INSIGHT NEWS IS AUDITED BY THE ALLIANCE FOR AUDITED MEDIA TO PROVIDE OUR ADVER TISER PAR TNERS WITH THE HIGHES T LEVEL OF MEDIA ASSURANCE.
Insight News
February 28, 2022 - March 6, 2022
Vol. 49 No. 9• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
EMBRACE HUMANITY
Twenty mixed-medium paintings by Twin Cities artist Donald Walker that explore his experience living in America as a person of color.
Embrace Humanity features 20 mixed-medium paintings by Twin Cities artist Donald Walker that explore his experience living in America as a person of color. The first African American artist to work at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Walker is an awardwinning, nationally recognized artist, graphic designer, muralist, author, and illustrator whose work has been displayed at the New York Art Expo and by such organizations as the Nordstrom Foundation, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, General Mills Corporation, Target Corporation, and the Minnesota Vikings. Donald Walker/UROC
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Insight News • February 28, 2022 - March 6, 2022 • Page 3
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INSIGHT NEWS IS AUDITED BY THE ALLIANCE FOR AUDITED MEDIA TO PROVIDE OUR ADVER TISER PAR TNERS WITH THE HIGHES T LEVEL OF MEDIA ASSURANCE.
February 28, 2022 - March 6, 2022
Vol. 49 No. 9• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
Non-profit sets sights on helping 9,000 Black Families own a Home
Closing the Black Wealth Gap Anika Robbins, Guest Writer
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photo/InfusedLife_Facebook
Seyon continues to build her menu by trying new things. She has what she calls ‘The Chef’s Special’ where she serves some of the customers favorite dishes and top choices.
Tabota Seyon, a selfproclaimed, plant-based flexitarian is offering the community a place to eat healthy foods, while shopping for healthy products.
InfusedLife Plant Based Emporium brings holistic restaurant-boutique to community By Brandi Phillips, Contributing Writer The community’s need for wholesome, healthy, clean foods can at times be hard to find in the Twin Cities. Along with the need for access to healthy, affordable foods- while having day or night on the town- having a space where women healers can come together, commune, and sell their holistic products, is also a rarity. Tabota Seyon, a self-proclaimed, plant-based flexitarian is offering the community a place to eat healthy foods, while shopping for healthy products made by women entrepreneurs.
At InfusedLife Plant Based Emporium, Seyon, a wholefoods chef, has found joy in cooking multi-cultural foods for the community. “We provide a service to the broader public for wellness and self-care products. My mission is to radiate positivity and delicious vibes to the local communities and beyond. What we provide access to holistic health, healthy eating, and selfcare products,” said Seyon. She added, “We provide clean, eco-friendly, non-toxic, products for every budget.” InfusedLife focuses on providing heart-healthy, noninflammatory foods, that are good for your digestive system,
while having a lot of flavors and looking pretty on the plate. Seyon says another goal is to empower women of color to follow their dreams. Currently, she is working to build a cooperative community with other women vendors. Although Seyon will generally lead the collective, she says she wants the other members, “To have equal say in the growth of the collective toward the overall vision. I want the group to help support each other’s [individual] visions.” “I want to bring more hope and possibility to other women who may depend on other people for finances or to bring food to the table,” added
Seyon. She wants women to “remove fear, while creating and building their own legacies without the help of a man.” This emporium was a labor of love for Seyon. Growing up, she was mindful of the food she ate and the products she put on her skin. She had a list of what she could and could not put into and on her body. From this need, there was an interest born for her to educate and heal others with the power of food and herbs. Seyon continues to build her menu by trying new things. She has what she calls ‘The Chef’s Special’
In 2004, David McGee set out with a vision to help Black families own a home. The former banker and financial consultant, launched Build Wealth MN, a non-profit organization dedicated to doing just that. Eighteen years, and over 3,000 homes and families later, he is just getting started. Minnesota’s homeownership disparity—the difference in ownership rates between white/non-Hispanic households and African American and households of color—ranked among the highest in the nation in 2020. A report by Minnesota Compass documented that 25.3% of African American households in the state owned their homes (29,209 homeowners) compared to 76.9% of the state’s white households (1,452,512 homeowners). This represents a racial wealth disparity of nearly 52 percentage points—a gap Build Wealth MN (BWMN) aims to reduce by 15% by financing 9,000 new homeowners over 5 to 7 years. But how?
