Insight ::: 05.02.2022 by Insight News, Inc

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

May 2 2,, 2022 - May 8, 2022

Vol. 49 No. 18• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

NORTHSIDE GOES SOLAR

Courtesy of mplsclimate.org STORY ON PAGE

Page 2 • May 2, 2022 - May 8, 2022 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Insight News • May 2, 2022 - May 8, 2022 • Page 3

Insight News

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.

May 2 2,, 2022 - May 8, 2022

Vol. 49 No. 18• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

State report:

Discrimination, practice at MPD

Insight News photos by Lou Michaels

Right to Left: Executives of the First Independence Bank Dimitrius Hutcherson, Damon Jenkins, Kenneth Kelly CEO, Helda Saad, Jim Dunn and Tim Ha.

Open for business

First Independence Bank By Al McFarlane Editor It was a big deal and a big day, last Tuesday, April 26. The sun was shining, as if blessing the tent full of people gathered to celebrate the oﬃcial opening of Minnesota’s first Black-owned, full-service bank. First Independence Bank of Detroit, MI cut the ribbon inviting Twin Cities to join in its mission to address the home ownership and wealth building crisis Black residents and other people of color experience in Minnesota. Lt. Governor Peggy

Earth Nation, the Lt. Governor closed with “Miigwech!” – which means “Thank you” in Anishinaabemowin, also known as Ojibwa. As the photo above reveals, First Independence Bank is launching with a strategy and mission that recognizes and nurtures the reality and strength of diversity in the market place. The institution also launches in full awareness of the travesty of the murder on George Floyd in South Minneapolis, and of the Twin Cities and global demand for justice that seeks to dismantle systems of structural disadvantage levied against Black residents and other marginalized populations. Ken Kelly, First

Flanagan, among the many government, civic and banking industry leaders welcoming First Independence Bank into the marketplace, quoted the bank’s inaugural President for the Twin Cities region expansion, saying, “Damon Jenkins, I heard you. Black-owned. Not Black only.” Closing her brief address to the standing room only assembly, Flanagan elevated the significance of the event again, indicating her words of welcome bear the good will and gratitude of the Governor and state government, but also reflect a certain connectedness to “the people who were here before the State of Minnesota existed. A citizen of the White

Independence Bank, chairman and CEO, said a week earlier in a Conversations With Al McFarlane interview on KFAI FM 90.3, that he grew up in Alabama, in the county where George Wallace is from. “We’ve had extensive experience in dealing with how you rebuild broken communities. I’m an engineer by training and worked for a utility company for almost 30 years. I ended up retiring from that utility and parlaying experiences gained to become the chairman and CEO of First Independence,” he said. A circumstance reminiscent of the hope that is emerging out of the George Floyd rebellion,

Following its investigation, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) today released its findings and announced that the City of Minneapolis (City) and Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) engage in a pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act. MDHR will next work with the City to develop a consent decree to address discriminatory, race-based policing in Minneapolis. “Following the murder of George Floyd, demands to end discriminatory policing practices reverberated across the world. Those demands remain just as urgent today with the announcement of the investigative findings which paints an unsettling picture of the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department engaging in a pattern of racial discrimination over the last decade,” said Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero. “Race-based policing is unlawful and harms everyone, especially people of color and Indigenous community members – sometimes costing community members their lives,” continued Commissioner Lucero. “I look forward to the work ahead with the City, MPD, and community members to improve public safety by reversing unlawful policing practices.” Investigation Findings MDHR finds there is probable cause that the City and MPD engage in a pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of the Minnesota

Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero Human Rights Act. Specifically, MDHR finds: MPD engages in a pattern or practice of discriminatory, race-based policing as evidenced by:  Racial disparities in how MPD officers use force, stop, search, arrest, and cite people of color, particularly Black individuals, compared to white individuals in similar circumstances.  MPD officers’ use of covert social media to surveil Black individuals and Black organizations, unrelated to criminal activity.  MPD officers’ consistent use of racist, misogynistic, and disrespectful language. The pattern or practice of discriminatory, race-based policing is caused primarily by an organizational culture where:  MPD officers, supervisors, and field training officers receive deficient training, which emphasizes a paramilitary approach to policing that results in officers unnecessarily

MDHR 4

FIB 4

Commission on Judicial Selection recommends Second Judicial District candidates vacancy will occur upon the retirement of Judge Robert A. Awsumb. The seat will be chambered in St. Paul in Ramsey County.

Candidate Maria Mitchell The Commission on Judicial Selection last week announced

Candidate Jennifer Verdeja

Candidate Der Yang

that it is recommending three candidates for consideration to

fill a vacancy in Minnesota’s Second Judicial District. The

Candidate Maria Mitchell is an assistant county attorney in Ramsey County, where she serves as the director of the Youth Justice and Wellness Division, which handles juvenile delinquency, truancy, and educational neglect

CANDIDATES 5

Musare Zvakanaka

(Goodbye) Zimbabwe Culture and Education Editor

By Irma McClaurin, PhD I had looked forward to visiting Zimbabwe. But it was a rough trip. Economically, Zimbabwe is in crisis. As a result, everything operates on a cash economy rooted in the U.S. dollar! Thus, in less than a week, I had gone through almost all of my cash! — Taxis: $10US each way; so to visit 2 places for the day will cost $40/day. For five days that is $200 US! There is no public (bus)

©Irma McClaurin

Zimbabwe Flag

Harare from Air transport, and so you have to rely on taxis because of the high level of crime. Walking was simply not recommended for tourists, except in very contained (gated) areas. Other expenses (All U.S. currency):

— Food: Average was $10-$15, not including tip — Water: 50cents, Beer:$3; Wine $5 or $15 for a bottle that you can carry — Exit COVID Test: $50/person.

worries, right? I assumed I could use a credit card or get cash from an ATM. No such luck.

