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October 5, 2020 - October 11, 2020
Vol. 47 No. 40• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
DOUGLAS R. EWART’S GEORGE FLOYD BUNT STAFF
SALUTE TO AN EVERYDAY HERO GEORGE FLOYD BUNT STAFF 3
Douglas R. Ewart
Page 2 • October 5, 2020 - October 11, 2020 • Insight News
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Insight News • October 5, 2020 - October 11, 2020 • Page 3 WINNER: 2020 T YPOGRAPHY & DESIGN, 1ST PLACE, PHOTOGRAPHY (PORTRAIT & PERSONALIT Y), 1ST PLACE, WEBSITE, 3RD PLACE
Insight News October 5, 2020 - October 11, 2020
Vol. 47 No. 40• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
photo/Uche Iroegbu
During the days following the May 25th murder of George Floyd by four former Minneapolis police officers, people took to the streets demanding justice for Floyd.
Statement against the criminalization of black and brown victims
George Floyd is not on trial By The Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers, Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association, Executive Committee of the Minnesota American Indian Bar Association, and the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association On May 25, 2020, four Minneapolis police officers killed George Floyd. Minnesota, the rest of our country, and the world witnessed the last
minutes of Mr. Floyd’s life; Floyd, a father, a son, and, more importantly, a human being, lay with his head pressed into the cement, empty hands bound with cuffs, pleading for mercy and the comfort of his dead mother. The source of his distress: four Minneapolis police officers. Eventually, the four officers were charged with crimes for their acts and omissions. Because we are a nation of laws, they deserve a fair trial. Nothing should interfere with that sacred right. We should be clear, however, that it is those accused
of killing George Floyd that are on trial—not George Floyd. Recent court filings by the attorneys representing some of the criminal defendants would suggest otherwise. For instance, the attorneys for Officer Thomas Lane exhumed records of Mr. Floyd’s prior encounters with law enforcement and convictions dating back some seventeen years. They call him “an addict” and a liar who should not be believed. And they seek to justify the killing of Mr. Floyd by pointing to the location of his arrest as if where you frequent should have any
bearing on whether you have a right to be free from violence at the hands of law enforcement. The smearing of Mr. Floyd’s character is nothing more than racial stereotyping masquerading as historical and objective facts. Since the birth of the Eugenics movement in 1883[1], junk science theories have been used to propagate negative stereotypes that people of color are less intelligent, sub-human, and that Black men in particular, are prone to savagery and deserve to die
FLOYD 5
Fourth annual Outstanding Refugee Awards recognize contributions, honor 10 Minnesotans Ten people who came to Minnesota as refugees will receive awards this month for making a difference in their communities. The fourth annual Outstanding Refugee Awards from the Minnesota Department of Human Services recognize refugees for civic engagement, entrepreneurship, young leadership and significant efforts during their first two years in the state. “People who come to the United States as refugees endure great hardship in order to realize their hopes for a better life for themselves and their families,” said Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “I’m so pleased to acknowledge the achievements of these individuals who have done so much to unify Minnesota and make our state a better place to live.” In 2019, Minnesota welcomed 891 refugees from 13 countries, about half of them children and youth. The largest number of refugees were from Burma, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine. The 2020 Outstanding Refugee Award recipients are
listed below. The Civic Engagement Award recognizes individuals who make their communities stronger through civic participation: Dr. Obsa Abdulla Hassan of Spring Lake Park, a physician at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, founder of the Axis Family Clinic in northeast Minneapolis, and a volunteer at Hadi Medical Clinic, a free community clinic in Brooklyn Center. Hani Haybe of Minneapolis, a nurse at Hennepin Healthcare and the founder of Street Soccer Twin Cities. Farhiya Iman of St. Cloud, a social worker for Stearns County and owner of Nori Cafe and Creamery. Rufo Jiru of Shakopee, a chemist and humanitarian, founder of the Anole Sisters nonprofit in Minneapolis, an active member of the Disability Support International Advisory Working Group and the Minnesota Autism Council Working Group in St. Paul, and a board member of the Multicultural Autism Action Network and Minnesota International Non-governmental
