Insight ::: 08.19.2024

A MOTHER’S LOVE A

Excerpts from a conversation where co-hosts Al McFarlane and Jonathan Palmer, engage Lisa Clemons, and several young people involved in the A Mother’s Love Initiative. They discuss the work of the organization, the importance of voting, and the future aspirations of the young people. They also touch on the political landscape and the potential impact of having an African American woman as president.

Al McFarlane:

Jonathan, Today is Primary Election Day here in Minnesota. I see you wearing your “I Voted” button. Let’s talk about the importance of voting. What’s at stake and why do people need to vote today?

Jonathan Palmer: I think what’s at stake is no less than the future of our country. And so, we’ve got the congressional offices up for election. Who going to be who is going to be representing you in Congress. Who’s going to be able to carry your issues forward. It is critical to make sure that the person who best represents what you believe, what you feel, is going to be there, and going to be advocating for the issues that you find important.

We’ve seen, already, on the national stage, how much things have been tumbling down with the Donald Trump campaign, and the train wreck that happened at the National Association of Black Journalists. We’ve seen the great energy that has come with Governor Walz joining the national campaign with Kamala Harris. So there’s a lot of excitement in the air. I haven’t seen this much energy in a number of years.

Al McFarlane: Lisa Clemons is here to talk about the organization she founded and leads - A Mother’s Love. Lisa, What is A Mother’s Love?

by a Minneapolis police officer. And the officer was trying to subdue him, control him. He was not aggressive towards the officer. But as I approached the door of the building, other

Lisa Clemons: We’re a grassroots organization that set our roots in North Minneapolis, 10 years ago now, to do outreach and give a voice to women, mothers, and daughters. That has since evolved, since a number of males, men and young boys, have asked to be part of our program and to also be part of our staff So, we offer empowerment, education, economics. We do what mothers do: everything. So now, we’ve brought our young people on board. We continue to hear people talk about all of the things, the negative things our young people are doing incommunity. And we decided to give our young people something to do, and a group of people to surround them and say, “We believe in you, we love you, and we’re here for you.”

Al McFarlane: You are... Lisa, don’t be embarrassed, but you are an exceptional human being. You are simply amazing. I’ve known you for a while. I know your family and the great work your family both does and represents. Before I signed on, I tried to remember the first time we met. I was walking across the street. I’d parked in the parking lot where UROC is now heading to a meeting that was going on in the Urban League building. While I crossed mid-block, your brother, Al Flowers, was on the corner getting detained

squads pulled up, and officers came out, and pounced on Al Flowers. As he was going down, he caught my eye and said, “Go get my sister. She’s in there.”

I don’t think I knew you then, but I walked in and I said, “Is Al Flowers’ sister here?”

And then you, and everybody else, poured out to the street to deal with what was happening. It was one more act of injustice, and of irresponsible policing. It characterized how police in Minneapolis routinely were abusive toward Black people. But you, Lisa Clemons, were a sworn officer with the MPD. That’s how we met. And so, I look at you as a person who is balanced, by nature, who’s committed to doing the right thing, to serving the community, the whole community, but is also fearless in standing up where systems, and people, and processes fail because of because of structural racism. You have been a voice that has been unfailing and consistent.

Lisa Clemons: I retired from the Minneapolis Police Department as a sergeant. I was retired on that day. I was, at one point, the supervisor of two of those officers that were on the scene, and they not only charged my brother, they later charged me with obstructing a legal process. I never touched one person. And thank God for the

video cameras at the Urban League to show that I was telling the truth and so was Al. But they still put us on trial. We went through a full trial and the jury, an all-White jury, found us not guilty, as they should have. And in fact, said that case should never have even been in a courtroom, nor charged. So I think, what people don’t understand about me is that I’ve been through what many people have been through, even though I wore the blue uniform. I just don’t give up on the belief that law enforcement is good. We just don’t want bad cops who are in our community to be in our community.

Al McFarlane: I think that’s wonderful that you have had both the courage and willingness to go toe to toe to the adversaries of justice, and demand justice. And you and Al Flowers have prevailed, so congratulations to you. You and your siblings inherited that fierceness from your mom. What a powerful and wonderful human being. Talk about growing up in Chicago. And Jonathan, jump in wherever you want to.

Jonathan Palmer: Oh, I’m a big fan of Lisa’s. Lisa has been doing the work for years, on the Front Line. Lisa has always had this calming voice. Even when there’s been people on both sides of an issue getting heated and getting angry, she has always been able to come in and say, “Well, this part is true, but also, you got to think about this part and let’s have that conversation. Let’s talk.”

Lisa Clemons: It really is my mom. She raised us. We had two amazing dads who were not permanent figures in our life, but she didn’t raise us to treat them any differently than we treated her. We had to have the exact same respect for our fathers. Yes sir, no sir. We had to show them the same respect that we showed her. We had to represent, not just her when we left our home, but we had to represent what she instilled in us.

Now, she raised six kids. There were seven, my little brother died before his first birthday, but she raised us all the same. Now, some of us made different choices when we got older, but what I realized is that what she instilled in us, even my two sisters who fell prey to drug addiction, they circled back around to what she instilled in us. So, coming from the projects in Chicago, we really do know what poverty is. We know what it means to not eat. We know what it means to lay on the floor when those bullets are being fired. Even though we were on the 16th floor, my mother still put us in a bathtub on the floor because she was just that afraid, because they didn’t just shoot downstairs in the courtyard. They shot down the porches of where everybody lived.

So I always tell people this. I am so grateful for being born in poverty. I am so grateful because that’s how we learned to make it do what we do, to be invested in our love for people, our love for community, not be judgmental. She invested all of that in us.

So, when I knew I wanted to be a cop was when my mom went to court for child support. Our dad didn’t have any money., His option was to pay up or go to jail. He went to jail because he didn’t have any money. So the police came to our house later that day, knocked on the door, and we were like, “Oh my God, what did Mama do in court that brought the police to our door?” Now, we had not had a negative experience with police. That’s why I’m saying, what you hear will make you feel negative about law enforcement. So we, automatically, thought my mom did something at court and they were coming to arrest her.

But what happened was, some of the officers in the courtroom that day heard her story, saw her cries, saw her pleading, and they came to our house to bring us a dinner, to bring us a holiday meal. They brought each one of us a Christmas toy. I don’t even remember if my mom got anything, but my mom wouldn’t have cared about that. She didn’t have any money to

buy us anything for Christmas. So they brought us a whole meal, entire meal. Turkey, ham, everything. And they brought a gift for each one of her kids. I said to my mom then, I was seven, and “I want to be a policeman when I grow up.”

LaJuanda Flowers, Clemons’ sister, is one of staff managers at A Mothers Love. She managed the introduction and participation of two groups of student for the broadcast. We asked about the mission of A Mother’s Love.

LaJuanda Flowers: Well, first off, we have taught them work ethics. That was a strong thing for us. We have 41 youth employed with us this summer. We’ve had them working at different sites and doing different things, and I’ll let them explain that to you as we go further. They completed a variety of training classes. They have worked beside each other creating some famous memories just learning from each other, and guiding each other, and keeping each other uplifted. It has been amazing to watch and to see young people who want to work. They want to be here. They’re not made to be here. They want to do it. And that’s amazing. And then, if I could speak for my sister, I would say, in her mind, she saved 41 children this summer because they could have

KingDemetrius Pendleton

Left to right: Front row: Ms Laneisha, Jacarie, Alayjah, Jakai

Second row: Devin, sa’renity, Kenya, Na’Tavia, Bryonna, Aryonna, ka’Myah, ri’kiyah, Sheliyah, Devaya

Back Row: Naiimah, Antonyo, Anaise, Jaeden, Cassius, Richard, Kendall, Ms Ellis, and A’Nyla

Lisa Clemons

Jonathan Palmer

LaJuanda Flowers

Performing live in Minnesota

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Incumbent Ilhan Omar defeats challenger Don Samuels in DFL District 5 primary election

By Steve Karnowski Associated Press

Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the progressive House members known as the “Squad” and a sharp critic of how Israel has conducted the war in Gaza, has won her primary race in Minnesota.

Omar successfully defended her Minneapolisarea 5th District seat against a repeat challenge from former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, a more centrist liberal whom she only narrowly defeated in the 2022 primary.

