Insight ::: 12.19.2022

ever reach a moment when being a globetrotter American could be hazardous to your health?

By Irma McClaurin, PhD

POTUS went on to express that Brittney “represented the best in American values” throughout her ordeal. Brittney landed back on American soil early this Friday morning: https://www. cbsnews.com/live-updates/ brittney-griner-back-us-releaserussia-prisoner-swap-viktorbout/

A Political Pawn?

There is now speculation that Brittney Griner was intentionally targeted and arrested so that Russia could push for the release of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Not everyone agrees that this was the right political move. Some inside the U.S. State Department say that this type of deal “… violates the rule of law and sets a very dangerous precedent,” according to the Dec 8, 2022 Live CBS News report hosted by Gayle King.

What’s Next Brittney?

Clearly the State Department’s concern demands consideration, and to that point, there is now a warning for U.S. travelers to view the State Department’s list of countries that might put Americans in harm’s way—possibilities that now include false detainment alongside kidnapping.

In other words, the days of “have American will travel,” with no repercussions, are over. We can no longer divorce our individual travel plans from our country’s foreign policy meanderings. Whether we agree with them or not, we stand as symbols of our country when we travel. Like it or not. Who knew we would

And what of Brittney? How will she navigate her newfound freedom? According to her wife Sherrell Griner, in the same press conference yesterday, she indicated that Brittney has promised to become an advocate for the release of other Russian detainees like Paul Whelan, accused of espionage.

His release will probably require the relinquishing another highly valued Russian asset who has been detained in the U.S.—or something bigger.

And, we just learned in the same press conference yesterday that the U.S. had also secured the release of the CITGO Executives known as the CITGO 6, who were being detained in Venezuela (https:// abc13.com/citgo-6-venezuelaprisoner-release-us-swapexchange/12286799/ ). Funny how that piece of negotiations flew under the radar screen.

Return to Normalcy & the Reality of Sexism and Racism?

Brittney must now readjust to some aspect of normalcy. What exactly does that look like for a Black woman in America under everyday circumstances?

What does it look like for a Black woman who was only in Russia because the U.S. has a gendered athletic ecosystem in which male players (Black, White, Latinx, or whatever) across all the games (basketball, football, baseball, soccer) are paid millions upon millions of dollars. Take Aaron Judge who just struck the largest free-agent contract for $360 Million over 13 years (https://www.forbes.com/ sites/dereksaul/2022/12/07/ aaron-judge-yankees-agree-tolargest-free-agent-deal-in-mlbhistory/?sh=593955247b94) for batting a ball with a stick. No woman in the history of any competitive U.S. sports has ever come close to earning that amount!

And Black women athlete and teams earn far less than White men, Black men, and White women.

The Reality of Whiteness and the Ukraine War

How can America and (White) Americans be so concerned about what is happening in the Ukraine to whom we are sending millions in weapons and aid when American citizens like Brittney are so grossly underpaid such that they have to go to our political enemies for employment on top of their U.S. employment?

As we watch the rise of homelessness in America, signs like “we stand with Ukraine” in airports piss me off That is not to say I don’t have sympathy for any country in the throes of war, conflict, or natural or economic disasters.

However, I cannot EVER recall seeing an airport sign that said “we stand with Palestine” or “we stand with Haiti,” or “we stand with Afghanistan.”

There has been an unspoken, and occasionally revealed, racialized dimension to America’s /Americans’ support of the Ukraine that follows racial lines of white supremacy. Ukrainian refugees have been welcomed and treated with unprecedented cutting of immigration red tape. While Americans have chosen to ignore the stories of Ukraine forcing African students and workers to evacuate last https://www. euronews.com/2022/04/01/thetreatment-africans-are-facingin-ukraine-is-despicable-butwhy-are-we-surprised)!

They also have completely forgotten that part of Ukraine, recently occupied Soviet Union, was a Nazi ally, and Ukranian “police auxiliaries …’had been involved at least in preparations for the Babi Yar massacre’.”( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Ukrainian_collaboration_with_ Nazi_Germany).

This is the privilege of whiteness—escaping individual, historical, and national accountability. Call it a White Pass.

White Americans may stand with Ukraine, but do they stand with the America’s most vulnerable and historically marginalized people in getting a livable wage of $15/hr; do

they stand with the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act (https://www.freedom-tovote.com/) that will ensure the right to vote for Black people cannot be erased, redlined, or gerrymandered; do they stand with returning women’s reproductive rights back to those bodies are at risk; and do they stand with women athletes to earn wages comparable to men athletes so they do not have to seek international employment?

Finally, do they stand with Brittney Griner, who now may not have sufficient income and will make she and her wife financial hostages as result of her ordeal?

These are rhetorical questions to be sure, but America must search it conscience about how it has gone all out for white Ukrainians and done very little for its own Black and Brown citizens.

Another rhetorical question, to which I do not expect an answer: did Russia incarcerate Brittney because she was a woman, because she was a Black woman, because as a WBNA star athlete her arrest would be news worthy? We will never know. But Brittney must live with the scars of her ordeal.