Hani Haybe
Rufo Jiru
True Thao
Oballa Oballa
Organization Network in Minneapolis. Novia Josiah-Isaac of Maplewood, a licensed social worker at the Center for Victims of Torture in St. Paul. The Entrepreneurship
News
UMN’s Terrion Williamson edits anthology featuring Black Midwestern scholars and creatives
PAGE 7
Award goes to individuals who contribute to their communities in business, the arts or education: Amran Abukar of Willmar, a cultural liaison at
HONORS 8
George FLoyd Bunt Staff by Douglas R. Ewart
George Floyd: Bunt, Sacrifice Fly The George Floyd Bunt Staff is Douglas R. Ewart’s latest sonic sculpture. Composer, musician, educator, visual artist, craftsman, inventor, activist, and human, Ewart collaborated with Ananya Chatterjea and Julia Gay of Ananya’s Dance Theatre, and videographer/ sound artist Stephanie Watts to introduce the iconic sonic art sculpture, presenting the work in a video: https://1drv. ms/u/s!ApaqD0aeg5TtgldeCuwKdey1765?e=mEswzT The George Floyd Bunt Staff is an idiophone comprising tin and cast-aluminum Bundt baking pans whose sonic potential and possibilities are incalculable. The construction of these Bunt Staffs is a salute to George Floyd, the Everyday Hero in the sense that he is from the neighborhood and was known, loved, and cherished by many in the areas he traversed. Ewart says the name “George Floyd Bunt Staff” comes from the notion that George Floyd bunted with his life to open the eyes, and awaken hearts, portals, conscience, intelligence, ire, reprimands, demands, and commands that the world concept of the police must change as George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. However, there are hundreds of George Floyds throughout Planet Earth that are summarily murdered, because of their color and designated caste on a daily basis. George Floyd also made a Sacrifice Fly and a punt so that we could see and change the realities of America and beyond. “The George Floyd Bunt Staff is the result of experimenting with Bundt baking pans for several years and with the confluence of Coronavirus, the open brutal and sadistic murder of George
Floyd, the multitudes of the country- the world- having time to concentrate on what they actually saw, witnessed in real-time and on film, created a human-rights-socio-political tsunami that initiated a global revolution and movement never before seen in the annals of human history, and so I was compelled to bring the instrument to full fruition,” Ewart says. “Let’s keep the fires raging for truth, justice and equality for people across the world. The current systems of oppression, downpression, suppression, and repression must be eviscerated and obliterated. There is a significant difference between the legality of something, and truth, humanity, compassion, justice, and doing what is right” he says. “Our current system is largely built on treachery and legal shenanigans. The United States is constantly touted as the greatest country in the world, leader of the free world, leader of the G7, and so on. Yet there is a great contradiction between what we profess and what we practice,” he says. “The pudding is inedible. What a reeking joke!” Philosopher Ewart says, “America is undoubtedly one of the leading countries in the world for the extrajudicial killing of Black and Brown people on a daily basis. It is also said that America is better than it currently is. Well, that makes no sense, America is and has been a racist society for hundreds of years, and has enslaved, disenfranchised, and murdered millions and needs immediate quantum change and transformation if it is to be considered civilized and just.” Ewart says, “I am for reallocating portions of the
BUNT 7
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Madiba’s Way
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Page 4 • October 5, 2020 - October 11, 2020 • Insight News
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Getting more masks to where they’re needed most Across the country, Bank of America continues to work with local organizations to provide critical resources to the vulnerable and underserved populations hardest hit by the coronavirus. To support the safety and health of those most at risk in our community, we are partnering with local leaders and organizations to distribute PPE masks here in The Twin Cities. This is in addition to the four million masks we donated earlier this year in cities across the country — and part of our ongoing commitment to provide millions of masks to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Together, let’s work to help The Twin Cities recover.