Two

The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a coalition of 150,000 African American churches, which constitute over 27.7 million churchgoers, are calling for the 118th US Congress to take action against the stark state of health amongst Black Americans. According to the Washington Post article titled, Black Communities Endured a Wave of Excess Deaths in the Past 2 Decades (tinyurl.com/4x7dyku9), America’s Black communities experienced an excess of 1.6 million deaths (not counting the COVID-19 deaths). Compared with their white counterparts during the past two decades.

Speaking to supporters in Minneapolis, Omar echoed some of the themes of the Harris-Walz presidential campaign. “We run the politics of joy,” she said. “Because we know it is joyful to fight for your neighbors. ... We know it is joyful to make sure housing is a human right. We know it is joyful to fight for health care to be a human right. We know it is joyful to want to live in a peaceful and equitable world.”

Omar avoided the fate of two fellow Squad members. Rep. Cori Bush lost the Democratic nomination in her Missouri district last week, and Rep. Jamaal Bowman of

New York lost his primary in June. Both faced well-funded challengers and millions of dollars in spending by the United Democracy Project, a super political action committee affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which appeared to sit out the Minnesota race. Samuels had criticized Omar’s condemnation of the Israeli government’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. While Omar has also criticized Hamas for attacking Israel and taking hostages, Samuels said she’s one-sided and divisive. He also stressed public safety issues in Minneapolis, where a former police officer murdered George

This is a devastating loss that comes at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars, according to two recent studies by the JAMA Network that build on a generation of research into health disparities and inequity. Rev. Anthony Evans, President of the NBCI, forcedly states, “The Black Church must stand up and use its 27.7 million votes to protect the health of Black people in this 2024 election.” Since the 1985 Heckler Report, issued by thenSecretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Margaret Heckler, there have been only words and studies. With expert analysis, for the first time since her report, the

Floyd in 2020. Samuels said he was “very disappointed” with his loss.

“What I was hoping is that a strong ground game and an attention to the details of folks who felt left out would trump an overwhelming superiority in dollars,” he said in an interview. “Clearly money matters a little more in politics than I had hoped.”

Omar will face Republican Dalia Al-Aqidi, an Iraqi American journalist and self-described secular Muslim who calls Omar pro-Hamas. Meanwhile,

Planting a garden in the shade

By Melinda Myers

It

of the year. You may be surprised the space gets more sunlight than you thought. Make a list of plants you have successfully grown and those that failed in the shady location you are landscaping. Use this information to help

By Pulane Choane

In a recent interview with renowned journalist Roland S. Martin, Mayor Melvin Carter of St. Paul, Minnesota, shared his enthusiastic support for Governor Tim Walz joining Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic presidential ticket. Carter praised Walz’s leadership and highlighted his contributions to Minnesota, emphasizing the significant impact he could have on the national stage.

Mayor Carter, who has worked closely with Governor Walz since taking office in 2018, described their collaborative efforts through challenging times, including the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. He emphasized Walz’s commitment to ensuring local leaders have the resources they need to succeed, stating, “He’s somebody who knows as Governor that his job is to make sure that local leaders have what they need to be able to be successful.” Carter lauded Walz’s track record on key Democratic issues such as reproductive rights, universal meals for students, and gun control. He noted that Walz has consistently translated his values into public policy, including the legalization of adult-use cannabis and restoring voting rights to 55,000 Minnesotans who were

formerly incarcerated. “All of those types of things that she [Harris] just described... free school lunches for every child...Republicans fighting against free school lunches for students and arguing that all students don’t need free lunch, all students don’t need nutrition,” Carter said, underscoring Walz’s dedication to progressive values. The mayor also highlighted Walz’s ability to work with a diverse coalition of leaders, including legislative members, community activists, and organizers, to achieve significant policy victories. This collaborative approach, Carter argued, would be an asset to the Democratic ticket. “He’s a leader who doesn’t think he has to do it by himself in the first place. He knows that democracy has to be a team sport,” Carter stated. Amidst the interview, Carter humorously remarked on the Republican Party’s attempts to label Walz a socialist, despite his diverse background as a

In two years, we will celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday.

Our great country has survived a Civil War, two world wars, a Cold War, and a plethora of legislative and judicial fits and starts in our pursuit of a “more perfect Union.”

We have endured some devastating Supreme Court decisions, Dred Scott, The Slaughterhouse Cases, and Plessey v Ferguson, to name just a few. We have survived some oppressive presidencies, Andrew Johnson, Rutherford Hayes, and Woodrow Wilson, tantamount among them. Johnson attempted to nullify the impact of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Hayes ended Reconstruction. Wilson’s policies towards federal civil service employment seem to be the foundation upon which a significant portion of Trump’s 2025 Project is built.

But eliminating civil service jobs is not the only devastating and oppressive

orts of Johnson and Hayes to limit Black participation in our society, deny women freedoms over their own bodies, and deny association and nuptial

Contributing Writer

Mayor Melvin Carter

OMAR 5

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks during a news conference, May 24, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

By U.S. Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06)

Melinda Myers Shade containers under Maple tree.

VP candidate Tim Walz has deep connections to agriculture and conservation

By Georgina Gustin, Inside Climate News

This story first appeared in Inside Climate News.

Soon after Vice President Kamala Harris selected Tim Walz as her running mate this week, pictures of the Minnesota governor began to spread across social media—of Walz holding a piglet, of Walz on thrill rides at the state fair, of Walz and his rescue dog.

All of it coalesces into an image of a guy with rural roots and deep ties to agriculture.

Since Harris’ announcement, climate advocates have applauded her pick, pointing to Walz’s solid climate bona fides. Farm groups across the political spectrum, including those that work to shrink agriculture’s carbon footprint, have, too.

During his six terms in Congress, Walz was a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, where he was instrumental in ensuring that soil conservation measures made it into the 2018 farm bill. At the time, the farm bill—the massive piece of legislation that guides the country’s nutrition and farm policy—failed to acknowledge agriculture’s role in contributing to climate change, and barely hinted at its potential role in slowing it.

Walz, who spent his early years working on his family’s farm in rural Nebraska, found a political work-around of sorts. That year he introduced the Strengthening Our Investment in Land (SOIL) Stewardship Act, which boosted existing farm conservation programs and incentivized farms to adopt certain practices that improve soil health, ultimately making soils better able to sequester carbon.

IN THE BLACK NETWORK (ITBN), a premier, free streaming service that highlights Black voices and original stories that are culturally significant and relatable for all audiences, announces new partnerships with Black

“Even as short a time ago as 2018, the word ‘climate’ does not appear in the farm bill,” said Ferd Hoefner, who was policy director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition at the time. “He made soil health, through the SOIL Act, the acceptable thing one could talk about when one was trying to talk about climate mitigation through agriculture.”

Hoefner noted that the last time the term climate change appeared in a farm bill was in 1990, an indication of just how polarized and partisan the issue has become in farm policy debates since then. After that, it “was verboten to even mention the word,” he added.

The provisions of the SOIL Stewardship Act were ultimately included in that year’s farm bill. Farm policy observers also point to one of

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Walz’s biggest farm-related accomplishments, which was introducing bills in 2014 and 2018 that help small-scale, veteran and beginning farmers access credit and funds for land, equipment and crop insurance. Provisions of these bills made it into the final versions of those years’ farm bills.

The Land Stewardship Project, based in Minnesota, has long pushed against the trend of increasing consolidation in agriculture, which has seen the rise of ever-larger farms, mostly run by large corporate entities. This week the council applauded Walz’s record of working against this ongoing shift.

“What we’ve seen through his time in Congress and his time in the governor’s office is that issues around the future of agriculture and rural communities aren’t partisan—

they cut across political lines,” said Sean Carroll, policy director at Land Stewardship Action, the organization’s political arm. “Many bills he’s co-sponsored or led are about creating a future for rural communities where we can keep more farmers on the land, where we can allow farmers who are stewarding the land to succeed and make money.”

