritual and emotional healing to take place in a non-judgemental environment.

If the church is the spiritual and emotional hospital, then God is the master physician. I believe that He is the only one who can permanently heal the tear in the masculine soul. Qualified professionals will have their part, but God will do the heavy lifting. Through his Son, he has given us all access to permanent healing. “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished

by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was

crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” Isaiah 53:4-5. Man interrupted no more.

Timothy Houston is an author,

NOVEMBER 4 Your vote starts at mnvotes.org: Request your absentee ballot to vote early.

Find your polling place.

View your sample ballot and learn about the candidates and issues.

You can register at your polling place on Election Day. Most polling place are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Finding happiness Motivational Moments

By Penny JonesRichardson What is the definition of happiness? The dictionary says that, “Happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment of intense joy.”

Are you experiencing great joy in your life or in the work that you do? If not, then maybe you should figure out what happiness would look like in your life.

Sometimes in life we can get so accustomed to doing so many things to make others happy, that we don’t have time to concentrate on what would really makes us happy. Do you know anyone who is like that? I do.

Take a look at your own life.

Are you that person that goes above and beyond to make sure that your family is happy before you are? Some people would even say that making their family happy is what makes them happy.

I think that’s all good, but what about making yourself happy along the way. What about taking time out for yourself?

What about doing something that you always wanted to do to make you happy?

Sometimes when I find myself giving away so much of myself, I take some time out for me. I get some ME TIME! This is time that I spend doing things that I like to do. I really like going to Barnes and Noble and spending time there reading and drinking tea. This I consider ME TIME. When I’m there I am only thinking about the book I’m reading and what book I will buy.

Again I say, it is great to do things for family and friends that make them happy. It’s a great feeling to bring happiness to others, but it’s a huge responsibility to be responsible for someone else’s happiness.

Also, it’s not wise to wait on someone else to make you happy.

Happiness I believe is living a life where you are doing the things that make you smile, laugh, and just feel good about yourself.

Find that thing that would make you happy, and work toward that goal.

And as always, stay focused, stay determined, and keep striving for greatness.

Penny Jones-Richardson is a published author and life coach.

She can be reached via her website at www.thequeensproject. com or email at penny@ thequeensproject.com.

minister, and motivational speaker who is committed to guiding positive life changes in families and communities. To get copies of his books, for questions, comments or more information, go to www.tlhouston.com.

This is an independent expenditure, not approved by any candidate, nor is any candidate responsible for it.

Prepared and paid for by the Minnesota DFL Party, 255 East Plato Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55107

OFFICE OF THE MINNESOTA

SECRETARY OF STATE

Page 6 • October 27 - November 2, 2014 • Insight News

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Commentary The source of HBCU and TCU success Nobody Asked Me

By Fred Easter Nobody asked me, but I am extremely happy about a conference that took place Oct. 9 at Neighborhood House in St. Paul.

I am happy about who attended. I am happy about what we learned. And, I am happy that the Twin Cities educational

community now has a shining example to follow.

The conference, Learning and Teaching with Fire …

Lessons From HBCUs and TCUs Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Tribal Colleges and Universities, was the brainchild of Joe Nathan, long a fearless warrior in education. It was sponsored by the Center for School Change, the United Negro College Fund, African American Leadership Forum, Migizi Communications and St. Paul Indians in Education with key support from Grotto Foundation, Target, General Mills and Cargill.

Dr. Ivory Toldson, deputy director, White House

Initiative on HBCUs and Dr. Brian Bridges, UNCF’s vice president of Research and Member Engagement laid out the impressive records HBCUs achieve with college students who are low income and begin their post-secondary careers with statistically weaker college prep backgrounds.

HBCUs enroll approximately 9 percent of Black students attending four-year postsecondary institutions. And they produce 16 percent of bachelor degrees and 27 percent of the degrees in STEM fields earned

by Black students. STEM is science, technology, engineering and math. The top 10 schools that send African-Americans on to earn PhDs in science and engineering are HBCUs … not

2100 Plymouth Avenue N Minneapolis, MN 612-302-3100

one Ivy League or Big 10 School - they all are HBCUs. This is an “achievement gap” turned on its ear.

What are the elements of their extraordinary success? They consist of promoting high levels of student-faculty interaction, employing intrusive advising, promoting student engagement based on culture, developing a strong sense of identity and encouraging graduate school enrollment.

One has to wonder how the “best practices” these institutions have employed for the last century haven’t trickled into mainstream institutions.

In the coming weeks, I intend to explore each of these methodological lynchpins of HBCU and TCU success and

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examine what I perceive to be the barriers to their widespread adoption by the nation’s “major” educational communities. There simply isn’t sufficient space here.

I can say how pleased I was to see the presence and involvement of both Minneapolis and St. Paul public school superintendents, members of their staffs and representatives of some of the schools they lead. Parents also attended. It was good that district and charter public schools were represented. I was glad that some suburban districts sent staff.

