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November 22, 2021 - November 28, 2021
Vol. 48 No. 47• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
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H Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
Police officers wear body cameras in Oakland, California, on Dec. 4, 2014.
The concrete effects of body cameras on police accountability By Suat Cubukcu Professorial Lecturer, American University, Erdal Tekin Professor Department of Public Administration and Policy, American University, Nusret Sahin Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Stockton University and Volkan Topalli Professor of Criminal Justice, Georgia State University Without video evidence, it’s unlikely we would have ever heard of George Floyd or witnessed the prosecution of his killer, a Minneapolis police officer. The recording of Floyd’s killing echoed the documentation in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, two Black men who were killed at the hands of police. The circulation of such videos – witness cellphones, dashcams and police body-worn cameras – have helped awaken a protest movement centered on police accountability and systemic racism in the United States. They have also diminished trust in law enforcement, which has dipped to its lowest level since 1993, according to a 2020 Gallup Survey. Nineteen percent of Black Americans said they trust police, compared to 56% of white Americans. And a majority of those polled, 56%, called for major reforms in policing, including 88% of Black people and 51% of white people. Much discussion on police reform revolves around police officer recruitment, training processes and re-budgeting or “defunding” the police. But another way to reform policing is to make police services more transparent and officers more accountable. Over the past decade, the implementation of body camera technology has rapidly expanded across
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Protestors gather in Elizabeth City, N.C., as elected officials discuss the possible release of police body camera footage from the shooting death of Andrew Brown Jr. on April 21, 2021. major metropolitan police departments, including Washington, New York and Chicago. We are criminologists and economists, and our recent study has found that providing police officers with body cameras has a substantive effect on investigations of police accountability. The cameras have also helped reduce racial bias against citizen complainants. Increased fairness in investigations The vast majority of U.S. public complaints against police officers are dismissed. Only 2.1% of the citizen complaints filed in Chicago between 2010 and 2016 resulted in a disciplinary action against police officers, according to the Invisible Institute, a journalism organization that “collects and publishes information about police misconduct in Chicago” in its Citizens Police Data Project. This rate is about one-third lower when complain-
ants are African Americans. There is a similar pattern in cities like Columbus, Ohio, and Portland, Oregon. Traditional strategies to address police misconduct have focused on internal affairs divisions in police departments, which investigate possible lawbreaking incidents and professional misconduct within police forces, or citizen oversight review boards, which investigate citizen complaints. But both of these have been criticized for being biased against citizens. Such investigations of police misconduct have relied heavily on eyewitness accounts, often producing “he said/she said” patterns of flawed evidence and, thus, inconclusive results. This has changed, however, with the introduction of body camera technology. While there have been dozens of studies on the impact of body cameras on police behavior – with some promising outcomes in the
reduction in police wrongdoings – their effect on the resolution of citizen complaints has been relatively understudied. We recently studied an eight-year period – 2013 to 2020 – of citizen complaint data from Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability. During that span, the Chicago Police Department assigned these cameras to its officers in a staggered fashion, district by district across a 17-month period, from June 2016 to December 2017. This allowed us to conduct the first study to estimate their effect on the outcomes of citizen complaint investigations across multiple time frames. We found a significant effect on police accountability following the implementation of body cameras. Police officers were 64% more likely to be subject to disciplinary action after a complaint investigation. Consistent with the existing studies, we identified a considerable degree of
racial disparity in the resolution of citizen complaints prior to the implementation of police body cameras. Complaints from Black people were more likely to be dismissed – 53% vs. 38% – and less likely to be sustained – 10% vs. 21% – than those of White people. But following their widespread implementation in Chicago, body cameras largely eliminated such racial disparities, according to our study. Complainants from all racial groups benefited from body cameras, with a greater overall rate of disciplinary action. We found that the percentages of dismissed citizen complaints were reduced to 16%, 18% and 15% for white, Black and Hispanic complainants, respectively. Our findings initially illustrated the existence of racial bias in the dismissal of police complainants. They subsequently show that the introduction of body cameras can
