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November 13, 2023 - November 19, 2023
Vol. 50 No. 46• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
MCAFEE’S MAXIM
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Left to right: Shawn Sorrell, Rev. Jerry McAfee and Rev. Alfred Babington Johnson at The Black Men’s Legacy Summit II.
STORY ON PAGE
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Insight News • November 13, 2023 - November 19, 2023 • Page 3
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Vol. 50 No. 46• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
Minneapolis and See, Seek, Seize, Secure Saint Paul city council results McAfee’s Maxim for Building Black Wealth By Al McFarlane Editor
Part 2 in a series He delivered the grand, sweeping opus, calling it a work in four movements. It was a recipe, a visualized instruction for how to address the challenge of the moment, the mission of the Black Men’s Legacy Summit II. The Reverend Jerry McAfee declared: “You must see it. You must seek it. You must seize it. But that is not enough,” he said. “You must secure it!” Pastor of New Salem Missionary Baptist Church, in North Minneapolis, McAfee delivered the call to action, wrapping up the day-long Summit focused on the theme “Reclaiming Control of Our Future. The standing room only event was presented by Build Wealth MN and partner organizations collaborating under the expansive initiative called 9000 Equities – a strategy for growing and strengthening homes, families and legacies. The event was held at the Regional Acceleration Center, often referred to as The Thor Building, 1256 Penn Avenue N.
Rev. Jerry McAfee
tpphotostudio
The collaborative is working to reduce the wealth gap between Black and white Minnesota households by 15% in five to seven years. To do that, Build Wealth says it will finance almost 9000 home purchases in that time frame. “Before we receive anything, we need to see it first,” McAfee said. “We need to see it in our mind, see it in our future. And as you see it, it formulates mental clarity around the possibility.” “Then you must seek it. You have to work toward manifesting it by obtaining the information that you need, the knowledge that you need, and the resources you need to bring that which you seek into physical reality.” “Once you get there, you seize it! You seize the moment! Your thought process, the time that you spend, everything is geared towards that.” And once it’s in your hands, once you seize it, you’ve got to secure it. You have to protect it,” he said. McAfee illustrated the point with a story about
Minneapolis : Ward 1 Elliott Payne Ward 2 Robin Wonsley Ward 3 Michael Rainville Ward 4 LaTrisha M. Vetaw Ward 5 Jeremiah Bey Ellison Ward 6 Jamal Osman Ward 7 Katie Cashman Ward 9 Jason Chavez Ward 10 Aisha Chughtai Ward 11 Emily Koski Ward 12 Aurin Chowdhury Ward 13 Linea Palmisano Anika Bowie and Cheniqua Johnson may win Ward 1 and Ward 7 seats respectively on the St. Paul City Council if 2nd and 3rd choice vote totals deliver victories for them. “I’m always in the business of making history,”
Anika Bowie, who led in the crowded Ward 1 race. Hwa Jeong Kim won in Ward 5 with over 50% of the ward’s first choice votes. When St. Paul’s new City Council is sworn in early next year, it may be the city’s youngest, most racially diverse — and its first made up entirely of women. Voters on Tuesday re-elected incumbents Rebecca Noecker, Mitra Jalali and Nelsie Yang, and elected firsttime candidates Saura Jost and Hwa Jeong Kim. The two remaining races, in the First and Seventh wards, didn’t have declared winners at press time. But women of color are leading in both contests. Saura Jost won slightly under 50% the first choice votes, and said she expected to prevail in the election. “I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and work with everyone in the ward to build that future,” she said.
