Insight ::: 04.17.2023

Nanny’s Jamaican Kitchen in St. Paul is showing up and showing out on Rice Street just north of the State Capitol Complex. Chef Okkoy Graham’s classic Jamaican dishes are winning praises from seasoned “Yardies” and the gratitude of connoisseurs of Jamaican cuisine. As if on a mission, Nanny’s Jamaican Kitchen is winning converts from legions of food lovers who want to personally experience what the whole town is talking about.

Yardie? A Jamaican. An immigrant. An authenticator, a verifier, testifier. When a Yardie is in the house, you know it is the real deal.

But Minnesota’s particular relationship with Jamaica as a vacation and sometimes mission destination, creates a vast body of experienced knowledgebles who celebrate the opportunity to

NANNY’S JAMAICAN KITCHEN

taste Jamaica again, here in Minnesota. Showing up and showing out?

While throwing down, one entre at a time, to the exquist delight of patrons, Chef Okkoy embodies the energy of his restaurant’s namesake, Nanny, the Maroon revolutionary, who waged guerilla war against British colonizers. A cultural warrior and freedom fighter, Nanny unleased and amplified latent, often suppressed pride, resilience and resistance of subjugated Africans, transforming their daily lives to reflect their natural right to freedom and self-determination. They won. They created enclaves of independence in the mountains of Jamaica, from which they launched successful attacks against plantationists, liberating bondaged brethren.

Nanny’s Jamaican Kitchen’s logo features a rendering of Chef Okkoy and his mom, Joan,who he says is like a modern day Nanny of the Maroons, a liberator. And it is her spirit he channels into excellence of cuisine, excellence of service, and excellence of community engagement.

Last week, that showed up as a day of gratitude, serving free Easter meals to the community, a gesture of humble service, gratitude and duty to recognize and appreciate neighbors in need of liberation today.

You can check out Nanny’s Jamaican Kitchen live and direct, as Chef Okkoy would say, at 969 Rice Street. Call 612-688-1619 for information and ordering, and visit online at https://www. nannysjamaican.com/

Photos by Lou Michaels/Insight News photographer Photos Lou News

From lef t to right: Chef Okkoy Graham, owner of Nanny’s

From left to Chef owner of Jamaican Kitchen, Aquanetta Ander son and Marlon Speed Jamaican Anderson and Marlon Speed.

Nanny s Jamaican Kitchen, 969 Rice Street, Saint Paul Nanny’s Jamaican 969 Rice Saint Paul.

Chef Okkoy Graham: The master touch Chef Graham: The master touch.

Volunteer Chef Chad Holliday helps prepare Easter dinner

Volunteer Chef Chad helps prepare Easter dinner.

YOUR MINNESOTA

Walz takes case from Hennepin County, gives it to Ellison

Gov. Tim Walz has taken the rare step of taking a murder case away from Hennepin County prosecutors and handing it to Attorney General Keith Ellison.

Two juveniles, ages 15 and 17, are accused of killing of Zaria McKeever, 23, the mother of a 1-year-old child, in her Brooklyn Park apartment last November at the direction of her ex-boyfriend.

Hennepin County

Attorney Mary Moriarty had offered the two brothers juvenile plea deals that would spare them lengthy adult sentences in exchange for their testimony against the ex-boyfriend. But McKeever’s family objected.

Ellison sought to take over the case amid the public backlash, but Moriarty refused.

Ellison criticized the plea deal at a public event Wednesday. Walz used his legal authority Thursday to give the case to Ellison.

“While I share the belief that too many juveniles are involved in the adult criminaljustice system, accountability for the seriousness of this crime has been missing in this case,” Ellison said in a statement.

The attorney general typically takes over criminal cases only at the request of local prosecutors. Ellison prosecuted former Minneapolis police officer Derek

Ilhan Omar embarks on new path no longer defined by ‘firsts’

By Farnoush Amiri

President Joe Biden was winding up for a speech at a Minnesota clean energy facility when he spotted a lawmaker in the crowd whom he wanted to recognize.

