Insight News ::: 11.23.15

Photo: Dan Norman

Traci Allen Shannon stars as Dorothy in CTC’s “Wizard of Oz” MORE ON PAGE 10

aesthetically speaking

Insight News November 23 - November 29, 2015

Vol. 42 No. 47 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

DEAD: Add Jamar Clark to the list

By Harry Colbert, Jr. and Insight News Editors Add Jamar Clark to the list.

That was the sentiment of hundreds of protesters who have camped out in front of the Fourth District Precinct headquarters of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) – braving dipping temperatures and constant rain – demanding answers for the early Sunday morning Nov. 15 police shooting of Clark. The headquarters located at 1925 Plymouth Ave. N. is just two blocks from where Clark was shot by a MPD officer. By Monday evening that sentiment spilled out onto Interstate 94 as protesters blocked traffic to bring attention to the killing for Clark. Eventually 51 were

Jamar Clark arrested in the protest – all peacefully.

It all began when officers were responding to an early morning call on Sunday that Clark, 24, had assaulted his girlfriend. Officers say Clark attacked paramedics attending to his girlfriend. But according to multiple witnesses Clark was completely restrained at the time of the shooting.

CLARK TURN TO 9

Harry Colbert, Jr.

Betty Smith (pink) talking to reporters outside of the Fourth District Precinct of the Minneapolis Police Department as James Hall (black jacket), father of Jamar Clark , who was shot Sunday (Nov. 15) by Minneapolis Police, and Black Lives Matter activists Kandace Montgomery watches on. Smith’s son, Quincy Smith, was killed by Minneapolis Police in December of 2008.

Community creates united urban agenda American community members and leaders came together at the University of Minnesota, Humphrey School of Public Policy, to begin a conversation about crafting a united urban agenda.

The fundamental premise of this effort is that we’re better together, than we are apart.

Dr. Josie R. Johnson, affectionately referred to as the Godmother of the Minnesota

Our agenda

By Jeffrey A. Hassan, Executive Director African American Leadership Forum

John Taylor, CDP, Cargill, Director of Supplier Diversity, Strategic Sourcing and Procurement

Beginning in February 2015, a broad cross section of African

Dr. Jacob Gayle, President Medtronic Foundation, Dr. Sylvia Bartley, Medtronic PLC, Global Director, and AALF Co-chair, Jeffrey Hassan, AALF Executive Director

Photos: John Taylor/Cargill

Dr. Josie Johnson

AGENDA TURN TO 6

George Bonga (August 20, 1802 – 1880) was a fur trader of African-American and Ojibwe descent. He was one of the first African Americans born in Minnesota.

ALLIES, RELATIVES AND ENEMIES

The complex relationships of Native Americans and African Americans Justspeak

By Irma McClaurin, PhD Culture and Education Editor

I am haunted by a sepia photo of a tall, somber man with chiseled cheekbones and a squared jaw.

He is neither white nor black, and the story goes that he has “Indian blood” in him. True or not, I don’t know. He is related to me—my great, great maternal grandfather.

HERITAGE TURN TO 3

Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter selected as one of 25 members nationwide for GOVERNING’s Women in Government Leadership Program Class of 2016. The Class of 2016 gathered for their first leadership conference.

Commissioner Carter is in the first row, second from left.

Governing Institute 2016

Hodges and Carter at leader summit WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Governing Institute announced the 25 members of the Women in Government Leadership Program 2016 class of elected officials from state and local government selected to participate in the annual program.

Among the class of 25 are two women governing in the Twin Cities – Ramsey County

Commissioner Toni Carter and Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges.

Governing Institute’s Women in Government Leadership Program highlights the contributions of women currently in public office, provides leadership development and job critical skills during three in-person summits, and creates

a network to pay it forward by inviting and mentoring the next generation of women leaders to run for office.

Each class is chosen from nominations submitted online.

Women must be elected to a state or local office and not on the ballot during the program year. More than 100 women were nominated for the Class of 2016 and selections

were made based on career and educational accomplishments, recommendations from the nominators, a commitment to actively participate, and a goal of seating a diverse class in a number of categories. Each class includes one rising star, a young woman not yet serving in elected office,

LEADERS TURN TO 9

Health

Boxing legend

Commentary

Education

Holiday eating tips and a recipe for you

Sugar Ray Leonard reflects on “No Más” 35 years later

Brunsberg: Closed captioning becoming more accessible for independent media

Project SPIRIT: A reflection of success

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Page 2 • November 23 - November 29, 2015 • Insight News

YOU’RE

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WE’VE

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Insight News • November 23 - November 29, 2015 • Page 3

Holiday eating tips and a recipe for you

By Julie McMahon CHHC Sound Nutrition LLC

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds* 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts 1 large firm-ripe Bartlett pear

The holiday season is HERE and with it are all sorts of fun-filled, FOOD-filled activities!!

The average person gains between 2-8 pounds over the holiday season! Not an issue if you can lose it quickly after the New Year, but many of us don’t and our numbers creep up on the scale year after year. Looking for a few tips so that you can still have fun, yet stay on track? Then read on....

Preparation 1. In a small saucepan, boil pomegranate juice until reduced to 1/4 cup, 5 to 6 minutes. Let cool. Whisk in lemon juice, oil, salt, thyme, and pepper.

2. In a salad bowl, gently mix spinach, radicchio, pomegranate seeds, and hazelnuts with dressing. Divide among 6 plates.

3. Quarter pear and core. Thinly slice crosswise, then stack slices and cut in matchsticks. Arrange pear on salads. *Splatter-free seeding: Cut a pomegranate into chunks. Put chunks in a bowl of water, and, working under water, use your hands to break seeds free from pith.

1. Drink plenty of water before you start “the feast”. Many of our cravings, especially for salt and sugar are from dehydration.

The extra water will also help you with portion control.

2. Don’t arrive at the party hungry! Starving yourself in anticipation for a big meal will only make you grab more than you normally would.

3. Pace Yourself! This is not a race.

4. Take time to enjoy and be grateful for your food and the people you are sharing it with.

That is the message of the season, after all!

Heritage From 1 I was once told by my mother that at one time in Alabama, it was better to be Black than to be Indian, and some of the latter “passed” for Black. It is a haunting story of identity, racial and cultural mixing and a nod to the complex ways in the histories of Native Americans and Black Americans are inextricably linked.

There are in many Black families folk legends about the ethnogenesis or mixture between African Americans and Native Americans—some of it cultural, some of it genetics, some of it relational—but all of them rooted in an invisible aspect of Native American history.

While some narratives may be the products of invention, others are rooted in relationships between Native Americans and enslaved Africans that date back several centuries. A website description (http://williamlkatz. com/boo.../) of Black Indians by William Loren Katz reads that it “…(speaks) of the African guides and translators of the colonial era who became valued contacts with indigenous peoples, examines the African and Indian alliance known as the Pueblo revolt of 1680 that ended Spain’s rule of the southwest for a dozen years, introduces Francisco Menedex and the 1738 Black Indian community (Black Seminoles) that defended its liberty in Florida against British incursions, and describes the Lowry Gang in North Carolina that fought the Civil War Confederacy and then battled the KKK” These narratives, some real and some invented, document the ways in which the cultural histories of Native Americans

Have a Fabulous Day!

5. Use smaller plates. This is a simple way to get a handle on your portions.

6. Limit alcohol. It’s not just the calories from the alcohol, it’s all the extra food that gets grabbed to go with it. Relax, have a little, and leave some for the rest of the year.

7. Be choosy about your sweets.

Select small portions of a dessert that really attracts you. There’s no need to eat a bunch of sweets

and Black Americans are historically connected in unique ways that make us allies, relatives, sometimes rivals (oppression Olympics) and yes, even enemies (some Native American tribes were slave owners).

Throughout my career, my knowledge of our intertwined destinies has grown as I encounter more information about the historic linkages between Native and Black Americans: from my friend and colleague France Winddance Twine who is a registered member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation (https:// en.wikipedia.org/wi...), from my acquaintance with the late John Hope Franklin, the revered Black historian, who fought the exclusion of Black Indians from the tribes in Oklahoma just before his death.

In 2007, while working for the Ford Foundation, I closed out a grant entitled “The Shifting Borders of Race and Identity: A Research and Teaching Project on the Native American and African American Experience” (http://www.shiftingborders..../).

It was a collaboration between University of Kansas (KU) and Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU).

The results of that collaboration are now collected in two e-books (http://www. shiftingborders....) documenting the close relationship between Native Americans and Black Americans, including the existence of Black Indians.

My next encounter with the invisible history of allyship as well as tensions between Native Americans and Black Americans surfaced when I served on the dissertation committees of Dr. Rosalind Howard who wrote about the Black Seminoles of Florida who migrated to the Bahamas (https://www.youtube.

that you would normally pass by.

8. Bring a salad or veggie tray to share. This is a great way to have a food at the party that is healthy and that you know you will enjoy! (Check out a new recipe for Spinach, Pomegranate Salad!!)

9. Move!!! Opt for an after dinner walk instead of heading for the couch!

10.

friend....send out a food S.O.S. to your favorite accountability partner. (ps. My phone will be on and accepting texts throughout the holiday season :)

Spinach Pomegranate Salad with Pears and Hazelnuts

If all else fails....phone a

Diana Fletcher (Black Seminole, b. 1838), adopted into the Kiowa tribe. Her father was African American, and her mother was Seminole. Her stepfamily was Kiowa. com/wat...) and Dr. Terry Weik, who also wrote about the resistance of Black Seminoles in Florida based on his archaeological research (http:// www.sha.org/unlockin...).