David McGee In December 2021, the group introduced the 9000 Equities Initiative to an intimate group of stakeholders. The plan, slated to launch March 2022, creates pathways to homeownership by providing affordable first mortgages, or equivalent financing opportunities, for African American households within historically underserved communities that struggle to access mortgage credit. Backed by a collaborative of stakeholders that includes the who’s-who of the real estate and financial services industries, the group
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The Healing Circle:
Stunned, angry at Kim Potter sentence Columnist
By Brenda Lyle-Gray Revolution, in history, is like the doctor assisting at the birth of a new life, who will not use forceps unless necessary, but who will use them unhesitatingly every time labor requires them. It is a labor bringing the hope of a better life to the enslaved and exploited masses. Che Guevara I had to write this
article right after last Friday’s Healing Circle webcast of Conversations with Al McFarlane, co-hosted by Dr. Bravada Garrett Akinsanya, founder and CEO of the African American Child Wellness Institute (AACWI). I was glad to be backstage taking notes. The tears were flowing and I would have been embarrassed. I think everyone was stunned and angry at the sentencing of Kim Potter, the white female former police officer who had been convicted of Manslaughter 1 and 2 in the murder of young Black man in Brooklyn Park. The officer had resigned a day before it was
Kim Potter to be announced the years she would spend incarcerated for the murder of Dante Demitrius
Wright, a name she did not utter in court during her teary, pseudo remorseful testimony that convinced a judge who had obviously already made up her mind. My sentiments were beyond flabbergasted and adding to my weariness. I heard Katie Wright, the mother of a son whose life was not worth more than the 16 month sentence in a supposedly court of law. “What this judge did,” said Wright, was to murder my son a second time. There were sparse demonstrations. But desensitization had set in. The grieving mother
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Ahmaud Arbery’s killers found guilty of hate crimes in federal court By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia A federal jury, on February 22, found Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan guilty on all counts in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. The verdict came on the eve of the anniversary of Arbery’s murder. The McMichaels and Bryan chased Arbery through their mostly white Georgia neighborhood in their pickup trucks, cornering him before Travis McMichael shot the
innocent jogger with a shotgun. The trio was convicted in state court and given life sentences. The federal charges included a hate crime that exposed each of the men’s history of racism. Throughout the one-week trial, defense attorneys tried to sell the jury that, while the men weren’t “likable,” their actions weren’t driven by racial hatred. However, Prosecutor Christopher Perras ferociously attacked that stance. The murder “was driven by their pent-up racial anger and [Travis McMichael] was just looking for a reason,” Perras insisted. He also noted that if the men thought Arbery
photo/NNPA
On the eve of the anniversary of his death, a federal jury found Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan guilty of hate crimes on all counts in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. had committed a crime, they never alerted the police. Trial testimony from FBI intelligence analyst Amy
News
Red State attacks on First Amendment Freedoms
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Vaughan revealed a host of racist remarks from Travis McMichael.
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Alfred Babington-Johnson
TRANSFORMATION:
The pathway to prosperity and justice Guest Commentary By Alfred Babington-Johnson Founder/CEO The Stairstep Initiative Convener His Works United For years Minnesota has been thought to be one of the most livable locales in the United States. That is a true report for European descendants living and working in the land of 10,000 lakes. There is another, harsher reality for African Americans. A June 29 article in US News and World Report by Joseph Williams (June 29, 2021) calls this phenomenon the Minnesota Paradox. In the words of Professor Samuel Myers at UMN’s Humphrey school, “Minnesota’s reputation as a great place to live has overshadowed the struggles of
Black and other people of color in the state.” The typical Black family in Minneapolis earns less than half as much as the typical white family in any given year. And homeownership among Black people is one-third the rate of white families. Minnesota has many corporations that espouse a socially conscious agenda. There are a significant number of forward-thinking philanthropies that articulate their awareness of the need to address disparities. These corporations and philanthropies, as well as federal, state, and local governments, have spent many millions of dollars to close these gaps. Nonetheless disparities stubbornly continue and the gaps widen. Much of the problem is that many groups tasked
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I2H
Covid still threatens millions of Americans: Why are we so eager to move on?
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COVID-19 showed we need a more diverse doctor workforce By Robert Grant Deaths related to COVID-19 were more than twice as high among Black, Latino, and Native American people as among whites in 2020, according to new research out from the National Cancer Institute. It’s only the latest reminder of the glaring inequity that plagues the U.S. healthcare system. Addressing that inequity will require boosting access to care among people from marginalized groups. That’s partially a supply problem -- the United States needs more doctors, especially doctors who hail from historically underserved communities. Research shows that doctors from these communities are not only more likely to return there to practice but more likely to deliver better outcomes for their patients. Over 83.7 million
Americans live in places with limited access to primary care doctors, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. They’re disproportionately people of color. Unfortunately, that figure will likely increase. A June 2021 report from the Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that the United States could be short 124,000 physicians by 2034. Research has consistently shown a link between access to physicians and health outcomes. Life expectancies in areas with fewer doctors are, on average, lower than those in areas that have more. About 7,000 U.S. lives could be saved every year simply by narrowing care gaps in the country’s most underserved communities. To sustainably address the doctor shortage, we must recruit from the communities that are most acutely experiencing
it. Numerous studies have found that a doctor’s race or ethnicity is a strong indicator of where they eventually return to practice. The same goes for language, family income, and whether the doctor comes from a rural or urban area. Patients also fare better when they can relate with the physician treating them. A 2018 National Bureau of Economic Research study found that Black men had significantly better health outcomes when treated by Black doctors. This was also true for preventative care. Black men treated by Black doctors were 10% more likely to receive a flu shot and nearly 30% more likely to submit to cholesterol tests. It’s on medical schools to produce the doctors that historically marginalized communities need. Sadly, they haven’t done a very good job of that. Black and Hispanic
people make up more than 31% of the U.S. population -- but only a smidge over 20% of the student population at U.S. medical schools. Incoming .... medical students hail from disproportionately wealthy families, too. Last year, the median income of parents of medical school matriculants was $140,000 -- double the overall median household income in this country. International medical schools, by contrast, have made addressing inequity a priority. One-quarter of America’s doctors attended medical school outside the country. In low-income communities, international medical graduates are one-third of the doctor workforce. And in areas where the population is majority non-white, IMGs are even more prevalent. Graduates of international medical schools
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are also more likely to go into primary care, where the need, especially in underserved communities, is greatest. Of the U.S.-born international medical graduates who matched into residency programs last year, roughly 70% entered into primary care specialties. The disparate racial impact of COVID-19 is a tragic
example of those inequities. Developing a more diverse doctor workforce is one small way to work toward ending them. Robert Grant, MD, is the senior associate dean for clinical studies at St. George’s University School of Medicine, the largest sources of physicians for the United States (www.sgu. edu).