“I want to thank you for being here,” Biden said, gesturing toward Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar during his recent visit. “You never stop working to level the playing field for everybody.”

For Omar, the quick flash of praise from Biden — who was neither her first nor second choice to be the party’s 2020 White House nominee — was more than just a courtesy shout-out during a presidential visit to her suburban Minneapolis district. It was a recognition of how far Omar has come after a rocky start to her political career that at times made her standing with Democrats appear tenuous.

As she settles into her third term, Omar is no longer defined by the “firsts” that accompanied her arrival in Congress: one of the first Muslim women in the House, the first refugee from Africa elected to the House, the first lawmaker to wear a hijab

while on the House floor. In interviews with nearly a dozen Democrats in the House and Senate, lawmakers portray Omar as a serious legislator who in the past four years has earned admiration for giving voice to marginalized groups often

forgotten on Capitol Hill. The best example of this came in early February when every single House Democrat voted against a GOP resolution to remove her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over her past comments critical of Israel.

The program will honor Billmeyer’s 41st and final year as University of Minnesota Organist and Professor of Music. Tickets are available inperson and livestream Apr 18 and on-demand through Apr 23.

Award-winning organist, beloved professor, and international performer, Dean Billmeyer punctuates his 41st and final year as University of Minnesota Organist and Professor of Music on Apr 18 with a special celebration at Northrop. Billmeyer collaborates with Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies’ (GTCYS) flagship orchestra–Symphony–to honor his illustrious career as an accomplished musician and esteemed educator.

The program features Billmeyer on Poulenc’s Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Timpani, as well as Dvořák’s complete New World Symphony This exciting collaboration stretches across generations and celebrates the best of the Twin Cities’ musical talent. “It is a great pleasure and privilege to be performing Francis

Poulenc’s Organ Concerto with my esteemed colleague Mark Russell Smith and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies at Northrop,” notes Billmeyer During his 41 years at the University of Minnesota, Billmeyer has taught classes in Counterpoint, Thoroughbass, and Keyboard Skills, as well as Organ and Harpsichord. He was key in restoring and maintaining Northrop’s historic AeolianSkinner Opus 892 organ. “A

“I think we’ve been successful in making the Democratic caucus, Democratic Party, Democratic establishment to get to a place where they are able to see me fully, for all of the multiple identities I am a

Italie

Saying she is ready to share the “unfathomable” experience of being arrested and incarcerated in Russia, basketball star Brittney Griner is working on a memoir that is scheduled for spring 2024. Griner was arrested last year at the airport in Moscow on drug-related charges and detained for nearly 10 months, much of that time in prison. Her plight unfolded at the same time Russia invaded Ukraine and further heightened tensions between Russia and the U.S., ending only after she was freed in exchange for the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

A WNBA All-Star with the Phoenix Mercury, Griner had flown to Moscow in February 2022 to rejoin UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian women’s team she has played for in the off-season since 2014.

“That day (in February) was the beginning

of an unfathomable period in my life which only now am I ready to share,” Griner said in a statement released Tuesday by Alfred A. Knopf

“The primary reason I traveled back to Russia for work that day was because I wanted to make my wife, family, and teammates proud. After an incredibly challenging 10 months in detainment, I am grateful to have been rescued and to be home. Readers will hear my story and understand why I’m so thankful for the outpouring of support from people across the world.”

Griner added that she also hoped her book would raise awareness of other Americans detained overseas, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested in Russia last month and accused of espionage; businessman Kai Li, serving a 10-year sentence in China on charges of revealing state secrets to the FBI; and Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive

Chauvin for murdering

photo/File

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison

photo/Jose Luis Magana

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks during an interview before President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington.

interviews with nearly a dozen Democrats in the House and Senate, Omar is portrayed as a serious legislator who in the past four years has earned admiration for giving voice to marginalized groups often forgotten on Capitol Hill.

Tennessee’s House expells Democrats for protest; reinstatements

By Kimberlee Kruesi and Jonathan Mattise Associated Press

Tennessee’s GOP-dominated House on Thursday expelled the first of three Democratic members who were at risk of being thrown out of the Legislature for their role in a demonstration calling for gun control after the Nashville school shooting.