When most people contemplate Native American Heritage month, they often don’t consider the deep and complex relationships that slavery and colonialism fostered between enslaved people, maroon Blacks (those never enslaved), freedman and the indigenous (First People) populations of the

Americas. They don’t recognize that we are linked as people by blood, by cultural exchange and by our collective struggles for liberation.

The relationship I seek to celebrate during National Native Heritage month is not the conflict and those Native Americans who seek to exclude Black Indians from their rightful heritage.

Rather, I choose to celebrate our relationship as allies developed through intermarriage, based on the

Ingredients 3/4 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons roasted hazelnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 5 ounces spinach leaves (about 2 lightly packed qts.)

3/4 cup finely shredded radicchio (from 1 head)

support that certain Native American groups showed when they sheltered runaway slaves or took maroons (Africans who escaped before being enslaved).

I celebrate our collective resistance as people fighting for our freedom and dignity against colonialism and the white supremacy beliefs that undergird this American democracy that was not initially conceived by its founders as an inclusive society--no Native Americans, no Blacks and no women. We have had to be amended into the Constitution.

This is a story that needs to be told and retold. Our destinies as Native Americans and Black Americans are inextricably linked to the future of this country, and our fight for full recognition as citizens is one where we must join forces and build up our history of being Allies. We must raise our voices to bring attention to the issues that plague our communities: inexcusable poverty among Native Americans and Black Americans (but the highest levels in the country is on Indian Reservations), the epidemic of suicides devastating Native American youth and the failure of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to do anything significant, the historically poor stewardship of the Bureau of Indian Affairs that is a combination of institutionalized racism and benign neglect, the school to prison pipeline for both our youth, historic educational inequality and an achievement gap that continues to widen, rampant unemployment and undeterred police brutality. We have so much in common.

We must never stop fighting for our piece of the American dream until this country’s democratic belief in life, liberty and pursuit of happiness is a reality for ALL of its American

Julie McMahon, Founder/Owner of Sound Nutrition, is a Certified Holistic Health Coach and Raw Food Nutrition Educator who is passionate about Nutrition, Health and Wellness. Julie believes in the power of whole foods to create optimal health and maximum energy flow and works with her clients in a step by step approach to achieve their personal vision of health. For more information, or to schedule a nutrition consultation, visit: www. mysoundnutrition.com or call NutritionJulie at 612-270-9344.

citizens, but most especially the First People ( Native Americans) who predate every immigrant group and whose rights have been trampled and Black Americans, whose ancestors were forcibly brought to the Americas as slaves and, whose labor and bodies produced the original wealth of this country.

Read More: http://stephenbodio. blogspot.com/2005/09/newestindians-dna-black-cherokeeand.html?m=1 http://ncpedia.org/tribes http://www.npr. org/2010/11/30/131696685/Black-Indians-ExploreChallenges-Of-Hidden-Heritage https://en.m.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Lumbee http://america.aljazeera. com/articles/2014/7/22/blackamerican-indiansseektohonorthe irmixedancestry.html http://www.theroot.com/ articles/history/2014/04/why_ most_black_people_aren_t_ part_indian.html (C) 2015 McClaurin Solutions All Rights Reserved. Do Not Reprint Without Permission Irma McClaurin is an award winning columnist, whose work is now available for syndication.

She recently won the 2015 Award for Best in the Nation, Emory O. Jackson Column Writing for the Black Press of America, presented by the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) at the 75th Anniversary convention.

McClaurin is the Culture and Education Editor for Insight News, an activist anthropologist, writer, motivational speaker and proponent of diversity and inclusiveness leadership.

Contact: mcclaurinsolutions@ gmail.com/ www.irmamcclaurin. com/ @mcclaurintweets

Page 4 • November 23 - November 29, 2015 • Insight News

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Sugar Ray Leonard reflects on “No Más” 35 years later

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Contributing Writer Sugar Ray Leonard had no doubt that he’d defeat Roberto Duran when the two warriors squared off in a rematch of their epic first welterweight title bout that ended in a split decision victory for the Panamanian known as “The Hands of Stone.”

What Leonard, the legendary six-time world champion didn’t know was that Duran – one of the most feared fighters of his generation – would surrender after uttering the most-infamous phrase in the history of boxing, “No Más.”

“I went into that second fight 100 percent sure that I was going to win,” Leonard said in an exclusive interview with NNPA News Wire just prior to the 35th anniversary of his famous clash with Duran that took place before a sold-out crowd on Nov. 25, 1980 at the Superdome in New Orleans, La. “I did everything that was necessary, I trained a lot more economically,” he said, noting that he didn’t expend the same amount of draining energy while training for his first fight with Duran in Montreal, Canada just five months earlier.

“I didn’t allow Duran’s antics to get to me,” Leonard said.

On that fateful night, legendary music superstar Ray Charles – whom Leonard was named after – performed “America the Beautiful” prior to the opening bell and the young gladiator’s confidence soared.

“That was it,” Leonard said.

Now, 35 years later, Leonard who grew up in Palmer Park,

Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation

Sugar Ray Leonard said that he knew that he was going to win his rematch with Roberto Duran at the Superdome in New Orleans, La. Md. vividly recalled the events leading up to the first fight and the rematch as if it happened yesterday.

Duran, who entered the first contest at Olympic Stadium in Montreal with an astonishing 71-1 record with 56 knockouts, spewed vitriol at Leonard and his wife, infuriating the welterweight champion.

“He was nasty, I hated him,” said Leonard, who entered with a record of 27-0 with 18 knockouts.

Leonard continued: “Duran was a veteran and he knew he could get inside my head, which he did. There was also a communication gap, because he didn’t speak English that well.

He challenged my manhood and made me feel less than a fighter, less than a man, and he used

profanity toward my wife.”

Leonard said he couldn’t stand to be around his nemesis and shocked observers by choosing to brawl with the slugger, losing the decision and his title.

“I wanted to beat him so bad and I abandoned my style,” Leonard said, noting that he over-trained for the first fight.

“It’s not an excuse, I lost, but he got into my head.”

In the rematch, it was Leonard who got the mastery over his opponent, both physically and mentally.

“When he quit, however, it became more about what he did than what I made him do,” Leonard said, echoing his long-lived lament that was captured two years ago in an ESPN documentary about the

fight, titled “30-for-30 – No Más” The documentary has reaired on ESPN since its debut and is available at Amazon. com.

The film provided boxing fans a closer look at how Leonard outsmarted, out-punched and out-maneuvered Duran, before Leonard humiliated his foe with the famous ‘Ali Shuffle,’ mock bolo punches and even sticking his chin out daring Duran to hit him.

At 2:44 of the eighth round, Duran threw up his hands and said, “No Más,” quitting after realizing he had no shot at defeating Leonard, who, with the win, regained his welterweight championship.

“As a fighter, you just have to know some things, you just

want to hear him finally say that he quit because he knew I had beat him,” Leonard said of his trip to Panama to visit Duran that was captured in the ESPN documentary.

Duran never did confess to quitting in the ring that night, because he was being beaten and humiliated by Leonard. According to the world champ from Palmer Park, the Panamanian fighter still struggled with the loss when they met in his home country.

“When I saw him [in Panama] struggling with that, I didn’t want to bring him down any further,” Leonard said. “It’s crazy, standing there with him in Panama, I was a nervous wreck and so was he.

But, we are friends now.”

While the Nov. 25, 1980 bout was a seminal moment in Leonard’s hall of fame career, he still provided boxing fans with even more memories.

Less than one year after he beat Duran, Leonard fought Thomas “Hitman” Hearns in Las Vegas, Nev., on Sept. 16, 1981 to unify the welterweight title in a match dubbed “Showdown at the Palace.”

“The thing with Tommy is that I had to disassemble him.

He’s such an anomaly standing nearly 6’ 2” and super fast, Tommy was a beast and even my brother, Roger, thought Tommy would beat me,” Leonard said, adding that even he had doubts.

“I fought the best way that I could in the early rounds,” he said.

Looking around the packed arena, Leonard said he noticed all of the celebrities at ringside, including Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes and others.

“I said, ‘Who in this arena can beat Tommy? I saw Ali, I saw everyone,” Leonard said.

The turning point came in the sixth round of the scheduled 15 round slugfest.

“I hit him with a left hook and I said, ‘Damn, I can hit too,’” Leonard said.

Later, after unleashing one of the most spectacular barrages in ring history, Leonard punished Hearns with flush right and left hands leading the referee to stop the fight in the 14th round and awarding Leonard a TKO victory.

A Gold Medalist in the 1976 Olympics, Leonard was named fighter of the decade in the 1980s and he would go on to win titles in five different weight classes including a memorable clash on April 6, 1987 with Middleweight Champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

With Hagler the heavy favorite, Leonard silenced all doubters.

“I remember looking at the sportswriters at ringside and I would nod my head at them,” said Leonard. “After the ninth round, those guys started nodding their heads too because, they knew I was going to win.”

Today, Leonard still keeps up with his idol, the ailing Muhammad Ali and he continues to immerse himself in charity and other endeavors including his Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation.

“Without Ali, I wouldn’t be here,” Leonard said. “He’s hanging in there, he’s a champion.”

Finally, when asked how he thinks he would fair in his prime against today’s best, Floyd Mayweather, Leonard laughed.

“We bump into each other and he says, ‘I can beat you,’ and I’d say ‘you can’t touch me,’” Leonard said. “I’m a fighter, a champion.”