Howard University receives $2M to digitize Black newspaper archive By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia Howard University has received a $2 million donation to digitize its Black Press Archives, that contains more than 2,000 newspaper titles including publications like the New York Amsterdam News, Chicago Defender, Washington Informer, Baltimore AFRO, and other historically Black publications.
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intends to close the gap by 5 percentage points within the first three years of the plan by creating 950 new African American homeowners each year, with an additional 5,791 African American homeowners created
The University said it hopes to make the archives more broadly available to researchers and the public. “Once digitalized, Howard’s Black Press Archive will be the largest, most diverse, and the world’s most accessible Black newspaper database,” Benjamin Talton, the director of Howard’s MoorlandSpingarn Research Center, told the Associated Press. The MoorlandSpingarn Research Center houses the archive, which dates to the
Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Culture and Education Editor Dr. Irma McClaurin, PhD. Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Columnist Brenda Lyle-Gray Book Review Editor W.D. Foster-Graham Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Content & Production Manager Sunny Thongthi Yang Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley
Michigan Chronicle, 1966.
to build the menu, she will continue working on building the collective. She is looking for women who create and provide healing products and services. Her desire is to provide a springboard opportunity for
women entrepreneurs to serve the community through health. To have a restaurantboutique has been a lifelong dream for Seyon, and she wants to share it with her community far into the future. InfusedLife
Plant Based Emporium, it is located at 3800 S 28th Ave. In Minneapolis, MN. For more information, call 612208-7302 or visit the website at: www.infusedlifemn.com Brandi D. Phillips
is a freelance health and wellness writer, self-care and mindset expert/educator, mother of 2, and wife. If you have any questions about this article, feel free to contact her at wellifethreesixty@gmail.com.
over years 4 to 7, closing the gap by another 10 percentage points. “Black families have been cheated, denied the pursuit of happiness or the opportunity to build equity and wealth”, says David McGee, the 39 year banking veteran and Founder of Build Wealth MN. “Now is a critical time to provide targeted resources before too many families are priced out of homeownership.” Despite their rising
share of the state’s population, too many households in communities of color face serious obstacles when trying to enter the mortgage market. The foreclosure crisis of 2009-2010 hit households of color disproportionately, creating significant declines in homeownership rates. Build Wealth MN’s mission is to strengthen underserved communities by empowering families to build sustainable social and economic wealth. A certified Community Development
Financial Institution (CDFI), a HUD-approved financial counseling agency and lender, BWMN is also a LISC-certified Financial Opportunities Center. BWMN delivers its programs and services around the “Family Stabilization Plan” (FSP) program - a holistic financial literacy model that blends comprehensive literacy and coaching with access to financial resources, including high quality consumer loans, credit restoration and downpayment assistance. The program has helped hundreds of
families - 81% of Black/African descent and 61% women trapped in multi-generation poverty, get out of debt and increase financial stability. “Build Wealth offered me the exact resources I needed when it came to buying my first home. The team was great to work with and extremely supportive!” Kendra W., a BWMN client who successfully completed the Family Stabilization Program. Since its inception, BWMN has helped more than 3,000 families attain homeownership, increase credit
scores by an average of 114 points, and start savings accounts. “We’re creating legacies,” continues McGee. “Homeownership is a critical driver of building household wealth. Our goals are to remove the barriers Black families continue to face and set the pattern for creating generational wealth.” To learn more about Build Wealth MN’s 9000 Equities program, visit: www.9000Equities.com or call 612-871-9000.
