WINNER: 2018 NNPA MERIT AWARDS: 3RD PLACE BES T COLUMN WRITING
W I N N E R : 2 0 1 8 G E N E R A L R E P O R T I N G , 1 st P L A C E , C O L U M N W R I T I N G , 2 nd P L A C E
Insight News Deeply rooted November 26 - December 2, 2018
Vol. 45 No. 48• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
Nachito
Herrera
Afro-Cuban jazz artist Nachito Herrera comes to the Ordway for a concert celebrating music from the African diaspora. Ordway Theater of the Performing Arts Steve Peterson Photography TTU U RN RN TO 4
Page 2 •November November 26 - December 2, 2018 • Insight News
for your life.
GO Enter the Bold North Tailgate Zone at Cub and order everything you need for game day! From endless buckets of wings to the best party trays in town, go Bold at your neighborhood Cub.
Groceries delivered in 1 hour
FREE DELIVERY on your first order of $35 or more
ORDER ONLINE shop.cub.com First time customers only. Available delivery hours may vary. Delivery times are chosen at checkout. Delivery fees are subject to change and range between $5.99 and $9.99 on orders of $35 or more.
insightnews.com
insightnews.com
Insight News • November 26 - December 2, 2018 • Page 3
aesthetically speaking
Aesthetically It!: Events, concerts, venues in the Twin Cities WINNER: 2018 NNPA MERIT AWARDS: 3RD PLACE BES T COLUMN WRITING
MORE ON PAGE 9
W I N N E R : 2 0 1 8 G E N E R A L R E P O R T I N G , 1 st P L A C E , C O L U M N W R I T I N G , 2 nd P L A C E
Insight News November 26 - December 2, 2018
Vol. 45 No. 48• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
$2.75 million for the Northside Artspace Lofts project in North Minneapolis
$12 million approved for affordable housing in Minneapolis The Minneapolis City Council approved $10.6 million in direct investment and $1.6 million in 10-year federal tax credits to create or preserve 764 units of affordable multifamily rental housing in 10 projects located throughout the city. These investments are the result of awards from the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund and federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit programs for 2018. Together, these investments will leverage more than $188 million in additional private and public resources. Renters represent three out of four households in Minneapolis that are paying more than 30 percent of income for housing. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit programs provide up-front equity and gap financing to assist with the production and preservation of decent, safe and affordable multifamily rental housing. “The housing created by the Affordable Housing Trust Fund will benefit hun-
dreds of Minneapolis families in the years ahead,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “I look forward to seeing families move into these units and I am even more excited at the prospect that we are on the verge of a record-breaking investment in the 2019 budget that will double down on the success of this program.” The Minneapolis City Council approved in Ward 2, $587,103 for the Maya Commons project – 50 units of affordable workforce housing with a wellness focus, including eight units for people experiencing homelessness – and in Ward 12, $983,475 for the Amber Apartments project – 81 units of affordable housing with support services for people with disabilities including 17 units for people experiencing homelessness – for a preliminary reservation of the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program totaling $1.6 million. These tax credits will generate more than $20.5 million in up front equity for these developments.
Ward 7, $1.95 million for the Lydia Apartments project, 78 units of low income housing for disabled adults experiencing homelessness, in Ward 4, $625,000 for the Prosperity Village project, 25 units of affordable family housing, in Ward 5, $2.75 million for the Northside Artspace Lofts project, 100 units of mixed income family housing, in Ward 7, $465,500 for the PERIS Development project, 41 units of affordable housing, including 15 supportive housing units for at risk youth aging out of foster care, in Ward 10, $1 million for the Raines Building project, 89 units of affordable senior housing, in Ward 10, $2.375 million for the Lake Street Apartments project, 111 units of affordable housing including six permanent supportive units and three units for people experiencing homelessness, in Ward 3, $700,000 for the Gateway Northeast project, 125 units of mixed-use, mixed income housing, in Ward 5, $775,000 for the Penn Avenue Union project, 64 units
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry The City Council also approved a total of $10.64
million from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund for in
of affordable family housing. “Too many people in Minneapolis are struggling to find and keep homes that they can afford. So, it is especially good to see the City support so many quality affordable housing projects coming forward this year,” said Councilmember Cam Gordon (Ward 2), chair of the council’s Housing Policy and Development Committee. “With this action, the taxpayers of Minneapolis are making smart investments throughout our city that will improve our neighborhoods and provide safe, quality and needed homes for hundreds of people of all ages.” “I’m proud of the City’s continued investment in these important affordable housing developments in our community,” said City Councilmember Lisa Goodman (Ward 7). “These projects are critical to help address the affordable housing crisis in Minneapolis. In Ward 7, I’m happy to see funding for the expansion of Lydia Apartments and the PERIS Development project.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, legal advocates launch housing initiative Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey joined representatives from 10 Twin Cities law firms, Volunteer Lawyers Network (VLN), Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and Minneapolis tenants to launch the More Representation Minneapolis (More Representation) housing initiative. More Representation is a collaboration aimed at increasing representation of tenants in Hennepin County housing court. Through the initiative, several Twin Cities law firms have already committed to partnering through this initiative by increasing their participation in eviction defense and rent escrow/tenant remedies actions in 2019. “Housing is a right and securing that right requires representation in housing court,” said Frey. “More Representation Minneapolis is aimed at providing just that by utiliz-
ing the resources in our legal community and targeting them to prevent unfair eviction.” “Studies have shown that tenants who have an attorney representing them in housing court have significantly better outcomes. At VLN, our goal is to help fill gaps in representation with volunteer attorneys from the private bar,” said Muria Kruger, housing program manager and resource attorney at VLN. “And right now, there are significant gaps in the representation of lowincome tenants who cannot afford to hire their own lawyer.” “Some laws and local ordinances exist to protect the rights of tenant families but the justice system demands they assert those protections themselves, in open court, at one of the most stressful times of their lives,”
HOUSING 8
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey partners with the Volunteer Lawyers Network, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, and representatives from law firms Barnes & Thornburg, Dorsey Whitney, Faegre Baker Daniels, Fredrikson Byron, Jones Day, McEllistrom, Fargione, Landy, Rorvig and Eken, Merchant and Gould, Stinson Leonard, and Maslon, LLP to launch the More Representation Minneapolis housing initiative.
Kayla Schuchman named St. Paul’s new housing director Kayla Schuchman, an affordable housing and policy strategist, has been hired as the new housing director in St. Paul’s Planning and Economic Development (PED) department. “We are at a pivotal moment in St. Paul. City leadership and residents view safe, stable and affordable housing as a top priority,” said Dr. Bruce Corrie, director, PED. “Kayla brings a unique mix of professional skills and experience to help us implement effective and meaningful strategies along the continuum of affordable housing policies and programs.”
