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Vol. 47 No. 34• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
UNTITLED, 2017 FROM KEITH RIVERS’ COLLECTION
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Page 2 • August 24, 2020 - August 30, 2020 • Insight News
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Part 2 of 2: Interview: Former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton and former University of Minnesota President Bob Bruininks on Friends of Minneapolis Letter objecting to Minneapolis City Council proposal to defund the Minneapolis Police Department by amending the City Charter
Defunding The Police So to me, this is a sort of talk and plan as we go along, without a real clear idea of where we’re trying to go as a community. So that’s one point. So there’s no plan, and the elements of a plan aren’t even visible to the public, and as Mayor Belton has mentioned, the public has had virtually no opportunity to help shape these ideas. And so you’re voting in the hope that this will somehow work in a very, very complex community. And many of the examples that people are using, if you read carefully the report that came out of the Obama commission in 2015, many of the examples are from much smaller communities. And many, many times when we see good models working someplace, whether we’re talking about school reform, or public health issues, those ideas don’t often scale to larger, complex places like we’re dealing with. There are some simple ideas that I think we really ought to embrace. And I thought it was really startling when members of the Police Department, on the heels of George Floyd’s tragic death, came out very strongly and said, “This isn’t who we are. This isn’t what we need to represent in our community, we need to be community centered, we need to be a part of the communities.” And to me, one of the strategies that I think is being sacrificed in this conversation we’re having leading up to a charter proposal, is those voices are not exactly being silenced, but they’re not exactly being enhanced either, at a time when we need people like the ones who responded on the heels of George Floyd’s tragic death, we need to hear those voices. And to me, the seeds of reform are going to grow much more out of a community centered conversation around what it means to have community policing, and how communities can be more engaged. I was struck by Peter
Hutchinson’s proposal to try and experiment in the third ward. And those are the kinds of ideas we should be talking about. We should be empowering a very reform minded police chief at this time. It took great guts to fire four people within hours of this tragic murder. And I think this disempowers him, and disempowers the mayor at a very time when you need both of those to ensure progress and accountability. One final thing I would say is the model that is being discussed and proposed here I think is really weak on the governance side. Mayor Belton has talked about the weakness in the governance process leading up to the charter amendment, which I think is a very powerful statement and observation. But to really have accountability in a public system, you have to know where responsibility and authority rest. And you can’t have 15 people ... Let’s say something goes wrong, I’ve got to call a meeting and I’ve got to get consensus of 15 people, and most of the people sitting around the table represent parts of the city, not the city as a whole. And there’s one wise person who in doing analysis of a major federal government decision many, many years ago said to avoid chaos. To avoid chaos, primary power must follow primary responsibility. To me, that responsibility rests with the chief, and it rests with the mayor. If we have one problem that I’ve observed over the years, is that the weak mayor charter we have in Minneapolis does not serve us well. I mean, I want to know where the responsibility rests when something goes wrong. And not to necessarily fix blame, but to fix the problem. And to me, this is a very, very chaotic approach. It’s a model where there’s no plan, where we’re going to talk and somehow the plan will magically evolve through this process. And in the process,
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Former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton we’ve basically cut the legs out from under the very people who can bring sensible reform to our community going forward. And what I fear is we’ll spend all of our time arguing about this, we’ll have a vote if it does get on the ballot, in the middle of a lot of other contentious issues in November. The charter amendment proposal will go down in defeat, and the conversation regarding reform will be greatly diminished. Al McFarlane: Another former mayor, Betsy Hodges, wrote a piece published in the New York Times Magazine, saying, “As mayor of Minneapolis, I saw how white liberals block change.” So she questons whether our community’s leadership, liberal leadership, will deliver genuine change for the black community, communities of color, and marginalized communities. Sharon Sayles Belton: Well, first of all, these topics have been widely debated in academia and in the community. I mean, I was re-looking at a book that ... I want to say Peter Edelman wrote on it’s a crime to be poor, why is it a crime to be poor? We have by public policy created this permanent class of people who are locked in poverty. And that is why that we’ve seen kind of structural racism just kind of continue on,
The Minnesota Daily
Former University of Minnesota President Bob Bruininks and on, and on, and we’ve got families that have been trapped in poverty with very little opportunities to get out. In spite of the fact that we think we’ve created programs and initiatives designed to do just that. They have been bandaids that we have put on societal problems, and we have distributed those bandaids not in any kind of consistent form, or in enough volume to be able to, again, solve a problem. And again, I want to just say that I think this is by design. And it stems back, in my opinion, from people making a decision about who deserves help, who deserves support, and making a decision that you don’t because of the color of your skin, you don’t because of your geography, you don’t because of your gender, you don’t because of your ability, you don’t for a variety of reasons. And this is designed to control and maintain power. And power is a commodity in this system, and this system is designed to keep many people away from being able to obtain it. SoAl McFarlane: Mayor Hodges also wrote, “Police officers understand this dynamic well. We give them lethal tools and a lot of leeway to keep our parts of town safe. That’s a mandate that is implicitly
understood, that means to be safe from people of color. And that leeway also attracts people who want to misuse it.” So she’s saying that there is a complicit and implicit intent to keep white people safe from people of color. Sharon Sayles Belton: Okay, but let me just say this, it’s not just police. So I’ll just digress for one second. I represented the eighth ward in south Minneapolis. And when I came into that job, I was really concerned about the number of housing units that were in substandard condition and people were permitted to live in these substandard housing. My first question was why are we permitting in this neighborhood for the housing code to not be enforced? And it was because enforcing the housing code in this neighborhood is not that important. Protecting the lives and the wellbeing of the people who live in this neighborhood is not as important as it is for us to protect the quality of housing and homes and the livability of people who live in other parts of the city. What I wanted for my community is the same standard. So the same standard you’d use in the 12th ward, or the 13th ward, in the 11th ward, and all of the neighborhoods that have higher incomes, I want that same standard in the low income communities. And then of course people would say to me, “Well, if you want that, it’s going to drive rents up for those people and they aren’t going to be able to afford to live there.” And then you have to answer the question do you want them to live in safe housing, clean housing, and the answer is yes. And so that’s what we need to do in order to ensure, again, quality of life for everyone. But it’s never been this level playing field, there were always neighborhoods and areas that we couldn’t live in. We didn’t get the same level of service. And that is in the city of Minneapolis. We had to fight
for that. And again, what are you fighting against? You’re fighting against somebody else saying, “If we have limited resources, we want the limited resources to protect us and not them.” It was always an issue of us and them. It is still that today. It’s still that today in education funding, it’s still that today in healthcare funding, it’s still that today across the board. That is institutional racism. And who can stop that? We can. I can. And Betsy Hodges in her article was saying and white people can. And I’m just going to say this out loud, I think there’s a lot of generalizations that were made in a lot of the articles that get written and a lot of the statements that people made. There’s good people everywhere, but there are also people who are blocking progress. And what we have to challenge is those people who are blocking progress. And some of them are white, and some of them are male, some of them are female. What we have to do is set ... We need to ... I was going to look for one word, we need to defund and dismantle all of those people who are blockers, and identify all the allies who can help us find real solutions to the problems. And as Bob said earlier, they’ve been plaguing us for the last 150 plus years. And we know it, and it’s time for us to do something about it. And again, if we look at where we are in this moment, if we only focus our time and attention on dealing with the police, we will still have institutional racism in our community, we will still have disparities, and we will not have done anything to solve that problem. I need to do all of it. We need to do all of it. But we need to do it in an organized, and thoughtful, and informed manner, otherwise guess what? Nothing will happen. It’ll be another set of incremental change that nobody is going to be able to measure.