Blending culture, competence and commerce

By Dr Anita Davis-DeFoe In today’s Creativity Age, increasingly there is intense focus on levels of leadership effectiveness and marketplace innovation relative to the delivery of products and services. Whether as an entrepreneur or employee, the question has become how an individual creates and delivers value to others, to teams, to organizations.

Since 2000, One Hand Can’t Clap, based in London, has been transforming the skillsets and proficiencies of individuals and elevating organizational capacity through enterprise education.

One Hand Can’t Clap is the brainchild of Lorlett Hudson. Hudson is a multiaward winning entrepreneur, inventor, motivational speaker, seminar leader, and life coach who has a passion for driving culture change through entrepreneurship training. She set up One Hand Can’t Clap as a learning and development training company to elevate performance, foster the practice

of effective leadership, and inspire creative ideas drawing on the rich philosophical significance of Jamaican proverbs.

Hudson is commonly known as “The Woman of Proverbs” and the inventor of the critically acclaimed multi-award winning “Things Mama Used To Say”, which is a 52-card box set of Jamaican proverbs designed to develop creative people, build creative cultures, facilitate change management and develop high performing teams.

Through her innovative approach to nurturing personal effectiveness, Hudson gives her clients countless tools in this powerful box of cards which helps them assess, redirect, and implement new strategies focused on tapping into their talents and creativity. The “Things Mama Used To Say” proverbs cards are currently sold in the UK, in Jamaica’s Airport shops, at other outlets across the island of Jamaica, and online.

This pioneering approach has resulted in her winning the Silver Award of the prestigious British Female Inventors &

Lorlett Hudson Innovators Awards 2005, Wavemakers National Award 2006, twice runner up in the National Training Awards 2008/2010. Further, she is a Cherie Blair Foundation Business Mentor and also a Member of Courvoisier -The Future 500 top talents in the UK. Hudson is a member of The 100 Black plus Achievers in the UK, Listed in ‘’Profile of Excellence Book’’ – Strategies for Extraordinary Achievement from 25 years of Interviewing Remarkable People – Ian Boyne and Glenford Smith, Jamaica 2013. All of these accolades have been in recognition of her innovative unique story-based coaching and training style of connecting with young people and adults through Jamaican proverbs and storytelling.

Hudson’s mission is to utilize and share her experiences, knowledge and expertise using a “Knowledge Transfer Partnership” approach

to transform, empower and support individuals to fulfil their potential and to strive for excellence within a diverse, competitive and global environment.

Hudson has successfully and creatively linked culture, competence and commerce. She recognizes that culture trumps strategy in organizations, as the Harvard Business Review shares that “Cultural Intelligence is the most important competence for successful global business.”

Exploiting many creative angles to support the continued development of Britain’s rich cultural heritage and enterprise infused with that of the Caribbean, Hudson has developed and designed a series of leadership development workshops, seminars, roadshows, Black History events, school seminars, residential learning weekends, retreats, and proverb parties.

When asked what inspired her to create the cards, Hudson said, “I wanted to promote and preserve Jamaica’s rich cultural heritage and history, teach intercultural communication and global leadership. I sought to celebrate the language and culture that enabled Jamaicans to rise, while using storytelling to powerfully connect with each other and diverse communities.

As the older generation is passing away, there is a concern

with losing our rich culture heritage.”

Continuing with her infectious smile as she talks about One Hand Can’t Clap, Hudson shared: “Telling stories of perseverance through each card is a demonstration that life is always changing, there will be new adventures and challenges to experience, but these proverbs can become a constant in our lives always guiding us to become the best we can become, even as we embrace uncertainty. It is too easy to forget how great we are as a people and what we can create and accomplish with our beliefs, values and intentions seeped in our culture and heritage. I think it is a wonderful opportunity to learn about and celebrate African and Caribbean culture, a heritage which enriches all our lives.”

Michael Eboda, a leader highlighted on the UK The

Power List commented “Some of the problems that we have today are because we have lost our culture. If there’s no culture, we’re lost as a people. Strength comes from culture, but that doesn’t mean that culture needs to conflict with other cultures. There is no reason why people can’t live side by side” Sir Bill Morris, past general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) commented, “In modern Britain, the richness of our racial and cultural diversity is sadly mirrored by a poverty of opportunity and expectation for black and ethnic minority young people. But I truly believe that the philosophy of empowerment and support underpinning ‘One Hand Can’t Clap’ is one that can make a difference.

HUDSON TURN TO 9

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Insight News • November 23 - November 29, 2015 • Page 5

BUSINESS Nonprofits can launch a Giving Tuesday campaign FUNdraising Good Times

By Mel and Pearl Shaw Have you heard of Giving Tuesday? Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks for the blessings in our lives. Black Friday and Cyber Monday kick off the holiday shopping season. Then there’s Giving Tuesday which, as you may guess, is all about giving – this time to nonprofits. Founded in 2012, Giving Tuesday will be celebrated this year on December 1st. What began as

a partnership between New York City’s 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation has grown into a day of giving that engages over 30,000 organizations worldwide. It’s a big deal.

If you visit GivingTuesday. org you will find toolkits, case studies, and ideas. The website has suggestions for donors as well as nonprofits. The section on “ideas” is rich in suggestions for how families, businesses and schools can get involved.

There are even ideas for citywide engagement.

Tips for nonprofits. Learn everything you need to know to launch a Giving Tuesday campaign. There’s a link to the Knight Foundation’s Giving Day Playbook which includes

so many tools helping ensure a successful Giving Tuesday campaign.

The playbook includes sections on planning, outreach, day-of logistics, follow-up and assessment, and resources. This playbook is an excellent tool. It covers just about everything: processing payments, sample tweets, crisis management... GivingTuesday. org has suggestions to increase

year-end giving, and links to download logos and graphics that you can modify to integrate your logo or use as is.

If you haven’t yet started, it’s not too late.

Tips for donors. Giving Tuesday has a Great Giving Toolkit that includes topics such as “How much can I afford to give?” and “How will my donation be used?” and “Does

my company offer a matching gift program?”

The toolkit is about more than Giving Tuesday – it can help you throughout the year. As a donor, you will get inspired by so many emotional appeals that grab your heart.

As you review these, consider how each nonprofit fits into your plan for giving. What?!?!

A plan for giving? Yes, we recommend thinking through your philanthropy. Set aside money to give based on emotion, whim, or because a friend asks. But be sure to set your priorities. Most of us have experienced a “shopping hangover” in January as we open our credit card and bank statements. You can also have a “giving hangover” when you

realize exactly how much you gave in “small gifts” and the extent to which you forgot to focus on nonprofits that are important to you and your family.

Check out www.

GivingTuesday.org for more information.

Don’t forget to include #GivingTuesday as part of your social media!

Copyright 2015– Mel and Pearl Shaw Mel and Pearl Shaw are the owners of Saad&Shaw. They serve the nation’s nonprofits.

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

MEDA CDFI receives small business leader award Goldman Sachs through its 10,000 Small Businesses program, the Surdna Foundation, and Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) awarded a $50,000 grant to Minnesota-based community development financial institution (CDFI) Metropolitan Economic Development Association (Meda).

The award was for excellence in small business lending. Meda accepted the Small Business Leader Award (SBLA) for mission-driven lenders at OFN’s annual conference in Detroit.

In its second year, the award honors accelerated growth and excellence in mission, impact, and financial sustainability.

Meda has increased small business lending by more than 200 percent in the past three years and focuses all of its lending to entrepreneurs of color who have historically had a lack

of access to capital. The SBLA selection committee recognized Meda for its portfolio of services and programs that address these barriers, demonstrated growth in small business lending overall including loan originations, and the lender’s outstanding financial performance and sustainability, including high asset quality, selfsufficiency ratio and positive operating results.

“Meda has a proven history of helping entrepreneurs grow and create jobs, and we are proud to recognize them for their excellence in small business lending,” said Esta Stecher, CEO of Goldman Sachs Bank USA. “At Goldman Sachs, we are committed to helping small businesses reach their full potential and together with our partners will continue to highlight leading mission-driven lenders who are providing

MEDA

(L to R): Esta Stecher, Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs Bank USA; José García, Program Officer for Strong Local Economies of The Surdna Foundation; Gary L. Cunningham, President and CEO of Meda. capital and support to the areas that need it most.”

Meda works to assist sustainable minority owned

employers that create quality jobs. According to Meda, its small business loans have created or retained nearly 8,000

jobs of which 52 percent are held by people of color. Eighty-five percent of Meda’s borrowers have been able to provide employees a level of income at or above the living wage.

In 2014, using $4.9 million of its own capital, the organization secured an additional $20.8 in financing.

“Meda understands that equity is a recipe for growth.

The entrepreneurs of color to whom they’re lending and offering their know-how, are growing small businesses and creating quality jobs in their communities,” said Philip Henderson, president of the Surdna Foundation.

“Our work starts with the minority entrepreneurs who display grit and determination, despite major obstacles, to fulfil their goal of owning and successfully running a business.

They persevere in order to have a better future for themselves, their family and community,” said Gary Cunningham, president and CEO of Meda.

“It is a true honor to have the work of our staff and volunteers recognized. They make Meda happen. Receiving this award lets us continue our work and will open doors to expand our resources and cultivate relationships that will allow us to help more entrepreneurs of color.”

“Meda is helping to create equity in a market that has a longstanding history of excluding entrepreneurs of color,” said OFN president and CEO Mark Pinsky.

“Their continued success proves that delivering responsible and affordable capital where it can have the most impact is a sustainable and successful business model.”

