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Movie Night at the Capri Theater FBI’s War on Black America FREE ADMISSION

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INSIGHT NEWS October 31 - November 6, 2011 • MN Metro Vol. 37 No. 44 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com

Photos: Redd Vizion / Rabin Osborne

5th Ward Councilmember Don Samuels, 4th Ward Councilmember Barbara Johnson with grandchildren Louis and Alice Piper, and Senator Linda Higgins (MN-58)

L-R: Anthony Taylor, Founding Member, Major Taylor Bicycling Club of Minnesota, Louis Moore, President, Major Taylor Bicycling Club of Minnesota, and Al McFarlane, Insight News Editor-in-Chief

Creating A history

By Al McFarlane, Editor-in-Chief

t 64, I am having the time of my life getting around town on my bicycle.

Of course, the dyed-in-the-wool cyclist might sneer at me, making mockery of my unbridled enthusiasm.

The super serious cyclists, I am learning, have been riding for decades and scores of years. And they are principled in championing the virtue of being environmentally conscious in their commitment to deploy

musculoskeletal energy rather than expensive biofuels for recreation and transportation mobility.

I imagine they would say to a guy like me, “What took you so long to wake up?”

Be that as it may, my rediscovery of bicycling is igniting new joy in my life.

It’s like discovering a truth, or having a great experience, or learning to ride a bike for the first time, all over again.

For me, the tipping point was connecting with my friends in the Major Taylor Bicycling Club at their Urban Bike Festival, presented this summer in conjunction with Rondo

Days in St. Paul.

Of course, Rondo Days in itself was a great joy. Thousands of old friends and people I was meeting for the first time, crowded in to a festival area big enough to stroll comfortably, but compact enough to reach out and touch someone.

Elbow close, you navigated through friendly smiles, energetic shrieks of kids having fun, and helpful vendors hawking information you could use to make you healthier, wealthier and wiser.

HISTORY TURN TO 5

Ending youth violence: A new generation of ideas students, and exacerbating low academic performance.

Ending Youth Violence: A New Generation of Ideas brought together stakeholders to end youth violence in a one-day conference from 8am - 4pm Tuesday, October 18 at the Holiday Inn 1500 Washington Ave. S. on the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities West Bank campus. ohiostate.edu

studiotobechi

Deanna Wilkinson

By Ivan B. Phifer Staff Writer

William English Moderator and Director of City Inc, Don Samuels Minneapolis 5th Ward Councilmember, Dr. Heidi L. Barajas, Executive Director of Urban Research Outreach and Engagement Center (UROC) Rev. Jerry McAfee, Pastor of New Salem Baptist Church, Spike Moss youth advocate, and John Harrington DFL State Senator for

District 67 in St. Paul, examined the information presented in the ending youth violence report.

The Ending Youth Violence project is a collaboration of several organizations: The City Inc., Juvenile Justice Advocacy Committee (JJAC), the Institute on Domestic Violence in the

VIOLENCE TURN TO 2

idvaac.org

Bill English

Dr. Esther Jenkins

According to testimony that focused on youth crime and violence in North Minneapolis, social and economic factors that directly contribute to gangs and

gang violence include prevalence of poverty, unemployment, and the housing crisis that is leaving neighborhoods in foreclosure, creating homelessness among

Ending poverty in North Minneapolis

By Lydia Schwartz Contributing Writer Despite bridge reconstructions, tornado damage, and financial strife, burgeoning small businesses along West Broadway Avenue in North Minneapolis remain an inspiration during this deep economic recession.

US Democratic-Farm-Labor Congressman Keith Ellison (Minnesota-5) represents the area, and is optimistic about its potential market growth.

Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District stretches north of Minneapolis to Spring Lake Park, south to Richfield, and west to New Hope and Hopkins.

By collaborating with businesses and education institutions, local governments can develop a small business and non-profit approach to meeting the needs of employers in the community and grow talent in a sustainable way. The alignment between profits and job growth meets when employers provide more on-the-job training. This also challenges the necessity of young people having to obtain an often extremely costly postsecondary education.

Recently the economy has shifted away from supporting full-time work because many smaller companies are suffering from profit losses. “Every business depends on consumer confidence,” Ellison says, “and poverty translates into

Aesthetics

Intriguing whodunit suggests Shakespeare was a fraud

PAGE 5

peoples’ ability to buy things.

Minnesota is one state with one ethical system that is focused on people…Even if you have a job, the issue of unemployment cannot be ignored.”

With or without higher education, the workforce is very difficult to get into, and even harder to stay in.

Officials say that Minnesota needs a massive public-works job program because the laborpool pipeline is not working, and the problem is not simply going to go away. Almost half of Americans have been unemployed at some point in their lives. So even if you have never been unemployed, you know someone who has.

Senator Jeff Hayden sworn into office Senator S Sena enato torr Jeff Jeff Hayden Hay aydden den

N

ewly elected State Senator Jeff Hayden from Minneapolis was sworn into office today by Hennepin County District Court Judge Tanya Bransford in the State Capitol Senate Chamber. He was accompanied by his

David Oakes David Dav O Oak Oakes, akes, Se SSenate enat nate te M Media edia Services ed

wife Terri, his son Tomas and daughter Sophia, and many family members and friends.

“I am really honored and humbled to be the next state senator from Senate District 61,” Senator Hayden said.

POVERTY TURN TO 2

Health

Spooky, scary situations: Helping kids cope with fear

PAGE 6

Commentary An open letter to Cornel West

PAGE 8

Business

Now what?: A game plan for job seekers who have tried everything

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Page 2 • October 31 - November 6 6, 2011 • Insight News

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Debutante Cotillion on hold this year

By Marcia Norman Murray, The Links, Incorporated President It is with great appreciation that the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Chapter of The Links, Incorporated expresses our gratitude for the communities’ support of our organization over the past 39 years. We have enjoyed partnering with many of the community nonprofits and individuals, giving back and

Poverty From 1 Making government infrastructure investments provides assistance to state and local governments to retain public employees.

helping to make a difference in the lives of our youth and the communities in which we live.

We want to continue offering workshops and programs to the community that are of value. To that end, we are aggressively working with community leaders who are representative of our various service facets to enrich our programming over the next years. We will celebrate 40 years in 2012.

One of our signature youth programs for the past 30 years

has been the Debutante Cotillion Program. We have presented over 570 Debutantes with their escorts and coordinated leadership development and self improvement programs to help prepare them to embark on a college career. We are blessed that the community loaned us their outstanding children so that we might supplement their experience through friendships, workshops and community service. They also helped us raise critical funds to support our

scholarship program. Over the past 20+ years, we provided more than $500,000 to the community through this Program and our biennial fundraisers.

After all the years of presenting an annual Debutante Cotillion Program, it is time to pause and evaluate this Program.

To that end, we will not have a Debutante Cotillion Program for the 2011-12 school year. We will use this time to reflect and evaluate to ensure that The Links, Incorporated continues to provide

a relevant, high-quality program attractive to the community.

We are also interested in your valuable feedback. I encourage you to email us at mplsspcotillion@gmail.com. We know there are some seniors who will be disappointed that they won’t have this experience. We agonized over this decision and concluded that there wouldn’t ever be a “good time “ to skip a year; however, introducing a new youth program to recognize high achievers and offer outstanding

workshops in conjunction with the Chapter’s 40th anniversary made sense.

We, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Chapter of The Links, Incorporated are blessed to have had your support all these years and we want it to continue. We are committed to continued service and programs that support the needs of the community and fulfill our mission.

Again, thank you for your years of support and we look forward to what the future holds.

Building a solid government infrastructure is not just about fixing dangerous roads, it means teaching the next generation to prevent the issues that we have today. Due to continuous budget cuts, schools are slowly being forced to operate their spending on an emergency-only basis. For Minnesota to remain

economically competitive, and to break the cycle of poverty, our youth must have better access to the necessary education for highly technical jobs, and access to work-experience programs.

Young people who are able to get into the workforce earlier have a better chance of staying employed later in life.

“Keeping a teacher,” Ellison says, “or making an actual investment in student instruction, are often lost to a leaky roof or to fixing the plumbing.”

Dr. Mark R. Brinda, the City of Minneapolis Employment and Training Program Workforce Manager, says that access to education can bring the workforce toward building a more stable economic generation. “There are no quick or easy fixes when it comes to repairing the job market,” he says, “but we can make considerable structural changes to lower the unemployment rate.”

Hennepin County Principal Planner Dr. Bruce M. Nauth,

who is also Acting Director of the Hennepin and Carver Counties Workforce Service Area, argues that high unemployment rates are insignificant compared to the high rates of poverty. He says that simply having an education or a job is not enough to lift people out of financial trouble.

According to a study conducted in 2009 (Nauth says that “not much has changed since then”), almost seventy percent of the 5th Congressional District’s 25-year-and-older population has attained a Bachelor’s degree, an Associate’s degree, or higher. Yet a surprising 7.5% of the district’s total population was unemployed, and 16.6% qualified for poverty status.

The study further broke down the unemployment and poverty rates by racial and ethnic groups living in the district: • Of African Americans: 39.8% are living in poverty, 19.8% are unemployed • 37.3% of the Native Americans live in poverty, 21.7% unemployed • 25.6% of Asians live in

poverty, but only 8.5% are unemployed • 27.3% of Hispanics live in poverty, with a 7.4% unemployment rate • 9.5% of Caucasians/nonHispanics live in poverty, 5.3% are unemployed.

In an economy where the supply of workers continues to outweigh the demand for labor, and favors profit over job creation, companies are given the ability to drive down wages, benefits, gain leverage against unions, and neglect the responsibility to create diversity in the workplace.

Andrea Pendleton, Director of Employment Services at Twin Cities RISE!, says that minorities face many invisible barriers in seeking stable employment.

Businesses are increasingly relying on temporary staffing services.

This shifts the responsibility of building diversity in the workplace away from the company and onto the thirdparty.

