WINNER: 2020 T YPOGRAPHY & DESIGN, 1ST PLACE, PHOTOGRAPHY (PORTRAIT & PERSONALIT Y), 1ST PLACE, WEBSITE, 3RD PLACE
Insight News
September 21, 2020 - September 27, 2020
Vol. 47 No. 38• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
KILLING GEORGE FLOYD AGAIN
Attorney Benjamin Crump addressed protesters following pretrial hearing MORE ON PAGE 3
Uzoma Obasi
Page 2 • September 21, 2020 - September 27, 2020 • Insight News
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Retired war veteran Lt. Colonel Rosalyn Cole: Remembering 911 By Brenda Lyle-Gray Columnist On the eve of what most Americans would describe as one of the most shocking and horrifying events in American history, running parallel to the surprise attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor naval base in Honolulu, December 7, 1941, we had not even an inkling that our lives would change in a matter of hours and in a manner no one would ever imagine. On the morning of September 11, 2001, domestic airline hijackings and suicide attacks carried out by 19Middle-Eastern extremists, punched a huge hole in the psyche, hearts, fears, and normalcy of humankind in New York, Pennsylvania, and around the world. For retired war veteran Lt. Colonel Rosalyn Cole, there were no words to describe her disbelief . . . the fact that what a few of her colleagues at Louis Stokes Veterans Administration Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and she were witnessing on the television screen when the first plane went into building one of the World Trade Center seemed so surreal . . . making no sense whatsoever. “Once I learned the attackers were from Saudi Arabia,” recalls Cole, “I was asking myself . . . what happened? Truthfully, I was hurt. What could the U.S. have possibly done to this assumed ally country America had worked with in the 80s by keeping a close eye on Iraq and Iran, for these terrorists to come on American soil and murder and wound thousands of innocent victims. Saudi Arabia was a country blessed with much wealth, appearing quite kind and gracious to Americans, and yet harnessed in generational ancient customs and staunch religious beliefs anti-West radicals wanted to hold on to. What I really didn’t understand was how these militants could have pulled off such an unfathomable act of deadly terror. The U.S. always had fighters circling above our
cities and coastlines day and night – at a distance of at least 200 miles – so that no foreign threat could come in.” Not knowing where to go, what to think, or how to respond to the staggering blow of the never-before-seen or felt painful happenings, Rosalyn returned home and called her Dad, the man she so loved and admired. He too had retired from the Air Force and FAA – Federal Aviation Administration. His daughter had grown up in the aviation towers - often right beside him – but she never anticipated flying fighter air crafts, tankers, and bombers, or becoming the first female controller. She was also the first female instructor for AWACs (Airborne Warning and Control System) – a mobile, long-range radar surveillance and control center for air defense. Retiring after 26 years in the military, and 38 years in government, Lt. Col. Cole takes great pride in her many achievements as a woman and one of color who had garnered impressive pinnacles of courage, astuteness, and training throughout her extensive military and administrative career. The Berkeley, California native and resident is Creole – an ethnic mix of European and Black descent, especially those migrating from the Caribbean islands. Her parents came from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. She was personally connected to Black Panthers co-founder, Huey P. Newton, and other members of the Black Panther party who spent quality time at her grandmother’s house down the street from where she grew up. And she knew Kamala Harris who not only lived several blocks away, but who also attended Howard University. Rosalyn graduated from high school in Anchorage, Alaska where she was an all-American basketball star, and eventually a recipient of multiple scholarship offers. After seeing his daughter’s outstanding PSAT test scores and an offer from
Lt. Colonel Rosalyn Cole U.S. Air Force ret. Howard University, her father insisted she head to Washington, D.C. The recent graduate found the distance between Anchorage and D.C. a little overwhelming. She had her heart set on attending a Catholic university. There would be no regrets in heading east. “It was one of the greatest experiences of my academic journey and the evolution of my unexpected career. My undergraduate work was in science . . . radiology. And I will always remember the university president at the time explaining to us that when we
left the campus after graduation, we had to be prepared . . . that there might be serious things that could happen to us. In other words, injustice and discrimination at all levels, and racism on the highest and most blatant platforms by leaders and a segment of a resistant white race from the top down. If you believe it . . . if you feel it . . . if you can perceive it . . . then it’s probably real. Get ready for it,” he warned. Before retiring from the Air Force and shifting to a career as a hospital
administrator, Lt. Col. Cole was asked to return to the Middle East. She declined and decided to hang up her wings and shut down her computer. “I had been subject to quite a few narrow escapes that would probably remain undisclosed. And furthermore, I never understood why the United States was still there. We never finished what we went over there to do. I keep wondering why we just won’t bring our soldiers home.” Insight News extends our sincere gratitude, and salutes the admirable valor, patriotic
spirit, and commitment to the freedoms of our nation. To Lt. Col. Rosalyn Cole; Col. David Rabb US Army Ret., and all the military men and women who have dedicated their lives to the protection and well-being of the citizens of what can be (again) one of the most powerful and united countries in the world, we say ‘thank you’. Col. Rabb and Insight Editor Al McFarlane, a Navy veteran, host a weekly Facebook Live conversations with Black veterans, 1pm Thursdays at Facebook/Insight News.