change this. And the continued implementation of such cameras is likely to continue reducing the disparities that play a large role in mistrust of law enforcement by people of color. Many policymakers see this technology as a potential game-changer in policecitizen relations. It can protect officers from spurious complaints and make them more accountable for actual misconduct. Seven states – Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Carolina – have already mandated the use of body cameras. Because body cameras produce an objective accounting of the interactions between police and citizens, they have the potential to overcome previous weaknesses in the quality of evidence. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Page 2 •November November 22, 2021 - November 28, 2021 • Insight News
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Partnering to help create opportunities Last year, Bank of America committed $1.25 billion over five years to advance racial equality and economic opportunity. To date, we’ve directly funded or invested one-third of this amount on top of long-standing efforts to make an impact in our communities and address society’s greatest challenges. Here are some of the ways we’re working to make a difference: • Investing $300 million in 100 minority-owned and minority-led equity funds for diverse entrepreneurs and small business owners, helping them create more jobs, financial stability and growth. • Investing $36 million in 21 Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) banks that support minority-owned businesses, building pathways to economic vitality in our local markets. This is in addition to approximately $100 million in deposits to MDIs and our existing CDFI portfolio of more than $2 billion. • Providing funding and support through innovative programs and partnerships with community colleges, universities and nonprofits that offer training and credentialing programs connecting more people to high-wage, in-demand careers. We’re doing this work in collaboration with community partners, business leaders, experts and academics across the public and private sectors to ensure that our investments are directed where they’re needed most. Together, we can help drive sustainable progress in the Twin Cities. What would you like the power to do?®
Katie Simpson President, Bank of America Twin Cities
Learn more at bankofamerica.com/twincities
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Insight News • November 22, 2021 - November 28, 2021 • Page 3 WINNER: 2020 T YPOGRAPHY & DESIGN, 1ST PLACE, PHOTOGRAPHY (PORTRAIT & PERSONALIT Y), 1ST PLACE, WEBSITE, 3RD PLACE
Insight News November 22, 2021 - November 28, 2021
Vol. 48 No. 47• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
AG Ellison launches re-election campaign Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison last Monday announced he is seeking a second term in 2022. He said he wants to keep working to create a fair economy. “This is a campaign to increase participation of all people who believe in the simple idea of liberty and justice for all,” Ellison said. A North Minneapolis resident, Ellison served 12 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives, before being elected to the US House of Representatives replacing Martin Sabo, who held the seat almost 30 years. Ellison shifted his focus to what he called “front-line” work in seeking to become Minnesota’s Attorney General, defeating Republican candidate Doug Wardlow, who has announced he will challenge Ellison in the upcoming election. Ellison gained national and world-wide recognition when his office successfully prosecuted for policeman Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd Among several political leaders endorsing Ellison’s reelection bid, Senator Amy Klobuchar, said, “If we want to make real, lasting progress for working families, for the people of Minnesota, we need partners like Keith fighting for us.”
August 27, 1940 - October 31, 2021
Lucille Elizabeth Sullivan Williams
Wikipedia
Attorney General Keith Ellison
Meldahl must pay $133,000
Ellison, court slam landlord Judge Patrick Robben in Hennepin County last Monday ruled that Minneapolis landlord Steven Meldahl knowingly and in bad faith violated the rights of 267 families who rented from him, primarily in North Minneapolis. Minnesota Attorney General Ellison sued Meldahl. An eight-day trial heard the State’s claims that Meldahl falsely represented to his tenants that he could prevent them from having their homes inspected by the City of
Minneapolis and that he could charge them late fees greater than 8 percent, which are prohibited under Minnesota state law. The court entered a permanent injunction that prevents Meldahl from engaging in practices which the court describe as illegal. The court also fined Meldahl $500 for each of the 267 renting families, for a total of $133,500, and ordered him to pay the State’s attorneys’ fees and costs in pursuing the case. The State will determine its fees and
costs and will file them with the court by December 13, 2021. The court also ordered Meldahl to fully comply with all existing City of Minneapolis inspection orders and not to make any changes to his business structure in an attempt to avoid doing so. “I am thankful for the brave tenants who did not back down to a landlord trying to take advantage of his power over the tenants and shared their
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In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death
United by Black, Powered by All By Marcus Owens Guest Commentary When I was a freshman in high school, I was among a group of kids from the Twin Cities area who participated in the Black Achievers program. We’d meet up at the YMCA in North Minneapolis, where
adult advisors Makeda ZuluGillespie and the late Keith Davis mentored us. During those longago sessions, they made sure we learned our history, became informed citizens, and shared our talents with the wider community. Makeda and Keith weren’t our parents. Neither was
By Brenda Lyle-Gray
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Marcus Owens
By Black Information Network | Atlanta Daily World
AL.com.