Pendleton also says that

many companies openly admit that they will not hire an applicant that has ever been unemployed. Having bad credit has also become a large barrier to finding employment. Even though everyone has a low credit score during a recession, many potential employers still place a significant amount of weight on credit reports when debating prospective hires.

In order to bring the publicand private-sectors together, everything the government does needs to be tied to creating a service job in the community.

Officials say that they are trying to break the myth of a dysfunctional government because the people are making civic investments against the giant force of a global economy. Rather than just letting America’s communities continue to decline, investments must be made in developing human capital.

The public sector is more than just welfare, and the private sector is more than just conglomerate corporations.

for Youth Gang Crime and Prevention Services (YGCPS) conducted an assessment which focused on four North Minneapolis neighborhoods: Folwell, Hawthorne, Jordan and McKinley.

“There have been peace vigils, marches, weeping, wailing, and a lot of hard work by a lot of individuals,” English said. “This problem facing zip code 55411 has been with us for many years,”

he said.

According to a study for the Center Disease Control and Prevention, a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services based in DeKalb County Georgia; nationwide homicide is the second leading cause of deaths ages 10 to 24 with 84% killed by firearms.

One problem is the easy accessibility to firearms.

“I can buy a $2 dollar gun, a $20 dollar gun, or a $200 dollar gun within two blocks of my house; but I have to walk two miles to get an apple,” said a City Inc. student.

Dr. Deanna Wilkinson leads The Columbus Violence Prevention Collaborative Cease Fire Initiative in Columbus, OH. Her project is modeled after

Violence From 1 African American Community, Phyllis Wheatley Community Center and the University of Minnesota’s Urban Research Outreach and Engagement Center (UROC).

A document prepared by the City of Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support

VIOLENCE TURN TO 11

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Insight News • October 31 - November 6 6, 2011 • Page 3

Cops sue Palm Beach in discrimination case Town of Palm Beach comes under fire after police officers are subjected to anti-Semitic, racial and ethnic slurs and sexual harassment by superiors.

Stuart, Florida - Prominent trial attorney Willie Gary along with his team of attorneys CK Hoffler, Victor Swift and Marwan Porter of the Stuart, Florida-based law firm of Gary, Williams, Finney, Lewis, Watson & Sperando, P.L., is filing a multi-million dollar lawsuit on behalf of five Palm Beach police officers who have filed discrimination and sexual harassment complaints against the town of Palm

Photos courtesy of Gary, Williams, Finney, Lewis, Watson & Sperando, P.L.

Attorney Willie E. Gary

Attorney CK Hoffler

Attorney Victor Swift

Attorney Marwan Porter

Beach. Individual complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission have

also been filed.

The plaintiffs include police officer Jason Vega, who was

wrongfully demoted from sergeant and was the only Hispanic/minority supervisor.

The other plaintiffs, Artemis Saridakis, Levente Henter, Gilad Bockman and Marcus Farmer

allege discrimination based upon race, national origin, gender and religious preference in violation of Federal Law. The allegations include superior officers making antiSemitic remarks, racial and ethnic slurs and inappropriate sexual gestures toward officers.

In one instance, a senior officer told a Jewish officer “that the Holocaust never happened.” In addition, the same senior officer has been observed giving Nazi salutes while saying “Sieg Heil.”

“Our law firm takes these allegations very seriously and

LAWSUIT TURN TO 7

Richmond Free Press makes racial breakthrough in Virginia Supreme Court

By Jeremy M. Lazarus (TriceEdneyWire.com) Richmond Free Press photographer Sandra Sellars has made history when she covered the historic investiture of Virginia Supreme Court Justice Cleo E. Powell on Friday, Oct. 21.

When the prize-winning photographer arrived at the state’s highest court to cover the Powell formal installation, she

became: • The first Black newspaper photographer to cover an investiture in the 232-year history of the court, which is located across the street from the State Capitol.

• The first woman newspaper photographer to cover a Supreme Court investiture, according to Free Press research.

Overton Jones, a retired Richmond daily editor, agreed that Sellars was a likely gender history maker in Richmond

journalism. “I don’t recall any” woman photographer covering a Supreme Court investiture, said Jones, who worked first for the defunct Richmond News Leader and later for the Richmond Times-Dispatch a total of 55 years, beginning in 1938.

Sellars’ presence will add to the historical significance of the installation of Justice Powell, the first Black female justice elected to the court by the General Assembly.

Chief Justice Cynthia D.

Kinser’s approval of Sellars represents a major victory for the decade-long Free Press campaign to change the court’s guidelines that previously barred photographers from the Free Press and other Blackowned newspapers, as well as those from non-dailies. Earlier, the chief justice, in response to another Free Press campaign, expunged sexist references from the court’s website.

The racial breakthrough in Virginia could - by example

- open doors for Black newspapers across the country.

Old rules, based on vestitures of racism remain in high courts and state houses around the nation.

The new Kinser guidelines, for the first time, allow a pool photographer for non-daily newspapers and one, as usual, for dailies. Previously, the court only allowed one pool photographer in the courtroom - and that photographer always came from a white-owned daily or The Associated Press.

For the Oct. 21 Powell investiture, Steve Helber, a veteran photographer for The Associated Press, was designated to provide pool coverage for dailies.

The court notified the Free Press of the guideline change in an Oct. 6 email to Raymond H. Boone, Free Press editor/ publisher. The email also notified Boone of the selection of Sellars to “serve as the pool

PRESS TURN TO 7

Feeding Dreams selects Sybil Haydel Morial as Outstanding Mom Feeding Dreams, General Mills platform which celebrates the hero in African American women recently assembled over 70 community leaders at the historic Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, representing education and health sectors to celebrate Outstanding Mom recipient Sybil Haydel Morial and to kick-off the Feeding Dreams Get Together initiative in New Orleans.

Among her children, fellow community members, Morial, wife of New Orleans first Black mayor, mother of the second and former Xavier University vice president, was honored as the first New Orleans Feeding Dreams Outstanding Mom for 2011-2012.

Eldest son Marc is former mayor of New Orleans and now CEO of the National Urban League; eldest daughter Dr. Julie Morial Cruz

is medical director of the Baton Rouge Peoples Health Network; son Jacques Morial is a respected business and political consultant; daughter Cherie Morial Ausberry, serves as vice president of CRA and business development at Capitol One Bank in Baton Rouge; and youngest daughter Monique Morial was recently elected judge First City Court in New Orleans.

“Mrs. Morial’s life and commitment exemplifies the Feeding Dreams initiative which believes everyday people have the power to nurture change in their communities,” said Iman Johnson, Multicultural Public & Community Relations Senior Planner, General Mills. “In New Orleans and 14 other cities across the country, over a 1,000 African American women will

City: New Orleans; Source: SMSi. PRNewsFoto/General Mills

Sybil Haydel Morial honored as New Orleans Feeding Dreams Outstanding Mom at the historic Dooky Chase’s Restaurant. Celebrating this honor with her is Iman Johnson from General Mills and her five children, Cherie Morial Ausberry, Honorable Monique Morial, Jacques Morial, NUL President Marc Morial and Dr. Julie Morial Cruz.

be celebrated for nourishing the dreams of their families and communities through Feeding Dreams Get Togethers.”

Feeding Dreams Get Togethers is a grassroots program that provides intimate forums in communities across the country to discuss efforts to positively impact health and education in African American communities.

“It’s our hopes that the discussions at these Get Togethers will help encourage some small change to make a positive impact on those who attend and therefore on our communities,” said Sandra Miller Jones, Founder and CEO, Segmented Marketing Services, Inc. “This initiative is important to our community. We are honoring moms who work tirelessly to support our families and communities.”

Page 4 • October 31 - November 6 6, 2011 • Insight News

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EDUCATION Obama’s Jobs Act could mean $274.5 million for state schools The U.S. Education Department, in advance of remarks by Secretary Arne Duncan on the proposed American Jobs Act, spotlighted a new report by the Council of the Great City Schools showing that Minneapolis and St. Paul and other urban school systems face substantial, costly repairs to deteriorating buildings and classrooms.

According to the report, Minneapolis needs substantial resources including: • $404.0 million for renovation, repair and modernization of its schools.

And, • $693.0 million to pay for deferred maintenance at schools.

According to the report, St. Paul needs substantial resources including: • $340 million for renovation, repair and modernization of its schools. And, • $80 million to pay for deferred maintenance at schools.

Under the American Jobs Act, the administration estimates that Minnesota could receive $274-$274.5 million for modernization efforts to rebuild crumbling buildings and

classes, which could help the Twin Cities begin work on long overdue upgrades to schools and classrooms.

“Our children only get one shot at a good education. They deserve better than crumbling

school buildings and halfcentury-old science labs. This report is further proof that Minneapolis and St. Paul’s schools critically need the funds proposed by the President in the American Jobs Act,” U.S.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “The Act will provide billions for school modernization, which will help give our children the world-class education they deserve.”

Some of the nation’s largest school districts have some of the country’s oldest and most overcrowded school buildings.

The President’s American Jobs Act plan will invest $30 billion in enhancing the condition of these schools—with $25 billion going to K-12 schools for repair, renovation and modernization.

While this bill would help finance long overdue repairs, it would also create needed jobs and help put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work.

The report released on Friday, October 14, 2011, surveyed 50 of the largest school districts in the country to determine the scope and scale of repairing and upgrading facilities. The survey determined that the school districts have substantial construction, renovation, modernization and deferred maintenance needs because of the age and size

Open House at Saint Paul Charter Schools On Tuesday, November 15, four local public tuition-free charter schools will open their doors from 5 to 8 PM for prospective students in grades 6 – 12 and their families. Students from all over the greater metro area attend these schools. In the same spirit as a progressive dinner, each of the schools will have different food and beverages so visitors can grab a bite as they meet the fabulous faculty, students and families at each school.

