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Vol. 51 No. 7• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
DR. CARTER GODWIN WOODSON THE FATHER OF BLACK HISTORY
STORY ON PAGE
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Vol. 51 No. 7• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
Republican Joe Fraser announces candidacy for US Senate
Low-income communities often have a longer wait for electricity to come back after outages.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Power outages leave poor communities in the dark longer: Evidence from 15M outages raises questions about recovery times By Chuanyi Ji Associate Professor of Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Scott C. Ganz Associate Teaching Professor of Business and Economics, Georgetown University Electricity is essential to just about everyone – rich and poor, old and young. Yet, when severe storms strike, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities often wait longest to recover. That isn’t just a perception. We analyzed data from over 15 million consumers in 588 U.S. counties who lost power when hurricanes made landfall between January 2017 and October 2020. The results show that poorer communities did indeed wait longer for the lights to go back on.
A 1-decile drop in socioeconomic status in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s social vulnerability index was associated with a 6.1% longer outage on average. This corresponds to waiting an extra 170 minutes on average for power to be restored, and sometimes much longer. Implications for policy and utilities One likely reason for this disparity is written into utilities’ standard storm recovery policies. Often, these polices prioritize critical infrastructure first when restoring power after an outage, then large commercial and industrial customers. They next seek to recover as many households as they can as quickly as possible. While this approach may seem procedurally fair, these recovery routines appear to have an unintended effect of often making vulnerable communities wait longer for electricity to be restored.
One reason may be that these communities are farther from critical infrastructure, or they may be predominantly in older neighborhoods where power infrastructure requires more significant repairs. The upshot is that households that are already at greater risk from severe weather – whether due to being in floodprone areas or in vulnerable buildings – and those who are least likely to have insurance or other resources to help them recover are also likely to face the longest storm-caused power outages. Long outages can mean refrigerated food goes bad, no running water and delays in repairing damage, including delays in running fans to dry out water damage and avoid mold. Our study spanned 108 service regions, including investor-owned utilities, cooperatives and public utilities. The differential impact on poorer communities did not line up with any particular storm, region or individual utility. We
also found no correlation with race, ethnicity or housing type. Only average socioeconomic level stood out. How to make power recovery less biased There are ways to improve power recovery times for everyone, beyond the necessary work of improving the stability of power distribution. Policymakers and utilities can start by reexamining power restoration practices and power infrastructure maintenance, such as replacing aging utility poles and trimming trees, with disadvantaged communities in mind. Power providers already have granular data on power usage and grid performance in their service regions. They can begin experimenting with alternative recovery routines that consider the vulnerability of
POOR 4
Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson (1875 – 1950), the “Father” of Black History Director, Office of Educational Equity at Saint Paul Public School
Guest Commentary by Yusef Mgeni As we celebrate the 98thth anniversary of African American History Month this February, our theme, “African Americans and the Arts” is appropriate. It is also appropriate that we focus for a few minutes on who the “unsung hero” was, who started African American or Black History Month in the first place. W. E. B. DuBois, a great historian, author and social commentator was one of the founders of the Niagara Movement and he was the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University. Dr Carter G. Woodson, the founder of African American or Black History Month was the second African American to complete his doctor of philosophy studies (in African and African American History) at Harvard. Unfortunately— Woodson would find it necessary
to hire a lawyer and sue Harvard in order to obtain his Ph.D. from the institution. This wasn’t a hardship, however, for the young man who dedicated his life to “turning his historical training and preparation to the best racial account.” Woodson, the son of former slaves—James and Eliza (Riddle) Woodson, was born into a large, poor family in New Canton, Virginia in 1875. His father, who had aided the Union Army during the Civil War, wanted the best possible life for his children. Upon learning that a high school for Negroes was being built in Huntington, West Virginia, he would pull up stakes and move his family there. Unfortunately for the young Woodson, he was only able to attend school on days when it rained and became too wet for him to work in the farm fields, or at night, when he was not working in the coalfields. He was twenty-two years old when he graduated from high school and twenty-eight when he received his Bachelor’s degree in Literature from Berea College in Kentucky. Woodson’s mastery of selfinstruction, however, would
Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson allow him to complete both his high school and undergraduate college work in just two years each. Woodson went on to the University of Chicago, where he earned his Master’s degree at age 33 and then enrolled at Harvard where, as mentioned earlier, at the age of 37, the court saw fit to ensure that he received his Ph.D. In addition to becoming the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Woodson was also the Supervisor of Schools in the Philippines,
Dean of West Virginia Institute, author of numerous scholarly books (including the prophetic Mis-Education of the Negro), many many publications and he completed additional studies in Asia and Europe including studies at the Sorbonne in Paris. His academic and research accomplishments were phenomenal. Recognizing the need to dedicate his skills to unearthing the history of African and African Americans, Woodson would, despite severe
Black History Makers
DR. WOODSON 4
Black History Makers: Lou Brock, MLB Hall of Famer
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(Associated Press - Jan. 30, 2024) Republican Joe Fraser, a U.S. Navy veteran and political newcomer, launched a longshot campaign Tuesday to oust three-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota. Fraser, 50, of Minnetrista, on the western edge of the Twin Cities area, kicked off his campaign with a media tour that included a stop in Duluth on Tuesday and planned stops Wednesday in Moorhead, Rochester and Mankato. “We must work to put an end to the crises at our borders, to tackle rising consumer prices and our historic national debt, and to ensure our streets and country are safe from those who wish to cause us harm,” Fraser said on his website. Fraser served in the Navy for 26 years, according to his website, with deployments to Europe, Haiti, the Far East and the Middle East. Most recently, he was director of information warfare at the Navy’s Aviation Warfighting Development Center, it says. He has worked in the business and banking sector since leaving the military. But the popular Klobuchar, who ran
Navy veteran Joe Fraser
unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, will be tough to beat. Her campaign had more than $4 million in the bank as of Oct. 1. She has always won by comfortable margins, beating former state Rep. Jim Newberger by 24 percentage points in 2018. Four other GOP candidates have registered with the Federal Elections Commission. None reported any money in the bank as of Oct. 1. No current or recent office holders have indicated a desire to take on Klobuchar, and time is running out. Minnesota holds its precinct caucuses, the first step in the party endorsement
FRASER 4
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Republican elites have embraced Trump as their leader.