police officer, Andrew Delke, was given a three-year sentence for shooting a young Black man in the back three times. The video showed Daniel Hambrick was not a threat. The mother was never consulted about a plea deal which reversed a 1st degree murder charge to voluntary manslaughter. Angela McRoy is the founder of Zen Life Saving Coaching. After the execution of George Floyd and being furloughed from job in 2020 due to COVID, she decided to come back to her community. Healing had to take place if BIPOC communities were to move forward and children rescued and hopeful. She helps businesses and corporate employees deal with anxiety, stress, and depression. McRoy said she grew up in the Cup Foods neighborhood. She was devastated after watching the video of George Floyd taking his last breath. It hit hard. As a certified yoga instructor, McRoy earned a B.A. in organizational management, and recently completing her health and wellness certification at Cornell University (online). Dr. Oliver Williams,
Executive Director of the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Communities and professor of social work at University of Minnesota, said it’s important to really delve deeper into defining just what resilience is. Some people, he says, behave like they’re okay. But what happens when they are masking challenges and have no one to talk to about how they’re feeling. This internalization often affects the victims’ health. “I truly grieve, Dr. B. said. Dante Wright was a ‘baby’ in transition, close to evolving into his rightful place of becoming a young man. “I call it menticide, the actual process of changing the value of another human being to less than human. Think about it.,” she said. “I’m watching this trial and find myself fighting this numbness and disassociation, said Myers. But Dr. B. said she is emboldened, energized, hopeful, grateful, empowered, and elevated Myers and by the voices of the youth. “I was out there giving speeches when I was their age,” she said. “We were revolutionaries. Now, my
job as an elder is to keep these young people healthy and help them cope with the sadness, anxiety, and depression that might hamper their hope. They must learn that life is not always a fight. As I often say, even warriors must rest. There must be balance. There must be laughter, joy, and a little contentment in the mix. Be active and communicate with a group of trusted family and friends.” If you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, there are resources and there is immediate help Call The African American Child Wellness Institute (763) 5220100. Recommended Reading from Dr. Williams: 1. Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America by Robert L. Allen and Herbert Boyd. 2. The Port Chicago Mutiny by Robert L. Allen. Chronicles the events surrounding the explosion of a U.S. munitions ship during World War II and the subsequent refusal of sailors to unload ammunition.
They see a region in which many forces resist the integration of Black residents into white suburbs and schools, and turn away from this foundational injustice. In a divided society such as ours, the empowered majority, consciously or inadvertently, ends up exploiting the less well-connected and resourced minority. That is what
has happened in Minnesota, where many services designed to lift up Black communities have profiteered off those communities instead. Consider the affordable housing industry. Affordable housing is often built in the wrong places by the wrong people. Federal, state,
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Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane
photo/Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University
Howard University credited its Center for Journalism & Democracy for helping to secure the funding from the Logan Family Foundation, which supports social justice causes in journalism and the arts. “We will be able
to go back and look at these archives and these newspapers and the way the Black press was covering the world and have a greater understanding of who we are as a society, who we were back then and who we are now,” Nikole HannahJones told the news service. “Right now, we really are only getting a very narrow part of the story, and that is the part of the story told through power and through the ruling class.”
where she serves some of the customers favorite dishes and top choices, like Sheppard’s Pie and Black Bean Burgers. She is always willing to take customer suggestions as well. As she continues
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1970s and includes newspapers from Africa and the Caribbean. The $2 million grant from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation should also help increase diversity in the university, officials stated.
Intern Kelvin Kuria Contributing Writers Maya Beecham Nadvia Davis Fred Easter Abeni Hill Inell Rosario Latisha Townsend Artika Tyner Toki Wright Photography V. Rivera Garcia Uchechukwu Iroegbu Rebecca Rabb Artist Donald Walker Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis. 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis,
Potter From 3 broke my heart. “I’ll never forgive you for not calling my son’s name. I’ll never forgive you for what you have stolen from us. I will continue to fight until driving while Black is no longer a death sentence,” Wright said at the sentencing. The powerful young activist and leader in the Twin Cities NAACP, Angela Rose Myers probably said it best. “Minneapolis is a grieving community. Our dehumanization has again been put on trial and ‘they’ won again.” There was little accountability for Kim Potter’s actions. The judge who made Potter out to be a saint. A similar case occurred in Nashville, Tennessee where a white former
Transformation From 3 with fixing Minnesota’s disparities do not truly embrace a transformational vision of civil rights. They chip at the edges of inequality but accept the fundamental geographic racial divisions in our neighborhoods.
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Red State attacks on First Amendment Freedoms Hobb servation Point
By Chuck Hobbs ***While I still hold to my belief that all-out war will not break out between Russia and Urkaine, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin drew the ire of U.S. President Joe Biden yesterday when he formally recognized the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic as separate nations from Ukraine. Putin’s press corps then noted that Russian troops would be sent to these two “new nations” in an effort to “keep the peace.” One of the things that I love about history is that events tend to repeat themselves and because of that, those wise enough to study past people, places, and events are best situated to predict present and future behavior based on those events. As far as Putin and his potential invasion of Ukraine, the world has seen this play before—back in 1939, when German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler claimed that Poland was persecuting ethnic Germans living in Poland. That was a lie, mind you, but it was the method he chose to launch a Blitzkrieg that devastated the unprepared Polish military within a few weeks. Back then, Hitler guessed correctly that neither France nor Great Britiain were prepared to defend Poland from invasion. Hitler also had brokered a “Non-Aggression Pact” with the Soviet Union’s Josef Stalin only weeks before invading Poland that ensured that his German Army would not have to face the much larger Red Army—at least not yet. Today, NATO is far better equipped and capable of helping the Ukraine military through boots on the ground or through the supply of equipment to push back against the Russian Army. That point, again, leads me to believe that Putin will go no further than his incursion into the two former Ukraine territories that have declared independence. We shall see, but again, methinks that Russia is not prepared to wage a protracted war in Europe and at the last minute, will stand down and claim victory despite not having fired a single shot. Stay tuned... ***While I have written often of late about Russian oppression abroad, I
Transformation From 4 and local government invests tens or hundreds of millions of dollars into housing, but that money goes to developers who are much wealthier and much whiter than most communities in need. The housing that is built goes in places that reinforce historic racial segregation, closing the door to suburban opportunities for thousands of Black Minnesotans. The Twin Cities’ system of building affordable housing mirrors historical racism. Many areas where subsidized housing is concentrated today are areas that were historically targeted by redlining and other forms of housing discrimination, with the purpose of segregating Black people away from more affluent white Minnesotans. Although these areas need affordable housing just like everywhere else, a system that only places large numbers of subsidized units in diverse neighborhoods replicates old efforts at segregation. One 2016 study shows that while 55% of Twin Cities housing units are in very
Arbery From 3 Vaughn testified that Travis McMichael and his friends routinely used racist slurs directed at African Americans.