LEGACY SUMMIT 4
Andre “Debonaire” McNeal
Esteemed Twin Cities event promoter who started nonprofit to help teens dies in a car wreck By Jennifer Hoff (KARE 11) Courtesy of Aamira Redd
Protestors in solidarity with Palenstine By Aamira Redd Contributing Writer Over the past weekend, a collective of hundreds of protesters spanning the Twin Cities rallied in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian movement. Waving Palestinian flags and displaying signs advocating for a cease-fire, they passionately chanted slogans such as, “From the rivers to the sea, Palestine will be free,” among others. The event was a collaboration of various local organizations such as Indigenious Roots, Black Lives Matter, and the Minnesota Peace
Coalition, which took place at the Mayday Plaza on Cedar avenue. Sana Wazwaz, a representative of American Muslims for Palestine, took to the microphone to relate an anecdote reflecting the experiences of both Indigenous communities and Palestinians, “Our colonizers share the same playbook. Our colonizers share the same tactics. And likewise, the people that are being colonized will stand together, walking together, hand in hand for liberation,” said Wazwaz. Emotions ran high as one protester tearfully shared a personal testament. “My family is Palestinian, and I have family in the Middle East,” they said,
“and it’s good to see all the support if it means it’s going to end soon.” In St. Paul, Women Against Military Madness, a nonviolent and feminist organization, has organized weekly protests and vigils in support of Palestine for the past three weeks. Last Friday, a group of demonstrators gathered at the corner of Snelling and Summit, echoing sentiments similar to their counterparts in Minneapolis. Their unified call was for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the Biden administration to reconsider military aid to Israel. Passing vehicles showed support by honking their horns, some even throwing peace signs out the window.
Simultaneously, Monday marked 30 days of bombings in Gaza with over 9,500 deaths reported. This stark milestone emphasizes the ongoing crisis and the need for international attention and intervention. The protesters’ demands for a ceasefire and to end the siege of Gaza have steadily gained signifance, as thousands of protesters gathered at the Freedom Plaza in Washington D.C where they marched to the White House. Protesters and community organizers have declared that they will continue to protest until a ceasefire has been called.
Book Review
A Reflection of My Life’s Relationships
PAGE 6
Andre “Debonaire” McNeal and his wife started the Doorstep Foundation in 2015 to help teenagers build critical life skills through mentorship. Friends and family are remembering Andre McNeal who founded the Doorstep Foundation, a nonprofit in the Twin Cities that helps mentor teenagers. The Minnesota State Patrol says the 53-year-old died in a car crash on Interstate 94 Sunday night in north Minneapolis. McNeal, who is widely known as Debonaire, was also an esteemed event promoter, comedian and radio DJ. The crash has left a lot of people in shock, including his friend of 25 years — James C. Burroughs. “We always call and check on each other and I’m not going to get that call anymore,” said Burroughs. “That hurts.”
McNeal moved to Minnesota in the mid-1990s. Debonaire was his stage name, but he made a name for himself cultivating R & B and jazz venues and restaurants, among other businesses. At one point, him and Burroughs even went into business together. “In order to make sure people, who are people of color, want to stay here, want to have something to do and get engaged,” said Burroughs about McNeal’s drive to build relationships and cultivate spaces. In 2015, he and his wife started the Doorstep Foundation that was featured as part of Communities that KARE two years ago. The Doorstep Foundation connects families to counseling services. Through mentorships, the children and teens learn positive interaction and social skills, along with coping skills, which McNeal said in an interview back that was important after George Floyd›s death and the unrest that
MCNEAL 5
News
Harmon elected mayor of Golden Valley
PAGE 7
Page 4 • November 13, 2023 - November 19, 2023 • Insight News
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MNDot
Resurfacing of intersection at Highway 5/West 7th Street and 5th Street in downtown St. Paul begins Monday, Nov. 13 Resurfacing of the intersection of Highway 5/West 7th Street and 5th Street (also known as Cleveland Circle) near the northwest corner of the Xcel Energy Center will begin at 7 a.m. Monday, Nov. 13. Construction crews will remove crumbling red concrete and resurface the intersection with asphalt. Following completion,
MnDOT will restripe lane markings and pedestrian/bicycle crossings. During the project, the intersection of 5th Street and Highway 5/West 7th Street will be closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic from 7 a.m., Monday, Nov. 13 until 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17. During the closure,
motorists and pedestrians should follow the signed detours: Pedestrian access/ detours: Follow the signed detours around the construction zone. Pedestrians should not cross Highway 5/W. 7th St. through the construction zone. Vehicle detours: o Eastbound 7th Street - Go east (right) on Kellogg
Legacy Summit
wealth.