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Page 6 • November 23 - November 29, 2015 • Insight News

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COMMENTARY Brunsberg: Closed captioning becoming more accessible for independent media

By Steve Brunsberg, Operations and Production Manager for SPNN Mike Wassenaar, President of the Alliance for Community Media (SPNN’s Executive Director for 13 years,) reached out to me last month about the FCC roundtable on closed captioning. I’ve done a fair amount of work with closed captioning, much of it under his leadership here, and I was happy to participate. Because much of the captioning work I’ve done has been a few years back, I plan to refresh my knowledge. I’ll touch base with some community partners and government folks that we have worked with to get some new perspective on the value of CC and to bring some insights

from folks who work in the accessibility and rights arena.

Some of the programming that we have captioned - and / or subtitled - has been with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, Minnesota’s Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and a partnership initiative funded by the Benton Foundation (a health education project for the Somali community.) In addition, I’ve worked closely with Jon Panzer from Pioneer Public TV on the production of “Your Legislators”, which originates live in our studio for a statewide public tv audience, and is close captioned real time.

Closed Captioning is a particularly arcane technology, though in digital media it is rapidly becoming more accessible and easy to use. In the days of traditional analog

Steve Brunsberg tv transmission, it was a tiny amount of ascii text info ( remember that? ) that was encoded as white dots in the black area at the top of the tv picture - in line # 21 of 525

scan lines, counting from top to bottom. The data was often sent over analog phone lines, using very old-school modems - and still is in many cases, though the modem might be on

a card inside an encoder.

In Digital TV, Captions are just one bit of ‘metadata’ in a digital data packet that might also include dozens of other bits of data. The hard part has always been marrying the text information with the video signal, in an equipment environment where some of the equipment might pass the data along -- and some other equipment might strip it out.

For programs not captioned ‘live’ - and most of it is, special software has been used to join the encoded text of captions with the video signal. This requires a transcript to be made of the audio, and then various steps to import the text, break it into short pieces, and time it with the audio.

Lastly, a special file is often exported - usually an SCC file - when the captions must be joined to a DVD image or

in video transcoding. There are a bunch of variables and potential problems with the file, which can frustrating.

This is why captioning has traditionally been done by specialists.

My sense is that captioning is becoming easier and more accessible for independent media makers - Google has spent millions toward this effort, and Adobe has made advances as well.

Smart people like Ray Kurzweil have worked on speech recognition software that is getting better all the time. I plan to touch base with some industry experts to see what the latest is, so that I can share that up to date information at the roundtable.

The forum, which is being held today, November 10th, 2015, will be available at a date TBD.

Stop the trivialization and preservation of slavery and racism Black Press of America

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President and CEO, NNPA As one of the co-founders of the evolving environmental justice movement worldwide, I am always interested in how some people today who have amassed billionaire financial status view racism, slavery and the issues of diversity and inclusion. But first, let me state for the record, I believe in economic empowerment and freedom for all people.

Especially for people of African descent that have experienced centuries of oppression and economic injustice, we should be always aware of the challenges and responsibilities to advance the cause of freedom and human dignity.

Usually the standard principles of preservation and conservation are used by people who are committed to caring for the protection of natural resources. Also conservationists and preservationists are supposed to help people to enjoy and appreciate the magnificent bounty of all of creation. Wow, these are lofty terms.

So how is it that there is a billionaire named Louis Moore Bacon who prides himself

as a conservationist, but yet finds himself now at center of expanding allegations of racist actions in the Bahamas as well as in the United States? Why would a very successful businessman whose family was involved in the founding and funding of the Confederacy prior to, during, and after the Civil War take unprecedented steps to “preserve” and “conserve” former slave plantations?

In fact, the National Audubon Society, one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, is now weighing an urgent request to strip New York hedge fund giant Louis Bacon of an Audubon Society award that he received in 2013 for his work in the Bahamas.

Bacon had attempted to preserve

a historic slave plantation in the Bahamas and the Audubon Society originally thought that Bacon was up to something positive and good.

But in a recent letter to Audubon CEO David Yarnold, famed civil rights and highpowered African American lawyer, William H. “Billy” Murphy Jr., has challenged the Audubon Society and demanded that the unjustified award to Bacon be rescinded. Attorney Murphy represents Vivian Whylly, a 53-year-old native Bahamian of African descent whose ancestors were brought to Bahamas in slave ships and then worked and died as slaves on the former Whylly Plantation at Clifton Point.

A relevant note is that Murphy also successfully represented the family of Freddie Gray this year after Gray died horrifically in Baltimore City police custody. According to Murphy, Bacon misrepresented the facts in getting the award and he also made racist comments in his acceptance speech at the Audubon ceremony. Allegedly Bacon went so far as to praise the slave-justifying novel “Gone

with the Wind” as his “holy book.”

“It was Mr. Whylly and a handful of other local activists who spearheaded the 1999 movement to turn the plantation into a heritage park,” Murphy wrote in his letter. The truth is that many Bahamians took to the streets back in 2013 to protest the Audubon’s actions concerning Bacon and his public proclivities to trivialize the legacy and horror of the slavery of African people.

To my personal surprise as a result of some independent research about Louis Moore Bacon, I also found that he is spending a lot of money in the state of North Carolina to “preserve” and renovate the Orton Slave Plantation in the southeastern region of the state.

Orton Plantation at one time was one of the largest and most brutal slave plantations in North America.

Bacon’s motives are not only questionable, but also as more and more research is conducted

by Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates and other scholars about the quantitative impact of the Transatlantic Slave Trade on Africans and African

Americans, we have to be vigilant and concerned about any scheme to desensitize, trivialize or to downplay the actual genocidal realities of African slavery.

The Audubon Society should immediately rescind the award to Bacon and should itself repent for improperly vetting what was actually happening in the Bahamas. Yet there is the larger looming issue: Racism, Slavery, Injustice and Inequality must be forever challenged.

Each generation must rise to the occasion of advancing the cause for freedom, justice, equality and empowerment.

No matter how much money someone may have, there is never a justification for the trivialization and preservation of slavery and racism.

Agenda

Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey. The Community Safety break-out session was facilitated by Jason Sole, Adjunct Professor in Law Enforcement at Metropolitan State University and Justin Terrell, Director of Justice 4 All at TakeAction Minnesota.

It was agreed that in order for any issue to be a community priority, we would have to achieve consensus - in other words, everyone would have to agree that it was a priority. Over the next nine months, a series of three Leader’s Retreats were held.

The first retreat in May 2015, took place at Wilder Foundation in St. Paul. At that retreat, political, faith, business, philanthropic and community leaders came together to set priorities around Education, Health & Wellness, Economic Development, and Community Safety. The priorities on which consensus was achieved were:

EDUCATION 1. Parent, family and community support; 2. Demand for effective teachers and school leaders; 3. Early childhood education; 4. Out-of-school programs; 5. Support for growth of high quality African American educational institutions

From 1

LEGENDARY PICTURES AND UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENT A LEGENDARY PICTURES/ZAM PICTURES PRODUCTION ‘ KRAMPUS’’ A FILM BY MICHAEL DOUGHERTY ADAM SCOTT TONI COLLETTE DAVID KOECHNER ALLISON TOLMAN CONCHATA FERRELL EMJAY ANTHONY STEFANIA LAVIE OWEN WIWRITH TKRITEN STA STADLER EXECUTIPRODUCERVE DANIEL M. STIL MAN PRODUCEDBY THOMASDIRECTEDTUL p.g.a. JON JASHNIp.g.a.

ALEX GARCIAp.g.a. MICHAEL DOUGHERTYp.g.a. BY TODD CASEY & MICHAEL DOUGHERTY & ZACH SHIELDS BY MICHAEL DOUGHERTY A UNIVERSAL RELEASE VISUAL EFFECTS BY WETA DIGITAL LTD.

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African American Community, stated that, “when we’re talking about an ‘urban agenda,’ we’re talking about us, aren’t we! A “United Agenda,” means those priorities around which we can all agree!

Congressman Keith Ellison, Sate Sen. Jeff Hayden, Harvest Network of Schools CEO and Founder Eric Mahmoud, the Rev. Jerry McAfee, and General Mills Senior Vice President Kim Nelson, kicked-off the conversation about what it would look like if we, as an African American community, came together to set an agenda around priorities on which we could all agree and achieve consensus – A United Urban Agenda.

Congressman Ellison, speaking directly to the issue, stated that we need the 3-Ms: 1) A Message; 2) Money; and 3) a Movement. He said without any one of these things, it would be difficult to build an effective agenda.

Kim Nelson told the audience that, “we have everything that we need, right here in our community. All we need now is organization and alignment.” I reminded participants that, “we always fall-out about those things on which we cannot agree. This time we’re going to flip the script, and only talk about things about which we can agree. Everybody can keep doing their own thing on the things on which we can’t achieve consensus.”

Break-out sessions around education, health, economic development and community safety took place, with the education break-out being facilitated by Dr. Sylvia Bartley, Co-Chair of the African American Leadership Forum. The health break-out was facilitated by Stella Whitney-West, CEO of NorthPoint Health & Wellness, and Eugene Nichols, Board Chair of Open Cities Clinic; the economic development break-out was facilitated by State Sen. Bobby Joe Champion and Minnesota

COMMUNITY PRIORITIES HEALTH & WELLNESS 1. Advancing culturally sensitive, trauma-informed mental health care; 2. Promoting preventive health care and healthy lifestyles; 3. Promoting access to healthy food and environment CRIMINAL JUSTICE 1. Establishing police accountability in and to our community; 2. Re-establishing personal and community accountability; 3. Implementing early intervention to dismantle the school to prison pipeline ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 1. Supporting the growth of African American owned businesses; 2. Eliminating the racial employment gap; 3. Eliminating the home ownership gap; 4. Developing wealth creation through financial literacy, home ownership, economic stability, and increased educational attainment

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and can be reached for national advertisement sales and partnership proposals at: dr.bchavis@nnpa.org; and for lectures and other professional consultations at: http:// drbenjaminfchavisjr.wix.com/ drbfc.