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Insight News • September 21, 2020 - September 27, 2020 • Page 3 WINNER: 2020 T YPOGRAPHY & DESIGN, 1ST PLACE, PHOTOGRAPHY (PORTRAIT & PERSONALIT Y), 1ST PLACE, WEBSITE, 3RD PLACE
Insight News September 21, 2020 - September 27, 2020
Vol. 47 No. 38• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
. . . and nothing but the Truth Part 2 in a series By Brenda Lyle-Gray Columnist
photo/Sagirah Shahid
Give me the man who believes in the ultimate triumph of truth over error, of harmony over discord, of love over hate, of purity over vice, of light over darkness, of life over death. Such are the true nation builders. Former President Barack Obama It was late for a dog walk; an eerie night in Los Angeles, November 8th, 2016. When I heard the election results, I instantly felt a numbing kind of fear and disbelief not directly tied to any immediate foreign threat. We didn’t know the extent of the Russian connection at the time. I desperately needed air. Worrisome and potentially ruinous political ramifications loomed in a haze of despair and chaos. Now it would be a country even more fractured by corruption, panic, fury, ignorance, greed, and deepseated human hatred. As I turned the corner, the basenji immediately stopped and growled. I looked straight into the eyes of a young African American man coming nonthreateningly in my direction. Tears were streaming down his face. “I’m sorry,” Ma’am,” he spoke apologetically while wiping his face with a couple
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The 1994 voting lines of Nelson Mandela’s election. fingers. “I mean no disrespect,” he continued, but can you tell me what just happened? This s—t really hurts,” he muttered. “What’s going to happen to us . . . black people and those folks too,” as he nodded towards a Hispanic couple walking on the other side of the street pushing a baby carriage? Fast forward 4 years. An Iowa judge sided with the Trump campaign and invalidated 50,000 absentee ballots. The sickening gut feeling has returned. The occupant of the white house, during the Republican National Convention, described the upcoming November election as “a bitterly divisive clash between two irreconcilable slices of America”. No discussion about how both sides could reconcile - come to the table together in the middle of a pandemic and try to find feasible ways in which we can
TRUTH 5
Outdoor protests were organized by many groups, including Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence and Black Lives Matter Minnesota.
Ben Crump: “They are trying to kill George Floyd a second time.” Sagirah Shahid Contributing Writer On a chilly Friday morning, protesters rallied outside the Hennepin County Family Justice Center as a pretrial hearing in the homicide of George Floyd took place inside. Former Minneapolis Police Officers charged in the homicide appeared in court with their attorneys, alongside state prosecutors and family
members of Floyd who flew in from Texas, North Carolina, and New York to attend. Protesters laid down in the middle of the street for 8 mins and 46 seconds each hour of the hearing. They wore masks and practiced varying degrees of physical distancing. Judge Peter Cahill reviewed motions and issues raised by prosecutors and the respective defense attorneys of Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, James Alexander Kueng, and
Thomas Lane. All four men were fired and arrested by the Minneapolis Police Department within two days of Floyd’s murder. Cahill disqualified four prosecutors from the Hennepin County Attorney’s office, including Mike Freeman, at the hearing. The judge promptly accepted a motion to reconsider his own ruling hours after the hearing’s conclusion. Cahill did not make major decisions regarding motions
filed by the former officers to dismiss their murder charges, or other contentious issues like where the trial should be held. Benjamin Crump, one of the lawyers representing Floyd’s family, was the first to speak during a press conference held after the 3-hour long hearing’s conclusion. Protesters chanted “We got your back” as he approached.
