Insight ::: 10.10.2022

This is the first of a four part series on the Highway 252/I-94 Improvement Project discussed by African and African American church leaders whose churches are in the Highway 252/I-94 Corridor. Stairstep Foundation and McFarlane Media produced the StairstepMNDot Town Hall broadcast on The Conversation with Al McFarlane,KFAI-90.3 and across social media platforms. Links to the live program appear at the end of each article in the series. Insight welcomes feedback to the article and ideas discussed as letters to the editor and/or as comments at www. insightnews.com or on our social media pages - https://linktr.ee/ theconversationwithalmcfarlane

The following are edit exerpts from the Town Hall

broadcast.

Al McFarlane: Highway 252 and I94, go through Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, and North Minneapolis, essentially, Black communities. Changes being considered for the Highway 252/I-94 Project roadway affect African and AfricanAmerican communities.

Alfred BabingtonJohnson: The larger picture here is that organizations such as MnDOT, or the Minnesota Department of Health, or Minnesota Education Department or any of the agencies that have been mobilized to deal with the issues of our community are responsible for trying to have an outcome that is in the best

interest of our community. And I think what has been concluded by MnDOT in particular, and others, is that there has not been the level of participation by certain communities as there should be.

The particular project we’re talking about. the Highway 252/I-94 Project happens to run through areas that are most populated by African and African-American people. That is to say Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, and North Minneapolis. MnDOT is asking, “How can we make this different? We don’t have a good history on this. But how can we do something different?”

They decided, Al, to reach out to us to see if we could find a way to do something different.

We’re trying something new here with the Highway 252/I-94 Project.

Trying to see how we can have really authentic conversations about the corridor and get intentional and authentic engagement from communities.

In the past, we haven’t been able to get the valuable feedback that we need for these important projects. So the project that we’re looking at follows I94 and Highway 252, essentially from downtown Minneapolis up to I-694 in Brooklyn Park.

What we start with is developing what is a problem that we’re trying to fix. In this corridor, we’re trying to fix the

McKnight

The McKnight Foundation announced Douglas R. Ewart as its 2022 Distinguished Artist, an award given annually to a Minnesota artist who has made significant contributions to the state’s cultural life. “This award honors his heart and genius as well as his influence and impact,’” said DeAnna Cummings, Arts & Culture Program Director at McKnight.

“We are thrilled to celebrate Douglas, who has contributed inventive, lifegiving, and inspiring music and art to the state of Minnesota for years,” said Tonya Allen, president of McKnight Foundation. “His remarkably broad talents bring people of diverse backgrounds together and help us imagine how we can live together better in this world.”

Known as a master multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, Ewart is widely recognized as an instrument maker, sound sculptor, painter, writer, and teacher. His renowned interdisciplinary work includes performance on a vast range of saxophones, flutes, woodwinds, and percussion instruments of his own design and construction.

“Douglas Ewart has been a mentor to countless musicians, performers, and creatives in Minnesota and

nationally,” said Cummings. The McKnight Distinguished Artist honor carries a $100,000 award.

Ewart has performed worldwide and recorded on numerous labels, including his own Aarawak. He has led the Nyahbingi Drum Choir, Orbit, Quasar, StringNets, and Clarinet Choir. His visual art and kinetic works have been shown at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Ojai Music Festival, Art Institute of Chicago, Institute of Contemporary Art (Philadelphia), Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. Ewart also chaired the internationally renowned Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.

By Neil Roberts Professor of Political Science, University of

With the opening of the U.S. Supreme Court’s new session on Oct. 3, 2022, Clarence Thomas is arguably the most powerful justice on the nation’s highest court.

In 1991, after Thomas became an associate justice and only the second African American to do so, his power was improbable to almost everyone except him and his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas.

He received U.S. Senate confirmation despite lawyer Anita Hill’s explosive workplace sexual harassment allegations against him.

Today, Thomas rarely speaks during oral arguments, yet he communicates substantively through his prolific written opinions that reflect a complicated mix of self-help, racial pride and the original intent of America’s Founding Fathers.

He isn’t chief justice. John Roberts Jr. is.

But with Thomas’ nearly 31 years of service, he’s the longest-serving sitting justice and on track to have the

lengthiest court tenure ever.

June Jordan, pioneering poet and cultural commentator, observed in 1991 when President George H.W. Bush nominated Thomas that people “focused upon who the candidate was rather than what he has done and will do.”

As a scholar of political theory and Black politics, I contend we haven’t learned from this vital insight.