Many suburban districts produce no better results with their many students of color than the “big two”, but they seem to escape the scrutiny and criticism that is reserved for the lone AfricanAmerican superintendent in our

midst.

We have work to do all over the area. But thanks to the partners in this meeting, the path to narrowing/eliminating/ reversing the “gap” has landed in our laps. A planning team that included Sharon SmithAkinsanya of UNCF, LaVon Lee, then of Grotto, Marisa Gustafson from Center for School Change and yours truly were able to make connections that included leaders of White House Initiatives in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaskan Native Education. The conference focused on success, rather than “deficits” or “gaps.”

A fire must be lit and feet of all colors must be held to it.

Letter to the editor: Re-elect Rich Stanek for Hennepin County Sheriff

By Bishop Richard Howell, Shiloh Temple Baptist Church, North Minneapolis Occasionally you meet a person who instantly strikes you as a person of integrity. It was a memorable and important moment when I first met Rich Stanek, and my first impression was right.

Over a decade ago, Rich reached out to me for support in his first campaign for Sheriff. I supported him then, and our friendship has grown ever stronger through the years as he has kept the promises he made to reach out across our Minneapolis community in an apolitical way to fight violent crime and keep our families safe.

Through the years he’s demonstrated over and over his sincere concern for our

community; he attends events at our Church, includes us in important community developments, and he has built a dynamic Community Engagement Team to build the trusting relations we need between law enforcement and residents in the community.

There are many recent examples of government, academic, and religious institutions failing us, and we have reason to be distrustful. But under the leadership of Rich Stanek, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is one that has earned our trust.

Rich Stanek gives me good reason to be grateful and hopeful that we can continue to work together to overcome the challenges of violent crime through positive community relations.

Please join me in voting to re-elect Rich Stanek as our Hennepin County Sheriff.

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insightnews.com

Ferguson From 1 federal subsidies for suburban development conditioned on African American exclusion,” and restrictive covenants that made it illegal for Whites to sell property or even rent to Black families in certain neighborhoods, despite their relative incomes.

St. Louis ordinances that deemed Black neighborhoods suitable for commercial development that was barred in the White suburbs contributed to the slum-like conditions found in the inner city.

“Not only were these neighborhoods zoned to permit industry, even polluting industry, but taverns, liquor stores, nightclubs, and houses of prostitution were permitted to locate in African American neighborhoods, but prohibited as violations of the zoning ordinance in residential districts elsewhere,” stated the report.

The report noted that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), established during the New Deal and crafted to support

Protest From 1 nation. The national coming together was spawned by the rash of deaths of people – most African-Americans – at the hands of police officers. In particular the Aug. 9 killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. has ignited outrage among citizens. Brown was gunned down by Ferguson police officer, Darren Wilson.

Brown was unarmed when he was killed and witnesses say he was surrendering when he was struck with the fatal bullet. It total, Brown was shot six times

by Wilson.

“We need to demand justice for Michael Brown, but also for all the Michael Browns in Minneapolis, St. Paul and all the Twin Cities,” said Michelle Gross, one of the organizers of the Minneapolis march and rally. “We need to say thank you to (the people of) Ferguson. As awful as the situation was in Ferguson, the people of Ferguson came out and said we won’t go away.”

Insight News • October 27 - November 2, 2014 • Page 7 White homeownership, denied those same opportunities to Blacks.

The EPI paper included analysis of the FHA’s impact on Black homeownership released by the United States Commission on Civil Rights’ (CCR) in 1959.

“Nonwhite home buyers and renters have not, however enjoyed the benefits of FHA mortgage insurance to the same extent as whites. According to testimony given before this Commission, less than 2 percent of the total number of new homes insured by FHA since 1946 have been available to minorities.

Most of this housing has been all-Negro developments in the South.…Although the relatively low participation [of ] nonwhites has in part been due to their lower incomes, FHA bears some responsibility,” stated the CCR report. “Of great significance in this respect are FHA’s policies with regard to the discriminatory practices toward Negroes of real estate boards, homebuilders and lending institutions. For the first 16 years of its life, FHA itself actually encouraged the use of racially restrictive covenants.

It not only acquiesced in their use but in fact contributed to

perfecting them.”

The 1959 CCR annual report continued: “The 1938 FHA Underwriting Manual, which contained the criteria used in determining eligibility for receipt of FHA benefits, warned against insuring property that would be used by ‘inharmonious racial groups,’ and declared that for stability of a neighborhood, ‘properties shall continue to be occupied by the same social and racial classes.’ The Manual contained a model restrictive covenant which FHA strongly recommended for inclusion in all sales contracts.”

The EPI report said that although many of the laws that encouraged housing segregation were prohibited in the late 20th century their effects still linger today.