While each of the schools has a distinct mission and focus, they all share a common progressive view that learning in a smaller setting can meet the needs of individual students, prepare them for a productive life and post secondary education.

Avalon School provides project-based learning in a nurturing community where students are engaged.

Administration is accomplished through a teacher cooperative.

Avalon, serving students in grades 7 – 12, is located at 700 Glendale St., just off University Avenue in the South St. Anthony Park neighborhood. Website: avalonschool.org.

Great River School, an urban Montessori learning environment that serves students in grades 7 – 12, prepares students for their unique roles as responsible and engaged citizens in the world. Students in the 11th and 12th grades participate in the International Baccalaureate program.

Located between Lexington Parkway and Snelling Avenue at 1326 Energy Park Drive, GRS uses the Montessori philosophy as the basis for academics at all grade levels.

Website: greatriverschool.org.

Rivers Edge Academy, serving students in grades 9 – 12, is the Twin Cities only Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound charter high school. The high school is committed to providing a small learning community for students in St. Paul. Located on the Mississippi River at 188 Plato Boulevard in St. Paul, REA educates students to become environmentally responsible, socially conscious and scholastically

prepared for college and active community life.

Website: riversedgeacademy. org Twin Cities Academy, serves students in grades 6 – 12 is committed to developing productive citizens through academic rigor and building character in partnership with families and the community.

The curriculum is infused with high academic standards and expectations, along with character and leadership development.

TCA is located at 835 E. 5th St. in St. Paul. Website: tcahs. k12.mn.us/ For more information and directions, please visit the websites of each school.

of school buildings, shifting populations, and the need to devote resources to instructional personnel to meet their core academic mission.

For more on the American

Jobs Act of 2011, see http:// www.whitehouse.gov/sites/ default/files/omb/legislative/ reports/american-jobs-act.pdf.

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Insight News • October 31 - November 6 6, 2011 • Page 5

AESTHETICS Intriguing whodunit suggests Shakespeare was a fraud Film Review

By Kam Williams kam@insightnews.com Who really wrote the works of William Shakespeare? That nagging question has remained the subject of speculation among academics for centuries, with authorship of his poems and plays being alternately attributed to dozens of others, most notably, Christopher Marlowe, William

Stanley, Sir Francis Bacon and Edward de Vere, aka the 17th Earl of Oxford.

The primary reason the Bard of Avon has been shown such disrespect is because of his humble roots and the absence of evidence that he had much of a formal education. Consequently, his detractors argue that only another nobleman would have been capable of writing about royalty in such sophisticated fashion.

Anonymous revives the controversial notion that the Earl of Oxford served as Shakespeare’s ghostwriter, in spite of a plethora a problems with that generallyrejected theory, starting with the

National Portrait Gallery (London)

William Shakespeare

fact that when the Earl died in 1604, ten of the Bard’s plays were

yet to be published. Nonetheless, provided you are willing to ignore an abundance of such historical inaccuracies, the picture proves to be a delightful whodunit.

The film is a bit of a departure for Roland Emmerich, whose name one ordinarily associates with bombastic summer blockbusters like Independence Day and Godzilla. Here, however, the German director tones down his act considerably in service of a multi-layered mystery given more to subtlety and insinuation than to special effects and pyrotechnics.

Narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi, Anonymous opens and closes on Broadway in present-day New York City. Otherwise, the plot

revolves around the unlikely financial arrangement secretly struck between rebellious, aristocrat de Vere (Rhys Ifans) and alcoholic commoner Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) at a time when the former was a prolific, closet playwright while the latter was a struggling actor.

Thus, de Vere’s need for a surreptitious means of staging his incendiary, anti-establishment productions conveniently dovetails with the Bard’s desire for fame and fortune. But because Shakespeare is close to illiterate, the ruse is hard to hide from most of his contemporaries in the theater world.

Meanwhile, de Vere himself

has a host of his own issues to deal with, starting with his not only being the illegitimate offspring of Queen Elizabeth I (Vanessa Redgrave) but possibly having fathered a child with his mom.

Throw in a jealous wife (Antje Thiele) and an ambitious fatherin-law (David Thewlis) with designs on the throne, and you’ve got all the fixins for a convoluted, costume drama of, dare I say it, Shakespearean proportions.

Excellent (4 stars) Rated PG-13 for violence and sexuality.

Running time: 130 minutes Distributor: Columbia Pictures

Movie Night at the Capri Theater The film FBI’s War on Black America will be screened on Friday November 4, 2011 along with discussion led by an informed panel. Fourth Friday is a program that has been in operation for the last 4 years. It’s primary purpose is to promote education, political awareness and cultural understanding using the film and discussion as a vehicle. The content of the films covers Black participation in film

making from its earliest days.

A major focus is on films that were made between the teen and the 1950’s. It’s intended to give participants an understanding of the role of Blacks in film making and the broad range of film that were made by Black Film makers before the Modern era. That is to say, films that are considered as “Black Sploitation” will not be included. Fourth Friday is showing this film at Capri

Theater to exposé a larger audience to an important piece of history that impacts our current realities. The collaborators involved in this project are: • Golden Thyme Coffee and Cafe • Solidarity • PCYC (Plymouth Christian Youth Center) • Headwaters Foundation FBI’s War on Black America showing Friday, November 4,

2011 at the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis, 2027 West

Broadway. Social Moment: 6:30 PM - Movie Showing: 7:00 PM.

Fourth Friday Presents:

FBI’s War on Black America

Fourth Friday is sincerely designed to make a contribution to education, to “lead ourselves out of

An informative & thought provoking

History From 1 And then there was the Urban Bike Festival. Cycling guru Anthony Taylor and his Major Taylor Bicycling Club team member had it all laid out.

Bicycles everywhere. Bicycles being given away to deserving kids from the neighborhood., Bicycle clinics where master bike mechanics would tune your bike or tell you stories about their love of the path.

Sports equipment businesses

were on hand with promotional giveaways and genuine invitations to come visit their shops to learn more about the world of cycling and other outdoor activity.

So Anthony Taylor says to me, “I got a bike for you, Al.” He shows me a brand new Giant bike. I’m thinking, “Real cool.”

But I ask, “What is it, a three speed?” Of course I had just revealed how far out of touch I was with cycling. Taylor, not making me feel stupid, said, “No, Al. How about 21 speeds.”

“I’ll take two. One for me and one for my partner B.P.

Ford,” I said. And the rest, as they say, is history. In this case, it is history in the making, because I am convinced that we, as a community, can make history, create history on the biking trail.

Taylor delivered my bikes the afternoon prior to the Minneapolis Urban League’s Family Day event in North Minneapolis. The Major Taylor Bicycling Club was conducting a bike ride as part of Family Day.

HISTORY TURN TO 9

ignorance”, promote new

look at the FBI’s Cointelpro, (Counter

awareness and understanding of

Intelligence Program), operations.

the total “American Experiment”.

The murders of prominent black lead-

This is a special showing at the

ers of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Capri Theater to expose a larger

Rare footage of Martin Luther King,

audience to this important history

Jr., Malcolm X and Fred Hampton.

that impacts our current realities.

Friday, November 4, 2011 Capri Theater in North Minneapolis 2027 West Broadway | Minneapolis, MN 55411 Social Moment: 6:30 PM Movie Showing: 7:00 PM

Page 6 • October 31 - November 6 6, 2011 • Insight News

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HEALTH Spooky, scary situations: Helping kids cope with fear Murua (Swahili for ‘Respect’)

By Dr. BraVada Garrett-Akinsanya, Ph.D., L.P. When I was a little girl, I had a HUGE imagination. There was always a monster under my bed, a boogey-man in the closet or something at my window.

At night, I would hear every creaky sound in the house -even the stuffed animals and clothes (which were supposed to be hung up) would move! I had fears about bugs, spiders, dogs, snakes, zombies and vampires— especially vampires. I would wear my cross to bed and even put a clove of garlic under my pillow for good measure. My dad would fuss at me and say: “It’s not the dead—but the living you need to worry about.” My mother would simply get annoyed because she needed her garlic in the kitchen and my bedroom smelled like “goat sweat.”

We lived in an all-black neighborhood nestled behind the “colored” cemetery. I never went there except once. I went there because my best friend Carolyn

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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 Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Ben Williams Production Andrew Notsch Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Facilities Support / Assistant Producer, Conversations with Al McFarlane Bobby Rankin Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Staff Writer Ivan B. Phifer Contributing Writers Maya Beecham Brenda Colston Julie Desmond S. Himie Marcia Humphrey Alaina L. Lewis Ryan T. Scott Lydia Schwartz Stacey Taylor 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) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55411.

Russell’s brother (Billy) said that there was a cherry tree there and that we could go pick and eat as many cherries as we wanted.

So, we made a plan that after school we would each go to our respective homes, have a snack and go out to play our daily game of “Red Rover.” The game ended almost as quickly as it had started and soon the three of us secondgraders made the trek to the graveyard. We sneaked through a small crevice in the wiremeshed fence (apparently a trail blazed by other kids in search of cherries). As we approached the graveyard, we noticed a freshly dug grave (with nobody in it yet).

We braved the area and got to the cherry tree. We were all too short to get many cherries. We reached low-hanging branches and threw rocks and sticks to gather more.

By the time each of us had gotten a small handful, it was getting dark. We rushed by the open grave site to the fence, holding our breaths when suddenly we heard a scream….I was the last one out, I turned my head and I swear I saw a ghost!

That whole night (and for many weeks to come), I was afraid to sleep without the lights on. I kept the blankets over my head and sweated my pressed hair back to nappy! I had nightmares and woke up with bags under my eyes. I was too afraid to go to the bathroom alone --and one night while asleep, I actually wet my pants. I began drawing pictures of graveyards, ghosts, devils, and scary things. I did not tell my parents what I had done. My parents never noticed, and if they did—they did not know what to make of it. It went on for months.