Conservative activism Thomas’ service is under increasing scrutiny as his wife, a conservative activist, testified on Sept. 27, 2022, before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that she still believes false claims that the 2020 election was rigged against Donald Trump.

According to documents obtained by that committee, Ginni Thomas was instrumental in coordinating efforts to keep former President Donald Trump in office. Her efforts included sending emails to not only former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows but also state officials in Arizona and Wisconsin.

Of particular concern to the Jan. 6 committee is testimony from Thomas on her email correspondence with

John Eastman, her husband’s former law clerk, who is considered to be the legal architect of Trump’s last-ditch bid to subvert the 2020 election.

In my view, Clarence and Ginni Thomas’ intertwined lives highlight a distressing underside to their personal union: the blurring of their professional and personal lives, which has had the appearance of fracturing the independence of the executive and judicial branches of government.

In this light, Thomas’ sole dissent in the case involving Trump’s turning over documents to the Jan. 6 committee is all the

more alarming.

‘What he has done and will do’

Clarence Thomas has cultivated a distinct judicial philosophy and vision of the world – and a view of his place in it.

From what can be gleaned from his own writings and speeches, his vision has been derived from Black nationalism, capitalism, conservatism, originalism and his own interpretations of the law.

Since Thomas’ confirmation, his

By Allaina Kilby Lecturer in Journalism, Swansea University

Africa’s most famous funnyman and TV star, the South African stand-up comedian and author Trevor Noah, is leaving his job as the host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show in the US. Noah, who hosted the high profile show for seven years, says he wants to devote more time to his stand-up career. We asked Allaina Kilby, a journalism, political communication and satire lecturer, how he will be remembered in the political satire landscape on TV in the US.

What’s your view of Trevor Noah’s tenure at the show?

Taking over from Jon Stewart was never going to be easy. Stewart was widely respected for his passionate satirical take downs of US political transgressions and cable news channels. The appeal of successful satirists like him is that they are on the audiences’ side, they articulate citizen concerns and anger on a

public stage but in a funny and compelling way. This creates a bond between the satirist and audience and this is why Stewart leaving The Daily Show was such a big deal to his loyal followers.

Noah, a little known comedian back in 2015, had to build that trust back up with an audience who had no idea who he was. This took some time and viewing figures for the programme took a dip in the first two years. But eventually the audience came to realise that Noah was equally as capable as Stewart if not more so because he was able to offer something different to his predecessor: an outsider’s perspective to America’s political and social problems.

What did he bring to the landscape?

The American latenight comedy scene is very male, white, and American. As a native South African, Noah has brought clarity and fresh perspectives to emotionally charged political issues that are often missing from late-night

Aaron Tag, MnDot Project Engineer:

Ewart’s

Douglas R. Ewart

Emma

Four essential features to seek in an after-school program

David S.

When it comes to after-school programs, there are all types from which to choose. But when it comes to finding a program that offers high-quality service and engaging activities that help children do better in school, that can be a challenge.

I know this because in the early 2000s, I evaluated after-school sites in the state of Florida as part of the federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers program.

I’ve seen some highly effective programs, such as one that taught students with developmental disabilities how to kayak and sail. But I’ve also seen a program in which officials seemed to be packing as many kids as they could into their facility because the program got funded based on how many students were registered. There were no structured activities. They even balked at my assessing how well they delivered services like homework assistance. They had so many kids to oversee, the notion of providing students with high-quality help seemed hardly to be a consideration.

At a different program I went to evaluate, at a rural high school in the Florida Panhandle, kids didn’t even

know they were in a program.

“Program? What program?” a student responded to me once when I announced the reason I was there. “Coach just told us to meet someone in the library today for something.”

That was nearly 20 years ago. Since then, after-school programming has continuously struggled to meet demand, so finding a high-quality program may be even more difficult.

In 2020, one survey found, there were 24.6 million children who would have enrolled in an afterschool program if one were available to them – 5.2 million more than in 2014, when the figure stood at 19.4 million.

Participation in an after-school program offers many benefits. Research has found, for instance, that it can boost students’ overall academic performance and behavior in school.

As an educator who focuses on how to ensure afterschool programs actually help children learn, here are four elements that I urge parents and other caretakers to consider to make sure their children’s time in a program is time is well spent. Since many students suffered learning lossesduring the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe a sharper academic focus in after-school activities has taken on even greater importance.

1. Objectives and purpose

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safety problem. We know that it’s difficult for people to cross Highway 252. In Minneapolis on I-94, there are large gaps between crossings. So we’re looking at fixing that. We also know that people have trouble getting around, whether it’s by car or transit, biking, and walking. We want to make improvements to that as well.

