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Insight News

April 26, 2021 - May 2, 2021

Vol. 48 No. 17• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

CHAUVIN GUILTY

Uchechukwu Iroegbu STORY ON PAGE

Page 2 • April 26, 2021 - May 2, 2021 • Insight News

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PA I D A D V E RT I S E M E N T

Open Letter

To: The Village From: His Works United

The largest collaboration of African American Churches in the State of Minnesota

Say Their Names:

Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Daunte Wright We claim solidarity in our village. We claim justice and the end of killings of Black men and women. We stand against white supremacists, anarchists and opportunists who distort the righteous cause of our protest. (Please read full commentary on Page 3) We stand together with both young activists and long-term warriors of our Village. ;I GSQQMX XS FYMPHMRK SYV :MPPEKIƅW EFMPMX] XS ƼKLX STTVIWWMSR ERH HMWTEVEXI XVIEXQIRX We celebrate the verdict, but we know the struggle continues and there is more work to do. ;I EGORS[PIHKI XLI HIQSRWXVEXIH TS[IV SJ RSRZMSPIRX TVSXIWXW XS GEPP EXXIRXMSR XS GVMXMGEP MWWYIW ;I EVI KVEXMƼIH F] XLI FSYUYIX SJ EPPMIW XLEX [EPO [MXL YW ;I EGGITX XLI HSGYQIRXIH TVSSJ XLEX [LMXI WYTVIQEGMWXW LEZI WIX ƼVIW ERH EREVGLMWXW LEZI GEYWIH HMWVYTXMSR HYVMRK XLI RMKLXW SJ TVSXIWX JSPPS[MRK XLI +ISVKI *PS]H QYVHIV 8LI HMWVYTXMSR SJ WIVZMGIW ERH EGGIWW XS KSSHW XLEX SGGYVW [LIR KVSGIV] WXSVIW FEROW ERH KEW WXEXMSRW MR SYV GSQQYRMX] EVI GPSWIH FIGEYWI SJ PSSXMRK TIREPM^IW SYV :MPPEKI ;I QYWX XEOI E[E] XLI STTSVXYRMX] JSV IRIQMIW SJ SYV GEYWI XS HMWKYMWI XLIQWIPZIW FPIRH MR ERH YWI HEVORIWW XS XLVS[ their rocks and hide their hands. 8LMW HSIWRƅX QIER MR ER] [E] XLEX [I EFERHSR XLI TS[IV SJ TVSXIWXW Ɓ [I NYWX VINIGX I\TPSMXEXMSR 8LI WYGGIWWIW SJ XLI QSHIVR GMZMP VMKLXW QSZIQIRX GEQI XLVSYKL WXVEXIKMG TPERRMRK GSEPMXMSR FYMPHMRK ERH XLI TVEGXMGI SJ HMWGMTPMRI ;I WYKKIWX XLEX [I I\IVGMWI HMWGMTPMRI ERH WIX WXVMGX XMQIW JSV XLI MRZSPZIQIRX SJ PIKMXMQEXI EPPMIW ERH HIR] MRXIVPSTIVW XLI FIRIƼX SJ FPIRHMRK MR XS HS XLIMV QMWGLMIJ ;I WLSYPH KEXLIV MR KVIEX RYQFIVW ERH VEMWI SYV ZSMGIW [LIRIZIV E GEYWI VMWIW XLEX VIUYMVIW RSRZMSPIRX TVSXIWX ;MWHSQ WYKKIWXW XLEX [I GSRWMHIV IRHMRK TVSXIWXW FIJSVI HEVO ERH VIXYVR [MXL JSVGI SR XLI JSPPS[MRK QSVRMRK

Let us work together with those with a heart for the peace that comes from justice. SUBMITTED BY HIS WORKS UNITED POLICY BOARD Alfred Babington-Johnson CEO Stairstep Foundation Convener His Works United

Bishop Richard D. Howell Diocesan Bishop Pentecostal Assemblies of the World

Rev. Billy Russell President Minnesota State Baptist Convention

Rev. Dr. James Thomas President, St. Paul Black Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance

Rev. Stacey Smith, Presiding Elder, St. Paul/Mpls District of the AME Church

Bishop Fred W. Washington Minnesota Jurisdictional Prelate of the Church of God in Christ

Rev. Runney Patterson President-Elect Minnesota State Baptist Convention

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Insight News • April 26, 2021 - May 2, 2021 • Page 3 WINNER: 2020 T YPOGRAPHY & DESIGN, 1ST PLACE, PHOTOGRAPHY (PORTRAIT & PERSONALIT Y), 1ST PLACE, WEBSITE, 3RD PLACE

Insight News April 26, 2021 - May 2, 2021

Vol. 48 No. 17• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Concept of race violates the basic laws of science Myth of Race By Professor Mahmoud El-Kati Part 5 in a series

Why “Race” is a False Concept

Minnesota Department of Correction

Derek Chauvin convicted in murder of George Floyd.