CRUMP 4
Simone Hardeman-Jones joins GreenLight Fund Twin Cities as founding executive director Simone Hardeman-Jones has been named the founding Executive Director of the GreenLight Fund Twin Cities. Hardeman-Jones will partner with community, industry, entrepreneurial and philanthropic leaders to bring social innovation solutions to the Twin Cities that fill unmet local needs, help break down entrenched barriers, and address deep-rooted disparities in order to create opportunities for children and families to thrive. GreenLight Fund Twin Cities is the organization’s ninth expansion site. “The tragic and senseless murder of George Floyd has laid bare what some already knew - people in the Twin Cities live two very different realities based on the color of their skin and their zip code,” said Hardeman-Jones. “I am thrilled to lead GreenLight Twin Cities during a time of hope and great opportunity and
look forward to working hand in hand with our community to select the first GreenLight Twin Cities investment that will deploy the best social innovations to create change.” In her new role, Hardeman-Jones will assemble a local Selection Advisory Council (SAC) made up of a diverse group of community leaders that will work alongside GreenLight throughout their selection process using the GreenLight Method. The community-driven annual process seeks to find the most effective social innovations to address the needs that matter most to Minneapolis and St. Paul residents facing barriers to prosperity. In implementing the GreenLight Method, Hardeman-Jones and the SAC will look deeply at the racial and economic disparities in the region and the systems and policies that have led to those disparities and identify
photo/Rubinstein Photo_Sara Rubinstein
Simone Hardeman-Jones, Executive Director, GreenLight Fund Twin Cities community needs not yet being addressed. The process
News
Black Voters: We Are Top Targets of Voter Suppression ‘Information Warfare’
PAGE 5
HARDEMAN-JONES 4
Running to be Free By Brenda Lyle-Gray Columnist For I had much rather starve in England a free woman, than be a slave for the best man that ever breathed upon the American continent. Ellen Craft: 1826-1897 The dark grey clouds stretched across the sky like a heavy blanket. It had been a scorching hot day with the gusty winds helping to carry the smell of cotton for miles. Perhaps much needed rain would soon come. Running through the plantation fields for the last time, eleven-yearold Ellen knew that at sundown she would be separated from her mother . . . possibly never seeing her again. The mistress had become irritated every time Ellen was mistaken as her child. She was a constant reminder of the master’s obvious and unacceptable indiscretions. Ellen would be taken to Macon, GA as a wedding gift for her halfsister. Her kind sibling retained legal possession of Ellen until the impending ‘great escape’. It was in Macon that the fearless and willful master’s daughter met her future husband, a slave too named William Craft. And it was during this time Ellen made
a profound decision. No child she might eventually bear as a mother would be separated from her as was her case. William’s mother and siblings had been broken up and sold to pay their master’s gambling debts. Her bloodline would never live under the wretched system of American slavery. Writing of his wife’s distress, William recounted . . . the mere thought of the possibility filled her soul with horror. Resilience and quick thinking would support this thrilling tale of espionage, deception, and intrigue concluding in a happy ending. It was secretly in each other’s arms where they found temporary peace, safety, and strength. Their plan would either succeed or fail which could mean freedom or death. But it would be worth the risk with the ultimate prize awaiting . . . to live the dream of spending their days in a place where they didn’t have to fear the darkness of the night and could welcome the joyful liberties of their days. Knowing slaveholders have the privilege of taking their slaves anywhere they wanted, it occurred to me that as my wife was nearly white, I might get her to disguise herself as an invalid gentleman, and
LYLE-GRAY 5
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Page 4 • September 21, 2020 - September 27, 2020 • Insight News
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JPMorgan Chase investing $1.75 million to support local non-profits, Ventura Village location to support community financial health, help grow small businesses
Chase opens innovative branch in Minneapolis Chase has opened the doors on a new branch in Minneapolis’ Ventura Village neighborhood. Chase’s fourth branch in the Twin Cities metro area is the first to feature an enhanced format to help address the needs of underserved communities – and just the second of its kind among Chase’s 4,900 branches nationwide. The branch, located at 1100 E. Franklin Ave., will help provide access to opportunities for an underserved community rebuilding in the wake of protests related to the death of George Floyd and the economic challenges related to the pandemic. In addition to traditional banking services, the branch’s goal is to help the community realize a better financial future through tools and resources, including: ·Programs to support financial health ·Educational and enrichment workshops (e.g., resume writing, cybersecurity for people 55+) ·Growth support for entrepreneurs starting or expanding their small business ·Free space and WiFi for community organizations to use for programming and live events Chase also added a
new full-time role at the branch – a Community Manager – who will work with the community and businesses to increase awareness of available resources and support and connect them with financial health tools, products and services. Other unique features will include pop-up space to showcase local small businesses – especially those without a storefront – to highlight their products and services. Art commissioned by local artists will also be integrated into the branch design. The first prototype of this new branch model launched in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood last year. “Minneapolis is the perfect city to continue development of our idea that a branch can be more than a bank,” said Reggie Chambers, Chief Administrative Officer for Chase Consumer Bank. “We’re here to support the diverse Ventura Village neighborhood and help boost people’s opportunities for prosperity.” Residents will be able to register for interactive sessions including interview and job search skills, Chase Chats on budget building, how to fund a small business, and other topics that can help bolster financial health.