Why Trump’s control of the Republican party is bad for democracy By Erica Frantz Associate Professor of Political Science, Michigan State University, Andrea Kendall-Taylor Distinguished Practitioner in Grand Strategy, Jackson School of Public Affairs, Yale University and Joseph Wright Professor of Political Science, Penn State As former President Donald Trump edges closer to clinching the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, our political science research has shown that a second Trump presidency is likely to damage American democracy even more than his first term did. The reason has less to do with Trump and his ambitions than with how power dynamics have shifted within the Republican Party. In our forthcoming book, “The Origins of Elected Strongmen: How Personalist Parties Destroy Democracy from Within,” we explain the dangers that arise when leaders come to power backed by political parties that exist primarily to promote the leader’s
personal agenda, as opposed to advancing particular policies. In general, typical political parties select new leaders at regular intervals, which gives elites in the party another chance to win a nomination in the future if the party is popular. And typical parties tend to select leaders who rise up the ranks of the party, having worked with other party elites along the way. But so-called personalist parties, as political scientists like us call them, are a threat to democracy because they lack the incentives and ability to resist their leader’s efforts to amass more power. From 1990 to 2020, in countries all over the world, elected leaders backed by personalist parties have gone on to undermine democracy from within. There are three reasons personalist parties are harmful to democracy, all of which have clear parallels to experiences with Trump and the Republican Party. 1. Loyalty to the person, not the party Personalist party elites are loyal to the leader. A classic indicator of party personalization is the ouster of politically experienced people in the party elite, who
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MDH welcomes DaVonna Rucker as director of the new Office of African American Health
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Business Governor Walz appoints JaPaul Harris to Minnesota Court of Appeals Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan last week announced the appointment of Judge JaPaul Harris to an at-large seat on the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Harris will fill the vacancy that occurred upon the resignation of the Honorable Jeffrey M. Bryan, who was recently appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota by President Joe Biden. “I am honored to appoint Judge JaPaul Harris to the Minnesota Court of Appeals,” said Governor Walz. “He is an experienced judge with a diverse practice background who has consistently worked to build trust in the courts. Whether by guiding parties through housing court as a judicial referee or assisting lowincome families as a legal aid attorney, he has always been committed to helping those
who need it the most.” “Judge Harris will be an excellent addition to the Court of Appeals,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. “He has been a leader on the bench and in the community and has worked tirelessly to make our courts more accessible and inclusive for everyone. I am confident that he will work every day to build trust and confidence in our justice system.” “Still waters run deep,” said Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. “Judge Harris is an intellectually gifted jurist whose wisdom, incisiveness, and depth of character will bring a thoughtful, measured voice to the Court of Appeals. The Governor could not have made a better choice.” “The Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers
extends are heartfelt congratulations to Judge JaPaul Harris and our appreciation to Governor Walz,” said Dana Mitchell, president of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers. “Judge Harris is a brilliant, dedicated, and skilled jurist who no doubt will serve with distinction and honor. The appointment of Judge Harris is important because it reflects our collective commitment to excellence, fidelity to the law, and confidence in the judiciary.” About Judge JaPaul Harris JaPaul Harris serves as a judge in the Second Judicial District in Ramsey County. He previously served as a judicial referee in Hennepin County, presiding over housing, harassment, juvenile, and civil commitment matters, and as an attorney at Mid Minnesota
Legal Aid and Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services. Harris also serves as the chair of the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Juvenile Rules Advisory Committee. Harris’s community involvement includes serving as co-chair of the Ramsey County Youth Justice Transformation Initiative (formerly JDAI), as chair of the Equal Justice Committee for the Second Judicial District, and as a member of the board of the Volunteer Lawyers Network and board of advisors for the National Consortium for Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts. He earned his B.A. from Syracuse University and his J.D. from Hamline University School of Law. For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage.