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Insight News • August 24, 2020 - August 30, 2020 • Page 3 WINNER: 2020 T YPOGRAPHY & DESIGN, 1ST PLACE, PHOTOGRAPHY (PORTRAIT & PERSONALIT Y), 1ST PLACE, WEBSITE, 3RD PLACE
Insight News August 24 2020 - August 30, 2020
Vol. 47 No. 34• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
Gotta’ keep your head up By Brenda Lyle-Gray Columnist
Dylan Vincent, 2020 Willie F. Adams Scholarship recipient.
Breah Banks
Rosalinda Guallpa-Angamarca
Scholarship recipients announced Foundation come to life. This year’s scholarship is named to reaffirm that commitment as he was a tireless advocate for the educational needs of our youth. This year’s scholarship recipients are: Breah Banks, a 3.5 GPA graduate of Benilde St. Margaret’s High School. Banks will attend Spelman College in the fall. She plans to major in Political Science and one day be a powerful advocate for people experiencing homelessness and
other underserved members of our society. Rosalinda GuallpaAngamarca is a graduate Columbia Heights High School where she maintained a 3.88 GPA. Guallpa-Angamarca discovered a love for accounting and will major in Accounting and International Business at the University of St. Thomas. Her goal is to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) to help develop businesses, while using her skills to support her
community and family. Cornelius Salonis is a graduate of Benilde St. Margaret’s High School where he excelled in AP History and Latin Engineering. He served as an academic tutor and member of the Robotics Team, while working part-time jobs. Salonis is planning to attend Clark Atlanta University as an Engineering major. He firmly believes college is a critical step
20’ SCHOLARSHIP 4
Walz extends Peacetime Emergency In Minnesota through September 11 Governor Tim Walz signed an executive order to extend the state’s peacetime emergency through September 11. During the Wednesday press briefing, Walz said the decision was made following advice from public health experts, senior advocates, as well as labor and medical providers. “The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present an unprecedented and rapidly evolving challenge to our state. These executive orders helped us build hospital capacity, secure critical care and personal protective equipment for healthcare providers and launch an aggressive testing strategy,” said Walz. “While these actions have slowed the spread of the virus and saved lives, it is important for us to assess the continued need for existing executive orders and rescind executive orders that are no longer necessary.” The peacetime emergency enables the state to respond with flexibility and rapidly to changing conditions
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on the inside. The challenge to holding on . . . to let faith fight the mental health battle that overwhelms and frightens us When one of the most admired women in the world, Michelle Obama, boldly and understandably admitted that amid the deadly pandemic, watching the video of George Floyd’s murder by police, the racial upheaval in city streets, and the hypocrisy
LYLE-GRAY 5
Cornelius Salonis
2020 Crimson and Cream The Twin Cities based Crimson and Cream Foundation, established in 1996, recently awarded four high school seniors academic scholarships. One of the four scholars, Dylan Vincent, received this year’s title scholarship which is named in honor of Willie F. Adams. Adams was a charter member of the Foundation and until his passing in 2019, was dedicated and committed to seeing the mission of the Crimson and Cream
Accept what’s happening is happening. Nature is turning you inward to gain power through peace, rather than outward to gain power through activity. Until things improve and something starts to work, let’s lie down in the cool, shady valley . . . and rest. -Iyanla Vanzant I listened intently as the powerful theologian and activist, Dr. Freddie Haynes of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas talked about Tupac Shakur’s song, Keep Ya Head Up . . . how a lot of folks are ‘stressed and depressed’ . . . looking fearless on the outside, but deeply wounded
Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Nancy Leppink
From the Governor’s newsroom: Republicans in the Senate remove Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Nancy Leppink By Robin Caldwell, Contributing Writer Republicans in the Senate staged an attack on workers and employers in Minnesota by removing Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Nancy Leppink. Commissioner Leppink is the leader the state needs, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis. She is a
champion for the health and safety of our state’s workers— especially our most vulnerable and essential workers, who are keeping our state moving forward during this pandemic. And in turn, Commissioner Leppink fully understands the challenges our state’s employers are facing during this pandemic, and she continuously helps employers comply with the requirements of the law and do
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Letter to the Editor Dear
The peacetime emergency enables the state to respond with flexibility and rapidly to changing conditions due to the pandemic. It also gives the governor power to issue executive orders and regulate businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. due to the pandemic. It also gives the governor power to issue executive orders and regulate businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first order was issued on March 16 and re-issued monthly since. Minnesota’s peacetime emergency protects Minnesotans against evictions
and wage garnishment; provides expedited procurement power for personal protective equipment (PPE) and other equipment; allows Minnesota to re-open society strategically, while following the advice of public health experts; protects workers from unsafe worker conditions; requires Minnesotans to wear
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a face covering in certain settings to prevent the spread of COVID-19; and provides economic relief and stability to those impacted by the pandemic. If the peacetime emergency were to end, it would jeopardize over $50 million each month in federal funding.