Babington:

This project started with a recognition that African and African-American communities are not and have not been at the table to participate in matters of critical importance to us. So as we were engaged by MnDOT to raise awareness in our community. We need to create tools and processes that would allow engagement.

Our approach was to recognize that the community itself has institutions within that ought to be reinforced, particularly the Black media and the AfricanAmerican church. These are institutions that have served us down through the years and continue to be of service. But we ought to intentionally create more strength in those institutions in order to accomplish our best outcomes.

So I reached out to you, recognizing your Insight News and your multimedia engagement platforms, and your historic commitment to our community. The narrative is critical. You’re our storyteller.

So in addition to having the partnership with you and the McFarlane Media social media platforms, to create these Town Halls, we then said to the Black Church that the Black Church is critical now and going forward, our most critical tool. So out of our network of His Works United Churches, we recruited

work defies how we often attempt to define and describe as ‘multidisciplinary’ or

If a parent wants only a place for their child to be safe until they get off work, a program’s purpose may not matter. But most adults believe after-school programs should enable kids to explore topics of interest, try out new things and gain skills like communication and teamwork.

If a program description explicitly states that it provides homework assistance, tutoring, academic enrichment activities or opportunities to do community service, that is a good first step. Some programs have no discernible objectives, or they are broad and vague.

When programs use project-based academic activities, they can be effective in helping students to better understand specific subjects, such as math. The programs can be even more effective when the activities incorporate material from the child’s regular school.

That way, a program can maximize its academic impact. School-based programs have an advantage in this regard, since program staff can more easily communicate with staff from a child’s school.

2. Scheduled activities

If a program lacks a schedule that spells out what students will be doing, that can be a telltale sign that it doesn’t have much to offer. In my experience as a program evaluator, highquality programs usually schedule activities in a way that

spiritual and community leaders whose ministries are physically located in the Highway 252/I-94 Project corridor.

The Leadership group we assembled includes Jovonta Patton, who is the pastor of The Wave, Leslie Hayes and Cyreta Oduniyi, elders at Liberty Church, Gaither Robinson, pastor of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, Pastor Rozenia Fuller of Good News Baptist Church, Superintendent McKinley Moore, pastor of Jehovah Jireh Church of God in Christ, Hortense Jones who’s a lay leader at New Salem Baptist Church. Dr. Francis Tabla, Ebenezer Community Church, and Bishop Richard Howell of Shiloh Temple. Their churches, their ministries are on the corridor. We understood that in partnership with them, we could bring more awareness of issues to our people, create tools that would allow engagement, and build more community capacity.

‘interdisciplinary,’” said Seitu Jones, who was the 2017 Distinguished Artist Award winner and one of the people who nominated Ewart. “He moves like a dancer between mediums, genres, and time. His mastery as a musician and visual artist is mind-blowing and defies any attempt to define his life and worldview. We don’t have a word in the English language yet to accurately describe the mix of art and life that Douglas embodies.”

Marcus Jones, who served on the panel that chose Ewart, said, “The panel was moved by the nomination letters

helps promote their objectives.

For example, there are benefits when a specific time is set up for participants to complete homework with qualified staff who can provide meaningful help. When students complete their homework before coming home, it lessens stress for students and their families by saving more time for family activities and sleep.

3. Qualified staff

Parents should inquire about what kind of training and credentials staff have to do their jobs.

In terms of credentials, some examples include a child development associate certification, a certification in positive youth development or a certification through the National Enrichment Teachers Association. Such credentials show another level of professionalism.

Some programs may partner with a local college or university to bring on college students as volunteers. Research shows that college students bring a certain passion and enthusiasm to programs, and that participants “feel special” when older peers take an interest in them.

Parents should also ask how many staff members are on hand. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends a ratio of no more than 10 to 12 school-age students per qualified adult and groups of no more than 20 to

McFarlane:

Let me say how wonderful it is to be in this relationship. As a communicator, as a broadcaster, as a person documenting of the movement of our people, I stand in awe of the power of your voices and of your work. You lift up the spirit of hope, vitality and accomplishment in our community. That is evident in this Town Hall broadcast here today. This is a great conversation.

Babington:

Thank you, Al. But there’s no way we can have any meaningful conversation going forward without recognizing that there were over 240 years of enslavement that framed our passage through community.

Rev. Gaither Robinson: And when Reconstruction followed emancipation from 1865 until 1877, it was a time when the nation was trying to put itself

that not only spoke of Ewart’s talents and contributions as an artist and trailblazer, but also of the love, deep respect, and gratitude these nominators feel for him. They detailed an artist who lives his creative life thoroughly and shares generously with the community.”