JaPaul Harris
Crystal Miller elected 143rd president of Minnesota Newspaper Association Crystal Miller, publisher of the Albert Lea Tribune and the Austin Daily Herald, was elected president of the Minnesota Newspaper Association, Friday, Feb. 2, during the association’s annual meeting at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest in Brooklyn Center. Miller is the 143rd president of MNA, representing more than 260 newspapers across Minnesota. She succeeds Chad Koenen of Henning Publications. Koenen will transition to the position of immediate past president on the MNA Board of Directors. Justin Lessman of the Jackson County Pilot is the association’s new first vice president, Tara Brandl of the Tracy Area Headlight Herald is second vice president and Kelly Boldan of the West Central Tribune of Willmar is MNA’s third vice president. Other directors are Steve Jameson, publisher of The Free Press of Mankato, Bill Gaier of Finance & Commerce and Ted Almen of the Kerkhoven Banner. The newly elected Tim
Douglass, publisher of the Pope County Tribune in Glenwood, will serve as treasurer. The 157th Annual Minnesota Newspaper Association Convention was held Jan. 31-Feb. 2 in Brooklyn Park. MNA hosted Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and Star Tribune Publisher Steve Grove at its Friday convention luncheon. Child safety advocates Patty Wetterling and Joy Baker gave the keynote address at the Thursday luncheon. Among several hundred awards presented to journalists, advertising professionals, newspapers and college journalists at Thursday’s Better Newspaper Contest Awards Banquet were the Vance and Mills trophies, which recognize the state’s best weekly and best multiday publications. The Brainerd Dispatch was honored with the Vance Trophy. The Globe of Worthington took home the Mills Trophy. The MNA directors
Poor
socioeconomically vulnerable regions that are likely to experience long outages because of their locations and possibly the aging energy infrastructure, utilities and policymakers can proactively ensure that households are well prepared to evacuate or have access
From 3 their customers in ways that do not substantially affect average recovery duration. For
Crystal Miller also serve with two at-large members as the board of the Minnesota News Media Institute, MNA’s 501(c)3 nonprofit that works to provide training and professional development for MNA members. MNI also provides funding for internships and programs for student journalists, and works to expand
public understanding of where Minnesota newspapers fit into the state’s civic landscape. “I had no idea how important serving on the MNA board would turn out to be,” Miller said. “I’m proud of the work we have accomplished and will continue to do. It is with great privilege that I assume the role of president. In 2024 I look
to backup sources of power. For example, the U.S. Department of Energy announced in October 2023 that it would invest in developing dozens of resilience hubs and microgrids to help supply local power to key buildings within communities when the wider grid goes down. Louisiana plans several of
these hubs, using solar and large-scale batteries, in or near disadvantaged communities. Policymakers and utilities can also invest in broader energy infrastructure and renewable energy in these vulnerable communities. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Justice40 program directs that 40% of the benefit from certain
forward to continuing work on filling gaps in our newsrooms with internship scholarships and the Citizen Journalism University program.” She also said the MNA board of directors and staff will continue connecting with members through the Every Member Visit program. Miller studied graphic design at Minneapolis Business College, graduating in 1997. She worked in graphic design for three years. In 2000 she moved to her hometown and started her career with newspapers as an advertising salesperson at the Owatonna People’s Press, then owned by Huckle Publishing. In 2002 Miller moved to Albert Lea and started working with Boone Newspapers as an advertising salesperson, becoming advertising director in 2003. She was named publisher of the Albert Lea Tribune in 2013 and of the Austin Daily Herald in 2020. She is a 2015 graduate of the Minnesota News Media Institute and Blandin Foundation Editors
& Publishers Community Leadership Program and was elected to the MNA Board of Directors in 2016. Miller has served on the MNA Advertising/ Digital Committee. In Albert Lea, Miller serves on the board of directors of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce, serves on the Government Affairs Committee and is treasurer of the Albert Lea Rotary Club. Crystal and her husband, David, have two children, Lauren, 21; and Jacob, 16; both of whom have done their time helping insert and deliver newspapers. The Minnesota Newspaper Association is the voluntary trade association of all general-interest newspapers in the State of Minnesota, acting on behalf of the newspaper press of the state, representing its members in the legislature and in court, managing local, regional, national newspaper advertising placement and working to enhance the quality of the state’s newspapers.
federal energy, transportation and housing investments benefit disadvantaged communities. That may help residents who need public help the most. Severe weather events are becoming more common as global temperatures rise. That increases the need for better planning and approaches that don’t leave low-income
residents
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From 3 criticism from his peers, cast off the mantle of academic comfort and traveling throughout the country, establish Negro History Study Clubs. Speaking in Church basements, civic halls, barber shops and wherever Blacks would gather, he fulfilled his dream of researching and promoting the history and contributions of Africans and African Americans to civilization. In 1915 he established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (http://www.asalh. org) and in 1926, he began the observance of Negro History Week, during the second week in February (between the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln). In 1976, Negro History Week was extended to the entire month of February (in honor of the Bicentennial) and the name was officially changed to African American or Black History Month. Perhaps no greater tribute to Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s accomplishments exists than that offered by Dr. John Henrik Clarke, who stated that, “History is how a people use
their talent to create memories that give them respect and command the respect of other people. History develops a pride and awareness in people, so that they can become better instruments for living together with other people.” This “sense of identity,” Clarke would conclude, “is the stimulation for all of a people’s honest and creative endeavors.” Or as Saunders Reading put it in The Negro Writer and His Roots, “History is a clock that people use to tell their time of day; it is a compass, which people use to find themselves on the map of human geography. The relationship between any people and their history is the same as the relationship between a child and its mother. History not only tells a people where they are and what they are—but more importantly—it tells a people where they still must go, and what they still must be and do.” We must learn our history; we must respect our history and we must celebrate our history in order to pass it on to future generations. We begin that process by acknowledging the tremendous debt of thanks we owe to Dr. Carter G. Woodson, for sacrificing and contributing so much— to the birth, promotion and celebration—of African and African American history and culture in our lifetime.