Editor, Americans are still grappling with the crippling impact of the pandemic. To truly move our country forward, we need to bring everyone together to help communities respond to and recover from COVID-19. A bipartisan group of Senators, including Senator Amy Klobuchar, has a plan to do just that through the CORPS Act, which would expand and strengthen AmeriCorps to offer critically needed services and provide Americans with purpose-driven work, a living stipend and assistance with paying for college. To respond to the impact of the outbreak,
ServeMinnesota created the Emergency Response Initiative where AmeriCorps members across the state have been assisting families experiencing homelessness, expanding food pantry capacity, tutoring students, and helping older adults reduce isolation and access social services. But we need more boots on the ground. Congress should include the funding and provisions in the CORPS Act in the next coronavirus aid and economic stimulus package. It’s a bipartisan solution to an urgent problem. Kate Kelly ServeMinnesota Board Chairperson
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Kids are bigger coronavirus spreaders than many doctors realized – here’s how schools can lower the risk
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Page 4 • August 24, 2020 - August 30, 2020 • Insight News
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Joins multistate coalition in federal lawsuit filed in Washington state alleging violations of federal law in implementing sudden, unilateral changes; cites Minnesota impacts
Attorney General Ellison sues Postal Service to stop dramatic changes that would undermine election, hurt Minnesotans Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that Minnesota has joined a coalition of 14 states that has will file a federal lawsuit today challenging drastic operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service that threaten critical mail delivery and could undermine the state and national election in November. The changes include eliminating staff overtime, altering operations at state distribution centers, decommissioning and removing critical mail sorting equipment, removing mailboxes, and other changes that would disproportionately hurt people in rural communities and communities of color. The Postal Service also recently notified states that it will end its longstanding practice of processing ballots as first-class mail, regardless of the type of postage used. States and counties that use marketing or bulk-rate postage for their ballots could experience delays that may prevent some ballots from being counted. All these changes threaten the timely delivery of mail to people who rely on the Postal Service for everything from ballots to life-saving prescription drugs. “Minnesotans and Americans everywhere are in the grips of a deadly global pandemic, the likes of which no one has seen in a century. In this environment, President Trump and his administration have taken sudden, dramatic, and unprecedented steps to undermine one of the longest-standing, most trusted institutions in America: our post office, which we rely on
for everything from masks and life-saving medications to exercising our right to vote. For the administration to attack the Postal Service at this this critical moment in our history is deeply disturbing. It requires that we step forward immediately to protect this public service, our right to vote, and people’s lives,” Ellison said. “Voting by mail is not only a matter of safety during this time of crisis, it is also often the only voting option for our active military service members. As a member of the National Guard, voting by mail allowed me to make my voice heard while I was serving overseas,” said Governor Tim Walz. “Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy, and I am proud Minnesota is joining this important case.” “Voting from home is a critical tool for communities across Minnesota to have their voices heard. Some precincts vote exclusively by mail, and many Tribal Nation members vote by mail from reservations,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “This option has never been more important than during a global pandemic. We must make voting safe and accessible for all.” “Minnesota leads the nation in voter participation— we care deeply about the right to vote,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon. “This lawsuit is where we draw the line against those who would try to weaken that right by weakening the U.S. mail.” Under federal law, changes at the U.S. Postal Service that cause a nationwide impact in mail service must
to comment. 39 U.S.C. § 3661. General DeJoy never engaged in that process here. Minnesota and the other states seek an immediate halt to the Postal Service’s actions.”
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The complaint cites a number of facts about and impacts on Minnesotans of the Postal Service’s sudden and transformational changes in service. Louis DeJoy has recently instituted sweeping changes that undermine the Postal Service’s ability to provide consistent and timely service. DeJoy has called these changes “transformative” and has acknowledged that they have “impacted our overall service levels.” DeJoy instituted these “transformative” changes following repeated statements from President Trump evincing a partisan political motive for making it harder to vote by mail, such as his statement that “MAIL-IN VOTING WILL . . . LEAD TO THE END OF OUR GREAT REPUBLICAN PARTY.” The “transformative” changes DeJoy has implemented are both procedurally and substantively unlawful. As a matter of procedure, Congress has established a specific process the Postal Service must follow before making changes in postal services, requiring the Postmaster General to consult with the Postal Regulatory Commission and to give the public an opportunity
be submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission. The commission must then evaluate the proposal through a procedure that includes public notice and comment. The Postal Service’s sudden and unilateral changes to the nature of postal services deprived the coalition of states that file today’s lawsuit of their procedural right to comment on such changes prior to implementation, as established by federal law. The states’ lawsuit, to be filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington against plaintiffs President Donald Trump, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, and the United States Postal Service, asserts that in implementing drastic changes to mail service nationwide, the Postal Service did not follow these and other procedures required by federal law and acted outside its authority. As the complaint states: “Despite the venerable history and obvious importance of the Postal Service, Postmaster General
Minnesota impacts The complaint cites a number of facts about and impacts on Minnesotans of the Postal Service’s sudden and transformational changes in service. The USPS’s sorting capacity in the Twin Cities area has reportedly been reduced by approximately 100,000 to 200,000 pieces of mail per hour. The State believes that at least three mailsorting machines have been decommissioned in Minneapolis in the past few months and that six more are scheduled for decommission. Minnesotans have been experiencing delays in mail delivery. Some have faced delays in receiving medications and in having face masks delivered to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Just days ahead of Minnesota’s August 11, 2020 primary election, some residents of Minneapolis had not yet received the absentee ballots they requested. Many of these residents’ personal circumstances made voting in person more difficult, particularly for those at a higher risk of COVID-19 infection. The two largest mail-processing facilities in Minnesota are in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. As a result, the Postal Service’s dramatic changes are likely to be felt disparately by people of
color. While people of color make up about 20 percent of Minnesota’s population, they are about 40 percent of Minneapolis residents and 49 percent of Saint Paul residents. Disparate effects will also be felt by members of Minnesota’s 11 federally recognized Native American tribal communities, many of whom reside on reservations where mail service is often unreliable. Further degradation of the Postal Service’s ability to efficiently deliver absentee and mail ballots risks imposing especially severe harms on Native American voters. Minnesota officials expect 1.2 million Minnesotans to cast absentee ballots in the November election. Under Minnesota law, an absentee or mail ballot must be received no later than 8:00 p.m. on Election Day order to be counted. In light of the global health pandemic caused by COVID-19, this deadline has been postponed by one week for the 2020 general election, pursuant to a consent decree entered by a state district court. Ellison was joined in filing the lawsuit by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who led the coalition, and the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro also announced today that he is leading a coalition of states that includes California, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, and North Carolina in filling a similar lawsuit.
A dismantled post office destroys more than mail service By Patty Heyda, Associate Professor of Urban Design and Architecture, Washington University in St Louis The U.S. Postal Service is under threat of collapse and privatization. This comes after years of federal political maneuvering that has effectively depleted revenues and staffing – issues now amplified by new cuts to overtime worker pay and slowed delivery. This matters now more than ever as the COVID-19 pandemic rages, and ahead of
November elections when many Americans anticipate voting by mail in order to stay safe. But the impacts of degrading the USPS go beyond simply making mail service less reliable and hindering the ability of Americans to fairly exercise their right to vote. As an urban designer and scholar of American cities, I have long witnessed the effects that these kinds of intentional public sector degradations have on the social and physical fabric of American cities. The post office shapes American public and private life in cities and towns, large and small. A dismantled USPS erodes American social
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ties, neighborhoods and even families. A democratizing institution The post office is what urban designers call a “local public anchor institution.” These are the shared civic buildings, services and spaces accessible by all and benefiting all, and they also include public schools, libraries and parks. They support the population without discrimination, through economic downturns and even during pandemics. There was a time when institutions like the post office served as the civic and economic backbone of the country. After the Great Depression, investing in the USPS was a key element of the New Deal’s massive employment policy agenda and national civic building and arts programs. Those investments built avenues to middleclass jobs for minorities and veterans – opportunities that the USPS still provides today. There’s a democratizing quality to the service. No matter what city or suburb you live in, everyone can recognize the ubiquitous blue mailboxes, which enable all citizens to send mail to any location on Earth. While the mailboxes unite the country under one aesthetic, individual post offices highlight the rich diversity of American regionalism. On Nantucket, the post office is a grey, weathered, cedarshingled bungalow. Along the Detroit River, it’s a boat – with its own floating ZIP code and “mail-in-the-pail” system that delivers mail to and from ships. In Chicken, Alaska, the post office is a log cabin, and La Jolla, California, residents recently fought to save their tile-roofed southern California Mission-style branch. These quirky local anchors connect people to particularities of time and place. Significantly, in 2012 the National Trust for
20’ Scholarship From 3 in his life’s journey to learn, grow and thrive. Dylan Vincent, 3.9 GPA, a graduate of Breck School and the recipient of the 2020 title scholarship named in honor of Willie F. Adams. Vincent will attend Stanford University in the fall, majoring in Economics. Through his
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Commentary by By StatePoint Hazel Josh Cobb Tricethe Edney Special from Ricki Fairley By Pam Kragen By Kevin Punsky Dr. LaVonne Moore Twin Cities Association Minnesota Department The Cincinnati Herald Reprinted courtesy ofon the Originally published Mayo Clinic of Black Journalists/ Health BlacksInTechnology.net San Diego Union-Tribune Insight News Intern March 9, 2017 By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent @ StacyBrownMedia
Historic Preservation added historic post offices to their list of endangered buildings. Meanwhile the bigger, main post offices like those in St. Louis, Washington, D.C. and New Orleans are treasured architectural marvels that span entire city blocks. Built at the turn of the 20th century and now on the National Register of Historic Places, their grand designs represent ambitious public investment and confidence in the government’s role to foster trade, commerce and communication.