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Ewart immigrated to Chicago in the 1963. He studied music at the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians there and later taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He moved to Minnesota in 1990. He has performed in the Caribbean

24 students with two qualified adults. When group and class sizes are reasonable, it better enables staff to provide highquality learning experiences that can also include individual attention as warranted.

4. Daily attendance

Daily attendance patterns can offer clues about the level of student interest in a program. Don’t assume or accept that attendance is low because a program is too academic. Research has found that academic activities do not lower attendance at highquality after-school programs.

Officials at successful programs expect regular attendance and collect attendance data. They know

back together while over 4 million formally enslaved individuals were experiencing freedom and opportunities to take part in government. In these modern times we view progress through the elections of Senators Ed Brook, Carol Mosley Braun, and Barack Obama, but they were not the first Black senators.

Hiram Revels was the first Black man to serve in the United States Senate.

Pastor Rozenia Fuller

And for a brief period, P. B. S. Pinchback was governor of the State of Louisiana. He was acting governor of Louisiana from 1872 to 1873, having started out as Lieutenant governor in 1871.

But brief is the operative term because there was a long period of backlash a few years into Reconstruction and it seemed all the promise of progress was lost.

Next Week: Part 2 of 4 – Resilience:

(Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico), Europe (France, Germany, Holland, Italy, UK), Japan, Bali, South America, Scandinavia, and Australia, as well as in the United States (Carnegie Hall, The Kitchen, Walker Art Center, Public Theater, and many more venues). In September, he was featured in the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in Chicago.

Ewart’s work as a composer, instrument maker, and visual artist has long reflected his understanding of the importance of sustainable and natural materials. Bamboo, in particular, serves not only as a primary physical material for many of his sculptures and instruments but also as a crucial conceptual element of some of his most important recordings. His 8-foot rainstick is on exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, and an exhibit of his

that if students don’t attend their programs, it will be a big challenge for the program to meet its goals and objectives.

When a program has clearly defined objectives, a schedule to meet those objectives, qualified staff members and students who attend regularly, the program tends to yield positive results, such as higher test scores and better work habits.

Parents and caretakers who know to look for these features should be better able to choose the best after-school program to meet their children’s needs. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

Overcoming resistance to Black Excellence- Reflections on the Harlem Renaissance, Black Wall Street, and Rondo, St. Paul. Public policy and planning as a tool to suppress progress in our community.

Excerpts from the Stairstep Foundation & MNDot Town Hall broadcast, Tuesday, Sept 20th, on KFAI, FM90.2. Listen to or view and share to your networks the entire program, available at the following platforms online: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=AyK5l3knaYw https://www.facebook. com/145233765561468/ videos/756469358730319/ https://twitter.com/i/ broadcasts/1OwxWwlyoMQxQ https://www. linkedin.com/posts/almcfarlane-2000006_joinal-mcfarlane-for-a-verytown-hall-meeting-activity6977721317580050432-peSZ/

sculpture and sonic sculptures is at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design through December. His massive collective composition, Crepuscule, is a celebration of sunset that brings together diverse musical groups, dancers, artists, and activists for a musical and visual event that has become a signature program of the Jazz Institute of Chicago.

“Crepuscule” has also been performed in Philadelphia and Minneapolis, and at the Banlieues Bleues Festival in Paris.

Among his many honors, Ewart received the Jamaica Musgrave Silver Medal for Outstanding Merit in the Arts, Education, and Culture 2019, and Chicago’s Outstanding Artist Award. He has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Rockefeller Foundation, Bush Foundation, Jerome

Patrick T. Fallon via Getty Images

Effective homework help can reduce stress for students and their families.

Hurricane season: Moving to Florida requires careful considerations



By Ian Riley Special to Insight News

Moving to Florida requires careful consideration.

Florida, with its hundreds of thousands of transplants from various states and other countries, has a patchwork of cultural experiences. But despite that, everyone must deal with the mores of Florida – the only state surrounded by over 70% of its mass by sometimes angry oceans, whipped up by ever increasing ferocious hurricanes.

Scientists have proven that due to global warming, hurricanes have become more powerful as they thrive on the warming waters of the ocean, their propellant.

Indeed, looking at a historical map of Florida, hurricanes from 1852 to 1999, fewer than 10 had sustained winds of over 100 mph.