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Trump From 3 are often highly qualified and more independent of the leader – and their replacement with less experienced people who are personally loyal to the leader. These people are more likely to view their political success as being intertwined with that of the leader rather than the party. They therefore are more likely to support the leader’s agenda, no matter how harmful it may be for democracy. In Turkey, for example, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, known in Turkish as the AKP, initially included elites who were established politicians, such as Ali Babacan, Abdullah Gul and Bulent Arinc. As time passed, however, Erdogan weeded out these veterans and replaced them with more loyal supporters. This paved the way for Erdogan to consolidate control, including – among other things – shifting power in 2018 from the parliament to the presidency and expanding his powers considerably. 2. Official endorsement of leader’s actions In personalist parties, elites endorse the leader’s actions, cueing voters to do the same. Ordinary citizens who support personalist parties often go along with leaders’ efforts to dismantle democracy, even if they care about democracy, because they are highly receptive to signals provided by the party elite. When the party higher-ups endorse – rather than condemn – the leader’s undemocratic inclinations, supporters get the message that nothing is wrong, and they fall in line. In Brazil, for example, then-President Jair Bolsonaro generated doubts among supporters that the 2022 presidential elections would be fair, suggesting that electoral officials might manipulate the results in his opponent’s favor. The political elite, including members of Brazil’s Congress, amplified these claims. These elite cues signaled to Bolsonaro supporters that his actions were compatible with a healthy democracy, ultimately setting the stage for
Insight News • February 12, 2024 - February 18, 2024 • Page 5 them to resort to violence when Bolsonaro lost the election in a contest that independent observers considered free and fair. 3. Polarizing society with controversy Leaders of personalist parties polarize the societies they govern. While many kinds of leaders demonize their political opponents, we have found that personalist party leaders’ antidemocratic behaviors – such as attempting to overturn an election they’ve lost – split society into polarized factions: those who support them and everyone else. When opponents of the leader raise concerns that the leader’s actions are harmful to democracy, as the Democrats regularly have since Trump won office in 2016, supporters dig in their heels in defiance, incredulous that there is cause for concern. Affective polarization, where citizens increasingly dislike their opponents, deepens. With the opponents vilified, the leader has the political support to take actions to keep the other side out of power, even if those actions undermine democracy in the process. Take Venezuela, historically one of the most stable democracies in Latin America. Former President Hugo Chavez’s power grabs splintered Venezuelan society, dividing citizens over what the rules of the game should be and who should have access to power. As the chasm between his backers and the opposition grew, so did the abuses of power his supporters were willing to accept to ensure his continued rule. Chavez’s actions, which faced no resistance from those in his party, polarized society, ultimately pushing the country toward dictatorship. The GOP is a personalist party The present Republican Party closely fits the personalist mold. Conventionally, a party leader rises through the party ranks. But Trump didn’t do that, and before seeking the presidency, he didn’t have strong, collegial relationships with key Republican figures in government. Rather, he switched party allegiance several times and before becoming president had never held any elected office. Since 2016, Trump
has increasingly sidelined the traditional party establishment to remake the party into an instrument to further his own personal, political and financial interests. As an indicator of this, the party elite have grown fearful of diverging from his agenda, so much so that the 2020 GOP platform essentially amounted to “whatever Trump wants.” Today, the main qualification for a Republican candidate or appointee appears to be loyalty to Trump himself, not fealty to longstanding GOP principles. Traditional parties, including the pre-Trump Republican Party, offer voters a bundle of policy positions hashed out among multiple elite factions of the party. Trump’s supersized control over the Republican Party has transformed other leading party figures into sycophants, always seeking Trump’s favor. Even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, after experiencing ridicule and abuse from Trump, endorsed the former president’s bid to return to the White House.
legislature can’t stop the ruling party from dominating. In those circumstances, there is little that stands in the way of a grab for power. For instance, if Republicans won a slim Senate majority, they might abolish the filibuster. That would limit Democrats’ ability to hold up legislation they opposed. Elected leaders backed by personalist parties are therefore often successful in dismantling institutional checks on their power, whether from the legislature or the courts. Leaders of personalist parties have attempted to curb judicial constraints in countries as different as El Salvador, Hungary
and Israel, with the ruling parties doing little to stop their efforts. Long-standing and wealthy democracies, like the U.S., are remarkably resilient to the challenges that confront them. But ruling party personalism helps elected leaders undercut these protective guardrails. Because the Republican Party has taken a personalist turn under Trump’s spell, democracy in the U.S. would suffer should Trump win a second term. Erica Frantz has received funding from USAID, the Luminate Foundation; Charles Koch Foundation. My organization,
CNAS receives funding from multiple sources, including funding that supported this research from a foundation called Luminate. I currently work for a think tank called the Center for a New America Security and a consulting company called West Exec Advisors. Joseph Wright received funding from the Luminate Foundation; Charles Koch Foundation; McCourtney Institute for Democracy; and the Minerva Research Initiative. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