ZIMBABWE 6

Amazon

Resmaa Menakem

The healer:

Resmaa Menakem By Al McFarlane Editor My friend and colleague Resmaa Menakem joined me from New York to talk about his new book, The Quaking of America: An Embodied Guide to Navigating Our Nation’s Upheaval and Racial Reckoning. Al McFarlane: I just watched you this morning. I watched you on the Breakfast Club. Boy, what a show! Readers, pull yp last Tuesday morning’s Breakfast Club with Charlemagne the God and with Angela Yee, to witness a great hard-hitting clear examination of where we are and where we have to go. Resmaa, The Quaking of America. Is an interesting name. When you say quake, I think of earthquake. So what do you mean “quaking of America?” Menakem: The way that it’s resonating with you, is what was happening for me. I had originally started writing a

diﬀerent book. I had originally started writing a book called Our Grandchildren’s Souls. It was a follow up to My Grandmother’s Hands. Halfway through the book, watching TV I see these fools do an attempted coup of the United States. At that point I call my agent and I say, “You going to be mad at me.” He said, “Why?” “Because, I can’t finish writing this book,” I said. There are a lot of seminal moments in America’s history. This will be one of them. America has cultural amnesia when it wants to, and I wanted to spend some time putting something in written pages, in video, in whatever medium I wanted to use to say, this right here,… we will be looking back and saying, “how did that inform where we are 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now, a hundred years from now? When my wife, Maria called me upstairs and said, “Resmaa, you got to come look at this.”I came upstairs

MENAKEM 5

Education

The Gospel According to a Black Woman

The truth about Twitter

PAGE 5

PAGE 7

Page 4 • May 2, 2022 - May 8, 2022 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Business

Kirkland gains momentum with support from high ranking leaders across the state Suwana Kirkland, a 17year veteran of public safety and a high-ranking County Administrator who is running for Hennepin County Sheriff announced Tuesday, April 26, that she has the support and endorsement of many of Minnesota’s most respected and beloved leaders. Kirkland who currently is the Director of Community Corrections at Dakota County, has an impressive resume. Her law enforcement career started as a cadet in Minnetonka before she transitioned to sworn police officer. Kirkland became a Deputy Sheriff for the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office where she served as Sergeant, Acting Commander and Executive

Officer of the Detention Division. Kirkland has been endorsed by retired Police Chiefs William Bill Finney and Thomas Smith, both of St. Paul; Matt Bostrom, Sheriff of Ramsey County (retired); and Mary Nash, St. Paul Police Dpt. Chief Deputy (retired). In addition, she has garnered the endorsements of State Representatives Frank Hornstein, Ruth Richardson, Heather Edelson, Jamie Long, Rena Moran, Hodan Hassan and Senator’s John Hoffman and Ann Rest. The list of distinguished endorsers also includes: Judge Lajune Lange, 4th Judicial Court (retired), Commissioner Toni Carter of Ramsey County, Charles Adams III, Head Football Coach of Minneapolis North High said.

FIB From 3 “Our bank started in 1970, a direct result of the 1967 riots in Detroit. One of our founders said two years ago, speaking to our millennial advisory board, ‘What was great about the 1970 bank opening? Because of this bank, African Americans got better jobs at the majority banks beyond being a janitor and a teller.’” Kelly said the new Black-owned bank brought competition that was good, and today, he said, “The great news is we’ve been here for 52 years and we want to be a beacon of hope. We are lending our infrastructure and putting it in the care of those who love Minneapolis to be able to replicate the successes that we’ve had in Detroit.” “There is a need for minority banks. You get different outcomes. I’ll use the typical secret shopper model. Right? We know that in reality, Peter Frosh and I can go into the same establishment under the same pretenses with the same qualifications. And we likely may come out with different outcomes. That is a reality. It shows up across appraisals, and other places. What we want to do is positively engage in a way that maybe that gap between those two outcomes starts to shrink. And we are hopeful that we can do that in a positive way that can make a difference for the community at large,” Kelly

First Independence Bank is one of 17 remaining Black-owned full service is the United States. “There has been a shrinkage - at one point, there were over a hundred African American controlled banks. We’re down to less than 20 now. But the reality is banking will probably continue to shrink because of the scale that is needed to be successful long term,” Kelly said. “The irony is, as we move from a segregated society to an integrated society, the dynamics change. If we don’t figure out how to do that properly, we’re going to have outcomes that we will not appreciate going forward.” Damon Jenkins grew up in South Minneapolis, blocks from where George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police oﬃcers. His mom still lives in the same house he grew up in. That successful family experience informs his mission to promote home-ownership in our community. Success, he said, is getting our community “to a point where not only are we in the homes, but we can maintain the homes, take advantage of the equity, and, pass it down through generations. That’s a good way to measure our success. That’s a good way to ensure that we are bringing full service relationships to our communities.” “My goal is financial wellness for our community. That’s that other part of the full service that we bring to the community. And that’s really meeting people where they are, identifying opportunities to earn

INSIGHT NEWS www.insightnews.com

Insight News is published weekly, every Monday by McFarlane Media Interests. Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane 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

Suwana Kirkland School, and Betty Folliard, MN State Representative (retired) and ERA Convener. Stonewall DFL recently announced

their

their trust, and getting them into a banking relationship. You know, the US has over 7 million people that don’t have a banking relationship. There’s an opportunity there. Many individuals are unbanked and use check cashing places to negotiate their, their hard earned money,” he said. “We need people to be stewards of banking. We need people to be surrounded with economic resources. This is a group that’s committed to really working together, thinking different, working different to bring access to communities that haven’t had access, Jenkins said. “I grew up in south Minneapolis. Being a homeowner in this community, my mother was personally affected because, as a result of the social unrest, there were resources that were taken from the community. And so I’ve watched over the 30 years that I’ve been here, specifically communities of color, Black communities not have access and get locked out of access to abundance,” Jenkins said Damon Jenkins is the icon for what happens when preparedness meets opportunity. “It came from prayer. My prayer was prior to the murder of George Floyd. It was during the pandemic. I prayed, ‘Put me in a position where I could be a part of a discussion about how to think and do differently in banking regarding bringing equity to communities of color, and specifically the Black community.’ My prayers were answered. I had been in banking for almost 15 years at Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank, two of the banks that were part of this initiative to bring equity to BIPOC communities. It’s all God’s work. This is divine intervention saying ‘here’s a chance for us to really do something different.’”. Peter Frosh served as counterpoint in Chairman Kelly’s illustration about

inequity, earlier in the interview. Frosh is CEO of Greater MSP, a regional economic partnership for this Metro area. In existence for about 10 years, the organization convenes CEOs, mayors, county commissioners, and heads of foundations who meet to look at “What are the big things that we need to do to create economic opportunity for everybody who lives here?” Frosh said “Some of that work is international and some of that work is very local. Ultimately economic development is about improving the material wellbeing of the people who live in your community. This is a breakthrough, innovative project that moves us in that direction.” Frosh said Greater MSP supported First Independence’s expansion into Minnesota. “We have the muscle for to help a company come here from somewhere else. We use that muscle to do something slightly diﬀerent. This is a deal. And it’s a special deal. We think it’s a big deal for this community,” Frosh said joining Chairman Kelly and Regional President Jenkins in the KFAI Conversations with Al McFarlane interview. “This took an immense amount of intention and focus. The first step is to recognize that we need this level of focus and investment specifically in the Black community. Second, there is symbolic value. A bank is a fact. It is tangible. This is a way that we are returning commitments into action and action into tangible progress beyond the symbolism, that’s also material,” Frosh said. “I First Independence Bank exists to build wealth in communities of color through home ownership and through small business ownership. And to be clear, that is not only First Independence Bank’s job. Every bank in this region that’s involved in this project is committed to doing even more.