Schuchman spent nine years implementing affordable housing policy through successive roles at Minnesota Housing, the state’s affordable housing agency. Most recently, she was a project manager for the St. Paul-based affordable housing developer CommonBond Communities, where she structured deals and built community support to develop affordable multifamily projects. She also serves as co-chair of the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers Housing Committee, a regional association of community development
Arts
Nachito Herrera wants to bring unity through music with concert at the Ordway
PAGE 4
organizations; and as a board member for Urban Homeworks, a nonprofit that transforms vacant properties into housing. “I am honored to join the department and begin addressing the critical issue of housing in St. Paul,” said Schuchman. “By using housing as a ladder to empower individuals and families, we can create a stronger community now and in the future.” Schuchman is a certified housing development finance professional through the National Development Council. She has a bachelor’s degree in
Insight 2 Health Does racism have an impact on health?
PAGE 6
Bishop T.D. Jakes revels in his Nigerian ancestry By Michael H. Cottman Urban News Service “If I reach back far enough I can touch my own family slavery in a very personal way.” – Bishop T.D. Jakes DALLAS – Inside a provocative exhibit about Thomas Jefferson and slavery, Bishop T.D. Jakes was reminded of his own enslaved ancestors. Jakes, who has visited Africa many times, proudly talked
Kayla Schuchman economics from Macalester College, and a master’s degree in public policy with a concentration in economic and community development from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
JAKES 7
Lifestyle
The elections are over, but the work is ongoing
PAGE 8
The Mamones
Bishop T.D. Jakes, honorary co-chair of a new traveling exhibit, “Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty”
SNAPSHOTS Purple Reign
PAGE 12
Page 4 •November November 26 - December 2, 2018 • Insight News
insightnews.com
Nachito Herrera wants to bring unity through music with concert at the Ordway By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor harry@insightnews.com We are more alike than we are different. Nowhere is this more evident than it is in music. Music unites us in rhythmic harmony. And while songs are sung in hundreds of languages and dialects, music itself has but one vocabulary. That’s the premise behind Afro-Cuban artist Nachito Herrera’s upcoming Dec. 1 concert at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Herrera is serving up soul food for the ears with his “Afro Latin Renaissance” show – a two-anda-half-hour musical journey through the African diaspora. Herrera said in today’s times of disharmony, he hopes to bring communities together, one song at a time.
“Music and dance are the languages that get us all together,” said Herrera. “This two-and-a-half-hour show is a tribute to all ethnic communities. It’s a call for us all to come together. If we all come together, we all win.” Herrera said the show features music from Afro communities throughout the globe including from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, the United States and more. Herrera said though from different regions, the sound has a universal base. “Historically, all music around the world has the Afro rhythm roots in common,” said the Cuban-born musician, who now resides in the Twin Cities. Bringing together a show of this significance is something Herrera won’t be doing alone. Acclaimed saxophonist Mike Phillips, who played with Prince and Stevie Wonder, will join Herrera in a jazz tribute to
Steve Peterson Photography
Jazz musician Nachito Herrera takes to the Ordway stage with a number of other featured musicians.
Prince; and an area choir will add a gospel tenor to the evening. Prior to the concert, in the Ordway lobby, Congolese composer and guitarist Siama Matuzungidi will perform as visual art is displayed showcasing a group of Cuban artists. “We’re offering a broad musical repertoire,” said Herrera. Herrera said he has an ask of all who attend. “We’ve got a surprise finale and during the finale we want everyone to bring their flag of origin and to wave them proudly. It’s our way of saying it’s time to stop the division. Music can do this,” said Herrera. “Afro Latin Renaissance” at the Ordway, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $22-$42 and are on sale at www.ordway. org/event/nachito-herrera or by calling (651) 224-4222.
insightnews.com
Insight News • November 26 - December 2, 2018 • Page 5
Brooklyn Center and Otter Tail County vote to raise tobacco age
Metro, Greater Minnesota communities pass Tobacco 21 epidemic of youth nicotine addiction, leaders from Otter Tail County and Brooklyn Center are standing up for our kids,” said Molly Moilanen, director of Public Affairs at ClearWay Minnesota and co-chair of Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation. “All our young people should be protected from a lifetime of addiction, and it’s inspiring to see the Tobacco 21 movement take flight all over our state. Together, we can lower youth tobacco use and save lives.” These policies are partly in response to state and federal health agencies sounding the alarm on teen tobacco use. Teen tobacco use in Minnesota has risen,
primarily due to an increase in e-cigarette use. The FDA recently called youth e-cigarette use an epidemic, and last week said it may soon ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarette pods in gas stations and convenience stores. In a new health advisory, the Minnesota Department of Health called youth nicotine addiction a “major health concern” because nicotine in e-cigarettes can prime youth for future addiction. Nicotine harms the developing adolescent brain, whether in a cigarette, e-cigarette or other product. Brooklyn Center joins Edina, St. Louis Park, Bloomington, Plymouth, North Mankato, Shoreview,
Falcon Heights, Minneapolis, St. Peter, Richfield, Roseville, Minnetonka, Excelsior, Lauderdale and Hermantown as Minnesota’s first Tobacco 21 cities. Otter Tail County is the first in Minnesota to adopt Tobacco 21 at the county level. Nationwide, six states and more than 360 cities have passed Tobacco 21 policies. In addition to raising the tobacco age, Brooklyn Center passed a policy that restricts the sale of ecigarettes to adult-only tobacco stores. In Brooklyn Center, the final vote was unanimous, and the policy is set to implement on Dec. 21.
Beginning Dec. 21, the legal age to purchase tobacco products in Brooklyn Center is 21 Brooklyn Center and Otter Tail County voted to pass Tobacco 21 policies, becoming the state’s 16th and 17th local governments to
raise the tobacco age to 21. Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation, a coalition of more than 60 organizations working to
reduce youth tobacco use, applauded the two communities in addressing youth tobacco addiction. “In the face of an
Hennepin County accepting applications for citizen advisory board vacancies vacancies), Library Board (three vacancies), Mental Commitment Attorney Panel Advisory Board (one vacancy) and Three Rivers Park District Board of Commissioners (one vacancy). Interested parties
may apply online at www. hennepin.us/advisoryboards. Hennepin County will accept applications through Dec. 31. The board will conduct interviews beginning in January 2019.
NEW ROUTINES ANOTHER REASON Y.
Keep your mind, body and spirit nourished with an affordable membership and programs designed to help you live a healthy lifestyle. Scholarships available.
5-DAY TRIAL PASS Welcome to the Y.