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Commentary by By StatePoint Hazel Josh Cobb Tricethe Edney Special from Ricki Fairley By Pam Kragen By Kevin Punsky Dr. LaVonne Moore Twin Cities Association Minnesota Department The Cincinnati Herald Reprinted courtesy ofon the Originally published Mayo Clinic of Black Journalists/ Health BlacksInTechnology.net San Diego Union-Tribune Insight News Intern March 9, 2017 By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent @ StacyBrownMedia
Katie Simpson The Twin Cities Market President
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Insight News • October 5, 2020 - October 11, 2020 • Page 5
Help is just a phone call away...
Dr. Senenge T. Andzenge and Dr. Solen Feyissa
U of M Technologist launch ‘Jumping In’ tech podcast Drs. Solen Feyissa and Senenge T. Andzenge have launched ‘Jumping In,’ a commentary podcast series on teaching, learning, technology and development. Feyissa, an academic technologist at the University of Minnesota, said, “On ‘Jumping In podcast’ we go in depth on every aspect of the field of learning technologies and what makes it an important topic in any discussion happening in learning spaces around the world. Our conversations have
Floyd From 3 or be killed with impunity. To promote this bias and rhetoric, in cases such as Mr. Floyd’s, some historical facts such as Mr. Floyd’s criminal history are offered to incite prejudice, distract from important decision-making, and bias the ultimate decision-makers. Today, the sexual history of victims of sexual assault is all but off-limits in the courts because, though historical and objective, it is wholly irrelevant to the question
ranged from the controversial to the most popular.” Andzenge, also an academic technologist at the University of Minnesota, added, “We have spent nearly five decades working with teams and organizations to support learning and growth through thoughtful design. In each episode, we lend our expertise to a variety of topics and areas of promise at the intersection of education, adult and professional learning, and technology.” Previous ‘Jumping
In’ podcast series topics have included open universities in the African continent; the One Health Workforce project and why multidisciplinary initiatives like it are valuable in the fight against COVID-19 and other zoonotic diseases; opportunities the COVID-19 pandemic presents for online universities; and the Learning Technologies Media Lab at UMN, which was an incubator for the development of thought, theory, and educational technologies.
of whether the defendant committed the alleged crime. The focus on the sexual history of victims in those cases— before laws were passed barring their revictimization—is clear: distract from the ultimate question (i.e., did the State prove that the defendant committed the crime with proof beyond a reasonable doubt?) and (2) play on long-held stereotypes and biases of the jury that the victim is less worthy of justice. George Floyd’s criminal history and struggles with substance abuse were offered with the same goals: to distract, dehumanize, and play on deeply-rooted and
indelible racist stereotypes. This is not right. We believe that all Americans are protected by the same Constitution, irrespective of where they live, their prior encounters with law enforcement, or their past struggles. We also see that this strategy takes on a special ugliness when engaged by those who defend the police officers who have been accused of killing Black and Brown Americans. It is a strategy used to try to justify the senseless killings of people of color time and again. We need look no further than
FLOYD 8
During these challenging times NorthPoint’s Behavioral Health providers are here to support you. With appointments now available by phone, people seek support around: • Depression • Anxiety • Grief & loss • Controlling anger & moods • Physical and sexual abuse • Fear and obsession • Parenting and relationships We provide a wide range of services for ages 6 & up including: individual and family therapy, support groups, teen therapy, chemical health support & psychiatric care
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BUILD BACK BETTER JOBS AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY AGENDA Joe Biden believes we cannot build back better without a major mobilization of effort and resources to advance racial equity across the American economy
Ensure all small business relief efforts are specifically designed to aid businesses owned by Black and Brown people. Spur more than $150 billion in additional public-private venture capital and non-profit lending programs to minority-owned small businesses. Reform Opportunity Zones to Fulfill Their Promise. Ensure his housing plan makes bold investments in homeownership and access to affordable housing for minority families. Boost retirement security and financial wealth for minority families.