Judge Randy Jinks Black worker sold drugs because they had a nicer car than him. “I’m the judge and I can’t even afford a Mercedes. What you doing, selling drugs?” Jinks has denied the allegations made against him. Instead, he claims that his “remarks were taken completely out of context.” “Judge Jinks remarks were taken completely out
of context and cast in a light calculated to besmirch the Judge’s character and further the accusatory employees attempts to remove him from office. Racism was imputed into the statements he made. His every action and utterance was documented and interpreted in the worst possible light,” Jinks’ attorney, Amanda Hardy, told AL.com.
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Gun violence soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study finds – but the reasons why are complex
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“A few employees made this very serious public allegation against a public official based on pure speculation and that is what the evidence showed. Closer scrutiny should have led to a more measured response to this case.” Ultimately, a nineperson panel was compelled by the 78-page report and voted unanimously to remove him from his position. Not only did the panel take issue with the statements Jinks is accused of making, but the panel also determined that he displayed “a sexually inappropriate demeanor.” The panel also determined that he “showed a subordinate a sexually explicit video in the workplace.” Reading about Black trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Photo Circa mid 1960s
Lucille Elizabeth Sullivan Williams
administrative training and experience running the kitchen at the Elks Ames Lodge 106 in Minneapolis, she retired from her hospital job in 1997 to fulfill a long-time dream of owning her own restaurant. She did so by opening Lucille’s Kitchen with her brother Henry. Through the restaurant, which was known as “The Home of Serious Soul Food” Williams gained national recognition for her traditional Louisiana cuisine including gumbo, chicken wings, greens, and other foods. Her clientele included: politicians, entertainers, athletes, actors, and everyday people of the Northside and beyond. By far
WILLIAMS 4
Creating, owning our story, celebrating, preserving our history Columnist
Judge fired after saying George Floyd ‘Got what he deserved’ A judge in Alabama is out of a job after making comments that many found to be deeply offensive. Nearly eight months ago, a 78-page complaint was filed against Talladega County Probate Judge Randy Jinks. In the lengthy complaint, former county employees alleged Jinks called George Floyd “just another thug” and “he got what he deserved.” “I don’t see anything wrong with the police killing him,” Jinks said, according to the complaint. The 78-page complaint also claims that he mouthed the word, n—–, at a former deputy clerk and threatened to fire an employee if they continued to participate in social justice marches. In another instance, Jinks is accused of insinuating that a
Lucille Williams, of famed North Minneapolis restaurant Lucille’s Kitchen, died at 81, in Robbinsdale, MN, after a brief illness. She was born August 27, 1940 in Shreveport, Louisiana, the eldest of five children. She was a straight A student who graduated from George Washington Carver High School at the top of her class. She learned her excellent cooking skills and entrepreneurial spirit from her mother, Ida Belle. After marrying George Williams, and giving birth to their eldest child, the couple moved to Minneapolis in 1961. In 1978, several years after their divorce, she relocated with her children to Shreveport. There she found work as a hospital administrator at LSU Medical Center. Her time in the south was not to her liking. She eventually returned to Minneapolis in 1985 as a confirmed Northerner and worked as an administrator at Mt. Sinai Hospital, and later, at North Memorial Hospital. She was passionate about family, food, and Minnesota Vikings. No matter where she lived, her home was always a gathering place where her warm personality was the main attraction. Buoyed by
Human learning pre-supposes a specific social nature and a process by which children grow into the intellectual life of those around them. Lev S. Vygotsky Dr. Irma McClaurin’s vibrant smile will light up the darkest room. Her exuberant passion and enthusiasm for preserving her collection and the life stories and literary works of Black feminists and others has become infectious. Renown academic scholar, author, organizer, anthropologist, documentarian, archivist, award-winning columnist, and the Culture and Education editor for Insight News, McClaurin takes great pride in seeing her archival vision reach fruition. In 2014, the idea of preserving her own works and those of other noted social change activists became a steadfast endeavor. In 2016, she officially announced The Irma McClaurin Black Feminists Archive, an interdisciplinary assemblage of her writings, books, photographs, and correspondence. McClaurin partnered with the University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s W.E.B. DuBois Library’s Department of Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA), and the W.E.B. DuBois Center where her works will reside. The library recently received the papers of Daniel Ellsberg. McClaurin received a Wenner-Gren historical archive grant in 2018 which allowed her to move her papers from Florida to Amherst. The collection had