The vote Thursday to oust Rep. Justin Jones was an extraordinary move the chamber has used only a handful times since the Civil War.

The House also ousted Justin Pearson. The vote comes a week after the duo chanted back and forth from the chamber floor with gun-control supporters who packed the gallery. The protest happened days after six people, including three children, were fatally shot at The Covenant School in Nashville.

House lawmakers voted 72-25 to remove them

They were reinstated last week.

Thousands of people flocked to the Tennessee Capitol to support the three Democratic lawmakers, cheering and chanting outside the House chamber so loudly that the noise drowned out the proceedings.

The three Democrats held hands as they walked onto the House floor Thursday morning, and Pearson raised his fist to the crowd during the Pledge of Allegiance.

Offered a chance

Walz

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Billmeyer

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concert by University organist

Dean Billmeyer … gave the restored Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ a workout, filling our ears and rattling our bones,” according to MinnPost. Of this performance of Poulenc’s concerto, Billmeyer says, “The enormous range of colors at Northrop›s historic AeolianSkinner organ, as well as our instrument›s grandeur, give this work a wonderful sense of both monumentality and exquisite beauty.”

A Celebratory Musical

Collaboration

Collaborating with

The Greater Twin Cities Youth

to defend himself before the vote, Jones said the GOP responded to the shooting with a different kind of attack.

“We called for you all to ban assault weapons, and you respond with an assault on democracy,” he said. The calls for expulsion, which requires a two-thirds majority, stem from a protest held just days after six people, including three children, were fatally shot at The Covenant School in Nashville. Johnson, Jones and Pearson chanted back and forth from the chamber floor with gun-control supporters who packed the gallery.

Republican Rep. Gino Bulso said the three Democratic representatives “effectively conducted a mutiny.”

“The gentleman shows no remorse,” Bulso said, referring to Jones. “He does not even recognize that what he did was wrong. So not to expel him would simply invite him and his colleagues to engage in mutiny on the House floor.”

Even if they are expelled, the three lawmakers may not be gone for long. County commissions in their districts get to pick replacements to serve until a special election can be scheduled.

Any expelled lawmakers would be eligible for appointment back to their seats. They would also be eligible to run in the special election. And under the Tennessee Constitution, lawmakers cannot be expelled

George Floyd at the request of Moriarty’s predecessor. Moriarty stood by

Symphonies (GTCYS) provides a chance for musicians across generations to truly honor Billmeyer’s illustrious career as a performer and educator. “I’m delighted that Northrop can combine this celebration of our colleague Dean Billmeyer with a new partnership highlighting the extraordinary young musicians of GTCYS,” notes Kristen Brogdon, Northrop’s Director of Artistic & Community Programs. “Performances at the nexus of arts and education are central to Northrop’s mission, and I can’t think of a better pairing of artists to share our stage for this moment.”

“The students of GTCYS’ Symphony and I are thrilled to have the opportunity to play in Northrop—a music space where so many legendary musicians and ensembles have performed. It is indeed an honor not only to play here, but to

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for the same offense twice. Outrage over the possible expulsion once again thrust Tennessee into the national spotlight, underscoring not only the ability of the Republican supermajority to silence opponents, but also its increasing willingness to do so. The move sends a chilling message just as lawmakers grapple with how to respond to the devastating shooting while others have raised concerns about undermining Democracy by overturning the will of the voters.

In Washington, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described the vote as “legislative bullying.”

“The fact that this vote is happening is shocking, undemocratic and without precedent,” she said.

Many of the protesters traveled from Memphis and Knoxville, areas that Pearson and Johnson represent, and stood in a line that wrapped around the Capitol building to get inside.

