Insight ::: 12.05.2022

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By Brenda Lyle-Gray

Axel Henry, the newly appointed St. Paul police chief, is said to be just what the citizens of the city and state ordered. Henry’s reputation leans toward the highest respect for his personal and professional journeys, his family, and being a firm believer in fairness, honesty, hard work, innovation, and equality across the board.

“I’ve often stated that my early Webster Magnet

School education (now Michelle and Barack Obama Elementary), grades one through six, contributed to my being who I am today, shaping my values and eventually defining my purpose in life,” he said. “The school was diverse and very cutting edge. I believe it still is.”

It is expected that the St. Paul Police Department (SPPD) under Chief Henry’s leadership, will support improvement to the quality of life in all neighborhoods and especially in the communities of color.

Henry, speaking last week on The Conversation with Al McFarlane, said the department’s mission is to assist business, education, cultural and residential communities,

“encouraging people to see what they mean to each other in making that happen.”

That includes bringing new communities into a sense on ownership and equity in the work of the department, he said. “What we’re trying to do is be much better helping interested potential candidates get on board. We have folks wanting to join the force at so many different ages, skill and experience levels, and many places in between when it comes to potential and preparation. We have to meet them where they are and then usher them through the process,” he said, announcing a new recruitment that launched last week.

“Obviously, we have a big problem right now with gun

violence. That’s a big issue in that it indirectly competes with the recruitment and retention of new officers. We used to be a true department 25 years ago when rivers of support and resources from other agencies flowed into our precincts. Everyone wanted to work here. Now I think because of some of the attitude shifts from the public that are either real or perceived, and the fact that we are kind of at ground zero, the road might be a little choppy at first.,” he said. “But like our recruitment video (www. sppdrecruiting.org) states, “If you want a career in service and you want to serve with purpose, there’s no better place to do that

Governor Walz appoints Sydnee Woods to fill Fourth Judicial District vacancy

Minneapolis in Hennepin County.

“It is my honor to appoint Sydnee Woods to the Hennepin County bench,” said Governor Walz. “She has served as a trusted advocate and advisor to several of our state and local government’s most critical agencies, and I am confident that these experiences will help her excel as a judge.”

“I applaud Sydnee Woods’s appointment,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. “She has demonstrated true care and compassion for those she serves. Her impressive legal background, combined with her own lived experience, has prepared her well for this important role.”

Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District encompasses Hennepin County.

Sydnee Woods is general counsel for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. In this role, she provides legal and policy analysis, risk assessment, and litigation management for the agency, which includes the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota State Patrol, Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and

the State Fire Marshal. Woods was previously an attorney for the City of Minneapolis, Ramsey County, and the Metropolitan Council. She was also a law clerk to Chief Judge Edward Toussaint, Jr. on the Minnesota Court of Appeals and an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School and Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Her community involvement includes volunteering with the University of St. Thomas School of Law Mentor Externship program, Minnesota Women Lawyers’ Student to Attorney Mentoring program, U.S. District Court’s Open Doors program, and Everybody Wins reading program. Woods is a member of Minnesota Women Lawyers, the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She earned her B.A. from Loyola University Chicago and J.D. from Tulane Law School.

For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

Byron Allen’s

And while trailblazers like Tyler Perry and Jennifer Hudson also received honors, the recently televised awards spotlighted the work of “America’s Black Attorney General.”

Ben Crump, the renowned civil rights attorney and freedom fighter, elicited the night’s biggest applause when he accepted the newly minted Justice Icon Award.

“It was an honor to accept the Justice Icon trophy in the company of so many Black leaders in our community,” Crump remarked.

“This award represents our fight for tomorrow’s future – our children’s future,” he asserted.

Those

Crump,

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

Just weeks after winning reelection to Congress, Rep. A. Donald McEachin (DVa.) died Monday, Nov. 28.

Minnesota joined the federal government and other states in recognizing the Congressman’s passing with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’ order that all US and State flags being flown at halfstaff on November 29 on all public buildings and grounds.

The 61-year-old, who represented Virginia’s 4th District, reportedly battled colorectal cancer.

Prior to the U.S. Congress, McEachin had served nine years as a state senator and eight as a Virginia delegate.

“We

at the passing of our boss and friend, Congressman Donald McEachin,” McEachin’s chief of staff, Tara Rountree, said in a statement late Monday night.

“Valiantly, for years now, we have watched him fight and triumph over the secondary effects of his colorectal cancer from 2013. Tonight, he lost that battle, and the people of Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District lost a hero who always, always fought for them and put them first.”