The Aftermath of Trauma

The American Psychological Association (https:// www.apa.org/topics/ trauma#:~:text=Trauma%20 is%20an%20emotional%20 response,symptoms%20 like%20headaches%20or%20 nausea) defines trauma as: … “… an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. “

Their definition also includes a description of the lingering and long-term impact of traumatic events—sometimes called PTSD-post-traumatic stress disorder. They state: “Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.”

Bell, Lee Anne (2010-

07-01) at p. 75

We now know that false incarceration can be added to the list above of unjust traumatic events.

There is no doubt that unjust incarceration in a Russian prison and being sent to a labor camp were traumatic experiences for Brittney. They will be forever branded in her psyche and we still don’t know the full physical toll.

For a short time, Brittney might have glimpsed what her ancestors endured as enslaved forced laborers.

Storytelling as a Healing Mechanism

Make up a story. Narrative is radical, creating us at the very moment it is being created.” Toni Morrison, 1993 Nobel Lecture (https:// www.nobelprize.org/prizes/ literature/1993/morrison/ lecture/ ) Now, the difficult part begins. Healing from trauma is no joke. It is not a question of “getting over it” or forgetting— after all we assert that many Black Americans now suffer from generational trauma that began over three hundred years ago.

Recent studies and healing projects by organizations and groups like the Kellogg Foundation and the Metropolitan Housing and Community Policy Center both suggest that healing can come from narratives—being allowed to tell our stories of trauma is a documented therapeutic step towards healing and recovery: “Rather than ignoring our narrative past, we may gain mental reprieve by facing prior trauma and find a way to rewrite our story.” Telling Our Own

Story:

Healing®: a racial equity initiative of the w.k. kellogg foundation, p. 22 (https:// perception.org/wp-content/ uploads/2014/11/TellingOur-Own-Story.pdfhttps:// perception.org/wp-content/ uploads/2014/11/Telling-OurOwn-Story.pdf).

Let us hope that the white media will give Brittney ample air time to tell her story to the world.

Indeed, as I suggested earlier, the U.S. Government should make her an ambassador to accompany them when they visit any detainee—Brittney knows what they are going through and can provide mental support and inspiration.

Did I mention this needs to be a PAID position— none of this volunteer bullshit like Angelina Jolie, who can afford to give her time for free. Our enslaved ancestors already paid back in the day.

NBA—Help a Sistah Out To All the NBA basketball bros, and your white cousins, here’s a thought: begin a GoFundMe page for Brittney and put some of your millions to good use, instead of collecting a kazillion cars (or sneakers) you can never drive or wear at one time.

Yeah, it’s your money, but only because men athletes are overvalued while women athletes are woefully underpaid and undervalued.

Brittney deserves your generosity. Come on, help a Sistah out. (c) 2022 Irma McClaurin

“Brittney Griner [BG]has been released from a Russian penal colony and is on a plane home,” according to President Biden in press conference early yesterday on December 8, 2022.

The Role of Narrative in Racial Healing,” America

Culture and Education Editor

Brittney Griner back home

Wikipedia

Brittney Griner

11/11

With over 200,000 veterans and service men and women reentering the workforce each year, Bank of America is supporting the unique needs of our heroes as they transition to civilian life and careers.

Some steps we’re taking to support veterans and military members:

• Offering free online resources through BetterMoneyHabits.com on topics specific to them, from home buying to retirement

• Expanding the number of financial centers near military installations to address the needs of military customers

• Continuing our hiring momentum — more than 15% of our new hires are military veterans

President,

Lucas Giambelluca

Bank of America Twin Cities

Rondo was a flourishing and vibrant residential and business district in St. Paul that was demolished by the routing of I-94 straight through its heart.

Black communities here in Twin Cities. Like Black communities everywhere, experienced urban renewal as urban removal, the decimation of Black owned businesses and Black owned homes as public policy that thwarted wealth creation and political power in our communities.

The November 29th

KFAI 90.3 FM broadcast of The Conversation with Al McFarlane was the second in a series of Virtual Town Hall meetings bringing attention to what can be different in today’s Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Hwy 252/I94 project.

The project is looking at improving vehicle, cycle and pedestrian safety, as well as health and environmental concerns that come into play in the major highway transitway that goes through Minneapolis’ Northside from downtown to and through Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center, communities with significant African immigrant and African American populations.

Citing Rondo, program guest co-host, Alfren Babington-Johnson (Babington) said African and African

American people, regrettably and notwithstanding their significant presence, have not been part of the decisionmaking.

MnDOT is working with our community differently on this project, he said.

Describing an innovative relationship between Stairstep Foundation and MnDOT on the Hwy 252/I94 project, Babington said former MnDOT executive, John Tompkins, aware of the internal desire at MnDOT to have more engagement by leaders and members of the communities that are impacted the most, reached out to Stairstep.

“There was honestly an authentic wish on the part of MnDOT to have people at decision-making tables that hadn’t been there before,” Babington said. The result

was an engagement of the His Works United Leadership Council, which consists of pastors and church leaders in North Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park under the direction of the Stairstep Foundation, in partnership with McFarlane Media Interests, Inc., owner of Insight News and The Conversation with Al McFarlane.