Protesters outside the chamber held up signs that said, “School zones shouldn’t be war zones,” “Muskets didn’t fire 950 rounds per minute” with a photo of George Washington, and “You can silence a gun ... but not the voice of the people.“

As the House began its proceedings Thursday, Democratic Rep. Vincent Dixie stood before his colleagues and urged them to “not get distracted.” He mentioned the funeral for Mike Hill,

her decision to prosecute the youths as juveniles instead of adults, saying it offered the

collaborate with Dean Billmeyer for this unique celebration,” says Artistic Director & Symphony Conductor, Mark Russell Smith. A colleague of Billmeyer’s since 2007, Smith has served as Artistic Director of GTCYS since 2012 and is Artistic Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Minnesota, a combined post that enables him to bring his commitment for excellence and passion for education to new audiences.

Program Funeral Music for Queen Mary, Henry Purcell, arr. Steven Stucky Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Timpani in G minor, Francis Poulenc Symphony in E minor, Op. 95 “From the New World,” Antonín Dvořak

I. Adagio – Allegro molto

II. Largo

III. Scherzo (Molto vivace)

IV. Allegro con fuoco Post Event Reception

Omar

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first for and not just to see and celebrate it but to defend it,” Omar told The Associated Press.

In the debate over her committee seat, many of Omar’s fellow Democrats, including those of Jewish descent, spoke out in the chamber about what they said was hypocrisy from the new Republican majority.

“I don’t need any of you to defend me against antisemitism,” said Rep. Jan Shakowsky, D-Ill. “My friend Ilhan Omar and I have worked together toward the values that I treasure as an American Jew and that she treasures as an American Islamic woman, the only one on the Foreign Affairs Committee.”

Democrats called it payback because they had used their majority in the last

one of the Nashville school shooting victims, which took place earlier in the week.

“I want us to keep in mind the sacrifice that he made to keep those kids safe,” Dixie said. “Each of us has power to make change.”

Before the expulsion vote, House members debated more than 20 bills, including a school safety proposal requiring public and private schools to submit their building safety plans to the state. The bill did not address gun control, sparking criticisms from

best chance for rehabilitation, and sharply criticized Ellison. “Inserting himself

After the concert, attendees are invited to a reception in the lobby for cookies, punch, and camaraderie to celebrate Dean Billmeyer’s five decades of service to the University of Minnesota.

About Dean Billmeyer Billmeyer has appeared as a recitalist and clinician throughout the United States and Western Europe, acclaimed by juries and critics in the U.S. and abroad for their technical prowess and interpretive insight. Awards include prizes in the Dublin International Organ Festival Competitions in 1980 and 1988, and as A Fellow of the American Guild of Organists, the AGO has twice acknowledged him for the highest scores nationally on the Guild Certification Examinations.

About GTCYS GTCYS opens doors to music learning and provides a pathway for 1,000 student participants of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Using music as a vehicle, GTCYS’ educational

Congress to oust far-right GOP lawmakers from committees for their incendiary, violent remark s. But the emotionally charged floor debate over Omar was a departure from the bipartisan outrage she faced in her first year in office. At that time, Democrats were confronted by the reality that comes with diverse viewpoints when Omar — showing less deference to the party line — dragged the divisions over Israel into the open. It began with social media posts in which Omar criticized proIsrael lobbyist groups and questioned the loyalty of Jewish lawmakers who pushed back against her criticisms of the Israeli government. Omar apologized for her comments at the time, both privately to her Jewish colleagues and publicly. She said what she was questioning was the influence game in

some Democratic members that lawmakers were only addressing a symptom and not the cause of school shootings.

In 2019, lawmakers faced pressure to expel former Republican Rep. David Byrd after he faced accusations of sexual misconduct dating to when he was a high school basketball coach three decades earlier. Republicans declined to take any action, pointing out that he was reelected as the allegations surfaced. Byrd retired last year.

Last year, the state

in these cases simply because he disagrees with the choice I was elected to make is deeply

programs include 10 schoolyear orchestras, summer camps, and outreach initiatives that break down barriers, inspiring students to excel musically and build lifelong skills which serve them in school and beyond. Led by professional conductor and Artistic Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Minnesota, Mark Russell Smith, Symphony is GTCYS’ flagship orchestra which masters major repertoire, including full symphonic works, in a supportive and conservatorylike setting.