The sessions will be led by Chase branch staff, local and national experts, and include community leaders from organizations such as the African American Leadership Forum (AALF), Hope Community CDC, Latino Economic Development Center, African Economic Development Solutions, Twin Cities Urban League and Northside Economic Network (NEON). JPMorgan Chase also announced more than $1.75 million in recent philanthropic investments to help local nonprofits and minority-owned businesses, including: ·$500,000 to Prosperity Now to help nonprofit leaders of color in Minneapolis address racial economic inequality. The initiative provides leaders with intensive leadership training, resource development and support for network building to help their clients build wealth and strengthen their organizations; also supports critical research and policy efforts to help address the racial wealth divide. ·$400,000 to launch Ascend Twin Cities, which supports minority-led small businesses growth by accelerating procurement and supply chain opportunities with local anchor institutions.
Chase has opened the doors on a new branch in Minneapolis’ Ventura Village neighborhood. Partners include Meda and the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business ·$250,000 across three partners – Minneapolis Foundation, Twin Cities Urban League, and NEON – to address systemic racism and injustice, and address the impact of unrest following the killing of George Floyd ·$250,000 to Meda, to help minority-led small businesses impacted by the pandemic access capital and public assistance to weather the crisis ·$250,000 to Prepare
+ Prosper, to integrate creditbuilding products into financial coaching, housing, and workforce development services to improve the financial health of underserved communities and provide alternatives to predatory lending ·$100,000 to the Catalyst Coalition – NEON, African Development Center, African Economic Development Solutions, Latino Economic Development Center – to strengthen strategically aligned organizations led by communities of color serving communities of color
JPMorgan Chase opened its first retail branch in Minnesota last year and plans to add 25 new branches in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in the next three years, creating at least 200 local jobs. The firm already serves more than one million local consumers and over 32,000 business clients, and its Commercial Bank and Private Bank has been doing business in the Twin Cities area for more than 15 years. To learn more about JPMorgan Chase’s expansion in the Twin Cities, visit chase.com/ twincities.
REVEL’s Avila® Named Spirit & Mixer Winner at 2020 SIP Awards Revel Spirits announced that REVEL®, its flagship brand of Avila®, the exciting new category of agave spirits, has taken home a trio of medals at this year’s 2020 Spirit International Prestige (SIP) Awards. REVEL’s reposado and añejo Avila were both awarded platinum medals, while the brand’s blanco expression took home bronze and received a SIP Innovation Star. “It’s truly exciting to see the momentum behind Avila right now,” said Micah McFarlane, CEO of Revel Spirits. “Our expressions were put in front of over 400 consumer judges, each of whom tested the spirits blindly. The recognition that our Avila continues to garner further validates the
fact that REVEL crafts the best agave spirits on the planet.” Avila made its debut in 2018, joining the lineup of popular agave-based spirits like tequila and mezcal. Produced in Morelos, Mexico, REVEL’s award-winning Avila is handcrafted using both roasted and steamed piñas of 100% blue weber agave. Unique in the industry, this is a process that marries the old-world characteristics of mezcal with newer tequila-like techniques to provide a truly one-of-akind profile. REVEL Avila is manufactured and imported exclusively by Revel Spirits. “From our agave farms which produce the finest pinas, to our distillery where we produce the liquid,
“They are trying to kill George Floyd a second time. They made all kinds of foolish allegations,
Crump From 3
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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 Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Content & Production Coordinator Sunny Thongthi Yang Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Intern Kelvin Kuria
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no brand puts forth as much care and attention to its spirits as REVEL,” said Susan Clausen, President of Revel Spirits. “We’re trailblazers in the world of agave spirits. We’ve stood up an entirely new category in the industry and there’s nothing more humbling than to be recognized for that – the SIP Award’s Innovation Star is one we’re incredibly proud to accept.” REVEL Avila is sold in upscale bars and liquor stores across the US including Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., New York, California and Minnesota where it can be found in well-known retailers including Total Wine and More, Target and Raley’s. It is also
available for purchase online at shop.revelspirits.com. REVEL Avila is unlike anything else on the market – blanco, which is immediately bottled after distillation, offers a fresh, slightly citrus flavor with a hint of smoke; reposado, aged for 12 months in a once-used whisky oak barrel, provides a smoky vanilla flavor; and añejo, a 96-proof spirit that is aged for 24 months in new French oak barrels, takes on the flavors of a cognac. The brand was previously awarded double gold and gold for reposado and blanco, respectively, as well as the “Best of Class” prize for its packaging from the SIP Awards.