Guilty, Guilty, Guilty By Al McFarlane Editor (8pm Tuesday, April 20, 2021) A jury today found Derek Chauvin guilty on each of 2 counts of murder and one count of manslaughter in the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd. Sentencing will be in late June, Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill said after reading the jury verdict. Chauvin is facing up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder, and up to 10 years for second-degree manslaughter. The former Minneapolis police offer will likely appeal the judgement, court watchers say. He was handcuffed and taken by Sherriff’s Deputies to Hennepin

County Jail. The jury of six white people and six people who are Black or multiracial deliberated four hours Monday and six and a half hours today in announcing they had reached a verdict just after lunch. The televised trial is perhaps the most watched court proceeding in television history. That owing in part, to the fact that over 50 million people worldwide viewed the cell phone video of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Chauvin and three additional former police officers, all of whom face charges, for aiding in the fatal restraint or for not intervening on behalf of the handcuffed Floyd while Floyd begged for his life. Former officers Tou Thao, J Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are each charged with aiding and abetting second-

degree murder, as well as aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson’s defense centered on the idea that Chauvin did what any reasonable police oﬃcer would have done to subdue a large man struggling with them. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher’s hour and 43 minute closing argument held that Chauvin used excessive and unreasonable force and caused Floyd’s death. He said Minnesota was prosecuting Chauvin individually and not policing in general. Chauvin’s “egobased pride” was anathema to the proper feelings of pride in wearing a police badge, he said, praising policing as a noble profession. “This is not an antipolice prosecution; it is a propolice prosecution,” he said.

Melvin Carter

By Irma McClaurin, PhD By Irma McClaurin, PhD https://corporate. target.com/article/2020/09/lakestreet-letter

Andrea Jenkins

Commentary by Dr. By Aarohi Narain By Mecca Dana Randall Harry Maya Alexa Starks Colbert, Beecham Spencer, Bos Bradley Jr. Josie Johnson By Global Latisha Information Townsend Contributing Architect Howard Mayo Managing Clinic University Editor Staff Writer Contributing Network (GIN)Writer News Service harry@insightnews.com

“There is nothing worse for good police than bad police.” Schleicher presented video clips that showed what Chauvin did relative to each charge. “George Floyd’s ﬁnal words on May 25, 2020, were, ‘Please, I can’t breathe,’ and he said those words to Derek Chauvin,” Schleicher said. “All that was required was a little compassion, and none was shown on that day.” Schleicher told jurors to reject defense theories and look at what they know happened. “You need to focus on what did happen. George Floyd was not a threat, he never was. He was not resisting. He was just not able to comply. They should have recognized that,”

RACE 5

GUILTY 4

Law experts look at Derek Chauvin trial Professor Burnele Venable Powell, Dean Emeritus of University of South Caroline Law School, said “as we look at this trial, we can see it as part of a roll out of history. We can think about and we can ask ourselves to imagine what this trial would have been like 20 years ago, 10 years ago. And now today to what extent have we made progress?” “We ought to be asking have we made progress over the last decades in terms of bringing justice to individuals and to communities, specifically Black and Brown, and people of color and to those individuals in our society who have been systemically marginalized,” Dean Powell said. “We must ask what steps have we taken? What still needs to be done? Minneapolis attorney Clinton Collins, Jr., said people wondered whether this trial would be like other trials in the past where the officers end up getting off for what appears to be real egregious conduct. But he said this case is different in that, “for the first time in my memory, you have the complete support of the police apparatus in the city condemning what happened. I think the testimony of Chief Arradondo, stating in no uncertain terms that what