am far more concerned about right wing oppression right here in the United States. Yesterday, a State House committee in Arizona voted to advance a Bill to the floor that would make it illegal for citizens to stand within eight feet of police officers and record their acts—unless they receive permission of the officers doing whatever it is that’s being taped. Well, just like the fox wouldn’t want his business in the hen house taped, most police officers that are beating, Tasering, or choking out a suspect aren’t going to stop and say, “why sure, sir/ma’am, please tape away.” Such is the absurdity of this Bill, one that will NOT pass Federal constitutional scrutiny as such is an infringement upon the First Amendment’s right to speak freely and to assemble peacefully. But unconstitutionality doesn’t stop the “Know Nothing” Republicans from their daily dastardly deeds to diminish the rights that America claims to hold dear, which is why it is critical for us to express our displeasure with words (blogs, op-ed pieces, social media posts), and deeds (voting)! ***Closer to home, the Florida Know Nothings, led by Gov. Ron Desantis, are prepared to pass measures this session that would ban Critical Race Theory—while also banning any instruction about sexual identity or orientation. Florida’s governor has earned the derisive nickname “Dumb-Santis,” but if those Yale undergrad and Harvard law degrees he earned are worth anything, he has to know that preventing the open exchange of academic ideas is a patent violation of the First Amendment; the government simply CAN’T thwart the teaching of historical, sociological, and scientific thoughts simply to advance a political agenda! While you can peruse the archives of this Blog to see my past criticisms of the Critical Race Theory critics, I am appalled by the idea that Black figures like writers Langston Hughes and James Baldwin, or civil rights icon Bayard Rustin, would be banned from schools due to their sharp views about white supremacy—or due to their sexual identification as gay men! Further, as a historian who has spent quite a bit of time learning about Western civilization in general, and ancient Roman and Greek history, specifically, such bans by the Florida legislature would limit what kids could learn about the Isle of Lesbos,
the President’s Citizens Medal as awarded by then President Bill Clinton.
Again, Ol’ Hobbs voted for Andrew Gillum… or, the complete comedies of Aristophanes, or, the historical retrospectives of Thucydides and his commentary on homosexual life in Athenian government! Such bans would eliminate study of the “Bacchanalian” pursuits of famous ancient Romans ranging from Pliny the Elder to Pompey Magnus; from Caesar to Cicero—wealthy Roman men who often participated in orgies that included both homosexual and heterosexual activity! To me, the mark of an enlightened individual is one who can read about topics that are not to their personal liking— and still consider them in a scholarly, analytical manner; the mark of a fool is noted by those who close their eyes, cover their ears, and reject all knowledge that is not to their personal predilection. And judging from the poor state of discourse in the public square these days, the last thing our schools need to be doing is suppressing real knowledge of any kind! Black History Figure With President Joe Biden poised to select the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, the racist Know Nothings have wasted no time in painting any nominee as “unqualified” to serve. The truth is that Black women have been qualified to serve for decades, but have been overlooked by both Democratic and Republican presidents whenever vacancies arose. Constance Baker Motley was surely qualified during her lifetime! Born on September 14, 1921 in New Haven, Connecticut, Motley was raised in the New York area and during her youth, her parents were influential leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; Motley later recounted that observing her parents work helped her decide by the age of 15 to become a civil rights lawyer. Motley initially attended Fisk University in Nashville, but later transferred
white neighborhoods, barely a fifth of the region’s subsidized housing is in these places. Although this system is bad for the people it is intended to benefit, it is often profitable for the people running it. Monumental projects like the Pillsbury A-Mill in Minneapolis, Schmidt Brewery in Saint Paul, and the planned development of Fort Snelling can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The subsidized housing industry supports thousands of jobs, but those jobs are filled by white workers. One paper, relying on industry surveys, found that 78% of employees and 85% of managers of socalled “community developers” of affordable housing were white. For comparison, over 80% of residents of affordable housing receiving the largest federal tax credit subsidy are people of color. Notably, when civil rights lawyers brought a federal complaint against Minnesota for reinforcing racial segregation, many of these white-led developers intervened -- on the side the state, the source of the subsidies that pay their salaries. Decades ago, Black sociologist Kenneth Clark saw this problem clearly. He described Harlem as a
“philanthropic, economic, business, and an industrial colony of New York City.” According to scholar Mitchell Dunier, Clark felt that Black residents’ “social and community agencies did not create power because their money came from outside.” But Clark ultimately recognized that the problem with these places was not just one of powerlessness, but exploitation. A neighborhood like 1960s Harlem was “not merely a dependent colony, but a vehicle through which both the state and capitalism pursued continued growth at the expense of the most vulnerable.” Minnesota needs to end its exploitation of Black communities and pursue real equality. Resources meant to eliminate racial disparities should be controlled by the communities they are intended to serve, and only go to groups that pursue true civil rights and support a racially integrated society. Fixing long-entrenched inequality will require supporting groups that seek transformation, not groups that tinker around the edges while collecting subsidies. Only then will we see true prosperity and justice benefitting all members of the village.