photo/ Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Mail workers are a regular, comforting presence in communities.
ideals Are those ambitions already defeated? Like all U.S. public institutions, the post office has endured decades of defunding. The 1970 Postal Reorganization Act, for example, established the USPS as a government agency that, even though it would remain under control of Congress, would not be able to receive any tax revenue. In 2006, the USPS was further undermined by a Republican-led congressional mandate requiring it to pre-fund 75 years of retiree pensions. As the USPS has been steadily hollowed out, its collective assets have been leased or auctioned off to private developers. The D.C. Post Office – built in 1899 – is now a Trump Hotel. Chicago’s Old Main Post Office, now under private ownership, recently vied to become Amazon’s second headquarters. If the architectural design of public buildings serves as an outward expression of how a government values its people and places, it seems as though recent administrations have thought less and less of regular Americans and good urbanism. Many post office branches built in the last 30 years are cheap and formulaic skeletons of their prior incarnations. You can find them in strip malls.
These bland buildings align with corporate imperatives that excise certain design elements for the sake of economic efficiency. Solid wood, high ceilings, natural light or design particulars in tune with local conditions are usually the first to go. This happens even though, as a public good, the USPS cannot technically – nor should it ethically – compete with private companies. What are we left with when collective anchors are no longer designed as aspirational, creative places for public life to play out? Can you find a contextually designed FedEx store that reflects the same kinds of optimism and durability of early U.S. post offices?
Economics major, Vincent is planning to focus on a career in business or law, which he will use to build an extraordinary life for himself that is true to his core principles of purpose, mastery, and influence. The Crimson and Cream Foundation Scholarship recognizes the achievements of high school seniors who have proven track records of leadership, academic success and giving back to their communities for our scholarship
program.
Eroded
Reinforcing our social networks Even as the richest aesthetic dimensions of the post office are cut from budgets, its social benefits live on. Mail carriers have unexpectedly helped people trapped or caught in house fires, and have even aided victims of human trafficking. For one 11-year old stuck at home during the pandemic, her mail carrier became a new pen pal and friend. Many smaller town post office branches double as social hubs. In Truxton, Missouri, the post office is also the news center, a bus shelter and afterschool stop for kids to get candy. Public institutions like
The organization’s mission is to engage in, advance, promote and administer charitable, educational scholarships, leadership activities, and projects for deserving youth in the state of Minnesota. In addition to hosting programs and partnering with other community organizations to meet this objective, the foundation’s top priority is providing scholarships to worthy
the Postal Service allow people to forge new relationships outside of their normal circles. My mom texts her Northern Virginia mailwoman, Carla. Letter carriers, some of whom have walked the same route for years, watch families grow and change. These moments of social solidarity enrich life in cities and towns in the same way that architecture does. Today the USPS stands as one of the last public, civic institutions left in American cities and towns. Unlike libraries, schools or parks, the USPS does not receive external private philanthropic support. This is just as well, since subsidies and outsourcing can influence decision-making and cloud accountability. As the Postal Service teeters – economically sabotaged and on the brink of being sold off – it’s all-themore needed to preserve the durable, social, accessible, sustainable and beautiful cities and towns that citizens deserve. This article appeared originally on The Conversation Patty Heyda is author of Rebuilding the American City (with David Gamble, Routledge 2016). She studies politics of urban design and planning in American cities, with a focus on St. Louis, publicprivate sector articulations, uneven development and social inequality.
high school graduates who seek to advance their education at a college, university, or accredited post-secondary institution. The Crimson and Cream Foundation is the nonprofit, charitable arm of the St.Paul - Minneapolis alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. More information about the Crimson and Cream Foundation and Scholarships can be found at MNCrimsonAndCream.org.
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Insight News • August 24, 2020 - August 30, 2020 • Page 5
4 ways to get ready for school no matter where you’re learning Brandpoint (BPT) (BPT) - The new school year will look different for everyone this year, but whether students are gearing up for an in-person, online or hybrid learning experience, the right school supplies can help keep them motivated and productive all year long. Now more than ever, teachers and parents are heading online to prepare for the school year. In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, online school supply shopping is on the rise, with more than half (55%) of K-12 shoppers planning to buy their supplies online this year. If you’re setting up an at-home learning space or preparing for a safe return to the classroom, online stores like Amazon make it easy to get everything you need. Here are some tips on how you can prepare for the new school year: Stock up on essentials Start the year off fresh and organized with a new planner, an ample supply of notebooks and fun, colorful folders. A mesh desk organizer will help your kids stay organized so they never misplace their pens and pencils (or their homework). Sparkle Mechanical Pencils will have them feeling stylish and eliminate pencil shavings — which is especially helpful if
your kitchen is doubling as your classroom this year. For younger students, stock up on crayons, markers and colored pencils, to give them a chance to unleash their creative side. Amazon’s Ready for School store offers low prices on these essentials and more, all shipped safely to your door. Additionally, if the kids are at home all day, you may need to load up on more snacks this year. Try something that comes in single-portion servings for an easy snack that won’t leave a mess in the kitchen. Set up an at-home learning space An organized and productive learning space can help keep students motivated while learning from home. With Amazon’s Educator Shop, teachers — and parents-turnedteachers — can easily find everything they need to set up their learning space. Upgrade your student’s setup with a desk, a comfortable chair and a printer like the all-in one HP printer, to start. Add a cool lamp to help brighten up their space or a fun desk accessory, like a plant to add some color and life. Finally, boost connectivity with routers such as this eero router to ensure you have top-notch WiFi throughout the house, making any room a perfect classroom.