The first thing that is wrong with the idea of “race” (in this scientific age) is that it violates the basic laws of science, which ironically gave this idea its false birth. The first laws of science are observation and consistency. The scientific mode begins with what is consistent with what we observe. Evidence must be based on what is empirical, according to the laws of science. That is to say, it is observation and experience (empirical, proven evidence) that determines what is a scientific truth. Now it is obvious to the naked eye that there is no such thing as “race” in the sense that we carry this dangerous idea in our heads, which suggests we are bound to some uniform genetic code that causes people who look alike to behave alike, to think, know and feel and even believe alike. While specific groups of people

who share very similar physical traits do behave alike, this biosocial factor is emphatically not determined solely by genes. Within the populations that we deﬁne as “races”, white, black, yellow, etc. there are a range of looks and behaviors that deﬁes the notion of “uniform, unspoiled sameness”. People who share common physical traits, i.e. hair, facial and body types, color, and eye fold do not conform to some pure and absolute physical presence. This can be viewed by the naked eye. People who have been isolated from other people by geographic separation over many centuries will acquire a general set of common physical, as well as common behavioral characteristics because of isolation, inbreeding, and mutation. This process is a result of nature and environment, and not simply genes. People who are members of the same immediate families tend to look more alike in contrast to other families. The racists who promote the idea of a pure “race” based on skin color or other obvious physical traits in common, are a recent phenomenon in human history and are clearly a product of the modern world. The identity of peoplehood has heretofore

Uchechukwu Iroegbu

Embracing protest

Strategic planning, coalition-building and the practice of discipline Guest Commentary by His Works United Policy Board Professor Burnele Venable Powell

Minneapolis attorney Clinton Collins, Jr.

Atlanta attorney Kamau King

Chauvin did was inappropriate, was powerful. Not only in the sense that he was ultimately Chauvin’s boss, but that this man is the Chief of Police. He’s risen through the ranks. He knows the procedure, and he made it very clear that there were boundaries that Chauvin crossed. Collins and Powell and Atlanta attorney Kamau King discussed the trial as it was underway, on a webcast of Conversations with Al McFarlane on April 8 and again on April 15.They will do a postverdict discusson this Thursday 1 pm on Insight’s YouTube Channel and Facebook live. Collins said the fact that the other police oﬃcers testiﬁed that Chauvin’s behavior

was egregious and didn’t follow proper police protocol made him conﬁdent that there would be a conviction. “But just think back to other trials of this nature, not only here, but elsewhere in the country, in which you would hear a head of the police union saying things like, ‘Don’t rush to judgment. Everyone is entitled to a defense. Are there extenuating circumstances? Police have to make life and death split second decisions.’ You’re not hearing that this time. And in fact, across the country police oﬃcers and members of police unions have criticized Chauvin’s conduct,” Collins said. “So, I understand the hesitation of people on the

street, their reluctance to believe that justice will occur this time. But in addition to the things I just pointed out, State Attorney General Keith Ellison has been in a unique position. He’s been able to, since he took over the case from Hennepin County, able to pick his dream team. He was able to go out and get the very best lawyers, who by the way, are private lawyers working pro bono to prepare this prosecution. I think that this is the best opportunity we in the Black community have had in a long time of actually seeing justice,” Collins said, Kamau King, retired corporate counsel for Atlanta based Coca Cola, said, “When I

News

Entrepreneur inspires youth with community projects

PAGE 5

LAWYERS 4

(His Works United is the largest collaboration of African American Churches in the State of Minnesota) In the ﬁrst six months of 2020, while the world was reeling from an introduction to COVID 19, headlines recorded that the ongoing “pandemic” of violence perpetrated against African Americans continued. Say the names: Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks. We celebrate the verdict. We celebrate eﬀective work of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and his team. But we know the struggle continues and there is more work to do. This correspondence has three purposes. • First to proclaim

solidarity in our village. We stand together, with young activists and longterm warriors, with outraged mothers and fathers, with the concerned laborers, managers, and entrepreneurs of our village, and demand change. We rebuke the spirit that denies the humanity and dignity of African Americans; we reject the overly aggressive attitudes and behaviors that allow what should be simple traﬃc stops of African Americans to be lifethreatening encounters. We reject the notion that disparities in economic resources, health care, education, and suppression of voting should be allowed to continue. The murder of George Floyd has brought focus, but whatever the outcome of the trial of Derek Chauvin, the community, will need to build our ability to continue to ﬁght oppression and disparate