The son of a publicschool teacher and military veteran, McEachin graduated from American University with a political science degree. He also matriculated from the University of Virginia Law School and received a Master of Divinity

inaugural TheGrio Awards honored comedian Dave Chappelle with the Cultural Icon Award, Allyson Felix with the Sports Icon Award, and Patti LaBelle with the Music Icon Award.

“We will never stop demanding equality and justice.”

words were just a sample of Crump’s four-minute acceptance speech that brought the crowd of dignitaries to its

feet and prompted LaBelle to remark, “Ben, you sure talking truth, and we all were listening.”

who has represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna

Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and others, said if Black America doesn’t fight for its children’s future, they couldn’t expect

are all devastated

Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan today announced the appointment of Sydnee Woods as District Court Judge in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. Woods will be replacing the Honorable David L. Piper and will be chambered in

Sydnee Woods

Columnist

THE CHIEF 4 Facebook Congressman Donald McEachin joins the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, along with local stakeholders, environmental activists, climate leaders, Councilor Katherine Jordan, and Senator Ghazala Hashmi to discuss environmental provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, August 2022.

Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan today announced the following appointments to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Opioids, Substance Use, and Addiction.

“The Advisory Council, along with the recently appointed Addiction and Recovery Director, will provide valuable insight from a variety of perspectives, including those with lived experiences and those from communities that are disproportionately impacted by addiction,”said Governor Walz.“This partnership will work to ensure that individuals at all stages of recovery, and their families, have a voice to improve access to the resources they need.”

“Minnesota continues to fight against the growing opioids crisis, especially in our Native and Black communities that are disproportionately affected. I am grateful to these community leaders

for partnering with our Administration, and with their unique professional and personal experiences, leadership, and dedication to this work, we will be better poised to create more effective solutions,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan.

“I look forward to seeing what this Council will accomplish over the next four years.”

Farhia Budul – Minneapolis, MN

Colin Cash – Onamia, MN

Kyle Christianson –Moorhead, MN

Autumn Dillie – Minneapolis, MN

John Donovan – Big Lake, MN

Beth Elstad – Duluth, MN

Wendy Jones – St. Paul, MN

Fiyyaz Karim – St. Paul, MN

Pamela Lanhart – Burnsville, MN

Jeffrey Lind – Bemidji, MN

Bobby Marines – Rochester, MN

William Messinger – St. Paul, MN

Kate Noffke – St. Paul, MN

Anderson Saint Georges –Detroit Lakes, MN

Kimberly Stokes – Britt, MN

LaTricia Tate – Minneapolis, MN

Arden Two Bears –Minneapolis, MN

Travis Winship – Minneapolis, MN

About the Governor’s Advisory Council on Opioids, Substance Use, and Addiction:

Governor Walz signed legislation during the 2022 Legislative Session establishing the role of Addiction and Recovery Director, the Subcabinet on Opioids, Substance Use, and Recovery, and its corresponding Advisory Council. The advisory council will meet to identify opportunities for and barriers to the development and implementation of policies

and strategies to expand access to effective services for Minnesotans. The advisory council will also examine services and supports needs and provide opportunities for Minnesotans who have experienced addiction.

Additional information about the Governor’s Advisory Council on Opioids, Substance Use, and Addiction can be found on the Secretary of State’s

website. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor are seeking qualified and diverse individuals who are passionate about using their knowledge, skills, and lived experiences to serve the state of Minnesota. A list of boards and commissions, including open positions, can be found on the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website.

From

than the city of St. Paul,” he said. “I think we’ve got to get out there and do a better job interfacing with the community and making ‘real’ connections. So, if you’re going to be a police officer, it doesn’t mean your first city job will be in the police department. Maybe working with Parks and Recreation or City Works will give a candidate the type of general preparation that will help them qualify to be a good officer,” he said.

“What we really want is a city full of employees that are from St. Paul, who perhaps live here, and understand the city they are committed to serve. That doesn’t mean that anyone who wasn’t born here, or lives here wouldn’t make a good officer. The real challenge is having to work more closely with our community residents. And that’s about transparency, being honest when a police officer makes a mistake. It’s a balancing act. We must be trustworthy and accountable, but we must also make sure we’re not closing the door of interest to viable future officers. And that door must be opened to community stakeholders, legacy institutions,

and residents who know and understand their history and the importance of relationships and coalitions,” Henry said.

“There is a process. Are you a part of that process? Is the process fair? That’s really what we want to make sure the community believes,” he said.