Fifty years after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision “several elementary schools in Ferguson today are 90 percent African American and no elementary school is less than 75 percent African American; educational performance in such racially isolated settings is inadequate.”

Rothstein said that that there’s no way to raise the

Since the killing of Brown there have been ongoing protests in Ferguson and throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area.

One of the Minneapolis protesters, Apollyon KennedyBey said he was standing up against brutality … a brutality of which he claimed to be a first-hand victim. According to Kennedy-Bey, he was brutalized by Metro Transit Police while at a platform in St. Paul.

“They beat me and gave me seven stitches,” said KennedyBey. “I was tased so bad that I defecated on myself.”

Kennedy-Bey said he was initially charged with a crime for the incident, but those charges were later dropped and he’s seeking a civil suit against Metro Transit.

Eric Martin said he was marching to show solidarity for those victimized by the ones sworn to protect.

“What’s going on in this country is wrong. The people we’re paying to protect us are brutalizing us,” said Martin.

“The police have a hard job, but at the same time they have to have compassion. I’ve got a

son and my son could easily be a Trayvon Martin.”

Martin was killed in 2012 by George Zimmerman while walking home from a neighborhood store in Florida.

Zimmerman used the Stand Your Ground defense to justify his gunning down of 17-yearold Martin. A jury found Zimmerman not guilty of any wrongdoing and Zimmerman was acquitted.

“I’m here doing my best to stop police brutality. It’s not going to stop if nobody does anything,” said protester Luis Benavides.

The group called for a change in the Minneapolis city charter that would require all officers to carry personal liability insurance policies.

The march, which started at North Commons Park culminated outside of the Fourth District headquarters of the Minneapolis Police Department.

Once there, protesters used yellow police tape to wrap off the building making it a symbolic crime scene. Protesters also laid on the ground to pay tribute to those killed by police.

Page 8 • October 27 - November 2, 2014 • Insight News

Education

insightnews.com

Technology can transform the 21st century classroom

By Dr. Aldo Sicoli Superintendent Robbinsdale Area Schools Walk into a classroom today and you’ll see some things familiar from your past – and some things not so familiar. Today’s classrooms are necessarily different than they used to be, because our world is a different place than it used to be.

When students graduate high school, they are expected to know how to access information instantly, effectively and efficiently in order to solve problems and develop solutions at their jobs and in their lives.

Schools need to teach these critical skills, and that requires up-to-date technology, tools and training.

On the upcoming November 4 Election Day, Robbinsdale Area School District residents

Hayden From 1 whether the senators used “threats, bullying or extortion” to force the Minneapolis Public Schools to enter into a contract with the Community Standards Initiative (CSI), a start-up program to address dismal failures in Minneapolis Public School in delivering education success to AfricanAmerican families. Hann’s complaint questioned whether there was personal gain to Sen. Hayden or to Sen. Hayden’s father, Dr. Peter Hayden, CEO of Turning Point, Minnesota’s only African-American based chemical dependency treatment program that provides culturally specific programming to Black individuals and families.

A second part of Hann’s complaint against Sen. Hayden questioned whether he bore any responsibility for the alleged mismanagement of Community Action Partnership of Minneapolis, an agency created to help people with heating bills and with weatherizing their homes to make residences more fuel efficient.

Sen. Hayden told

Ferguson From 7 achievement of low-income African American students as long as they’re locked into segregated, high-poverty schools.

Rothstein said that because the segregation of metropolitan areas nationwide and “the creation of virtually all-Black

Help students learn according to their learning style.

• Give students more learning options • Help teachers manage student learning • Provide instant feedback on assessments • Allow access to information from anywhere, anytime

How can appropriate technology transform a classroom? Many ways: Online accelerated learning: Students who have mastered a lesson can move ahead to the next lesson, while those who are still struggling can get instant and focused help from the teacher.

Accessing the world:

Students use Skype and other teleconferencing programs to join lectures at universities, international events, NASA and other places around the world.

Interactive learning: Teachers use SMART boards and handheld devices to demonstrate a lesson and get instant engagement and answers from students.

Instant feedback: Teachers use digital assessments to provide instant feedback to students on their assignments.

Knowing each student’s progress enables teachers to make immediate changes to the teaching or resources provided.

Technology can impact learning, teaching, assessment, productivity, infrastructure and support. With a technology levy, Robbinsdale Area Schools would be able to provide upto-date resources and tools to prepare students for careers and college. Without the funding, we would experience

the Minnesota Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct Wednesday that Star Tribune allegations were unfounded and based on hearsay. Hann admitted that he filed the charge based on a Star Tribune article in which an unnamed source said the district was “strong-armed” by the senators. He admitted he had not called the Star Tribune reporter to ascertain the source of the allegation, and had not reached out to the Minneapolis School District to see if there was any substance to the Star Tribune report.