Get started today with a 5-day* free membership. Bring this coupon in to receive your pass. * 5 consecutive days. Must be 18+ to activate. Photo I.D. required. Check out class schedules and programs at ymcamn.org
Valid through 8.15.18
YMCA at Cora McCorvey Center 1015 4th Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55405 (P) 612 230 3987 (W) ymcamn.org/mccorvey
18-BM47
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners is recruiting volunteers for 28 citizen advisory board positions through its annual open appointment process. Each fall, the board appoints residents to volunteer service positions on advisory boards, commissions, councils and special task forces. Appointees advise commissioners and help set policy on a variety of topics. Current openings include adult Mental Health Advisory Council (11 vacancies), County Extension Committee – University of Minnesota Extension (four vacancies), Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County (two vacancies, open to local elected officials), Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Board (three vacancies), Human Resources Board (three
Page 6 •November November 26 - December 2, 2018 • Insight News
insightnews.com
Insight 2 Health Does racism have an impact on health? By K. Barrett Bilali, Miami Times, kbbilali@ miamitimesonline.com Racism in the healthcare system continues to confound, but a few researchers are taking a historic look and holistic approach to addressing racism’s effect on Black and poor communities. One researcher is using his foundation-funded fellowships to dive into the barriers to good health in the Black community, namely Overtown, Fla. Another joined an organization that looks for ways to keep historically racist practices out of today’s health care system. “Look at the health disparities in our communities,” said Daniel Gibson, regional vice president of the Allegheny Franciscan Ministries, a nonprofit Catholic organization, which works with partners to support life skills, training and economic development in urban neighborhoods. “Life expectancy of a resident of Overtown is 16 years less than a resident in Brickell, (Fla.) And they are less than a mile away from each other.” He said the average life expectancy in Brickell is 79, while Overtown residents die on average at 63 years of age. Gibson participates in a three-year fellowship program, which addresses equity, diversity and inclusion in the health care industry. He is one of 40 leaders nationwide participating in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program called Leadership for Better Health. The foundation seeks to build a “culture of health” and draws participants from the medical professions, social scientists, urban planners, and others to develop leaders who will strive to make American communities healthier. Gibson’s work in Overtown was the reason he was chosen to participate in this expansive study of how health is impacted by a number of social and economic factors. His organization has been working and coordinating efforts to improve the lives of Overtown residents and has allocated $2.7 million for its Common Good Initiative to assist in community and human development programs.
“The reality is that because physicians have bias, they treat their patients differently,” said Dr. Armen Henderson, an internist working at the University of Miami Hospital. “Our goal is to make Overtown a safe and healthy place to live,” said Gibson. “So much trauma” Gibson said that many youth and families who are living in urban corridors experience a high rate of poverty. He said these environments lead to cases of depression, drug addiction and social malaise. “There is so much trauma,” said Gibson. “There is a toxic stress that happens when we are living in under-resourced, impoverished communities.” Gibson said they are looking at ways to address housing issues and educating people about quality of life, food, diet and work. They are also helping businesses to develop in Overtown and looking at the experience of the Black entrepreneur. “Health does not have to be a pill; it does not have to be a doctor,” said Gibson. The Common Good Initiative takes a holistic approach to curing the urban blight. Gibson believes that by addressing quality of life, the health of those affected by racism will improve.
“I will stop short of calling it a racist system, but you can’t deny the fact that one’s race and one’s address has an impact on your health, your life expectancy and your life experience in this world,” said Gibson. Systemic problem Dr. Armen Henderson, an internist working at the University of Miami Hospital, agrees that Blacks have suffered trauma, which has affected urban communities economically, socially and the overall health of its residents. But he sees a more historic and systemic source to the problem. “We should not be able to tell life expectancy by ZIP code,” said Henderson. “That should not be the case.” Henderson said America’s history of racism continues to have an impact on the health of Black and poor urban communities. “There is an argument that Black people are still suffering from the trauma of slavery today,” said Henderson. “We have never reconciled the effects of slavery on people’s mental health.” Henderson said that emotional and physical trauma for more than 400 years affect
the well-being and outlook of Blacks every day. He said that day-to-day urban life, gentrification and uncertainty of the future causes stress, anxiety, depression and mental disorders, some of which never get treated. “The system of medicine in general was started on a racist premise,” said Henderson, who attended Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., one of the three historically Black medical schools in the country. Morehouse in Atlanta and Howard in Washington, D.C. have the other historically Black medical schools. Historic medical racism J. Marion Sims, who has long been considered the “father of modern gynecology,” performed experiments on slave women to perfect the procedure of sewing up a woman after childbirth, said Henderson. “If a woman had a baby naturally, he would constantly cut the women open in order to perfect the surgery,” said Henderson. Researchers have found that Sims even did unnecessary procedures on these women without anesthesia. Henderson also points to the Tuskegee Study wherein
400 Black men infected with syphilis thought they were being treated for the sexually transmitted disease when in reality, they were only being given placebos in a U.S. government-funded project. “We knew the effect of syphilis for hundreds of years. And we already had a cure and they let these men pass it on to their wives and they passed it on to their children,” Henderson said. “Finally, it was the Associated Press who revealed this disaster, not doctors.” Henderson says that the effects of racist history impact the urban setting of most American cities today. “Most of these neighborhoods are built on faulty land,” said Henderson. He said they were formed on landfills and chemical dumps. Over the past few decades, the federal government has funded multi-million-dollar clean-up projects of contaminated soil due to lead and toxic waste, sometimes called brownfields. Henderson gave as an example a neighborhood he knows in his hometown of Philadelphia, which once had a significant number of lead battery factories. “A lot of people from the neighborhood got lead poisoning,” said Henderson. “And it
is not fair. And there has been no effort to undo things like that.” Henderson also knows of many cases where Black women were brought in to have their appendix removed and found later that their uterus was removed as well. Health care disparities include the fact that Black women are more likely to die in childbirth, said Henderson, who is an active member of Dream Defenders since 2014. The organization seeks to expose government policies, which lead to healthcare disparities while advocating for the poor. “If you are Black and poor people, you have a two or three times greater chance of having your leg amputated as a result of diabetes complications,” said Henderson. Henderson said that Blacks experience higher incidents of asthma, hypertension and high cholesterol as well. He said the onus is on physicians to check their bias at the door before going in to see a patient. “The reality is that because physicians have bias, they treat their patients differently,” said Henderson. “Until we wrestle with this implicit bias, until we recognize this bias, then we are never going to get rid of our part in health care disparities.”
Managing asthma: Know triggers and treatment options From the Food and Drug Administration About 8.3 percent of Americans — nearly 27 million people — have asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There’s no cure for asthma and, in most cases, health officials don’t know what causes it. However, they do know that people living with asthma can reduce the number and severity of their asthma attacks. Patients can better manage their asthma by working with their health care providers — including an allergist or pulmonologist (lung specialist) if needed — to develop an asthma action plan. Not everyone with asthma has the same symptoms or can take the same medicine. Putting an action plan in place can help patients understand their asthma triggers and ensure they have the medications they need to reduce the number and severity of asthma attacks. The plan should also include information on how to take these medicines, when to take them, and what to do if symptoms get worse. Recognize your asthma triggers
An important component to any asthma action plan is identifying your asthma triggers, things that can make asthma worse. Triggers can be different for everyone. Knowing what triggers are and learning how to avoid them can help prevent an asthma attack. The most common triggers include tobacco smoke, dust mites, air pollution, cockroaches, pet dander, plant pollen, mold, infections, exercise or strong scents (such as perfumes). Treat asthma with the right medication Left untreated, asthma can cause long-term lung damage and life-threatening attacks that may require emergency care or hospitalization. Patients should work with their health care provider to discuss proper asthma treatment, which may include medications and how to safely take them. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved many prescription asthma treatments. Because asthma symptoms can vary from person to person, not every medicine is right for every patient. There are two types of asthma medicines: quickrelief and long-term control. Quick-relief or rescue medicines control the symptoms of
ahealthy.us
Knowing what triggers are and learning how to avoid them can help prevent an asthma attack. an asthma attack. One example is albuterol, which opens up the bronchial tubes in the lungs. Long-term control medicines help you have fewer and milder attacks, although they won’t help you during an asthma attack. They include inhaled corticosteroids that, with regular treatment, help improve lung function and prevent symptoms and flare-ups, reducing the need for rescue medications. Recently, the FDA approved a new version of Primatene Mist, an over-thecounter (OTC) rescue medica-
tion to treat symptoms of mild, intermittent asthma. Primatene Mist is only approved for use in people ages 12 and older. It should not be used in younger children because it is not known if the product works or is safe in kids younger than 12. An OTC product is not right for everyone with asthma, and it should not be used without first consulting your health care provider to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan. If you have already been diagnosed with asthma, discuss treatment options with your health care provider before taking any new medication. It is especially important not to stop taking the asthma medicine that your doctor has prescribed. There are some asthma products that are labeled as homeopathic and sold OTC, but these have not been evaluated by the FDA for safety and effectiveness. If asthma is not appropriately treated and managed, you may have wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing. You also could be at risk for lifethreatening asthma attacks that may require emergency care or hospitalization. For those reasons, you should not take any medication for the treatment of asthma without consulting your health care provider.