Fear affects us both biologically and psychologically.

When we confront a perceived danger, our physiological reactions to fear include sweating, increased heart rate and high adrenaline levels. This physical response sometimes results in “fight, flight, or freeze” responses whereas we run away from fear, freeze in the face of it,

or attempt to face it and fight it.

While fear is a perfectly normal emotion, it can be handled in healthy and unhealthy ways.

For example, one unhealthy way to address fear is to avoid it.

Children may ignore their fears and try to be brave. If they believe that they have done something wrong to elicit the fear, they are even less likely to “fess up.”

Thus, predators, child molesters, bullies and the like tend to use the tactic of relying on children’s fears to control them and to make them feel responsible for “doing something wrong” or for setting up conditions for future wrongs to occur (e.g. “If you tell, I’ll hurt your mother” or “I’ll tell the monster under the bed to get you”).

While some “monsters” are real, and are not located under the bed, but live in our homes and neighborhoods, others are fake.

Once a year everybody from “Winnie the Pooh” to witches, goblins, and ghosts come to our homes in search of goodies.

In fact, it has been said that the entire Halloween industry has been built on people’s enjoyment of fear. Halloween fear is designed to provide children with the opportunity to enjoy the experience of being scared in an environment that is actually safe…and of course, it is all about the candy! The younger children are, however, the less able they are to discern “real life” from “fictional life.”

Therefore, over-exposure to age-inappropriate scary, horror movies that are marked “R” (or even some PG movies) are too complex for a young child to handle. Halloween costumes that look too real, haunted houses and even some ghost stories are not appropriate for very small children.

The problem is that because of our everyday over-exposure to violence in our communities, on video games, movies and television, many of us as parents are desensitized to preventing inappropriate exposures of

violence to children. We have to help children discern inappropriate fears (monsters under the bed) from appropriate fears (getting into cars with strangers or handling with guns). We want children to maintain appropriate fears. But, once children have developed inappropriate fears to objects or situations in their lives, then they will need our support in overcoming those fears.

Avoiding fears only leads to

that will enable us to recognize and intervene when they show signs of experiencing fears and anxieties. For example, some signs that a child is experiencing fears and/or anxieties include the following: becoming clingy, impulsive, or distracted; nervous movements, such as temporary twitches; problems getting to sleep and/or staying asleep longer than usual. In addition, children may have sweaty hands, experiencing accelerated

“We have to help children discern inappropriate fears (monsters under the bed) from appropriate fears (getting into cars with strangers or handling with guns)” increases in fears. On the other hand, confronting one’s fears often reduces the power that our fears have over us. Consequently, a positive approach to helping a child cope with fear would involve helping the child with ways of working out a solution to the problem(s) that is making her/him afraid.

Typically, childhood fears change with age and include everything from a fear of strangers, heights, darkness, animals, blood, insects, and being left alone. Separation anxiety is frequently observed when young children start school; however, social anxieties are most often seen among adolescents who may experience anxiety related to social acceptance and academic achievement. In fact, many adults report that they continue to be bothered by fears that originally stem from their unaddressed childhood experiences. Because many fears persist into adulthood and have long-term impact on interpersonal relationships, it is imperative, those of us who care for children develop skills

heart rate and breathing, nausea, headaches and stomachaches. In addition to these signs, children may exhibit signs of being uneasy or non-communicative.

To help your child deal with fears and anxieties: Do not expose children to developmentally inappropriate conditions, movies, or experiences. Remember, if they really do not know much about the Tooth fairy, Easter Bunny or Santa Claus—you had better stick to “G” ratings in movies and stories that will not leave them sweating their press out!

Recognize that the fear is real. Being able to talk about fears helps children find solutions to problems that they perceive as fearful.

Never minimize or belittle the fear as a way of forcing your child to overcome it alone.

Saying, “Don’t be a punk! There are no monsters in your closet!” may shame your child into going to bed, but it will not make the fear go away.

Help Children Confront their Fears If your child is afraid of dogs, do not cross the street deliberately to avoid one, but instead provide gentle support as you approach the feared object or situation with your child, constantly verbalizing and reminding the child that you will keep her safe.

Teach kids how to rate fear.

With young children, we often

ask them to imagine how “full of fear” that they may be. For example, a child may report being “full “up to my knees” as not so scared, “up to my stomach” as more frightened, and “up to my head” as truly petrified.” Older children can rate the intensity of theirs fear on a scale of 1 to 10. These “subjective units of distress” tell us how intense a child may be feeling when they experience fears.

Teach you children fearbusting techniques. When parents teach easy-to use coping strategies, children often feel more confident and anxious.

For example, some parents help their children approach fears by using a “home base” approach.

This approach includes allowing a child to approach a feared object and return to you for safety before venturing out to the scary situation again. It is also helpful to teach children to engage in positive self-talk when feeling anxious so that he or she learns to make statements such as: “I can do this” and “I will be OK.” Finally, teaching relaxation techniques are helpful, including visualization (of floating on a cloud, blowing up an imaginary balloon or lying on a beach, for example) and deep breathing (imagining that the lungs are balloons and letting them slowly deflate).

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 612-3023140 or 763-522-0100.

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Insight News • October 31 - November 6 6, 2011 • Page 7

Press From 3 photographer representing nondaily newspapers.” The email was sent by Katya N. Herndon, the state court’s director of legislative and public relations.

Sellars also represented the 200 newspaper members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association of which the Free Press is a member.

The ceremony took place inside the court’s marbled and pillared courtroom that was packed with more than 250 well wishers. They included U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, Federal Judge Roger Gregory, Gov. Bob McDonnell, Attorney Gen. Ken Cuccinelli, Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones, state judges and legislators, family and friends. Another 250 people watched the 80-minute ceremony in overflow courtrooms that received a live feed.

A solemn Justice Powell raised her right hand and put her left hand on the Bible belonging to her late father, Milas Powell Jr., a Bible held by her mother, Mary C. Powell, and husband of 22 years, Alvin L. Dilworth, a Chesterfield County deputy sheriff.

Then her three children proudly helped the trailblazing justice into her black judicial robe.

The court’s policy change stems from a Sept. 19 meeting between Chief Justice Kinser, Justice Powell and Boone, who

Lawsuit From 3 will prosecute the claims to fullest extent,” commented Gary. “These clients are good people whose job is to protect and serve but who is protecting their rights? No one should have to work in an environment infected with racial and ethnic bias. These are serious claims and could expose the Town of Palm Beach to millions of dollars in damages,” continued Gary.

Gary is no stranger to seeking justice. Gary and his legal team

Jerome Reid/Richmond Free Press

Richmond Free Press Photographer Sandra Sellars and Free Press Editor/Publisher Raymond H. Boone approach an entrance at the Virginia Supreme Court before she became the first woman and first Black person to photograph, representing newspapers, to cover the Virginia Supreme Court’s Investiture. was accompanied by Sellars and two other staff members - reporter Jeremy Lazarus and photographer Jerome Reid. At the rare face-to-face between the chief justice and the press, the chief justice also was accompanied by the court’s executive secretary, Karl R. Hade, and Herndon.

During the cordial, hourlong meeting in the chief justice’s office, the chief justice told Boone that the court was seeking to revamp its coverage policies to improve access to its ceremonies. She outlined the two-photographer policy for ceremonial events in the high court’s small courtroom during the meeting. At the time, she would only say the policy change was under consideration.

The Free Press challenged the court’s ban on the newspaper’s access to ceremonies as a violation of the

First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of the press. Boone also contended that the old policy promoted monopoly journalism.

The Free Press campaign began in 2003 when the state’s

first black chief justice, the late Leroy Rountree Hassell, rejected a pledge to the Free Press to cover his investiture after the pledge had tentatively been offered by the court’s staff.

At the time, Justice Hassell did so to maintain the court’s tradition of allowing only one press pool photographer at such events. “I want to keep everything traditional,” he was quoted as saying. During his tenure that ended just before his death last winter, he refused to consider any change to the policy despite repeated Free Press editorials challenging his position.

The Free Press continued its campaign after Chief Justice Kinser took office Feb. 1, only to be rebuffed in seeking to cover the Sept. 1 investiture of new Justice Elizabeth A. McClannahan.

Chief Justice Kinser set up the meeting with Boone after he wrote her Aug. 30, protesting the Free Press’ exclusion from the McClannahan investiture and past ceremonies and urging her to lead the change in the court’s press policy.

The Free Press also gained support for its position from the NNPA, Virginia Press Association and the Coalition for Open Government.

A standing ovation resounded as Justice Powell was escorted to the bench by three men she said played important roles in her career success: Norfolk native John Charles Thomas, the first Black Supreme Court justice who is now a Richmond lawyer; Richmond state Sen. Henry L. Marsh III of Richmond and Chief Justice Hassell, also a Norfolk native.

In his remarks at the investiture, Gov. McDonnell, a Republican, hailed Justice Powell’s arrival on the court as fresh milestone in the effort to develop “a more perfect union and provide more equal justice.” He noted a Black woman on the court could never have been imagined in 1623 when the original colonial court of appeals was created or in 1779 when its successor, the state Supreme Court, was established by the legislature.

“What a tremendous day,” he enthused.

He pointed out that Justice Powell was being formally installed, while across the street at the State Capitol, a building designed by slaveholding Thomas Jefferson and built by slaves, filming was going on for a movie about the “Great Emancipator,” President Abraham Lincoln.

are known for taking on some of the nation’s most powerful corporate giants, including the funeral industry. In 1995, a jury awarded Gary and his legal team a record-breaking, halfbillion dollars against one of the world’s largest funeral chains, The Loewen Group. In addition, Gary is noted for winning a $240 million jury verdict in Orange County against the Walt Disney Corporation for his clients who alleged that Disney stole their idea for a sports theme park.

In 2001, a jury awarded Gary a $139.6 million verdict for the Maris Distributing Company against Anheuser Busch.