Visit joebiden.com/racial-economic-equity to learn more PAID FOR BY BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT
Page 6 • October 5, 2020 - October 11, 2020 • Insight News
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Neighborhood Development Center gets PayPal grant to support Black-owned businesses PayPal Holdings, Inc. named Neighborhood Development Center as one of 20 nonprofit community partners that will receive grants and contributions totaling $5 million to support Black-owned businesses across the U.S. in their recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The grants are part of PayPal’s $530 million
commitment announced in June to support Black-owned businesses, strengthen minority communities and fight for racial equity and economic equality. “The COVID-19 pandemic has put enormous pressure on small businesses, and has been especially devastating for Black-owned businesses and communities,” said Dan
Schulman, president and CEO, PayPal. “To rebuild and succeed over the long-term, it’s important for these businesses to have a strong ecosystem of support. Through our grants to effective community nonprofits, PayPal is working to support and strengthen Black-owned businesses and catalyze the critical work these organizations
are doing to sustain Black-owned businesses and communities now and in the future.” As part of this partnership initiative, PayPal employee volunteers will work with these nonprofit community partners to advance PayPal’s mission. In addition, the company will match $2 for every $1 employees donate
and $20 for every volunteer hour contributed to the organizations, up to $500,000. Renay Dossman, Executive Director of NDC said, “This outstanding contribution from PayPal will enable NDC to continue to provide greatly needed business support for Black-owned businesses in Minneapolis and St. Paul. We appreciate PayPal’s investment in Black business owners.” PayPal has remained at the forefront of the digital payment revolution for more than 20 years. By leveraging technology to make financial services and commerce more
photo/NDC-MN
Renay Dossman, Executive Director, NDC
convenient, affordable, and secure, the PayPal platform is empowering more than 300 million consumers and merchants in more than 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy.
Radio broadcasts are
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UMN’s Terrion Williamson edits anthology featuring Black Midwestern scholars and creatives Staff for UBAAGlobal.com UMN professor of African American and African Studies, Terrion L. Williamson has edited an anthology, Black in the Middle (Belt Publishing), which brings the voices of Black Midwesterners front and center. Filled with compelling narratives, thought-provoking analyses, and impactful commentaries, this anthology explores the various meanings and experiences of blackness throughout the Rust Belt. Bringing together people from major metropolitan centers like Detroit and Chicago as well as smaller cities and rural areas where the lives of Black residents have too often gone unacknowledged, this collection is a much-needed corrective to the narrative of the region. With a foreword by St. Louis-based scholar and activist Jamala Rogers, contributors include Cleveland, Ohio poet and writer Kisha Nicole Foster, UMN professor
Bunt From 3 monies that go to the police to support entities that deal with de-escalation of confrontational situations, domestic violence, respect of all inhabitants, the use of force as an absolute last resort, and funding mental health providers. We cannot continue to fund the shooting and murdering of Black and Brown people, and lawless police, especially in nonthreatening circumstances.” “There must be a well-defined and organized plan to transition from policing as we know it. Policing, as we know it, was never invented and intended to protect poor people. It was designed to largely protect the people that have exploited the poor and made them the downtrodden.
UMN professor Terrion L. Williamson edits book about the Black experience in the Midwest and ethnographer Zenzele Isoke, public scholar Michelle S. Johnson, Detroit storyteller Courtney Wise Randolph, Melissa N. Stuckey, filmmaker Jeffrey C. Wray, and others. Publishers Weekly says of Black in the Middle, “Timely and evocative.... By calling forth the full range of the Black Midwestern experience, this bracing anthology offers
crucial insights into why the region is the epicenter of current protests against police brutality and racial injustice.” Terrion L. Williamson is also the director of the Black Midwest Initiative. A native of Peoria, she is author of Scandalize My Name: Black Feminist Practice and the Making of Black Social Life. She lives in Minneapolis.