“We are not ‘the’ police department. We are ‘your’ police department,” Henry said.

“If we earn our stripes, perhaps we can get people like Al McFarlane, other community and religious leaders, and organizations like the NAACP to help us recruit potential candidates a lot more successfully than has been done in the past.”

Henry said community activists, scholars, and leaders can come together to impact decisions. “When my good friend, Yusef Mgeni was one of the vice presidents for the St. Paul chapter of the NAACP, I was doing the police body-worn camera program. A big part of that was that the law covering body cameras was written in 1981. It was government data. So many technological changes occurred by the time 2015 and 2016 rolled around. The law that the NAACP was advocating or pieces of it were things the SPPD agreed with. In fact, I was the liaison working with Mgeni. We testified separately from every other

law enforcement lobbyist group in the state. Many changed their minds about policy and collective power after seeing the two of us work together. It was clear that ‘we’ are the police, and ‘you’ are the public was no longer applicable in the current climate of transparency and transformation.”

Mgeni added that the legislature has the final say in terms of policies affecting law enforcement departments across the state.

“The NAACP was one of a coalition of about 26 national organizations that put together a document entitled “Principles for Body Camera Policies. We lobbied in the state legislature to prevent officers or members of law enforcement from reviewing body camera footage, both audio and video, prior to their first interview or prior to making a statement about an incident which was captured on a body camera. Within the conference committee, it was decided that each local law enforcement agency could create its own body camera policy provided it did not supersede the state policy. There are 800 different municipalities and law enforcement entities in the state of Minnesota. And as a result, and Minneapolis is the interesting exception -- most departments either require or allow their law enforcement employees to review body camera policy before being interviewed or before writing their initial report or making a statement. Minneapolis is the one notable exception, and I never thought that Minneapolis would be on point in terms of a body camera policy, that could serve as a model for the state,” Mgeni said, offering kudos to Minneapolis for having such a policy because if you look at the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department, they use facial recognition. Someone could go to a civil, lawful protest, block party, or parade, have a body camera on them, and just rotate their body. civil, lawful protest or a parade or a block party or what have you, have the body camera on and just rotate their body.

The NAACP has had a good relationship with the SPPD dating back to 2001 when Corky Finney was the Chief. We came into an agreement that was negotiated with the assistance of the U.S. Justice Department, the NAACP and its representatives which included Hallie Q. Brown, the African American Leadership Council, the Interdenominational Black Ministerial Alliance, the city attorney’s office, the mayor’s office, and the chief of police. For almost three years, an addendum to the 2001 agreement has been negotiated due to the addition of body cameras, military equipment, and greater technological means of communication, outreach, and data sharing. An agreement was signed a few months ago by the NAACP, the police department, and the City of St. Paul, Mgeni said.

Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and Governor Tim Walz

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

Overcoming

By Willie Dean, Ph.D.

If we don’t share our stories, who will? Indeed, the stories about Black men who have made a powerful difference in the lives of so many are out there. They are out there in abundance, but they aren’t getting the attention or the energy they richly deserve, due to the skewed perceptions, profiling, stereotyping, and vilifying of Black men. This memoir is one of those stories— Dr. Willie Dean’s Overcoming: How Faith, Family and Friends Helped One Black Man Beat the Odds.

“Faith, family and friends” is interwoven throughout Dean’s story. Born in 1951 in Potts Camp, Mississippi, he is the second child of four born to Eddie and Mattie Dean. He was blessed with a close-knit, loving, faithfilled family, with his father being one of the two major male role models in his life. A gamechanging moment came when his father was hired as a truck driver, thus taking his family out of the bonds of sharecropping to homeownership in West Memphis, Arkansas and later, Memphis, Tennessee. Though

neither of his parents had an education beyond eighth grade, they produced children who went on to obtain graduate and post-graduate degrees.

Growing up in the segregated South, he was witness to the unfolding events of the Civil Rights movement and the glaring disparities in housing, education, and employment, something that would show up throughout his life in different degrees, either personally or in the people he served. Dean reminds us that such disparities aren’t limited to the South, as his experiences with racism in other regions of the country bear out.

When it comes to education, Dean stresses the importance of having a teacher or counselor that supports and encourages Black boys, and he had that during junior high school with his basketball coach, Robert Terrell. Terrell became his second major male role model, an example that inspired his success as an adult.