JUSTICE 5

I2H

Survey reveals challenges of living with IBS during the COVID-19 pandemic

PAGE 6

Page 4 • April 26, 2021 - May 2, 2021 • Insight News

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New tools can help small businesses thrive while working remotely (StatePoint) It’s been a challenging year for businesses of all sizes, with many companies having to quickly transition from centralized to decentralized work environments. Business leaders say that without the right tools, the new normal can put a strain on communication, collaboration and teamwork, signiﬁcantly reducing productivity. “Leading eﬀectively from afar is a real challenge,” says Amir Moussavian, the CEO of Eturi Corp. “The ability to tune into the hum and buzz of my team collaborating has always been essential.” Recognizing a missing piece of the puzzle, Moussavian and his team at Eturi, which develops cross-platform solutions for mobile devices, introduced a new app called Motiv, a mobile dashboard that

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delivers important productivity metrics to CEOs, managers and leaders. The tool’s reporting focuses on providing conference call activity and email summaries and integrates with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, with many additional integrations and features slated for future release. “As all business owners know, it’s difficult to support collaboration or make informed decisions for the future of your company without up-todate insights into what your team is doing,” says Moussavian. “That’s why we wanted to create a dashboard that essentially functions as a virtual corner office vantage point.” Moussavian stresses that although decentralized office can be challenging, the flexibility it offers employees can boost their morale and

ultimately make for a happier workforce. Indeed, research shows many employees hope to continue working from home in the future. He says that tapping into these beneﬁts while leveraging tools that facilitate remote work will be a key to success for companies as they move forward. Easily adopted by smalland medium-sized businesses, which have been underserved by existing productivity solutions, Motiv is available free for a limited time through the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. To learn more, visit motivapp.com. While many teams have not met in-person in quite some time, one thing is certain, collaboration is still as important as ever. New tools and the right mindset can help businesses modernize and thrive.

Lessons learned from women business owners beating the odds (StatePoint) Women-owned small businesses are an economic driving force. Today, nearly 13 million womenowned businesses nationwide employ 9.4 million workers and earn $1.9 trillion in revenue. Overwhelmingly impacted by the pandemic, 71% of women-owned small businesses reported a loss in revenues or sales in 2020, according to a recent study. Beyond cutting costs and applying for federal resources, women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs of color have had to get more creative than ever to navigate the uncertain economy. Consider these four lessons learned from women entrepreneurs who are beating the odds. 1. Seek alternative funding sources: In addition to tapping traditional bank loans, connect with a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution, or CDFI, which offers low-cost capital with friendly repayment terms. Roxanne Best, owner of Roxtography, says she’s been able to stay afloat thanks to low-interest loans from Northwest Native

Development Fund, a CDFI supporting tribal communities that received a grant from Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Fund, a roughly $420 million small business recovery effort. To help entrepreneurs stay open and support local jobs, the initiative is engaging CDFIs and nonprofits across the U.S. to provide women and diverse entrepreneurs with increased access to flexible capital and training. “We have been so inspired by the determination and perseverance of the many women business owners who we’ve had an opportunity to support. We made a way to work together with the small business community to offer a mix of resources that enable a sustainable and equitable road to recovery,” says Jenny Flores, head of Small Business Growth Philanthropy at Wells Fargo. 2. Make time for a business plan: 2020 taught us to plan for the unexpected, reinforcing that a business plan is critical for any small business. Tamil Maldonado Vega and her husband, owners of Raíces Brewing Co., say they don’t

he said. “The defendant was on top of him, stayed on top of him, grinding, his knees into him, pressing down on him, continuing to twist his arm, twisting up against the handcuﬀs,

Guilty From 3

INSIGHT NEWS

regret opening a Latino craft brewery right before the pandemic. While they have had hard times like everyone else during closures and due to limits on seating and space, they felt prepared to handle those challenges thanks to a strong business plan, which they developed with the help of their banker. 3. Pivot from crisis to opportunity: Looking for new income streams? Being flexible while staying true to your business can help increase the chances of success. Kadijatu Ahene, owner of Dija’s Touch Designs, specializes in African print designs. During the pandemic, she shifted to an online model and expanded into making stylish personal protection equipment for first responders. 4. Find strength in community: Ranjana Hans, owner of Raw Roots Turmeric, says her community has supported her health and wellness business throughout the pandemic, and she’s learned the benefits of asking loyal customers to promote her products in

a pain compliance technique without the opportunity to comply,” he said. “Believe your eyes,” the prosecutor said. “This case is exactly what you thought when you saw it ﬁrst, when you saw that video. It is exactly that. You can believe your eyes. It’s exactly what you believed. It’s exactly what you saw with your eyes. It’s exactly what you