The November Virtual Town Hall was the second in a series seeking to ensure African and African American residents and interests are part of deliberations that impact their lives and livelihoods.

In the broadcast, Leadership Council member, Reverend Dr. Francis Tabla, Senior Pastor Ebenezer Community Church in Brooklyn Park said “MnDOT

Hollies Winston wins Brooklyn Park mayor contest

By Brenda Lyle-Gray Columnist

This was 42-year-old Hollies Winston second run for mayor of Brooklyn Park. The suburban city of approximately 85,000 nestled along the west bank of the Mississippi River, just north of Minneapolis. Ethnic Europeans join other populations as a minority group, due to the growing presence of West African diasporans along with East African, African American, Latino and Hmong communities. Their children comprise at least 80% of the student bodies in the public schools. Brooklyn Park City Council reflect that diversity with from the Vietnamese, European, Hmong, and African American members and the African American mayor making up the sevenmember governing council.

One city council members won a seat in the state senate, so there will be a new position to fill sometimes in August.

According to Hollies, the mission at hand is “build a governing coalition with those members we have. The challenges are too many to

ignore or to have decisions delayed,” he said.

Winston’s father was an attorney who was a vicepresident at Northern States Power Company (today Xcel). His mother spent most of her career in corporate America, as well.

Al McFarlane opened the interview with Winston with the phrase “Two votes!” Winston lost the 2018 election by two votes.

“Before November 8th, our community paid little attention to those special elections. We were a little surprised at the large voting turnout this time. I think what the city did was make it very WINSTON 5

By Brenda Lyle-Gray Columnist

“We know it takes more than a good idea to start and keep a business running. My teammates and I in the Twin Cities want to make sure every big believer has a opportunity to achieve and reach their goals.”

Signed, Lucas Giambelluca, President, Bank of America Twin Cities

The Conversation with Al McFarlane last week lauded the impressive work and growth of Bank of America Twin Cities. The program featured the two 2022 recipients of Bank of America Twin Cities

Neighborhood Builders Program for non-profits: The Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC – MN) and Re-powered.

“The Neighborhood Builders Program program is one of our signature programs for Bank of America. We focus on trying to figure out how we can advance economic mobility and develop nonprofit leaders. We need communities that are thriving and sustainable in order to help our state’s cities grow,” Giambelluca said. “One

of the ways we accomplish that is through this program.

Neighborhood Builders Program provides the grant recipient nonprofits with critical tools to develop their leaders along with $200,000 of unrestricted funding. Bank of America has been doing this program for 18 years now. Nationally, we are in 92 communities, have worked with 1,500 nonprofits, and have invested more than $300 million dollars in these organizations.

We started the program in Minnesota in 2004 and have worked with 14 recipients with the two newest ones recently brought on board. That’s been about $3 million we’ve invested. We realized early on that we will only be as successful as the communities we’re in.”

A native of Chicago, Giambelluca said he married into a St. Paul family. Banking has been his business for 20 years, and no matter the

location or position, his core values remain the same.

“What can I do to make an impact on the communities my profession serves? If I’m doing the right thing to make sure things are equitable, then everybody wins,” he said. “We’re removing economic barriers. We’re figuring out ways to help small businesses succeed. We’re

By Irma McClaurin, PhD

of us Black women—yeah, me too—voted as Democratics; you can’t get much more loyal than those numbers (https:// www.cnbc.com/2020/11/06/ black-women-continue-tobe-the-democratic-partysmost-powerful-weapon. html ), especially given that “White women, according to a 2020 NBC News, 43 percent supported Biden and 55 percent supported Trump” (https://19thnews.org/2020/11/ white-women-had-doubts-theyvoted-for-trump-anyway/; my emphasis).

Their

make me

After all, it was

According to a January 2022 PBS Newshour report, “Black women turned out to vote for Biden in greater numbers than for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and they were vital in Biden’s wins in states like Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania” (https:// www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/ bidens-vow-of-black-justice-anod-to-his-most-loyal-voters).

An astounding 91%

And so, Donald Trump, with his inflammatory misogynistic rhetoric, and then some, apparently symbolized white women’s “great White hope”—with the emphasis on W-H-I-T-E.

Clearly, white women’s dreams of the resurrection of white supremacy overruled what should have been their gender instinct for self-preservation. And now, it is white women who are on the front lines of women’s reproductive rights as they struggle to recover from the demise of Roe v. Wade— because of decisions made by political leaders and Supreme

Stacey Abrams’ Democratic loss to Republican Brian Kemp to become Governor of Georgia (45.9%) and Cheri Beasley’s losing Democratic fight (47.3%) for a Senate seat in my current home state of North Carolina gives me pause.

defeats

ask the question, rhetorical, of course: “Did President Biden fail Black women?”

Biden himself who unabashedly proclaimed that Black women had helped him win the 2020 Presidential election.

City of BP Hollies Winston

Columnist

By Brenda Lyle-Gray

Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Stacey Abrams

Henry JiménezAmanda LaGrange

Celebrate Griner

Americans and the world should rejoice at the successful negotiation by the Biden administration that secured the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner from imprisonment in Russia.