One text from Travis McMichael to a friend describes how he enjoyed his new job because he didn’t have to work with Black people. “They ruin everything,” McMichael wrote. “That’s why I love what I do now. Not a [n-word] in sight.”
In a Facebook video that purportedly shows a group of Black teenagers beating a white youth, Travis McMichael commented, “I say shoot them all,” and he referred the group as “monkeys.”
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to New York University, where she earned a degree in economics in 1943. Motley then attended the Columbia University School of law and following graduation, became the first woman lawyer for the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Education Fund. In this capacity, Motley served alongside legal giants Charles Hamilton Houston and Thurgood Marshall and in 1950, she drafted the original complaint that would lead to the seminal Brown vs. Board of Education case that eventually helped end legal Jim Crow segregation. Motley was noted for winning nine of the ten cases that she argued before the US Supreme Court, including a 1962 case that allowed James Meredith to become the first black to enroll at the University of Mississippi. She also later served as Manhattan Borough President before being tapped by President Lyndon B. Johnson to become the first black woman to serve as a United States District Court Judge, a position that she held until her death in 2005 at the age of 84. Judge Motley received numerous awards and commendations during her lifetime including citations by the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the Spingarn Medal—the NAACP’s highest award, and
Black College Feature Each day during Black History Month, I will feature one of America’s leading HBCUs. Next up: Xavier University (La.) History: Xavier University of Louisiana holds the distinction of being America’s sole Roman Catholic affiliated HBCU. In 1915, St. Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament founded the coeducational secondary school in New Orleans on a site formerly used by Southern University prior to its main campus being moved to Baton Rouge. With support from her wealthy father, banker-financier Francis Drexel, in 1917, St. Katharine extended the focus of the secondary school to include a “normal” school that would focus on educating future teachers. In 1925 Xavier University of Louisiana became a reality when the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was established; the first baccalaureate degrees were awarded three years later. Two years later, in 1927, Xavier opened a College of Pharmacy. During the Civil Rights Movement, in 1961, Xavier, under the leadership of then Dean of Men, Norman Francis, provided shelter to Freedom Riders who had traveled to New Orleans to challenge the city’s Jim Crow laws. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, nearly every building on Xavier’s campus suffered damage, but the University reopened for business the following year. President Barack Obama, on the fifth anniversary of the Hurricane in 2010, gave a major speech from the Xavier campus. Academics: Xavier is considered one of the elite academic HBCUs. The University is ranked 5th among HBCUs by U.S. News & World Report, and is the
#1 HBCU in placing Black students into medical school, in the top three in the awarding of PharmD degrees to Blacks, and is #1 in the awarding of baccalaureate degrees in the physical and biological sciences. Xavier students may earn degrees within its College of Arts and Sciences which houses traditional liberal arts course offerings, or within its renowned College of Pharmacy. Motto: “FroAdjuvante Timendum”--”With God’s help there is nothing to fear” Mascot: Gold Rush (Men) Gold Nuggets (Women) Colors: Gold andWhite Athletics: Xavier University competes in the NAIA Division 1 in men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, baseball and track & field. Famous Alumni/ Figures: Former Bill Clinton Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman, Ernest Morial, first Black Mayor of New Orleans, Mayor Latoya Cantrell, first Black woman to serve as mayor of New Orleans, Educator and President Emeritus Dr. Norman Francis, former NBA star Nathaniel Clifton (first Black to sign an NBA contract), Dr. Mary Runge, first woman and first Black President of the American Pharamacists Association, USAF 4-star General Bernard Randolph, Coast Guard Admiral Stephen Rochon, Chief White House Usher under Presidents Bush (43) and Obama; Black College Hall of Fame football Coach Marino Casem, Former Negro League Baseball star Dave Malarcher, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin, Candice Stewart, first Black Miss Louisiana. Thank you and please subscribe to the Hobbservation Point-have a wonderful Tuesday! 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.