insightnews.com
Insight News • November 26 - December 2, 2018 • Page 7
Celebrating Black elected officials The 2018 midterms were of the most historic election cycle of our lifetimes. In Minnesota it was a record-breaking year of Black candidates as more than a dozen won their elections. To commemorate the victories Wintana Melekin is hosting a celebration this Monday (Nov. 26) from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. at the Goldroom Restaurant & Lounge, 528 Hennepin Ave, downtown Minneapolis. The event, Celebrating Black Elected OďŹƒcials, will feature several conďŹ rmed guests including recently elected oďŹƒcials Rep. Elect Ilhan Omar, Hennepin County Commissioner Elect Angela Conley, State Rep. Elect Hodan Hassan, State Rep. Elect Ruth Richardson, State Rep. Elect Mohammed Noor, Minneapolis School Board Member Elect Kimberly Caprini and Crystal City Councilmember Elect Brendan Banks. In addition, Minnesota Sen. Je
Rep. Ilhan Omar
Angela Conley
Hodan Hassan
Ruth Richardson
Rep. Rena Moran
Mohammed Noor
Kimberly Caprini
Brendan Banks
Sen. Jeff Hayden
April Graves
Hayden, Minnesota Rep. Rena Moran, Brooklyn Park City
Councilmember April Graves, Minneapolis Park Board
Commissioners AK Hassan and LaTrisha Vetaw and Min-
neapolis School Board Members Kim Ellison, Kerry Jo
Felder and Siad Ali will attend.
Trauma specialist honored with Professional of the Year Award NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) presented Resmaa Menakem, author and trauma specialist, with a Professional of the Year Award at its annual conference, held Nov. 3 in St. Paul. The award recognizes a professional who provides quality services, exempliďŹ es best practices, and demonstrates commitment
and leadership to the ďŹ eld. Menakem has served as the director of counseling services for the Tubman Family Alliance, as behavioral health director for African-American Family Services in Minneapolis and as a cultural somatic consultant for the Minneapolis Police Department. As a community care counselor, he managed the wellness and counsel-
ing services for civilians on 53 U.S military bases in Afghanistan. He is also a therapist in private practice in Minneapolis. His new book, My Grandmother›s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, discusses racialized trauma, the physical nature of trauma, and how it impacts bodies and minds. He explores so-
matic treatment to create a healing process from these experiences. “NAMI is pleased to recognize Resmaa’s important work, especially in his groundbreaking book,� said NAMI Minnesota’s executive director Sue Abderholden.
Resmaa Menakem
ACLU Minneapolis to honor Eric Janus, NAACP Minneapolis The ACLU of Minnesota will honor Eric Janus with its 22nd annual Earl Larson Award and the NAACP Minneapolis with its ďŹ rst Changemaker Award. Since 1996, the Earl Larson Award has honored attorneys who have shown a lifelong commitment to justice and civil liberties work. The award is named after one of the ACLU Minnesota founders, U.S. District Judge Earl Larson. The Changemaker Award recognizes people and organizations who are in the forefront of the
Jakes From 3 about his Nigerian roots. He said Dr. Henry Louis Gates, a professor of African and AfricanAmerican research at Harvard University, arranged a DNA test which conďŹ rmed that Jakes’ ancestors were from Nigeria. “Going back there recently, I went into an area that was predominantly Ibo and it was kind of emotional to me,â€? Jakes said. “Because they made presentations to me – my house is decorated with a lot of African art – and they were telling me this is what your language sounds like.â€? Jakes said he has a vivid recollection of his greatgrandmother who was once enslaved. He was just 10 years old
Author Eric Janus
but said he remembers listening to his great-grandmother talk about slavery and his family’s history “And I think of how so many people look at Africa and they talk about poverty but when I looked at it I thought they are so rich in ways that we are poor.â€? Jakes said. “They know who they are, they know whose they are, they know where they came from, they proudly understand their languages, and in that way we are very poor and so there needs to be a greater exchange between us as people because for me it was like regaining a part of myself that was lost.â€? Jakes is the honorary co-chair of a new traveling exhibit, “Slavery at Jeerson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty,â€? which will run through Dec. 31 at Dallas’ African American Museum. The exhibit, which premiered at Smithsonian’s Nation-
ClassiÀeds &KLOG &DUH $VVLVWDQW
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² 9ROXQWHHU 6HUYLFHV DW IRU DGGLWLRQDO LQIRUPD WLRQ RU H PDLO WR +XPDQ6HUYLFHV 9ROXQWHHU#FR UDPVH\ PQ XV
struggle for justice and equality. The award ceremony is Wednesday (Nov. 28) at The Depot Minneapolis, 225 3rd Ave. S. Janus is a professor and the former president and dean of Mitchell Hamline School of Law and a leading national expert on sexual violence law and policy. Building on his experience as court-appointed counsel in constitutional litigation, challenging Minnesota’s Sexually Dangerous Person Law, he has focused on the boundaries of the state’s ability
to use civil commitment to protect public safety. His most recent book is “Sexual Predators: Society, Risk and the Law.â€? He has served on the Minnesota Sex Oender Civil Commitment Advisory Task Force and is a contributing editor to the “Sex Offender Law Report.â€? Janus has worked with the ACLU Minnesota to challenge the detention of individuals in the Minnesota Sex Oender treatment program, which the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota found to be unconstitutional.