COMMUNITY INITIATIVES WE SUPPORT The next step in the process identifed initiatives or action items around which we could achieve consensus. The second retreat took place at General Mills, Inc., located in Golden Valley, Minnesota, hosted by Kim Nelson, Senior Vice President of External Affairs of General Mills. At that meeting, the following initiatives and action items were agreed upon: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 1. Advocating and supporting efforts to increase African American procurement and hiring goals in the seven-county Metro Area.

2. Supporting legislation for business and workforce inclusion goals in the public and private sectors.

3. Supporting the Community of Practice initiative of Build Wealth Minnesota, Metropolitan Economic Development Association, African American Leadership Forum, Aurora St. Anthony Development Association, Model Cities and Camphor United Methodist Church around economic development, wealth creation, and financial literacy.

4. Supporting the Northside Job Creation Team initiative to establish an industrial park in north Minneapolis.

5. Advancing and Supporting the Home Opportunities Made Equitable Collaborative (HOMECO), home ownership initiative to increase African American home ownership.

EDUCATION 1. Supporting and

partnering

AGENDA TURN TO 7

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Insight News • November 23 - November 29, 2015 • Page 7

EDUCATION Project SPIRIT: A reflection of success

By Shanene Herbert, Director, Faith+School Partnerships Nearly 20 years ago, a young black child named Demetrius Doherty walked through the doors at Maxfield Elementary to attend school.

It would be the first of several elementary schools that he would attend as he had a tough home life that forced him to move from foster home to foster home. He was a student who would have been considered “unreachable.”

He had tons of potential but it was

Project SPIRIT classroom leader, Demetrius Doherty, working with a student during homework help at Project SPIRIT. hard for him to separate the issues that affected him at home from the tasks required as a student.

Doherty struggled with anger he harbored deep inside and that came out in relationships with his peers and teachers.

Today, Doherty, known as Mr. D to Project SPIRIT students, is a classroom leader at

the same elementary school he attended when he was younger.

He returned to his roots at Maxfield knowing the struggles that African-American students have that can be barriers to their academic success. He knows these struggles all too well because he has personally experienced them himself. Later in life, for

Doherty, his struggles became the motivation for his success and the very reason he decided to join the Project SPIRIT team.

“I see a reflection of myself in most of the students in Project SPIRIT because I know what it is like growing up with many of their struggles,” said Doherty. “I know now how important it is for

Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane

Agenda

Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane

From 6

CEO Ravi Norman, and African American Leadership Forum Executive Director Jeffrey Hassan will be sent to Minnesota public, private and philanthropic leaders.

Members and leaders of the community wishing to sign onto the letter, can email Jeffrey Hassan at jahassan@aalftc.org. Indicate whether you wish to sign on in your individual or organizational capacity.

Gary Cunningham, Gevonee Ford, Pastor Gloria Roach Thomas, Jackie Cooper, Jacob Gayle, Jamez Staples, Jason Sole, Jeff Hassan, Jeff Hayden, Jeff Martin, John Taylor, Johnny Howard, Josie Johnson, Julia Davis, Justin Terrell, Keith Baker, Keith Brooks, Kevin Lindsey, Kim Nelson, Kriystauhl Fitchett, Lamar Hylton, Lea Hargett, Lisa Sayles Adams, Maher Abduselam, Marvin Banks, Professor Mahmoud El Kati, Marika Pfefferkorn, Maya Buckner, Mike Hestick, Nerita Hughes, Nicolas Styles, Nikki McComb, Nkem Chirpich, Paul Williams, Peter Hayden, Ravi Norman, Reba Peoples, Readus Fletcher, Rep. Rena Moran, Rev. Jerry McAfee, Rev. Nazim Fakir, Sam Grant, Sam Simmons, Spike Moss, Sharon Sayles Belton, Sondra Samuels, Stella Whitney West, Steven Belton, Sylvia Bartley, T. Williams, Tabota Seyon, Tasha Byers, Tawakal

INSIGHT NEWS www.insightnews.com

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

Assistant to the Publisher Shumira Cunningham Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Associate Editor Culture and Education Dr. Irma McClaurin Associate Editor Leadership and Social Enterprise Dr. Anita Davis-DeFoe Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Ben Williams Production Intern Sunny Thongthi Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Contributing Writers Melvin Carter, Jr. Harry Colbert, Jr. Julie Desmond Fred Easter Timothy Houston Penny Jones-Richardson Alaina L. Lewis Darren Moore Carmen Robles Lydia Schwartz Ryan T. Scott Artika Tyner Toki Wright Photography David Bradley

with the MnCAN process to recruit effective teachers; 2. Supporting Early Childhood Education programs like the Northside Achievement Zone and Way to Grow; 3. Supporting after school programs for African American children; 4. Supporting Stairstep Foundation’s Belief Bowl; 5. Promoting African American Community Educators HEALTH & WELLNESS 1. Supporting the NorthPoint campus expansion project; 2. Supporting the Pillsbury United Communities Northside Market Initiative; 3. Identifying, raising awareness and supporting key health policy initiatives both state and local government; 4. Supporting and advancing the work around culturally sensitive trauma informed mental/ behavioral health care.

COMMUNITY SAFETY 1. Supporting the efforts of Black Lives Matter; 2. Meeting with organization (gang) members to learn and develop constructive alternatives to criminal activities; 3. Convening a meeting with union law enforcement; 4. Supporting efforts to Restore the Vote.

The third, and final, step in the Crafting a United Urban Agenda process took place on November 7, 2015 at Cargill Corporation in Wayzata, hosted by John (J.T.) Taylor, Director of Supplier Diversity for Cargill. Mr. Taylor made Cargill’s facilities, staff and amenities fully available to accommodate our work.

The purpose of this retreat was to put together the plan of action for implementing or carryingout the initiatives, by identifying who was going to do what, when and how.

We took a big step forward in Crafting a United Urban Agenda, with the largest turn-out to date, and came away with several initiatives on which we will move forward in 2016.

Three of those initiatives were:

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1. Everyone in attendance agreed to contribute $10 for 36 months to a business development fund (patterned after the Rev. Leon Sullivan’s “10 for 36 Program” in the 1970s), the purpose of which is to address the number one impediment to African American business start-ups – the lack of access to business capital.

Professor Sam Grant agreed to prepare the fund agreement; and, AALF is establishing a link on its website that will allow everyone to go online and sign-up for the fund.

Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55411.

2. In addition to the $10 for 36 months business develop fund, 15 individuals agreed to contribute $1,000 to the fund by December 31, 2015 to get it off to a strong start.

3. The gross economic inequality between Blacks and Whites was identified as the number one priority going into 2016. A letter prepared by Minneapolis Urban League Interim President and CEO Steve Belton, THOR Construction

Participants in the series of retreats included, Abdul Wright, Al McFarlane, Alida Abdullah, Alfred Babington Johnson, Amber Jones, Banna Kidane, Bill English, Bill Wilson, Pastor Billy Russell, Brandon Jones, Candace Breedlove, Carolyn Smallwood, Cedrick Frazier, Charvez Russell, Cheryl Mayberry, Danielle Jackson, Debbie Montgomery, DeVonna Pittman, Don Samuels, Eric Mahmoud, Erin Maye, Eugene Nichols, Freddie English,

these kids to have mentors and role models and to connect with someone that can help them lead the way.”

Doherty connects most with one particular student, a fourth grade boy in Project SPIRIT. He spends time between the homes of his biological mother and grandfather, just like young Doherty. While this student has a support system through his grandfather, he is often flustered by the things that affect him outside of school.

Teachers cite his inability to focus, his mounting frustration and incapability to de-escalate situations with his peers as barriers to his academic success.

What is certain is that he is capable of meeting or exceeding the expectations teachers have of him with proper support, just like Doherty was 20 years earlier.

It is imperative that Project SPIRIT exists and employs men like Doherty from the community that share similar academic and life experiences as the students so that they can see a reflection of success. The students know

that when Mr. D tells them to sit down, focus and do their reading assignment, he does not say it out of obligation, but because he knows how much is at stake if they don’t. The reality is that 17,000 students in K-5 are not reading at grade level in St. Paul Public Schools and the statewide poverty rate for Black residents rose from 33 percent to 38 percent. Education is the key to decreasing the disparities.

Project SPIRIT leaders can help students walk through issues they face as well as place students on an academic path to success through consistent engagement, activities and enrichment. It is not just about their reading assignments; it is about teaching and modeling how to persist in spite of your circumstances.

With Mr. D’s towering body, and calm but deep voice, the Project SPIRIT students listen to him and know that he is on their side looking out for them and their future.

To learn more about Project SPIRIT go to www. interfaithaction.org.

Hire, Terry Austin, Thomas Adams, Toni Newborn, Zeinab Jeylani.

Participants came away from

the Leader’s Retreat inspired with the unity and commitment that was maintained through the process.

Page 8 • November 23 - November 29, 2015 • Insight News

insightnews.com

LIFESTYLE Taking my own advice: Bidding farewell to “Motivational Moments” Motivational Moments

By Penny JonesRichardson Deciding to move on and do some of the things that you always wanted to do can be hard and scary sometimes. The idea of leaving your comfort zone

and stepping out there on faith can be the most difficult task you’ve ever done before. No one leaves the familiar without feeling emotional and somewhat apprehensive. Any change takes courage and the willingness to believe in your dreams.