Upgrade your tech A whopping 40% of parents are looking to invest in digital resources to supplement school education, according to the 2020 Deloitte backto-school survey. Whether it’s full-time, part-time or supplemental, digital learning is an important part of education. Start by checking out Amazon’s digital education center, which includes educational content and workbooks for students. Or with the Allnew Fire HD 8 Kids Edition
Tablet, students and parents can research and download educational apps to supplement school in a fun and engaging way. The device comes with a kid-proof case to protect from drops and bumps and has a built-in stand for hands-free use. Finally, remember to manage screen time by setting rules for usage and providing children with Kids Blue Light Blocking Glasses to protect developing eyes from harsh light. Set up healthy routines Getting out
of
“summer mode,” especially this year, can make sticking to a routine difficult. With the start of the new school year fast approaching, start easing back into healthy routines now by setting earlier alarms or having family reading time in the evening. As the school year gets going, make quick, healthy lunches extra fun by packing things ahead of time in colorful, reusable lunch containers like these Bento boxes. And don’t forget hydration — keeping a durable water bottle with your
kids whether they’re at home or school is important. The Contigo Water Bottle is perfect for keeping kids hydrated and provides water in a personal, sanitary container that won’t leak. But if your kids are spending their days learning from the kitchen table, don’t forget to take breaks throughout the day. Just taking a few breaks during the day to stretch or go for a walk can keep your family moving and active! Find all of your school-year essentials and more at amazon.com/readyforschool.
Comcast launches new internet essentials partnership program for students and schools By Robin Caldwell, Contributing Writer With distance learning plans rolling out across the country due to the coronavirus, Comcast today announced a new program for cities, schools, and nonprofits to connect large numbers of low-income K-12 students to the Internet at home. The “Internet Essentials Partnership Program” is designed to help accelerate Internet adoption at a critical time. In nearly ten years, Internet Essentials has become the nation’s largest and most successful low-income Internet adoption program and has
Lyle-Gray From 3 and incompetence at the top - day in and day out – she had been experiencing low-grade depression, I immediately thought about the children . . . the parents . . . battling through a sea of troubles and trying to remain afloat. Let’s face it, the pandemic will probably have a lasting effect on our children’s and our mental health. Younger children will want to stay in their imaginary worlds rather than hear a news report about how bad everything is around them. A mother of a first grader reported that her son started asking – “if we live in a computer; if we were real, or if we were cartoons.” They are
Leppink From 3 right by their employees. This is a brazen attack by Minnesota Senate Republicans on the safety of working Minnesotans at a time when they it most. “Nancy Leppink is a champion for working Minnesotans and business owners,” said Governor Walz. “She is a consensus builder who has a proven track record of finding solutions among workers, employers, and government. She is respected by the workers that she fights for and by the businesses who want to do right by their employees.” “Her talent has never been more critical than during
Comcast announced plans to convene a series of virtual national and regional summits this fall to help tackle the challenges of broadband adoption. For individuals and organizations interested in becoming a partner, please visit: https://partner.internetessentials. com to order free collateral materials. To apply, go to: www. internetessentials.com using any web-connected device, including mobile phones. The accessible website also includes the option to video chat with customer service agents in American Sign Language. In addition, there are two dedicated phone numbers: 1-855-846-8376 for English and 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.
nonprofits to collaborate to help fund and connect large numbers of K-12 students with broadband Internet service and
devices like laptops and tablets. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has already signed up more than
70 schools across the country, including seven here in the Twin Cities. Comcast continues to offer new Internet Essentials customers two months of free Internet access if they sign up before the end of 2020. Comcast also continues to forgive any back debt due so more families can apply. All Internet Essentials customers now have free access to Comcast’s innovative xFi platform, which enables parents to control and manage their family’s WiFi connected devices, set safe browsing modes so children can only access age-appropriate content, and pause devices for dinner or bedtime.
parenting. There will be days that are totally out of control. Fearlessness might not be within your reach. Want the truth . . . “we have little control over most situations.” Take time to rest, restore your body, heal, and reevaluate. This year has been like no other. ‘GOTTA KEEP YOUR HEAD UP’ - preach to yourself – and repeat over and over . . . I can do this and I will come out a stronger warrior.
What Parents Can Do for Themselves You don’t have to apologize or judge yourself, especially if you are single
What Parents Can Do For Children Like the unprecedented and unpredictable nature of the coronavirus, and a rare inflammatory disease sickening children (MIS-C – Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children), it’s paramount we keep ourselves well and keep a close eye on our
children. If our immune system is supported by disciplined exercise and a wellness diet, we all have a better chance fighting off the invasion of the viral enemy in our bodies. We can no longer take our health for granted until we get sick. Explain to your children that this virus strain is new, but children appear to be generally at low risk of infection. They can, however, be carriers and spread the disease to more vulnerable populations. For parents of color, we must be even more vigilant than others. African Americans are more likely to experience higher rates of conditions like asthma and cancer due to disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards like lead in the drinking water, highways and toxic dumping areas near their homes, and the lack of grocery outlets providing
nutritional and affordable food choices. Regardless, we must decide to treat our minds and bodies better. No more denial. We can’t pretend things have not gone wrong. They have and our predicaments could get worse. We can’t worry about that which we cannot control, but we must be prepared. Let children know there are things adults are doing every day to keep them healthy and safe. It’s not their job to work. Make it simple. Teach your children to sneeze in their elbow; wash their hands frequently, especially before touching any food; avoid touching their face; and always wear a clean mask. Becoming resilient in “The Age of Corona” and social unrest requires naming our feelings, talking about them, and figuring out a way to
work through them. Cultivate connections of support with sound resources. Organize and keep important information documented. Parents can help by using straight forward language, staying calm, validating their children’s feelings, and being consistent with expectations. In Tolkein’s “Fellowship of the Ring”, there is an exchange between the wizard, Gandalf and the Hobbit, Frodo in which they discuss the terrible days that have fallen upon them. “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” This we must do.