Consolidation, Carroll noted, has exacerbated a system of farming that has become a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Large livestock facilities generate more liquid manure, which emits methane, a shortlived but potent greenhouse gas. The crops grown to feed those livestock, mostly corn and soybeans, are especially fertilizer intensive. Agricultural land use, including fertilizer

use, is the largest source of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas even more potent than methane. (While carbon dioxide is the most abundant greenhouse gas, methane is 80 times more powerful at trapping heat in the atmosphere, and nitrous oxide is 265 times more powerful.)

“The consolidation is what’s causing the climate problems from agriculture,” Carroll said.

Walz has had to balance the economic interests of his farm-heavy state with the climate and environmental issues caused by the agriculture industry, which generates about $26 billion for the state annually. Much of that money comes from emissions-intensive forms of agriculture, including concentrated animal feeding operations that, in Minnesota, primarily raise hogs, or row

crop farms that grow corn for ethanol. Minnesota is home to 19 ethanol refineries.

“Gov. Walz is the perfect choice to serve as Vice President Harris’ running mate,” said Geoff Cooper, CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association. “He brings Midwestern pragmatism and sensibilities to the ticket and would ensure rural America’s ‘flyover country’ has a strong voice in a potential Harris administration. Dating back to his days in Congress, Gov. Walz has always been a passionate and effective advocate for renewable fuels and agriculture. He has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the ethanol industry.”

Ethanol is facing increased criticism from environmental groups that challenge the purported climate benefits of corn-based fuel. Some research says ethanol’s carbon footprint is greater than that of gasoline.

But in corn-producing states like Minnesota, questioning ethanol spells political death, and Walz has had to tread a bipartisan path. In 2020, Walz, along with three Midwestern Republican governors, appealed to the Trump administration to reject the oil industry’s attempts to exempt small refineries from being required to blend biofuels into their mixes. (One of those Republicans, Kristi Noem of South Dakota, said Walz was “no leader” and called him a “radical” on social media Tuesday.) “On biofuels he’s indistinguishable from all the other Republicans and Democrats in Midwestern states,” Hoefner said, “which is bowing at the altar of almighty corn.”

Service; adding new FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) channels to their growing library of content from Black creators. The new partnerships enrich the ITBN platform with a diverse array of multi-genre programming from Black creators. Viewers can look forward to an expanded selection of titles, from action-packed adventures and laugh-out-loud comedies to culturally significant content like faith-based storytelling and compelling documentaries.

ITBN is also enhancing its global offerings with selections from Nollywood and other Black independent films from Africa, further connecting an already established global viewership of over 25 countries. This vibrant mix not only broadens the platform’s appeal but also reinforces ITBN’s mission to celebrate and amplify Black voices, bringing the best of Black culture to a centralized,

subscription-free place. “The mission with ITBN has always been to bring quality Black content under one roof,” said James DuBose, CEO and Founder. “With these FAST channels and our platform, we aim to be the best part of Black culture in a centralized, subscriptionfree home. Plus outside of these exciting offerings, ITBN will announce some key original scripted productions in the coming months.” ITBN continues to draw the attention of familiar favorites in celebrity Black culture, and recently added an exciting new dating reality series, Finding My Romeo aligning with the growing trend among streaming platforms.

Hosted by charismatic Hip Hop royalty, Romeo Miller, the show features a bachelor on a quest for true love among a group of lucky singles. Dr. Holly Carter’s brainchild series arrives on ITBN

through MergeTV, her family, faith, and lifestyle network.

Finding My Romeo joins a lineup of captivating original programming featuring celebrities, including Food for Thought with the inspirational DeVon Franklin, showcasing the exceptional talent and compelling content that ITBN offers. The introduction of new FAST channels on ITBN coincides with National Black Business Month this August, a time to celebrate Blackowned businesses and their vital contributions. Building on the addition of FAST channels earlier this year, these new partnerships bring the total ITBN FAST channels to 93, encompassing a wide array of topics such as music, sports, mental health, wellness, food, and interior design. IN THE BLACK NETWORK is available for download on iOS and Android devices, Apple TV, YouTube, Roku, LG, and Samsung media players.

About The In The Black Network IN THE BLACK NETWORK (ITBN) is an AVOD-FREE streaming service that highlights Black voices and original stories that are culturally significant and relatable for all audiences. With an

MinnPost file photo by Peter Callaghan

Gov. Tim Walz shown during a gubernatorial debate at Farmfest 2018.

conservative populist and former NBA player Royce White defeated Navy veteran Joe Fraser in Minnesota’s primary election for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in November.

And former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab, supported by former President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and the National Republican Congressional Committee, won a contested GOP primary for Minnesota’s 2nd District seat held by Democratic Rep. Angie Craig. His opponent, defense attorney Tayler Rahm, won the endorsement at the district convention with support from grassroots conservatives.

While Rahm announced in July that he was suspending his campaign and would instead serve as a senior adviser for Trump’s Minnesota campaign, he remained on the

ballot.

Teirab will face Craig in what’s expected to be Minnesota’s most competitive House race in November. Craig issued a statement following Teirab’s win calling him “a guy who recently moved to the district because he saw a political opportunity.”

“He’s a guy who has spent months doing anything to win the support of Washington Republicans,” Craig said. “And he’s a guy who has made it his life’s mission to take

anywhere near the resources that Klobuchar has. White last reported raising $133,000, while Fraser took in $68,000. Klobuchar, meanwhile, has collected about $19 million this cycle and has more than $6 million available to spend on the general election campaign. She faced only nominal primary opposition.

public school teacher, football coach, and military man.

“There’s a reason he’s won

Agenda has moved to change those words into solid, concrete action, starting in 2025. We believe a $2.25 trillion down payment is a good starting point.

Reducing the quality of life, psychosocial, and economic burden resulting from lack of access to highquality, affordable healthcare is a primary concern of forty-two million African American voters. We will vote according to our health interests irrespective of political party.

Our nation must ask the critical question: Do Black lives truly matter? Why is the United States unwilling to spend the necessary money to curtail and eliminate health disparities and death and dying after 500 years in this country? What is the central question here? Racism is the primary

Trump’s Project 2025 would also eliminate the requirements for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to collect racial data on employment, making it hard to determine where disparities and gaps persist. Further, the plan would end disparate

you select other plants with similar light requirements.

As always, select plants that thrive in your climate and tolerate the amount of sunlight, moisture, and soil in the proposed garden location. Look for plants that provide attractive foliage all season long and flowers at various times.

When planting under or near trees be careful not to

Trees From 3

away reproductive freedoms from families and give those decisions to politicians.”

In the U.S. Senate race, White — an ally of imprisoned former Trump aide Steve Bannon and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones — shocked many political observers when he defeated Fraser at the party convention for the GOP endorsement.

White’s social media comments have been denounced as misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic and profane. His legal and financial

problems include unpaid child support and questionable campaign spending, including $1,200 spent at a Florida strip club after he lost his primary challenge to Omar in 2022. He argues that, as a Black man, he can broaden the party’s base by appealing to voters of color in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and others disillusioned with establishment politics.

Following his win, White said in a post on the social platform X: “Bring it on commies… The People Are Coming.”

Minnesota twice,” Carter noted, emphasizing Walz’s strong communication skills and ability to resonate with voters across the political spectrum. Carter also addressed the GOP’s (Grand Old Party) criticism of Walz’s support for allowing convicted felons to vote, highlighting the hypocrisy given the legal troubles faced by former President Donald Trump. “I call BS when you are a convicted felon who hasn’t even been sentenced yet...and you fully believe you ought to have the right to run for president,” Carter stated, contrasting this stance with Walz’s efforts to reintegrate rehabilitated citizens into society. Mayor Carter’s endorsement of Governor Walz was delivered with palpable enthusiasm, as he expressed excitement for the upcoming campaign and confidence in the Democratic ticket’s ability to address critical issues facing the nation. In a striking comment,

reason for the unfolding of this American tragedy. The Black Church demands that the US Congress does something to fix this problem immediately. Rev. Anthony Evans further states, “The Black Church is making this bold step forward in this debate. Our discussions over the last 30 years have all been about words, and the last time we checked- words did not heal anyone. This is why we are taking this extraordinary and powerful demand that the Congress of the United States pay attention to the value of African American humanity. The price tag is $2.25 trillion starting in 2025 over the next ten years. This country must finally make real the promissory note issued to African Americans it gave African Americans over 500 years ago!”