Yet, it is no surprise that some suggest unfair favoritism is at play because the international prisoner swap did not include ex-soldier and alleged US spy, Paul Whelan, who remains jailed in Russia.

Denying racist undertones of their

dissatisfaction with only Griner being released, these critics are quick to justify their position by falsely implying that Griner was a drug user and smuggler. Such statements fit their ongoing and historic racial contempt for Black people. For them, Black lives do not matter.

Rather than look at and work to fix the pay inequality all women athletes in professional sports face --inequities that make international off-season play

in Russia and elsewhere a viable option for earnings that support quality of life- and, rather than embrace the reasonable assumption that our government is using every available lever to bring home any and all Americans illegally and or unjustly detained by foreign nations and rogue organizations, these critics bask in arrogant white self-righteousness, spewing chauvinistic platitudinous tropes that question whether Griner, A Black woman, is

worthy of the priority our nation placed on her freedom. Such duplicity reveals that our country harbors deep-seated bias that must be addressed and excised.

Black people and people of good conscience must celebrate Griner’s return, loudly and publicly as a crowning achievement by the administration, and, at the same time, ‘Shame the devil’, that crowd that claims it wants to “make America great again.”

for aging Minnesotans



New state grants will help older Minnesotans continue living in their own homes by funding services such as caregiver support, help with housekeeping, modifications to prevent falls, and more accessible gardens.

Fifty-seven organizations will receive more than $7 million in Live Well At Home grants from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to support aging Minnesotans. The goal is to help older adults stay healthy, independent and involved in their communities.

The latest projects include:



Expanding caregiver support for older people and their families to the Red Lake Nation, White Earth Nation, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, and Lake of the Woods County.  Funding a raised-bed vegetable and flower garden in McGregor to allow access for people using wheelchairs and walkers.



vices delivered through a block nurse program will improve, with volunteers providing rides to medical appointments, chore help, respite care and companion visits. Exercise classes, outings and arts classes will continue.



North-End-South Como Block Nurse Program, Paul, $50,000. Wellness and health promotion activities will support healthy lifestyles and reduce isolation and loneliness. Volunteers will offer companionship, transportation, grocery shopping and chore help.



Faith Community Nurse Network of the Greater Twin Cities, Paul, $180,000. The network will expand to reach older adults with accessible, affordable whole-person mental health care. Newly trained faith community nurses will carry out mental health screenings and wellness assessments, helping to address mental health concerns among older adults. 

Services of Minnesota, Paul, $132,000. The Healthy & Joyful Elders Circle fights depression and isolation faced by many refugee elders. Bilingual and bicultural staff interpret and assist with applications and other resources. A caregiver support group helps children caring for their elderly parents with coaching and resources.



Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, Paul, $125,000. Home modifications will help older, low-to-very-low-income residents remain safely in their homes longer, with a focus on serving more homeowners of color. Modifications include bathtub cutouts, raised toilets, grab bars, hand-held shower heads, accessible ramps, hand railings and technology upgrades to enable people to live safer and healthier in their homes and communities.



Providing new services for American Indian elders in their homes in Minneapolis, including homemaker and chore services, home safety assessments and modifications to prevent falls.

“Most people want to live at home as long as possible,” said Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “Supporting older Minnesotans to stay in their homes can lead to better health and quality of life. It can also ease pressure on residential care facilities that are struggling to find enough staff.”

These Twin Cities organizations received grants.



Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, Paul, $52,000. The project will improve access to home and community-based services for Southeast Asian older adults living in St. Paul public housing. Staff will increase capacity to offer language and culturally specific support, create an outreach and engagement system, provide screenings and referrals, and more.



Como Park Living at Home Block Nurse Program, Paul, $60,000. This program provides services including transportation, grocery delivery, caregiver support, dog walking, spring and fall yard clean-up, gardening, and more.

Cerenity Senior Care-Humboldt, Paul, $293,000. This assisted living facility for extremely low-income seniors will transform to put residents at the center and improve quality of life. Investments will include a new generator, accessible kitchenettes, microwave and mini-fridge cabinets, and automatic shut-off faucets in resident bathrooms. 

Hamline Midway Living at Home/Block Nurse Program, Paul, $57,000. Serving the diverse St. Paul neighborhoods of Hamline-Midway and Frogtown, Hamline Midway Elders will continue work with older adults and volunteers to provide services that support older adults living in their own homes.



East Side Neighborhood Services, Minneapolis, $251,000. Programming will help older adults better understand mental health issues, better manage chronic conditions, prevent falls, maintain independence and increase community connection. Other services will increase technology literacy, support caregivers and connect older LGBT adults to resources and social opportunities.

Lao Advancement Organization of America, Minneapolis, $52,000. LAOA will provide assistance to ethnic Lao caregivers and recruit volunteers to provide in-home respite care, with a goal of serving 25 ethnic Lao seniors with respite care during the first project period. 

Nokomis Healthy Seniors Program, Minneapolis, $60,000. The program organizes volunteers to provide transportation to medical appointments, grocery shopping, caregiver respite, exercise classes and social interactions. Seniors are encouraged to volunteer.

Rebuilding Together Twin Cities, Minneapolis, $151,000. More low-income older adults will receive home accessibility modifications. Outreach to Black, Indigenous and people of color will increase, with a focus on Native American residents. Outreach to veterans will increase.