the COVID-19 pandemic. She protects the health of workers and guides business owners in their efforts to remain open and operate safely. In this time of crisis, I am deeply disappointed that Senate Republicans chose to play politics with the health and safety of Minnesotans,” Governor Walz continued. “Nancy Leppink was fired by Senate Republicans today because she worked tirelessly to protect the health and safety of workers during COVID—19,” said Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. “This is a slap in the face to our nurses, teachers, grocery store workers, meat processing plant workers, janitors, and all working Minnesotans in the midst of a global pandemic. We will continue to fight to protect workers. We will
not be deterred or succumb to Republican threats to hold more commissioners hostage to their partisan gamesmanship.” Also today, Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan announced key appointments to their cabinet. Two dedicated public servants, who have given our state years of their leadership and expertise, are moving onto new opportunities: Major General Jensen and Commissioner Myron Frans. These two leaders have brought Minnesota through some of the most trying periods of our state’s history—from budget deficits to the first full activation of the Minnesota National Guard since WWII to a global pandemic. As they are called to lead the state and country in other ways, the Governor and
Lieutenant Governor are excited to announce two experienced leaders to assume these critical positions. Walz Appoints Jim Schowalter to Commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) Every day for the past decade, Commissioner Frans has come to work to serve those Minnesotans, behind the scenes, working tirelessly to ensure the state of Minnesota is strong and fiscally stable. Our state is endlessly grateful for Myron’s dedication, leadership, and wit these past years. As Commissioner Myron Frans departs for senior leadership position at the University of Minnesota, Governor Walz today announced he has appointed Jim Schowalter to take on this critical role. Schowalter previously served
as MMB commissioner in Governor Mark Dayton’s administration, led the state out of a budget deficit, and helped build one of the most progressive budgets in our state’s history The Commissioner of MMB serves as the chief financial officer, the chief accounting officer, the state controller, the chief human resource officer, in charge of employee insurance for over 50,000 state employees, and in charge of collective bargaining on behalf of the state. Walz Appoints Brigadier General Shawn Manke to serve as Minnesota’s next Adjutant General Governor Tim Walz also announced his appointment of Brigadier General Shawn Manke to serve as Minnesota’s next Adjutant General, filling the vacancy created upon the
resignation of Major General Jon A. Jensen, who was recently promoted to Director of the Army National Guard. General Manke, a native of Cambridge, Minnesota, has served in a number of leadership roles in the Minnesota National Guard since 2003. Prior to his service in the Minnesota National Guard, General Manke had a career in the United States Army. The Governor is the Commander-in-Chief of the Minnesota National Guard, and the Adjutant General serves for a term of seven years and is appointed by the Governor. The Adjutant General is a member of the Governor’s cabinet and head of the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs, and is the top commander of the Minnesota Air and Army National Guard Forces.
connected millions of people to the Internet. It offers households low-cost, broadband Internet service for $9.95/month, the option to purchase a heavily subsidized computer, and multiple options for digital literacy training. Comcast also announced today it is giving all Internet Essentials customers its innovative xFi platform, which enables parents to control and manage their children’s WiFi connected devices. There are four primary components to today’s news, all designed to help connect more low-income students and families to the internet: The new “Internet Essentials Partnership Program” (IEPP) enables cities, schools, and
isolated, lonely, and worry about whether their parents will have a job. They are not equipped to understand why people don’t want to wear a mask if it’s been scientifically proven that following the health protocols can save lives. The Huffington Post released a survey recently citing the toll our current national and global state-of-affairs is having on the mental healthof our children and their adult guardians. There has been a 40% rise in psychological problems related to suicide and drug overdoses – not the virus itself. They just want to know how life changed so quickly, and how long it’s all going to last.
Page 6 • August 24, 2020 - August 30, 2020 • Insight News
Insight 2 Health
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Fauci, CDC urge Americans to get flu vaccine to prevent a potential ‘twindemic’ By Robin Coldwell, Staff Writer Get used to it. “Twindemic” is becoming a part of our COVID-19 lexicon as we approach flu season. America’s pandemic czar Anthony Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are urging citizens to receive the flu vaccine before the outset of the season. Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is urging businesses to push employees to get flu vaccines as soon as they can. “The more we can prevent flu from causing hospitalizations, the more we can prevent people with flu from filling up our ICUs, the more probability that there is going to be a hospital bed for people with COVID.” Fauci has been imploring citizens to be
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The vaccine comes in a shot and a nasal spray. The nasal spray influenza vaccine is not recommended for children younger than two years, adults 50 and older and pregnant women.
vaccinated for some months. His concern is that there will be a rise in coronavirus cases during flu season. In an interview with MarketWatch, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said citizens should “make sure you get vaccinated so that you could at least blunt the effect of one of those two potential respiratory infections.” The vaccine comes in a shot and a nasal spray. The nasal spray influenza vaccine is not recommended for children younger than two years, adults 50 and older and pregnant women. And the CDC believes that August is too early for the vaccine, suggesting that people wait until September no later than October to get it. To stay abreast of the Minnesota Department of Health’s updates on the coronavirus and recommended practices, visit their website.
Kids are bigger coronavirus spreaders than many doctors realized – here’s how schools can lower the risk By Phyllis Sharps, Professor of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and Lucine Francis Assistant Professor of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing The first U.S. schools have reopened with in-person classes, and they are already setting off alarm bells about how quickly the coronavirus can spread. Georgia’s Cherokee County School District, north of Atlanta, had over 100 confirmed COVID-19 cases by the end of its second week of classes, and more than 1,600 students and staff had been sent home after being exposed to them. By the third week, three of the district’s high schools had temporarily reverted to all-online learning. Schools in Mississippi, Tennessee, Nebraska and other states also reported multiple cases, quarantines and temporary school closures. Deciding whether to open schools for in-person classes during a pandemic is a complex decision. Children often learn better in school, where they have direct contact with expert teachers and the
social-emotional learning that comes from being around other children. But they also risk spreading the disease to their teachers and one another’s families without even being aware they have it. For schools that do reopen classrooms, there are important choices that can help them keep students, families and teachers safe. As nursing professors, we’ve been following the developing research on children’s risks of getting and spreading COVID-19, and we have some advice. How
infectious are kids? Initially, it appeared that COVID-19 had minimal effects on children and that they didn’t spread it easily, but new research is changing that view. A large study from Korea published in July found that older children, ages 10 to 19, were just as likely as adults to spread the virus to others. Younger children were suspected of infecting fewer people; however, a hospital in Chicago found that children under 5 with mild to moderate COVID-19 actually had more coronavirus genetic material in their upper respiratory tracts than older children and adults.
A COVID-19 outbreak at a summer camp in Georgia clearly showed how children of all ages are susceptible to infection: 51% of the campers ages 6 to 10 tested positive, as did 44% of those ages 11 to 17. By mid-August, data from several states showed that children represented about 9.1% of all reported COVD19 cases, and that the average had risen to 538 cases in every 100,000 children. The American Academy of Pediatrics found a sharp rise in the number of U.S. children testing positive, suggesting that far more children were infected than people realized. How
at-risk are kids? Children do generally have milder symptoms than adults. In young bodies, it may show up as a fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, nausea or diarrhea. Research suggests that children may have more stomach issues and diarrhea compared to adults. But that isn’t the story for all kids. Some have died after contracting COVID-19, and others have developed severe complications after they appeared to have recovered.