been in storage for 18 years. “I wanted to ensure that when I am no longer around, the principle that started the archive would continue beyond me. The truth is, Black women have been instigators and facilitators of social justice and change for generations, translating anthropological research for the general audience. I just want to make sure their stories are heard and preserved.” Copy and poetry editor for Sapiens digital magazine, Christine Weeber, shares the same vision. Weeber was moved by Dr. Irma’s passion and efforts in preserving and archiving such rich and valuable history including her own. The editorially independent publication of the Wenner-Gren Foundation introduces content focused on such subjects as the relationship between our laws and ethics, the cities we build, and the environment we depend on. “I feel centering marginalized voices, particularly in anthropology, is incredibly important. But we can’t do that unless we change the game; change how we’ve been working and the voices we’ve been focusing on. This country and around the world must recover from and reckon with a long and continuous history of white supremacy oppression. We’ve left so many voices and perspectives behind that are essential not only for the African diaspora, but also for the rest of us. I can’t imagine not having the stories and words of literary voices like Alice Walker and Zora Neal Hurston to shape my life.” McClaurin says there really is no American narrative without the voices of Black people in this country; without including indigenous and Black voices. “Anything other than that is not an authentic
PRESERVING 5
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How hip-hop in the classroom is raising the volume of learning: 4 essential reads
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Page 4 •November November 22, 2021 - November 28, 2021 • Insight News
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Oil & natural gas industry engineering successful opportunities for people of color, and women By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia
Amanda Eversole spent 13 years at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., where she cemented a legacy of leadership and innovation before joining JP Morgan Chase, where
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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
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she created a framework for the firm’s philanthropic approach. Now, as executive vice president and chief operating officer at the American Petroleum Institute (API), Eversole has the monumental task of leading efforts to integrate the trade association’s diverse functions and develop and implement a strategic plan for the natural gas and oil industry. Eversole now puts her strong track record of driving consensus and winning strategies to the test as API and all in oil and natural gas wrestles with ensuring people of color and women are a large part of the lucrative industry. “Every day, we get up and say what we’re going to do to make sure that we are giving people opportunities to interact with this industry, and it changes people’s lives,” Eversole told NNPA Newswire. API states that about half of new industry-related job opportunities through 2040 are projected to be filled by African Americans, Hispanic, Asians, and women. Eversole remarked that talk isn’t good enough. “The default narrative that the industry is old, dirty, and predominately white male is not true anymore, and the way we prove that is not by statistics,” Eversole exclaimed. “It is by standing up and doing the work that we’re doing and showing people by
Williams From 3 her favorite visit was from R & B musician Johnnie Taylor whose music she frequently played at the restaurant and was being played at her bedside on the morning she passed away. The restaurant quickly became a social and political hub for the Black community,
Amanda Eversole, API Executive Vice President and COO, welcomes viewers to API’s State of American Energy 2021 where she discussed the industry’s resiliency, reliability, and innovation. opportunities and not by talking points.” Eversole reiterated that API possesses a strong belief that educational opportunities remain critical to successful employment. Backing that belief are programs like the organization’s Minority Serving Institution Initiative, where API has partnered with Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) to provide students free access to the trade association’s world-class standards. API also has joined Discovery Education’s STEM Careers Coalition where a coalition of industry partners joined to nurture a diverse culture of STEM education in