it happened in, the police exceptionalism, and the racist victim-blaming—all of this is why I am an abolitionist and a member of the Whittier Cop Watch,” said Hilary Greenstein, who participated in the protest. Alana Ramadan, a North Minneapolis schoolteacher and a founding member of the group Witnesses for Justice attended Friday’s hearing inside the courthouse’s remote viewing room to show her support for Floyd’s family. Ramadan, who is also the primary caretaker for her elderly father, had a relative take over her father’s care the night before. She knew she would have to arrive hours before the 9 a.m. pretrial to grab 1 of 21 passes the courthouse provides the public to view the proceedings indoors. “There’s a lot of psychological warfare that
goes on,” Ramadan noted, “I think with this case we’re doing much better because we have people in the streets and in the courtroom.” Outdoor protests were organized by many groups, including Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence and Black Lives Matter Minnesota. Minneapolis-NAACP Vice President Anika Bowie delivered a fiery speech during the protest, demanding justice for Floyd, underscoring the NAACP’s anti-lynching movement history. “We have to be the voice that ensures the narrative is focused on accountability,” Bowie said in a separate interview. Natya Stroud, a licensed nurse practitioner who grew up in North Minneapolis,
said she has relatives who have been severely traumatized by Minneapolis police. “I was surprised to hear there was a similar killing that happened 10 years ago.” She said, referencing David Smith, whose case was highlighted by attorneys representing Floyd’s family. In 2010 Smith died in police custody after Minneapolis police officers placed a knee on his neck. The officers involved in Smith’s case were never charged. “This family, they saw what happened,” Crump told the crowd. “You all, Minneapolis, saw what happened. America saw what happened. The world saw what happened and so, who are you going to believe, your eyes or these killer cops?” Their voices answered him swiftly, in unison: “our eyes.”
she was the National Director of Policy and Partnerships at Educators for Excellence (E4E), a national education non-profit where she set the vision and strategy for E4E’s policy priorities and deepened relationships and collaboration with policymakers, advocates and education leaders at the federal and local levels. Previously she served in the Obama Administration as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, and prior to that as a policy advisor to two U.S. Senators, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and the late Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC). Hardeman-Jones has also spent time working on multiple political campaigns including as Director of African American Outreach for Klobuchar’s 2006 senate race. She currently serves on the Board of the Minnesota Alliance With Youth, is a Senior Visiting
Fellow with the National Council on Teacher Quality and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. GreenLight Fund’s CEO and Co-founder, Margaret Hall said: “We’re thrilled to have Simone on board. Her deep policy experience and passion for equity and justice are strengths that make her an excellent fit to lead GreenLight Twin Cities as we work to identify and invest in strengthening economic mobility opportunities for children and families.” John Simon, GreenLight Fund’s Co-Founder and Board Chair echoed Margaret’s enthusiasm: “I’m excited to have Simone leading the charge in the Twin Cities and supporting innovations that will bring meaningful and measurable impact on entrenched issues facing the local community.” More than 50
individuals, companies and foundations have contributed over $5M to support the launch and work of GreenLight Twin Cities over its first five years in the city. The GreenLight Fund transforms the lives of children, youth and families in high-poverty urban areas by creating local infrastructure and a consistent annual process to: identify critical needs; import innovative, entrepreneurial programs that have a significant, measurable impact; and galvanize local support to help programs reach and sustain impact in the new city. Started in Boston in 2004 and launched in the Twin Cities in 2020, the nonprofit organization is addressing critical needs in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Detroit, Kansas City, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Twin Cities. More information at greenlightfund.org.