The NAACP Minneapolis is being honored with the ACLU of Minnesota’s ďŹ rst annual Changemaker Award due to the NAACP’s commitment to equality, justice and the empowering of underserved communities. The NAACP Minneapolis is an active and vibrant branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the oldest civil rights organization in the United States. Their mission is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights
of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination. The ACLU MInneapolis and NAACP Minneapolis have partnered on a number of projects, including the release of the ACLU’s report on racial disparities in policing, two successful Warrant Resolution Days and litigation to increase police transparency. Tickets to the event are $100 or $30 for those in public or social service.
al Museum of American History, breaks new ground by focusing in more detail on the life of Sally Hemings who was enslaved with an estimated 400 other men, women and children on Jeerson’s 5000-acre Monticello plantation. The exhibit showcases more than 300 artifacts. Some of the artifacts that appear in the exhibit include, nails made at the nailery, which was run by the enslaved families an became an extremely proďŹ table industry for Jeerson; a tombstone of Priscilla Hemmings that was hand-carved by her husband, Michael Hemmings; and china and pottery purchased by the enslaved families at the market. Though all are related, the last names have multiple spellings. Some of Jeerson’s items on display include a ďŹ nely carved chess set, his eyeglasses and bookstand. Also, a medi-
cine bottle from Paris that may have been brought back by Sally Hemings during her time in France; a portion of a black pot (Jeerson encouraged his slaves to marry and gave them a black pot as a wedding gift) and an arm chair used in the house that is believed to have been made by John Hemings, (correct spelling) a gifted furniture maker. Meanwhile, Jakes reected on the artifacts, which conjured images of enslaved Africans aboard slave ships heading from West Africa to the Americas. “All of the people who got on the boat were not the same people but they had to unify in order to survive under stress.â€? Jakes said. “It’s an amazing story when you think about it. They didn’t even speak any other’s language so well that was a certain amount of distrust under the planks of the ship there
was a huge enemy above and so in that sandwich dimension of history we survive nonetheless.â€? “We learn how to communicate with each other,â€? Jakes said. “We learned how to become a people. We struggle with what to call ourselves – ‘darkies’ and ‘coloreds’ and ‘niggers’ and negroes’ and all of these names that were thrust upon us is a reection of trying to identify who am I,â€? Jakes added. Dallas is the ďŹ rst city to host the exhibit that will feature additional objects that have never left Monticello. Other stops for the exhibit include Detroit, Richmond, V.A. and the West Coast in 2019. Jakes said slavery was also about survival, people who were forced into a violent life and stripped of everything, including their names. He added that slavery and contemporary issues of race are forever inter-
twined, and he stressed the signiďŹ cance of the Dallas exhibition. After Jakes completed a tour of the exhibit, he sat inside one of the museum’s upstairs galleries, glanced at a panel about enslaved African people, and spoke philosophically about slavery’s 300-year impact on the world. “I think that no matter what the color of the people are anytime we allow one group of people to have that much power, abuse perpetuates itself,â€? Jakes said, “whether you are talking about some of the atrocities that have happened in the history of the Jews or whether you’re talking about the apartheid in South Africa, or whether you’re talking about slavery and Jim Crow in America.â€?
Phone: 612.588.1313
78725,1* 23325781,7,(6 9ROXQWHHU ZLWK .LGV DW (DVW 6LGH /HDUQLQJ &HQWHU $W (DVW 6LGH /HDUQLQJ &HQWHU EXLOG D OLIH FKDQJLQJ UHODWLRQVKLS E\ PHHWLQJ WKH LQGLYLGXDO QHHGV RI GLYHUVH FKLOGUHQ RQ 6W 3DXOÂśV (DVW 6LGH WKURXJK RQH RQ RQH UHDGLQJ WX WRULQJ ZLWK . QG JUDGHUV 7XWRU LQJ RSSRUWXQLWLHV DYDLODEOH 0RQ GD\ WKURXJK 7KXUVGD\ IURP $0 WR 30 9ROXQWHHUV WXWRU D PLQLPXP RI RQH FKLOG RQFH D ZHHN IRU DERXW PLQXWHV 7UDLQLQJ PDWHULDOV DQG RQ VLWH VXSSRUW DUH SURYLGHG 3OHDVH FRQWDFW WKH 9ROXQWHHU &RRUGLQD WRU DW IRU PRUH LQ IRUPDWLRQ RQ WKLV RU RWKHU YROXQ WHHU RSSRUWXQLWLHV RU YLVLW ZZZ HDVWVLGHOHDUQLQJFHQWHU RUJ
9ROXQWHHU &XVWRPHU 6HUYLFH $VVLVWDQWV +HQQHSLQ &RXQW\ LV VHHNLQJ YRO XQWHHU JUHHWHUV IRU LWV 1RUWK 0LQ QHDSROLV KXPDQ VHUYLFH FHQWHU DW 3O\PRXWK $YHQXH 1RUWK WR ZHOFRPH DQG JXLGH YLVLWRUV DQVZHU TXHVWLRQV DQG DVVLVW ZLWK VSHFLDO SURMHFWV 5HOLDEOH DGXOWV ZKR HQMR\ ZRUNLQJ ZLWK SHRSOH DQG ZKR DUH DYDLODEOH IRU D IHZ KRXUV WZLFH D ZHHN DUH HQFRXUDJHG WR DSSO\ ,GH DO FDQGLGDWHV ZLOO EH DEOH WR YROXQ WHHU IRU D PLQLPXP RI WKUHH PRQWKV 9ROXQWHHUV DUH LQWHJUDO WR +HQQHSLQ &RXQW\ÂśV PLVVLRQ RI HQKDQFLQJ WKH KHDOWK VDIHW\ DQG TXDOLW\ RI OLIH RI LWV UHVLGHQWV DQG FRPPXQLWLHV LQ D UHVSHFWIXO Hႈ FLHQW DQG Âż VFDOO\ UHVSRQVLEOH ZD\ *HW LQYROYHG E\ YLVLWLQJ KWWS ZZZ KHQQHSLQ XV KX PDQVHUYLFHYROXQWHHU DQG VXEPLW WLQJ D YROXQWHHU DSSOLFDWLRQ
Fax: 612.588.2031 /,/Âś6 $1*(/6 0(025< /266 6833257 *5283
1RUWKHDVW 0LQQHDSROLV 0RQURH 9LOODJH &HQWUDO $YH 1( 0LQ QHDSROLV 0HHWV WKH QG :HGQHVGD\ RI HDFK PRQWK IURP WR S P 6RXWK 0LQQHDSROLV /XQGV %\HUO\ÂśV *URFHU\ :HVW /DNH 6W 0LQQHDSROLV 0HHWV WKH QG )ULGD\ RI HDFK PRQWK IURP WR S P %URRNO\Q &HQWHU -HKRYDK -LUHK &KXUFK ;HU[HV $YH 1 %URRNO\Q &HQWHU 0HHWV WKH QG :HGQHVGD\ RI HDFK PRQWK IURP WR S P 7R 5693 RU IRU TXHVWLRQV SOHDVH FDOO 'RURWKHD +DUULV DW 9ROXQWHHUV RI $PHULFD 0,11(627$ $1' :,6&216,1
Email: info@insightnews.com
3&<&ÂśV $QQXDO &KLOGUHQÂśV *LIW 6DOH 6DWXUGD\ 'HFHPEHU DP SP 'RQDWLRQV RI JLIWV DQG GROODUV DUH QHHGHG DQG YROXQWHHU RSSRUWXQL WLHV DUH DYDLODEOH )RU GHWDLOV YLVLW SF\F PSOV RUJ RU FDOO &DWULFH 2Âś1HDO
&RXUWURRP 'HSXW\
7KH 8 6 'LVWULFW &RXUW 'LVWULFW RI 01 LV DFFHSWLQJ DSSOLFDWLRQV IRU D IXOO WLPH &RXUWURRP 'HSXW\ LQ 6DLQW 3DXO 01 6DODU\ UDQJH LV )RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ YLVLW WKH FRXUWÂśV ZHEVLWH ZZZ PQG XVFRXUWV JRY (PSOR\PHQW $Q (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW\ (PSOR\HU
:DONHU &XUUHQW 2SHQLQJV
7R ZRUN DW WKH :DONHU PHDQV WR ZRUN DORQJVLGH D GLYHUVH WDOHQWHG DQG SDVVLRQDWH JURXS RI SHRSOH ZKR DUH GHGLFDWHG WR WKH DUWV ,I \RXÂśUH LQWHUHVWHG LQ OHDUQLQJ PRUH VLJQ XS DQG IROORZ RXU RSHQLQJV DV WKH\ÂśUH SRVWHG KHUH ZDONHUDUW KLULQJWKLQJ FRP
Page 8 •November November 26 - December 2, 2018 • Insight News
insightnews.com
Lifestyle
The elections are over, but the work is ongoing Public Policy Project Commentary by James Trice Now that you’ve voted, what’s next? Voting is the first thing, not the last thing. Voting is the beginning, not the end. Voting is the start, not the finish. Many voters believe that once they’ve voted that their responsibility is over and done.