Longfellow/Seward Healthy Seniors Program, Minneapolis, $60,000. Outreach to Somali elders in the greater Longfellow area of south Minneapolis will increase, with a Solos Resource Group for older adults who don’t have traditional family support networks. The goal includes addressing health and well-being, social isolation and food insecurity.

Metro Meals on Wheels, Minneapolis, $96,000. The program will create a mobile app to improve communication with seniors and caregivers. Outreach to East African and Southeast Asian communities will help create equitable access to Halal menus and translate materials into the Hmong language.

tation, chore services, grocery shopping, intergenerational programs, health promotion activities and caregiver support. 

Pillsbury United Communities, Minneapolis, $136,000. Elderly East African Minnesotans will receive support to continue living healthy and connected lives in their homes. East African seniors are disproportionately impacted by health disparities including chronic diseases, mental illness, and social isolation. Coyle Community Health provides services including a chronic disease selfmanagement program, walk-in clinics, East African Community Health Coordinators, and more. 

Apparent Plan, Eden Prairie, $63,000. START Senior Solutions, formerly known as Apparent Plan, will expand care coordination services to serve 80 older adults and family caregivers, add service areas in Anoka and Big Stone counties, and pilot outreach nurse services. 

critical chore and homemaking services in Wright and Sherburne counties.

 DARTS, West St. Paul, $69,000. DARTS will expand respite and home services, which improve quality of life for older adults. The organization will also establish and operate an affordable group respite program, expanding home services into Dakota County.

 CAPI USA, Brooklyn Center, $86,000. The Hmong Seniors program provides culturally appropriate support to enable independent community living for more than 100 low-income Hmong seniors. Programs include case management, caregiver support, benefits enrollment support, community gardening, home food delivery, volunteer companionships and more.

Anthony Park Area Seniors, St. Paul, $60,000. Ser-

Jewish Family Service, Paul, $125,000. The program will expand and improve access to cultural communities and a wider group of older adults and caregivers. A pilot will test a cultural adaptation for older Hmong adults. The goal is improved well-being and increased social connectedness for older adults and caregivers dealing with depression. 

Vietnamese Social

 Minneapolis American Indian Center, Minneapolis, $128,000. The organization will add in-home supportive services for Native elders, including homemaker/chore services, home safety assessments and modifications to prevent falls. A monthly wellness breakfast will educate elders on chronic health issues including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and mental and cognitive health.

Korean Service Center, Minneapolis, $185,000. The program helps Korean immigrant older adults live well at home through services including transportation, virtual visit care service, caregiver support services and bedside care.

Southeast Seniors, Minneapolis, $60,000. Services include companionship, in-home nursing on a sliding fee scale, service coordination, transpor-

Cerenity Senior Care, White Bear Lake, $350,000. This 43-unit building will make interior renovations to make units accessible and meet ADA requirements. Work will include removing walls, enlarging doorways and adding “curbless” showers. 

Senior Community Services, Minnetonka, $96,000. With a target population of low or moderate-income older adults at risk of moving into long-term care, the program will expand

 Ebenezer Society Foundation, Edina, $207,000. M Health Fairview and Ebenezer Society renovated St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul to create the Fairview Community Health and Wellness Hub. Ebenezer’s adult day care services will serve approximately 100 older adults.

 Scott, Carver and Dakota Community Action Partnership, Shakopee and Rosemount, $36,000. CAP will expand CHORE programming and activities for aging adults, cultivate relationships with more community-based service providers, and train new volunteers.

is a very vital state agency with over 3,000 employees and over $4 billion spent on transportation issues annually.”

He asked how the Hwy 252/I94 project originated.

“It starts with identifying the layers of

safety problems needing to be addressed,” said Aaron Tag, MN Dot’s West Area engineer. “Sometimes it might be hard for people to get around because there are lots of potholes or a bridge so old and in desperate need of repair. And yes, we’ve seen a long-term issue of people getting hurt or killed on Highway 252. Walkability and bike-riding access is difficult due to the heavy traffic. Further down on 94, we have large

spaces where there is nowhere to cross.”

Project Manager, Jerome Adams said discussions and planning on the highway project go back 17 years.

“There are studies and actual environmental approval processes that are different. That’s where we get into the truth about environmental aspects of health, community environment, and race,” he said.

“This background is important to understand what has brought us here today. Around 2014 to 2016, Brooklyn Center started a Corridor Study. They were looking at closing 70th Avenue and installing pedestrian walkways and safety features for getting from one side of the highway to the other. Brooklyn Center said ‘Let’s involve the public and show them the information.’ We’re going through that environmental approval process now,” Adams said.

“In 2017, the Metropolitan Council did a principle arterial intersection conversion study that had a bunch of disconnecting words and phrases. What they were looking at was where there were highway signals and stoplights, and whether they should again be replaced with a bridge or freeway ramps,” he said.

“In 2018, MnDOT did a MnPASS System Study, now called E-Z Pass. That’s the managed lane where if you’re in a high occupancy vehicle, you can use that lane for free. If you are the only person in a vehicle and you want to use that lane during rush hour, you would have to pay a fee.”