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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
Avila made its debut in 2018, joining the lineup of popular agave-based spirits like tequila and mezcal. Produced in Morelos, Mexico, REVEL’s award-winning Avila is handcrafted using both roasted and steamed piñas of 100% blue weber agave
talking about he died of a drug overdose,” Crump said. “I want to be clear about this, the only overdose that killed George Floyd was an overdose of excessive force and racism by the Minneapolis police department,” said Crump. Floyd’s family also expressed their frustrations with the defense’s portrayal of their deceased family member. They emphasized the cruelty of his death. “...My brother screamed and called out for mom, that hurt me--viewing that traumatic, haunting video,” said Rodney Floyd. He recounted having to hide the video from his nine-year-old daughter, who found the footage anyway. The nine-year-old Face timed her father in tears and said “dad, I’m so sorry for your brother’s loss.” “The attempts to take the case out of the community
Hardeman-Jones From 3 will continue by searching the country for proven programs best suited to tackle those needs locally, and selecting and investing in the replication of an innovative program with significant, evidencebased outcomes. GreenLight Twin Cities will help the selected organization reach and sustain impact locally with on-the-ground support, funding, strategic partnership development and accountable measurement systems. With 15 years of policy, partnership and advocacy experience, Hardeman-Jones has committed her career to dismantling the unjust systems that impact the lives of some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. Most recently
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Insight News • September 21, 2020 - September 27, 2020 • Page 5
Black Voters: We Are Top Targets of Voter Suppression ‘Information Warfare’ By Ben Jealous, President, People For the American Way Black voters have a powerful role to play in this year’s elections. That’s why we are being targeted by disinformation campaigns that are meant to discourage and suppress our turnout. We can’t let them succeed. Black voters are still targeted by old-school voter suppression strategies like restricting registration, closing polling stations, and limiting early voting. On top of all that, we are now top
Truth From 3 help save our country. After all, almost 200,000 people have perished from COVID19. And by the way, Joe Biden can never be a “destroyer” of something America never had. I taught history at every level from middle school to International Baccalaureate to college. This idea of exceptionalism has been a birthright for most whites . . . truths they heard about in their classrooms; read about in newspaper headlines . . . and those same mythical mindsets inculcated by their parents. There has always been a historical escape from and
Lyle-Gray From 3 assume to be my master. I could attend as his slave, and that in this manner we might affect our escape, wrote William. Instead of fleeing in the midnight hour following the North Star, they decided to mail themselves in crates hoping bloodhounds would not pick up their human scent. They devised clever ways to stow away on ships and wagons, boldly
targets in “information warfare” campaigns designed to drive down Black turnout by any means possible. Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election reported that no group of Americans was targeted by Russian intelligence more than African Americans. That same year, Trump campaign officials admitted to running a “major” effort to depress the Black vote. Republican strategists and far-right activists studied those tactics and are using them now—including fake accounts on social media pretending to be Black people—“digital blackface.”
In August, right-wing political smear agents sent robocalls to Black voters in Detroit spreading false information about voting
refusal to consent to genuinely democratic customs, morals, and institutions. The existence and development of liberty, justice, and a level playing field has hardly ever existed . . . bare minimum, but never coming close to equal proportional distribution. The customized system was never intended to do so. Even fairness in pseudo democratic elections and vote counts are being scrutinized and dismantled, e.g voting polls closed, the post office under attack with a Trump supporting defiant postmaster at the helm, and voting rolls purged. “Why is it that ‘they’ don’t want ‘us’ to vote?” one of my former students recently asked in a curious e-mail. My explanation of ‘power’ and ‘control’ didn’t
come close to . . . the real truth, and nothing but the truth!! America has never been ‘the land of the free and home of the brave’. They blackballed Colin Kaepernick because he told ‘them’ that very truth. Just think about it. Black soldiers served the country in segregated troops and quarters, and after returning from fighting wars protecting the freedoms of American citizens, their children couldn’t attend neighborhood schools, they could not live where they wanted to, and they couldn’t enjoy entertainment, shopping, or restaurant venues as did their white counterparts. The United States was never the world’s greatest experiment of nation building. Sadly, even
traveling in first class train accommodations out in the open during the day. They also made connections on ferry boats and steamers, often invited to dine at the captains’ table. Beardless and unable to sign in at hotels because she had never learned to read or write, Ellen cleverly covered her face with a poultice of clothes, placed her writing hand in a cast, and donned tinted eyeglasses. Her disguise and jokes from time to time to white travelers about slaves kept them from being recognized. One time after boarding a train just outside
of Macon, Ellen found herself seated next to an old white man who had just dined at her master’s home the day before. He knew her quite well and could have really made a fuss. In Baltimore, MD, the last stop in slave territory, the two were almost detained due to the lack of proper documentation proving her ownership of William. They moved on to Boston where they were assisted by abolitionists in a free black community on Beacon Hill . . . where they learned to read and write, and hone their skills as a seamstress and furniture maker,
to personal information. Why spread these lies in Michigan? Because every vote counts. In 2016, 90,000 people who went to the polls decided not to vote in the presidential election— more than Trump’s margin of victory in the state. The goal of such campaigns to depress the Black vote is to rob us of our power to make the difference in this year’s elections. The forces behind these efforts will do anything to keep President Donald Trump and his enablers in power. At the same time, Trump and the GOP have embraced promoters of the dangerous “QAnon” conspiracy theory that is spreading online,
because they hope to turn this formerly fringe group into Trump voters this fall. QAnon backers claim that Trump is going to make mass arrests to destroy a cabal of Satanic pedophiles—along with a wild array of other conspiracies. QAnon conspiracies have already motivated people to commit violence. Yet Trump praised a Republican congressional candidate who promoted QAnon and published racist videos online. Racist attacks are also being aimed at Sen. Kamala Harris, who made history by