It was designed to protect the real crooks of society, those that have raped poor people, the bankers, the real estate companies, the industrialists, the people that created the aristocracy, landed gentry, plantocracy, sharecropping, peonage, Jim Crow, Redlining, Subprime Mortgage, the unscrupulous Payday Lenders, and so on,” Ewart says. “We do not live in a utopia and therefore we need peacekeepers that are well educated on numerous fronts, compassionate, and firm and strong when necessary as many humans in our societies are unreasonable, unjust, and quite violent. Let’s get (be) real.” “Any job that has the kind of power that police have must be taught how to manage, and exercise that power, and need higher spiritual and emotional education,” he says. “We The People must
remain positive, unrelenting for justice, and supportive of our young people by assisting in their positive preparation for community service and leadership, and provide the space for them to develop and to learn early to provide space for others and to learn no positions should be inordinately long or for a lifetime,” the artist says. Professor Ewart says he thanks Julia Gay, choreographer, dancer, playwright, and standup comedian for her vital participation and encouragement in this video. He thanks Ananya Chatterjea, educator, choreographer, dancer, community builder, and Ananya’s Dance Theatre, a “brilliant, committed, and magnificent constellation of kindred Spirit Catchers for collaborating on the project.
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Page 8 • October 5, 2020 - October 11, 2020 • Insight News
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Floyd From 5 what occurred in the aftermath of the death of Eric Garner (as if selling loose cigarettes warrants the death penalty); Michael Brown (suggesting a teenager’s physical size and unproven and unrelated criminal conduct justified his killing); Akai Gurley (suggesting that Mr. Gurley was more of a threat because he was killed in the vicinity of public housing and because of his physical stature); Tamir Rice (as if a twelve-year old child’s physical size and his mother’s lifestyle excuse his killing); Freddie Gray (emphasizing where he lived, his physical stature, and prior interactions with law enforcement to exonerate his killers); and countless others. This is not a new phenomenon or a new tactic. Nor is it a creative, new argument Officer Lane’s lawyers happened upon. It is a phenomenon so familiar and prevalent; we all know it when we see it.[2] While the strategy may not be new, the pain it causes cuts deep every time it is wielded and unmistakably screams to every person of color: “your Black and Brown bodies do not matter and you are less deserving of the protections of the law.” The strategy of attempting to distract from law enforcement’s conduct by inciting prejudice and dehumanizing the victims of violence is racist. Lawyers know better and must be better.
Honors From 3 Kennedy Elementary School and an author. True Thao of Cottage Grove, a mental health advocate and founder of True Thao Counseling Services. The Young Leader Award acknowledges the contributions of young people who have achieved great milestones and are making a
By Titilayo Bediako
And we should hold them to account when they do not. The Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers, Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association, Executive Committee of the Minnesota American Indian Bar Association, and Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association denounce this blatant practice of criminalizing Black and Brown victims of violence. It is clear that this strategy is intended to fuel racial prejudice in a case being watched across the country. We encourage everyone to resist the smoke and mirrors that stoke ugly biases that have been deliberately developed against Black and Brown victims in America for centuries. Let each of us check our own biases and abandon notions that a Black or Brown victim’s parentage, or his/ her family or personal history somehow grant permission for him/her to be killed on our streets. We believe it is time that the Minnesota State Legislature enact a victim’s rights bill focused on the rights of the victims of police brutality and violence. The legislation should limit the use of prior medical histories, criminal histories, and substance abuse histories by law enforcement to justify police brutality and violence, much like rape shield laws (blocking the admission and introduction of past sexual history of victims of sexual violence, except in limited circumstances). If not now, when? [1] “Eugenics” was a term coined in 1883 by
England’s Francis Galton. He combined the Greek words for “good” and “born” to refer to the social philosophy advocating the improvement of human heredity through selective breeding. Eugenics became the bedrock of white supremacist movements, most notably, the Nazi eugenics effort to “stamp out mental inferiority among the German people,” and it was hoped by some that Hitler’s “efforts along that line will be a great success and will advance the eugenics movement in other nations as well as in Germany.” Letter from Dr. Charles F. Dight, President, Minnesota Eugenics Society, to Chancellor Adolf Hitler (August 1, 1933). [2] See CalvinJohn Smiley and David Fakunle, From “brute” to “thug:” the demonization and criminalization of unarmed Black male victims in America, J Hum Behav Soc Environ. 2016; 26(3-4): 350–366 (2016) (analyzing media coverage of police killings of Black males and the recurring narratives designed to incite prejudice and play upon stereotypes) and Kristin Dukes and Sarah E. Gaither, Black Racial Stereotypes and Victim Blaming: Implications for Media Coverage and Criminal Proceedings in Cases of Police Violence against Racial and Ethnic Minorities: Victim Blaming and Race, Journal of Social Issues 73(4):789-807 (2017) (discussing how the use of racially charged stereotypes in the media impact public perception and juror perception of victims of police violence).