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Lawyers From 3 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 Culture and Education Editor Dr. Irma McClaurin, PhD. Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Columnist Brenda Lyle-Gray Book Review Editor W.D. Foster-Graham 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 Maya Beecham Nadvia Davis Fred Easter Abeni Hill Inell Rosario Latisha Townsend Artika Tyner Toki Wright Photography 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,

look at this trial, I think about what John Lewis said when people would tell him that we’ve made no progress. And John Lewis’ response was, ‘If you walk in my shoes, we’ve made a lot of progress in this country.’ Black people have only been free from slavery for 166 years. After 1865 we had maybe five years of ‘being treated as equal citizens.’ Reconstruction ended and lynchings started.” “Last month, my wife and I went to Selma, Alabama to the Justice Initiative that Byron Stevenson started. In part of the museum he has steel plates hanging from the ceiling. Each steel plate represents a lynching. There are hundreds. There were hundreds of lynchings. From the late 1800s up until about the early 1950s, lynching was commonplace. No trials, or if there was a trial, the perpetrators got off. In the South, the police evolved from slave catchers. There’s a culture in the South with regard to police. In Atlanta, you didn’t have your first Black police officer until about early 1950s, and they couldn’t arrest white people. Police protect each other, and it’s almost like if you remember back in the ‘60s, you couldn’t find a doctor to testify against another doctor. That’s gone away now. Same thing with lawyers. Lawyers protected lawyers up until very recently, because there were

Tamil Maldonado Vega shares her love of Latino craft beer at Raíces Brewing Co.

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Face2FaceAfrica.com

By Lee H. Jordan Minneapolis Juneteenth Committee - 2018 National Juneteenth Film & Bicycling Commissions

their social networks. “I have always thought that having strong connections enriched my life, and over the course of this year, that’s become even more evident.” Susan Wallace, head of Small Business Lending Operations at Wells Fargo, says

businesses can ﬁnd more tips and resources for navigating the pandemic at the bank’s Small Business Resource Center at smallbusinessresources.wf.com/. “It’s important for women business owners to understand that they don’t need to go it alone. Lean into

networking and establishing relationships with fellow entrepreneurs, seek advice and counsel from others, including ﬁnancial advisors, and know there is support out there,” says Wallace.

knew, what you felt in your gut. It’s what you now know in your heart. This wasn’t policing. This was murder.” Defense attorney Eric C. Nelson said the prosecution’s focus on the 9 minutes and 29 seconds restraint video missed the full story. He claimed Chauvin’s use of force was appropriate, that he was distracted by the crowd

of hostile bystanders. Nelson said Floyd died due to fentanyl and methamphetamine use as well as to his struggle against the oﬃcers, both aggravating underlying health issues. Nelson said the 9 video “ignores the previous 16 minutes and 59 seconds. It completely disregards it,” he said. “Human behavior is unpredictable, and nobody knows it better than a

police oﬃcer.” He said Chauvin followed his training. “These are oﬃcers doing their job in a highly stressful situation, according to their training, according to the policies of the Minneapolis Police Department. It’s tragic,” Nelson said.

rules put into place with regard to if you see something, if you’re a lawyer and you see something happen or see another lawyer do something that’s unethical, then you’re responsible.” King said broadly, “The police have not accepted self-policing. They circle the wagons. They’re still circling the wagons. That’s why it’s been so amazing to see other police testify against Chauvin. But if it wasn’t caught on camera, I’m not certain we would have that.” “I think we’re at a ﬂex point here as a country, and the prosecution ought to be sending at least signals out that no matter what happens in this case, that if there’s a need to retry this case, it’s going to be retried” King said. “I would say that this case is so important that I fear a major explosion,” Powell said. “I hope it doesn’t come to that. I hope that the jurors heed their ‘lying eyes’, as the song goes. ‘Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?’ Well, in this instance, everybody has got to believe their eyes. We know what we saw and we are expecting an outcome that reﬂects that.” On the questions of ethics, Professor Powell agreed with King that he tradition is that police don’t testify against each other, that they are a club and they’re protecting themselves against the outsiders. He said, “In a professional organization, you have a set of standards that are mutually agreed upon by all members in the organization, and they hold themselves accountable for that. And the