Joseph L. Webster, Sr., MD, MBA, FACP Clinical Director, NBCI American Clinical Health Disparity Commission (ACHDC) says,

impact liability, making it harder to bring a case of employment discrimination.

Trump’s Project 2025 would remove diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from all federal laws and regulations and shut down DEI offices across the federal government.

Project 2025 would make it harder to organize or be represented by a union. In sum, coupled with recent Supreme Court decisions on presidential immunity, the weakening of the Voting Rights Act, and

kill the tree when creating your shade garden. Plant a foot or more away from the tree trunk and don’t cut or remove surface roots that create entryways for insects and diseases. Dig as small as possible planting holes to avoid disturbing the roots and for easy planting. Avoid adding soil over the tree roots and against the trunk as this can lead to tree decline and even death. Skip deep cultivation that damages the roots, the majority of which grow within the top 18 inches of soil with 50% of them in the top six inches. Add seasonal color and vertical interest with shade-

“At this pivotal moment in the survival of humankind as we know it, the ‘church’ again has stepped up to call upon the seat of Government to ‘heal the land.’”

This National Black Health Agenda proposed and hereby presented by the NBCI and its collaborative partners –CME Outfitters and the American Clinical Health Disparity Commission – is the first comprehensive Agenda explicitly designed to address the holistic HEALTH of African Americans in the United States of America. This National Black Health Agenda is not only timely, but it is both ‘morally correct’ and ‘fiscally responsible’ and deserves the full backing of all representative components of our government – including Congress and the President of the United States of America. Anything less than enthusiastic endorsement will be unpatriotic and a great disservice to today’s citizens and their children for future generations. Additionally, it

the elimination of affirmative action, Trump’s Project 2025 represents less freedom for a growing majority of Americans and more favor for a privileged few. In short, Trump’s Project 2025 is Jim Crow 2.0. Although Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from Project 2025, it is hard for him to do so when six of his former Cabinet secretaries, four individuals he nominated as ambassadors, his first deputy Chief of Staff, and 140 individuals who worked in his

tolerant annuals like impatiens, begonias, and coleus. Avoid damaging the tree roots by planting these in containers and setting the pots on the soil surface amongst perennial shade-tolerant groundcovers or on mulched beds under the trees.

Once you’ve planted your garden, adjust the care to compensate for the limited light conditions. Plants growing under large trees or overhangs must be watered more often, especially during the first year or two until the plants become established. The dense canopy of many trees and impervious overhangs prevent rainfall from

will cost America over $250 Billion annually until the disparity gap is closed. Rev. Evans and the NBCI team are to be commended for this transformative document that, if implemented, will positively change the lives of millions and simultaneously change the ‘moral trajectory’ of this Republic back on a course that will truly make it not just a mighty nation, but a Great Nation.”

The Black Church will not allow this to happen without a fight. We will utilize our moral power and authority by exercising the vote. If necessary, we will force this issue of the value of Black humanity at the ballot box in 2024. Over the next ten years, we will apply multiple strategies to awaken Congress to the urgency of this crisis.

Every leading expert in health disparities, including the Center for Budgetary Priorities, has said that this investment will strengthen our nation and produce huge

Administration all had a hand in crafting the document. And dozens more were contracted to advise on Project 2025, including his former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and longtime advisor Stephen Miller. I remember when my parents were able to cast their first effective vote. I remember segregated lunch counters and “separate but (un)equal” schools. I do not want my grandchildren to grow up in a country like the one my parents and grandparents experienced.

reaching the ground below. Plus, the extensive root systems of trees and shrubs absorb much of the rainfall that does make it through, so check soil moisture several times a week and water thoroughly as needed. Spread a layer of organic mulch over the soil surface and away from the tree trunk and crowns of the plants. Organic mulches help conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and improve the soil as they decompose. Tree and shrub roots also compete with plantings for nutrients. Use a low-nitrogen, slow-release fertilizer that

Fraser has said White’s confrontational style and message won’t attract the moderates and independents needed for a competitive challenge against Klobuchar, who’s seeking a fourth term. He said he offers a more mainstream approach, stressing fiscal conservativism, a strong defense, world leadership and small government. Fraser has also highlighted his 26 years in the Navy, where he was an intelligence officer and served a combat tour in Iraq. Neither had

Carter highlighted the challenge the Republicans (Repubs) will face, saying, “I think they have messed around and found two people who are well equipped to deal with their nonsense.”

Another clash between establishment and grassroots Republicans played out in western Minnesota’s 7th District. Trump-backed GOP Rep. Michelle Fischbach, considered one of the most conservative members of Congress, defeated small businessman Steve Boyd. Boyd ran to her right on a religious platform and blocked her from getting endorsement at the district convention. Boyd reported spending $170,000, while Fischbach spent over $1 million. This story has been updated to correct that Angie Craig represents the 2nd District, not the 1st District. Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/ election-2024.

This interview with Roland S. Martin, an influential journalist and commentator known for his work on political and social issues, showcased Carter’s support for the HarrisWalz ticket and his belief in their ability to lead the country towards a more inclusive and progressive future.

savings. Dr. David Satcher, former director of the Health Leadership Institute and Center of Excellence on Health Disparities at Morehouse School of Medicine and the 16th Surgeon General of the United States, and Dr. Thomas LaVeist, Dean of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, both realized that an enormous investment into African American health is critical to the moral, economic future of our nation.

These two leading African American experts, who have a combined wisdom of over 100 years, have created a blueprint for our country to drastically curtail negative health outcomes and start us on a path to eliminating health disparities over the next 20 years. They would also agree that the efforts put forth in this report by Rev. Anthony Evans and leading African American clinicians are a good start and a critical gesture for a strong beginning. Thus, 50

During the stormiest days of the Revolutionary War, Thomas Paine, an English immigrant and critic of slavery, wrote in his little Pamphlet, The American Crisis No. 1:

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and sunshine patriot will in this crisis shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us,

promotes balanced aboveand below-ground growth. Apply it at planting and early each spring as needed. Avoid high nitrogen, quick-release fertilizer that promotes lush succulent growth that is more susceptible to insects and diseases. Plus, limited light is a potential plant stressor that can further increase the risk of problems. Sometimes there is just too much shade to grow even shade-loving plants. Consider mulching the area to suppress weeds, support the tree’s health and protect the soil. Then relax and enjoy

are about 5-8 feet tall. Trees weigh approximately 20-40 pounds. Businesses, nonprofits, organizations, and 5+ unit property owners can also purchase $30 trees. Priority will be given to businesses that request five or more trees.

feet tall; Shade trees

The cost includes: A consultation with a landscaper to find the best trees for your

years of government reports and non-action on health disparities will have been turned into concrete action.

ABOUT NBCI

The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of 150,000 African American and Latino churches working to eradicate racial disparities in healthcare, technology, education, housing, and the environment. The mission of NBCI is to provide critical wellness information to all its members, congregants, churches, and the public. NBCI, utilizing faith and sound health science and partners with major organizations and officials, reduces racial disparities in the variety of areas cited above. NBCI’s programs are governed by credible statistical analysis, science-based strategies and techniques, and methods that work and offer faith-based, out-of-the-box, and innovative solutions to stubborn economic and social issues.

that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” Thomas Paine’s words are as apropos today as they were in 1776. Storm clouds are forming, and current conditions are not conducive for fair-weather friends. Trump’s Project 2025 represents the reincarnation of “Jim Crow,” and defeating “Jim Crow 2.0” requires the participation of “soldiers and patriots” who are willing to fight in stormy as well as sunny times.

the shade on hot sunny days. Melinda Myers has written over 20 gardening books, including Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, Revised Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.

Rep. Ilhan Omar

Minneapolis city council member, Don Samuels

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia

In a monumental move to address the underrepresentation of Black physicians in the United States, Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced a $600 million donation to the endowments of four historically Black medical schools. Officials said the donation is part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative, which aims to advance racial wealth equity and address systemic underinvestment in Black institutions and communities. Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Morehouse School of Medicine will each receive $175 million, while Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science will receive $75 million. Additionally, Bloomberg said $5 million in seed funding will support creating a new historically Black medical school in New Orleans, the Xavier Ochsner College

By Heather Hollingsworth Associated Press

Christina Westman dreamed of working with Parkinson’s disease and stroke patients as a music therapist when she started studying at St. Cloud State University.