difference in their communities: Ku Mo of St. Paul, a University of Minnesota student and community supporter. Oballa Oballa of Austin, a student at Riverland Community College, an advocate and leader in the statewide LeadMN student organization and an honorary member of the Austin City Council. The New Beginnings Award recognizes individuals who have been in the country two years or less and exemplify resilience and courage while
rebuilding their well-being and making Minnesota home: Bugondo (Blaise) Ntibonera of Minneapolis, a refugee resettlement case worker at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The department canceled this year’s awards ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but plans to honor the 2020 award winners at an event next year. For information about refugee services, visit https://mn.gov/dhs/outstandingrefugees/.
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Insight News • October 5, 2020 - October 11, 2020 • Page 9
Photos by Uche Iroegbu
Silvia Gonzales
Left to Right: Jacory Shipp, Johnnie Baker Post 291 commander Dale Lyons and Antonio Hanson
Electricians spotlight community service, career opportunities in building trades Derrick Givens, is a Union business representative and treasurer of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC) for Twin Cities local affiliate 292 of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW 292). Chris Cone, is also a union business rep. He’s also on the EWMC board along Silvia Gonzales, an electrician who is a supervisor at Minneapolis City Inspector’s office. They joined Jacory Shipp for a Conversations with Al McFarlane interview recently to discuss EWMC service initiatives and to promote career opportunities in the building trades. The Electrical Workers Minority Caucus, is made up of union electricians who want is to build awareness in our communities about becoming tradesmen, whether it’s electrical, carpentry, or plumbing. “We introduce our communities to careers in the trades to let them know what’s out there, and that this is an option. And we also come together to help the community. Saturday we’re going to be
doing a picnic in the park where we’re going to help register people to vote. We’ll be serving food to the community, and letting them know about the option of becoming tradesmen and women,” Shipp said. Givens added, “I go out into the community and talk to young people about doing something positive to be able to acquire the things they want. because that’s really what young people pay attention to, the tangibles. They see things others have and they want be able to acquire those things.” “As a kid, the opportunity to be able to acquire things meant selling drugs. That is not what we need to be offering our youth. Our message to young folks is that there are things that they can do in life that won’t jeopardize their freedoms, or their lives, or diminish our communities,” Givens said. Chris Cone grew up in north Minneapolis in neighborhoods defined by business and public policy redlining practices. “People put us in that redlined area to hold us down. It’s important for us to get out in the community
and let them know, hey, you could be an electrician or skilled tradesperson. There’s a great website called constructioncareers.org. On that website it shows you all the different trades. Being an electrician isn’t for everyone. But I think it’s important to get out there and let the community members know and especially kids, know that hey, that there’s something more out there than what is being presented, especially on Northside. There’s hope. We’ve got to let them know there’s hope out there,” Cone said. Silvia Gonzales said mentors are important. “Growing up as a family of migrant workers, there were very few professional mentors out for me to view as a young Chicana. When we go out to the community, we are showing these young people that there are other possibilities besides going to college. Even when I was attending at the University of Minnesota, I really didn’t know what I wanted to be because I lacked those professionals, those mentors, those people that were out there that could steer me or
guide me in another direction other than always being some kind of laborer. And there’s nothing wrong with that work, but if you don’t want to beat your body up the rest of your life, you want to get into a decent profession. They can’t outsource electrical work,” she said. “I think it’s important that we’re building community out there within our group because when I started out as an electrician, there was no other Latinas. I didn’t see people that looked like me. I saw people who were Black and maybe one Native American person in my course. Because they were so accepting, we congregated together and accept each other and supported one another. That’s what the EWMC is really for. Electricians that were coming though when I started back in 1982 had nothing like this,” she said. “I was lucky that my father was in construction,” Gonzales said. “I was attending the University of Minnesota and I told him I was sick of not having money. He got me summer jobs working as a laborer. So, I started with that