question is, has the Minneapolis Police Department reached the point where they can truly call themselves a professional organization?” “Well, he point’s already been made that we have to ask ourselves at this point what would have happened had there not been the video evidence in this case? In asking ourselves that question, what we are really saying to ourselves is: ‘Do we believe that this police department is a professional organization in the sense that we have historically understood professional to mean?’ Which means that the body itself will hold its membership accountable. I’m hoping that that’s where we are.” He said, “The police chief’s testimony and the work of the others involved in this case indicate that we’ve certainly taken some major strides, even since Rodney King. But we are not sure yet. We’ve got to see this trial and we’ve got to see the next trial and the trial after that before we can reach any conclusions.” In this trial, Clinton said, “What the prosecution is saying by having the varying level of charges is, ‘Look, we believe in our case. We think we’re going to get him. But in order to make sure that we have something that sticks, we’re having diﬀerent levels of charges and hopefully the jury can come up with a compromise they can all live with and avoid a hung jury.’” Dean Powell said the jury trial is complex for a reason. “The jury system was

put into place because the idea was, if we can have decision makers who are drawn from a cross section of the community, the chances are that we are going to get something that approaches justice.” “We may not be able to get perfect justice, but if we can get individuals who have pledged that they are going to make the decision on the basis of their own independent examination—on weighing of the evidence—that’s pretty good. It’s a good process and we will hope that that process will lead to a fair verdict and a verdict—because they are members of the community—a verdict that the community will accept,” Powell said. Powell said testimony of pulmonologist Dr. Martin J. Tobin was a pivotal day in the trial. “I think that Tobin’s testimony will be taught in law school trial advocacy courses for the next couple of decades. It was an extraordinary presentation in which he basically went through, based on his expertise, the way in which the body operates, and how the lungs operate. He was able to talk about how the breath was, in eﬀect, squeezed out of George Floyd. He identiﬁed the point at which Floyd had stopped breathing, and pointed out that it was three minutes and 21 seconds later before the knee was removed from his neck. And he was able to point to the physical activity that you could observe on the screen to establish where he was in terms of each stage of the loss of his life,” Powell said.

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Insight News • April 26, 2021 - May 2, 2021 • Page 5

Entrepreneur inspires youth with community projects (NewsUSA) - Young people in underserved communities in the United States have been especially hard-hit by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with many support systems and activities unavailable. However, as the situation begins to improve, an up-and-coming organization seeks to support youth with a combination of skill-building and support. Jump Ahead L3C, a hybrid for-profit/nonprofit organization, is the brainchild of Deandre Jones, an entrepreneur in Grand Rapids, Michigan who is committed to keeping young people off the streets and helping them develop valuable skills. Jones founded Jump Ahead L3C in 2018, and won a $10,000 grant from the city of Grand Rapids SAFE Task Force Pitch Night to create a pilot program that would engage atrisk youth in the community. This pilot project involved giving each member of a group of 10 youth participants a $450 stipend to complete service-learning projects and attend a variety of skill-building workshops, events, and activity days. After the completion of the pilot project in August 2018, Jones began developing plans for a community center that will offer programs including arts and crafts, screen printing, e-sports, workshops, construction classes, yoga, music, basketball, and other

Race From 3 revolved around language, land, religion, or some profound myth in their backgrounds and not on such a superﬁcial thing as skin color and still does today. The myth of “race” as we claim its meaning in America

activities. “One of my goals in this is to inspire young entrepreneurs and people from all walks of life that if you work extremely hard and you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything and do it in a positive way,” he says. Jones further describes his ultimate goal of establishing a community center to help improve local infrastructure, especially for underserved populations. The center is in progress, and once completed, will be open 7 days a week to provide a place for members of the community to gather. In addition, “We will also hire youth and pay them for service learning or communitybased work as we did previously with the $10,000 grant,” he says. Of course, raising money remains a challenge. Jump Ahead L3C is currently selling baseball hats and seeking interested investors. “Covid-19 has made it tougher for us to receive merchandise and to raise capital to purchase a building to operate our organization structure. We did apply for a PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loan, but we were not approved,” he says in a recent interview in Forbes magazine. Visit jumpedahead. com to learn more about Jump Ahead and for details about supporting the organization through donations or volunteering.