Since the 90’s hurricanes have become more frequent and intense. It wasn’t until the devastating storm of 1992 (Andrew) that destroyed

Ewart

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Foundation, and others.

Ewart, who lives in south Minneapolis, was selected by a panel of community members with broad perspectives and knowledge about the region’s diverse arts and cultural landscape.

The panel included Marcus Young, theater artist and educator; Michele Anderson, rural director for Springboard for the Arts; Lana Barkawi,

thousands of homes in South Florida and resulted in extensive loss of life, that officials decided that building codes needed to be updated. And as storms increase in ferocity, we’ve seen additional building code updates since 2000. All this is good for new residents who are building, but not so good for those who have built before these codes were updated.

And there are many legacy homes that fit that scenario.

Just look at the devastation in northern Florida over the past two years, as well as those currently (2022) from hurricane Ian in Fort Meyers, Sanibel, Naples, etc. Many of these structures have been there ever since Florida was dubbed the vacation state – now destroyed. Many of these were also manufactured homes – or trailer homes as they’ve become known as. These homes are built and transferred to their residing sites, anchored not like a regular house with footings etc., but merely tethered to supports on the ground.

The bare minimum

executive director of Mizna; Carlton Turner, lead artist and co-director of Sipp Culture; and Daniel Bergin, filmmaker and senior producer and partnership manager for Twin Cities Public Television.

ABOUT THE McKNIGHT DISTINGUISHED ARTIST AWARD

The McKnight Distinguished Artist Award recognizes artists who have made significant lifelong contributions to Minnesota, enriching our communities.

The annual $100,000 award honors artists who have made

sentiments reveal a broader ultraconservative agenda to roll back the social and political gains that marginalized communities have won since the 1960s.

that a mobile home is expected to withstand is winds up to 70 miles per hour. In wind-prone zones, a mobile home must be built to withstand up to 100 miles per hour or 110 miles per hour, depending on the official government designation. Again, these are standards that have been developed recently. If you’ve acquired one built before 1976, chances are it doesn’t meet HUD standards.

https://www. howtolookatahouse.com/Blog/ Entries/2018/9/what-yearwere-mobile-homes-requiredto-become-more-stormresistant.html

For homes built of concrete, there are other standards, but follow the same pattern. Based on where you live – inland or on the coast, there are zones where requirements vary. A prospective mover, or newly arrived, needs to avail themselves of these requirements to do proper planning for the storm season.

Hurricane season begins June 1st and ends November 30th each year. While there aren’t too many storms

an enduring commitment to creating art that is locally, regionally, and/or nationally significant. These artists have chosen to center their lives and careers in Minnesota, thereby making our state a more culturally rich place. First and foremost, they have produced creatively incisive art reflecting their particular and extraordinary point of view. McKnight Distinguished Artists have also inspired other artists, earned acclaim from audiences, patrons, critics, and other arts professionals, and some have founded and strengthened arts organizations.

sovereignty, are also evidence of Thomas’ impact on the nation’s highest court.

that early in the year, a few have occurred. So just because it is June or July, anything can happen anytime. August and September are prime months for occurrences. (Katrina that devastated New Orleans occurred in August).

During the hurricane that can last up 8 hours or more depending on its speed, the howling noise of the winds can be intimidating. Not only the sustained winds, but the gusts, that make it seem as if the structure you are sheltered in is going to be lifted off the ground. The worst thing that can happen, next to having your home penetrated by a foreign substance, water, tree, etc., is having no power. In a bad storm, one will almost certainly lose electricity. (Ten points if you decided early to opt for a generator before the storm starts). Additionally, for those folks who live near or on the ocean, storm surge can wipe out your home, boat, car(s) and other belongings.

Then there is the additional angst of deciding whether you should stay awake

ABOUT THE McKNIGHT FOUNDATION

The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation is deeply committed to advancing climate solutions in the Midwest; building an equitable and inclusive Minnesota; and supporting the arts in Minnesota, neuroscience, and international crop research.

in case of an emergency, or just grin and bear it. To add insult to injury, there is the threat of a tornado being spawned within the hurricane that one will probably not be aware of because of the howling winds that persist throughout. But most worrisome is that for families where one or more is disabled, or there are young kids to console.

More stress for them in a “what if” situation. In every case, one must plan what to do if your shelter sustains damage during the storm. Having extra souls to worry about if evacuation needs to occur, complicates the plan.

The good thing about a hurricane is that it takes days sometimes over a week to hit, so there is lots of advance warning.