About the Organ Northrop’s historic Aeolian-Skinner Opus 892 organ is one of the finest concert hall pipe organs in the United States. Originally built between 1932 and 1935, the organ was restored and reinstalled in 2018 by Foley-Baker and Associates. It was awarded the prestigious “Exceptional Historic Merit” citation by the Organ Historical Society in 1999 and is one of the best examples of a lateRomantic-era instrument.

Washington and voicing her concern that anything she said about Israel and its treatment of Palestinians would be construed as antisemitic.

In response, top Democrats began to draft a resolution that would have condemned antisemitism, with an early version even mentioning Omar by name. At the time, only a handful of Democrats inside and outside of Congress came to her defense.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the highest-ranking progressive in Congress, said in April 2019 that Omar may “need to do a better job speaking to the Jewish community,” but that “it is not antisemitic to be critical of a rightwing government in Israel.”

Ben Rhodes, who was President Barack Obama’s deputy national security adviser, said that after meeting Omar early in her career, it was clear that she wanted to use her

Senate expelled Democrat Katrina Robinson after she was convicted of using about $3,400 in federal grant money on wedding expenses instead of her nursing school. Before that case, state lawmakers last ousted a House member in 2016 when the chamber voted 70-2 to remove Republican Rep. Jeremy Durham after an attorney general’s investigation detailed allegations of improper sexual contact with at least 22 women during his four years in office.

troubling and should alarm prosecutors across the state,” Moriarty said in a statement.

Along with its remarkable sound quality in concerts and performances, the Northrop organ has been used as a teaching instrument throughout the years, highlighting the University’s continuation of its organ instruction program.

Northrop and Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies Present GTCYS Symphony

Celebrating Dean Billmeyer Tue,Apr 18, 7:30 pm CT

In-person / Livestream / On-demand through Apr 23 Carlson Family Stage Reception following in Northrop lobby

TICKETS

All tickets are on sale now including flexible Choose Your Own packages saving 15% on three events or more, tickets for groups of 10 or more saving 20%, and single tickets with many discounts are available. Order online or by phone at 612624-2345, Mon-Fri 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

background to push for structural change in foreign policy.

“There are plenty of people in Congress that can represent the kind of established view of American foreign policy whether it’s on the Middle East or whether it’s on military policy,” Rhodes said. “There’s a desperate need for unconventional thinking and different perspectives, and that’s what she brings.” The resolution that Democrats ended up introducing and passing in the spring of 2019 included condemnation of antiMuslim bias but did not mention of Omar’s name. For the next several years, the former state legislator focused on bringing attention to issues that affected immigrants and families both back in her district and across Minnesota. And she gained support from various factions of the party as a result.

photo/Nicole Hester Rep. Justin Pearson, Rep. Justin Jones, Rep. Gloria Johnson hold their hands up as they exit the House Chamber doors at Tennessee State Capitol Building in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, April 3, 2023. Tennessee Republican lawmakers have taken the first steps to expel three Democratic members from the GOP-dominant House for their role in a recent gun control protest at the state Capitol.

2 Health

Biden issues proclamation for Black Maternal health week

In 2022, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra implemented actions to improve maternal health and reduce health disparities, and this year, the Biden-Harris administration has continued to champion policies to improve maternal health and equity.

Vice President Kamala Harris convened a meeting with Becerra and other Cabinet leaders amplifying a whole-of-government approach to reducing maternal mortality and morbidity.

On Monday, President Biden issued another proclamation to begin Black Maternal Health Week.

The president called the week a reminder that so many families experience pain, neglect, and loss during what should be a joyous occasion.

Biden called

it urgent that all act.

“Black women in America are three times more likely to die from pregnancyrelated complications than white women,” the president remarked. “This is on top of the fact that women in America are dying at a higher rate from pregnancy-related causes than in any other developed nation.”

He insisted that tackling the crisis begins with understanding how institutional racism drives these high maternal mortality rates.

Studies show that Black women are often dismissed or ignored in hospitals and other health care settings, even as they suffer from severe injuries and pregnancy complications and ask for help, the president reminded.

He said systemic inequities are also to blame.