can be quite simply exposed by examining the peoples of the world today. Despite about 300 years of enduring some ﬁercely consistent propaganda about “race”, Western Europeans, or “white” people, if you like, the peoplehoods of Europe are still bound by language, beliefs, deep-rooted myths, geography, and religion. There is no continent on Earth in which all

the people behave the “same” because of their color or some other conspicuous physical trait. Europeans themselves represent one of the best examples that there is no such thing as an immutable ﬁxture of “races”, or that solidarity, politically or otherwise, is inspired solely by “race.” Witness the 1,000 years of incessant conﬂict among “white” people (before they

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By LaurenofPoteat Courtesy University of Alejandra By Dr. Commentary By North Brandpoint Dr. Rhonda Nicole Rekha Kimya Memorial Winbush E.Oliveras N. Mankad by Moore (BPT) Sen. Staff Ian Roth NNPA Minnesota Washington News Staff Bobby Dennis, Incoming Joe Salem Board Champion College ChairAfrodescendientes Mayo Clinic Staff Correspondent By IanPhysician Roth NorthPoint www.TheConversation.com elect, WomenHeart Health & Mayo Clinic Staff Wellness Center

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became “white”) from the fall of Rome to the rise of Hitler’s Third Reich in Germany. If “race” causes sameness in thought and action, beliefs and values, feelings and imagination, how do we explain the centuries of conflict among “yellow” people in Asia, Black people in Africa, and the indigenous, or so-called “red” people in the Americas? It can be argued that more often than not, conflict has been intraracial for a much longer period of time than interracial. The nemeses of Europeans have been other Europeans from the Jutes, Picts, the Anglos, Saxons, Vandals, Normans, Prussians, Barbarians, Serbs and Croates ad infinitum. None of these peoples called themselves “white” in

Justice From 4

THURSDAY, MAY 6 | VIRTUAL EVENT

REGISTER NOW WWW.UWTHRIVE.ORG JOIN US AT TOGETHER WE THRIVE! THIS LIVE, INSPIRATIONAL VIRTUAL GATHERING FOR COMMUNITY CHANGEMAKERS AIMS TO ADVANCE RACIAL EQUITY AND SYSTEMIC CHANGE, SO ALL PEOPLE IN THE GREATER TWIN CITIES CAN THRIVE REGARDLESS OF INCOME, RACE OR PLACE.

treatment. • Our second point, justice, the end of police killings of Black men and women and other persons of color, equal access to resources, and relief from disparities in health, education, jobs, housing, etc. require our raised voices, and protest is a vital tool. We have a rich history of accomplishments that occurred through nonviolent protest during the modern civil rights era. We affirm, encourage, and will continue to join in nonviolent protests to call attention to critical issues. We are encouraged by the energy and conviction of our people, and we are gratified by allies that walk with us. •The third observation is that our efforts to achieve good outcomes are being perverted by those who are not allies to our cause. The presence of white supremacists that set fires and anarchists that caused difficulties during the nights of protest following the

the way that we use the term today. They were not “white” yet. There was no “super white race”. History had to produce them as one “super white tribe”. The nemeses of Asians have been other Asians since time immemorial. Over time the Japanese have inﬂicted more harm on other Asians than any other geographic populations or “races” of the world. The Zulus under the rage of Shaka, though not great in size and scope, represents one of the most compelling examples of African on African bloodletting, in what is now called the Republic of South Africa. Despite the facts, as well as the truth of history, the myth of “races” by color

delineation, or other physical traits still holds a powerful grip on the contemporary human mind. There is the saying that people get what they want because they want what they get. The belief in the myth, indeed, the modern superstition of “race” is just such a proposition. This belief is easily one of the most exploitable ideas causing people to emphasize their diﬀerences, which they have scarcely taken time to think about clearly. In this modern, scientiﬁc, supercharged world of the magic of technology, we are trapped by ignorance, habit, fallacy, fear, superstition, and a modern ideology that manipulates our actions; sow seeds of hatred, ill will, and distrust.