His successes during his 35-year career in the YMCA, becoming one of its top Black executives, was not without the prices he paid as a Black man. His dissertation, “Barriers to Upward Mobility: A Case Study of the YMCA,” is comprehensive in its breakdown of the “glass ceiling” that disenfranchises women and minorities in regard to advancement opportunities— the YMCA’s failure to address slavery in its early years, treatment discrimination, and social reproduction (the practice

“We have to make sure our children believe Black lives matter, where it can’t be lip service, it has to be action.”

anyone else to go to battle.

“We have to be willing to fight for our children’s future until hell freezes over, and then, we have to be ready to fight on the ice,” Crump demanded.

Crump also recalled the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Dr. King concluded that there comes a time when one must take a position that’s neither popular nor politically correct or not even safe,”

Crump told the audience, who loudly cheered their affirmation.

“But that being said, there comes a time when we must take a position because their conscience tells them it is the right thing to do. I submit to you at the first annual TheGrio Awards that it is the right thing to do to stand up for our children’s future.”

Broadcast on Nov.

26, the awards celebrated excellence in film, music, comedy, television, sports, philanthropy, business, fashion, social justice, environmental justice, education, and the cultural icons and innovators whose many contributions positively impact America.

Taped at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, Allen designed the star-studded,

black-tie event special to pay tribute to and amplify the history makers, change agents, and artists who define and influence the Black world.

“I created ‘theGrio Awards’ to celebrate and amplify African American excellence and the incredible champions from other communities who truly support us,” Allen said in a release.

of white employers to hire and promote employees who look like them socially), to name a few.

He is candid about his challenges as well as his successes—divorce, the death of a wife, health issues, being a caregiver, and his life as a Black man in America. Of the utmost importance is his relationship with God, his spiritual roots, and his church family, through the good and the bad in his life as a son, a brother, a father, a husband, a grandfather, and an executive. His commitment to a life of service is exemplary and inspiring—“without a test, there is no testimony.” As a contemporary, I can relate to many facets of his life, and I acknowledge and appreciate his success against the odds. Another theme that stands out for me is not the circumstances and challenges, but how he handled them; he proposes long-term solutions to the problems. Also, he takes time to illustrate the role of balance in his hobbies and time with his family.

Dr. Dean will be having a book signing of his memoir on Saturday, December 3 at St. Peter’s AME Church, 401 E. 41st Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota from 10:00 a.m.noon in Fellowship Hall.

Overcoming is available through Amazon and Austin Brothers Publishing. Many thanks to you, Dr. Dean, for sharing your amazing memoir, one from the heart and from the spirit.

“As a child, strong, positive African American icons such as Berry Gordy, Jr., Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, and Martin Luther King, Jr. helped me see myself differently and changed the trajectory of my life. Celebrating and amplifying iconic individuals is something we can never do enough of, especially for our children.”

from The Samuel DeWitt

Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University.

The Virginia native dedicated most of his adult life fighting to protect the environment. He also championed affordable health care.

“Hearing the news of his death sent a shock of pain through me tonight,” Virginia Democratic State Sen. L. Louise Lucas stated.

“I remember watching him make history as the first ever African American nominee for state attorney general in 2001,” Lucas stated.

During a recent screening of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” McEachin spoke openly about colorectal cancer, urging people to get checked.

“Don’t fool around. Don’t go through my journey. Go to the doctor,” McEachin urged the crowd.

McEachin was “a gentle giant,” U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) wrote in a statement.

“He was a compassionate champion for underdogs, a climate warrior, a Christian example, an understanding dad, a proud husband, a loyal brother,” Kaine asserted.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called McEachin “a tireless champion for Virginia families and a force for economic opportunity and environmental justice.”

“[He was] a respected voice on the Energy and Commerce and Natural Resources Committees, he advocated to lower costs, expand broadband access and protect families from gun violence,” Pelosi insisted.

“His many contributions to our Select Committee on the Climate Crisis helped lay the

essential groundwork for our climate action over the last two years, especially the important progress toward environmental justice.”

Presidet Joe Biden issued the following statement on the passing of the congressman: “Jill and I are saddened by the death of Congressman Don McEachin of Virginia, following a battle with cancer. We send our deepest condolences to Don’s wife, Colette, and their three children.

“I got to know Don after he was elected to Congress in 2016. I will always be grateful for his friendship, and his early and fierce support when I ran for President. Don was a fighter.

He fought for justice, for civil rights, and for communities that are often left behind.

Thanks to Don’s leadership and tireless advocacy, we passed historic legislation to combat the climate crisis and advance environmental justice.”