getting beat in so many areas that you can just look in their eyes and see they feel defeated. The only things they run to, many times, are sports or raunchy rap music where we degrade what we ought to be loving.” “The rubber going to have to meet the road somewhere along the line. And I think that The Black Men’s Legacy Summit is an awful good start,” McAfee said. Next week: In Class with David McGee – a master class on building generational wealth.
From 3 his family’s migration from Mississippi to a rural Michigan community. “When I was growing up, we were seasonal fruit picking laborers for the region’s bountiful farming industries. Now, our family owns much of land we once worked. And my father, who is now in his 90’s, created a covenant among us that we would never sell the land. He set in motion our quest for generational
He secured it!” “And at his age,” McAfee beamed, “he is building a new house for himself. When you love what you do, it’s not work. It’s mission.” McAfee described the four movements as a tool for restoring hope. “We’ve lost our sense of hope. We’ve stopped dreaming. We stopped thinking of possibility,” he said. “We’ve had trauma, but we’ve got to get our dreams back. We’ve got to start thinking we can do it again. Nothing kills you faster than when you start with ‘I can’t’ or when you don’t dream.” “Black men are
Blvd, north (left) on Wabasha St., west (left) on 6th St., east (right) on 7th St. o Eastbound 7th Street to west I-94 on-ramp – Go west (left) on Kellogg Blvd, north (right) on Smith Ave., west (left) on 6th Street, to westbound I-94 on-ramp o Westbound 7th Street – west (right) on Old 6th
Street, south (left) on Smith Ave. (normally buses only), east (left) on Kellogg Blvd, west (right) on 7th Street o Eastbound I-94 to 5th Street exit – south (right) on Smith Ave. to Kellogg Blvd. o Westbound 6th Street – Go west (left) turn at 7th St., onto Old 6th St., south (left) on Smith Ave.
NOTE: All construction activities and traffic impacts are weather and schedule permitting and subject to change. For updated road condition information, call 511 or visit www.511mn.org.
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Insight News • November 13, 2023 - November 19, 2023 • Page 5 McNeal was speeding when he lost control and hit the sound wall and then the median about three miles south of I-694.
McNeal From 3
The report also found he was not wearing a seatbelt. The investigation is still ongoing.
followed. “It’s one thing to mentor somebody and make them how you want them to be like you, but Debonaire would give of himself to let them see how they could be their full selves and shape themselves into whatever they wanted to be,” said Burroughs. “Some of the children looked to him as that father figure.” The McNeals hope then was to see the Doorstep Foundation grow in all school districts and counties in the Twin Cities. Now, the community is left grieving and wondering what’s next. “He was always giving to others and he never asked for anything in return, and that was the core of his heart and what made him special to a lot of people,” said Burroughs. The State Patrol says
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A Reflection of My Life’s Relationships
MURUA MOMs™: A SPECIAL PROGRAM FOR PREGNANT AFRICAN AMERICAN MOMS WHO WANT A BETTER LIFE FOR THEMSELVES & THEIR BABIES
Sharing Our Stories
THIS GROUP IS FOR YOU! Are you a pregnant African American mom who wants a better life for you and your unborn baby? Do you feel “stressed out” about your life and your new baby’s health? Do you want to gain new strategies to address the challenge of overcoming issues of chemical abuse, emotional problems, and unhealthy relationships?