Intern Kelvin Kuria

MDHR

Contributing Writers Maya Beecham Nadvia Davis Fred Easter Abeni Hill Inell Rosario Latisha Townsend Artika Tyner Toki Wright

From 3

Photography V. Rivera Garcia Uchechukwu Iroegbu Rebecca Rabb Lou Michaels 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,

Courtesy of De’Vonna Pittman

escalating encounters or using inappropriate levels of force.  Accountability systems are insufficient and ineffective at holding officers accountable for misconduct.  Former and current City and MPD leaders have not collectively acted with the urgency, coordination, and intentionality necessary to address racial disparities in policing to improve public safety and increase community trust. Without fundamental, organizational culture changes, reforming MPD’s policies, procedures, and trainings will be meaningless. The complete 72page findings can be found on MDHR’s website at mn.gov/ mdhr/mpd/findings. Next Steps: Working Toward a Consent Decree Moving forward,

support for Kirkland. “Hennepin County has a strong tradition of community members who are believers in

MDHR will work with the City to develop a consent decree, which is a court-enforceable agreement that identifies specific changes to be made and timelines for those changes to occur. Unlike previous efforts to reform policing in Minneapolis, a consent decree is a court order issued by a judge. Importantly, a consent decree also integrates independent oversight in the form of a monitor or monitoring team that regularly reports to the court to hold the parties accountable to the agreed upon changes. As part of this process, MDHR will meet with community members, MPD officers, City staff, and other stakeholders to gather feedback on what should be included in a consent decree to address racial discrimination in policing in Minneapolis. At this time, ideas for potential changes in a consent decree can be provided to MDHR at mn.gov/mdhr/mpd/ contactus. About the Investigation

Comprehensive

public safety. My goal is to build on that commitment as the next Sheriﬀ of our great county. I find the energy that comes from the trust that these leaders have in me to be inspiring” Kirkland said. “Across Hennepin County we must incorporate community voice as we work to ensure that people feel safe where they work, play, and worship. These endorsements give me hope that collaboration in increasing safety and quality of life is possible. Public safety requires that as leaders we ensure our communities are led with innovation, excellence, and eﬀectiveness.” Kirkland, who is running as a Democrat, received her Master’s Degree in Police Leadership at the University

of St. Thomas. She is now a professor there. She has been described as a “steady-handed and innovative leader” in both her work as Director of Community Corrections in Dakota County and in her former role as Deputy Sheriff for Ramsey County. Kirkland has served as Sergeant, Active Commander and Executive Officer of the Detention Division, Background Investigation and Recruitment, SWAT Executive Commander, and Hostage Negotiator. She has lived in Hennepin County for over 20 years and currently resides in Rogers with her husband and children.. To learn more about Suwana Kirkland , visit the campaign website at www. Kirkland4Sheriff.com

Insight News photos by Lou Michaels

Kenneth Kelly, Chair and CEO of First Independence Bank and First Independence Senior Vice President for the Twin Cities Regional Market, Damon Jenkins. This adds more firepower to our ability to do that. And frankly, cultural competence may be a new bridge of trust. We all have a lot to learn from each other.” “I’m telling this story,” Peter Frosh said, “on behalf of the banks. Following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, you had bank leaders come together. They’re all doing significant things within their institutions in response to the murder, and they recognize that the kind of change that we need to see is at a level and at an urgency that required more. So they had relationship, they got together. And asked what more might we do? And it was out of an open, urgent conversation like that, that a relationship connection was made between then TCF Bank which had a relationship with First Independence Bank in Detroit. It was just a learning opportunity at first. But chairman Kelly joined that conversation and quickly it became apparent that there might be an opportunity to do something really significant.” “First Independence Bank expressed a strategic interest in being in this market

and said, there’s no way we could do that unless we have an unusual level of support to make that happen. Those bank leaders locked arms and said, whatever it takes, we are going to figure out what it’s going to do and we’re going to do it. Every one of those banks did something critical without which it wouldn’t have happened. And so I think this thing we’re talking about here is a great demonstration of a real partnership where every partner has to take some risk and where the thing doesn’t work unless everybody does their part. That’s what’s happening here. We’re, we’re not aware of any other example of five banks working together to bring a competitor into a market for the express purpose of advancing racial equity. I mean, that’s not business as usual. That’s unusual business,” Frosh said. The five banks that collaborated to make the venture possible are: U.S. Bank, Bank of America, Huntington Bank, Bremer Bank, and Wells Fargo Bank. All were on hand to celebrate the ribbon cutting for the new to Minnesota, First Independence Bank.

On June 1, 2020, MDHR launched its pattern or practice investigation after a former MPD officer murdered George Floyd on May 25, 2020. MDHR’s investigation resulted in early and significant public safety changes. On June 8, 2020, MDHR obtained a temporary court order from Hennepin County District Court that required the City and MPD to make immediate changes. The court order required MPD to change how officers interact with community members and resulted in police accountability changes. Importantly, the City and MPD incorporated all the changes identified in the court order into their policies, ordinances, and procedures. MDHR’scomprehensive investigation included review of approximately 700 hours of body worn camera footage; review of approximately 480,000 pages of City and MPD documents; observation of approximately 87 hours of MPD Academy trainings; multiple ride-alongs with MPD officers in each of MPD’s five precincts; analysis of MPD’s policing data from the last ten years; and review of police use of force files and alleged police misconduct files. Additionally, MDHR interviewed current and former Mayors and Police Chiefs; MPD officers; City of Minneapolis staff and elected officials; prosecutors and public defenders; health care professionals; and representatives from violence prevention and support services organizations. MDHR also interviewed and reviewed statements from over 2,200

community members and conducted 15 listening sessions with neighborhood associations and organizations across Minneapolis. To assist with completing its investigation, MDHR worked with nationally recognized experts. This included policing practice experts at 21CP Solutions, many of whom formerly served as police chiefs around the United States, and Greg Ridgeway, a renowned statistician and Professor of Criminology, Statistics, and Data Science at the University of Pennsylvania and Chair of the Department of Criminology. MDHR thanks the Joyce Foundation for their continued support, which has allowed MDHR to work with these experts. This investigation would not have been possible without a team of lawyers and staﬀ from Kirkland & Ellis, which provided a tremendous amount of pro bono support. This includes support from Lisa Madigan, the former Illinois Attorney General, currently a partner at Kirkland & Ellis. About the Minnesota Department of Human Rights The Minnesota Department of Human Rights is the state’s civil rights enforcement agency. It is tasked with enforcing the Minnesota Human Rights Act, one of the most comprehensive state civil rights laws in the country. Document:  Findings from the Minnesota Department of Human Rights