The time has come for me to step out there and move toward my dreams and work on a goal that I have been thinking about for a long time. I have decided to work on this goal and it will take me away from what has been my confront zone. But that’s

how faith works, sometimes you have to step away from the usual and do something unknown or something you never imagined you had the strength to do.

I’ve been writing about following your dreams and believing in yourself for a long time now. I’ve hoped and prayed that I touched someone to move beyond what they see in front of them and move toward their greatness. I’ve wrote about staying motivated and never letting anything or anyone get in the way of your

journey. All this time I’ve been writing to encourage and uplift someone, but I’ve recently realized that I’ve not only been writing for you, I’ve been writing for myself also.

Following your heart and believing that everything you want for yourself is right at your fingertips! But the key is to believe you can do it! No one ever achieved any goal by just hoping it will miraculously fall into their lap. You have to get moving and change the way you think!

If you think you can you will!

If you think you can’t, then you won’t!

So in closing, I just want to thank everyone for following me along this journey. I also thank Insight News for blessing me with this opportunity to share with their readers every week and to help motivate them to achieve great things!

No one could understand what this opportunity has done for me and how it has encouraged me to achieve my goals and believe that nothing is

impossible if you believe and see yourself doing it! Thank you again, and this journey never ends for me…..It’s my beginning!

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

Penny Jones-Richardson is a published author and life coach. She can be reached via her website at www. thequeensproject.com or email at penny@thequeensproject.com.

How sensitive should a man be?

Man Talk

By Timothy Houston Relationship expectations are changing with the times. The oldtime notion that a man should be strong, rugged, and rough around the edges is changing.

The modern day woman is now looking for a man who is sensitive but not too sensitive.

How sensitive should a man be?

How much emotion is too much?

What is the standard a man should aspire to? These questions should be addressed. The ability for a man to openly and honestly share his emotions may be the

subtle distinction that separates the good men from the bad.

First, the man must be sensitive enough to notice the changes that take place within you. In the natural world, once you plant a seed, it goes through various stages of change. When the seed is below ground, it needs covering, and when it is above ground, it needs support. Every significant change that takes place begins in the heart of the earth.

Good men, like good ground, are sensitive to the changes that take place in their environment. This man must be so in tune with you that the changes that take place in your heart reach his heart.

Secondly, the man must be sensitive enough to provide you what you need to be safe and secure. In nature, the natural elements can be harsh and severe. The seed must remain in the heart of the soil where it can

He should be sensitive enough to really and truly be in tune to the spirit of who you are.

be protected. There, the seed is sheltered. Good men must carry those they love in their hearts, protecting and providing for them spiritually and emotionally.

This is a requirement from God. “If anyone does not provide for

his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (I Timothy 5:8). This is the standard for a good man. He must be sensitive enough to share his emotions,

but not too sensitive that he disregards yours.

Finally, the man must be sensitive enough to provide you what you need to feel supported.

This is more than merely providing a safe place to live.

Once the plant is exposed, it depends on the soil for balance and stability. Good men, like good soil, will not let you fall.

They will cover you when you are down, and they will support you when you are up. They must know your dreams and encourage them, and they must know your passions and embrace them. A good man cannot be intimidated by your success. On the contrary, he welcomes and supports it.

When is a man too sensitive?

A man is too sensitive when his emotions only allow him to be aware to his own needs. This man’s sensitivity only focuses

inwardly. A good man must be perceptive enough to be in tune with your needs as well. His sensitivity focuses outwardly.

Your need for support, protection, and acceptance are paramount in his heart. He laughs when you laugh, sings when you sing, and cries when you cry. He understands your boundaries and respects them.

He is aware of the things that take place below your emotional surface. How sensitive should a man be? He should be sensitive enough to really and truly be in tune to the spirit of who you are.

Timothy Houston is an author, minister, and motivational speaker who is committed to guiding positive life changes in families and communities.

For questions, comments or more information, go to tim@ tlhouston.com

“Year of Yes” delivers sensible advice 2nd Annual “Winter Warmth Collection”

By Kam Williams

Give Back to the Community Event Join us in our mission to help keep the children in need warm this winter by donating hats, scarves, gloves, mitten, and even winter coats. All sizes and styles will be accepted. This event will be on a first come first serve basis. ALL ITEMS MUST BE NEW WITH THE TAGS ATTACHED.

*

December 12th, 2015,Noon to 3 p.m.

Farview Park 621 29th Avenue North MPLS, MN 55411 Drop off sites: October 1st through December 5th.

Hawthorne Neighborhood Council: 2944 Emerson Ave N MPLS, MN 55411

“In this poignant, hilarious and deeply intimate call to arms, Hollywood’s most powerful woman, the mega-talented creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, and executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder, reveals how saying ‘yes’ changed her life--and how it can change yours, too.”

-- Excerpted from the Bookjacket

Farview Park: Special Thanks to: x

Hawthorne Neighborhood Council

x

Farview Park

x

Twin Cities Biker Community

621 29th Ave N MPLS, MN 55411 4th Street Saloon: 328 W Broadway Ave MPLS, MN 55411 Questions? Call 612-529-6033 or Email ksnoddy@hncmpls.org

Writer/producer Shonda Rhimes has created some of the most groundbreaking television series around. The gifted Renaissance woman is the brains behind such iconic characters as Scandal’s Olivia Pope, Grey’s Anatomy’s Dr. Meredith Grey, and How to Get Away with Murder’s Annalise Keating.

Despite being showered with

accolades, however, Shonda pretty much remained under the radar for years, invariably turning down invites to deliver commencement addresses, to appear on TV talk shows and to attend posh showbiz soirees. And she always had ready excuses for remaining a homebody, between the three daughters she was raising

as a single-mom and the incessant demands of a skyrocketing career.

Truth be told, Shonda was a painfully-shy introvert given to panic attacks prior to press conferences and other public appearances. Fortunately, she was finally forced on Thanksgiving Day 2013 to face her agoraphobia when her sister Delorse staged an

intervention, asserting “You never say ‘yes’ to anything.”

Shonda grudgingly agreed to embark on an ambitious, yearlong project during which she would not only overcome her inhibitions but work on her health, relationship and other ignored issues, as well. The upshot of that intrepid, personal journey is “Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person,” a warts-andall memoir designed to inspire her admirers to overcome obstacles of their own.

Not surprisingly, Shonda has quite a way with words. For instance, you really feel what she experienced as she deliberately recounts the crippling stage fright that almost caused her to cancel a booking on Jimmy Kimmel. But after it goes well, the relieved guest celebrates in the green room with, “I did it... and I didn’t die.”

In sum, a combination opus doling out generous helpings of sensible advice while simultaneously exploring the mind of a brilliant power broker Time magazine’s has dubbed one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Year of Yes How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person

by Shonda Rhimes Simon & Schuster Hardcover, $24.99 352 pages, ISBN: 978-1-4767-7709-2

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

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

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insightnews.com

Insight News • November 23 - November 29, 2015 • Page 9

COMMUNITY Minnesota African American Heritage Calendar For the 10th year, the Minnesota African American Heritage Calendar Award Committee, a component of the Progressive Center for Educational and Economic Development Foundation, has produced an annual calendar to showcase African-Americans’ accomplishments with roots in Minnesota.

The committee is recognizing these individuals for their works that illuminate the cultural enhancements they have made to the state’s historical landscape. This year’s theme, “The Change Makers” recognizes 12 individuals.

Honorees for 2016 are William Finney, former St. Paul chief of police and councilman, Brigadier General Dr. David Hamlar, Jr., the Rev. Alfred Babington-Johnson, CEO of Stairstep Foundation, Dr. Josie Johnson, the late Matthew Little, activist, Harry “Spike” Moss, Rep. Rena Moran, Prince, Minneapolis NAACP president, Nekima Levy-Pounds, Sondra Samuels, president and CEO of the Northside Achievement Zone, Tyrone Terrell, chair of St. Paul African-American Leadership Council and the Rev. Gloria Roach-Thomas.

The Minneapolis branch of the NAACP will also be recognized.

The unveiling ceremony and celebration will be held Friday, Jan. 29, at 7:30 p.m. at Progressive Family Life Center, 1505 Burns Ave., St. Paul.

The cost of this year’s calendar is a $17 each or $15 each for 10 or more.

Hudson From 4 I am also clear that the values of ‘One Hand Can’t Clap’ on black and ethnic minority young

Clark From 1 Officers involved in the incident have been identified as Mark Ringgenberg, 30, and Dustin Schwarze, 28. They have been put on paid administrative leave in connection with Clark’s death “They (police) had that guy on the ground and completely subdued,” said Teto Wilson, who had just exited the Elks Lodge across the street from the shooting. “This kid was laid out flat on the ground (before being shot). Both cops had him pinned to the ground.”

Wilson said though dark outside, it was easy to see Clark because he had on very bright clothing at the time of the shooting.

“They (police) keep doing this, they keep killing people,” said James Hall, father of Clark.

“My son was already down when they shot him.”

Hall, along with a group of

Leaders From 1 but with the interest and potential to run in the future.

The 25 women in the program’s new class will be profiled in the February 2016 issue of Governing magazine and will participate in Governing events throughout the coming year,

people will convince them that every ladder of opportunity is theirs to climb.”

Reflecting, Lorlett Hudson’s parting message is: “Today’s successful managers and their staff require the skills to operate in the global

marketplace, to understand the cultural implications of diversity and the ability to turn cultural difference to a competitive advantage. The growing need to negotiate and communicate effectively across cultural boundaries demands

a high level of understanding of the ways in which different cultures approach issues.