But her schooling was upended in May when administrators at the Minnesota college announced a plan to eliminate its music department as it slashes 42 degree programs and 50 minors.

It’s part of a wave of program cuts in recent months, as U.S. colleges large and small try to make ends meet. Among their budget challenges: Federal COVID relief money is now gone, operational costs are rising and fewer high school graduates are going straight to college.

The cuts mean more than just savings, or even job losses. Often, they create turmoil for students who chose a campus because of certain degree programs and then wrote checks or signed up for student loans.

“For me, it’s really been anxiety-ridden,” said Westman, 23, as she began the effort that ultimately led her to

Education

of Medicine. The historic investment will more than double the endowments of three medical schools, significantly boosting their financial stability and capacity to educate future Black physicians.

A recent study highlighted the need for such support, revealing that only 5.7% of U.S. physicians identify as Black or African American. This is despite Black Americans comprising 13% of the population. According to research, treating black patients by black doctors results in better health outcomes and more frequent medical care. For instance, Black patients are 34% more likely to receive preventative care if they see Black doctors. The four historically Black medical schools receiving funding graduate around half of all Black doctors in the U.S. but have been traditionally underfunded due to systemic inequities, including lower federal and state support. Since the early 1900s, discriminatory practices and the impacts of the Flexner

transfer to Augsburg University in Minneapolis. “It’s just the fear of the unknown.”

At St. Cloud State, most students will be able to finish their degrees before cuts kick in, but Westman’s music therapy major was a new one that hadn’t officially started. She has spent the past three months in a mad dash to find work in a new city and sublet her apartment in St. Cloud after she had already signed a lease. She was moving into her new apartment Friday.

For years, many colleges held off making cuts, said Larry Lee, who was acting president of St. Cloud State but left last month to lead Blackburn College in Illinois.

College enrollment declined during the pandemic, but officials hoped the figures would recover to pre-COVID levels and had used federal relief money to prop up their budgets in the meantime, he said.

“They were holding on, holding on,” Lee said, noting colleges must now face their new reality.

Higher education made up some ground last fall and in the spring semester, largely as community college enrollment began to rebound, National Student Clearinghouse

Report have led to the closure of 10 Black medical schools in the United States. The financial boost from Bloomberg Philanthropies should have a transformative impact.

Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, Democratic presidential candidate, and founder of

Research Center data showed.

But the trend for four-year colleges remains worrisome. Even without growing concerns about the cost of college and the long-term burden of student debt, the pool of young adults is shrinking.

Birth rates fell during the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 and never recovered. Now those smaller classes are preparing to graduate and head off to college. “It’s very difficult math to overcome,” said Patrick Lane, vice president at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, a leading authority on student demographics.

Complicating the situation: the federal government’s chaotic overhaul of its financial aid application.

Millions of students entered summer break still wondering where they were going to college this fall and how they would pay for it. With jobs still plentiful, although not as much as last year, some experts fear students won’t bother to enroll at all.

“This year going into next fall, it’s going to be bad,” said Katharine Meyer, a fellow in the Governance Studies program for the Brown Center on Education Policy at the nonprofit Brookings Institution.

“I think a lot of colleges are really concerned they’re not going to make their enrollment targets.”

Many colleges like St.

Bloomberg LP, will formally announce the donation at the National Medical Association’s annual convention. “This gift will empower new generations of Black doctors to create a healthier and more equitable future for our country,” Bloomberg said. In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies granted $100 million to these same medical schools to reduce the debt load of enrolled students facing severe financial burdens exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of Morehouse School of Medicine, noted that the 2020 gift relieved an average of $100,000 in debt for each

Cloud State already had started plowing through their budget reserves. The university’s enrollment rose to around 18,300 students in fall 2020 before steadily falling to about 10,000 students in fall 2023. St. Cloud State’s student population has now stabilized, Lee said, but spending was far too high for the reduced number of students. The college’s budget shortfall totaled $32 million over the past two years, forcing the sweeping cuts.

Some colleges have taken more extreme steps, closing their doors. That happened at the 1,000-student Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama, the 900-student Fontbonne University in Missouri, the 350-student Wells College in New York and the 220-student Goddard College in Vermont.

Cuts, however, appear to be more commonplace. Two of North Carolina’s public universities got the green light last month to eliminate more than a dozen degree programs ranging from ancient Mediterranean studies to physics.

Arkansas State University announced last fall it was phasing out nine programs.

Three of the 64 colleges in the State University of New York system have cut programs amid low enrollment and budget woes.

Other schools slashing and phasing out

student, significantly enhancing the school’s ability to fundraise and support its students. Denise Smith, deputy director of higher education policy and senior fellow at The Century Foundation, emphasized the importance of such philanthropic gifts. She pointed to MacKenzie Scott’s donations to HBCUs in 2020 and 2021 as pivotal in sparking increased support from other large donors. “Donations that have followed are the type of momentum and support that institutions need at this moment,” Smith told the Associated Press. Dr. Yolanda Lawson, president of the National Medical Association, expressed relief upon hearing about Bloomberg’s gift, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down affirmative action and attacks on programs promoting inclusion and equity. “This opportunity and this investment affect not only just those four institutions but our country’s health and future,” Lawson asserted.

programs include West Virginia University, Drake University in Iowa, the University of Nebraska campus in Kearney, North Dakota State University and, on the other side of the state, Dickinson State University.

Experts say it’s just the beginning. Even schools that aren’t immediately making cuts are reviewing their degree offerings. At Pennsylvania State University, officials are looking for duplicative and underenrolled academic programs as the number of students shrinks at its branch campuses.

Particularly affected are students in smaller programs and those in the humanities, which now graduate a smaller share of students than 15 years ago.

“It’s a humanitarian disaster for all of the faculty and staff involved, not to mention the students who want to pursue this stuff,” said Bryan Alexander, a

Georgetown University senior scholar who has written on higher education. “It’s an open question to what extent colleges and universities can cut their way to sustainability.”

For Terry Vermillion, who just retired after 34 years as a music professor at St. Cloud State, the cuts are hard to watch. The nation’s music programs took a hit during the pandemic, he said, with Zoom band nothing short of “disastrous” for many public school programs.

“We were just unable to really effectively teach music online, so there’s a gap,” he said. “And, you know, we’re just starting to come out of that gap and we’re just starting to rebound a little bit. And then the cuts are coming.”

For St. Cloud State music majors such as Lilly Rhodes, the biggest fear is what will happen as the program is phased out. New students won’t be admitted to the department and her professors will look for new jobs.

“When you suspend the whole music department, it’s awfully difficult to keep ensembles alive,” she said. “There’s no musicians coming in, so when our seniors graduate, they go on, and our ensembles just keep getting smaller and smaller.

“It’s a little difficult to keep going if it’s like this,” she said.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

AP Photo/Adam Bettcher University student Christina Westman poses at St. Cloud State University, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in St. Cloud, Minn.

Howard University College of Medicine

Sports

The Paris Olympics is a winner for providing child care

First Five Years Fund

There have been many memorable moments from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Steve, the Pommel Horse guy. Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav are bringing fun as ambassadors. Simone Biles, the GOAT. The chocolate chip

muffins in the Olympic Village.

But there’s one truly gamechanging moment you may not have heard about Childcare in the Olympic Village! Female athletes have long struggled with childcare and the support they need as mothers at events like the Olympic games. Nursing mothers who could bring their children were banished to small, dark rooms to feed their infants; many more were forced to leave their little ones at home.

Olympic Gold medalist Allyson Felix saw the challenges firsthand after having her child.

“It was just kind of an eye-opening experience,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I took her everywhere that I was competing, and I kind of was surprised at how hard it was and how much you really had to shoulder on your own.” This changed in 2024. Enter the Olympic Village Nursery. CNN reported: “The Village Nursery, which opened last week, was launched by the International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission in partnership with the IOC and Paris 2024 Organizing Committee.

Allyson Felix, a U.S. track star and member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, was a strong voice in the project.”

“Athletes can book private or shared appointments at the facility, in the heart of the Village Plaza, which accommodates up to six family members. Here, they have access to private spaces for breastfeeding, a family lounge for playtime, and a changing station.”