insightnews.com

Insight News • May 2, 2022 - May 8, 2022 • Page 5

Education The truth about Twitter Hobb servation Point

By Chuck Hobbs Social media flew into a frenzy on Monday amid news that the enigmatic Elon Musk, as my old friend and Morehouse/Kappa Brother Smook Maxey called him yesterday, had purchased Twitter for a whopping $44 billion! Admittedly, I didn’t know what to make of this news at first as the following two things are true: 1. I didn’t know all that much about Elon Musk; 2. I’ve never quite understood the fascination with Twitter. Ok, to keep it all the way real, I never quite comprehended how to get followers and influence dialogue on Twitter in the same way that I figured out how to win friends and influence folks on Facebook, so my Twitter page has often been as barren as the ice planet Hoth in Star Wars over the past several years. Now, as to prong two (2) above, yes, I know that Twitter is home to over 200 million faithful users worldwide, many of whom have used its 280 character limit to spread

Candidates From 3 matters. She previously served as an assistant public defender in Hennepin County in the Adult Criminal Division and as a law clerk to Judge Tanya M. Bransford in the Fourth Judicial District. Mitchell’s

Menakem From 3 and watched 2000 people show up with AR15s; 2000 white bodies show up with AR15s and nobody got killed. I watched these people kick in the windows in the United States Capitol and no massive loss of life. I’ve watched them beat 141 police oﬃcers. And I’m sitting there thinking, this is the blue lives matter crowd. It dawned at me, they scream blue lives matter. and then they beat Capitol cops to a pulp. Some defenders die. But nobody ever wants to peer behind the curtain and ask, “Why is that particular pattern showing up?” If they do that to police oﬃcers, I know what they’ll do to my Black body. Then I saw the symbols, the historical, the intergenerational, the persistent institutional symbols of white hate. One of the most organizing symbols in American history is the noose. When, I saw the noose show up, I said, “We tapping into history now.” McFarlane: The message. Menakem: When, I saw the gallows show up, when I saw the swastika show up, when I saw the battle flag of the south show up, I say, “Oh, here we go. Here we go.” We had just landed into the historical and the intergenerational showing up at the same time. That’s what spurred me to start writing this book. Resmaa: McFarlane: Menakem: Black people know the shimmering and the shaking of white body supremacy. We’ve had to navigate it. We’ve had to understand the vibe of white supremacy. We’ve had to understand the shifts in meaning making. We’ve had to understand the visceral sensate experience of white body supremacy. White bodies collectively have not. So this is why they get surprised every time something happens. Collectively, they go, “Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening to my country.” And that lets you know the dissociation that

news, share opinions, and build their business or political brands since its founding in 2006. I also know that the platform was the de facto presidential press room for Donald Trump during his term in oﬃce, a place where everything from his policy proposals to personal attacks on opponents made headlines multiple times per day (until his personal account was banned for stoking the seeds of the January 6th MAGA Riots at the Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C.). As to the first prong above, I now realize that in addition to being a billionaire former co-founder of PayPal (and owner/chief engineer of Tesla Motors and Space X), that Elon Musk, a native South African, has shared his highly suspect views about the Coronavirus Pandemic that showed a hostility towards mask wearing, quarantines, vaccines, and everything in between. Musk’s views, like those of many on the right who claim that social media platforms stifle free speech by banning users who share demonstrably false (or politically inflammatory) information in the public square, has curiously made him a hero of sorts to those who believe that they should have a right to type that the “Earth is flat,” that

community involvement includes serving on the board of Women’s Advocates, a domestic violence shelter and advocacy organization in St. Paul. She previously served as a trustee for the Sheltering Arms Foundation and president of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers. Candidate Jennifer Verdeja is an assistant county attorney in Ramsey County in the Trial and Pretrial Justice Divisions. they have as it relates to race. I always remember what a white elder told me when I wrote My Grandmother’s Hands. Her name is Janice Barb. Janice said, “Resmaa the book is wonderful. But here’s one of the things I want you to always think about and remember: What white bodies did to Black and Indigenous bodies in enslavement and land theft and genocide, what they did to those bodies, they perfected on other white bodies first.” She said, “The middle ages, the Crusades, the conversions, all were elite, white bodies destroying and beating and land theft and doing those things to poor white bodies. By the time those bodies started to get out into the world and come here, they had been brutalized for a thousand years and they were...” Remember most immigrants, most European immigrants, most white bodies that are listening to us talk right now, brother are descended from white bodies who were fleeing something. That fleeing never got dealt with. And they created this pigmentocracy to blow all of that energy through our bodies, as opposed to healing it. And so my thing around the quaking, is to begin to help bodies, Black bodies, white bodies, Asian bodies, prepare for what they’re seeing and act like what they’re seeing is an important thing to pay attention to, rather than forgetting about it. More white women voted for Trump the second time, than the first time. Now think about that. After all the things you heard this man say and the horribleness of what he did, more white women decided that they wanted this. They decided that their selfinterest aligned with that. I wrote Quaking to refute this idea that their kindness and their niceness is enough to deal with the brutality that’s coming their way. McFarlane: What is spirt murder? You used that term today talking to Charlemagne Tha God and Angela Yee in you Breakfast Club intereview. Menakem: Spirit murder is structural in this society. We always look at the mistreatment of Judge Katanji Brown Jackson, in the

Elon Musk

the “sun rises in the west,” that “drinking Clorox will cure the Coronavirus,” or “let’s come to Washington and literally stop Joe Biden from stealing the election,” if they choose. Indeed, to that end, it will be quite interesting to see if former President Trump receives a Twitter platform pardon, if you will, from Musk in the days ahead? Stay tuned... But what’s equally clear is that there is also displeasure from those on the center-left of the political spectrum who have their own issues with free or stifled speech, many of whom announced yesterday that they are leaving Twitter in protest of the inevitable return of Mr. Trump and his followers who fled to the

failing Parler and Truth Social apps over the past two years. When I raised the issue about the Musk-Twitter transaction yesterday, a number of my Facebook followers were quick to weigh in; check out a few of the following: Interestingly enough, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey called its new owner “the singular solution I trust” late Monday after Musk reached his deal to purchase his former site. Dorsey added: “In principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter. It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company. Solving for the problem of it being a company however, Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness.”