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Page 8 • October 31 - November 6 6, 2011 • Insight News

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COMMENTARY An open letter to Dr. Cornel West

By Playthell G. Benjamin Harlem, New York After reading your Op-Ed column on Dr. Martin Luther King in the New York Times, I felt compelled to sit down and write you a letter.

Since the conversation that I want to have with you is about public matters i.e. the fate of our nation and the Presidency of Barack Obama, I decided to make it an open and put it on the internet so everyone can see it. I feel it is my duty to respond to your column because you are such an influential public intellectual and moral scold people listen when you speak.

Like E. F. Hutton on finance, you da man with many people on matters of morality and politics.

Since I have publicly pledged to praise saints, celebrate heroes, unmask charlatans and chastise scoundrels I could not remain silent. You have all the trappings of intellectual and moral authority – Harvard education, PhD, author of influential texts, able orator, Princeton Professor of Religion – but the more I watch what you are doing with these powerful assets…I fear you are squandering them my brother, and you are in danger of hurting us all with your folly.

I am employing the term folly in the same sense as the two time Pulitzer Prize winning historian Barbara Tuchman in her path breaking book “The March of Folly.” Here the term folly refers to the decisions people make – usually leaders of nation states – that all observable evidence suggests is against their own interests. And there can be no doubt among partisans of the working classes and foes of the plutocrats, which you claim to be, that the Tea Party /Republicans are avowed enemies of our agenda. Yet you are at this very moment engaging in activities that if continued will aid a total takeover of our national government by these vicious enemies of the working class.

Thus I have no doubt that in the present struggle for the soul of our nation and the survival of organized labor – which is the vehicle through which the working class defends their gains and advance their interests – you are missing your true calling in this great fight. As a self-declared spokesman for the working class and the poor, the proletariat and lumpen-proletariat, you are curiously at odds with the actual spokesman for the working class, the elected leaders of the great unions, who correctly view President Obama as the only friend of poor and working class Americans among all the people who are likely to become the next President of the USA! Even as I write the Teamster Union President Jim Hoffa is on WNBC TV reaffirming their support for the reelection of the President; although they have some sharp disagreements with him about strategy. They do not question that Barack is their friend and the Republicans are the enemy; and if empowered would callously take away rights that the working class struggled for a century to win. The contrast between what the leader of one of the world’s most powerful unions had to say on this matter, and what you have been saying, highlights the fundamental disagreement that I have with you about your criticism of the President.

Dr. Nathan Hare – who holds two PhD’s, one in sociology and one in Psychology – is a longtime intellectual warrior in our struggle, a man who was on the front lines of engaged scholars when you were running about in knee pants in the wilderness

Dr. Cornel West of Sacramento chasing fire flies, states the problem succinctly. In a recent statement on Facebook, Dr. Hare argued that black critics of President Obama must first make it clear that there is no alternative to supporting the President and the Democratic Party in the coming elections. That is the only way your criticism can be constructive rather than destructive Cornel.

The difference is clear: constructive criticism is a critique that will help us defeat the Grand Obstructionist Party in the coming elections. Destructive criticism is the kind of loose and mindless diatribes that confuses and demoralizes people to the point where they decide that they cannot vote for either party and stay home …effectively turning the national government over to the Republicans. I am afraid, Dr. West, that this will be the result of your misguided, overly-emotional and often irrational attacks on the President. Alas, I am increasingly hearing threats to remain at home on election from your acolytes.

Unlike you, the Teamster leader made it clear that there was no chance that organized labor was going to abandon the President because the Republicans are the enemy of the working class. While he didn’t like it, he understood the compromises the President has made. They get it that the President was forced into certain compromises in order to get anything done and avoid disaster.

But you, Dr. West, don’t get it!

You talk in terms that suggest the President has betrayed the entire progressive legacy because he was forced to compromise!

When in fact, the very concept of compromise means that you have to accept something you don’t want in order to get something you want. Whereas the Teamster leader was clear in his purpose and what must be done, you prattled on in your NY Times Op-Ed in such a muddled fashion one could easily conclude that you think President Obama could have solved the problems you rightly highlight but just wouldn’t do it!!!

And therefore deserves defeat in 2012 – which goes without saying if your first charge is true! If you are not saying this, then what the f*** are you talking about?

What for instance do you mean by the following passage? “The age of Obama has fallen tragically short of fulfilling King’s prophetic legacy. Instead of articulating a radical democratic vision and fighting for homeowners, workers and poor people in the

form of mortgage relief, jobs and investment in education, infrastructure and housing, the administration gave us bailouts for banks, record profits for Wall Street and giant budget cuts on the backs of the vulnerable.” Considering that on two thirds of the issues you mention here the President actually proposed policies to do just what you said he should; I am constantly amazed at how people print stuff like this from you and don’t seem to recognize that it is muddled non-sense!

The only other person who manages to get away with publishing incoherent gibberish on a regular basis is Stanley Crouch, but at least he has the refuge of poetic license and people are so hypnotized by his use of language they don’t notice that he is making no sense. Your argument is the kind of stuff one expects from an impassioned but not very well educated undergraduate student… someone who has listened in on the conversations of mature intellectuals and got bits and pieces of the conversation and is now trying to reconstruct it –but doing so badly!

It is embarrassing to hear someone who is widely regarded as one of the nation’s premiere intellectuals say things like: “The administration gave us bailouts for banks, record profits for Wall Street and giant budget cuts on the backs of the vulnerable.” First of all the bank bailout or TARP was passed during the last days of the Bush Administration, and was an admission that their economic policies had failed. Thus the task of any serious analyst of our present economic mess is to point out with clarity that the Republicans now running the House, and all of their presidential candidates, are advocating those same policies – only now they are on steroids!

Your failure to address this issue is itself enough to disqualify you as someone we need take seriously.

The problem with the kind of editorial you have written for the Times is that you are not required to suggest any policy options or strategies for achieving them. It does not take much to demonstrate that your argument is morally pretentious empty rhetoric, a hysterical rant that leads nowhere. Do you really think this nation, and the Black community especially, would be better off if the banking system had failed… if the president had stood back and allowed the world financial system to collapse? If you do you are the most highly educated

Wikimedia Commons

moron in history, a worthy ally of the Tea Party! If you don’t believe it you are a dangerous charlatan and hypocrite and therefore of one heart with the so-called “Tea Party Patriots.”

Instead of pointing out that President Obama has passed the most stringent regulations on Wall Street since the 1930’s, and nominated Elizabeth Warren, the brilliant Harvard Law professor and longtime advocate for the poor, to head the new agency, you attack him for saving the world financial system from collapse! Instead of denouncing the Republicans for refusing to confirm Professor Warren and fund the agency tasked with implementing the new financial regulations, while opposing any attempt to tax the rich, who are sitting on record profits, you attack the president for the success of the

business community which is the engine that propels this economy.

Rising profits in the corporate sector is proof that the President’s policies to save the economy from a great depression that many economists believe would have been worse than the 1930’s has succeeded! That’s how capitalism works Cornel! And, in spite of the fact that both of us wish it were otherwise, Americans overwhelmingly support capitalism! If the democrats were in control of the Congress however, they would have done away with the Bush Tax cuts and raised the effective corporate tax rate by terminating many of the tax write offs that they presently enjoy. It is the Republicans that are preventing this from happening…but you continue to blame the President. Your actions in this regard is leading some of your critics to conclude that you are really a paid agent for the plutocrats – especially since your so-called “Poverty Tour” designed to embarrass the President is paid for by a major commercial bank!

– a false witness with a hidden agenda designed to so confuse the issues that many who voted for President Obama in the last election will stay at home this time and give the election to the Republicans.

That’s what some folks are beginning to say about you Corny.

However I am not one of them. In my view it doesn’t matter if you are a paid agent of the right or not, because I can’t imagine what you would do differently if you were a paid agent. As the New York Times columnists Charles Blow has demonstrated by crunching the numbers: If everybody who voted for the President votes for him in the coming election, but 10% of Afro-Americans who voted stay at home, Barack will lose! Hence whether you were paid for your role in this or not is a distinction without a difference. The result will be an unmitigated disaster for the least among us…the people you claim to care about the most.

While your Op-Ed is full of hysterical moral preachment and pretentious sophistry masquerading as deep thought, with false analogies popping up everywhere like Banquo’s ghost, you never rise to what I believe is your true calling in the great struggle to determine whether civilization or savagery shall triumph in America. Sometimes you tease us with the possibility that you recognize your role, but you never rise to the occasion.

A poignant case in point is the following observation: “King’s response to our crisis can be put in one word: revolution. A revolution in our priorities, a re-evaluation of our values, a reinvigoration of our public life and a fundamental transformation of our way of thinking and living that promotes a transfer of power from oligarchs and plutocrats to everyday people and ordinary citizens.” Obviously this transformation is a matter that is far beyond the control of any politician; this is work for preachers, philosophers and theologians.

If you had been unable to recognize it before, the implications of your observations in the Op-Ed should have clearly defined your calling. You are a professor of religion at Princeton, a position which invests you with great authority on the interpretation of biblical texts. Hence instead of dispensing bad political advice and spouting questionable historical analysis, what we desperately need you to do is lead an assault on the theology that fuels so many of the arguments of the far right.

How is it possible that you can stand silently by and bear witness to far right evangelists preaching a false doctrine that converts Jesus Christ from the champion of the poor and down trodden, into the God of billionaires that grind the poor underfoot to make the rich richer?

How have you chosen to

WEST TURN TO 11

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Insight News • October 31 - November 6 6, 2011 • Page 9

BUSINESS Now what? A game plan for job seekers who have already tried everything Plan Your Career

By Julie Desmond julie@insightnews.com Sometimes I meet people who are really down on their luck. They’ve been out of work a while and feel their prospects are low. They can’t see a way out, and yet, to me, the

path is so clear it’s practically paved in little yellow bricks.