NNPA Newswire Columnist By Julianne Malveaux
INSIGHT NEWS www.insightnews.com
Insight News is published weekly, every Monday by McFarlane Media Interests. Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Managing Editor Harry Colbert, Jr. Culture and Education Editor Dr. Irma McClaurin
Especially, if the person they voted for wins. They believe that it is now in the hands of the person they voted for, and that the elected official will now fight for them and the issues they care about. The voter believes that the elected official has all the answers and knows everything about all the issues. Nothing could be further from the truth. After an election, whether the person you voted for wins or loses, you now need to become an advocate for the issues you care about. It is easier to fight and advocate for your issues when the person you voted
for wins. This is because one assumes, they have a voice inside the walls of government. On the other hand, it can be more challenging to advocate for your issues when the opponent wins. However, regardless of whether your candidate wins or loses you still have the responsibility to advocate for the issues you really care about. Who knows, depending on how well you advocate, there is always a possibility to get the opposition to support and push for your issues. That is why voting is the first thing, not the last thing. Voting is the beginning, not the end. Voting is the start, not the finish. You must
always advocate for your issues if you really want to change your present reality. There are many ways to advocate for your issues. Many of us are familiar with community organizing, boycotts, acts of civil disobedience (i.e. protests and occupations), door–to-door canvasing, public meetings, political campaigning, marches, selective buying campaigns and the arts to name a few. But the one I want to stress is holding your elected officials accountable (city, county, state and federal) by engaging them. Whether you visit a policymaker, attend committee hearings,
write a letter, call, text, email, fax or use social media it really doesn’t matter as long as you organize through regularly advocating for your issues with your elected official. First, it’s important to know what the duties and responsibilities are of each of the various elected/appointed bodies that represent you so that you know where to go for your issue. Other important information you need to know is the name and contact information of your representative, committee names, function and members, hearing and committee schedules , the bill/issue deadline dates, the
processes for community input or testimony – whether meetings are open to the public and/or allow public participation, the voting record of the elected official – how have he/she voted on previous issues and best dates and times to meet with your elected official. Build a good relationship with policy maker’s staff and legislative team. It is imperative that we constantly advocate for ourselves, our families and our communities if we want to change our present condition and see our dreams of a more inclusive and equitable society realized.
The president and the press: Unhinged attacks are repulsive A cursory look at the win-loss column after the midterm elections suggests that nobody left the table empty-handed. Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives, Republican’s expanded their control of the Senate, hundreds of state legislative seats flipped from Democratic to Republican, and Democrats gained gubernatorial, attorney general, and other key positions. But both democracy and the truth took a hit during the midterms, when the President of the United States obfuscated, prevaricated, and just plain lied every chance he got. And then he had the nerve to say he tells the truth “when he can,” which really means he tells the truth only when it serves him. During the midterm campaign, “45” notably attacked Democratic opponents any way he could, often with the vilest of lies. African-American political candidates, and especially Stacey Abrams (Georgia) and Andrew Gillum (Florida) were the focus of his ire.
While 45 counts the midterm election as a victory, he was so testily obnoxious in the press conference the day after the election that it is clear that he felt the loss. And when a bully is beaten, he lashes out. CNN’s Jim Acosta was the victim of his ire. Because he was persistent in asking a question, Acosta was falsely accused of putting his hands on someone, and his White House press pass was revoked, though a federal judge (appointed by 45, no less) later ruled the stripping could not be upheld. At the same press conference, the so-called leader of the free world was rudely dismissive to American Urban Radio’s star reporter, April Ryan, repeatedly telling her to “sit down.” Then, on Nov. 9, he attacked Ryan, calling her a “loser” and saying that she “doesn’t know what the hell she is doing.” He said he might consider yanking her press credentials. The president is on a roll when it comes to Black women in the press. He told CNN’s Abby
Phillips that she “always asks stupid questions” when she asked him whether he elevated Matt Whitaker to acting attorney general because he indicated he would impede the Robert Mueller investigation into 45. Stupid is the perfect way to describe a president who does not even know how to use Google search to figure out that his pick to replace Jeff Sessions is biased against an investigation he is now charged with supervising. Phillips, a consummate and smooth professional, surely understands that she is in good company. Trump loves to attack Black women, especially those who oppose him (like Rep. Maxine Waters) for their intellectual acuity. At the same press conference where he melted down on Acosta, the president also attacked PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, describing a question she asked him about the term “nationalist” as a “racist question.” Alcindor, who says she has interviewed several white supremacists that are “excited” by their leader,
asked a perfectly legitimate question of the president who has been stoking racial fires since he announced his candidacy. In attacking both the questioner and the question, 45 again showed his biases and his hostility both to the press and to some of the individuals who cover him. No president enjoys intense press scrutiny, especially when things are not going his way. But no president has been more rude, dismissive and offensive toward the press. No press secretary has been more rude and obnoxious than Sarah Huckabee Sanders. And none has attempted to curtail press freedoms with the vitriol that Trump has. Forty-five says he will pull the press credential of any member of the press who is not “respectful” to him. In his tiny mind, disrespect is the same as merely asking difficult or uncomfortable questions. He and Sanders would undoubtedly feel better if there were no press questions, just syncopated fawning. I don’t expect decency from the president, but I am con-
cerned that the press corps has not been more strongly supportive of their colleagues like Ryan and Acosta. What if, for just one day, every member of the press began her question with, I’m asking this in the name of Acosta? What if they started a question with, “Let me say that my colleague April Ryan is not a loser,” this administration would get some sense of press solidarity. Trump attacks because he can attack and because few are willing to stand up to him. The president’s hostility toward the press is bad enough. His particular antipathy toward African-Americans is even worse. Who will stand up for April Ryan, Abby Phillips, and Yamiche Alcindor? Where, by the way, are the women of the #MeToo movement when Black women are being attacked? Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist. Her latest book, “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy” is available via www. amazon.com.
Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Content & Production Coordinator Sunny Thongthi Yang Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Intern Kelvin Kuria Contributing Writers Nadvia Davis Fred Easter Abeni Hill Timothy Houston Michelle Mitchum Latisha Townsend Artika Tyner Toki Wright Photography David Bradley V. Rivera Garcia Uchechukwu Iroegbu Rebecca Rabb Artist Donald Walker Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis,
Housing From 3 said Luke Grundman, managing attorney at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. “Lawyers serve a vital role at a vital moment.” VLN is setting out to add 25 additional volunteer lawyers and increase its housing representation work by 20 percent in 2019. The commitment would bring the total number of housing volunteer attorneys to 310 and their total number of volunteer hours to 2,300. Fewer than 10 percent of Hennepin County tenants facing eviction have an attorney representing them when their eviction cases are heard
in court while roughly half of landlords have an attorney. Every year, approximately 2,700 households in Minneapolis presently face eviction without an attorney in the courtroom. Law firms already committed to More Representation include Barnes & Thornburg; Dorsey & Whitney; Faegre Baker Daniels; Fredrikson & Byron; Jones Day; McEllistrom, Fargione, Landy, Rorvig & Eken; Merchant & Gould, Robins Kaplan, Anthony Ostlund Baer & Louwagie, Gray Plant Mooty, Stinson and Leonard, and Maslon LLP. Frey has made an investment of $150,000 in his 2019 budget for his Eviction Representation Pilot, which will fund legal services for low income renters facing displacement from their housing.
insightnews.com
Insight News • November 26 - December 2, 2018 • Page 9
Gregory Porter
Truth Maze
CHILDREN “Peppa Pig’s Surprise!” State Theatre 805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis 6 p.m. $39.50-$59.50
Monday, Nov. 26 – Sunday, Dec. 9
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
Catch a live action version of the animated series “Peppa Pig” in downtown Minneapolis at the historic State Theatre.
Wednesday, Nov. 28 ROCK/BLUES D and Friends with Javier Trejo and The Dual Showmen Bunkers Music Bar 761 Washington Ave. N., Minneapolis 9:30 p.m. – 1 a.m. 21-plus $6
Monday, Nov. 26 COMEDY Uproar Comedy Open Mic featuring Brandi Brown Du Nord Craft Spirits 2610 32nd St. E., Minneapolis 7:30 p.m. 21-plus No cover Devohn and Xochi (Uproar) present a new comedy open mic at Minnesota’s first Black-owned distillery.
Tuesday, Nov. 27
Head down to Bunkers with Javier Trejo and The Dual Showmen featuring Demitri Rallis and Annie Frazier.
with a college ID until 11:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 30 HIP-HOP Truth Maze EP Release Party Pimento Jamaican Kitchen 2524 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. No cover Twin Cities hip-hop pioneering, MC, beatboxer, drummer, teacher and community leader, Truth Maze will host an EP release party at Pimento Rum Bar.
Saturday, Dec. 1 JAZZ Gregory Porter sings “Nat ‘King’ Cole and Me” Minnesota Orchestra 1111 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis 8 p.m. All ages $41-$71
Thursday, Nov. 29 DANCE NIGHT The Social Group Monarch 322 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. 21-plus $10
With a richly textured baritone voice, awardwinning jazz vocalist Gregory Porter brings unique interpretation and lyric soulfulness to original works and classic songs by Nat “King” Cole.
Sunday, Dec. 2 The Social Group presents #SocialThursdays every Thursday at Monarch. Free
Dance class with Deja: Finding your divinity 2100 Emerson Ave. N., Minneapolis 3 p.m. All ages $10
crooner, Kenny Lattimore is at The Dakota for two shows.
Join Deja, artistic director of Blaq, in a weekly dance class that uses traditional West African dance, social dance, writing, and mini dialogue to elevate one’s sense of divinity and healing.
Ryan Davis “Kinda Famous” Tour Rick Brunson’s House of Comedy Mall of America, Bloomington 7 p.m. 21-plus $20-$45.95 Viral video sensation Ryan Davis hits a live stage at the House of Comedy.
Monday, Dec. 3 POETRY Button Poetry Live Honey 205 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis 7 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. 21-plus $12 advance, $15 door Featured poet, Safia Elhillo is the author of “The January Children,” recipient of the 2016 Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets and a member of Forbes Africa’s 2018 “30 Under 30.”
Tuesday, Dec. 4
Wednesday, Dec. 5 COMEDY
Thursday, Dec. 6 FOOD/TELEVISION
Grammy nominated soul
Saturday, Dec. 8 JAZZ/BLUES/SOUL Court’s in Session at Studio 2 Studio 2 Cafe 818 46th St. W., Minneapolis All ages No Cover Court’s in Session brings new life to jazz standards with a touch of blues and a lot of soul at Studio 2
Handsome Hog’s executive chef Justin Sutherland is competing on Season 16 of “Top Chef.” Join fans of the Hog and of the show to root Sutherland on.
DANCE
Friday, Dec. 7
DANCE
Collectively, Prince and Michael Jackson helped define the early-’80s era of MTV, revolutionized both R&B and popular music, and influenced thousands of musicians worldwide. This dance party pays tribute to two of the greatest artists of our time with DJ Dave Paul spinning the tunes.
“Top Chef” Viewing Party Handsome Hog 203 E. 6th St., St. Paul 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. All ages No cover
R&B/SOUL Kenney Lattimore The Dakota 1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. $35-$50
$15 advance, $20 door
DANCE Prince and MJ Experience First Avenue 701 1st Ave., Minneapolis 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. 18-plus
Sunday, Dec. 9
NightChurch Icehouse 2528 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. 21-plus $8 before midnight, $10 after Resident DJs spin hip-hop, house and indie groves all night.
‘Detroit’ to play at the Capri The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul, in collaboration with the Capri Theater and the Minnesota Historical Society, presents “Detroit,” with a discussion to follow led by David Grant. The showing takes place at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Capri Theater, 2027 W. Broadway Ave., Minneapolis. Tickets to First Thursday Films are $5 and can be purchased in advance at www.mspfilm.org or at the door the night of the show.
Directed by Kathyrn Bigelow, the Academy Awardwinning director of the films “Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Detroit” tells the gripping story of one of the most terrifying moments during the civil unrest that rocked Detroit in the summer of 1967. The docu-drama centers on a group of rogue police officers who respond to a complaint with retribution, rather than justice, on their minds. “Detroit” received both high praise and intense
criticism when it was released. Twin Cities-based filmmaker, author, screenwriter and playwright Grant will lead a discussion following the showing. As a screenwriter, Grant has written for Russell Simmons’ Def Pictures, HBO and the Showtime Network, among many others. He also mentors screenwriting students as an adjunct faculty member in the Augsburg College MFA in Creative Writing program, and teaches screenwriting at Independent
Feature Project North. This screening of “Detroit” is one of several “First Thursdays” films this season shown in conjunction with “The 1968 Exhibit” at the Minnesota Historical Society. The First Thursdays series continues in the new year beginning with “Crime and Punishment” on Jan. 3, “Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami,” on Feb. 7, and “Black Panther” on March 7.