Hayden and his legal team said again and again that there was no personal gain, no family or business connection, and that Dr. Hayden was not on the payroll, employed by, or a director of CSI. Hayden’s team explained the legislative process and negotiations associated with all the bills authored and supported by members of the Legislature and that the senators’ support of the legislation that would address gaping education disparities suffered by the Black community was consistent with accepted practices.

While subcommittee chair, Sen. Sandy Pappas, and fellow DFL committee member, Sen.

Tony Lourey, reminded the Republican members that in recent ethics hearings, when senators said under oath that they did not violate the law, the rules of Senate or the public trust, the ethics subcommittee accepted their word and dismissed the hearing with no probable cause.

So I wondered why this committee would not follow precedent. And hence, why is nobody talking about the elephant in the room?

Again, remembering that most in our community have not attended a legislative hearing, particularly an ethics committee hearing at the legislature, I search my mind for images that would convey to Black people the sense of this proceeding.

Sen. Hayden said emphatically, “I want to be clear, I never threatened or bullied the Minneapolis Public Schools to enter into a contract with CSI. I’m offended by this attack on my integrity. I never realized any personal gain from CSI.” His protestations, like those of the protagonist in the film and book, “12 Years a Slave,” fell on deaf Republican ears.

In the movie, based on a true story, a Black man’s liberty was discounted, disregarded, and stolen. He suffered

enslavement.

At risk today, I believe, is the prospect of discounting and disregarding the interests of our community by reducing the number of Black people elected to the Legislature from three, the two senators and one member of the House of Representatives, to one.

It’s that serious.

Hayden’s legal team added that the newspaper story at the base of the ethic charge, also made unfounded allegations regarding the senator’s father, Dr. Peter Hayden. The team entered as an exhibit Dr. Hayden’s letter to the Star Tribune. Dr. Hayden wrote, “The Star Tribune did not accurately report my relationship with Community Standards Initiative (CSI) in its articles dated Aug. 19 and Sept.

24, 2014.

“Like many others, I am troubled by the violence in our community and am committed to creating positive change in north Minneapolis.

For that reason, I was happy to join community activists and representatives of the Minneapolis Police Department, when CSI began an initiative late this summer to identify and implement programs to reduce violence.

My involvement

low-income communities like Ferguson was not a result of “White Flight,” and instead caused by specific governmental policies, the remedies will also require government intervention.

Rothstein recommended that all suburbs be required to accept subsidized and low-income housing and multi-unit buildings.

The EPI researcher also suggested forbidding landlords from refusing subsidized renters.

“It’s a mistake to think that

the problems being protested in Ferguson are simply about the interactions between police and Black men and boys in the community,” said Rothstein.

Rothstein continued: “Unless we understand how Ferguson

went from being a all-White suburb to a virtually all-Black suburb we’re never going to be able to get to the root of the police problems or any other problems that the community faces.”

will be asked to vote on two school funding requests: Question 1 is a request to renew the existing operating levy Question 2 is a request to approve a new technology levy Question 2 is on the ballot because technology is necessary to prepare students to thrive in our digital world and join a 21st century workforce - and we are one of the few Hennepin County school districts that do not have a voter-approved technology levy. With a dedicated source of funding for technology, we would be better able to:

Aldo Sicoli

a widened technology gap between our school district and our neighbors. With a technology levy, we could provide tools and systems for personalized learning for all students. Without the funding, staff and students would be faced with outdated technology, limiting opportunities for innovation. With a technology levy, we could provide critical technology support and training for our staff. Without the funding, our staff would struggle and instructional time would decrease due to slow equipment and system failures.

We know that technology is everywhere today, with smart phones, iPads and other tablets, laptop computers and more. The Internet, email and social media have transformed how we communicate, how we access information, how we share and how we learn.

Used properly and with the right support and training,

technology can be an incredible asset to a learning environment – for staff and students alike.

There is more information about both of our levy requests at www.rdale.org, just click on the green “Vote Nov 4” button.

One word of caution: in past school elections, sometimes outside groups will come out right before election day with strange claims about the school district that are designed to confuse you. As a school district, we are obligated to provide you with the facts – please come to us if you are concerned about anything you hear or read.

There are a number of important issues on the ballot in addition to our levy requests, including races for Governor, legislators and school board members. All these votes will have an impact on our community and our schools, so please learn all you can and vote on November 4.

with CSI is no different from my collaboration with a number of other organizations working to improve lives in north Minneapolis including the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department, Protect MN, Shiloh Temple and MPD Public Safety Department.

“To be clear, I am not,

and never have been, an employee or board member of CSI. I have never had a contractual relationship with CSI and have never received any compensation from CSI. My role is simply an engaged

Hayden Turn to 9

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Insight News • October 27 - November 2, 2014 • Page 9

Community

Car review: 2015 Acura TLX

By Frank S. Washington NNPA Columnist PETOSK, Mich, – It has been a long time, more than a decade, since you could put Acura and fun to drive in the same sentence. But the Japanese automaker unleashed its engineers and let them create a car that is indeed a watershed.