Recently, I talked with an engineer in just this situation. The game plan we came up with together is straightforward and simple and one you might want to try if you’ve already tried everything and still can’t find a job.

Resume: It should be concise.

What job do you want? Say so.

Target companies: Choose five or six companies that are large enough to hire frequently (maybe you’ve seen their ads or job postings) and then one or

two very small firms that interest you for absolutely any reason.

Maybe they make cool stuff or they are environmentally smart, for example. Make a commitment to follow these companies – request informational interviews, connect with people on LinkedIn who work at these places, and just generally keep them on your radar. You don’t have to stalk anyone, but just maintain a high level of interest and knowledge in what they’re doing, so if you do get an interview, you will be knowledgeable and confident

going in.

Connections: If you have been looking for work for very long, people close to you might have forgotten what you’re looking for.

Develop a line or two (seriously, a two second commercial) that you repeat to everyone. “I want to be a fry cook.” Or “I want to work at BigCo Labs.” Or, “I want to get into medical device manufacturing.” That’s it. Then people will remember and think of you when something relevant comes up.

More connections: Join me

on LinkedIn and look through my connections. If there’s anyone in there you’d like to meet, let me know. I will gladly introduce you around. Especially look for recruiters; they know what’s going on out there.

Projects: There’s money in projects for people with certain skills. You can get started through temp agencies.

Relocation: If you can’t find work here, perhaps your skills are more in demand in another part of the country. This gets complicated, but if you are willing to relocate,

your range of possibilities grows exponentially.

Finding work is hard work.

It’s sometimes tiresome and sometimes thankless. To have fun and be effective, seek out people and companies that are interesting to you. Continue to learn and connect and, yes, the job offers will find you.

Julie Desmond is a Contract Recruiter for a Fortune 500 company in Minneapolis. Write to julie@insightnews.com.

Business passion: The workshop at Macy’s “The Workshop at Macy’s”, the retailer’s minority and womenowned business development program returns to identify and foster up-and-coming vendors After a highly successful inaugural edition this past Spring, Macy’s innovative business of fashion program - The Workshop at Macy’s, returns to mentor and foster growth for a new class of upand-coming minority and womenowned businesses. The retail 101 crash course, aims to take promising enterprises to the next level in order for them to achieve and sustain positive and successful vendor relationships. This industry first initiative reinforces Macy’s long-standing commitment to vendor diversity and to providing

customers with unique goods and services that meet their lifestyle.

The Workshop at Macy’s is a four and a half-day intensive training course developed by a consortium of experts from Macy’s Learning & Development, Macy’s Multicultural Merchandising and Vendor Development, Babson College, the nation’s leading business school for entrepreneurship, and with select Macy’s merchants/vendors.

The specially designed business development curriculum is aimed at minority and women-owned retail businesses that are poised to succeed on a larger scale, but need real-world business practice information and perspective on large-scale vendor relationships, to

move to the next level and sustain growth. A potential goal of this annual program is to help create a pipeline of viable enterprises that will grow to become successful partners within Macy’s own vendor community. First held this past Spring, the inaugural Workshop included 22 businesses that ranged from makeup/skincare companies to confectionaries, home textiles and ready-to-wear designers.

Said Shawn Outler, Macy’s group Vice-President of Multicultural Merchandising and Vendor Development, “The support and information made available to Workshop participants is invaluable in taking these businesses to the next phase of growth.”

The Workshop at Macy’s allows selected participants to collaborate with fellow aspiring vendors, gain access to industry experts and solicit one-on-one business coaching.

The course work includes classes on merchandising and assortment planning, marketing, EDI, financial management, and access to capital.

Of the first Workshop class, Outler noted, “The entire week served as a revelation for participants, who had many breakthrough moments. The financial management sessions led

by Elizabeth Thornton of Babson College, were especially eyeopening.

Every element of the Workshop

at Macy’s was designed to enhance and create long-term success for their businesses.”

Michelle Tunno Buelow, Founder and CEO of Bello Tunno, a previous participant noted, “The Workshop at Macy’s challenged us to examine our business on an elevated level. It encouraged us to realistically look at our current infrastructure and strategy, dream bigger, then bridge the gap. We left the week armed with a toolbox for success, a plan for growth and the support of Macy’s.”

“The opportunity changed my perspective and gave my business the retail insider information it needed to succeed even my own limits,” said Kim Roxie, Founder and CEO of LAMIK Beauty.

Macy’s is now accepting entries for consideration. Eligible applications will include a 250word biographical statement, look book/line sheets or images of product including costs, resumes on all owners, financial statements for the business for 2 years, fall within the minority and women-owned definition of the program and provide verification of the business as a legal entity (i.e.

Corporation, LLC, etc.), among other requirements. Applications must be submitted online or postmarked by Sunday, January 22, 2012 by 11:59pm ET. All information including full program requirements are available online

History

away or within walking distance.

Yet, here we were, in Plymouth, gazing at Minnetonka, and feeling real good that for those of us who hadn’t ridden a bicycle since the 3-speed was state of the art bicycle technology, we made it. We were back in the saddle again.

I’ve told people on several occasions how revelatory the Family Day bike ride was. There were cyclists who were older than me. There were cyclists who were bigger than me. There were cyclists with infants in tow in custom baby trailer carts. And there with cyclists who were about three feet tall whose teeny bikes were slightly larger than tricycles and big wheels. These little people, blessed with infinite energy, seemed to be leading the ride, under the tutelage of the Major Taylor Club ride masters.

The point is this: Here is community. 20-30 adults and elders, infants, toddlers and teens, cruising together down Plymouth Avenue and beyond. This is community.

I have been riding my bike almost every day since. And right now, my mind is fixed on riding into the winter…for as long as I can ride safely. What I do know is that many cyclists ride year round, even on the most difficult snow days and when temperatures are extremely low. Here’s my attitude: If they can do it, I can do it. We shall see.

I work 3.1 miles from home.

The bike ride down Plymouth Avenue and the return route up Plymouth or through the neighborhood heading west on

14th, 15th or 16th, is a joy. It is a different way of looking at the neighborhood and at your neighbors. You see things you had not noticed before and you feel the neighborhood differently.

This month included a growing celebration called Bike Walk Week. Bike Walk Week is designed to highlight the advantages of getting around in a multi-modal fashion. The premise is that bicycling and walking are more than just leisure activities – they promote better health, a cleaner environment, and can save you money.

Bike Walk Week encourages people to continue to incorporate walking and bicycling in their transportation options.

On Monday October 3, Nice Ride Minnesota launched its Saint Paul presence with a ride and tour

of the new Nice Ride stations in Saint Paul.

On Thursday October 6, the October Bike Walk to Work Day encouraged those who have been walking or riding to keep going as seasons change. A Downtown Minneapolis Commuter Fair at the IDS Center offered resources to help make commuting to work easier. The day included exploring new bicycle routes in Northeast Minneapolis..

On Saturday October 8, Minneapolis City Council President Barb Johnson, joined

by State Senator Linda Higgins and 5th Ward Council Member, Don Samuels cut the ribbon for the grand opening of the Emerson/ Fremont bike lanes in North Minneapolis. The grand opening celebration included a parade and group ride featuring custom bikes,

antique bikes, and Nice Ride bicycles. Cyclists and walkers gathered at Lowry & Fremont, across from North Regional Library. For a parade and ride that ended at Venture North Bike Walk Center, on Glenwood & Morgan N. Third Ward City Council Member Diane Hofstede joined State Representative Bobby Joe Champion and cultural wellness philosopher, Atum Azzahir, in extolling the benefits of bicycling, walking, sharing and doing business with neighborhood businesses. Live entertainment and soulful emceeing by KMOJ’s Chaz Millionaire wrapped the event in a positive vibe that affirmed the feeling of family in our community The parade and walk feature and lunch and refreshments stop behind Cookie Cart on West

Broadway, where residents met the principals of the J.B. Hood Bicycle Shop. The J.B. Hood crew invents and custom builds bicycles and electric assisted bicycles and carts. Both J.B. Hood and Venture North are significant entrepreneurial investments that stand to contribute to the retooling and reinvention of North Minneapolis as a place where micro-businesses can flourish and multiply.

On Sunday October 9, the grand opening of the new 1st and Blaisdell bike lanes in South Minneapolis included ribbon cutting at MLK Park (40th & Nicollet), and bike safety at the 5th Precinct.

Bicycling is a big deal. A really big deal. In fact, Governor

From 5 The Saturday morning ride team assembled at the NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center parking lot across from the Urban League. Bikes were tuned. Bottled water and energy snacks were handed out. And off we rode west on Plymouth into Theodore Wirth Park, past the Golf Course and into a magnificently beautiful terrain that I never knew existed.

The lesson, Taylor says, is that there is a world of beauty for pedestrians and cyclists that belongs to us, that is accessible to us, and that we cannot know unless we get out of automobiles and explore the trails in our community and beyond.

He said the sense of what is our community shifts, broadens and expands as you engage the world on a bicycle or explore the marvelous walking trails.

“I want us to know more about our world, our community and this is an important, healthful, natural and beneficial way to engage the geography as you create and expand community,” he said.

Taylor was absolutely right.

After what seem like only a few minutes we were taking a break and looking at Minnetonka in the near distance. I mean, generally speaking, when you are sitting around at Plymouth & Penn in North Minneapolis, you think of Minnetonka as being somewhere far…a healthy drive but certainly not a casual bike ride

MACY’S TURN TO 11

HISTORY TURN TO 11

Page 10 • October 31 - November 7, 2011 • Insight News

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COMMUNITY North Minneapolis Neighborhood beat...

By Ivan Phifer, Staff Writer Interested in Joining or Leading a Block Club in Hawthorne?

Crime statistics go down drastically in the community when Hawthorne has active, responsible residents looking out for one another.

There is training available to learn what to look for when monitoring the neighborhood, tips for staying safe, etc. Please call HNC at 612-5296033.