K-12 schools nationwide. In five years, that program aims at impacting 10 million students at 5,000 schools. “There’s this common thread of opportunity, and I had not worked with an industry like oil and natural gas where the constant focus is on improvement and optimization,” Eversole asserted. “There are career opportunities that can last an entire lifetime, and there’s a sense of intergenerational opportunities through education to children with STEM skillsets.” Eversole continued: “When I talk about the opportunities we have in the industry, I step back and say, ‘How does API, which represents
hosting National Public Radio forums and a weekly Insight News community affairs program. Nearly twenty years after the restaurant’s 2004 closing, Northsiders with roots in the Deep South still remember Lucille’s food as a cherished reminder of home. Preceded in death by her parents Ida Belle Nichols and Louis Heno, her step-father Henry Sullivan Sr., and her brother John Sullivan, she leaves to mourn her three children:
Leonard Williams, Eunice Williams, and George Anthony “Tony”(Sonya) Williams, 10 grandchildren: Christopher Williams, Brandon Williams, Antonio Williams, Jamilla Pettis, Lynnita Williams, Shamaneka “Sham” Masters, Jaymee Shinaul, Jaylee Shinaul, Brittany Williams, and Alyeshia Ruberg, 18 great grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren; her siblings: Edith Sullivan, Henrietta (Donnell) Thomas, and Henry Sullivan, and a host
more than 600 members, figure out how to accelerate the journey we’re on together in America understanding and acknowledging those suffering and working through racial inequities?’ I’m proud to say that we have a lot to show for our work.” API is also building a job readiness training program through API’s Global Industry Services platform that facilitates baseline industry knowledge and skills, leading to entry-level operational roles across the industry. API is partnering with Opportunity@Work in Houston, the world’s energy capital, where it’s estimated to have proportionally more rising STARS – Skilled-ThroughAlternative-Routes. “It’s a journey,” Eversole stated. “When you think about long term workforce programs and when I think about STEM education and some of the internship programs – in terms of how to get that pipeline ready – we’re evaluating points of continuum and figuring out where some of those barriers are and why we are not seeing proportionality within the overall workforce.” Eversole said the oil and natural gas industry “can do better.” “We will do better,” she declared. “I’m encouraged that there’s a building sense of momentum.”
of nieces, nephews, cousins, other family, and friends. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend who will be dearly missed. Memorial service was held Saturday November 20, 2021 11:00 a.m. at WashburnMcReavy Crystal Lake Funeral Chapel and Cemetery 3816 Penn Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55412
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Owens From 3 an aunt or an uncle. They were “The Village”—people who poured into us out of a sense of concern and responsibility. The need for The Village has never felt more urgent. In the months following May 2021 when we awakened to the nightmare of George Floyd’s last moments captured on video, members of Sigma Pi Phi, the Black fraternity known locally as the Boulé, were able to cut through the fog of disbelief to take a stand for change. They looked beyond that horrific incident and peeled back the layers to reveal racial inequity and injustice that had led to that moment, as well as to other tragic outcomes in our area that never make the evening news. For instance, in 2019 Minneapolis ranked high in standardized tests, but 50th in racial disparities among high school graduation rates. Black families here had a median family income of about $38,000—less than half of
Landlord From 3 powerful stories. Minnesota landlords are required to provide habitable homes and ensure that they are safe for our renting families,” said Ellison. “The landlord’s behavior is appalling and unacceptable and I am glad the court agreed. Tenants in Minnesota have rights under the law and the majority of landlords comply with those laws. I will continue to enforce the law against those landlords who take advantage of their power over tenants and violate the law.” Tenants who testified at trial described appalling living conditions that they struggled to afford and said Meldahl raised their rent repeatedly after they paid rent late. The . Court’s order against Meldalh
Perserving From 3 story,” she says. “Documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns can categorize jazz with the title, The Story of American Music, but we know it was African technology that allowed white production to survive. So, that means we must be architects of the very foundation of this country.” Mahmoud El-Kati, is Professor Emeritus of History at Macalester College in St. Paul,