2015 Acura TLX Exterior V6 SH-AWD and the 2015 Acura TLX replaced the Acura TSX and TL. Neither midsize sedan could be called a rousing success.

Worse, the TL grew to be almost as big as Acura’s flagship RL sedan, throwing the automaker’s lineup out of whack.

The premium and luxury car markets used to be mannerly, almost sedate, but not anymore. Though it was the first Asian luxury brand in the U.S. market, Acura got left at the gate by Infiniti and Lexus. Now, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have risen to their challenge and worse, from Acura’s standpoint, there is a resurgent Audi and a rejuvenated Cadillac too boot.

In short, you’ve got to have great product to even call yourself a premium or luxury brand. It seems that Acura’s head honchos have gotten that message and allowed some of the best engineers around to develop the all new TLX. The midsize luxury sedan’s overall length has been shortened from the old TL but the wheelbase length remained. That means the back seats of the TLX are spacious, comfortable and can carry two full-sized adults with no problem. But the real story here is under the TLX’s hood.

First there was a 2015 Acura

2015 Acura TLX TLX with a 2.4-liter four cylinder engine with an eight-speed dual clutch transmission and P-AWS. This engine made 206 horsepower and 182 pound-feet of torque.

There was also a TLX with a 3.5-liter V6 that made 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. It was mated to a nine speed automatic. The model comes with either P-AWS or Acura’s SH-AWD. This is where the fun starts.

Both engines are normally

aspirated. In other words, neither is equipped with a blower. Acura uses gearing to get the most horsepower out of both power-plants. A blower of any type produces more horsepower but it also burns more fuel than a normally aspirated engine.

2015 Acura TLX Interior V6Thus, the normally aspirated 2.4-liter engine gets 24 mpg in the city, 35 mpg on the highway and 28 mpg combined. The non-blown

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Hayden From 8 citizen working with this and other organizations to affect change in our community.

“I am disappointed that my attempts to clarify my role with CSI have been ignored.”

Sen. Hayden and his attorney, Charles Nauen also asserted that Sen. Hayden

V6 with two-wheel-drive gets 21 mpg in the city, 34 mpg on the highway and 25 mpg combined; the all-wheel-drive version gets 21 mpg in the city, 31, mpg in the city and 25 mpg combined.

We think the fun comes with Acura’s P-AWS system. It stands for precision all-wheel steer. In other words, the back wheels turn slightly in the same direction or in the opposite direction as the front wheels turn depending on speed.

During emergency braking they

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U.S. Probation Officer

South Haven Apartments 3400 Parklawn Avenue-Edina, MN 55435 952-831-3372 NOTICE: OPENING THE WAITING LIST (1 Bedroom) HUD Section 202/8 (62+, or non-elderly and disabled-as defined by HUD) Rent based on income for qualified Applicants Applications may be downloaded from www.cbwaitinglist.com or picked up at South Haven Apartments: October 7, 2014 - October 24, 2014 Completed applications must be mailed or dropped off to the South Haven Management office by noon October 31, 2014.

Qualified applicants will be placed on the Waiting List in the order they were accepted.

CommonBond Communities Equal Housing Opportunity

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Welcome Everybody!

11:30 - 2 Monday through Friday

Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com

Email: info@insightnews.com

U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, District of MN, is accepting applications for full-time Probation Officers for the Minneapolis or St. Paul Offices. Salary range is $42,309 – $95,758.

For a complete job description please visit our website, http://www.mnp.uscourts.gov , Career Opportunities. EOE

always acted properly and within rules guiding actions of public officials on community action boards and that allegations in the ethics complaint ignore that there are no facts regarding Sen. Hayden in the state audit of Community Action Partnership.

The ethics subcommittee reconvenes on Nov. 5, and will also hear a similar complaint against Sen. Champion, also filed by Senate Republicans.

Come have lunch at the Dakota

will also pinch inwards.

This system gives the TLX similar driving attributes as rear-wheel-drive luxury sport sedans. Traveling on the twisting turning state highways in Northern Michigan, we had the six-cylinder with P-AWS. It was like a fly caught on flypaper the way the car stuck to the road under aggressive driving. It took extreme speed in the curves to get the tires to squeal. It was fun to drive.

Acura’s SH-AWD system is available only on the V6 TLX. It is what Acura called super handling all-wheel-drive. In a nutshell, not only will the system send torque fore or aft as needed, it will all also send it from the left to right wheels.

Yes, luxury is about design, engineering and technology. But where it is conveyed most is in the interior.The TLX’s interior looked good and it felt good.

It had a soft touch, a one-piece instrument panel upper cover and alloy with wood grain trim along with leather seat trim.

In a phrase, the interior of the TLX matched its stylish exterior.