“Then in 2017 to 2020, Hennepin County started doing an Environmental Assessment resulting in the

recommendation of converting all of Highway 252 to a six-lane freeway with E-ZPass lanes. And now in 2022, MnDOT is doing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS),” he said. Adams explained that an Environmental Impact Statement is the most important document laying out a clear plan. “We are studying what the alternatives are we should construct to fix the problems Aaron was just talking about. We want to engage the public and ask them if they agree with our approach and recommendation.

It also came to a point where all involved agencies like the cities of Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, and Minneapolis, the Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County, MnDOT, and the Federal Highway Administration had to decide to work together to fix all of Highway 252.

Hennepin County was saying all the signals on 252 should get removed and it should be a freeway. Then the question emerged, “Well, if we do that, what happens to the surrounding network?” We did an analysis of 94 and determined our limits should be from Fourth Street North on I-94 in Minneapolis up to 610.”

He said the studies identify the complex nature of such an enormous construction endeavor. “We have a problem. There are crashes on this highway. Significant impact could be the taking of private property, demolishing a building, or perhaps poor water quality.”

Superintendent McKinley Moore, Pastor of Jehovah Jireh Ministries, Church Of God In Christ, in Brooklyn Center, asked for

FOX Sports

Brittney Griner

further clarifi

From 4

Winston

From 3

clear that they wanted to go in a new direction. Crime was going up and it was like no one seemed to understand how serious the situation was. No one knew whether there was really a strategic plan for the city,” he said. “We also have an issue where property taxes disproportionately fall on the shoulders of homeowners in Brooklyn Park and that’s not something that can be sustained.” Winston said his focus

cation

Adams said things people take for granted, like,

will be on attracting commercial anchors that can support and serve a viable economic, academic, and residential populace.

“Minneapolis is a business center. St. Paul is clearly the State Capitol but also a business center. Duluth has a harbor and is also a business center. Rochester has Mayo Clinic. Bloomington has the Mall of America, as well as the airport. And Brooklyn Park has???”

“A city of our size, needs something to permanently increase tax revenue. The best way to push back on the negatives is to address the problems with evidenced-based

trees, parks, and boulevards make some neighborhood healthier while too often, in other neighborhoods industrial pollution in North Minneapolis mgh be causing high cancer

solutions guided by research and positive outcomes. That’s what I intend to do,” Winston said. Winston said Huntington Park is a good example of progress. “This apartment complex has been in the news, and rightfully so. The residents are dealing with some real quality of life issues with mold and pests and a fragile infrastructure under duress. There are also serious criminal issues. They’ve started an organization called ‘The Village’, one that I actually helped to form,” he said.

“They are pushing back crime and slum landlords by getting the police to come to the location, isolate the issues,

rates. Tag said the Equity and Health Assessment (EHA) is a pilot MnDOT is doing as a part of the Hwy 252/94 project, elevating the concerns of the

getting the residents to know and start to trust the police, and the police to get to know thew residents. I think we need to get more creative. Yes, we need funding, and it is available now. We all know about the state surplus. But we also need a plan. People are tired of the ups and downs like a roller coaster. The economy is doing better, but it’s not booming! I think if we lean into our diversity and some of the connections we have made, I believe we can discover new opportunities,” Winston said.. Winston said he will focus on crime and policing by learning who the major players are. “I know the names of the different department heads, their

underserved residents along the corridor.

Leadership

panelists included Bishop Richard Howell, the Diocesan of the Seventh

roles, and their responsibilities. I often interact with them. But the truth is I need to get in there and learn how things are going, what the culture is like on the inside, and begin to ask the right questions to shine a light on what we’ve decided needs to be changed. Education must

the World.

be considered a top priority… educating the students, the parents, and the police. He said adult residents must take the initiative to become informed as to what resources are available to them.

making sure that everybody has a chance to be successful in their role, in their community, and do something they love. I couldn’t be happier to have this year’s grantees be a part of our Neighborhood Builders family.”

Henry Jiménez leads Minnesota’s Latino Economic Development Center (www.LEDCMN.com) “We focus on Latino and other immigrant entrepreneurs and small businesses. We want to make sure they can start their business or/and expand them,” Jiménez said. “For that, they need access to capital.”

He said LEDC illuminates and elevates neighborhoods and residents in their collective opportunity to fuse resources and entrepreneurial desire to build intergenerational wealth for the community.

Amanda LaGrange runs Re-powered, which used to be known as Tech Dump and Tech Discounts. The other 2022 Neighborhood Builder grant recipient, the

non-profit seeks to align fair chances for people, planet, and technology’ by recycling and refurbishing electronics and focusing on gaining paid job opportunities and training for adults coming back into the community after incarceration.

LaGrange said she comes from a long line of Indiana farmers with French and English bloodlines. She said her grandparents grew up during the Great Depression, so she know a bit about valuing resources.

La Grange said she his happy to have a relationship with Bank of America Twin Cities.

“This is how you build neighborhoods,” LaGrange said. “One person can’t do everything, so it becomes a collective of different talents. This collective also needs financial institutions that can share their expertise and funding like Bank of America Twin Cities and Latino Economic Development Council.”