Soccer star Christie Pearce (formerly Rampone)

underscored how important this was, both as a mother and a competitor. “This space allows parents to interact in a stress-free environment. This will allow athletes to focus on their performances rather than worrying about how to find

for

children.” This is something we hear from all

parents, not just

When families can

nd and afford quality childcare, parents have the peace of mind they need to focus on work. Employers and coworkers can rely on a more stable workforce. And little ones have safe, nurturing environments where they can grow, learn, and develop.

By Dave Campbell AP Pro Football Writer

Minnesota Vikings quarterback

J.J. McCarthy has a torn meniscus in his right knee that will require surgery, derailing the rookie’s preseason progress and putting his status for the regular season in question.

Coach Kevin O’Connell announced the diagnosis Tuesday. McCarthy was hurt at some point Saturday during his exhibition game debut, when he went 11 for 17

The Vikings were traveling Tuesday for two days of joint practices and a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. Sam Darnold has been on top of the depth chart at quarterback all spring and summer and will now be solidified as the starter to open the season. Nick Mullens will be the clear backup, with Jaren Hall also on the roster entering his second year. O’Connell said the Vikings had no immediate plan to add another quarterback. “Sam’s had a really good camp, and my confidence level in Sam is very, very high at this point,” O’Connell said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him continue his progression.” AP NFL: https:// apnews.com/hub/NFL Vikings QB McCarthy needs surgery on meniscus tear in right knee, a big setback in

for 188 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against Las Vegas. McCarthy reported persistent soreness to the team when players reconvened Monday, and the 10th overall pick in the draft out of national champion Michigan was sent for further examination.

The Vikings had not yet determined a date for the procedure or learned how long the 21-year-old will need to recover, meaning McCarthy could be back in about a month or, worst case, miss the entire season.

“We felt strongly

about where he was at in his development process, so really you hurt for him just in the short term here because he had such a daily process, focus, all those things that I was really looking for in a young player at the position,” O’Connell said.

“I think all of us will be staying optimistic that it hopefully is the shorter term.” The rehabilitation for a full repair is much longer than if there’s just a partial tear and only a trim is needed, but the severity is typically not known until the procedure takes place.

“This is totally a medical

decision. Certainly what’s best for the long-term health of J.J. McCarthy will be the priority,” O’Connell said. Even if McCarthy’s injury is considered minor and he comes back on the shorter end of the wide range of timetables, this development was a big blow considering the promise he has shown and the plan to increase his turns with the first-team offense this week through the end of training camp. McCarthy tried to keep the spirits around the team high with an upbeat social media post.

“Love you Viking nation. I’ll be back in no time. Amor fati,” he wrote on the X platform, signing off with a Latin phrase beloved by philosophers in the practice of accepting without complaint whatever comes one’s way in life.

Olympic Rings

AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) is hit by Las Vegas Raiders safety Jaydon Grant (40) as he scramble for yards during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Minneapolis.

Walz pick turns focus on what a vice president brings to the White House

By Howard Manly MinnPost

Much is made of vice presidential choices, and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota

Gov. Tim Walz is no different.

Well known for attacking Donald Trump and JD Vance as “weird,” Walz, 60, beat out a competitive field of Democratic options, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

A moderate Democrat, Walz served as a U.S. representative from 2007 to 2019 and is considered an appealing option for potential independent voters.

Harris’ decision comes at a crucial time in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. With less than three months remaining, national polls suggest the race is very close – and Harris believes her choice of vice president will

translate to votes in crucial swing states on Election Day.

The Conversation U.S. has published numerous stories on vice presidents and whether their selections helped or hurt presidential campaigns. Here are a few of them.

1. What do vice presidents actually do?

As political scientist Joshua Holzer noted, the U.S. Constitution has only a few references to the vice presidency.

Those references spell out that “the Vice President shall become President” if the president becomes incapacitated, and their main duties include serving as the president of the U.S. Senate who can vote only to break a tie.

But as Holzer points out, ties in the Senate have been rare. Since 1789, only 301 tiebreaking votes have been cast, and 12 vice presidents, including then-Vice President Joe Biden, never cast a single one. Harris holds the record with 33 tiebreaking votes.

“Other than staying out of trouble to avoid impeachment and waiting

around to serve as – or replace – the president, vice presidents are really only obligated to occasionally cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate,” Holzer wrote. “This means that the great majority of the time, vice presidents have no real job to do.”

John Adams, the first U.S. vice president, had a similar opinion. He once complained to his wife that the vice presidency was “the most insignificant Office that ever the Invention of Man contrived or

his Imagination conceived.”

2. Do no harm As a scholar who studies American politics, Philip Klinkner has explored how political considerations in selecting a vice president have changed over the years. While there is little evidence that vice presidential candidates help their tickets, a bad pick can hurt the ticket.

“Whether Harris decided to play it safe or go bold with

her pick, the most important consideration was to do no harm,” Klinkner wrote.

With a bad pick, Klinkner explained, the issue isn’t whether the ticket is sufficiently balanced or diverse, but rather whether the candidate was adequately vetted.

“The worst picks – Tom Eagleton in 1972, Quayle in 1988 and Palin in 2008 – resulted from hasty and poorly thought out selection processes,” Klinkner wrote.

3. Trump’s choice

Karyn Amira is a political scientist whose research focuses on the relationship between Donald Trump, the Republican Party and conservatism.

Since Trump chose U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate, it’s been widely reported that Vance once described Trump as “morally reprehensible” and “cultural heroin,” and he privately compared him to Hitler.

But the day after Vance won his own Senate race in 2022, he reportedly made it known that he would support

Trump for president in 2024 and now says that he would not have readily certified the 2020 election if he had been in Vice President Mike Pence’s shoes. As Amira pointed out, Vance doesn’t represent a swing state. Nor does he have much appeal to MAGAskeptical independent voters. But people close to Trump call the 39-yearold Vance the new heir to Trump’s MAGA movement. What can be concluded from Trump choosing Vance? Since 2015, Amira explained, Trump has tightened his grip on the Republican Party, moving it further from its professed conservative ideology. “The choice of Vance as Trump’s running mate – and the competition that preceded it – are the latest steps in this process,” Amira wrote. Howard Manly is the race and equity editor for The Conversation. This story is a roundup of articles from the archives of The Conversation, where this column first appeared.

Downtown Minneapolis’ ugliest parking ramp, which started an endless and hopeless trend, still stands

By Bill Lindeke MinnPost

On Aug. 22, 1951, a grand celebration took place down Fifth Street in downtown Minneapolis, marking the beginning of a promised economic turnaround. Betty Barnhardt, Carolyn Johnson and Phyllis Enger — sashwearing pageant queens of the Aquatennial, 10,000 Lakes Association and “Flame Girl,” respectively — rode in “parkable cars” from City Hall down to the brand new building on the corner of Fifth and Marquette. There, Mayor Eric Hoyer and a collection of Chamber notables waited, applauding, smiles on their faces. hey were fêting the grand opening of the Downtown Auto Park, Minneapolis’ first multi-story car storage structure. It was the first, but not the last, of its kind, an innovative solution to an inscrutable downtown parking problem quickly escalating out of control. The ramp remains on the street today. On the one hand, it’s the ugliest building in downtown Minneapolis; on the other, it’s a key piece of local history, the dawn of an era that transformed the city.

A parking problem

By 1950, cars were becoming a big problem

for downtown Minneapolis.

Though streetcars still ran on the streets, the number of drivers licenses and automobiles coming into the city core for shopping and work was growing rapidly. Something had to be done about the flood, and the one word on everyone’s mind (reminiscent of the famous “plastics” scene from The Graduate) was “parking.”

The ramp on Fourth and Marquette was the first of two constructed under the business scheme in 1951. The other, slightly larger, sits on LaSalle and Ninth on the other side of the downtown core. Thanks to a parking consultant out of Detroit, both used an innovative architectural style for the time, what one historian called a “new reinforcedconcrete construction technique” saving space and eliminating many exterior and interior columns. Instead, the ramp featured partial walls around each level, pitched by businessmen at the time as “more attractive” in appearance.