Plus, it featured all the bells and whistles: heated front seats, Bluetooth, voice command, a smart key, a navigation system with touch screen, satellite radio and a 455-watt, 10-speaker audio system.

2015 Acura TLX Exterior V6 SH-AWDThere had more optional equipment but the absence of a gear shift lever on the column or in the center console was most intriguing. The Acura TLX has digital buttons on the center console to shift the gears or what Acura called an electronic gear selector. It takes a while to get used to but it was easily learned.

The 2015 TLX qualified as an entry level luxury sports sedan. Its styling was smart, its interior sumptuous, handling was sports-car like, power was ample, driving was fun and the car was comfortable.

The 2.4-liter four-cylinder starts at $30,995 and the 3.5 cylinder V6 starts at $35,220.

Eddie’s Barber Shop “Second to None”

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Also available at: Kowalski’s Super market, Wedge Co’op, and Weekend Farmer’s Market (Lyndale & Hwy 94).

For a full listing of all local locations, visit our website.

Page 10 • October 27 - November 2, 2014 • Insight News

insightnews.com Dan Norman

Sonja Park stars in Children’s Theatre Company’s ‘Seedfolk’

By Maya Beecham It was a vacant, derelict, rat infested lot full of garbage, outside of an apartment building in Cleveland until it met the hands of Kim, a nine year old Vietnamese girl, who lived in the apartment building next to the lot.

She desired a connection with the father she never met

that died before her birth. Her father, in his lifetime, raised plants. She decided in order to connect with her father she would plant a handful of lima beans in the lot. In her mind he would watch with pride from a distance as the plants would grow, spread and become plump at the loving skillful hands of his daughter.

Unbeknownst to Kim, others were watching too, and joined

701 1st Ave., Minneapolis $12 advance, $15 door

her in developing what would become a community garden.

Sonja Parks, esteemed Ivey Award winning actress, brings Kim’s story and 10 other narratives to life in a one woman production called “Seedfolk” adapted from the book by award winning novelist Paul Fleishman, on the Cargill Stage at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, 2400 3rd Ave. S.

Keith Ellison

The captivating portrayal of all the gardeners has earned the production an extended run through Sunday, Nov. 16. Parks took time to talk with Insight News about the connection she has with the story’s message, characters, audience, and how this production plays into her larger body of work as an actress and global community member.

Insight News: Have you

had an experience where you figuratively seeded something personally or professionally in your life and watched it grow?

Sonja Parks: I am a teacher and so in my classes when I taught at the University of Minnesota, and at Penumbra Theatre Summer Institute, and when I do my workshops, I hopefully plant ideas about what is possible for students in their minds as an artist.

Building Bridges: Music and Cultural Diplomacy between the United States and Cuba Intermedia Arts 2822 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Free

Tuesday, Oct. 28 HIP-HOP/PERFORMANCE

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

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

Monday, Oct. 27 HIP-HOP/PERFORMANCE Busdriver First Avenue

DJ Qbert w/Jeremy Ellis feat.

Toki Wright and Big Cats, Slipmats Radio Amsterdam Bar and Hall 6th Street West at Wabasha Street North, Saint Paul Considered one of the greatest DJs of all time, DJ Qbert is a multiyear DMC Champion and was crowned “America’s Best DJ” in 2010. Qbert is the inventor of the “Crab Scratch” a technique that revolutionized the turntables. Touring alongside is innovative producer Jeremy Elliis with Toki Wright and Big Cats.

Tickets: http://ticketf. ly/1m1rNys

Parks Turn to 11

DIALOGUE

Busdriver

Los Angeles based MC and producer, Busdriver, has bent the rule of rhyme since his first features in the late 1990s/ early 2000s. Son of Ralph Farquhar, screenwriter for the classic hip-hop film “Krush Groove,” Busdriver continues to push the limits of the avantgarde music. He returns to Minneapolis with Milo and producer, DJ Kenny Segal.

Oct. 27 - Nov. 2

Hopefully, if I am lucky they go out into the world and those ideas blossom, and I may or may not know what they become or how they influence the world with something I planted in a very small way years ago. Penumbra has a summer institute that facilitates social justice through art, and I have been the acting teacher

DJ Qbert Washburn Blackbox Students

Presented by the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and hosted by Intermedia Arts this Cultural Conversation this conversation is led by Dr. Melisa Rivière alongside panelists, Cuban singer/ songwriter Gloria Rivera, pioneering Cuban rapper Yrak Saenz a.k.a. Vitalicio and composer Doug Little.

“The conversation will bring to the forefront how music has served to build bridges between two nations that have not had diplomatic relations for over half a century.”

Friday, Oct. 31 CARIBBEAN

Wednesday, Oct. 29

A Tribute Performance Washburn High School 201 W. 49th St., Minneapolis Suggested donation: $3.00

POETRY/THEATRE/ PERFORMANCE

Theatre 1 students from Washburn High School release new material from the famed Blackbox Theatre.