No resistance to a Trump power grab The personalist nature of the Republican Party means that if Trump were to win office again, he is unlikely to face pushback from the party on any issue. All signs indicate that Trump, if reelected, is likely to pursue an authoritarian power grab by, for example, purging professional bureaucrats, expanding the Supreme Court or using the Insurrection Act to deploy the military against protesters. Party members may even support him in that power grab. Most elected leaders are ambitious and, like Trump, seek to gain and hold onto power for as long as they can. Indeed, very few elected leaders resign voluntarily. The octogenarians who fill Congress attest to many politicians’ unwillingness to relinquish the power they have. We have found that what matters for democracy is not so much the ambitions of power-hungry leaders, but rather whether those in their support group will tame them. As our research shows, the most danger comes when personalist ruling parties hold legislative majorities and the presidency, meaning opposition parties in the
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Insight News • February 12, 2024 - February 18, 2024 • Page 7
Black History Makers Black History Makers: Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Hobb servation Point
By Chuck Hobbs Born to formerly enslaved parents in 1875, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune spent her formative years picking cotton on a sharecropper farm in South Carolina before graduating from Scotia Seminary (later Barber-Scotia College, a North Carolina based HBCU). After marrying Albertus Bethune and moving to Palatka, Florida, Dr. Bethune sold insurance until 1904, when she established the Daytona Literary and Industrial
Training School for Negro Girls “with $1.50, faith in God and five little girls: Lena, Lucille, and Ruth Warren, Anna Geiger and Celest Jackson.” In 1923, the school merged with the Cookman Institute of Jacksonville, Florida, which had been founded in 1872. The new coed college, affiliated with the United Methodist Church, was renamed the Daytona-Cookman Institute in 1931 and after receiving full accreditation, changed its name to BethuneCookman College later that year. Over the next two decades until her death in 1955, Bethune became arguably the most influential Black leader in America as she founded the National Council for Negro Women in 1935 and
Dr. Mary M. Bethune
subsequently served as a highly influential adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor throughout the former’s 12 years in office. Dr. Bethune also led the charge to commission Black women into the U.S. Army in the years prior to World War II and in 1935, she won the Spingarn Medal—the highest honor granted by the NAACP. In 1945, Bethune earned the distinction of becoming the only woman of color tapped by then President Harry Truman to attend the founding conference of what would become the United Nations. Dr. Bethune’s greatest legacy, however, remains in the college that she helped found, one whose motto, “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve,” has guided thousands of her
graduates who have achieved greatly in their fields of professional endeavor including Civil Rights leaders A. Phillip Randolph, Harry and Harriet Moore, Basketball Hall of Fame Coach John Chaney, NFL Hall of Fame lineman Larry Little, and legendary college football coach Cy Mclairen. Lest we forget... Subscribe to Hobbservation Point By Chuck Hobbs · Hundreds of paid subscribers “Real Politics in Real Time” Chuck Hobbs is a freelance journalist who won the 2010 Florida Bar Media Award and has been twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.
Black History Makers: Lou Brock, MLB Hall of Famer By Chuck Hobbs Hobbservation Point Major League Baseball legend Lou Brock was born in El Dorado, Arkansas but when he was two years old, his family of sharecroppers moved to Collinston, Louisiana, where he remained through high school. Curiously, Brock did not begin to play competitive baseball until 11th grade and when he initially enrolled at Southern University in Baton Rouge, it was for his academic promise; he was provided a job tending the school grounds and academic work-study assistance that required his maintaining a high B average. When his first semester grades slipped to a C+ Brock, fearing a loss of his financial aid, decided to try out for the Southern Jaguars baseball team. After several days of shagging fly balls on the
Southern University practice fields from players that he felt were far more athletic, Brock was given an opportunity to hit for the coaches—and proceeded to launch multiple home run shots across the fence! Reminiscing on this period, Brock stated in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch interview that, “I sat there scared to death...the players paraded in front of me with muscles. They looked like athletes. I wasn’t sure I belonged on the field with them…” Brock surely belonged and his apprehensions soon proved unfounded; upon securing a baseball scholarship, he only hit .189 his first year but after that, Brock developed into one of the most feared players in the collegiate ranks— never batting below .500! In 1959, Brock led Southern University to the NAIA National Championship in baseball—the first HBCU to do so—after which he was selected to play outfield for the United
States in the Pan Am games. Two years later, Brock signed a professional contract with the Chicago Cubs and immediately garnered recognition for his hitting and ability to steal bases. Early in 1964, Brock was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, where over the next 19 years he would secure his Hall of Fame status by breaking Ty Cobb’s stolen base record. In 1979, upon becoming a member of the exclusive 3,000 hit club with a hit against his old Chicago Cubs squad, Brock felt slighted when Carl Yastrzemski, the Boston Red Sox star who reached the same milestone a week later, was invited by then House Speaker Tip O’Neill to a White House celebration with President Jimmy Carter first. The slight irked Brock to the point that when the Carter administration finally invited him, he mulled declining the invitation. Brock later relented and the White
House issued a press release praising his career and his all but certain future entry into the Hall of Fame, which he was elected to during his first year of eligibility in 1985. After retiring from MLB, Brock flourished as a businessman, a media baseball analyst for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox, and in the 90’s, as a base running instructor for several MLB teams. Brock died on September 6, 2020 at the age of 81. Lest we forget! Subscribe to Hobbservation Point By Chuck Hobbs · Hundreds of paid subscribers “Real Politics in Real Time” Chuck Hobbs is a freelance journalist who won the 2010 Florida Bar Media Award and has been twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.