George Floyd murder are well documented. These undermining actions continue to occur here in Minnesota and throughout the country. We must move strategically to ensure that our voice will not be silenced or distorted and our energies will not be frustrated. The successes of the modern civil rights movement came through strategic planning and coalition-building among the leading racial justice organizations and the practice of discipline. We need to apply those lessons to the current situation. We must act to prevent the disruption of services and access to goods that occurs when grocery stores, banks, and gas stations in our community are closed after a night or two of looting and community residents have to travel great distances to meet basic needs. Looting at a Wal-Mart in Brooklyn Center was followed by the next night boarding of Wal-Marts as far away as Cottage Grove. We suggest that there are tactics that we should employ to gain the victory we need. The ﬁrst adjustment should be to take away the cloak of darkness that allows those inﬁltrating our protests to wreak havoc. Schedule protests as required but end before dark and return the next day. After the murder of George Floyd, mass protests took place throughout the nation and in many parts of the world as the legitimacy of concerns for justice and appropriate behavior by the police gained volume. Time after time well attended nonviolent protests deteriorated while outsiders, opportunists, white supremacists, or anarchists inserted themselves, distorted the discussion, and diluted the righteous indignation that is necessary for change. Wisdom would dictate that we move to defang the

ability of the enemies of justice to detour our efforts. We suggest that organizers and leaders of protests strip the ability of our adversaries to use the cover of darkness to throw their rocks and hide their hands. We should gather in great numbers whenever a cause rises that requires the attention that nonviolent protest can bring. But as protest leaders and organizations, we should set strict times for the involvement of legitimate allies and deny interlopers the benefit of blending in to do their mischief. We have much to do, and we must challenge the complacency of any that choose to be blind to growing atrocities or deaf to the call for meaningful change. Let us continue to reason together and work together with those with a heart for the peace that comes from justice. And, let us operate with wisdom so that our good efforts are not distorted those that mean us no good. Submitted by His Works United Policy Board Alfred Babington-Johnson CEO Stairstep Foundation Convener His Works United; Bishop Richard D. Howell Diocesan Bishop Pentecostal Assemblies of the World; Rev. Billy Russell President Minnesota State Baptist Convention; Rev. Dr. James Thomas President, St. Paul Black Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance; Rev. Stacey Smith, Presiding Elder, St. Paul/Mpls District of the AME Church; Bishop Fred W. Washington Minnesota ....Jurisdictional Prelate of the Church of God in Christ; Rev. Runney Patterson President-Elect Minnesota State Baptist Convention

Page 6 • April 26, 2021 - May 2, 2021 • Insight News

Insight 2 Health

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Survey reveals challenges of living with IBS during the COVID-19 pandemic (StatePoint) The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many things about living with chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which aﬀects 12 million adults in the U.S. While being at home in closer proximity to a restroom more often may have helped, some report they have experienced worsened gastrointestinal symptoms during the last year. This April, for IBS Awareness Month, Salix Pharmaceuticals, in partnership with The Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll, released the “Patient Perspectives: Living

with IBS in a Pandemic” report. The report uncovers new insights about the symptoms and behaviors of nearly 700 IBS patients over the past year. “Discovering what IBS patients are feeling and experiencing during the pandemic may be eye opening for health care providers and prompt needed conversations with patients,” says Howard Franklin, MD, chief medical oﬃcer, Salix Pharmaceuticals, a company committed to the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases and disorders.

What the Survey Found Dr. Franklin says that as part of the survey ﬁelded in March 2021, IBS patients gave a clear story. Like most people, their lives and routines have been disrupted over the course of the pandemic. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, one-third of respondents said their eating habits have worsened, more than a third reported they did not discuss their IBS symptoms with their healthcare provider, almost half say their mental health has worsened, and 51 percent say they are physically less active.

When asked about a few of the symptoms of IBS, respondents reported worsened constipation (31 percent), diarrhea (33 percent), abdominal pain and discomfort (39 percent), and bloating (42 percent). With regard to any of these symptoms, fewer than 15 percent of respondents reported improvement over the past year. However, 25 percent of respondents report it has been less challenging to manage their IBS symptoms since the pandemic began, noting that the top reasons for this were: increased access to restrooms

(71 percent), and changes in normal routine (67 percent). The full report is available here. What’s in Store for the Future? According to the survey, top new concerns respondents have about living with IBS after the pandemic include a lack of access to restrooms (55 percent), returning to social gatherings (48 percent) such as eating in restaurants or holiday celebrations, and travel (37 percent). Dr. Franklin says that these survey results

highlight how important it is for patients and health care providers to have regular conversations about symptoms and available treatment options. He encourages patients to meet with their physicians virtually or in-person to discuss how their symptoms may have changed over the year, as well as to identify strategies for conﬁdently transitioning back to their normal routines in the coming months.

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Insight News • April 26, 2021 - May 2, 2021 • Page 7

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