“These dollars can do really big things. We’re focused on growing the number of people that we can work with because we do see this disconnect between employers and potential employees.

Employers are saying they

need people to work and people with amazing talents are saying, I’m ready to work. Reentry support helps people continue to be successful in the workplace, and not only get the job, but keep the job,” she said.

“We believe that each one of us has a duty and obligation to make sure there isn’t anyone in need in our community, especially when we have everything to function in a high level quality-of-life environment,” LaGrange said.

“I wasn’t the common kid, I suppose. I grew up playing business with a briefcase, a fake cell phone, and make-believe checks. I did the normal things that a kid does like playing house, school, and going to parties,” she said.

LaGrange recalled becoming disillusioned by the unfortunate examples of how business has not been used for good, but too often, for corrupt purposes.

“Re-powered found a way to use business as a way of addressing injustice in our communities. I see the value in every person and in every opportunity connecting the dots and bringing value into wealth, power, and change.

Interestingly, there is a waiting list for people to come into our program. All the relevant information needed is at www. getrepowered.org if one wants to come and apply for our Work Readiness Program or if needing to recycle or purchase refurbished electronics,” she said.

I believe that it is never too late for new beginnings. I had gown far more confident in my skills and gifts in writing and helping teachers be the best they can be to teach children who really need them the most and now. That willful determination has been re-enforced by the words of a very wise and forward-thinking banker and financial institutions whose success continues to grow exponentially.

The full-page color ad in “Insight News” explains why. “In the last decade, more than 50% of all new businesses created were diverse-owned. It’s why Bank of America has taken an innovative, industryleading approach to help fuel growth by supporting mission-focused equity funds, Community Development

by CHARLES DICKENS adapted by LAVINA JADHWANI directed by JOSEPH HAJ

of equity and health figured into what people see as a concrete and pavement project.

Council member

Episcopal District at Minnesota Council of the Pentecostal Assemblies of

At the Ordway

Beauty and the Beast continues through Dec. 31, 2022, at the Ordway.

Playing Belle, the book-loving, adventure-seeking heroine is the Twin Cities’ own Rajané Katurah, who returns to the Ordway from her new home in New York. Broadway actor and leading man Nathaniel Hackmann will make his Ordway debut as the Beast and Jamecia Bennett, the lead vocalist of the Grammy-Award® winning Sounds of Blackness, will play Mrs. Potts. Also making their Ordway debut are Regan Featherstone as Gaston and Phillip Taratula as Cogsworth, who, with Twin Cities favorites Rush Benson, Jorie Ann Kosel, Thomasina Petrus, T. Mychael Rambo

From 7

Financial Institutions, and Minority Depository Institutions, including Brown Venture Group. These partners help women entrepreneurs and

and Max Wojtanowicz, round out the principal cast Beauty and the Beast is the musical stage adaptation of the Academy Award-winning film. Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman is taken prisoner in a castle by a beast – who is really an unlucky young prince who lost his way and is now trapped in an evil spell. With the help of singing teapots, clocks and candlesticks, Belle breaks the spell and frees the prince with a simple but powerful act of love.

Theater venue& location: Ordway Music Theater, 345 Washington Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 55102 Tickets: ordway.org or Ticket Office: 651-292-3268.

entrepreneurs of color establish and grow their businesses, create jobs, and improve financial stability in local communities across the country,” the advertisement reads.

Bank of America’s equity investment in Brown Venture Group, supports the Black-owned venture capital firm focus on

BIPOC business startups.

“When the First Independence Bank which is Black-owned out of Detroit opened, we didn’t look at their entry into the financial market as competition. There were disparities akin to redlining issues and fewer capital offerings, and we needed to solve this long-standing

and consistently ignored problem,” Giambelluca said. “When we came into the financial market, we said we adamantly needed to be really present in communities that sometimes, quite frankly, get overlooked. Bank of America had to focus on making sure we had enough retail or banking locations located

where everybody can access them. 30% of our locations are located in low to moderate income neighborhoods. In the seven years I have been with the bank, we went from one banking location to 26, and with 78 ATMs. We have approximately 550 employees serving customers in various lines of banking expertise. We are really

proud of the work our employees are doing in giving back to the community, as well. Since 2017, we’ve seen donations coming from our employees and matching gifts of almost $9 million. They’ve donated over 30,000 hours to working with different organizations within the community. And that’s really important,” Giambelluca said.

Court judges that their great white hope, Donald Trump as 45th President of the United States, helped to elect or successfully nominated to key legal positions.

White women only have themselves to blame.

Biden’s Abandonment of Black Women

Despite keeping his promise to elect a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court in the person of Ketanji Brown Jackson, Biden has fallen short in delivering huge wins to the Black women electorate who carried him over the election hump. He let us down!

I have to ask, why didn’t President Joe Biden stump for Abrams and Beasley?

Might his presence have helped them get over the hump? Could Biden visiting Georgia and North Carolina, standing solidly behind these two Black women candidates, have made the difference between winning and losing for them? If only he had simply showed up, perhaps we would be seeing more runoffs or “too close to call” election outcomes.