Page 6 • February 28, 2022 - March 6, 2022 • Insight News
Insight 2 Health
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Covid still threatens millions of Americans: Why are we so eager to move on? By Victoria Knight, Kaiser Health News, vknight@kff.org, @victoriaregisk Iesha White is so fed up with the U.S. response to covid-19 that she’s seriously considering moving to Europe. “I’m that disgusted. The lack of care for each other, to me, it’s too much,” said White, 30, of Los Angeles. She has multiple sclerosis and takes a medicine that suppresses her immune system. “As a Black disabled person, I feel like nobody gives a [expletive] about me or my safety.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a strict definition of who is considered moderately or severely immunocompromised, such as cancer patients undergoing active treatment and organ transplant recipients. Still, millions of other people are living with chronic illnesses or disabilities that also make them especially susceptible to the disease. Though vulnerability differs based on each person and their health condition — and can depend on circumstances — catching covid is a risk they cannot take. As a result, these Americans who are at high risk — and the loved ones who fear passing along the virus to them — are speaking out about being left behind as the rest of society drops pandemic safeguards such as masking and physical distancing. Their fears were amplified this month as several Democratic governors, including the leaders of California and New York — places that were out front in implementing mask mandates early on — moved to lift such safety requirements. To many people, the step signaled that
“normal” life was returning. But for people considered immunocompromised or who face high risks from covid because of other conditions, it upped the level of anxiety. “I know my normal is never going to be normal,” said Chris Neblett, 44, of Indiana, Pennsylvania, a kidney transplant recipient who takes immunosuppressive drugs to prevent his body from rejecting his transplanted organ. “I’m still going to be wearing a mask in public. I’m still probably going to go to the grocery store late at night or early in the morning to avoid other people.” He is especially concerned because his wife and young daughter recently tested positive for covid. Even though he’s fully vaccinated, he’s not sure he is protected from the virus’s worst outcomes. Neblett participates in a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine study tracking transplant recipients’ immune response to the vaccine, so he knows his body produced only a low amount of antibodies after the third dose and is waiting on the results of the fourth. For now, he’s isolating himself from his wife and two kids for 10 days by staying in his second garage. “I told my wife when covid first happened, ‘I have to make it to the vaccine,’” he said. But learning the vaccine hasn’t triggered an adequate immune-system response so far is crushing. “Your world really changes. You start wondering, ‘Am I going to be a statistic? Am I going to be a number to people that don’t seem to care?’” Scientists estimate that almost 3% of Americans meet the strict definition of having weakened immune systems, but researchers acknowledge that many more chronically ill and disabled
Americans could be severely affected if they catch covid. By summer 2021, scientific evidence indicated that immunocompromised people would likely benefit from a third shot, but it took federal agencies time to update their guidance. Even then, only certain groups of immunocompromised people were eligible, leaving others out. In October, the CDC again quietly revised its vaccine guidance to allow immunocompromised people to receive a fourth covid vaccine dose, though a recent KHN story revealed that pharmacists unaware of this change were still turning away eligible people in January. People with weakened immune systems or other highrisk conditions argue that now is the time, as the omicron surge subsides, to double down on policies that protect vulnerable Americans like them. “The pandemic isn’t over,” said Matthew Cortland, a senior fellow working on disability and health care for Data for Progress, who is chronically ill and immunocompromised. “There is no reason to believe that another variant won’t emerge. … Now is the time, as this omicron wave begins to recede, to pursue policies and interventions that protect chronically ill, disabled, and immunocompromised people so that we aren’t left behind.” Several people interviewed by KHN who are part of this community said that, instead, the opposite is taking place, pointing to a January comment by CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky that implied it was “encouraging news” that the majority of people dying of covid were already sick. “The overwhelming number of deaths, over 75%, occurred in people who had at least four comorbidities,
so really these are people who were unwell to begin with,” said Walensky, when discussing a study during a television interview that showed the level of protection vaccinated people had against severe illness from covid. “And yes, really encouraging news in the context of omicron.” Although the CDC later said Walensky’s remarks were taken out of context, Kendall Ciesemier, a 29-yearold multimedia producer living in Brooklyn, New York, said she was disturbed by the comments. Walensky’s statement “sent shock waves through the disability community and the chronic illness community,” said Ciesemier, who has had two liver transplants. “It was saying the quiet part out loud,” she added, noting that though it was likely a gaffe, the strong reaction to it “stemmed from this holistic feeling that these communities have not been prioritized during the pandemic and it feels like our lives are acceptable losses.” When asked by a KHN reporter at the Feb. 9 White House covid press briefing what she wanted to convey to people who feel they are being left behind, Walensky didn’t offer a clear answer. “We, of course, have to make recommendations that are, you know, relevant for New York City and rural Montana,” she said, adding that they have to be “relevant for the public, but also for the public who is immunocompromised and disabled. And so, that — all of those considerations are taken into account as we work on our guidance.” Although the CDC currently recommends that vaccinated people continue to wear masks indoors if they are in a place with high or substantial covid transmission
Arbery From 5 Travis McMichael also referred to a woman who dated a Black man as an “[N-word] lover.” Kim Ballesteros, who lived next door to the McMichaels, told the court about a conversation in which Gregory McMichael used racist language to describe a tenant he had. “She was a large Black woman who did not pay her rent very well,” Ballesteros told the court. “Their name for her was the walrus.” When Gregory McMichael told her that the woman didn’t pay her
photo/Shutterstock
People with weakened immune systems or other high-risk conditions argue that now is the time, as the omicron surge subsides, to double down on policies that protect vulnerable Americans like them. — which includes most of the U.S. — federal officials have indicated this guidance may be updated soon. “We want to give people a break from things like mask-wearing, when these metrics are better, and then have the ability to reach for them again should things worsen,” said Walensky during a Feb. 16 White House covid briefing, when discussing whether CDC’s covid prevention policies would be altered soon. But there’s no mask break in sight for Dennis Boen, a 67-year-old retiree who has had three kidney transplants. Because his community of Wooster, Ohio, already lacks a mask mandate and few residents voluntarily wear masks, he hasn’t felt comfortable returning to many of the social events that he enjoys. “I quit going to my Rotary Club that I’ve been a part of for decades,” Boen said. “I went once in the summer to a picnic outside and it was like the people who didn’t believe [in covid] or didn’t care weren’t wearing masks and they weren’t giving me any space. Therefore, it was just easier to not go.” Charis Hill, a
35-year-old disability activist in Sacramento, California, has postponed two surgeries, a hysterectomy, and an umbilical hernia repair for over a year because Hill didn’t feel safe. Delaying has meant Hill has had to take additional medications and eat only certain foods. The surgeries are scheduled for March 21, but now that California’s mask mandate has lifted, Hill is thinking about delaying the procedures again. “I feel disposable. As if my life doesn’t have value,” said Hill, who is living with axial spondyloarthritis, a chronic inflammatory disease, and takes immune-suppressing medication. “I am tired of constantly being told that I should just stay home and let the rest of the world move on.” KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces indepth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.