photo/Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
Students and parents at California’s Hollywood High School go through temperature checks before picking up laptops for online learning. Similar to adults, children face higher risks of developing severe symptoms if they have underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, obesity, asthma, lung disease, suppressed immune system, congenital heart disease and serious genetic, neurologic or metabolic disorders. And children with none of these conditions can still end up in intensive care units because of COVID-19. In very rare cases, several weeks after getting COVID-19, children have developed multi-system inflamatory syndrome (MIS-C), with symptoms similar to
Kawasaki disease, including fever, rash, gastrointestinal problems, inflammation, shock and heart damage. At least six children in the U.S. have died from it. A big concern for schools is that children who are infected but have no symptoms may be silently spreading the disease to their teachers and friends, who then take it home to their families and out into the community. Ways to keep kids and their families safe If a school decides to reopen for in-person instruction, it won’t be the same environment students found last fall. Officials will have to make difficult decisions that will ultimately affect the culture of school life. Here are 10 recommendations to look for in schools that can help keep children, families and faculty safe: Check everyone for symptoms each morning, including temperature checks, but recognize that the virus starts spreading before symptoms show. If possible, set up quick-response testing. These tests can flag people who are infectious but don’t have symptoms, though they can be expensive, hard to find and have higher rates of false-positives than the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests that take longer. Ensure everyone who can wear a face mask does. Research shows the coronavirus primarily spreads through the air. Masks can limit how far an infected person spreads the virus and how much mask-wearers breathe in. Keep desks 6 feet apart for physical distancing. On the school bus and where lines form, mark off seating and line spacing to make physical distancing easy to remember. Rather than having students change classrooms, keep them together in cohorts and have teachers move from classroom to classroom to limit contact in the halls. Hold classes outside when possible, and ensure outside air circulates into rooms. Suspend extracurricular activities with a high risk of transmission, such as singing
and sports with physical contact. Some activities are less risky, such as tennis, swimming and running. Frequently clean high-touch areas, such as bathrooms and door handles. Make sure students are current on all immunizations and get the flu shot. Be prepared to provide emotional and behavioral support to students dealing with stressful and sometimes traumatic experiences during the pandemic. Get a school nurse. During a pandemic like this, every school should have a nurse to check for symptoms and manage illnesses, but many schools don’t have one full-time. Schools should have a plan and be ready to change it. If students and staff become infected or the school can’t meet safety requirements, the schools need the flexibility to take classes online. COVID-19 presents an opportunity to reflect on the learning disparities and disadvantages many students will encounter without inperson learning. Out of the ashes of COVID-19, all key stakeholders of the school community will need to work together to develop innovative, sustainable solutions that benefit students who have been most disadvantaged by the pandemic. This article originally appeared on The Conversation. Phyllis Sharps is the Elsie M. Lawler Endowed Chair, associate dean for community programs and initiatives, and a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Dr. Sharps is the director for the Center for Community Innovations and Scholarships, which leads community nursemanaged centers through the East Baltimore Community Nurse Centers as well as the Health and Wellness Program at the Henderson Hopkins Partnership School. Lucine Francis is a public health nurse and researcher focused on identifying ways children from vulnerable communities are provided with the best environment to ensure their health and well-being. Currently, Dr. Francis seeks to understand the role of early care and education settings in child health and early learning.
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Insight News • August 24, 2020 - August 30, 2020 • Page 7
Dr. Charles Crutchfield III: Change the Twins logo to reflect team’s diverstiy This summer, the Minnesota Twins made a significant change, when they removed the statue of former Twins owner Calvin Griffith. The Twins removed former Twins owner Calvin Griffith’s statue due to racist remarks Griffith made during a speaking engagement in 1978. Griffith alluded to the fact that he moved the Washington Senators (who were renamed the Twins) to Minnesota was because of a low Black population, and “Black people don’t go to ballgames.” Griffith said that the team came to Minnesota because “you’ve got good, hardworking white people here.” The removal of Griffith’s statue was a powerful and significant statement and a long time Twins fan, and the team’s consulting dermatologist thinks it’s time for another change. This change involves the Minnie and Paul logo. Dr. Charles Crutchfield III, MD, is the Medical Director of Crutchfield Dermatology in the Twin Cities. Crutchfield is pushing for the Twins organization and the Pohlad family (who owns the team) to update the Minnie and Paul logo. The Minnie and Paul logo is a famous logo of the Twins that has been associated with the team since it arrived in 1961. Crutchfield wants to update the logo to reflect the racial makeup of the team “As a dedicated, lifelong Twins fan and a 20-year season ticket holder who went to Twins games as a kid when they played at Met Stadium, many other fans and I loudly applauded the team’s proactive removal of the Calvin Griffith statue recently, based on the racist statements made by the team’s first Minnesota owner,”
The Minnie and Paul logo is a famous logo of the Twins that has been associated with the team since it arrived in 1961. said Crutchfield. “I have always loved Ray Barton’s original ‘Minnie and Paul’ logo design. But the time is now to create a respectful and subtle yet very significant update that honors and reflects the team’s players and its fans from different backgrounds. It’s an easy fix, but it’s an important one – and it’s long overdue.” After the tragic death of George Floyd, Crutchfield wanted to come up with a way to help the community heal. Then, it hit him. He came up with the idea of updating the Minnie and Paul logo. Crutchfield took it upon himself to see if other Twins fans would be open to updating the logo with a more diverse image. He posted a poll on social media, and the results were astonishing. Nearly 97% of Twins fans (that voted in the poll) were in favor of updating the logo. Crutchfield developed a new logo, and 85 percent of voters were in favor of his design. Twelve percent of the voters were in favor of the development of a new and different logo, while three
percent wanted to keep the logo as is. With Crutchfield’s results, it is safe to say that change is the way to go. If Crutchfield successfully gets the logo changed (or sparks the conversation for a new logo), it will be another case of driving diversity and helping to create inclusion in Minnesota. Crutchfield’s family has a history of success and triumph, accomplishing incredible feats. His grandmother was the first Black public school teacher in Minneapolis. His mother was the first Black woman (and the youngest woman) to graduate from the University of Minnesota Medical School, and his father was the first Black ObGyn to practice in Minnesota, delivering 10,000 babies in St. Paul. Crutchfield has followed in his family’s footsteps and has accomplished great things in his career. He was the first Black graduate of the Minnesota of MN dermatology residence and the first black dermatologist to practice privately in Minnesota. He is the consulting dermatologist for the Minnesota Vikings, Timberwolves, Wild and Lynx, and the Grio selected him as one of the top 100 Black newsmakers in the U.S. Crutchfield is also currently the Clinical Professor of Dermatology at University of Minnesota Medical School and Benedict Distinguished Visiting Professor of Biology at Carleton College. As an accomplished man (and a Twins fan), changing the Minnie and Paul logo would add to his accolades. Change is usually a good thing, and the Twins logo’s changes would be a step in the right direction. Should the Twins change their logo?
The Walker From 1
Arjan Martins
Join The Walker as they travel virtually to Beverly Hills to the home of accomplished contemporary art collector and former NFL linebacker Keith Rivers. Rivers will discuss his passion for emerging contemporary art, his approach to collecting, and take us on a virtual tour of his favorite works in his home. Guests will have the opportunity to ask questions following the visit. Space is limited, RSVP for this Zoom meeting by emailing patrons@walkerart.org or calling 612-375-7641.