flag. And then they gave me a jack hammer. My dad said, ‘Okay, you’re a laborer now. You get a raise.’ And I decided I didn’t want to go back to school. I liked the money that I was earning. I liked that physical type of work, so I decided to go into the electrical trade. My father always encouraged me to either pick electrician or pipe fitters because they had among the strongest unions, and he felt that we would always be earning benefits and decent wages by continuing in a union path.” Gonzales worked as an electrician for about 12 years and then became an electrical inspector for the City of Minneapolis. “I am now a supervisor for Construction Code Services. I supervise mechanical, plumbing, building, and elevator inspectors. The city’s been good to me with the training and I am the first, I think, Latina to ever probably be a supervisor in the City of Minneapolis. I’m also the first Latina to get my electrical license in the state of Minnesota. So, those are great achievements for me, my family,” she said. Shipp, who leads
EWMC said he was born in Gary, Indiana. His Family moved down here in the 80s because Minnesota had jobs. “I was raised over north, over on Olson Memorial Highway where the old KMOJ headquarters used to be. I’ve been in Minnesota pretty much my whole life. I was a brand new dad looking for more than $10.00 an hour, $11.00 an hour and something more steady. So, I went to my pastor and I told him and he told me about a workshop similar to the workshops that we do that was being held and I met a guy named Everett Pettifort, who was a long time union member.” “He gave me all the information about being an electrician and from there I took off. I got into the apprenticeship program and it’s just been good ever since. It’s just been great.” Dale Lyons, commander of the Johnnie Baker American Legion Post thanked the EWMC for restorative and refurbishing work at the Northside facility.
Madiba’s Way By Brenda Lyle-Gray Columnist Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.” Nelson Mandela 1918 – Forever The late Nelson Mandela
will forever be applauded as one of the world’s greatest moral leaders, but he would describe himself as simply a politician. Others . . . global leaders, admirers, students, and dedicated colleagues, and followers, historians, and writers referred to the 1993 co-recipient of the Noble Peace Prize as a
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master tactician. He negotiated the freedom for the majority Black populace of his country out of a brutal and oppressive system of apartheid, bringing together Blacks and whites like never before. Few believed this humongous feat would have ever been possible. The creation of a non-racial, democratic South Africa came about by Madiba’s (Mandela’s tribal name) shrewd blending of his forte as a diplomat and a statesman having garnered international support after the Soweto Riots and Steve Biko’s murder, and a martyr for 27 years of imprisonment on Robben Island for saying and doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. The sacrifice had to be made for he feared continued generations would be lost. His first wife, Winnie, and he were fearless warriors on the dangerous front lines for justice and the love of their country. Oh, what a glorious, hallelujah day when true American leaders learn and implement “Madiba’s Way” . . . leadership traits that can help save our democracy, what little remains. Know your adversaries and learn what makes them tick. Madiba studied Afrikaan, the white South African language, and the history of the Afrikaan people so he could understand their mode of thinking and operation. Surprisingly, Afrikaners suffered moderate subjugation under British colonization. He surmised one day he might either be engrossed in a civil war or negotiating a peace deal with his enemies. He even learned more about the popular sport of rugby so he could talk about the team players and game scores. Madiba lived by the old adage, keep your friends close and your rivals even closer. Some guests invited to Madiba’s home were people he might not have trusted. It was a strategic game he had learned to play quite well. They broke bread together at his table. He asked their advice and often presented them with a gift or a verbal compliment. He concluded his foes were far more dangerous