She prosecutes felony-level crimes, focusing on criminal sexual conduct, homicides, and assaults. She also serves on the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Human Traﬃcking Investigators Task Force and the Second District Ethics Committee. Verdeja previously worked as an assistant county attorney in Anoka County and an assistant public defender and community corrections worker for Ramsey

County. Verdeja’s community involvement includes serving as a judge for the Urban Debate League, a volunteer with the Cretin-Derham Hall Parents’ Association, and a youth coach in St. Paul.

Supreme Court nomination hears, as episodic. But no, it is persistent and pervasive. The murder of our spirit first is the order of the day. It is part and parcel of enslavement. It seeks to break and murder the spirit, so you can then mold a worker as opposed to have to deal with an African. The people that I... The idea that they enslaved slaves is a foolish concept. They did not enslave slaves. They enslaved farmers, architects, medical people, doctors. They did that intentionally. They literally went down the west coast of Africa and looked at who had the farming knowledge. They wanted people who had knowledge about land because they did not. They went and got people who were already doing life at a high level - architects, blacksmiths, doulas. Spirit murder is now making you believe that you were insuﬃcient. Spirit murder is making you believe that white folks’ ice is colder. Spirit murder is what you saw when they went at sister Ketanji. They could not touch her in terms of her credentials. So if they couldn’t touch her in terms of her credentials, what did they need to do? What they wanted to do was show all the other white folks, “We got this handled, don’t be uncomfortable. We got it handled. And here’s how you know we got to it handled… we will say the most vile things... We will ask her the most vile questions that go to not her jurisprudence, but to her humanness.”

me 30 years ago by my elders, elder mother Atum Azzahir and Sabakman. It took nine months before I got my name. They sat with me and they sat with my wife. In the Kemetic tradition your name is not just what people call you. It is also the guidepost by which you should be living and aligning your life towards. So my name Res, means to cause to rise. The first part, res means to cause to rise. Maa is my maat, for the alignment... In the alignment of the truth. Mena means mooring. It’s that post that you put in a dock that all of the other rest of the post may break apart. Resmaa: But that one post is sitting up there and you go, well, what is that? Why is that there? It used to be a poster. That’s the mooring. It solidifies things to a place. It orients people to a place. And Kem means black. So my name and my role and my purpose on this planet is he who causes to rise in the alignment of truth, using the foundation of his people. And so that name can’t be something that I give myself. That name has to be something that emerges from my interaction and what the community and what my people see as my role and in align with what I have an understanding of what my work has been. And so the older you get, the more your name evolves. So at one point when I’m 14 years old, my name means something else. Resmaa: When, I’m 49 years old now it means something else. Because, the older I get the and the more that I have, the more trust is given to me by the community. So the idea that, and remember everything in Kemetic tradition was always to tied to creation. Everything. And not God as a substitute for creation, because our concept of God really is a bestow God. It is what was beat and raped into us for 250 years. But this idea of creation as emergence and what we have to do is work on the thing that thwarts emergence. so that thing that we are actually, and our purpose that is supposed to emerge can actually emerge. But you can’t do that if you’re in a structure that thwarts it. You have to pay attention to the thwarting and loosen the thwarting so that thing that can naturally emerge can emerge.

That’s spirit murder. It is a pervasive and persistent attack on the spirit, on the connection, on the joy of Black bodies. McFarlane: Tell me about your name, Resmaa Menakem. How it came to you, why you chose it, why you wear it and what it means to you. In the telling, talk about how humans lost a system and a process of cooperative governance that they called Maat, as a way of life, a way of being, and took a path that I call Sethian, a path that glorified violence as a shortcut to achieve aims that resulted, the ability of the few, rule the many. Resmaa: I didn’t choose my name. My name was given to

Candidate Der Yang is the founder of Village Lawyer, a general practice firm with emphasis on family law and criminal defense located in the Hmong Village on St. Paul’s

Humorously, I translated Dorsey’s words to exclaim “I just got paid,” like the Johnny Kemp 80’s era classic R&B song, so I didn’t expect much else from him on the sale. But it may surprise even my own friends and followers to know that while I reject most right wing political perspectives—and I absolutely abhor racist rhetoric on any social media platform—I guess I’ve always understood the idea that the free market gives social media owners a right to allow whatever type of speech that they desire on their platforms—from the profound, to the profane, to the inane! You see, on multiple occasions these past 11 years, my Facebook account has been frozen by their “community standards” police all because I was telling the whole truth

about

systemic racism! But I also understand that without those stints in Facebook Jail, that I might not have created this very blog to deliver my views directly to those who appreciate the way that my mind (and trenchant pen) work! Thus, my conclusion, which is that Musk’s purchase of Twitter doesn’t vex me all that much because should I find the platform too distasteful at some point in the near future, it will be my prerogative to simply deactivate my account and move on! Thank you and please subscribe to the Hobbservation Point! 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.

East Side. She is also an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where she teaches civil dispute resolution, civil procedure, and family law. Yang was previously an assistant public defender in Stearns County and a special public defender in St. Louis County. She serves as chair of the Advocacy Committee for the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library. She is also a volunteer attorney for the Volunteer

Lawyer’s Network and a youth mentor with the Yang Wameng Association of Minnesota. Yang serves as a competition brief and moot court judge at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and the University of Minnesota Law School. For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage.

In Quaking of America I say, “look, what we have to be about in terms of Black bodies and other bodies of culture, is reclaiming those things that thwart our emergence, and you can’t reclaim those things by trying to retrofit it into yoga or retrofit it into Christianity or retrofitted into Islam.

body has been conditioned. It’s a global advantage. Let me give you an example. When you are in the Ukraine and you’re fleeing war from the Russians, and you take the time to say you, Black bodies, get off of this boat, get off of this train, get off of this…, that’s white body supremacy in action. It is because the white body is seen as standard globally because it was an export and the Black and Indigenous body was seen as deviant from the standard of humanness. The race question in this country, at its root, is a species question. It has always been a species question. The way that they use the term race in European thought was about categorizing a race of dog, a race of cat , a race of bird: a species. Well, they took that idea and grafted it on human beings. And then operated and created institution to reinforce that notion the medical institutions were used to reinforce, the economic institutions were used to reinforce it. And so the Quaking I’m really trying to get at us to begin to slow down enough, pause and create culture, what I call a somatic abolitionist culture. Underneath that, what I talk about is that we have to be about the business day to day, repping and conditioning around creating a living, embodied, anti-racist culture, not strategy, not tips, culture. A living, embodied, anti-racist culture does - not exist within the white population collectively. It does not. Resmaa: They have no sense of a collective understanding of it. So, let me just say this last piece, the collective white culture cannot conceive of a free black body. Pause on that for a second. There is no reference point they have in terms of a free indigenous body. It is why, when you see brother Kaepernick kneel on the football field, and the collective white culture loses their mind, quietly leaning on it. That because white comfort trumps black liberation. When, you see sister Osaka say, “I don’t want to do these things anymore in tennis. I don’t want to interview. I don’t want to do these. It hurts me.” The collective white consciousness says, “How dare you?”