In the age of COVID-19 and civil unrest John Wilgers, is the CEO of the Greater Twin Cities United Way (GTCUW). He talked with Insight News last week on the Conversations with Al McFarlane broadcast on KFAI FM Radio. Here are highlights of the interview, which followed a live interview with former Minneapolis Mayor, Sharon Sayles Belton, and former University of Minnesota President Bob Bruininks. Both Sayles-Belton and Bruininks stayed on the call to add their thoughts on the critical work of Greater Twin Cities United Way. . Al McFarlane: Describe the work, the vision that you’re executing as the leader of Greater Twin Cities United Way. John Wilgers: Our vision is to create a community where everybody has the opportunity to be successful, regardless of their income level, regardless of their race, or regardless of where people live. We think everybody ought to have the opportunity to be successful and thrive. And so that vision and that mission and a commitment to equity is really what drives our work every day. And I think there’s been nowhere or no time where the commitment to that vision, and that commitment to equity has been more important than it has over the last three of four months. I hate calling the last three or four months an opportunity, but there has been an opportunity for people to see the disparity that exists in our community. And when you have events like a pandemic, a health pandemic, and when you have events like the social unrest that we’ve seen, it’s the same community, the same group of people that experience the disparities and the gap widens as result of these. So when we talk about dismantling disparities, that really means getting into ... Really getting at those things that cause there to be disparities in terms of economic outcomes, that disparities in terms of educational outcomes, disparities in terms of social outcomes. So we’re looking to dismantle those by really directing our work towards the people impacted based upon input received from those that are experiencing those disparities and making sure that we’re
always keeping our connection to those communities, and understanding the experience they’re having and what we can do to help. But it’s also working either through the organizations that we fund or the advocacy work that we do to try to get at some of the systemic causes of racism, whether it’s through directing funding or impacting policy. Sharon Sayles Belton: You know, Al, the one thing that I’ll just say about John’s comment that I can really resonate with is say getting the input from the people who you are proposing to help. Because very often, people in positions of leadership, and authority, and who have the power and the resources, they tend to make decisions for the people who they want to help without the input of the people who they propose to assist. And so John is really talking about a model of building a strategy on the basis of actually getting input from the people who the United Way assists. And we need more of that kind of leadership, not only in our community and in our state, but across the country. People sitting in high towers have to be informed. And in order to get informed, they have to come out and engage with the community. So any opportunities that we have to encourage people who want to help and want to get involved, come out into the community and get informed. Al McFarlane: John, how does the organization address with the preeminent issues of the moment, like COVID-19, like criminal justice reform? How does that policy consideration come to be part of the work of United Way? John Wilgers: When we determined what our response was going to be to COVID-19, it was based in that same ... in gathering information just like Sharon talked about. The first thing we did, well, the very first thing we did was gear up our 211 Helpline to make sure that it was ready to accommodate what we expected would be an increase in calls, first from people who had questions about COVID-19, and that did happen, but where we saw the increase most significantly in the calls was what I call downstream, as people started to experience the economic
During Virtual Action Day 84 metro area nonprofits as well as school districts picked-up backpacks and supplies at Allianz Field, which they will distribute to students in need. The event also featured nonprofit leaders and sharing how they’re preparing local students for academic success as well as mascots from Minnesota’s professional sports teams. impact, we saw all those calls that we normally get to our 211 Helpline, around housing, and food security, and childcare, just skyrocket. We had volumes at 300% of normal volumes compared to the same period a year ago. So we geared that up. But then we started reaching out to our nonprofit partners to understand what was going on in the community, what were they experiencing, first of all, what could we do that would be helpful to them as nonprofits working in the community, and what were the people they served experiencing so that we could make sure that our response was hitting that. All throughout that process. So we started a fund, our COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, and we were very fortunate to raise 4.5 or 4.6 million dollars as part of that. And some of that went outside our community because we raised it from some of our large multi-state corporations in town, and we helped them put that to work in other parts of the country. But 2.8 million of that is going to work here in our community. And so as we put that to work, we were focused on these emerging needs. We made these grants in waves, so that we could continue to stay on top of what those needs were and be
responsive to what was a very significant changing landscape from a needs perspective and from the availability of other sources of funding, federal funding. So that we were always working where the needs were and where the gaps were to help our community. And so we’ve made three rounds of grants so far, we have a fourth round that’ll go our later really focused on response, and we’re really doing response work right now. But again, always with equity at its core, and the needs of the people we serve forming those funding decisions. Let me talk real quick about Action Day, one of our premier volunteer events. I think this would be the fifth year. Last year we had 4,000 people go to Xcel Energy Center and pack 40,000 backpacks. Well, that wasn’t going to happen this year. 4,000 people aren’t congregating anywhere, so we converted it this year into a virtual event. People can participate in two ways, they can pack backpacks in their home, we’ll provide them the supply list and have drop off locations. Or they can donate, and we’ll order a fully loaded backpack in a box, if you will, and we’re going to again have 40,000
backpacks to distribute to kids in the community that need that. And it’ll be distributed through 94 nonprofit partners and school districts. So we turned it into a virtual event, culminating with the distribution on August 13th. All the details are at www. actionday2020.com. So we’re very excited about the way we’ve been able to reposition that this year. Al McFarlane: Instructions for our community for community building? Bob Bruininks: Well, let me just finish by saying I think the work that United Way has done in our community over many, many decades has just been foundational to what makes Minnesota special. And I’d make just a couple of really quick comments. I think this conversation about policing in America, policing in our own community has opened up some really important conversations about what we need to do to create equity and opportunity in our society. So I would say that we need this conversation not just to be about policing and safety, but we need to also think about what it’s going to take for us to build a more just community going forward. And that has to do from the early stages of life, what goes on in
NAZ, in north Minneapolis, is vitally important to creating community safety in the long haul. Because people who have more opportunity end up making very important contributions to their community. Bob Bruininks: So starting upstream, starting young, working with youth I think is a real key to longterm success. Making sure that our conversations are community centric, that we really do listen to the voices in the community, but also build on the assets that communities have, all communities have. Sharon Sayles Belton: You know what, I’m just going to saying something really sweet and simple. If you’re listening to this broadcast, share it with somebody else. This has been a rich conversation, and we really want the public to be informed so that they can make an informed decision. Everything that Bob said I’d say ditto, and everything that John said, get ready for the day of engagement. Because we’re here for the long haul. This isn’t a quick fix, this isn’t a sprint, we’re here for the long haul, and we need all of the citizens of the city of Minneapolis and the Twin Cities to be on the same page.
Page 8 • August 24, 2020 - August 30, 2020 • Insight News
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Now Available at our Broadway and Lake St. locations.
We’ll shop for you.
Order online.
Cub community pickup is our way of bringing the full selection of a Cub store to the convenience of the temporary store at our Broadway and Lake St. locations. By Titilayo Bediako
Place your order by 9pm and the order will be available the next day afternoon at your scheduled time. You will be able to pay for your order at the time of pickup for your added convenience.
Order online @ cub-community-pickup.com Pay in store at pickup, including cash, credit and EBT.