Lou Brock
Black History Makers: Hattie McDaniel, actress Hobbservation Point By Chuck Hobbs · Hundreds of paid subscribers “Real
By Chuck Hobbs Hobbservation Point The talented Hattie McDaniel was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1895, one of 13 children born to parents Henry McDaniel, a formerly enslaved man who fought for the Union Army in the Civil War, and her mother, Susan, who also had been enslaved. McDaniel’s family moved to Denver, Colorado when she was a child, where she graduated from Denver East High School. Upon finishing high school, McDaniel formed a troupe with several siblings that performed in traveling minstrel shows; for the next decade, McDaniel performed both live and on radio until the Stock Market crash of 1929, one which subsequently led to the Great Depression. With funds from performing low, McDaniel took work as a washroom clerk and waitress in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and in 1931, McDaniel moved to Los Angeles, where she again worked as a laundry attendant while seeking work in the entertainment industry. By 1934, McDaniel had joined the Screen Actor’s Guild and was fielding roles playing maids in numerous Hollywood films. This work allowed her to become close friends with many of the leading actors and actresses of her time, including Lionel Barrymore, Gene Harlow, Olivia De Havilland, and Clarke Gable, the latter two who would appear with her in the classic film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s novel, “Gone With the Wind (GWTW).” Producer David O. Selznick selected McDaniel to play the role of “Mammy,”
Hattie McDaniel an uneducated but extremely wise enslaved maid to the O’hara family who serves as both surrogate mother and conscience to the film’s leading female character, Scarlett. When the film debuted in Atlanta in 1939, the strict nature of Jim Crow segregation prevented McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen, who played the role of the enslaved maid “Prissy,” from attending the premier. Infuriated, Clarke Gable, who played the leading role of Rhett Butler, threatened to boycott the premier—until McDaniel urged him to reconsider. The following year, McDaniel made history by becoming the first Black person to win an Academy Award as
she took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her efforts in GWTW. Despite her success, McDaniel was still the subject of criticism from some within her own race, many of whom felt that her playing a maid in so many films was demeaning. Undaunted, McDaniel once snapped back in an interview that, “I would rather play a maid than to be one.” McDaniel later earned two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for her work in radio and the other for her work in film. McDaniel died in 1952 and in 1975, she was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. Lest we forget… Subscribe to
Politics
in Real Time” Chuck Hobbs is a freelance journalist who won the 2010 Florida Bar Media Award
and has been twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.
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Insight 2 Health Treatment can do more harm than good for prostate cancer − why active surveillance may be a better option for some By Jinping Xu Chair of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University Although about 1 in 8 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, only about 1 in 44 will die from it. Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer die from other causes, especially those with a low-risk prostate cancer that usually grows so slowly it isn’t life-threatening. However, until about a decade ago, most men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer were immediately treated with surgery or radiation. Although both can cure the cancer, they can also have serious, life-changing complications, including urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. I am a family physician and researcher studying how patient-physician relationships and decisionmaking processes affect prostate cancer screening and treatment. In our recently published research, my colleagues and I found that men are increasingly opting against immediate treatment. Instead, they are choosing a more conservative approach known as active surveillance: keeping a close eye on the cancer and holding off on treatment until there are signs of progression. Prostate trouble
cancer
screening
Prostate cancer screening is controversial because it often leads to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of cancers that would have otherwise been harmless if left undetected and untreated. Screening for prostate cancer typically uses a blood test that measures levels of a protein that prostate cells produce called prostate specific antigen, or PSA. Elevated PSA levels may indicate the presence of prostate cancer, but not all cases are aggressive or life-threatening. And PSA levels can also be elevated for reasons other than prostate cancer, like an enlarged prostate gland due to aging. Due to widespread PSA screening in the U.S., over half of prostate cancers detected through screening are low-risk. Concerns about overdiagnosis and overtreatment of lowrisk cancers are the main reasons why screening is not
recommended unless patients still want to be screened after discussing the pros and cons with their doctor. What is active surveillance? Active surveillance is a safe and effective way to manage low-risk prostate cancer by limiting treatments such as surgery or radiation only to cancers that are growing or becoming more aggressive. It involves monitoring tumors through regular checkups and tests. Active surveillance is different from “watchful waiting,” another conservative strategy with a less intense type of follow-up that includes fewer tests and only relieves symptoms. In contrast, active surveillance involves more rigorous monitoring, with more tests to keep a close eye on cancer with the intention to cure if needed. Active surveillance allows patients to delay or avoid invasive treatments and their associated side effects. It aims to balance keeping a close watch on the cancer while avoiding treatments unless they are truly needed. All leading medical groups recommend active surveillance as the preferred approach to caring for men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer. However, until recently, the number of patients who opt for active surveillance in the U.S. has been low, ranging from under 15% in 2010 to about 40% in 2015. The specific reasons why active surveillance is underutilized in the U.S. are not well understood. Facilitators and barriers to active surveillance What factors influence treatment decisions? To answer this question, my team and I surveyed 1,341 white and 347 Black men with newly diagnosed low-risk prostate cancer from 2014 to 2017. We recruited participants from two cancer registries in metropolitan Detroit and the state of Georgia, regions with large Black populations. Overall, more than half of the men opted for active surveillance. This was much higher than a similar study our team conducted nearly a decade ago, which found that only 10% of men chose active surveillance. Increased uptake of active surveillance is good news, but it is not where it needs to be. The U.S. is still lagging behind
surveillance to their patients.