Insight News • November 22, 2021 - November 28, 2021 • Page 5 white families’ median family income of about $85,000. After the Boulé stepped up, it began to hear from a consortium of community, nonprofit, and business leaders that came from across racial lines. They asked what they could contribute to help heal our city. This alliance reached out to me as the head the African American Leadership Forum (AALF) to engage our team to lead the way. Through our partnership with the Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity and Minnesota Business Partnership, this movement quickly attracted more than $4 million in seed funding, laying a foundation for the work. In recent months, we’ve identified six key focus areas that could improve the quality of life for Black Minnesotans. They include public safety, housing, education, employment, economic opportunity and healthcare. The belief is that, as positive change takes hold within this community, transformation will radiate outward to everyone else, setting the stage for lasting change. While this effort was
initially launched as the Alliance of Alliances, we knew we needed a name that better signaled the intention of the movement. Working with a local company called The Brandlab, which mentors and gives opportunities to Black youth, we sought to choose a name that would hold greater meaning. Several didn’t quite work, but then we hit upon “United By Black,” and felt something stir within us. At the same time, we wanted a name that expressed a theme of inclusion. The tagline “Powered by All” checked that box, and so we began to move forward under the new banner: United By Black, Powered By All. In 2021, the effort to bring in The Village is called Black-Centered design. It’s a way of taking in information and aligning it with the people living the reality, whether they’re facing housing insecurity, educational achievement gaps, or attempting to scale the barriers to earn a living wage. Even though the people we’ve invited to sit at the table represent different backgrounds and racial identities, some may question
said, “The Court largely found their (tennants’) testimony credible and compelling”. A summary provided by the Attorney General’s office said:
notice for failing to properly document the various aspects of their business such that they may be held accountable for their behavior by those seeking to be made whole.” Attorney General Ellison filed the case against Meldahl and his business, S.J.M. Properties, in September 2019 and immediately secured an injunction against Meldahl’s practice of barring his tenants from contacting health and safety inspectors. In 2019 the court also granted the State’s request to have all of Meldahl’s properties inspected, which revealed 383 housing code violations at 27 of his properties that the City ordered him to remedy. In February 2021, the court ruled that Meldahl’s practice of charging tenants an additional $50 per month in supposed “rent” on top of an 8% late fee when they paid their rent late violated state law capping late fees at 8%.
The court said, “Such unrelenting behavior can be characterized as nothing but having full knowledge of his actions and undertaking them in bad faith.” Recognizing the Attorney General’s authority to intervene, the court wrote, “The State has a substantial interest in preventing and deterring such brazen and deplorable illegal business conduct harming a vulnerable part of Minnesota’s population.” In imposing a $133,500 civil penalty on Meldahl, the court declared that “… a meaningful penalty is necessary to send a message that landlords are not above the system and that consumer protection laws must be followed… Public policy also favors placing landlords on MN. From 1970 to 2003, he taught generations of intentional and potential scholars that ‘critical race theory truth stuff that white folks don’t want them to learn’ in a manner where ‘Donald Trump can’t stop that’, as he smiles. As a lecturer, writer, and commentator on the African American experience, he advocates for institution building within cultural communities and fostering one’s humanity through the knowledge of their history and ethos not being taught in public schools where 82% of the teachers are white. “If the American education system
were to change tomorrow and true history could inform and encourage our youth, Black and white people alike would be liberated. Instead, ‘they’ have been and continue to be victims of their own lies and their own brainwashing,” El Kati said. El-Kati is the author of Politically Considered: 50th Commemoration of the Supreme Court Decision of 1954; The Myth of Race - The Reality of Racism; Haiti: The Hidden Truth; and The Hiptionary: A Survey of African American Speech Patterns with a Digest of Key Words and Phrases.