Washburn Blackbox Presents:

The performance features all original poetry, movement, and scenes.

Thursday, Oct. 30

Disco Ritual Bedlam Lowertown 213 4th St., Saint Paul 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. $5 advance, $7 door Disco Ritual is a “Funky, tropical, international dance party for Halloween” presented

IT! turn to 11

insightnews.com

IT! From 10

by Worldwide Discotheque and Shiro Dame’s DJ Don Cuco.

The party takes place at the new Bedlam Lowertown right at the end of the new Green Line.

Hear Afrobeat, Cumbia, Caribbean disco, Afro funk and more. There is a costume contest with prizes, a photo booth and more.

PARTY/HIP-HOP/DANCE

Parks From 10 for five years now. And one of my students from three years ago sent me a gorgeous picture of her at a protest in solidarity with Ferguson, Mo. She along with a bunch of other artists had gone out and protested in her city, not in Ferguson, and utilized her voice to say we are in solidarity with Ferguson and artists around the country support you. People don’t realize the way actors and theater can impact society. I always tell my students God gave you that talent or that interest for a reason and if you can help somebody else then that is what you use it for. To see her remember that and try to effect change in solidarity in response to an injustice that she saw happening in another part of the country made me proud. That is one example that immediately came to mind, seeding ideas into students.

IN: What have you learned from the characters you portray in “Seedfolk?”

SP: Paul Fleishman tells the story of this community and community garden through 15 different narratives and in the play we only do 11 of them.

Each character tells who they are and what they are experiencing.

Through each character we see how the garden affects them and/ or changes their perceptions.

Each of the characters teaches me something different. Without going through all of them, I’ll give you some highlights.

Kim, the little Vietnamese girl who starts the whole garden rolling inadvertently, she just wants to honor her father. She teaches me about the need for connection. Her father dies before she is born so she never gets to meet him and he doesn’t get to meet her. In the Vietnamese Buddhist tradition, they honor those who have passed on. And this is the anniversary of her father’s death. For nine years she has been doing this and she doesn’t feel the same connection that her mother and her sisters feel because they knew him. She decides I am going to form my own kind of connection with him, and that’s what makes her plant the seeds in the yard.

We don’t give children enough credit for that kind of sensitivity.

The idea that connections do not have to be literal, we do not have to be standing in front of the person and literally talking to them or literally touching them in order to be connected to them. It is something we all know, but it’s something I don’t think we practice on a daily basis.

There is a wonderful character named Sae Young, a Korean woman who leaves Korea with her husband to come to America. Several misfortunes befall her, but what she teaches me is resiliency. If you get knocked down you don’t have to stay out. You can get back up and get back in the game no matter how hard it may be. If you are going to live that is up to you. Life is going to knock you down sometimes, and the true testimony of whether or not you are alive is not how long you stay down and complain about it, but whether or not you get back up.

And then there is another character Florence an old lady at the end and she talks about how the different ways people feel connected to the garden. What I learn from her is life is cyclical.

There will be a harvest period, a gestation and planting period, a period where things are fallow and barren and you don’t see

Insight News • October 27 - November 2, 2014 • Page 11 Scary, Sexy, Cool presented by Thee Urbane Life and The Cool & Co. Darby’s Pub & Grill 315 5th Ave. N., downtown Minneapolis 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. $10

ramp parking and costume contest in the categories of scariest, sexiest, group and most creative.

Saturday, Nov. 1

Doomtree’s Mike Mictlan is set to realease his new album “HELLA FRREAL” on Oct.27. To celebrate he will be performing at 7th Street Entry with yet-to-be-named openers.

Two of the premiere event producers in the Twin Cities, Thee Urbane Life and The Cool & Co. have teamed up again, this time for a Halloween event to rival all others. Scary, Sexy, Cool features $3 Southern Comfort, Jack Daniel’s and Jack Honey drink specials, free

Mike Mictlan HELLA FRREAL Release Party First Avenue/7th Street Entry 701 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis 9 p.m.

18-plus $10 advance/$12 door

THEATRE/PERFORMANCE

You Took Me With You The Lab Theater 700 N. 1st St., Minneapolis $30 general admission, $25 students (November 1st and 2nd)

Back by popular demand “You Took Me With You” is a theater

any results and suddenly Spring will come and the blossoms will start coming again and then you will have another harvest season. I already knew this but these characters have a way of reminding you.

IN: Congratulations on receiving the Theater Communications Group Fox Resident Actor Fellowship. Your portrayal of 11 diverse narratives in “Seedfolk,” their differences and similarities, are closely aligned with the work you will be doing with youth across the world as a part of the fellowship.

How did that all come together?