The black body. When creation decided that there was going to be an emergence of a human entity, that emergence was a Black woman first, and everybody else came through that. And the only way you get around that is to have a different understanding or a different world view as opposed to that basic fact. And so for me, I see that idea of emergence comes out of the cosmological idea of Blackness. Not Blackness as a tomb, but Blackness as a womb, a pregnancy, something to be birthed. And so for me, all of my work is about how do we begin to become more aligned with that idea and not have to retrofit it into somebody’s else’s concept. But that the Black body and the Black skin and the melanized skin is actually a representation of creation and emergence itself. McFarlane: Amazing. Wonderful. And so how do we generate broad understanding, broad awareness? You talk about the reckoning. The reckoning, I think, is also the awakening. They are hand in hand or kindred. What do you see as the process? The path? Resmaa: I say they can akin to one another. All of my books are about practice and reps and getting your body tempered and conditioned to be able to deal with the 400 years of enslavement, the genocide, the brutality. And it’s one of the reasons why I stopped using the term white privilege. I don’t use the term white privilege anymore, because structurally, if you’re born in the society, by which the white body deems itself the supreme standard by which all bodies, humanity, shall be measured philosophically and structurally; if you are born into that structure and you are in a white body, it is not a privilege in that white body. It is an advantage. They’re different. It is an advantage where the white

Page 6 • May 2, 2022 - May 8, 2022 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Insight 2 Health

Planet Rescue Columnist

By Brenda Lyle-Gray Socrates once wrote that the secret to change is to focus all our energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new. The ‘new’ Minneapolis’ Northside is renewable energy. Kristel Porter, a passionate environmental activist, has long championed an alternative energy source from the sun in lieu of unhealthy and dangerous fuels provided by the utility industry -. coal, nuclear, hydro, natural gas. As the executive director for MN Renewable Now, Porter addresses community challenges determined to build opportunities and enhance the quality of life for North Minneapolis residents. Partnering with Jamez Staples, owner of Renewable Energy Partners (REP), the goal is to

Zimbabwe From 3 People do not trust banks, and credit card companies charge exorbitant fees, and hold onto processing payments until the exchange rates drop and also take a hefty percent for processing; vendors say they actually lose money on credit card transactions! No BIG Money Wanted To complicate this cash only environment is the fact that you cannot use large bill denominations. No one has change for a $50 (except maybe high-end restaurants; and their prices reflect the convenience

oﬀer training programs in solar energy, EV (electrical vehicle) charging, and green energy eﬃciency infrastructures. “Homes should be electrified with renewable resources, but it’s hard to put solar on a roof. Maybe those who desire to do so don’t own a home, or their debt/income ratio would disqualify them from getting financed. I know without a doubt that the benefits coming from the sun onto solar panels far outweigh the costs over time. We can lower carbon footprints, not have to depend on dirty energy, be part of a utility company, and save the planet for future generations. I call it energy assistance through renewable energy.” Porter goes on to explain that if a resident in the Zip Code 55411 decides to subscribe, there will be two meters. One would show energy being taken in, and another would indicate how much energy is being put into the grid. Xcel buys that energy through a bill credit. Everybody shares. The renewable energy advocate points out that the lack of financing opportunities is not the only barrier. A subscriber can they provide: $110 for two people to eat and pay with a card. (And, the food wasn’t that great!) Did I mention that Zimbabweans will NOT take currency earlier than 2007, and forget giving them torn, badly crumpled, or worm bills. They will smile and say. “No Good.” All Is Not Lost The Zimbabwe people are lovely and helpful. COVID has cast a cloud over tourism. There is little to do as a visitor. One of the largest art galleries has closed because the owners died. The Shona sculpture place, Chaponga Sculpting, was also closed temporarily. So, the sheet of “what to do in Zimbabwe” provided by the Guesthouse was over 50% useless. Not only is there not

AN INTIMATE EVENING OF SONGS & STORIES W/ SUZANNE VEGA Art-Pop Pioneer

MAY 5

JANIVA MAGNESS W/ ANNIE MACK Soul-Stirring Blues Music

MAY 7

Courtesy mplsclimate.org

Kristel Porter purchase no more than 120% of their usage that will cover the cost of their electric bill and perhaps aﬀord a 20% return when all other entities have been paid. Businesses should consider being backed up by solar generators. Porter said the electric utility company, “Just doesn’t like to see other people own power. There is a climate emergency, and it cannot go unchecked,” she warned. “The world is on fire, and we have to save ourselves,” she said, indicating two bills, H File 1133 and Senate File 2191 will be introduced to the Legislature requesting funding for rooftop

solar panels for area schools on the Northside. For Kyle Samejima, Executive Director of the nonprofit, Minneapolis Climate Action, it’s about ‘doing the right thing’ and that, in part, means focusing on local and equitable energy alternatives. “We want to bring choices, possible solutions, and benefits to the local level. We know pollution and climate change aﬀect low income and people of color the most. We can create projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but we can’t ignore the blatant realities of the problem - that extractive capitalism takes advantage of

much too see, tourists are advised strongly agains walking/wandering about. Brave #blackfeministtraveler that I am — I also am not stupid; so much of my time was spent in the guest house, which did have a nice garden and pool (but April is wintertime — no swimming) and going back and forth to diﬀerent restaurants. Those excursions gave us a tiny glimpse of Zimbabwe life. The country is noted for its Shona soapstone sculptures, and while Chaponga was closed, we did see evidence of craftspeople (mostly men) going about their trade, along the road to and from the airport. However, no time to stop. The Mukuvisi Woodlands Nature Reserve, with its protected wildlife was open, though operating with limited staﬀ — even the Director was

pitching in and making the rounds. The aviary was closed for repairs. And, the smallest antelope in world remained hidden to our peering eyes. (Image 3. Mukuvisi Woodlands Sign ©Irma McClaurin But it is a sanctuary in the middle of the city — not far from the highway — and is designed for the protected animals to run free and for visitors to walk about. According to its website (http:// www.mukuvisiwoodland.co.zw/), the Reserve is a “national treasure.” With COVID protocols, Mukuvisi Woodland provided the idea space to maintain social distance, yet enjoy the fresh air and sun after a few rainy days. Image 4 Wildlife in Mukuvisi ©Irma McClaurin My brother and I encountered local and foreign families taking advantage of