Critically acclaimed docu-drama “Detroit” plays on the big screen as a part of First Thursday Films @ the Capri.
‘Cores Pretas’ highlights struggles of Black women in Brazil
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia Mayara Silva did 20 interviews last year. The 26-year-old has worked since the age of 16, has been a lawyer for two years, and is finishing her first postgraduate course and has already started the second one, according to the blog, BlackWomenofBrazil, which is dedicated to highlighting the inequities, successes and other issues concerning Black women in the country. Even with her experience, Silva, a
Courtesy of KöK Films
“Cores Pretas” focuses on racism, colorism and empowerment of black women. young lawyer, found it a struggle to get back into the job market. Unemployment in
Brazil affects Pretos e Pardos (Blacks and Browns) more than brancos (whites). Of the
13 million unemployed, 8.3 million belong to the group – 63.7 percent of the total, or two out of three workers without a job — according to a national survey released last year. Throughout 2017, when unemployment levels hit a record, Silva sent 67 resumes and was invited to 20 interviews. She received only one job offer. “They called me to pay me R$1,000 ($308 U.S. dollars monthly). I thought it was absurd and I didn’t go,” said Silva. According to the national survey, the average remuneration of Black and Brown is 44.4 percent
lower than that of whites. In Silva’s assessment, the proposal of R$1,000 per month is well below the market average for the same function, which, according to her, is around R$6,000. Struggles like that of Silva’s are why Black Women of Brazil has pushed the documentary, “Cores Pretas,” which means Black colors. Released earlier this year, the film highlights racism and the empowerment of Black women in Brazil. Directed by journalist Stella Tó Freitas, “Cores Pretas” focuses on the perspectives of five Black women who discuss their experiences coping with
a lifetime filled with racism. “Much more than a film that conceptualizes racism, ‘Cores Pretas’ shows how these women feel that skin tone is qualitative in our racist society. From that point on, they tell how racism has transformed them and how they have redefined themselves in this process,” Freitas told Black Women of Brazil. The topic of colorism has been a very popular theme among AfroBrazilians in recent years and the consequences can be devastating on the self–esteem of
PRETAS 11
Page 10 â&#x20AC;˘November November 26 - December 2, 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ Insight News
insightnews.com
insightnews.com
Insight News • November 26 - December 2, 2018 • Page 11
Pretas From 9 African-descendants who live in a society in which skin color can factor very heavily on how one is perceived in a country based on a European standard of beauty, the blog reported. Beyond the concept of race and its fluid conceptions in countries like Brazil, where skin color can influence everything from women’s ability to attain employment to securing long-lasting relationships, the comments of the women in the film also demonstrate how prejudice manifests and is displayed in everyday interactions. “The more melanin, the more severe the forms of racism, but this only modifies the kind of racism suffered by those who are Black and not retinto (very dark skinned),” Freitas said. The documentary tackles the economic crisis that
has been strangling Brazil for the past few years, the blog’s authors said. The situation has been challenging for the entire population, but when race and gender is added to the mix, the results can be devastating. “Nowadays, AfroBrazilian women are no longer satisfied holding down jobs that the society expects them to occupy such as maids or cleaning women. No, no, today we see a growing number of Black women who are becoming dentists, doctors, lawyers, judges and even CEOs of top companies,” the authors said. “But even in this scenario, the crisis is making it difficult for even highly-qualified black women to find employment.” Freitas hopes her film will define how racism can modify itself but still bring clarity to the topic of how it plays out depending on the various skin tones one encounters within the Black community. “Imagine this in a Brazil that basically leaves its
table scraps to its Black population and then those scraps are further divided up among Black people depending on their proximity to or distance from the European standard,” said Freitas. Oftentimes, the understanding of the dynamics of racism and colorism play an important role in how Black subjects see themselves and the development of various stances in a color-struck world that can eventually lead to self-affirmation and then empowerment. “The idea of the documentary came about because I, as a journalist, felt the need to explain how a Black woman’s life is in practice, how the nuances of racism work, and how it transforms that woman’s life,” said Freitas. “This record could not begin with any place other than Campos. In addition to an indescribable passion I have for the city, we Campistas (residents of the city) are still lacking the understanding that Campos breathes Black culture.”
Detroit 7pm Thursday, December 6 Discussion Leader: David Grant $5 tickets: mspfilm.org or at the door +++Theater
2027 West Broadway, Minneapolis 55411 www.thecapritheater.org
For every Medicare choice.
It’s Medicare enrollment season. October 15 through December 7 HealthPartners has been helping Minnesotans stay healthy for over 60 years. We’re not just another choice. We’re not just another health plan. We’re a health partner.
Medicare plans by
Call 952-883-5090 or 844-363-8979 (TTY 711) or visit healthpartners.com/choice to enroll today. HealthPartners is a PPO plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in HealthPartners depends on contract renewal. We take calls October 1 to March 31, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., CT, seven days a week. April 1 to September 30, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., CT, Monday through Friday. HealthPartners Medicare Supplement plans are underwritten by HealthPartners, Inc. H4882_113481_C IR 10/2018 Supp_113481 IR 10/2018
Page 12 •November November 26 - December 2, 2018 • Insight News
Purple Reign Hopefully the Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t too married to their blue and white uniforms, because if they play like they played in the debut of their Prince-inspired purple home jerseys all the time, fans might demand a switch. The Wolves donned the pur-
ple and black jerseys for the first time Nov. 16 in front of a sellout home crowd at the Target Center against one of the league’s best teams, the Portland Trailblazers. It was clear from the start this was going to be a special night for Minnesota. From the Jimi Hendrix and Prince inspired rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” performed by The Time’s Jellybean John-
son to the all-Prince interludes during timeouts and a halftime performance by The Time’s Morris Day, to an effortless offensive performance by Andrew Wiggins, it was as if the game was ordained by the Purple One himself. The Wolves ran away with the contest, winning 11296. So how much to redesign the newly redesigned Target Center into a hue of purple royalty?
insightnews.com
Photos by Harry Colbert, Jr.
Andrew Wiggins looking good and playing great in the Prince-inspired purple and black uniforms.
Watching over his team and his town, Prince Rogers Nelson.
The most beloved Timberwolf of all times, Kevin Garnett took in the contest and festivities
Keith Lewis (left) and wife, Cynthia Lewis were on hand for the Friday evening contest.
Jellybean Johnson bathing in the Purple Rain.
TAKE ON
EVERYTHING
TWIN CITIES HAS TO OFFER
TODAY Today is yours for the taking. And AARP is here in our community, helping you make the most of it. Whether you’re a family caregiver looking for some support or have ideas to help improve your neighborhood, we’re here connect you to the tools you need. So go make today and every day the best it can be, Twin Cities.
Learn how at aarp.org/twincities
Mr. Cool himself, Morris Day.
Former Prince DJ and current Wolves DJ, Dudley D.