ljubaphoto/E+ via Getty Images
A cancer diagnosis is serious, but immediately starting treatment sometimes isn’t the best course of action. many European countries, such as Sweden, where over 80% of patients diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer select active surveillance. To figure out what influenced patients to choose active surveillance, we decided to ask them directly. A urologist’s recommendation had the strongest effect: Nearly 85% of patients who chose active surveillance stated that their urologist recommended it. Other factors included a shared patientphysician treatment decision and greater knowledge about prostate cancer. Interestingly, participants living in metro Detroit were more likely to choose active surveillance than those living in Georgia. Conversely, men were less likely to try active surveillance if they had a strong desire to achieve a cure, expected to live longer with treatment or perceived their diagnosis of low-risk cancer was more serious. Almost three-quarters of patients who chose immediate treatment expected to live at least five years longer than they otherwise would without treatment, which is unrealistic and not based on existing evidence. Misperceptions, unrealistic treatment expectations and biases may lead patients to choose unnecessarily aggressive treatment, suffering its harms with no survival benefit and potentially regretting their decision later.
MDH welcomes DaVonna Rucker as director of the new Office of African American Health The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is pleased to welcome DaVonna Rucker as the director of the new Office of African American Health. Rucker’s first day at MDH is today, February 7, 2024. “Please join me in extending a warm welcome to DaVonna as she undertakes this crucial role within the Office of African American Health,” said MDH Assistant Commissioner Dr. Halkeno Tura. “I am confident that her expertise and passion will significantly contribute to our ongoing efforts to promote health equity across the state.” The Office of African American Health was established through the Minnesota Legislature in the 2023 session. The office is dedicated to addressing the root causes of health inequities that disproportionately impact Minnesota’s African American communities, as well as convening a statewide African American Health Advisory Council. With nearly a decade of dedicated experience in the equity space, Rucker brings a wealth of expertise in leadership, program development, partnership management, and program analytics and evaluation. Known for advancing equity frameworks across organizations,
Racial and geographic differences We also found racial and geographic differences in the rate of active surveillance adoption. On average, Black patients had a higher risk of developing and dying from prostate cancer compared with white patients. Additionally, as data supporting the use of active surveillance has been predominantly based on white men, the risks and benefits of active surveillance in Black patients are more controversial. Indeed, our study found 51% of Black patients chose active surveillance compared with 61% of white patients. Notably, Black men reported receiving fewer active
surveillance recommendations from urologists and were less engaged in shared decisionmaking with their doctors compared with white men. This racial difference in active surveillance rates is no longer significant after accounting for urologist recommendations, decisionmaking style and other factors. But geographic differences persisted: Patients living in Detroit were more likely to undergo active surveillance than those living in Georgia. This likely reflects to some degree the entrenched care patterns of some urologists. Some studies have found that the longer a urologist was in practice, the less likely they were to recommended active
Encouraging active surveillance Our findings are encouraging in that they show active surveillance has become more acceptable to both patients and urologists over the past decade. However, our results also suggest that greater physician engagement and better patient education can support increased adoption of active surveillance. For example, when physicians appropriately describe low-risk prostate cancer as small or not aggressive, coupled with a favorable prognosis, this can give patients a sense of relief. Patients in turn feel more comfortable with undergoing active surveillance. Conversely, a patient’s misperception of how serious their cancer is may lead to unnecessary treatment. Physicians can reassure patients that active surveillance is a safe and preferred alternative. They can also explain that aggressive treatments don’t improve survival for most low-risk patients and can cause significant long-term side effects. More shared treatment decision-making involving patients and their physicians can improve the likelihood of choosing active surveillance compared with patients who make decisions on their own. Jinping Xu receives funding from the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Department of Defense. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
HNC Black History Month Day "New Year New You" HNC office 2944 Emerson Ave. N. Minneapolis, MN 55411 February 17th, 2024 11:00am - 2:00pm Blood pressure & Glucose check
Narcan availability
COVID test kits & masks
DaVonna Rucker Rucker excels in community partnerships, complex problemsolving, empowerment leadership, program development and evaluation, and collective impact. Most recently, Rucker served at YWCA Minneapolis, where she worked tirelessly to eliminate racism and empower women. Over the last four years, her focus has been on promoting the mental and social-emotional well-being of juvenile-justiceinvolved youth. Rucker is recognized as a visionary and a builder, deeply committed to serving her community and improving outcomes for Black and other marginalized community members. Rucker holds a
bachelor’s degree in family and consumer science, a master’s degree in psychology in leadership, and is currently pursuing her doctorate in human services. She values continuous learning and actively seeks growth opportunities that drive positive change in her surroundings. Outside of work, Rucker is a devoted family person. She and her partner share two beautiful children and a puppy. In her free time, Rucker enjoys playing card and board games with her family, participating in physical and competitive activities, and indulging in all forms of art, including movies, music, theatre, and dance.
Young men clothing-small (limited)
Winter coats for young-small girls (limited) Hawthorne residents, join us for a pop up clinic regarding better health in the New Year. Must live in Hawthorne! Thank you to our sponsors! dhawkins@hncmpls.org with questions.