You have none of this with a tornado which is equally if not more destructive. During that time, one should prepare for the worst. Your local municipality will provide preparation guides, but there are some things that common sense dictates that you do. Among which are:

Fill the bathtubs with water for flushing toilets – in case your water supply fails.

Maintain a supply of batteries for flashlights, etc.

 Freeze ice packs for storing meats and perishables in coolers – since you’ll probably not have power for some time.

all outside furniture or other yard items that can be blown around by the winds.

you have a swimming pool, drain off 6 – 8 inches and cover with a pool cover. (Sloshing water from the pool can act like a storm surge –bad for your house).

If you have a generator, make sure you have extra fuel since you don’t know just how long power outage will last.

you have enough things (toys, games, etc.) to keep the young ones occupied while the storm lasts.

is a whole handbook on securing your dwelling, including hurricane shutters, boarding up windows, and those kinds of things. Good

ensures minimum damage in a well-built structure.

ideas and rulings have attracted many critics.

But his interpetations of the law are now at the center of the high court’s jurisprudence.

In his concurring opinion of the court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Thomas argued that the court should reconsider reversing other related landmark rulings, including access to contraception in Griswold v. Connecticut, LGBTQ+ sexual behavior and sodomy laws in Lawrence v. Texas and same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges.

In short, Thomas’

The rulings in those cases, Thomas wrote, relied on the due process clause of the 14th Amendment and “were demonstrably erroneous decisions.”

“In future cases,” Thomas explained, “we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell … we have a duty to ‘correct the error’ established in those precedents.”

Other recent Supreme Court rulings, on Second Amendment rights, Miranda rights, campaign finance regulations and tribal

The long game In his memoir and public speeches, Thomas identifies as a self-made man.

Though he has benefited from affirmative action programs – and the color of his skin played a role in his Supreme Court nomination –Thomas has staunchly opposed such efforts to remedy past racial discrimination. Like other notable Black conservatives, Thomas argues that groupbased preferences reward those who seek government largesse rather than individual initiative.

With the exception of guidance of Catholic Church institutions and his

grandfather Myers Anderson, Thomas claims he earned his accomplishments by effort, hard work and his own initiative.

In a 1998 speech, Thomas foreshadowed his judicial independence and made clear that his attendance before the National Bar Association, the nation’s largest Black legal association, was not to defend his conservative views – or further anger his critics.

“But rather,” he explained, “to assert my right to think for myself, to refuse to have my ideas assigned to me as though I was an intellectual slave because I’m black.”

“I come to state that I’m a man, free to think for myself and do as I please,”

AP

Hurricane Ian

Thomas went on. “I’ve come to assert that I am a judge and I will not be consigned the unquestioned opinions of others. But even more than that, I have come to say that, isn’t it time to move on?”

But like many of

Noah From 3

comedy and American cable news.

But growing up as mixed-race during apartheid also enabled Noah to handle crucial moments like the Black Lives

Thomas’ complexities, his own self-made narrative distorts the ideas of the first prominent Black Republican who remains one of his intellectual heroes – Frederick Douglass, the statesman, abolitionist and fugitive exslave whose portrait has hung on the wall of Thomas’ office.

But in “Self-Made Men,” a speech he first delivered in 1859. Douglass disagreed with the idea that

Matter movement with a level of awareness and sensitivity that could never be matched by his white, male counterparts. These unique perspectives caught the attention of a younger and more diverse global audience that have been introduced to The Daily Show via Noah.

Is the power of TV satire as a critical tool increasing or

accomplishments result from solely individual upliftment.

“Properly speaking,” Douglass wrote, “there are in the world no such men as selfmade men. That term implies an individual independence of the past and present which can never exist.”

Law against the people Thomas’ view of the law is rooted in the originalism doctrine of an immutable rather than living U.S. Constitution.

decreasing?

The genre has become a highly saturated space with lots of different programmes vying for the attention of audiences who are leaving TV in favour of digital platforms. This makes it increasingly difficult for the more progressive and politically charged satire programmes to have the same impact they once had, particularly when the

Since the 1776 Declaration of Independence, modern America for Thomas has been predominantly a republic, where laws are made for the people through their elected representatives. Unlike a pure democracy, where the people vote directly and the majority rules, the rights of the minority are protected in a republic.

Dating back to ancient Rome, the history of republicanism is a story

highest rating shows in the genre tend to be more entertainment focused like Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Late Late Show With James Corden

It is vital that TV satire shows continue to highlight and critique political and social issues. However, it is equally important that they explore them through the lenses of gender, race and class and via a wider

of denouncing domination, rejecting slavery and championing freedom.