the Nazis modelled their Jewish persecutions on America’s Jim Crow practices. The country was hardly a sanctuary for the forlorn even if new laws stipulated a change. Today, there are WALLS and no Ellis or Angel Islands! Most black and brown people have never ‘overcome’. That is why our children and others protest in the streets . . . but they are called anarchists. They are tired and they are going to challenge the powers-that-be with truth and ‘by any means necessary’. Until the early 70s, the United States operated as a collection of ‘apartheid’ entities. To return to the Old America is “their” direction of intention. A caste system based on the idea of purity and pollution –
a stratification of humankind into categories of desirables and undesirables – always positioning blacks on the lowest bar . . . a place in which the status of some depends on the bondage (include incarceration) of others. “If people were given the choice between ‘democracy’ and whiteness, how many would choose whiteness?” asked Taylor Branch (civil rights historian) in Isabel Wilkerson’s new book, “Caste”. I wonder. The new generation of Black Lives Matters - with all ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds has made it quite clear. It’s gonna be a brand new day! This is a different kind of war! We MUST VOTE . . . for the seniors who want to leave this world with a little dignity and
joy . . . enjoyable and nutritional meals, a safe and peaceful place to spend their “winter season”, quality health care, company – pet or person, and a monthly social security check they have rightfully earned. For our babies . . . their future, their laughter, and their unconditional love are at stake. I pray that this November, 2020, I will hear celebration in the streets, and the handsome young man I met four years ago late at night while walking our dog will be somewhere crying tears of joy!! We would have defeated the enemy!! We would have won one of many battles yet to come! I’ve never been so ashamed of so many in our nation who are unwilling to see, let along act. F.S.
respectively. But in 1850, their peace and happiness were temporarily halted. The horrors of possible capture would revisit them yet one more time. Slave owners had appealed to President Millard Fillmore asking Congress and him to ratify the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The President agreed to use even military force to help apprehend those ‘Negroes” who were on the run. This act made it a crime for residents of free states to harbor fugitive slaves like Ellen and William. Bounty hunters would be paid quite well.
Thanks to the Committee of Safety and Vigilance, the Crafts were moved around Boston to elude the hunters. Plans were in place to usher the couple safely out of the U.S. on their way to Liverpool, England.. While in England, the Crafts continued their education at a trade school for rural youth founded by Lady Noel Byron, widow of the poet, Lord Byron. They improved their reading while teaching others manual skills. Ten years later, they would chronicle their escape out of slavery in a book entitled Running a Thousand
Miles for Freedom. After giving birth to five children, four born in England, the Crafts returned to the United States in 1868, opening an industrial/agricultural school near Savannah, Georgia, for freedmen’s children. Although women were shunned upon if they spoke in a public setting, Ellen always sat nearby when William spoke to an audience. “Achievements are possible through hard work and study - and the belief and commitment to a common cause - freedom and justice for ‘all’.”
photo/LPETTET_iStock
Black voters are still targeted by old-school voter suppression strategies like restricting registration, closing polling stations, and limiting early voting. by mail. There is absolutely no truth to claims that voting by mail would allow credit card companies or police to get access
BLACK VOTERS 8
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Page 6 • September 21, 2020 - September 27, 2020 • Insight News
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North Memorial Health has drive-through and walk up test sites for COVID-19.
No appointment or doctor referral needed for North Memorial COVID-19 test North Memorial Health is committed to the health and safety of its customers and the communities they live in, and that includes providing unrestricted access to accurate, prompt COVID-19 test services. North Memorial Health was one of the first healthcare organizations in Minnesota to broaden its criteria for testing consumers for active COVID-19 infections and will maintain that broader criteria despite recent shortages of testing supplies and other impacts to test availability. North Memorial Health’s
walk-up and drive-through test sites do not require an appointment or doctor referral and are available to anyone who desires to be tested for exposure to COVID-19. North Memorial Health offers nasal swab (PCR) tests community test locations for anyone who believes they may have been exposed to the virus recently, or who are experiencing symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Results are available typically within seven days. North Memorial Health is currently testing
approximately 2,000 people per week at its test locations which are located at the North Memorial Health Specialty Center – Robbinsdale (3435 W. Broadway, Robbinsdale) and North Market (4414 Humboldt Ave. N., Minneapolis). “Knowledge is power, and the more information everyone has about their own health, particularly when it comes to COVID-19, the better choices each individual can make for themselves and for their community,” said J. Kevin Croston, MD, CEO
of North Memorial Health. “We’re working closely with our partners to ensure the availability of adequate testing supplies as well as efficient turnaround times for results. We are determined to support safer, healthier communities by providing access for tests to anyone who wishes to be tested for COVID-19.” In keeping with this commitment, North Memorial Health will be introducing a new blood test later this month that can detect the presence of antibodies to COVID-19, indicating
previous exposure to the virus that consumers can choose to take if they are concerned that they were previously exposed to COVID-19. The Siemens SARS CoV-2 total antibody test is 100% accurate for negative (non-reactive) results at 14 days after onset of symptoms and has a positive predictive value of 96.5% for positive (reactive) results. This means the chance of a false positive result is very low. “Testing positive for antibodies does not mean you can’t get COVID-19 again, but it does provide some answers in a time of great uncertainty,” said Dr. Croston, adding that the new test is one of the most accurate available in the U.S. today. While a positive result
does not imply immunity to COVID-19, it can confirm that someone has had exposure to the virus and may also qualify them as a donor for convalescent blood plasma therapy for COVID-19. North Memorial Health provides access to high-quality, low-cost care throughout the Twin Cities through its medical transportation services and two hospitals – North Memorial Health Hospital and Maple Grove Hospital. North Memorial Health Clinics which include primary care, specialty care and hospice are part of a joint venture with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota that is transforming the healthcare experience for consumers.