Page 10 • February 12, 2024 - February 18, 2024 • Insight News
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The Unbanished— The Unrested Sharing Our Stories
By: W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor THE UNRESTED By T. Aaron Cisco When it comes to science fiction, Afrofuturism, and fantasy, the exciting aspects of them are worldbuilding. The ability to take a reader to a world that is a product of the writer’s vivid imagination and keep them invested is a gift. Such is the work of T. Aaron Cisco, and it is my good pleasure to bring to you the sequel to his novel The Unbanished—The Unrested. The story begins after the Grand Revolution on the Javari continent, one intended to end the conflicts between the Javari and the Klnovos people. Introduced in The Unbanished, our central character is Marie Lapierre, a Shellskin known as the One Woman Plague. She has been given a mission: to find and rescue Severine Chalande, a courtisane and cousin of Marie’s former partner Kyrian Le Rasoir. Through various shady and duplicitous characters such as Chanaz and later Emiliana Isbin-Lavigne, Marie learns that Severine is being held on the island of Aproenia, a hostile and treacherous place perpetually surrounded by storms both natural and supernatural. Marie’s reputation as a hitwoman is now illegal in the new regime, yet her skills are put to the test by forces and Magyc far greater than she imagined. It is a mission
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that will cost her her friends, question herself and her place in this new normal, and put her on a collision course with Orianne Duchamp, who is now the Puissant Grand Liberateur of Javari and Conseillor de Haleine… Cisco puts the reader smack dab in the action from the beginning, painting a grisly picture of the aftermath of the Grand Revolution. Though the goal was peace and the unification of the Javari and Klnovos (thus the new name Haleine), mistrust and suspicion are yet below the surface, and evil is waiting to strike, disrupt,
and destroy it. With the use of Magyc, one is left wondering what is real and what isn’t, and there are no easy answers in this tale, by which our gifted storyteller keeps us engaged. In addition, we are introduced to some new creatures like the alatuphant and Leviathan. The Unrested is available through Amazon and the Minnesota Black Authors Expo website (www. mnblackauthorsexpo.com). In the words of your characters, “So as you have said, so let it be so.” Thank you, T., for another of your gifts as a wordsmith.
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Commentary
Jennifer Crumbley (left) awaiting jury verdict
Jennifer Crumbley, mother of Oxford High School killer, guilty of manslaughter Hobb servation Point
By Chuck Hobbs One of the most common (and true) cliches in the English lexicon is that “parenting is hard work,” a fact that just about any parent can readily attest. But the hard work must be done, which is why I kept watch over the events that took place in an Oakland County, Michigan courtroom
over the past week as Jennifer Crumbley, 45, stood trial for four counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the criminal acts of her then 15year old son, Ethan Crumbley, who shot and killed four of his schoolmates at Oxford High School in November of 2021. Americanjurisprudence is typically hesitant to hold one person criminally liable for the intentional acts of another, but as days turn to months, and months turn to years, the menace that is public shootings at schools, churches, grocery stores, movie theaters, concerts, and everywhere in between has us all collectively seeking ways
to stop the violence that claims far too many innocent men, women, and children far too soon. When the shooter has yet to reach the age of 18, well, ever since Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris shot up Columbine High School in Colorado circa 1999, there have been calls to have parents who “should” know that their kid is planning mass murder to be held accountable, too. This is doubly so when the parent(s) purchase or provide weapons to their little Hellions that are then used to bring murder, mayhem, and misery to cities and towns across
America. Facing a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, Ms. Crumbley testified for nearly three hours last week and did her best to portray herself as a normal parent whose child committed a series of abnormal acts. Said Crimbley, “as a parent, you spend your life trying to protect your child from other dangers, but you would never would think that you have to protect your child from harmony somebody else.” Yeah, but the problem with her self-serving defense is that we, as parents, are totally responsible for what goes on under our roofs— not to mention that Momma
Crumbley accompanied her son to a gun range not long before he turned the halls of academia into killing fields. Which is why I believe that whether it was basic communication to see how her child was “really” doing, procuring mental health help for her child, or for God’s sake, surely making sure that her unstable child didn’t have access to weapons, Crumbley could have (and should have) done more to prevent these horrors. So much more… But Crumbley didn’t, and with her conviction— and her husband James’s trial pending—here’s hoping that
more prosecutorial offices across the country will charge recklessly indifferent parents whose lack of oversight helps fuel the killer(s) that lurk in their homes and our schools. Subscribe to Hobbservation Point By Chuck Hobbs · Hundreds of paid subscribers “Real Politics in Real Time” Chuck Hobbs is a freelance journalist who won the 2010 Florida Bar Media Award and has been twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.
We are WordSmiths: A community event Sharing Our Stories
By: W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor As part of the African diaspora, we are descended from kings and queens. We are also descended from griots. We come from an oral tradition vs. the western written tradition.
Our griots knew the history and the legends; they were and are storytellers. As modern-day authors and poets, Al McFarlane, journalist and managing editor of Insight News, refers to us as “wordsmiths.” As part of Black History Month, We Are Wordsmiths is coming to south Minneapolis. There is a myth that “Blacks don’t read.” The following gifted and amazing authors featured at this event, who come from a diversity of genres, tell an entirely different story:
Tierre Caldwell T. Aaron Cisco Willie Dean Sharon Botts Garth James Darnell Johnson Shayla
Michelle
Reaves Anthony Walsh Mercedes (Mizz Mercedez) Yarbrough This community literary event and program will take place on Saturday, February 24 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at St. Peter’s AME Church, located at 401 East 41st Street in
south Minneapolis. In addition to our guest authors, we will also feature artwork by Vaughn Larry, handcrafted jewelry by DMchelle, and words from the Minnesota Black Authors Expo. Light refreshments will be served. We invite you to come out to meet and support our authors and vendors by hearing their stories and purchasing their work. Representation matters; if we don’t share our stories, who will?
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