SP: Thank you. My fellowship started in October and I will start traveling to the different places next year. It was very serendipitous. About two years ago Peter Brosius, the artistic director for Children’s Theatre Company and Elissa Adams, the director of New Play Development, brought the project “Seedfolks” to me and they were interested in seeing if it could be done as a one person show, and had me read it to see if it would work. We have been workshopping it for two years. I also act with Sharon Bridgeforth, who is this wonderful poet and playwright, and we are currently doing a tour of her work “River C,” which is about the great migration.

Things happen

subconsciously sometimes.

Sharon’s piece is written in the theatrical jazz aspect, which means the story is set but how it gets told each time is different.

When we started working on “Seedfolk” I thought there has got to be a way for people to learn how to act through theatrical jazz because it has a certain kind of fluidity, and you have to change on the dime and respond to something on any given moment. Audiences are different and something different will always be going on.

I immediately thought of kids because kids organically respond to what is happening in the moment. They can just go and play all day and when you ask them aren’t you tired they say no because they haven’t exhausted all the possibilities, and I think as adults we close ourselves off to possibilities. As an actor that is deadly.

I proposed the fellowship to Peter and Elissa, and they said yes let’s do it, because you have to apply with a host theater.

The things I will study in this project include Oriki, which is West African Yoruba praise poetry, transcendentalism with the Shaman of the Southwest, and the way that the Gullah people of the South Carolina Islands use polyrhythmic vocal dexterity, they speak very fluid and go back and forth between

their native tongue and English, which is amazing to me, and in Reykjavik, Iceland the Skalds have a history of telling their native sagas to their kids using digital storytelling, so they use something the kids already know to teach them their ancient history. In the project those are the things I wanted to study.

So I get to study these different aspects of theatrical jazz and fuse them into a methodology, which I then get to teach the kids in Lagos, Nigeria and help them forma show based on their lives and their experiences, and then we are go to live stream to the kids in Minneapolis. Then I will come to Minneapolis and have the kids do the same thing and live stream to the kids in Lagos.

One of the big things to me in my fellowship is that I would remove the third person narrative as much as possible because I think a lot of times, especially right now in American theater people have a tendency in the interest of art to co-opt stories. So they will go somewhere collect all these stories and formulate a show telling other peoples stories.

So you are getting somebody’s interpretation of these stories.

So I am telling these kids stories directly with as little fussing from an outside hand. That was really important to me. So I figured if these kids can tell

HIP-HOP/PERFORMANCE

adaptation of a novel written, produced and directed by A Comeaux. Set in inner city America, a family’s matriarch holds secrets sworn and debts due with vows only death will release. This production is an ode to children of addicts and speaks to the plague of our nation. The play features performances from Brittany Lynch and actor Adam Western.

For more information, visit www.thelabtheater.org.

Sunday, Nov. 2 each other what is going on in their lives in their part of the world directly then that starts to foster an understanding and an “oh my goodness you are just like me” that is missing in our society right now. As adults we don’t have that. Maybe our next generation won’t be so secular or divided. My hope is that this project doesn’t end with me, but the kids remain connected through technology.

IN: What are some of the ways you have had to shift in the current play and respond to feedback during the play and afterwards?

SP: There have been some good examples where I have had to be present. A night that we did a public performance there was a little girl there, and she may have been developmentally challenged, and she was sitting with her mother and her father.

There is a section in the show where I ask people to interact with me and she was just so very open and there with me that I couldn’t not call on her and I asked her what her name was and I think she made this up, because she took a minute before she answered me and she said “my name is Princess Sonja.” So I proceeded to call her Princess Sonja. And there was an instance when I took her hand and took her to another part of the theater where this older

HIP-HOP/PERFORMANCE Congressman Keith Ellison Get Out To Vote Concert 701 1st Ave., Minneapolis 6 p.m.

18-plus $10 Rep. Keith Ellison brings back his successful get out the vote event at First Avenue with Toki Wright and Big Cats, hip-hop band Heiruspecs, Sims of Doomtree, Gabriel Douglas (from The4onthefloor), Guante and other special guests.

gentleman in a wheelchair was sitting and I introduced them to each other and she leapt into his lap and gave him a big hug and it was just so endearing, and touching and sweet and he loved getting a hug from her and she loved hugging him, and I took her back to her parents. That was one of those instances where if I had been locked into what we decided to do when we were in rehearsal then that moment would never have happened.

And that sweetness of a child and the acceptance of an older person in a wheelchair, that moment touched me and others; judging from the responses I got from the audience.

That would never have happened if I were blocked off from it. On stage I can be open and the audience expects that I will be and then we get into something I call the love loop; where I am open and share my energy with you and the audience receives it and they take that in and they are open and available and sharing with me and we get into these give and receive love loops, which makes the performance that much more enjoyable for everyone.

For more information on “Seedfolk” visit www. childrensthreatre.org or call (612) 874-0400.

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Page 12 • October 27 - November 2, 2014 • Insight News

insightnews.com

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4/1/13 12:09 PM