Victory Lind Bohnan will hold a board meeting from 7-9pm Wednesday November 2 at the Victory Neighborhood Association office 44th and Osseo Rd. For more information: Amy Lusebrick 763561-1616.

Harrison The Harrison Neighborhood Association will hold a Housing Committee meeting 6:30-7:30pm Thursday November 3 at the HNA office 503 Irving Av. N. For more information: Larry Hiscock 612374-4849 or info@hnampls.org

Lind-Bohanon The Lind Bohanon Neighborhood Organization will have a board meeting 7-9pm Thursday, November 3 at 4600 Humboldt Ave. N. Volunteer residents meet monthly for two hours to talk about projects, concerns, planning, crime and safety, civic engagement, and other activities or events in the neighborhood. All meetings are free and open to the public. For more information: Amy Luesebrink 763-561-1616 or scna@stribmail.com Jordan Housing Committee Meeting The Jordan Area Community Council (JACC) will have a housing and committee meeting 6:30-8pm Tuesday, November 8 at Plymouth Christian Youth Center (PCYC) 2210 Oliver Ave. N. For more information: Joe Horan 612-673-5144 or jhoran@ nrp.org Board Meeting JACC will hold a board meeting 6:30-8:30pm Wednesday November 9 at the JACC office 2009 James Av. N. For more information, Joe Horan 612-673-5144 or jhoran@nrp.org

Classifieds/Calendar RENTALS INH Property Management manages section 8 projects in the following cities in Minnesota.

Anoka Bridge Square 763-421-6772 Brainerd Mississippi Terrace 218-829-0274 Eden Valley Hillside 320-453-5968 Glenwood Glenview 320-634-3188 Hawley Northside Terrace 218-483-4524 Hutchinson Clinton House 320-587-5450 Isle Isle View 320-676-8624 Onamia Oakwood 320-532-4321 Pierz Kamic Lane 320-468-2581 Residents must meet income guidelines and the rent they pay will be 30% of their monthly income.

INH Property Management is an equal opportunity housing company.

is hiring a full-time Minister of Music.

Please visit our website for information. www.mtolivetbaptistchurch.org

Community Organizers Wanted!!

Events

MINISTER OF MUSIC

Working America / AFL-CIO is hiring full time staff to take our country back from the political forces that favor the wealthy and corporate special interests over your well-being! Diversity is highly valued at Working America: Women, people of color, and LGBT applicants strongly encouraged to apply. $457.60 week base pay - Entry Level. Fun work environment. EOE. Rapid advancement opportunities. - Apply Now: 612-331-5800

Shingle Creek The Shingle Creek Neighborhood Organization will hold a board meeting 6:30-8:30pm Tuesday, November 8 at Creekview Park 5001 Humboldt Ave. N. For more information: Amy Luesebrink 763-561-1616 or scan@stribmail.com Get Paid Helping Northside Seniors & Disabled Adults The Community Emergency Assistance Program (CEAP) and the Neighborhood Involvement Program (NIP) serve North Minneapolis as two senior chore service agencies. CEAP serves seniors north of 44th Av. N. and NIP serves seniors south of 44th Av. N. Both agencies have opportunities for individuals to earn $15 an hour doing snow removal and responsibilities as independent contractors.

PHONE: 612.588.1313 Send Community Calendar information to us by: email, andrew@insightnews. com, by fax: 612-588-2031, by phone: (612) 588-1313 or by mail: 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis, MN 55411, Attn: Andrew Notsch. Free or low cost events preferred.

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church of St. Paul, Minnesota

Senior Leaf Rake On Saturday, November 5, WCNO residents will rake leaves for senior homeowners and homeowners with disabilities. Leaves are raked, bagged (bags provided) and put at the alley line for pick up. Call 612-521-2100 to register for this free service.

Halloween Explosion - Oct. 31 A Mad Dads and Genesis Productions Inc. Event. Are you looking for a safe place for you and your kids to enjoy Halloween without the hassle, then come to Global Markets parking lot in South Minneapolis from 5:30pm-7:30pm

FAX: 612.588.2031 or the Cub Foods Store on the Northside from 7:45pm-9:30pm. There will be a candy give away for the kids. Come in costume, and enjoy the spirit of Halloween. Also, get great information about services that can help you in your community.

Holiday Food Drive - Give 5, Get 5. - Nov 1-Dec 31 SophieJoe’s Emporium announces its partnership with Second Harvest Heartland for a holiday food drive. Come into SophieJoe’s Emporium any time between November 1 and December 31, 2011 with 5 items from Second Harvest Heartland’s Most Needed Items list to receive a 5% discount card for SophieJoe’s Emporium merchandise. Give 5, Get 5. Money can also be donated to Second Harvest Heartland at SophieJoe’s using your Visa, MasterCard or cash. For every $100.00 you donate, you will receive a 5% discount card.

Assumed Name 1. State the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted: A Little Taste of Heaven 2. State the address of the principal place of business: 1320 Oliver Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55411 3. List the name and complete street address of all persons conducting business under the above Assumed Name OR if an entity, provide the legal corporate, LLC, or Limited Partnership name and registered office address. Attach additional sheet(s) if necessary: Evelyn Bledsoe, 1320 Oliver Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55411 4. I certify that I am authorized to sign this certificate and I further certify that I understand that by signing this certificate, I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Minnesota Statues section 609.48 as if I had signed this certificate under oath.

Signed by: Evelyn Bledsoe Date Filed: 10/17/2011 Insight News 10/31/2011, 11/7/2011

Foreclosure Sale 122 Unit Apartment Complex Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT Note: This advertisement is placed by HUD and does not constitute the legal notice of foreclosure sale.

Breaking Free’s 2nd Annual Benefit Breakfast - Nov 5 Breaking Free is hosting a complimentary breakfast at The Great Hall in St. Paul to share past successes, plans for the future, and testimonials from survivors who have been helped by the program. RSVP required to events@breakingfree.net. The Great Hall in St. Paul. 180 E. 5th St. Suite 160 St. Paul, MN 55101. 10-11:30am (parking in the Lowertown and Galtier garages.)

Reading and Book Signing by Author John Coy – Nov 5 Join us for a reading and book signing by author John Coy. Coy is the author of the award-winning picture books “Night Driving,� “Strong to the Hoop,� “Vroomaloom Zoom� and “Two Old Potatoes and Me.� His 4 for 4 series, for middle school readers, explores the importance of teamwork, friendship and being open to change both on and off the field. Books will be available for purchase at the event and 20% of proceeds will benefit literacy programs at the YWCA St. Paul. For more information, visit http://ywreads. eventbrite.com. @ YWCA St. Paul 375 Selby Ave., St. Paul.

Come Sing the Great Songs of Peace - Nov 5 Minnesota Community SINGS! Event

Both programs require individuals to be 18 or older and go through a criminal background check.

Participants must also have their own shovel, or snow blower and provide own transportation to job sites. For more information: Jon Burkhow at (612) 374-3322.

Camden North United Methodist Church (NUMC) has a Church Clothes Closet 9am-Noon the first Saturday of each month and 6-8 pm the first Monday of each month at 4350 Fremont Ave. N. Donations are accepted. For further information: 612-522-4497.

Weight loss classes Weight loss classes for Black men take place every Friday from 6:30-8:30pm at Kwanzaa Church 2200 Emerson Ave. N. The class is a 12-week course for Black men who live with obesity, type II diabetes, high blood pressure and hypertension.

The cost ranges from $100 to $300 depending on training materials. Space is limited to the first 10 qualified participants. For more information: Kwasi Nate Russell 612-359-0077 or Kwasinate. russell009@gmail.com

EMAIL: andrew@insightnews.com with WAMM on Sat., Nov. 5, 7-8:30pm, Mpls Eagles Club, 2507 E. 25th St. Mpls. Led by Bret Hesla, Mary Preus & Larry Dittberner of Minnesota Community SINGS with special guest, WAMM’s resident songwriter Brigid McDonald. A benefit for WAMM, $15 adults, $5 kids, $25 family. All voices welcome!

POD-Tensive - Nov 5 This full-day event to teach type 2 diabetes management strategies is scheduled for Sat., Nov. 5 at 9:30am-4:00pm. In the gymnasium of the Phillips Community Center, 2323 11th Ave., Mpls, MN. Cost is $25.00 per participant with full scholarships available for those whose income requires assistance. Family members and friends are also welcome to attend at a foodcost only charge. There are no scholarships to cover family and friends. For more info: http:// www.meetup.com/A-Partnership-Of-Diabetics/ events/32370012/ Blake School Admissions Open House - Nov 5, 12 & Dec 8 The Blake School invites families to learn more about Blake — our faculty and students, our programs, and what makes us unique. Parents and their children are invited to explore and learn more about Blake on Nov. 5 & 12 and on Dec. 8.

For directions or more information, please visit Blake’s web site at www.blakeschool.org or call the Blake Admissions Office at (952) 988-3420.

Chik’N Wing’s One Clown Circus Live! - Nov 6 @ Midtown Global Market on Sun., Nov. 6 at 4pm. The show feature original music, magic, juggling and lots of balloons. Midtown Global Market is located on Lake Street at Chicago Avenue. For more information call (612) 2053613.

Sing Me to Heaven: Love Songs and a Requiem - Nov 6, 12, 13 Prepare to be transported, comforted and captivated by Sing Me to Heaven: Love Songs and a Requiem, the Saint Paul Vocal Forum’s (SPVF) upcoming set of November performances. The choir’s Northside Mpls. concert for this series will be held at 7pm on Sat., Nov. 12 at Salem Lutheran Church, 4150 Dupont Ave. N. FREE. Other dates: Sun., Nov. 6, 7pm - St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, 11660 West County Road B, Roseville. Sun., Nov. 13, 3pm - St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 2600 Margaret St., N. St. Paul.