We Black women voters are very cognizant of the fact that Joe Biden stumped and campaigned for white men like John Fetterman for Senator and Josh Shapiro in for Governor in Pennsylvania, so why not Stacey Abrahams for Governor in Georgia and Cheri Beasley for Senate in North Carolina?

What caused Biden to be woefully MIA for Black women candidates? And where the hell was VP Kamala Harris? Could even her presence have turned the tide to winning in these two states?

All I have is conjecture. We may never know the real answers.

What I do know is this—Black women showed and showed out by voting for Joe Biden when the polls had written him off as a loser. We made the difference despite extraordinary odds—because that’s what it means to be Black in America and that is especially what it means to be a Black woman in America!

We beat the odds.

The Democratic Party and Accountability to Black Voters

So word up to the Democratic Party—you have not kept promises to Black women; you have NOT showed up when Black candidates needed your support in terms of presence and money.

It is high time to hold you accountable for the Democratic lackluster policy performances, your silence

on Black Reparations, your inability to get the Civil Rights Act (H.R.4- John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021) through the Senate (https://www.congress.gov/ bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4 ); poor John Lewis must be turning over in his grave.

In a recent USA News Midterm Election report, Black USA White House journalist, Francesca Chambers opined that …Biden’s message about the election being a choice between democracy and the rule of law and MAGA Republicans struck the right chord with voters” (https:// www.usatoday.com/story/news/ politics/2022/11/09/midtermelections-biden-abortion-2024results/8307579001/ ).

And that may be true for the most part. But it may not be enough to hold our attention and maintain Democratic party loyalty.

Right now, for many Black voters, as disaffected as we may be with the Democratic Party, to be sure, shifting to the Republican Party is not the answer.

Further, token Black Republican candidates like Herschel Walker for the Senate seat in Georgia, cannot obscure the fact that the GOP is racially tone deaf.

All we need do is learn about what GOP political

candidates and supporters say behind closed doors— like L.A. Republican Council President Nury Martinez; she just got caught (https:// www.latimes.com/california/ story/2022-10-09/city-councilleaked-audio-nury-martinezkevin-de-leon-gil-cedillo)!

Those who vote Republicans, and especially those who must be in GOP heaven, since the 45th announced his plans to run for President again, and even those jumping ship and distancing themselves from Trump, have one thing in common. They have made it clear that they are a racially “white” party.

And, don’t be fooled by the win of DeSantos in Florida, even with the Latino votes. He is clearly positioning himself as a “white” Hispanic, supported by those Latino voters who seek to pass for white.

Being an honorary white Latino has been an historic status that blancos (whites) of Cuban descent (like Ted Cruz and DeSantos) in Florida have used to separate themselves from other Latinos who are mestizo (mixed) or Afrolatinos (Afrodescendentes), the latter too often invisible among the Hispanic representations we see promoted in the media as to appear non-existent.

The Faces of America’s Future

Like it or not, the authentic face of America’s future is browning. The American population of the 22nd Century will be racially mixed, increasing Latino—of all kinds, not just white-skinned— African, African-American, Asian, Caribbean, etc. The America of tomorrow will look more diverse than it currently does in this 21st Century, and the traditional white political parties of both sides had better start dealing with it and cultivating young Black and Brown leadership from among this group of the Y generation, like Maxwell Frost

(https://www.pbs.org/newshour/ show/maxwell-frost-1st-gen-zmember-of-congress-on-youngpeoples-role-in-politics).

Frost represents America’s tomorrow and it’s promise of a racially diverse political landscape. If the Democratic party can’t embrace this reality of youth and diversity, us old guard Black women may be forced to declare ourselves Independents; or maybe, a third political party is forming on the horizon. What Black women want is something different.

Whatever promise the future holds, there is no doubt that Change is necessary

© 2022 Irma McClaurin

Irma McClaurin

(https://bit.ly/DrIrmawebsite / @mcclaurintweets) is the Culture and Education Editor for Insight News, an activist anthropology, an awardwinning writer, Fulbright Specialist, former president of Shaw University, and founding Executive Director of the University of Minnesota’s first Urban Research and OutreachEngagement Center (UROC). A collection of her columns, JustSpeak: Reflections on Race, Culture & Politics in America, is forthcoming in 2022.

Dan Norman

Cory Pattak

Cory Pattak

Another boost in the fight against hunger

Supporting community wellness and doubling employee donations.

Bank of America proudly continues to support our employees’ health and safety while addressing food insecurity in our local communities, which typically spikes during the winter months.

Our employees are taking action to support the important work of our local food banks. For those who let us know they’ve received a coronavirus booster and/or a flu shot, we’ll donate $50 for each to a local hunger relief organization. In addition, employees can double the impact of their personal donations to fight hunger with our matching gifts program. Through these effort s, we’ll donate more than $8 million to address food insecurity in our local communities.

The team here in the Twin Cities recently presented Second Harvest Heartland with a check for $25,000. This contribution is in addition to our long-standing philanthropic support to help fight hunger and food insecurity across the country. We are proud to be able to help our community as we work together to move forward.

Giambelluca President,

Lucas

Bank of America Twin Cities