Yet in my view, American republicanism has an underside: its long-standing basis in inequality that never intended its core ideals to apply beyond a small few.

Thomas claims consistency with America’s original founding.

In my view, Thomas’ perilous conservative activism

variety of digital platforms.

What has it meant for a black African to take on this role?

Trevor Noah’s tenure on The Daily Show has highlighted the importance of challenging the white, male centric nature of the American late-night scene. I hope that the show continues to recognise the importance of diversity.

works against a fundamental principle of the U.S. Constitution – “to form a more perfect union.”

Thomas’ rulings reveal a broader ultraconservative agenda to roll back the social and political gains that marginalized communities have won since the 1960s.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

Maybe this time they can bring American actresses and comedians Jessica Williams and Samantha Bee back into the fold as chief anchors.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

The

day of fall, was the

day for Autumn

On September 22, the first day of fall, Grant’s Zebra “Thelma” gave birth to a healthy female foal. Zookeepers, visitors, and Social Media made it abundantly clear that there is truly only one logical and appropriate name for the baby. Como Zoo is thrilled to bestow the name “Autumn” onto the little female zebra.

Como’s current herd now consists of Ulysses, Minnie, Aurora, Thelma, and Autumn. All can be seen by the public in the outdoor Zebra and Kudu exhibit daily from 10am-4pm.

The gestation period

for zebras ranges from 10-12 months. A newborn zebra’s stripes will turn from brown to black sometime between the first 9-18 months of life. Como is home to Grant’s Zebras, which are commonly found in the grassy plains of eastern Africa including the countries of Kenya and Ethiopia.

Father, Ulysses, sired the newborn. Como’s zebras are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) breeding population.

Sponsor the Baby

Zebra! Sponsoring an animal makes a great gift – that keeps giving back. Animal sponsorships are a unique way to help Como Park Zoo and Conservatory with its wildlife conservation efforts. They support enhanced habitats and efforts to maintain the best care possible for the animals, including the zebra, at Como Zoo. To purchase, visit Garden Safari Gifts at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, call 651-487-8229 or go online to comofriends.org.

You Saved Me

By: W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor

You Saved Me

By Roslyn Faulk

Yes, there are times when love comes under the most unlikely circumstances, including times of crisis. It can take years before it happens, or it can take only weeks to realize it. That being said, I present to you Roslyn Faulk’s debut entry into Black Love, You Saved Me 32-year-old book editor Tristan Michaels has just had a day when everything that could go wrong in his life did. At the publishing house, a jealous

World

and slimy coworker framed him to be fired. When his BFF and coworker Cassie Blackwell takes him home, he walks in to discover Devin, his boyfriend of two years, cheating on him with another man. I mean, Tristan can’t catch a break, and the next day he packs his things and leaves Devin for good. At Cassie’s insistence, Tristan goes up to her family’s cabin in the Georgia mountains to heal from his emotional blows and work on his own novel for the next month.

35-year-old Lucas Blackwell is an FBI agent whose team has come off an intense manhunt for the Darkstream Killer, a monstrous serial killer who kidnapped and tortured women before he killed them. After punching out the perp in custody, he is ordered to take leave and see an FBI therapist for his PTSD. Coming from a

wealthy family, Lucas has never told his parents or his younger sister Cassie that he was with the FBI, or that he has been struggling with his sexuality.

When Tristan and Lucas meet at the cabin, it’s hardly a meet-cute, not with Lucas pulling a gun on a brotha he didn’t expect to find there.

Tristan, having known of Lucas but never met him, takes offense at what he perceives to be Lucas’ homophobic attitude.

Over the next few weeks, Lucas comes out as bisexual, and their respective emotional wounds are shared in the healing process.

However, the Darkstream Killer has an accomplice, who will stop at nothing to wipe out the FBI team that captured his partner in crime…

In this her first novel, Faulk does an outstanding job in showing the honesty and vulnerability in both Tristan

and Lucas during their stay in the cabin, as well as the way the Blackwell family embraced Tristan as one of their own when Tristan’s own parents disowned him for being gay.

Truly, Tristan has a wonderful friend in Cassie; she’s the kind of friend I’d want to have my back. As Tristan and Lucas open up and fall in love, and that love grew, I was rooting for the brothas all the way. I loved the way Lucas came into his own in protecting those he loves, which soon included Tristan.

You Saved Me is available through Amazon.

Thank you, Roslyn, for taking your place at the Romancelandia table and for the love you showed in your novel. It shows through and through in Tristan, Lucas, and the Blackwell family. Representation matters, and Black Love triumphs again!