MUSICIANS FOR UKRAINE Orkestar Bez Ime Ukrainian Village Band Slovczech

MAY 6

the open conditions, and it was inexpensive. Entrance is $5 US with $4 for children over five. As a “senior,” my entry was free! One advantage to aging! Children under five also have free entrance. Wandering about the Reserve, we managed to encounter a few Zebras up close and personal. It is possible my brother’s Zebralike shirt may have caused them to mistake him for one of their own. But, on the whole, the animals seemed gentle creatures who paid us no mind. We also saw some giraﬀes, but at a distance. Image 5 Zebras in Mukuvisi ©Irma McClaurin; Image 6 Rory McClaurin & Zebra ©Irma McClaurin; Image 7 Giraﬀes in Mukuvisi ©Irma McClaurin

Zimbabwe We did ask the Sunbird Guest House to provide its customers with more info beforehand about the country’s heavy reliance on cash dollars. Simply put — don’t expect to use credit cards. Before we departed, we saw they had listened and created a “Helpful Hints” sheet. Hopefully, they will mail it to guests along with the Reservation BEFORE they arrive. If not, once there, you are at the mercy of the winds of economic change, which only blow in the direction of cash dollars. With no visible ATMs and advice to avoid banks (because of the low exchange rate), be

Helpful Hints for Surviving in

ZIMBABWE 7

To Protect Yourself and Others from Covid-19 If you feel sick...

— SUNDAY MAY 8 —

ROBERT ROBINSON 12:30AM DOORS/1:15 MUSIC

DARRELL SCOTT Superlative Roots Songsmith

MAY 8 • 7PM

MAY 9

STRONGER THAN PRIDE: THE PASSIONATE SONGS OF SADE FEAT. CATE FIERRO

BRIAN MCKNIGHT 4 R&B/Soul Superstar

MAY 10

MAY 12–13

EMMALINE Romantic Retro Vocals

SOPHIA SHORAI Sublime & Swinging Jazz Vocals

MAY 14

MAY 15

WAIPUNA Mesmerizing Hawaiian Sounds

VIEUX FARKA TOURE Malian Desert Blues Prince

612.332.5299 dakotacooks.com

and their children, we pray. Climate change has the potential of impacting us all. If soil does not hold the nutrients and water is polluted, crops cannot grow, food will be scarce, economies will weaken, our health will be compromised, devastating weather patterns will evolve even more deadly than what we have already experienced around the world, and the future for generations to come will be in peril. Everyone accounted for; everyone accountable. ‘This is the moment to change it all. The business of climate; the political climate; and how we take action on climate. Now is the time for the unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, our families, and our livelihood. Together we must invest in our planet.” (Quote source: Earth Day websit) For further information: Kristel@ MNrenewablenow.org www.mplsclimate. org Tap Our Work - Community Solar Gardens www.earthday.org/ earth-day-2022 (A partnership for the Planet, April 22nd: Earth Day 2022. Action Tool Kit; Help Plant Trees; join or create a clean up group; 52 ways to get involved

GYPSY MANIA HOT CLUB 10AM DOORS/10:45 MUSIC

MOTHER’S DAY OVER THE RHINE Ethereal and Earthy Harmonies

MAY 16

these communities through environmental, social, and racial injustices. Climate Action partners with community nonprofits to inform residents of their options and the resources available for alternative energy. A huge endeavor of Climate Action has been the installation of a 900 panel array on the roof of North High School. A Community Solar Garden gives people opportunities, and a voice. Investors reap the benefits together. Grant resources and investors assisted in the completion of the solar project. It has also been a great scientific learning classroom right ‘on top of the roof’ for North High students and community members, Samejima said. The only requirement for subscribers and investors is that they must be paying an Xcel bill. No upfront money is needed. You can rent or own your home. There’s no income or credit check review. The company has tried to eliminate all the barriers and even oﬀer a ‘pay-as-you-go option. “We need to act boldly, innovate broadly, and implement equitably, wrote an Earth Day planner. “It’s going to take all of us - all in. We cannot assume we will or will not be around when the last glacier melts. It’s happening fast. But our children might still be here

MAY 18 1010 Nicollet Mall Minneapolis, MN

CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS

START WEARING A MASK

GET TESTED

STAY HOME IF YOU TEST POSITIVE

GET VACCINATED For more information, visit northpointhealth.org/ coronavirus-updates

Scan this QR code for more vaccine information

insightnews.com

Insight News • May 2, 2022 - May 8, 2022 • Page 7

Aesthetically It

The Gospel According to a Black Woman Sharing Our Stories

By: W.D. Foster-Graham The Gospel According to a Black Woman by Ebony Adedayo What is your truth? When we have been living our lives according to other people’s expectations and someone else’s narrative, this question requires much self-care, selfexamination, and love in order

Zimbabwe From 6 careful not to find yourself stuck! The ‘Other’ Zimbabwe Like every developing country, there are diﬀerent socioeconomic strata — and Zimbabwe is no diﬀerent. In the population, there are those who are so impoverished that they defy traditional economic classification — poor/ impoverished/dirt poor(?) — not sure what descriptive makes sense? After all, these words are connected to real people, and their lives. We saw this “other” Zimbabwe when we were invited along on a visit. Our (white) Zimbabwe host was someone who had adopted a (Black) Zimbabwe woman and her family; she invited us to come as she delivered a 5 kg bag of maize. This is the basis for Zimbabwe sadza (a corn-based staple). Unfortunately, she informed us, studies have shown that sadza is also responsible for the high incidence of diabetes in the country. To get to the living quarters, we literally had to trudge through a garbage dump; we made our way to a “shack” (in the loosest sense of the word) comprised of a thatched roof and

to determine what it is, and then live it. For Black women, who have been held to certain stereotypes and other people’s beliefs, this question rings loud and strong. In The Gospel According to a Black Woman, Ebony Adedayo addresses this issue head on. In her words, “What happens if we, as Black women, insisted that truth is not only found in sacred texts like the Bible, but is also found in us, within the depths of our experience? What happens if we collectively insisted that our lives, our bodies, are also sacred texts that need to be studied and taken seriously?” That being said, fasten your seat belts as

this dark-skinned Black woman, through journaling and poetry, takes us on her journey of truth through the following themes: In the Beginning Trials and Tribulations Lipstick on a Pig Holding Up the World (Even As the World Kills Us) Remembering What We Learned to Forget A Way Out of No Way What I Am Not Going to Do Black Joy I loved the way that each theme is illustrated by her poetry and her journals, thus adding extra impact to her expression of truth. I also loved her note that when someone’s

truth is used as a tool of oppression and maligning, that “truth” is actually a farce. Also of note is her take on her final story, Forgetting Sodom. She reminds us that this is a journey and not a destination, and through her work she doesn’t shy away from the historical and contemporary issues of racism, sexism, homophobia, abuse, identity, #45, COVID, culture, the workplace agenda/politics, religion and spirituality. She further reminds us that it is not a Black woman’s responsibility to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to social justice. Adedayo is the founder and creator of the Kinky