In 1950, an earlier effort to construct ramps using a special downtown property tax levy had failed to garner the support of the business community, cautious about increasing costs. Instead, the Downtown Auto Park ramps were built using private money, a feat achieved elsewhere only in Oakland and Allentown, Pennsylvania. A group of

businessmen led by Lyman Wakefield Jr., Bruce Dayton, Leslie Park (founder of the skyways) and others raised the funds properly in wood-paneled back rooms, creating a limited company to own and operate the ramps. All told, the enterprise raised $2 million in investment capital ($28 million adjusted for inflation) in the form of stocks and 27-year bonds from a wide swath of the Minneapolis business community.

“It should go along way to solving the loop parking problem” declared Lyman Wakefield, Minneapolis Chamber president and coordinator of the company, in a story in the Minneapolis Morning Tribune. “The additional space is necessary if the central business district is to be preserved, and the tendency toward decentralization, resulting from downtown congestion, reversed.”

Apart from the buildings that fell to the wrecking ball, the only public pushback to the parking projects was that it curtailed access for existing downtown businesses. The new building removed alley right-of-way for deliveries to nearby buildings, places that once housed a tobacconist, a TV repair shop and a tailor.

The ramp was even pitched, perhaps ridiculously, as a bomb shelter for the seemingly inevitable day when the Russians would nuke Minneapolis. Despite not having walls, the idea was that crowds of shoppers could huddle in the ramp basement to escape the fallout. (At the time, the Korean War was raging and the cold war was reaching an early crescendo). It was really just a scheme by Mayor Hoyer to have the ramps qualify for federal subsidies, one that never bore fruit.

Minneapolis’ own ‘loop’ Before we go on, I must pause for quick notes on nomenclature. In the 1940s and 50s, “the loop” was a common term for the Minneapolis downtown core, a name that’s entirely unheard today. It referred to the tangle of streetcar lines that covered Hennepin, Marquette and Second Avenues in the downtown core, roughly ringing the Nicollet Avenue shopping district. While not as specifically circular as Downtown Chicago’s more famous (and still existing) “loop,” this term was commonplace in Minneapolis. Likewise, the term “deck” was used at the time interchangeably with “ramp” to refer to multi-story buildings used for car storage. 1950s articles on this subject swapped a variety of nouns, a point interesting only because in the rest of North America the term “parking ramp” remains a rarity. According to Google, in California people say “parking structure”; in Georgia it’s a “parking deck”; in Canada it’s a “parkade”; and throughout most of the rest of the country they are called “parking garages.” It’s only in Minnesota where people often say “ramp,” a bit of vernacular slang as unique as the “duck duck grey duck” phenomenon. One final note: In this early era, downtown parking was a different beast, meant for upper-middle-class consumers and done valet style. Shoppers dropped their cars off at the

entrance, where up to 16 cars could queue to wait for an attendant to drive it into the building for you. One ad made the pitch that “careful courteous attendants will provide 3-minute service.” When you picked it up, you called ahead or waited in a lobby, and they’d bring your car back for you. In the meantime, the auto park had vendor agreements with mechanics who might perform basic maintenance while you shopped; for example, Downtown Auto Park used Firestone Tires for tire replacements. Adjusted for inflation, parking at Downtown Auto Park cost $4 for the first hour and $2.50 each hour after that, which is still in the ballpark of what it might cost today.

Misguided optimism At any rate, the Marquette and LaSalle Downtown Auto Park ramps were a big deal at the time, each holding 535 and 752 cars, respectively. Thanks to turnover of downtown shoppers, they were projected to serve three times that number of people daily, thought at the time to be a large percentage of the downtown demand. The idea was to do something to make a difference in downtown’s upcoming war with the suburbs. Looking back, the initial optimism about “solving” the downtown parking problem seems laughable. Today, these two garages are barely a rounding error in the downtown off-street parking landscape, which totals over 65,000 parking spaces. In the meantime, billions of dollars (adjusted for inflation) have been spent on downtown car storage, in initial and ongoing subsidies. The largest example is the publicly owned “ABC” ramps that constructed over 6,600 parking spaces on the west edge of downtown Minneapolis. Built using a quarter of a billion of (inflation-adjusted) dollars in

federal “congestion mitigation and air quality” funds, they’re an ironic use of money intended to reduce vehicle pollution. I wonder if the city leaders at the time had any idea of the scale of the problem they were trying to solve, or the perversity that would eventually come from bulldozing downtown Minneapolis in order to save it. It’s hard to believe that leaders like Wakefield and Dayton would ever have been able to imagine that today’s downtown core would be practically devoid of regional retail. This is to say that downtown ramps were never a panacea. In 1975, the two Downtown Auto Park facilities were sold to a single owner, architect Edward Baker. By that time car parking had become a force of nature, something that would never be tamed, and thanks to countless subsidized alternatives, the ramps were barely profitable. Today, thanks to the shift in COVID demand and decades of change to downtown retail, they are often empty, though it’s worth pointing out that the owners have adorned the gray concrete with hipster light bulbs and flower planters. I look forward to the day when the 70-year-old Downtown Auto Park facility is itself bulldozed, replaced with some sort of building with a better use. Ideally, it would house people, not empty vehicles, and bring a pulse back to the corner of Marquette and Fourth.

Bill Lindeke

Bill Lindeke is a lecturer in Urban Studies at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Geography, Environment and Society. He is the author of multiple books on Twin Cities culture and history, most recently St. Paul: an Urban Biography. Follow Bill on Twitter: @BillLindeke.

Phil Lewis/WENN

Gov. Tim Walz shown at a rally at the University of Las Vegas Thomas & Mack Center on August 10.

MinnPost photo by Bill Lindeke Downtown Auto Park was Minneapolis’ first multi-story car storage structure.

One and Done

By W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor

ONE AND DONE

By Frederick Smith

During Pride Month, I had the honor of hosting a panel of Black LGBT authors on The Conversation With Al McFarlane, as they shared their stories and discussed the importance of Black LGBT love stories and romance. One of the authors, Frederick Smith, just released his latest novel, and it is my pleasure to present to you One and Done.

The story is set in San Francisco. Dr. Taylor James comes from a loving family of professionals in academia. He is devoted to serving his LGBT community and focused on achieving his own success in his professional career apart from his parents. Now in his 40s and a vice president at California University-Merced, his goal is to become one of the first Black, openly gay presidents of a university. With his university undergoing an accreditation process, his goal is riding on the success of that process, and a relationship isn’t part of the equation.

Dr. Dustin (D.J) McMillan, Jr. is a consultant for Kane-Carlos Collective, the company evaluating CU Merced for accreditation. Cocky, competent, and confident, Dustin goes after what he wants. However, in this world of academia, he is circumspect about his background--being raised by a struggling single mother in Oakland, knowing next to nothing about his father, and having a younger brother languishing in prison. Leaving the Bay Area to Chicago to escape his past, he finds himself back there for this five-week assignment. Sparks fly when the

brothas first meet during a drag brunch show at a club run by Taylor’s friend Markell, and not the good kind. When Dustin tries to front, puts down San Francisco, and calls out Taylor for being a “stingy tipper,” he scores no points with Taylor. Worse, he is called out by his cousin Manessa. Yes, Dustin isn’t an out-and-out liar, but neither has he been totally forthcoming with the truth about himself.

Guess what happens when the two meet again at the first accreditation meeting at the university a few days later?

As the process goes on, Taylor thaws out more when it comes to Dustin as they slowly attempt a balancing act between the professional and the personal. With so much riding on the line, will Taylor take a chance on real love to add to his professional dreams, or will he leave it at one night? Will Dustin open up to accepting his past, rid himself of the baggage he’s been carrying around, and own up to Taylor about his feelings?

Smith paints a fascinating tapestry of two 40-something brothas at

different crossroads in their lives, in a city that has so few Black LGBT people in it as compared to the larger white LGBT community. Though their socioeconomic backgrounds are different, each discovers the gifts in each other that change their preconceptions. Taylor’s colleague Wes Jenkins and Dustin’s ex Silas are toxic people that create their share of problems for the couple as they navigate the relationship waters and their respective careers, but as with all romance novels, there is a happily-ever-after.