“When mothers do not have access to safe and stable housing before and after childbirth, they are at greater risk

as deputy caucus chair.

“She’s not gonna stop using her voice,” Jayapal said. “She’ll continue to use her voice on foreign affairs issues.

Just kicking her off a committee is not going to silence her.

“The more time I’ve spent with her the more I’ve come to appreciate her perspective, the more I’ve come to realize how important her voice is to represent not just our community in Minnesota, not just in our country but many around the world,” Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., another Jewish member of Congress.

“It’s not about agreeing. This building was not built for agreement. It was built to manage disagreement. And I’d like to think that she and I can be the perfect example of that.”

Omar began to move up the ranks in the Congressional Progressive Caucus — one of the largest ideological caucuses in the House. She become the vote counter for the caucus chair, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., in the last Congress as progressives helped pave the way for Biden’s agenda to pass the House and Senate.

In January, Omar was chosen by more than 100 members to serve

Griner

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imprisoned in Russia on spying charges. Around the time Griner was released, Whelan criticized the U.S. government for not doing enough to help him.

Russia has been a popular playing destination for top WNBA athletes in the offseason, with some earning salaries over $1 million — nearly quadruple what they can make as a base WNBA salary. Despite pleading guilty to possessing canisters with cannabis oil, a result of what she said was hasty packing, Griner still faced trial under Russian law. Griner’s memoir

She’s way too strong for that.”

Omar, who was born in Somalia, is now embarking on a new chapter “as a minority, in the minority,” helping Biden and the Democratic Party provide a split screen to Republican control by highlighting the implementation of several legislative achievements made in the past two years, including the infrastructure law.

“Being taken off the committee is not a pleasant experience. But I think she’s gonna turn it into a real blessing,” said Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., who was an early supporter of Omar and is a member of the House Democratic leadership team.

Omar is also chairing a newly formed Africa policy working group, where she and more than a dozen House Democrats will focus on issues concerning the continent.

“We don’t agree on everything,” said Rep. Sara Jacobs, one of the group’s

is currently untitled and will eventually be published in a young adult edition. Financial terms were not disclosed.

In Tuesday’s press statement, Knopf said that the book would be “intimate and moving” and that Griner would disclose “in vivid detail her harrowing experience of her wrongful detainment (as classified by the State Department) and the difficulty of navigating the byzantine Russian legal system in a language she did not speak.”

“Griner also describes her stark and surreal time living in a foreign prison and the terrifying aspects of day-to-day life in a women’s penal colony,” the announcement reads. “At the heart of the book, Griner

of falling ill,” Biden said. “When women face barriers traveling to the hospital for prenatal and postpartum checkups, they are less likely to remain healthy. Air pollution, water pollution, and lead pipes can have dangerous consequences for pregnant women and newborns. And when families cannot afford nutritious foods, they face worse health outcomes.”

He claimed his administration has penned the blueprint for addressing the maternal health crisis, an agenda that lays out specific actions the federal government would take to improve maternal health and secured funding from Congress to help implement it.

“Vice President Kamala Harris has been a leader on the issue of maternal mortality for years and led the charge to improve maternal health outcomes, including by issuing a call to action to address disparities in maternal care,” Biden stated. “She continues

members. “But we share a similar worldview, especially when it comes to the African continent, where we’re both really focused on U.S. engagement, not leading with our military, but actually leading with diplomacy and centering our values on human rights and promoting good governance.”

While many voiced concerns that her removal from the House Foreign Affairs Committee would effectively silence her on foreign policy, Omar said Republicans badly miscalculated, given that she was assigned to the House Budget Committee as a replacement.

“This is why I joke about the fact that Republicans taking me off the Foreign Affairs Committee essentially meant that they were promoting me,” Omar said.

“Because we will have the opportunity not only to address investments in regards to our foreign policy with development, defense, and diplomacy, but we will also be able to have more of a say as part as the discussions move forward in regards to our own defense budget.”

highlights the personal turmoil she experienced during the near ten-month ordeal and the resilience that carried her through to the day of her return to the United States last December.”