on their own than within his circle of influence. When Madiba emerged from prison, he embraced his jailers among his supporters, and included some of his enemies in his first Presidential cabinet. The future elected leader cherished loyalty, but he realized people were prone to act in their own interest at times. Sometimes, he did so, as well, but ‘for the people’. For those he didn’t trust, he managed to neutralize them with his charm, his radiant smile, and his underlying intentions never detected. There’s no shame in fear. As a leader, Madiba knew the importance of a fearless front in order to model for others. His power to triumph over his own fears inspired and continues to inspire others today. Prisoners who were with him on Robben Island watched as the future President of South Africa walked proud and regal across the courtyard . . . just enough boldness to keep them going for days. “It would be irrational if I had not been afraid,” he would say. Americans have gotten used to seeing life in (black and white), especially in the past decade. But Madiba was a pragmatist, never believing life was crowded with either/ or decisions. There could be complex and competing factors with nothing as straightforward as it first appears. As a Black man having lived under the harsh realities and cruelties of an apartheid system, and imprisoned for almost three decades in his rise against the inequities against the majority Black race, he also understood that the causes of the system were twisted in the psychology, sociology, and history of a white minority who claimed to be as African as the Black natives. Madiba kept in the forefront what his end result must be, and the best way to accomplish what had to occur. Madiba learned early in his career and eventual leadership that there was a sure correlation between successful leadership and polished physical presence.
Wikipedia
Nelson Mandela He understood how his appearance could advance his cause. As leader of the ANC’s underground military wing, he insisted on being photographed in the proper fatigues and with a beard. When running for the presidency in 1994, he knew symbols and iconography mattered as much as substance. When on a platform before speaking, he would always do the toyi-toyi, the township dance that was an emblem of the struggle. Of course, there was bitterness, but he knew he had to muster positive emotions if voting warriors believed he and they could win. Madiba was an idealist, focusing on a longrange plan - the overthrow of apartheid and one-man, onevote. “How will our plan be achieved, and how long will it take for us to get where we want to go?” he would always ask. When he initiated negotiations with the government in 1985, he took such a big risk. But it wasn’t about principles; it was a tactical initiative. Throughout his life, he always made that distinction. Madiba’s job was to set the course; never to steer the boat. He knew great leaders made mature decisions, often for what they choose not to do rather than what they did. Nelson (Rolihlahla) Mandela was a humble visionary, always thinking of possibilities beyond his own needs. He had respect for himself and deference for others. His formidable charisma and smile disarmed his adversaries and proved how forgiveness could evolve. (Shortly before winning South
Africa’s presidency in 1994, Mandela visited his old prison cell on Robben Island where he spent 27 years.) He exemplified remarkable resilience, a willful determination, and true grit. He desired peace, love, and hope for his lineage and his country, his ideology clearly communicated even when he was cut off from the world. He inspired by showing people what he meant rather than simply by telling them. Sadly, I found no comparison of these esteemed leadership traits in America today. Please make your vote count. “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” James Baldwin A Gift from Madiba – The Elders On July 18th, 2007, Madiba gave the world The Elders to mark ‘Mandela Day. Committed to universal human rights and global peace, entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson, and musician, Peter Gabriel, spoke to their iconic friend about their idea to unite a group of distinguished international leaders blending their wisdom, influence, and life experiences to strengthen the global village. Their goal has been to provide guidance, dispute resolutions, peace building, and addressing major causes of human suffering. Their work continues. Resource: “Mandela at 90: The Secrets of Leadership” – Richard Stengel. Time Magazine, 2008
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