By: W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor COFFEE A Reflection of My Life’s Relationships By James Estwick
James Estwick
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Murua Moms™©2008 Program Philosophy The goal of the Murua Moms program is to promote wellness and improve birth outcomes for pregnant African American women, especially those experiencing high stress conditions, chemical abuse, or mental health diagnoses. Program participants will gain hands-on guidance from licensed providers who will assist moms in learning skills that will promote wellness in themselves and their unborn babies using lectures, guest speakers, fun activities, and videos. Most importantly, mothers and dads will get intensive individual as well as group emotional support. Finally, the program also features a “Community-Wide Baby Shower” for moms and dads to get free items (e.g. car seats, clothing, diapers, cash gift cards, etc.) in preparation for their babies. Murua Moms™ (Swahili for RESPECT) is a collaborative project sponsored by the University Research & Outreach Center, Brakins Consulting and Psychological Services, the African American Child Wellness Institute and funded by the Minneapolis Foundation - WCA Foundation Grant Program, and the Minnesota Department of Human Services Cultural Ethnic Minority Infrastructure Grant (CEMIG) Program.
There is a certain power about Spoken Word. Spoken Word can be whimsical, lighthearted, introspective, angry, vibrant, poignant, heartwarming, heartbreaking, loving, inspirational...yet overall, Spoken Word is deeply personal. Some, like myself, have to be in a certain mental space to write poetry; others do so easily, with grace and panache. Although people draw different experiences from it, no one can do Spoken Word like the poet. That being said, I bring to you James Estwick’s Coffee: A Reflection of My Life’s Relationships. Estwick’s collection came from the poems he wanted to share as an exhibit in an art show, the theme being
“Connections.” For him this meant relationships. Like many of us authors/poets, he had his concerns about putting himself out there. To do so meant being vulnerable, stepping out of his comfort zone. Once we do that, however, it empowers us and our passion. Featured in his collection are the following: “Coffee,” “Suicide,” “A Letter to My Younger Self,” “Watch the World Burn,” “Rivers,” and “Bloom.” Estwick is intentional in the placement of each piece, designed to bring them full circle. In “Coffee,” we see a relationship with his grandfather; the vivid memories of him, the questions never asked, what is held in the heart when someone significant in our lives is gone. “Suicide” deals with self-worth, isolation, and the toll that hiding one’s authentic self out of fear takes on a person’s ability to love one’s self. When I read “A Letter to My Younger Self,” I thought of the It Gets Better Project. Everyone reading it will have a different experience of it; for me, as a same-gender-loving man of a certain age, I could have written that letter to my
17-year-old self. “Watch the World Burn” is so relevant to the events of today when everything seems to be falling apart, and yet there is hope. The connections of past and present in “Rivers” have a bittersweet flavor when it comes to history as African Americans have lived it, the legacy that is with us today. In “Bloom,” the sadness comes through about an unfortunate reality, where the memories of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philandro Castile, and how they died are represented collectively front and center. As I mentioned earlier, each reader will come away with something different in Estwick’s collection, and I appreciate his creativity and the vulnerability in his work. I could almost see the exhibit as I read. Coffee is available on Amazon and the Minnesota Black Authors Expo website, www.mnblackauthorsexpo.com. Thank you, James, for sharing these stages of your journey, your passion, your hope, and bringing your unique voice and skills to this, our African Diaspora. If we don’t share our stories, who will?
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Minnesota city is believed to be the first in the US to elect a Somali American as mayor A suburban Minnesota city became what is believed to be the first in the U.S. to elect a Somali American mayor when 27-yearold Nadia Mohamed was chosen to lead St. Louis Park. “This is a milestone. This is not the destination,” Mohamed told supporters after the results came in Tuesday. “As mayor, I want to ensure people see themselves reflected in our policies.” Mohamed won with 58% of the vote, defeating retired banker Dale A. Anderson, who got 41% of the vote. She had served on the City Council since she was elected at age 23 in 2019. Deqa Dhalac of South Portland, Maine, was the first Somali American to serve as mayor of an American city, but she was selected by that
city’s six-member council in 2021, not elected by the voters. Mohamed campaigned in support of investing in community policing and programs to make homeownership more affordable, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Mayor Jake Spano did not seek reelection, and he endorsed Mohamed. Mohamed spoke Tuesday night about her mother’s journey to settle in St. Louis Park, giving her the confidence to enter politics at a young age. “I have watched a courageous woman handle her business every day,” Mohamed said. “That courage comes easy to me now.” This story has been corrected to show St. Louis Park is a city, not a town.
Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP
St. Louis Park Mayor-elect Nadia Mohamed speaks to supporters after winning her election Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, at the Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis Park, Minn.
Harmon elected mayor of Golden Valley By Kevin Miller Golden Valley Golden Valley looks to have made history on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Unofficial results from the election show that voters selected Roslyn Harmon to be the city’s first person of color to hold the mayor’s seat. Harmon received 2,819 votes or 49.79 percent, while her opponent Gillian Rosenquist had 2,793 or 49.33 percent, according to the unofficial results. Harmon told CCX News that she came into election night without expectations. “I didn’t know what was going to happen,” she said. By the end of the night, Harmon led Rosenquist by a narrow 26-vote margin in the race for Golden Valley mayor. She said she’s expecting a recount. “They automatically have to do a recount, just to be sure,” she said.
Rosenquist, who is a current member of the Golden Valley City Council, told CCX News she’s not planning to request a recount. According to state statute, a losing candidate in a municipal election may request a recount if the difference is less than one-half of one percent, and the total number of votes cast for all candidates is between 400 and 50,000. “I’m of course disappointed with the close result not in my favor,” said Rosenquist, who was first elected to the council in 2018. “I will not be requesting a recount.” Rosenquist’s term as a council member expires in 2025. She practices intellectual property law. “I continue to serve on the city council and appreciate all the support shown during this campaign,” Rosenquist said. “I’m pleased that my esteemed colleagues Maurice Harris and Sophia Ginis will continue to serve.”
Harmon’s win is historic for the city of Golden Valley. She’s the first person of color elected to the mayor’s seat. “My forefathers, my ancestors, my loved ones who have died before me, my grandparents — you know — this is truly a remarkable day that I believe they paved the way for me to be here,” Harmon said.
Roslyn Harmon Meanwhile, Harmon, who is vice chair of the Golden Valley Police Employment, Accountability and Community Engagement Commission, said she’s ready to work with Rosenquist and the council to tackle the issues. “Now we just all have to come together,” Harmon said. “It’s not us versus them,
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let’s come together.” By profession, Harmon is executive director of the Dispute Resolution Center in St. Paul. Harmon’s mother is Rose McGee, the founder of Sweet Potato Comfort Pie. Harmon is a board member with the organization.
POLICING IN GOLDEN VALLEY Harmon would take the helm as the city works to overcome a string of controversies related to policing. “Public safety is [priority] number one,” Harmon said. While the police department currently employs 19 officers, staffing levels dropped as low as 10 officers a year ago. The city still has an agreement with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office to patrol city streets during the day shift. Police union officials blamed city leadership for a
mass exodus of police officers. “We are confident that we will have a full department by 2024,” Harmon said. Meanwhile, thirdparty reports alleged misconduct within the Golden Valley Police Department. One officer was fired for making “offensive” and “racist” remarks, while others were found to be resistant to diversity and equity initiatives. After the hiring of current Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green, former interim Police Chief Scott Nadeau filed a federal lawsuit against the city claiming reverse workplace discrimination. The new class of officers is increasingly diverse and excited about transforming Golden Valley, Harmon said. “That’s just amazing for us as we really hit the reset button on reimaging what this police department can do,” Harmon said. “Not to say that it was bad in the past, but like everywhere, we need some new change.”
Page 8 • November 13, 2023 - November 19, 2023 • Insight News
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