The sooner Cross Cultural Awareness can be appreciated, the sooner individuals develop the potential to become the international managers and

facilitators of tomorrow. In today’s multicultural society, we have to increasingly interact with people from different cultures, whether it is selling to Chinese clients or working with people from Poland. One Hand Can’t Clap Training and

Development Programs and the “Things Mama Use To Say” cards are designed to give mangers and leaders access to managing these interactions successfully.”

Visit One Hand Can’t Clap at http://www.onehandcantclap. co.uk.

protesters, were outside of the Minneapolis Fourth District Police headquarters Monday morning demanding answers. Many of the protesters have been camped out since Sunday and have vowed not to leave until video footage of the shooting that they say was confiscated from Elks Lodge is released. In addition, protesters called for a federal investigation into the shooting. That demand has been met as Mayor Betsy Hodges held a Monday press conference to announce that, indeed, the U.S. Justice Department has been called in to investigate the shooting. Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau, who was with the mayor at the time of the announcement said bringing in the Justice Department is not a sign of guilt, but an effort to show transparency and get to the bottom of the matter, regardless of its outcome.

Protesters called on Hodges to join in their protest.

“Betsy Hodges, where are you,” questioned Kandace Montgomery of Black Lives Matter Minneapolis.

“You

ran under ‘One Minneapolis’ promising to reduce racial inequity and injustice. This here is inequity, so where are you?

Things haven’t gotten better for Black people since you’ve been in office, things have gotten worse.”

Betty Smith, whose son, Quincy Smith, was shot and killed by Minneapolis police in 2008 said MPD has to be held accountable.

“Our children deserve better than to be killed by police. If we don’t stand up as a community these police will continue to get away with this,” said Smith.

“If I kill someone I’m held accountable, if you kill someone you’re held accountable. Just because you’re a police officer that title doesn’t give you the right to murder someone. The police have to be held accountable as well. They’re getting medals for killing our children.”

“This (shooting of Blacks by police) is nothing new here,” said Michael McDowell, of Black Lives Matter Minneapolis. “Look at Terrence Franklin gunned down by machine guns at the hands of

Minneapolis Police.”

Franklin was killed in May of 2013 by police who claim Franklin was armed with a gun – a claim witnesses deny.

“It seems like a racial apartheid here,” said McDowell. “Now the whole country is watching what’s going on here.”

Indeed the whole country is watching. Following the I-94 shutdown national media outlets have begun reporting on the Clark shooting and subsequent outrage.

Minneapolis Urban League President and CEO Steven Belton convened a press conference Wednesday morning in which representatives of the Clark family addressed the community.

“Separate but unequal narratives have emerged from the fatal shooting of Jamar Clark early this past Sunday morning. One is the official story and the other is the community narrative,” Belton said.

“The official narrative has been inconsistent and changed in significant ways over time.

It began with an announcement from city officials that police responding to a domestic violence

call received information that the alleged assailant, Mr. Clark, was confronting paramedics who were on the scene and interfering with their ability to administer medical aid,” he said.

“Notably, the police and public officials consistently have stated they cannot comment on the case because it is under investigation— except they stated their belief that Mr. Clark was not cuffed and aggressive, and by failing to state immediately that he was unarmed, they have invited the assumption that the shooting was justified,” Belton said.

“The media also have contributed to this official narrative with reports of Mr. Clark’s previous involvement with the judicial system and innuendo about possible affiliation with criminal organizations,” he said.

“In contrast,” Belton said, “the community narrative has been remarkably consistent since the evening of the fatal event. Multiple members of this community who were present and witnessed the shooting have stated the following: Mr. Clark was unarmed

He did not resist arrest He was on the ground, physically restrained by two officers and an EMT And, he was handcuffed.”

Belton said the Black community is asking the following: A meeting with the us Dept. of Justice to elicit an explanation of why the mediation agreement between the DOJ and the City of Minneapolis Police Department in 2003 was unilaterally abandoned by the city without penalty or consequence.

Release the videos in the possession of the BCA. The need for transparency in this context far outweighs the speculative concern about possibly influencing witness recollection and testimony. People saw what they saw.

And, finally, stop piecemealing information to support a preconceived narrative of efficacy.

If public and elected officials can’t comment, then stop commenting altogether—don’t comment in part and withhold in part. Be impartial and accurate rather than biased and speculative.

including a roundtable discussion in Washington, D.C. in January 2016 and a third leadership retreat in summer 2016.

The first member of the class, Tennessee State Rep. Raumesh Akbari, was selected in August 2015 as the inaugural recipient of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF) Lois M. DeBerry Scholarship winner.

The annual scholarship from the SLLF enables one Women in

Government Leadership Program recipient to travel to each of the three leadership conferences.

“The new class is a remarkable group of women from Alaska to Florida. We look forward to a year of inspiration, professional development, sharing best practices, and establishing relationships that will directly result in more women seeking to advance their careers in elected office,” said Julia

Burrows, executive director of the Governing Institute.

The Women in Government Leadership Program Class of 2016 includes women from 22 different states holding a variety of offices statewide and at the local level. In addition to Carter and Hodges, honorees are Rep. Raumesh Akbari (Tenn.), Lois M. DeBerry, scholar, Rep. Carol Alvarado (Tex.) Rep. Marlene Anielski (Ohio), Sen. Stephanie

Bice (Olka.) Commissioner Mary Ann Borgeson (Neb.), Rebecca Casper, mayor, Idaho Falls, Idaho, Joy Cooper, mayor, Hallandale Beach, Fla, Shelley Goodman Taub, Commissioner, Oakland County, Mich., Rep. Wendy Horman (Idaho), Lindsey Horvath, mayor, West Hollywood, Calif., state delegate Adrienne Jones (Md.), Linda Langston, supervisor, Linn County, Iowa, Andrea Lea, Arkansas state

auditor, Rep. Gail McCann Beatty (Mo.), Rep. Charisse Millett (Alaska), Sen. Erin Oban (N.D.), Rep. Cherrish Pryor (Ind.), Brenda Roberts, auditor, Oakland, Loretta Smith, commissioner, Multnomah County (Oregon), Rep. Melanie Stambaugh (Wash.), Ivy Taylor, mayor, San Antonio, Michelle Wu, councilor, Boston and Sarah Besnoff, law clerk, United States Courts.

Classifieds North Memorial Needs Volunteers to Help Victims of Domestic Abuse SafeJourney, a program serving North Memorial Medical Center and Maple Grove Hospital, helps patients and individuals in the community who are experiencing domestic abuse. Volunteer advocates are needed to provide a listening ear, support, safety planning, information and referral. You do not have to have previous knowledge or experience, but rather looking for people who are sensitive to the issue, caring, and nonjudgmental. Advocates sign up for 2 on-call shifts per month. Flexible scheduling - daytime, overnights, and weekends. Training is provided. Deadline to apply and schedule a short interview is January 26. Please call Suzy at 763-581-3942.

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

Volunteer Greeters Hennepin County is seeking volunteer greeters for its North Minneapolis human service center at 1001 Plymouth Avenue North to welcome and guide visitors, answer questions and assist with special projects. Reliable adults who enjoy working with people and who are available for a few hours twice a week are encouraged to apply.

Ideal candidates will be able to volunteer for a minimum of three months. Volunteers are integral to Hennepin County’s mission of enhancing the health, safety and quality of life of its residents and communities in a respectful, efficient and fiscally responsible way. Get involved by visiting http://www.hennepin.us/humanservicevolunteer and submitting a volunteer application.

Family Advocate

Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative is hiring a Family Advocate at our program center in North Minneapolis. Hours: 10am-6pm, Sun-Thurs. Visit www.beaconinterfaith.org/careers for details.

Minnesota Council of Churches Program Director 20 hours, Research, design, and evaluation of justice programs. OPEN UNTIL FILLED http://www.mnchurches.org/about/employment.html

Program Center Assistant

Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative is hiring an assistant for our program center in North Minneapolis. Hours: 7am-9am, Mon-Fri. Visit www.beaconinterfaith.org/careers for details.

Support Specialist U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, District of MN, is accepting applications for a full-time Support Specialist for Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Salary range is $37,143 - $60,368. For a complete job description visit our website, http://www.mnp. uscourts.gov , Career Opportunities.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

Page 10 • November 23 - November 29, 2015 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Photo: Dan Norman

Traci Allen Shannon stars as Dorothy in CTC’s “Wizard of Oz”

By Maya Beecham It was a Saturday evening in Kansas. A young woman named Dorothy Gale was challenged to complete a journey down a yellow brick road. She experienced hurt, bewilderment, and sadness in unfamiliar territory. Yet her tenacity and loyal friends kept her sane and committed to the task at hand. However, for outsiders looking in on the journey, there was something different about Kansas and Dorothy. A perceived new normal. Traci Allen Shannon made a brilliant and historic

portrayal as the first African American to play the role of Dorothy on the United Health Group Stage at Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) in South Minneapolis.

Allen Shannon, a member of CTC’s resident Acting Company, masterfully combines dance, song and acting to carry a full audience of children and adults through this classic American story. She has previously been cast in CTC’s productions of Cinderella; Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy; Five Fingers of Funk; Bud, Not Buddy; and Fashion 47. In addition to working at other Twin Cities theatres, she

has performed at theatres in Chicago, Washington DC, and in the National Tour of The Color Purple.

On her downtime Allen Shannon spoke with Insight News about what she has learned in her own personal journey as a graduate of Howard University in Washington, DC, an actor, wife to Daniel, and mother to Ella.