Griner, 32, is a 6-foot-9 two-time Olympic gold medalist, three-time AllAmerican at Baylor University, a prominent advocate for pay equity for women athletes and the first openly gay athlete to reach an endorsement deal with Nike. She is the author of one previous book, “In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court,” published in 2014.

In February, she resigned with the Mercury and will play in its upcoming season, which runs from May through September.

to elevate the issue nationally, convening State legislators, medical professionals, and others so all mothers can access the care they need before, during, and after childbirth.

“The president continued: “Additionally, my American Rescue Plan gave States the option to provide a full year of postpartum coverage to Medicaid beneficiaries — up from just 60 days of coverage,” he said. Biden explained his administration has approved requests from Washington, D.C., and 30 states to offer women Medicare coverage and a full year of postpartum coverage.

“We have made this option permanent for every State that extends Medicaid postpartum coverage,” he

said.“My administration has helped facilitate Medicaid expansion in four States since I took office, and I continue to call on the Congress to close the Medicaid coverage gap.”

The president also emphasized the importance of diversifying the workforce.

“We are also working to expand and diversify the maternal health workforce, helping health care providers hire and train diverse and culturally competent physicians, certified nurse midwives, doulas, and community health workers to support women during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care.”

Biden’s budget includes $471 million to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates, improving access to

care in rural communities, expanding implicit bias training for health care providers, and further supporting the perinatal health workforce.

“This week, as we continue our work to make pregnancy and childbirth safe, dignified, and joyful for all, let us remember that health care should be a right and not a privilege,” Biden continued.

“Let us give thanks to the extraordinary maternal health care workforce, which serves its patients and their families every day. And let us join in common cause to end the tragedy of maternal mortality once and for all.” This article originally appeared in The Washington Informer.

photo/FG Trade

By Stacy Brown Washington Informer

photo/file

The president called the week a reminder that so many families experience pain, neglect, and loss during what should be a joyous occasion.

More thoughts on cultural differences

cultural differences.

By: W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor

SHARING OUR STORIES CHICKENS IN THE BUS

Thoughts on Cultural

More

Differences

By Joseph Mbele

Recently, I had the pleasure of reviewing Joseph Mbele’s book Africans and Americans. When published, it was well received as a guide, a cultural orientation resource, and the Evangelical Lutheran

Church of America has used the book for their partnership programs with African congregations. A conversation I had with Mr. Mbele about a sequel covering issues not in the original book intrigued me, hence I bring to you Chickens in the Bus: More Thoughts on Cultural Differences.

As a native-born Tanzanian and cultural consultant, Mbele is in the unique position of observing how we take our culture for granted, which is where trouble starts when meeting people from a different culture. An experience in Faribault, Minnesota between the Somali residents and the American residents very nearly escalated had not Mbele brought about a mutual understanding of

Mbele addresses the matters of having an accent (which we all do) and the unnecessary pressure to speak differently as well as the differing concepts of time between Americans and Africans. His chapter, “Chickens in the Bus,” was an example that struck close to home for me when it came to aspects of culture. He states, “I tell Americans that if they visit my village, they might get a live chicken to take with them. There is no better gift for a guest than a live chicken. That is part of our culture. You go into the bus with your chicken under your arm.”

No thanks to colonialism, there are Africans who are embarrassed by their culture because they were made

to feel inferior. This cultural imperialism, the belief that one culture is “the only game in town,” is and has been damaging to people and other cultures around the world. How many cultures and civilizations were destroyed because of this? I had to laugh when Mbele compared American parties to funerals, and to take note when it came to child-rearing practices (in African cultures, every adult in the village had authority over a child) and how the cultures conduct business. In

contrast to capitalism, African business affairs are far more communal and built upon social relationships. At the end of the day, communication is key to understanding cultural differences. There must be a mutual understanding and respect of one another, for this is where growth begins. Where Africans and African Americans are concerned, remember that African-born people were not conditioned to respond the same way as African Americans when it comes to matters of race due to

our respective history/legacies. Fun fact: Mbele’s book Africans and Americans was featured on the TV show Jeopardy. Chickens in the Bus is available through Amazon and his website, www.africanexicon. com

Thank you once again, Joseph, for our conversation and the opportunities to learn, understand, and broaden our horizons. Thank you for sharing your story.