Premiere of Harrison David Rivers’ Weathering

A tender portrait of motherhood, loss, and the journey to healing. Sponsored by HealthPartners and Regions Hospital.

In partnership with HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Penumbra is proud to present Weathering written by Harrison David Rivers and directed by Colette Robert. Weathering opens on Thursday, October 13 and continues through Sunday, November 6. Previews are October 11 and 12. Tickets range in price from $20 for students/youth to $45 for adults and are on sale through the box office at 651.224.3180 and online at www.penumbratheatre. org.

What happens when a circle of women surround a couple experiencing excruciating loss? Can the wound ever close? Back as a company member after staging his award-winning This Bitter Earth at Penumbra in 2018, Harrison David Rivers’ first commission for our stage reflects the pain of generations of Black women in a story of deliverance from grief.

“From the moment a playwright has even the

faintest idea of a play, there is an opportunity to build a community; an opportunity for a play to grow and change and deepen and mature with input.”

- Harrison David Rivers, Playwright ‘ “Structural racism [in healthcare] is a solvable problem, and we all have a role to play in confronting it.”

- Dr. Rachel Hardeman, Associate Professor School of Public Health, University of Minnesota Black health in focus Weathering elevates an urgent healthcare challenge: disparities in care for Black birthing people and their babies. Playwright Harrison David Rivers took on the issue following a report that Black infants are twice as likely to die as white infants, a disparity, according to the New York Times, that is “wider than in 1850, 15 years before the end of slavery.” (“Why America’s Black Mothers and Babies Are in a Life-or-Death Crisis” by Linda Villarosa; 2018).

While centering profound loss, Weathering is

ultimately about the renewal made possible with patience and collective care. “We have become a NOW people,” Rivers says. “If something is broken, we want it fixed yesterday. We sometimes forget that healing is a journey.”

This deeply personal story of Black motherhood unites women across generations who, when harmed by systems outside their control, have found powerful solace in one another.

In a partnership with HealthPartners, Penumbra brought together OBGYNs, RNs, and patient advocates for an early reading of Weathering. By examining the traumatic and restorative experiences with

pregnancy, birth, and aftercare raised in the play, this ongoing collaboration is seeking to accelerate equitable practices inside healthcare organizations.

Bios

Harrison David Rivers, Playwright

Harrison David Rivers is an award-winning playwright, librettist and television writer based in St. Paul, Minnesota. His plays include THE BANDAGED PLACE (Playwrights’ Center, Roundabout), WE ARE CONTINUOUS (Williamstown Theatre Festival, Geva Theatre

Center), THIS BITTER EARTH (Playwrights’ Center, New Conservatory Theatre Center, Penumbra, About Face, Theater Alliance, Richmond Triangle Players, The Road, InterAct, TheatreWorks Hartford), WHERE STORMS ARE BORN (Williamstown), WHEN LAST WE FLEW (NYFringe, Diversionary, TheatreLAB, Real Live Arts, Out Front), and the musicals FIVE POINTS with Douglas Lyons and Ethan Pakchar (Theater Latté Da), WE SHALL SOMEDAY with Ted Shen (Signature Theatre, Theater Latté Da) and I PUT A SPELL ON YOU with Nubya Garcia. Harrison has received commissions from Roundabout, Yale Rep, Transport Group, Penumbra, TheatreWorks Hartford and the Public Theater, among others. His television credits include ONE OF US IS LYING (Peacock) THE NEVERS (HBO), WYTCHES (Amazon) and THE PLOT (Hulu). Harrison sits on the Board of Directors of The Movement Theatre Company and the Playwrights’ Center. He is a graduate of Kenyon College and the Columbia School of the

Arts.

Colette Robert, Director Colette Robert is a director and playwright from Los Angeles, based in New York. Her directing credits include Egress (Salt Lake Acting Company), Solo Plays (Williamstown Theatre Festival), STEW (Page 73, Pulitzer Finalist), and Behind the Sheet (Ensemble Studio Theatre, NYT Critics Pick). Upcoming: The Wanderers (City Theatre Company) and Crumbs from the Table of Joy (Keen Company). Colette’s play The Harriet Holland Social Club presents the 84th Annual Star-Burst Cotillion in the Grand Ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel received a grant from New York City’s Women’s Film, TV, and Theatre Fund for a production in 2023 (co-produced by New Georges and The Movement Theatre Company). She is a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre, a New Georges affiliated artist, and an adjunct lecturer at NYU (Dramatic Writing). M.A., RADA and King’s College, London. B.A., Yale University.

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