if this movement is too Black. Others may wonder if it’s Black enough. When people ask us if we expect to get push back as we center Blackness. Yes, we do. At the same time, we can’t act like race doesn’t exist or color doesn’t matter. Not if we’re to rectify the evils of yesteryear or generate workable solutions for the future. United By Black, Powered By All is still in the first mile of what will be decadelong journey. We’re taking the time to flesh out the six focus areas mentioned above, dig deep to understand the problems, seek out community-oriented solutions, and clarify what success will look like. One of the flashpoints in the Black community continues to be interactions with police. We’ve housed that under the umbrella of public safety to deal with police and race relations along a broader spectrum. We want people to be safe in all the spaces they occupy, including their homes. For instance, if your family is having a crisis and you need an intervention, what is the decision tree as to where your phone call
is routed and who responds, so that you get the help you need, which may not come from the police department. There is a level of vulnerability to this process of building out United By Black, Powered By All. Understandably, Black people are slow to trust. As the Urban Institute sagely pointed out, “Throughout this country’s history, the hallmarks of American democracy— opportunity, freedom and prosperity—have been largely reserved for white people through the intentional exclusion of people of color.” Often the thinking goes that if a solution works for whites, it’ll trickle down to everybody else, but that doesn’t take into consideration that communities have different needs, and a one-size-fits-all approach fails to meet people where they are. Over the last several months, we’ve hired additional staff to lay a foundation for United By Black, Powered by All by and to build out our capacity. We’re planning a series of stakeholder meetings to ensure that we understand the
Now – Dec 27 612.377.2224 / guthrietheater.org
need and avoid rushing in with a laundry list of assumptions. Now we’re at a stage where we’re ready to invite partners and leaders who are willing to do things differently by centering the Black community in a way that instills a level of hope and determination. The process, methodology, and even the relationships we’re forming are fluid, growing and evolving. The young Black Achievers that Makeda and Keith once mentored are all grown up now. We’ve become teachers, entrepreneurs, community leaders and more. The investment they made in us prepared us for this moment as we step forward to lead in this Village called Minneapolis. It reminds me of the African proverb: If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. Marcus Owens is Executive Director of the African American Leadership Forum, a cross-sector network of thought leaders, institutions, allies, systems and ambassadors. AALF houses United By Black, Powered By All in Minneapolis. www.aalftc.org
CHARLES DICKENS adapted by LAVINA JADHWANI directed by JOSEPH HAJ by
Page 6 •November November 22, 2021 - November 28, 2021 • Insight News
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Gun violence spiked in more than half of all U.S. states in the first 13 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gun violence soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study finds – but the reasons why are complex By Paddy Ssentongo Assistant Research Professor of Neural Engineering, Penn State and Jennifer McCall Hosenfeld Associate Professor of Medicine, Penn State In a new study, we found that the overall U.S. gun violence rate rose by 30% during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the year before. In 28 states, the rates were substantially higher between
March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, compared to the prepandemic period from Feb. 1, 2019, through Feb. 29, 2020. There were 51,063 incidents of gun violence events resulting in injury or death in the United States in the first 13 months of the pandemic compared to 38,919 incidents in the same time span pre-pandemic. Early in the pandemic, gun sales in the United States surged, with more than 20% of these purchases by first-time buyers. And access to firearms is a well-established risk factor for gun-related suicide and homicide. This sharp
increase in firearm purchases raises serious concerns, since the combination of increased stress, social disruption and isolation during the pandemic created a perfect storm of conditions that could contribute to increased gun violence. These trends were also concerning since the increased rates of gun violence could strain the health care infrastructure that was overtaxed due to an unprecedented influx of COVID-19 patients. We are a team of scientists and physicians with expertise in preventive health care and modeling diseases of
public health concern. How pandemic conditions played a role The pandemic has been associated with psychological distress due to increased isolation, increased rates of domestic violence, a disruption of social networks and unemployment. But much more research is needed to get a clear picture of how all of these variables may have contributed to overall gun violence. We used a publicly available database of gun violence events and divided