Lawmaker, Rep. Justin Jones, who was expelled to return to Tennessee House

By Jonathan Mattise and

One of the two Black Democrats who were expelled last week from the GOP-led Tennessee House was reinstated Monday after Nashville’s governing council voted to send him straight back to the Legislature.

The unanimous vote by the Nashville Metropolitan Council restores Rep. Justin Jones to office just four days after Republicans stripped him of his seat. Moments after the decision, Jones began marching to the Capitol.

Republicans banished the two lawmakers over their role in a gun-control protest on the House floor in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting.

The other lawmaker, Justin Pearson, could be reappointed Wednesday at a Wednesday of the Shelby County Commission.

The expulsions on Thursday made Tennessee a new front in the battle for the future of American democracy and propelled the ousted lawmakers into the national spotlight.

Jones’ appointment is an interim basis. Special elections for the seats will take place in the coming months. Jones and Pearson have said they plan to run in the special election.

Before the special council session was to begin, a couple of hundred people gathered in front of the Nashville courthouse, and more were pouring in. Some held signs reading, “No Justin, No Peace.” Inside the courthouse, a line of people waited outside the council chambers for the doors to open.

Rosalyn Daniel arrived early and waited in line to get a seat in the council chambers. She said she is not in Jones’ district but is a Nashville resident and concerned citizen.

“I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement, so I understand why this is so important,” she said.

Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton’s spokesperson, Doug Kufner, indicated that whoever is appointed to the vacancies by the Nashville and Shelby County governments “will be seated as representatives as the constitution requires.”

House Majority Leader William Lamberth and Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison said they will

welcome back the expelled lawmakers if they are reinstated.

“Tennessee’sconstitution provides a pathway back for expulsion,” they said in a statement. “Should any expelled member be reappointed, we will welcome them. Like everyone else, they are expected to follow the rules of the House as well as state law.”

Jones and Pearson quickly drew prominent supporters. President Joe Biden spoke with them, and Vice President Kamala Harris visited them in Nashville. The expelled lawmakers have filled out their legal teams. Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under former President Barack Obama, now represents Jones.

“The world is watching Tennessee,” attorneys for Jones and Pearson wrote to Sexton in a letter Monday. “Any partisan retributive action, such as the discriminatory treatment of elected officials, or threats or actions to withhold funding for government programs, would constitute further unconstitutional action

that would require redress.”

A third Democrat targeted for expulsion, Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, also attracted national attention.

Political tensions rose when the three joined with hundreds of demonstrators who packed the Capitol last month to call for passage of gun-control measures.

As protesters filled galleries, the lawmakers approached the front of the House chamber with a bullhorn and participated in a chant. The scene unfolded days after the shooting at the Covenant School, a private Christian school where six people were killed, including three children.

Johnson, who is white, was spared expulsion by a single vote. Republican lawmakers justified splitting their votes by saying Johnson had less of a role in the protest — she didn’t speak into the megaphone, for example.

Johnson also suggested race was likely a factor in why Jones and Pearson were ousted but not her. She

told reporters it “might have to do with the color of our skin.”

GOP leaders have said the expulsions — a mechanism used only a handful times since the Civil War —

had nothing to do with race and instead were necessary to avoid setting a precedent that lawmakers’ disruptions of House proceedings through protest would be tolerated.

Expulsion has generally been reserved as a punishment for lawmakers accused of serious misconduct, not used as a weapon against political opponents.

photo/Andrew Nelles

Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday, April 7, 2023.

photo/George Walker IV

Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones calls on his colleagues to pass gun control legislation from the well of the House Chambers during the legislative session at the State Capitol Thursday, March 30, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn.

Travis Loller Associated Press

photo/George Walker IV

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at Fisk University, Friday, April 7, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Harris came to support two Democratic lawmakers who were expelled from the Tennessee State Legislature.