rent on her air
justified their deadly actions. “There’s a big difference between being vigilant and being a vigilante,” he told the jury. “It’s important for you to understand the full depth of the defendants’ racial hatred.” Attorney Benjamin Crump released the following statement following the verdict: “Tomorrow marks two years since Ahmaud Arbery was stalked, trapped, and murdered in cold blood as he jogged through his Brunswick neighborhood. And today, after much sorrow, grief, and pain, Ahmaud’s family can finally put this chapter behind them. For the last 24 months, they’ve dedicated themselves to getting justice for their son. They’ve had to relive his brutal murder, watch and listen as he was demonized in court, and fight to share with the world who Ahmaud Arbery was and who he could have been had his young life not been so violently cut short. “For many of us, there was never any doubt that Greg McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryan targeted Ahmaud because of his skin color. But because of indisputable video evidence, disgusting messages sent by the defendants, and witness testimony, their hate was revealed to the world and the jury. We hope and demand that the severity of their crimes are reflected in the sentencing, as well. “Ahmaud Arbery was denied the opportunity to define his own legacy, but America, we have the power to ensure that it is one that propels our fight for equal justice and dispels hate from this world. That is how we continue to honor Ahmaud and make sure his death was not in vain.” Before the trial, the McMichaels cut a deal with prosecutors. They agreed to plead guilty to hate crime charges and serve their sentence in federal prison. However, Arbery’s parents, Wanda Cooper-Jones and Marcus Arbery argued against the arrangement. That prompted the judge to toss out the plea deal. “Ahmaud didn’t get the option of a plea,” Cooper-Jones demanded. The judge gave the McMichaels and Bryan two weeks to file an appeal.
time, he disabled conditioning unit. “You should have seen how fast her big fat Black a– came with the rent check,” Gregory McMichael said, according to Ballesteros. The FBI’s Vaughan also testified that Bryan often used the n-word and words like “bootlip” to describe Black people. She said he routinely slurred African Americans on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. “Happy Bootlip Day,” Bryan told a friend in one message. “I worked like a [n-word] today,” he stated. Perras dismissed any notion that the defense attorney’s claims on behalf of his clients somehow
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Insight News • February 28, 2022 - March 6, 2022 • Page 7
Mardi Gras Mambo
Feat. Dirty Dozen Brass Band & Nathan & The Zydeco Cha-Chas
Gumbo Joy Sharing Our Stories
By: W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor By Robert P. Dixon, Jr. Representation matters, even at an early age. I remember growing up as a child of the 1950s in Minneapolis, attending elementary school, going to the public library—and seeing only books like Further Adventures of Dick and Jane. Where were the families who looked like mine? Fortunately, that situation is changing, with authors like Crown Shepherd and the author of this week’s book review, Robert P. Dixon, Jr. Indeed, when we change the narrative, we change the perception, and his children’s book Gumbo Joy adds another voice in changing the narrative. In the book, we see Rose and her Papa preparing
gumbo together. As they are doing so, he is sharing not only his recipe, but the cultural significance behind it, followed by the joyful coming together of their extended family. A native of Louisiana, Dixon states in his bio that he “learned these key aspects of cooking gumbo by going to all his neighborhood friend’s homes in one day. He would eat at every person’s home he stopped at.” He did this after school and on weekends. In Gumbo Joy, we are reminded of the importance of a consistent, active, loving presence of a father in his daughter’s life, thus contradicting the stereotype of Black men being absent fathers. Having Papa doing the cooking also challenges gender-role stereotypes, thus he is a wellrounded role model for Rose-in my household, because my husband likes to cook, our son has developed a flair for it as well. And of course, this book is a cultural celebration of the roots of gumbo. Often times, the
greatest lessons our children learn take place when we are sharing a task or an activity. In this case, the greatest lesson Rose learns is, “Gumbo is the smell of love.” Dixon fills his book with it, through his words and the illustrations of Amakai Quaye. Gumbo Joy is available via Amazon and the Planting People Growing Justice Press. Dads, this is a must-read to share with your children. Robert, thank you for this gift of love and changing the narrative.
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Page 8 • February 28, 2022 - March 6, 2022 • Insight News
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