those events by the number of people living in each state. We also added other factors such as age, race and ethnicity, and we recorded the status of each state’s stay-at-home orders and the number of COVID-19 cases. We found that gun violence rates increased substantially in 28 states, or 56% of all states, scattered throughout the U.S., without any clear pattern. The increase in gun violence was highest in Minnesota, with a 120% increase. Due to ongoing police investigations, we were advised to not separate out counts of suicides and homicides before
investigations are completed. To get a fuller picture, it will be important for future studies to assess comparisons of suicide and homicide rates during this same period. The spike in gun violence in the era of COVID-19 comes as a stark reminder that greater public health resources are needed to address and prevent gun violence, even as we continue to work to mitigate the pandemic. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
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Insight News • November 22, 2021 - November 28, 2021 • Page 7
How hip-hop in the classroom is raising the volume of learning: 4 essential reads By Alvin Buyinza Editorial and Outreach Assistant, The Conversation US and Jamaal Abdul-Alim Education Editor, The Conversation Scholars trace the origin of hiphop to a “back to school jam” that DJ Kool Herc threw in an apartment in the South Bronx in 1973. Today the music genre is one of the most popular in the U.S. In July 2021, Congress formally designated November as Hip Hop History Month.“ In recognition of the first year hip-hop history has a monthlong spotlight, The Conversation gathered four articles from its archives that highlight how educators and rappers alike are using hip-hop to educate and engage students. 1. Rappers critique the education system From Jay-Z vs. Nas to Drake vs. Meek Mill, there’s no shortage of beefs among rappers. But one of the biggest feuds in hip-hop may actually be between rappers and America’s education system. Rappers have never been shy about using their lyrical skills to point out how U.S. schools miseducate students. As rapper Scarface plainly puts it in “Black Still,” “[O]ur kids educated by the enemy / And they don’t know sh-t about their history / Cause they ain’t teaching that in school.” Ironically, some rappers who initially turned their back on education have also invested money into education for others. Nolan Jones, an associate adjunct professor of education and a specialist in hip-hop education, writes about this paradox in an article about hip-hop’s complicated relationship with education. For Jones, rap artists’ criticism of formal education serves to “highlight frustrations
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Hip-hop education helps students from all backgrounds learn. with mainstream education’s lack of a viable ethnic studies curriculum, which has proven to foster cross-cultural understanding, self-respect and diverse perspectives.” 2. Hip-hop inspires interest in science Edmund Adjapong – who refers to himself as a “hip-hop science educator” – says he used to think science wasn’t for him. That was until his high school physics teacher incorporated hiphop into her teaching. In one lesson, his teacher used rappers’ chains to illustrate the motion of pendulums. Adjapong, now an assistant professor of STEM education at Seton Hall
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University, writes on how to use the five elements of hip-hop – MC’ing, graffiti, break dancing, DJ’ing and knowledge of self – to get more students interested in STEM. “While most studies focused on using hip-hop in science focus on Black students, I believe that using hip-hop can support all students, as hip-hop is the most popular genre of music in America,” Adjapong writes. 3. Promoting entrepreneurship Hip-hop producers Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are planning to open a school in Los Angeles that will focus on teaching students skills in entrepreneurship. Set to open in the fall of 2022, in a district
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4. Thinking about social issues Hip-hop artists have spoken about space exploration since the early days of hiphop – from Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” to more modern songs like “Reach for the Stars” by will.i.am. However, these lyrics about exploring the final frontier also deal with the lived experiences of African Americans on Earth. For example, in A Tribe Called Quest’s song “The Space Program,” space exploration is used to talk about how America’s space program may exclude poor
people and people of color. A.D. Carson, assistant professor of hip-hop at the University of Virginia, lists some of the most interesting examples of rappers’ references to space. He argues that using these lyrics can bring cultural relevancy to the classroom. “We’re taking off to Mars, got the space vessels overflowing / What, you think they want us there? / All us n-gg– not going.” Editor’s note: This story is a roundup of articles from The Conversation’s archives. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
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that is 74% Latino and 10% Black, the school will provide a learning opportunity for students to apply their knowledge in the classroom to real life. Hip-hop scholars Nolan Jones and Edmund Adjapong and career and technical education scholar Shaun M. Dougherty weigh in on the new school and what it represents for the American high school experience. “Iovine and Dre’s proposed high school appears to embody knowledge and entrepreneurialism, which are considered two elements of hiphop culture,” the scholars write. “If this is successful, it is a great way to help students uncover their potential and hidden talents through
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