Insight News: As a youth you started dancing and then made the switch to acting?

Traci Allen Shannon: Yes, I started dancing when I was four. My parents put me in ballet class because I wanted to be a ballerina. I grew up in the

church so, of course, I had to sing in the children’s choir and that was not even an option in my house. I discovered theatre in middle school and it was like: oh all these different elements, all these things I like to do all kind of exist in one realm. There is music, there is dancing, so that was the draw to theatre.

IN: What was your first production?

TAS: I did A Christmas Carol in my middle school. I was the ghost of Christmas present in the seventh grade and in second grade, I was in the Velveteen Rabbit.

IN: Was there something about the Christmas Carol that made

you commit to theatre?

TAS: No. It was just fun. I feel like with kids now there are so many deciding what they want to do at the age of 10, and they pursue it with their whole hearts. And for me it was just fun. I wasn’t athletic so I didn’t want to play sports.

So [theater] was a fun extracurricular activity to do. I just thought, “I will continue doing this.” At the end of my junior year I auditioned for the North Carolina School of the Arts.

It’s a college, but also has some high school programming. So l auditioned there in my junior year and got in. In my senior year I transferred and went

there. That was the first time I took a real step towards acting and I wanted to know more about theater. I wanted to be better.

IN: Did you come from a family of artists?

TAS: My mom is a music teacher. It was a house full of music and appreciation for different types of music. At a young age I had a fairly wellrounded knowledge of music and music history. My mother introduced me to the Wizard of Oz when I was young, my love for musicals come from her. My dad is a basketball coach. It was

INTERVIEW TURN TO 12

insightnews.com

Insight News • November 23 - November 29, 2015 • Page 11 MPLS

Sister Act’s Erin Smith

Nov. 23 - 29

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

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

Zo!

Monday, Nov. 23 ECLECTIC/ PERFORMANCE Live-Music-Fest Intermedia Arts 2822 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. $3 This bi-monthly series at Intermedia Arts showcases young music acts. Check them out for a low cost of just $3 and find out how you can get on the bill.

Tuesday, Nov. 24 HIP-HOP/PERFORMANCE Sti-Lo Reel’s “Martial Law” Album Release Party First Avenue and 7th St. Entry 701 N. 1st Ave., Minneapolis 8 p.m. $7 Pledge Empire’s Sti-Lo Reel has been working on music non-stop since his first

My Children, My Africa release and now debuts the new album, “Martial Law.”

Wednesday, Nov. 25 ARTIST TALK Artist talk with Malanda Jean-Claude Public Functionary 1400 12th Ave. N.E., Minneapolis 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Free Join in this artist talk with poet and author Malanda Jean-Claude. In addition there will be music by Keith Millions and performances

by Colin Edwards, RÅDĮØ ÅHŁËË, Faith Beah, and Sylis

Thursday, Nov. 26 DINNER THEATRE “Sister Act” Chanhassen Dinner Theatres 501 W. 78th St., Chanhassen 8 p.m.

If you haven’t seen “Sister Act” you were deprived of your childhood. See Sister Mary Clarence in Chanhassen starring Erin Smith.

Grandmaster Dee 2001 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

The legendary hip-hop pioneer, Grandmaster Dee of Whodini, will be here in the Twin Cities for the weekend and this will be an in-depth presentation of the history of the super group from the 1980s, hip-hop history from the 1970s until today, music business and exploring hiphop as not only a musical genre but as a cultural movement.

R&B/HIP-HOP PERFROMANCE

Friday, Nov. 27 ARTIST TALK DJ Grandmaster Dee of Whodini The Common Table

Black Friday feat. MPLS, Chris Lawrence and Toki Wright The Cabooze 917 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis 8:30 p.m. $10 advance/$15 door

MidAmerica Talent and The Cabooze present Black Friday feat. MPLS, Chris Lawrence, and Toki Wright. Special guests include Chance Howard, Stokley Williams of Mint Condition and DJ Willie Shu.

Building. And as if that weren’t enough, the featured entertainment is Zo! of The Foreign Exchange along with Carmen Rodgers. The DJ for the evening is A-Quil.

Tickets are available at 2the9s.bpt.me.

Saturday, Nov. 28

Sunday, Nov. 29

LOUNGE/R&B/FASHION

THEATRE

To The Nines feat. Zo! of The Foreign Exchange & Carmen Rodgers The Fountain Room at the Lumber Exchange 10 S. 5th St., Minneapolis 9 p.m. $28 advance, $35 door

“My Children! My Africa!”

20 W. 7th Pl., St. Paul 2001 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis 5:30 p.m.

To The Nines is back, this time at the exclusive and swanky Fountain Room in downtown Minneapolis, inside the Lumber Exchange

“My Children! My Africa!” focuses on the efforts of an idealistic teacher, Mr. M, to defy the prevailing social bigotry by recruiting two students from the divided races for his debate team.

Page 12 • November 23 - November 29, 2015 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Interview From 10 a sports house, an artsy house, a normal house really. I love my dad dearly. And I’ll never forget when I did my first play in seventh grade; it was something he didn’t know anything about, but me being his daughter, he was all in and he showed up with a hammer and said, “what are we doing” and helped build the set. He jumped into that new world. Theater was a first for my family.

IN: What was some advice your parents gave you as you developed in theatre?

TAS: My parents were big on doing what made you happy and doing what brought you joy, but they weren’t necessarily supportive of pipe dreams.

If you say this is what makes you happy and you say this is what you want to do, then work hard and do it. You can

Photo: Dan Norman

do anything you want to do.

Once you decide to do it, do it wholeheartedly and do it well. It

would not have gone well for me to just say I want to be an actress without any follow-up. So they were just big on do what you

An emotionally charged confluence of art and activism.

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are passionate about and what makes you happy, but work hard at it. I came from a house of great faith. They instilled in me that if you do the hard work, you have to have faith that God will do the rest.

IN: What was the criteria you set for yourself as you became a professional actress?

TAS: Faith plays a huge role simply because I have no idea what each day holds. When I was in college I made a little mission statement for myself.

I said I wanted to work, I wanted to work consistently, and I wanted to do work that didn’t compromise my artistic integrity. I wanted to be able to do what it is I love to do that made me proud. In the past

that has meant me saying no to some things that weren’t in line with the vision of the artist I want to be. I always tried hard to hone my work ethic especially when I got to Howard University and realized how beautiful everyone was, and how talented everyone was. I realized I was never going to be the best actor, the best singer, or the prettiest. I was determined to work the hardest. To this day that is what I am most proud of, my work ethic.

IN: In the journey that you have led what have been the poignant times at which your courage was challenged, your heart was challenged? When have you had to stretch in your thinking?

TAS: I think my courage has

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been challenged at every bend of the road. On our journeys we have moments where we are on these straight paths, and the path always bends a little bit and curves. I feel like my courage is always tested whenever there is an event like moving to a new city, getting married or having a child and the fear that comes with all of those things.

Will I be good enough? Can I do this? Courage is challenged every time life changes, and it’s constantly changing so my courage is constantly being tested.

My brain and my mind are not tested with what I know, but by what I don’t know. The older I get and the more experience I gain I realize how much I don’t know. Twenty-year-old me was just like: oh I’ve got some things figured out. With each subsequent year I am realizing that I know less and less. I’m okay with that. I think that’s one of the benefits of age is that you’re okay with having more questions than answers.

My hear t is tested because it is the small voice inside of me that is constantly challenging me to stay the course. The heart is the compass of the journey and sometimes we veer off path and your heart holds you accountable for that. I feel most accountable to the heart and making sure I am doing what it wants.

IN: Where is your heart leading you to next?

TAS: I am a new mom, my child is my heart. She has expanded my heart and opened up parts of my heart that I didn’t know existed. And consequently the new love that I have for my husband. It’s love I didn’t know I was capable of. As far as where the heart is leading, I’m not sure. There is never a clear answer to what is next, but what is always clear is I am always being led to do my best work.

IN: What is your dream job?

TAS: I don’t know. Hopefully being the person I was created to be, and doing the work I was created to do. I think you can achieve that in all aspects of your life.

IN: What have you been able to teach the youth that you work with?

TAS: I always hope that the way I am living my life is a testament to who I am, that I am teaching through living. I hope they have learned hard work pays off. I learned very young that I would never be the best singer. I don’t want younger people to look at me and say I want to sing like her, or I want to act like her. I want young people to look at me and say I want to work hard.

If you’re younger than I am, your goal should be to surpass anything that I do. That’s what my parents taught me, and that’s what my grandparents taught them. I don’t want my daughter to be where I am now. I want her to be far beyond where I am.

Talent alone is nothing. There are a million people who can do what I do. Talent is so easy to come by especially in this era of YouTube. Talent by itself is not that impressive.

IN: Is there someone you look to as a role model?

TAS: I look to different people for different things. The Twin Cities is full of actors I really admire. I am not from here and I was impressed by not just the talent but the generosity of spirit. I’ve lived in other places where people are not excited to see new comers.

Generally speaking I have a lot of role models who are women of color, wives, mothers and professionals. I just admire their work, their children, and the way they are being raised. As a woman you eventually have to face the question ‘how do I do it all?’, ‘how do I have it all successfully?’. No one is perfect, but when I see women who strive for that with grace and passion those are the women I say ‘yes ma’am’ to. I sit at their feet, and glean from their experience.

The Wizard of Oz is playing at the Children’s Theatre Company from November 3, 2015 – January 10, 2016. For more information on tickets visit https://www.childrenstheatre. org/ or call (612) 874-0400.