Curly Theological Collective, a space centering African-born and African American women. She is also a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota in Curriculum and Instruction, minoring in Culture and Teaching and African American and African Studies. After reading her work, I was reminded of this quote by Luvvie Ajayi: “Until the lion shares his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sister Ebony, for uplifting and validating the truth of Black women.

some kind of wall structure to hold it up, covered in plastic, which our guide had given, to protect the family from the elements. The occupant, we were told, was a woman with three children that included a six-month old baby. She was not at home. Image 8 Walking to Shack ©Irma McClaurin; Image 9 Living Quarters ©Irma McClaurin; Image 10 Kitchen ©Irma McClaurin; Image 11 Guide to other Harare ©Irma McClaurin Seeing such conditions is a sobering reminder of how much privilege we take for granted, and how little others have to access. While this place/space might not have looked like much to us, for the occupant it was a safe, secure, and near a supply of clean water (protected by a guard), with land to grown corn and other foods that might supplement the processed bag of maize. There are few words to truly describe extreme poverty. It is real. But for this family, regardless of what we visitors perceived, it was home. Who can argue with that?

been smooth. White ownership of businesses is highly visible as are ownership of more exclusive homes — all surrounded by high brick fences decorated with barbed wire, inside guarded and gated compounds. There is some undertone of resentment when whites speak of farmland they grew up on as “stolen” or comment freely on the lack of progress made by the now Black majority government. Image 12 White Owned Business Harare ©Irma McClaurin

help them learn how to market their skills as artists to generate revenue, and to show how art can have a positive influence on tAs a means to help people understand how his organization is working to create an arts economy, primarily for street youth, I suggested he launch a video campaign: #whyIart. Image 18 Author with Tinashe, cofounder of Unheard My brother and I brainstormed with Tinashe about what he could do to garner support for his vision. To launch a concept that emerged from the collective brainstorming—giving people a sample of who his artists were—I recorded Tinashe’s video, in which he talks about the art landscape in Zimbabwe, and why he launched this project. We hit upon this hashtag: “#whyIart.” Tinashe Video on #whyIart: https://www. instagram.com/p/CciB-3UqoDL/ From Tinashe’s perspective, “there is no culture in Zimbabwe to support artists.” Indeed, according to him, fashion modeling is viewed by his society as the domain of prostitutes; therefore, youth are hesitant to be associated with the industry. And, just like in the U.S., finding support for the arts is a low priority. There appears to be no local philanthropic foundations to support and fund arts programs. And, my experience with philanthropy is that they

tend to fund already established organizations, which leaves entrepreneurs like Tinashe in the cold. He works a day job and uses some of his livelihood to fund the work, and is constantly thinking of ways to generate new revenue. I left Tinashe with my leveler clip miniature microphone to assist with his video recordings of “#whyIart” from his unheard artists constituents on the streets. It will produce clear sound, even if there is ambient background noise. I also suggested that instead of asking for money to support his cause, he might ask people to donate items like memory cards for his phone to record the videos, provide supplies for artists like brushes, give a portable tripod with a smart phone holder, or purchase fabric for fashion designers. People like to know that what they give is being put to good use, and in this cash economy, people are reluctant to give money for fear it might be used for something else. Travelers from the global north, and Zimbabweans returning home for a visit, consider reaching out to Tinashe via Instagram with an oﬀer of supplies. They will be put to good use. If you are looking for some local businesses to support, try Organikks or visit Gava’s restaurant, an outdoor, open-air (think big tent) eating place (https://www.gavas.co.zw/

Zimbabwe Today Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) was once a Black majority country ruled by a white minority — a colonial cousin to South Africa and apartheid. Independence on April 18, 1980 brought a Black majority rule, but the transition has not

Art as Survival Activism I did encounter a glimmer of hope in Zimbabwe’s future. It rests with the country’s youth. Thirty-nine (38.9%) percent of Zimbabwe’s population is under the age of 15. The largest group are called “working” population and range between 15 and 64 years of age. Only 6 percent of Zimbabwe’s population is 65 years or older. I was able to do a little coaching along the way with a young Zimbabwean. After meeting during our visit to the restaurant where he worked, Tinashe (whose name means “We have God”), our young waiter came by to tell us about a new nonprofit he started. Image 13 Author with Waiter Tinashe He is the co-founder of “Unheard Voices Agency,” now only on Instagram (https://bit.ly/ whyiart). Unheard Voices Agency wants to provide youth artists with support and representation,

& https://www.instagram.com/ gavasrestaurant/ ). Gava’s owner, his wife, and their child, along with an awesome service staﬀ made our last meal in Zimbabwe memorable and delicious. Somewhere there is a video of me even talking to a fish head — at the urging of my brother. Image I leave you now, but with the knowledge that in the midst of these adverse socio-economic circumstances, there is hope; there are young people who are trying to make a diﬀerence in their own and other people’s lives through the arts right here in Harare. ©2022 Irma McClaurin Irma McClaurin (http:// irmamcclaurin.com/ https:// twitter.com/mcclaurintweets) is a #blackfeministtraveler, an activist anthropologist, award-winning writer, and Culture and Education Editor and columnist for Insight News. In 2015, she was named “Best in the Nation Columnist” by the Black Press of America. McClaurin is a past president of Shaw University, CEO and Senior Consultant of Irma McClaurin Solutions, and founder of the Irma McClaurin Black Feminist Archive (bit.ly/blkfemarchive) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Forthcoming in 2022 is a collection of her columns, JustSpeak: Reflections on Race, Culture, and Politics in America.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AFFECTS YOUR WHOLE BODY

IS YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE HIGHER THAN 120/80?

HEART DISEASE

KIDNEY DISEASE

STROKE

LOSS OF VISION

MEMORY ISSUES

High blood pressure (hypertension) can lead to heart disease, kidney disease and stroke. Monitoring your blood pressure at home can help you know your numbers! Talk to your provider or healthcare team to help get your blood pressure under control.

LORRAINE HANSBERRY directed by AUSTENE VAN

Now – June 5 612.377.2224 / guthrietheater.org