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History From 9 Mark Dayton declared October Safe Routes to School Month to highlight the benefits of walking and bicycling to school. Local, state and national Safe Routes to School efforts support walking and bicycling to school yearround based on research that shows that kids who walk or bicycle to school are healthier and arrive more focused and ready to learn.

For example, a 15-minute walk or bicycle ride to and from school each day will help kids achieve half of their daily physical activity needs.

“Walking and bicycling to school is a great way to find time to get physically active,” said Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota Commissioner of Health. “The whole community benefits when more kids walk and bicycle to school.”

In addition to the health

West From 8 attack President Obama instead of Rick Perry, an unabashed foe of the working class who literally wraps himself in the bible, that is leading all Republican candidates in the polls, when Barack is the only friend of the poor who has a chance of being elected to the Oval Office? Why are you not running around like a watchman in the night yelling “Blasphemy!”

“Sacrilege!” to the top of your

Violence From 2 the Cease Fire Chicago project, a proven evidence based approach to reduce shootings and killings in high violence areas. The components of CVPC Cease Fire include; street outreach, community mobilization, faith leader involvement, public education campaigns and referrals to service providers.

“One of the things that keep us stuck in this country is the way we think about violence,” said Wilkinson. “The way we frame it is the bad apple. The environment is the bad barrel and the rotten barrel makes the apples go bad.

We are dealing with something much more complex. Young people are experiencing events they are ill-equipped to deal with, and violence is part of the normal development of children in negotiating conflict and stresses,” she said.

Wilkinson reported that in her study, 77% of young men she interviewed witnessed murder by gun violence.

“We know guns are overprevalent in urban communities and easy to get, but why do young people feel they need to have them?” Wilkinson asked.

Principal Investigator Dr. Esther Jenkins went into specific reasons reported by youth about social conditions, home and school to answer this question.

A middle school student reported, “when you wake up in the morning and you have your days, that’s how my neighborhood is. It has its days and you never know how it will be. Anything can happen at anytime. Wherever you go, you have to have the mentality that when you leave the house, it’s not guaranteed you will come back home.”

“One of the things children are very aware of is that things can jump off quickly and it is not necessarily of your own making.

It is random, unpredictable and you can be caught in it as a victim,” Jenkins said.

Gender based fears among adolescent women, are another factor. “The suggestion of sexual victimization, men who try and ‘talk to you’, being followed home and in cars contributes to needs of protection,” Jenkins said.

High School males showed the most frustration. “Schools are insensitive to what we go through.

My friend just got killed and I’m sitting in class like nothing happened. How am I supposed to do math, calculus and things irrelevant to my situation,” said a

Macy’s From 9 at www.macysinc.com/workshop.

All eligible applications will be reviewed and select applicants will be asked to attend an in-person interview. The program will aim to invite at minimum 20 businesses to attend the course which begins in early May of 2012.

For more information on The Workshop at Macy’s, please visit www.macysinc.com/workshop.

Insight News • October 31 - November 6 6, 2011 • Page 11 benefits, research shows that kids who walk or bicycle to school have fewer behavior problems and tend to have better academic achievement.

“Healthy kids are better learners,” said Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. “By encouraging children to walk and ride their bikes to school - and by modeling those activities as adults - we’re helping them establish lifelong patterns of fitness that will benefit them in school and at work.”

“Walking and bicycling are important components of a complete transportation system and of Minnesota’s quality of life,” said Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel.

“People of all ages deserve to arrive at their destinations safely, no matter what mode they choose.”

Across Minnesota, Safe Routes to School is a growing movement that has more than 115 schools reaching more than 78,000 students and staff to support more active and healthier lifestyles.

And bicycling is big in our community. Really big. A recent press release from the Major Taylor Bicycling Club talked about Nelson Vails, the only African American Olympic Medalist, being guest speaker at the National Brotherhood of Cyclists conference at the Marriot Downtown Oakland last August. The conference also featured Angela Davis, political activist, scholar and author who talked about race, inequity and justice.

Nelson Vails’ nickname, Cheetah, was derived from his career as a bike messenger in NYC, as well as his acclaimed silver medal win in the 1984 Olympics. He went on to race in Europe, Japan and Australia and race professionally from 19881994.

Vails remains involved in cycling through bike groups and lives in Las Vegas. On Nov. 7th, 2009, Vails was inducted into the US Bicycling Hall of Fame. He came from a poor neighborhood in Harlem and through hard work

and determination broke into what was once seen as a middle class, white-man’s sport.

Anthony Taylor is Vice President of NBC. He said, “The importance of bringing bicycling to diverse populations continues to increase as health and lifestyle concerns are some of the biggest obstacles to leading healthier lives, as well as building our communities with the intention of better living.”

The National Brotherhood of Cyclists (NBC), is an association of affiliate cycling clubs open to anyone regardless of race, color, ethnic origin, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability.

NBC is establishing itself as a “hub” for other cycling clubs and bicycling related organizations around the country that are working to be more inclusive and improve collaboration between newly established organizations such as the National Brotherhood of Cyclists with more established cycling advocacy groups such as the League of American Cyclists, Safe Routes To School, USA

Cycling and the Alliance for Biking and Walking.

NBC was founded in 2008 by a group of grassroots African American cycling clubs from around the USA that recognized the need to create a national organization to promote a love of cycling, increase diversity, and decrease health disparities that affect all communities by raising awareness of personal health and the health benefits of cycling to diverse populations.

Major Taylor Bicycling Club highlights the health benefits and the rediscovered utility of the bicycle. “There has been a significant increase in bicycling for health and transportation and we are committed to increasing access, awareness and the opportunities for our community.

With the Support of Bike Walk Twin Cities and REI we are able to get information, maps and training to the community in one day. We have begun a tradition of giving bikes away to community families and this year we were able to give away

60 bikes. We are amazed at the number of community members who want bikes for themselves or their children and this turns out to be an incredible gift to the community. We are also able to get over 100 helmets in the hands of kids to make biking safer.

“We awarded Walter Anderson and the Plymouth Christian Youth Center youth bikes that they will use as part of the personal development initiative,” he said.

“We view the bike as a vehicle for change. We can support community health improvement and support community safety and bring individuals and families together,” he said.

“There is a transportation revolution happening and this one is based on the bicycle, not the car. This transportation revolution will build community, increase engagement, increase the health and well-being of our families and neighborhoods.

Our goal is to be leaders in this paradigm shift,” he said.

lungs? Was it not Jesus who said: “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven?” Did not Jesus Christ despise usurious bankers so much that he drove the money lenders from the temple with violent action? If I, a man whose devoutly Christian senior daughter has declared “an unchurched heathen,” is offended by this perversion of the teachings of Jesus why aren’t you? If their false theology offends a wretch like me – an avowed atheist beyond salvation – why are you so nonchalant Chilly Willie? You

who claim to love the lord every chance you get! I have wracked my brain seeking an answer to this enigma.

If you are not the stealth provocateur out to do the president in for money or personal animosities fueled by envy, revenge or blind ambition, then you have misread your role and tragically squandered your splendid gifts worse than anyone I can think of now or in the distant past. Ten years ago you ran around the country urging people to vote for consumer advocate and political gadfly Ralph Nader rather than Al Gore,

the Democratic candidate. And in doing so you helped to elect George W. Bush; if the 300,000 wayward Democrats had not voted for Nader in Florida, Al Gore’s margin of victory would have been so large that the controversy which put Bush in office would never have been an issue. Not only are you far too arrogant and self-righteous to fess up your role in this disaster, and seek forgiveness from the multitude of Americans who were injured or killed by Bush’s decisions on the economy, taxes, war and peace: You are doing it again!!!!!

It seems that you never learn, or you refuse to learn, but I warned you that your misguided preachment could result in the election of George Bush and it did. In fact, I published a commentary of several thousand words laying out the dimensions of the impending disaster titled “On Choosing the Lesser Evil” and I have posted it on this blog to remind people of the destructive role you played 10 years ago. It is inconceivable that you learned nothing from that experience; but alas, either you learned nothing or you are clear in your purpose to destroy

the Presidency of President Obama no matter what. That would make you a helpful ally of the Tea Party if not an agent.

Should these right wing antigovernment zealots achieve total control of the US government; the sins that they commit against working people of all colors will also leave an indelible stain on your character. It would be poetic justice worthy of a Shakespearian tragedy to watch you wander about like Lady Macbeth crying “Out damned spot!’ in a futile attempt to white-wash your role as midwife to the calamity.

high school student.

Another issue among youth is respect.

“Why do kids fight?” Jenkins asked.

“Disrespect.”

“Disrespect is communicated in a number of ways; how people look at you, talk about you, spread rumors, or if a student next to another students answers a question in class they wanted to answer,” Jenkins said.

“It’s the need to fight to maintain your respect. Even if you know you cannot fight, you still get respect because you stood up for yourself,” a high school

student reported.

“Being raised in a violent environment prompts you to expect and be prepared for violence,” Jenkins said.

In a break out session a young woman said, “Two of my brother’s friends got shot last week. How am I supposed to deal with this? Who actually cares about us?”

A young man in his pre-teens talked about the after effects of the May 22 2011 North Minneapolis tornado and the trauma it has had on students his age. “I’m kind of disappointed that where I live, months after the tornado, there

are still tarps on the roofs and people still have trees in their yards. It looks really violent. If our neighborhoods look violent, like nobody cares, what are we supposed to do?”

During the break out session, students were asked to compile a list of what was working in the community, and what did not work.

The list of things needed to improve the community was much longer than the list of what did work.

The students said the community needs recreation for youth such as more skating

rinks, theaters, and arcades. They said youth need mentors to help address and speak about adverse issues and employment.

“Your very presence here speaks volumes to your interest,

vision and commitment to a crisis that has existed for more than 25 years,” English said. “We may in fact be the last hope for many youth, boys and girls, but mostly African Americans that live in

Page 12 • October 31 - November 6 6, 2011 • Insight News

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