I appreciate Smith’s inclusion of families of origin and chosen/found families with elements of realism and welcoming sensibilities, the assorted facets of the Black LGBT community, and the responsibilities and challenges that come with the academic world and higher education as a person of color.

One and Done is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bold Strokes Books.

Thank you, Fred, for sharing another story that lets us know, at the end of the day, that love wins!

TRUMP’S PROJECT

Project 2025 is Donald Trump and JD Vance’s plan to remake the federal government if they win. It would:

Use Civil Rights-era laws created to address discrimination to instead benefit white people – Axios, 4/1/24

Gut the Affordable Care Act, which will raise health care costs and threaten health care coverage for millions of Americans – AP News, 11/27/23

Cut Social Security and Medicare Americans have earned – Washington Post, 2/9/23

Ban abortion nationally – New York Times, 2/16/24

Insight 2 Health

Creative Kuponya encourages more Black men to pursue mental health careers

By Andy Steiner MinnPost

Since 2017, when Jamil Stamschror-Lott and his wife Sara founded Creative Kuponya, a Minneapolisbased private mental health practice that provides culturally responsive care outside of the traditional medical model, the small, five-therapist office has been overwhelmed by potential clients excited to work with therapists who understand the unique mental health needs of marginalized communities.

After the June 2020 killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, Stamschror-Lott and Creative Kuponya (a Swahili word meaning “healing”) were heavily featured in national and local news outlets, and demand for their services skyrocketed.

While Stamschror-Lott, who earned a degree in clinical social work at Augsburg University, appreciated the attention, he also felt there was even more he could be doing to support the mental health needs of Minnesota’s communities of color.

But he was just spread too thin.

One idea that Stamschror-Lott dreamed of ushering into reality was a program that encouraged more Black men to consider joining him in the mental health field. To do that, he figured, he’d develop a cohort program that would guide and support young Black men through the process of gaining their degrees and licensure.

Stamschror-Lott knew that the demand among members of marginalized communities for therapists with shared life experiences was high but that the actual numbers of BIPOC therapists in the state was distressingly low. (In 2022, for instance, the Minnesota Department of Health released a report that found that 88% of the state’s mental health workforce was white and just 2.8% was African or African American).

Stamschror-Lott thought this cohort program could help address some of those needs.

But StamschrorLott knew it would take time and money to get this kind of program up and running. With the mounting demands of his busy practice, he wasn’t sure how he’d ever be able to give himself the time to further develop his idea.

The answer came in June when he was named a 2024 Bush Fellow, a prestigious award from the St. Paul-based Bush Foundation that provides

$100,000 over 24 months to 24 community leaders who have an idea they’d like to develop and take to the next level.

Stamschror-Lott said he plans to use his award to buy himself the time and space needed to focus on developing the cohort program, which he has tentatively named Heal Black Men Heal.

When I spoke to him last month, Stamschror-Lott was still busy with the dayto-day operations of Creative Kuponya and only just getting used to the idea of being named a Bush Fellow. He told me he was excited by the space that the award would give him to expand his vision — but still adjusting to the reality.

“I’ve been overwhelmed with people congratulating me,” he said. “I haven’t really had a chance to embrace it yet.”

Stamschror-Lott and I talked about the mental health toll of racism, his own career journey and the need for more Black mental health professionals. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

MinnPost: What can you tell me about the demand for Black male mental health therapists?

Jamil StamschrorLott: There are definitely very few Black male folks doing mental health work. For Black

of the state’s mental health workforce was white and just 2.8% was African or African American.

males, therapeutic identity is extremely limited; we just don’t know many people who look like us who are doing this kind of work. When Creative Kuponya started, we quickly began to feel a clear, steady demand from families who were reaching out to us, looking for a Black male therapist. That demand was so great, so extremely high, that I couldn’t keep up. I realized we need something more, that we simply need more Black men trained as therapists. That’s why I wanted to start Heal Black Men Heal.

MP: How do you envision Heal Black Men Heal working?

JSL: My vision for this project is, as Black men are engaging in acquiring their credentials in this field, “How do we form a supportive cohort for them so they are not alone and isolated?” I was the only Black man in my grad class, so I know what it’s like to be the only person who looks like me in a space. It can be hard. Beyond emotional support, I’d like Heal Black Men Heal to provide some level of stipend or scholarship for participants. There is all of this licensure nickel and diming that can really add up and make it hard financially for a person to complete their degree. I’m interested in forming a network that would help to overcome that barrier and help more Black men get into the field.

MP: Couldn’t this just be done individually? Why do you think it is important to create a cohort of men going through this program at the same time?

JSL: I knew about the power of bringing a group together from my time working as a consultant with the Trailblazers Leadership Program, from seeing that cohort model in action. I’ve also seen the success of some of the scholars who are participating in the Black Men Teach program. I said to myself, “We need more Black male therapists. They need support from each other. I can create a cohort.”

This is what I proposed in my application to the Bush Foundation. The focus of a Bush Fellowship is working on yourself and working on a community project, so Heal Black Men Heal seemed like a good program to work on if I got the fellowship.

MP: Beyond providing culturally informed mental health support for more BIPOC Minnesotans, why do you think it is important to encourage Black men to consider therapy careers?

JSL: It is a great profession. There are a number of guys involved in the Trailblazers program who have said to me, “I want to be an education major with a minor in psychology.” I think that trend

community?

JSL: There’s this general notion that there is a stigma in the Black community around seeking therapy. But my experience has showed me it is not so much a stigma that keeps Black people from seeking therapy as it is the fact that there are just not many options for finding a therapist if you don’t want to experience the microaggressions that could come from working with someone who doesn’t share your life experiences. Black people want to work with a therapist who has walked the same journey as they have, someone who knows what it is like to live in a body that so often feels unsafe. Dr. David R. Williams of Harvard says that every day, over 220 black folks die prematurely because of the “weathering” of our systems caused by the impact of racism. Culturally competent therapy is one way to counteract that weathering.

MP: Has your work as a mental health therapist helped you to see your own personal experience from a different perspective? Do you think this process could be healing for participants in Heal Black Men Heal?

is inspired by their experience during Covid and their desire to help young people. I sometimes say to them, “You can be a teacher. I think that is a good profession. But there are other options, too. You can work with a group of screaming and yelling kids all at once — or you could have a one-on-one session with a client. It pays a little better, too.” This career is not a way of life that many of us have had access to. It creates a whole other way of living.

Oftentimes, when you are trying to get from point A to point B, all sorts of roadblocks come up. How do we remove the psychological or social barriers so that we can achieve those dreams? I believe that it’s important for Black men to feel like they have options in their careers. People from marginalized communities like the Black community sometimes feel that there are only a few career options that they can see themselves in. It is hard to think outside the box, especially if you don’t see examples of other people who look like you there. That’s why I want to help more Black men see that working in mental health care is a viable career option for them.

MP: In some communities, there are cultural taboos around seeking mental health support. Do you think that’s the case in the Black

JSL: When you become a therapist, you start to analyze your whole situation. You start to look at the world around you from a different perspective. There is an emotional healing process that I believe happens when you acquire the psychoeducation. I’d like to help other Black men go through that process.

MP: Now that you’ve been selected as a Bush Fellow, how does it feel to finally be able to truly focus on developing Heal Black Men Heal?

JSL: There are a number of factors that go into running Creative Kuponya that have kept me from truly focusing on this idea. There are so many people who need my attention. It is overwhelming. We are swimming upstream. I haven’t been able to immerse myself in this project, but now, with this award, I finally can. This is a celebratory moment; the support from the Bush Foundation and the Bush Fellowship will help me finally bring my idea into reality.

Andy Steiner

Andy Steiner is a Twin Cities-based writer and editor. Before becoming a fulltime freelancer, she worked as senior editor at Utne Reader and editor of the Minnesota Women’s Press. Email her at asteiner@minnpost.com.

“Hennepin Healthcare gave me so many opportunities. From my first day, I could see my future here. Before I started, I was the assistant manager of the Purple parking garage. Then I did some training and worked with EMS and then phlebotomy. I felt called to nursing and took classes while I had full-time work and a fulltime family. Everybody along the way was motivating me and telling me ‘You belong here. You can do

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In 2022 the Minnesota Department of Health released a report that found 88%

Saed Yusuf