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Insight News • September 21, 2020 - September 27, 2020 • Page 7
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Page 8 • September 21, 2020 - September 27, 2020 • Insight News
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MPR’s only Black classical host fired for “not following programming guidelines”
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Former Classical 24 overnight host Garrett McQueen last Thursday announced his firing from Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) from his social media accounts. McQueen was the only Black classical music host. McQueen stated, “When things happened in the news or when there were hours of programming that only represented dead white men, I would take it upon myself to change that.” He indeed changed it, was taken off the air after his shift on August 25, and according to MPR News, “he was then given two warnings — one of which was about his need to improve communication and the other warning was for switching out scheduled music to play pieces he felt were more appropriate.” In a joint statement issued on Friday, September 11, MPR president Duchesne Drew and APM president Dave Kansas stated, “Our decision was not sudden and came after several conversations with Garrett over the past year regarding programming changes. The warnings presented to Garrett
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becoming Joe Biden’s running mate. Harris is a graduate of Howard University and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, two of the Black community’s most prominent institutions. But almost immediately, the “information warriors” of the far right started spreading lies about her not being Black— attacking her identity as the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants—and spreading a new version of the birtherism they used against Barack Obama, falsely claiming that she is not eligible to be vice president. The attacks on Harris are a shameless effort to suppress the excitement that so many Black Americans—especially Black women—have about her
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were not tied to his choice of music or the reasons for his unauthorized changes to playlists. He was able to make changes to the playlist, but the manner in which he made changes is what caused an issue. We have a process in place for changing playlists, and that process exists to maintain our more than 200 partner stations’ compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and to ensure royalties are properly paid for the music played.” Classical 24 is a co-production of American Public Media and Public Radio International, providing roundthe-clock classical music that public radio stations across the nation pay to carry. McQueen had been a host since June 2018. During his time at MPR, McQueen also hosted Classical MPR’s first-ever Juneteenth special, which featured the music of Black classical composers. He cocreated a classical music podcast called “Trilloquy” with Classical MPR host Scott Blankenship. And he is a professional bassoonist. Blankenship told candidacy. As one report about such efforts recognized, “Black women don’t just go vote, they make sure they get others to vote.” That’s why they are major targets. We are less than two months from an election in which the gains of the civil rights movement and the future of our freedom are on the line. Political, religious, and community leaders need to sound the alarm. Black Americans need to know that when we are engaging with friends on Facebook or debating politics on Twitter, we are also being targeted by dishonest, manipulative political operatives who want to make us feel hopeless or disgusted by politics so we won’t vote. We cannot let ourselves get played. We need to get good information about where and how to vote from our state election officials or trusted resources like She The People.
photo/Garrett Morgan
During his time at MPR, Garrett McQueen also hosted Classical MPR’s first-ever Juneteenth special, which featured the music of Black classical composers. MPR News, “I think that over time, you would definitely see the sort of changes that Garrett had in mind — but it’s 10 or 15 years in the future. And he was working to facilitate that change now.” American Public Media Group is the parent company of both Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media.
Make a plan to vote and do it as soon as possible. Black people have overcome efforts to stop us from voting for more than 150 years since the Civil War. We won’t stop now. For reliable information on voting, visit League of Women Voters or Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and People For the American Way Foundation. Jealous has decades of experience as a leader, coalition builder, campaigner for social justice and seasoned nonprofit executive. In 2008, he was chosen as the youngest-ever president and CEO of the NAACP. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and he has taught at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania.