February 16, 2023 - MN Spokesman-Recorder

Store closings in North Mpls a hardship for many

By Cole Miska

Contributing

Writer

February will see the closing of two stores in North Minneapolis—the Aldi on Lowry and Penn closed Sunday, Feb. 12, and the Walgreens on Broadway and North Lyndale is closing next week on Feb. 22.

“ALDI has made the difficult decision to close our store at 3120 Penn Avenue N. in Minneapolis due to the inability to renovate the store to accommodate our larger product range and our current lease term expiring,” said an Aldi spokesperson in an email to MSR. “We will continue to proudly serve the residents of Minneapolis at our other area stores, including our store at 5620 Broadway Avenue, just a few miles from this location, as well as five other ALDI stores within a 15-minute drive of this location. We thank our customers for their years of loyalty at this location and look forward to seeing them in nearby stores soon.”

■ See CLOSINGS on page 5

MPS delays search for new superintendent

By Cole Miska Contributing Writer

After delaying its initial deadline of July 1, 2023, to name a new superintendent to replace interim Superintendent Rochelle Cox, the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Board of Education is working to focus on what qualifications to look for in a candidate for the position.

MPS Board Chair Sharon El-Amin said the search was delayed to allow new board members, who began in January, to have a voice in defining the search. ElAmin says the extended search will allow the board to be aligned on what qualities to look for in a candidate.

Another major reason for the delay was so the board could gather more community input. Accord-

ing to Director El-Amin, the board did not have enough engagement with students, staff and parents to be comfortable proceeding with candidates for the position.

“We have heard from the

community very loud and clear that they want this to be a very transparent process. That they want to be

■ See SEARCH on page 5

Metro Transit continues hiring despite driver assault concerns

By H. Jiahong Pan

Contributing Writer

In the bright and airy break room of Metro Transit’s new North Loop garage one Saturday morning, about 150 people gathered, some sitting in chairs, some munching on cookies while others waited to be interviewed for a chance to drive a bus for the agency.

Tangie Alanwoko, who relocated to the Twin Cities and once drove buses for the Toronto Transit Commission, was one of those people.

“Interacting with people is my cup of tea,” said Alanwoko. “I don’t like to be stuffy and sit in offices all the time with just walls and walls, or windows that you can look out [of] without any interaction with people.”

For years, Metro Transit, like

other agencies across the nation, has desperately sought drivers for their buses. The pandemic made the problem worse as riders retreated to their homes and worked remotely in the early days. Its drivers were idle, and some quit or retired. Currently, the agency is short about 300 drivers compared to 2019.

In the last two years, the agency organized monthly hiring events

and worked with the union that represents Metro Transit drivers to increase their wages. It appears the hiring efforts may be paying off, and there might not be service cuts in March. However, the agency continues to struggle with difficult working conditions that have attracted federal scrutiny and threaten to drive away their drivers new and old.

In October, the Federal Transit

Remembering the Montford Point Marines Black WWII servicemen ultimately recognized with Congressional Gold Medal

By Julie Gordon

Contributing

Writer

On June 25, 1941, more than 160 years after the United States Marine Corps was established, President Franklin Roosevelt—at the urging of civil rights activist A. Phillips Randolph and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt—issued Executive Order 8802 prohibiting discrimination in the defense industry. Though this decree removed barriers based on race, creed, color, or national origin, it did not completely lift segregation across the U.S. armed forces. That would come seven years later under President Truman.

In the summer of 1942, the first Black Marines arrived at Montford Point Camp, a 1,600-acre wooded swamp near Jacksonville, North Carolina. The first recruits not only were tasked with clearing the land and build-

ing their own barracks, but they also had to train in the harsh conditions while their White counterparts benefited from considerably better accommodations at nearby Camp Lejeune.

Several accounts suggest the U.S. Marines, the last branch of the military to allow people of color to enlist, were initially unwelcoming to the Montford Point Marines.

In fact, the commandant of the Marine Corps at the time, Maj. Gen. Thomas Holcomb, when asked whether he would want a Marine Corps of 5,000 Whites or 250,000 Negroes, he responded “I would rather have the Whites.”

During the 1940s, nearly 20,000 Montford Point Marines trained at the camp, with many of them deployed overseas, including the historic Battle of Okinawa. While history books, movies and news articles feature heroic stories about the Tuskegee Airmen and the Buffalo soldiers, it seems that the

thousands of men who trained at Montford Point and literally changed the face of the Marines are oft-forgotten.

One man, Retired Marine Master Gunnery Sgt. Joseph H. Geeter, is dedicated to changing this narrative. The MSR recently had the opportunity to sit down with Geeter (JG) to hear what the Montford Point Marine Association is doing to honor the lives and legacy of the men who served.

MSR: When did the Montford Point Marine Association start, and what is its mission?

JG: We got started 20 years after WWII in September 1965, when many Montford ‘Pointers’ wanted to get together for a reunion and renew old friendships. Four hundred people showed up at the Adelphia hotel in Philadelphia—professionals, teachers and business owners.

Administration asked Metro Transit, along with eight other transit agencies in the U.S. serving large metropolitan areas, to describe how they are mitigating assaults after learning those agencies comprised close to 80 percent of reported operator assaults nationwide.

Manny Butler was one of those drivers who were assaulted. “[It was

■ See TRANSIT on page 5

(above) Aldi at 3120 Penn Avenue in North Minneapolis closed its doors, leaving residents with few grocery store options.

(left) North Minneapolis Walgreens slated to close Feb. 22.

Photos by Chris Juhn

Minneapolis Public Schools Board Chair Sharon El-Amin Twitter/Sharon El-Amin

Photos by Chris Juhn

Tangie Alanwoko (right) relocated to the Twin Cities after being a bus driver in Toronto.

Twin Cities native Hosea Roberson (above) was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his service in WWII as a Montford Point Marine. Roberson is featured in this

Photo of the

page 2.

photo

Devoted transportation advocate inspires Bicycle Safety Act

By H. Jiahong Pan Contributing Writer

Toward the end of last year

the Twin Cities lost a tireless and graceful advocate for all things transportation—Bill Dooley. A retired lobbyist who was a transportation advocate for over the last decade, Dooley passed away December 23 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

People who worked with Dooley remember his passion and grace for all things transportation as well as him keeping tabs on the state legislature and ensuring people were kept informed. To honor his legacy, state legislators have introduced a bill on bicycle and pedestrian safety named after him.

Born on April 28, 1949, in Chicago, Dooley went to Northern Illinois University, where he met his wife Susan, before moving to Minneapolis where he worked as a lawyer and lobbyist for an insurance company and spent time at the Minnesota State Capitol during the legislative sessions. He

decided to retire early to lobby for something different: transportation. He became a fixture at the Minnesota State Capitol watching in-person transportation committee hearings and reporting back on his findings to the organizations he was involved in.

processes, and [that he] retired early to do it gives you an idea of how much dedication he had.”

In addition to spending time at the state capitol, Dooley was also a founding member of the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota and the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, now known as Our Streets Minneapolis. He was also involved with the Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee, a group that opposed building a light rail extension to Eden Prairie through the Minneapolis chain of lakes and supported the extension of the Midtown Greenway over to St. Paul.

including this writer—containing links to articles he thought they should read. Although University of Minnesota Planning Professor Yingling Fan did not know Dooley well, she was one of the many recipients of his emails and connected with him on social media. His colleagues remember how he longed to watch transportation hearings at the legislature in-person post-pandemic. Unfortunately, he never got the chance.

“He realized politics is a part of providing transportation corridors for the city and the states,” said Louis Moore, who leads the Major Taylor Bicycling Club of Minnesota, named for the first Black bicycling world champion. “The last 10 years of his life he spent working on these

He chaired the Twin Cities Shared Use Mobility Collaborative, which develops options for people to get around without driving, such as by shared bikes, scooters and cars. He remained involved to the bitter end; the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota said he chaired their advocacy committee four days before he died.

He frequently sent emails to transportation advocates, professionals and journalists—

Color of Hockey: Greenway, Grier honored by Boston University

Ed Wright and Lloyd Robinson during the 100th anniversary of the men’s hockey program.

oston University is honoring the legacy of its Black players as part of the 100th anniversary of the men’s hockey program.

To honor his presence at the state legislature, DFL Rep. Steve Elkins of Bloomington and DFL Sen. Kelly Morrison of Deephaven worked with bicycle advocates to introduce the Bill Dooley Bicycle Safety Act, which would fund building more sidewalks and bike lanes, fund efforts to train children how to bike and walk to get around, and require schools to do the same. The bill allows cities to enact lower speed limits on streets that children use to get to and from school, and allows people on bicycles to cruise past stop

good players on that team. It allowed me to understand how good the NHL is, how good pro hockey is, and gave me a taste of what was to come.”

val Boston College.

Wild forward, Rangers adviser part of legacy celebrated for 100th anniversary of men’s hockey program

By William Douglas/NHL.com

Staff Writer

The university’s athletic department produced video tributes to Minnesota Wild forward Jordan Greenway, New York Rangers hockey operations adviser Mike Grier, Ed Wright and Lloyd Robinson, all

“With the four that we’re highlighting, when you really look at it, they’ve all been pioneers in some way, shape or form,” said Brian Kelley, associate athletic director for marketing & communications at Boston University. “Obviously, it’s a proud part of our history and fitting in the 100th season of BU men’s hockey that they’re honored and recognized.”

Here’s a look at the honorees: Jordan Greenway (2015-18) Greenway became the first Black player to skate for the United States men’s Olympic hockey team when he was selected to play in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.

Minnesota selected Greenway in the second round (No. 50) of the 2015 NHL Draft. He signed a three-year, $9 million contract (average annual value $3 million) with the Wild on Jan. 31. He scored 92 points (28 goals, 64 assists) in 112 games at Boston.

signs as in Idaho.

With Dooley gone, the Twin Cities, where Black transportation advocates are few and far between, now has one less.

“I’ve been involved in cycling for 50 years as a person of color, and I was out there by myself for a long, long time,” recounted Moore. “So when Bill came along, it was good to be able to have somebody to help support the idea that the Black community could be a part of the bicycling community here in the Twin Cities.”

Outside of transportation,

Courtesy of the Dooley family

Bill enjoyed jazz, reading, and independent films, according to his Twitter profile. In the 1980s, he was editor of a Twin Cities Jazz Society publication. He is survived by his wife Susan, daughters Shana York and Laura Glenn, and seven grandchildren. Anyone wishing to honor his legacy may make a contribution to the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota or the Major Taylor Bicycling Club.

H. Jiahong Pan welcomes reader responses to hpan@spokesmanrecorder.com.

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog for the past nine years. Douglas joined NHL.com in March 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, as part of the NHL celebrating Black History Month, he profiles Boston University honoring Jordan Greenway, Mike Grier,

of whom have played integral roles in diversifying the sport.

The videos, narrated by current BU players, were shown on the hockey team’s social media accounts, and aired on the scoreboard at Agganis Arena on Saturday during the home season finale against ri-

The 25-year-old native of Canton, New York, was one of four college players on a roster largely comprised of United States-born players who were competing internationally or in the American Hockey League. Greenway scored one goal in five games. The United States finished seventh.

“It was a pretty good tuneup for me to see the next level,” Greenway said. “We played against the Russian team, and they had (Ilya) Kovalchuk, (Pavel) Datsyuk, Krill (Kaprizov), some

Grier was the first United States-born Black player to

score 20 goals in one season, doing it for the Edmonton Oilers

■ See Hockey on page 11

Concordia College, Moorhead Concordia University, St. Paul Gustavus Adolphus College

Hamline University

Macalester College

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Saint John’s University

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

St. Catherine University

St. Olaf College

University of Northwestern – St. Paul

University of St. Thomas

“Being able to attend university was a blessing and I am forever grateful for the people who helped me throughout my college journey.”

Reggie Agyen-Boateng ’21 Augsburg University

Bill Dooley

Mike Grier (1993-96)

Photo by Julie Gordon

Mike Grier

Sean J. Ennevor, MD

Guest Contributor

Many of us reflect on the warm days of summer and enjoying the lakes as well as the pools of the region. Swimming can be an enjoyable activity for many. It has the potential to be a low impact, healthy aerobic activity for improving cardiovascular fitness, resulting in greater endurance.

It’s a great activity that almost all can participate in year-round. Sadly, the activity of swimming is not an inherent skill. Immersion in water without the ability to swim, float or breathe may result in drowning. Non-fatal drowning may lead to long-term complications, and drowning at its worst leads to fatalities.

As a physician I have encountered drowning victims in practice throughout the country. These victims have been of all genders and races. Of significance, the majority of victims were of color and children.

As swimming pools gained popularity in the 20th century, people of color were denied access. A report from the USA swimming foundation in 2017

Swim for health and life

stated that 64 percent of African American children had little or no swimming ability. Studies have shown that age, gender and race play major roles in the risk of drowning. Almost half of all drowning victims must be hospitalized. Drowning is also the third-leading cause of accidental fatalities and seven percent of all injury-related deaths in the world. Annually that equates to a little over a quarter of a million people.

Proximity to water sources is a major risk factor for drowning. Here in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, there are abundant open water sources. These include lakes, rivers, ditches, ponds, irrigation channels or pools. Water depth does not have to be “deep” for one to drown. The shock of cold water immersion, even in shallow water, can lead to inhalation of water into one’s lungs and subsequent drowning. If a victim survives drowning, serious medical conditions still may result after the nonfatal event. These conditions can include:

• Acute respiratory distress

• Pneumonia

• Neurological injury (brain damage, stroke, paralysis)

• Fluid and electrolyte imbalance (may lead to cardiac issues) Presently within the U.S., 11 people die a day from drowning while 22 people a day non-fatally drown. Young children are at the greatest risk of drowning. For the age group of one to four years, drowning is the leading cause of death, while at five to 14 years it is the second-leading cause.

It’s also been noted that Native Americans and other people of color are at the greatest risk for drowning. Most drownings occur in swimming pools, and for people of color those tend to be public pools versus residential pools

Why does this happen?

1. Inability to swim

2. Panic in water due to inexperience

3. Medical events near or in water (seizure, stroke, heart attack, etc)

4. Impaired function (due to alcohol consumption, medications, or illicit substances)

What can we do?

All need to be constantly vigilant around water, but particularly when infants and children are

present. Try to familiarize oneself with life rings or life ropes in order to save a conscious individual who may be immersed and panicking.

Only enter the water for rescue when a victim is unconscious or if you have proper rescue training. This training will include knowledge of basic CPR.

Some additional knowledge as relates to drowning includes taking precautions for possible cervical spine (neck) injury while conducting CPR in an unconscious drowning victim. The goal is to keep the victim’s neck in a neutral and supported position to prevent further injury.

Also consider turning the victim’s head to the side to allow liquid to exit the airway.

Liquid in the airway will prevent gas exchange and the delivery of oxygen to the victim. If a cold water immersion has occurred, one may have to treat hypothermia by applying blankets, and removing cold wet clothing.

Lastly, if you don’t have the ability to swim, please LEARN

TO SWIM TODAY!! The skill of swimming may save someone’s life, possibly your own.

Some resources for lessons include the Red Cross, YMCA/ YWCA, or swim groups founded by people of color. The last two groups below try to provide greater access for people of color, but all are welcome. Many of these entities also offer CPR training.

https://www.redcross.org/takea-class/swimming/swim-lessons

https://www.ymcanorth.org/ swimming/swim_lessons https://www.blackpeoplewillswim.com/ https://miracleswimming.com/ people-of-color-and-swimming/ Sean J. Ennevor, M.D. graduated with a B.A.S. in biology and economics from Stanford University, and as a Dean’s Scholar from UCLA School of Medicine where he received his MD. He completed his medical residency and fellowship in anesthesiology at Yale University, where he was chief resident and on staff. He practiced medicine in the Twin Cities for over 14 years, and presently serves as an advisor and investor for medical technology companies throughout the country.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO CREATING A HEALTHIER, MORE EQUITABLE FUTURE FOR OUR COMMUNITIES.

For five years and counting, we’ve partnered with local communities to employ cultural brokers — resource navigators that help improve access to care and other resources that support wellbeing.

M Health Fairview cultural brokers serve as liaisons to the Hmong, Karen, Latine, Native American, and African American communities through close partnership with nonprofit community organizations. Cultural brokers are trusted members of the communities they serve, and they act as navigators, improving access to care and other resources that support wellbeing.

Want more details? Go here.

The skill of swimming may save someone’s life, possibly your own.

Render Free

Black Business SPOTLIGHT

By Angela Rose Myers

Contributing Writer

The unpretentious building sits across from Logan Park, nestled next to Elim Church.

Once inside the 4,000 squarefoot location, Render Free—a new Black, woman-led company that offers a coworking space and lounge in Northeast Minneapolis—opens up to a beautiful atrium, multiple conference rooms, and flex spaces alongside a wellness classroom.

Arielle Grant, the founder of Render Free, invited the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder into her sacred space to get a look inside the communal workspace, designed to be a new haven for Black and Brown women in the Twin Cities.

The inspiration for Render Free, says Grant, came from her experiences working in White organizations without having a place of refuge. “It was so exhausting to constantly try to prove that we are worthy of systemic change. And not only was it discouraging to my spirit, but it was also dangerous for my body,” she said.

“As I met more people across the Twin Cities, I realized my story was not unique. The organizations I worked for are not uniquely dangerous, said Grant. “The scenario is one that so many of us find ourselves in, in predominantly White institutions. As Black and Brown bodies, we must

Creating some breathing room in Northeast Mpls

New communal wellness space opens for Black and Brown women

just take it in until the change actually happens.”

Render Free is the first of its kind in Minneapolis, a space dedicated to solely and exclusively catering to Black and Brown women. “Render Free was established as an LLC [limited liability company] before the murder of George Floyd, which, of course, emphasized our community’s needs, which were there before that moment,” she said.

“Then we opened our doors in October 2020, which was very interesting. It looked very different from what it is now. We operated like a proof-of-concept stage for two years in South Minneapolis, two days a week.”

possibilities for the space.

On our tour of Render Free, Grant shared the company’s offerings—a physical workspace and solidarity workshops, which provide members with an opportunity to hear and relate to each other’s experiences. The workshops are a place “to have a moment where, maybe, previously, they were gaslit. But together we can say, you are not crazy,” explains Grant.

They also offer one-to-one member care, check-ins, and access to different wellness practitioners. “Every month, we feature a wellness practitioner who teaches us a new strategy and comes into this space, introduces herself, and tells her story.”

On Feb. 3, Render Free officially opened its doors to members. The launch included a jazz band and offered supporters and members a chance to see the new space. The event showcased food, goods and services from Black-owned and local businesses, and the opportunity to network and envision the

The launch attracted newcomers and folks who were born and bred in Minnesota, mothers, business owners, corporate executives, and grad students, all wanting to find a space just for them. Memberships are notably 30 percent lower [$180 per month] than the regional average for coworking spaces—a sweet spot Grant found between accessibility for the community and sustainability.

In addition, prospective members can arrange a tour of the space and purchase day passes through the Render Free web-

site. Render Free also invites non-Black and Brown women supporters to sponsor memberships as a way for the broader community to get involved while also respecting the space.

“I wanted to create a space for healing. And I wanted to create a space where we can go back to that moment in the printer room, you know, where someone said something offhand, and we just had to keep a straight face,” Grant said.

“[This] gives us space to grieve it or rage about it so that we can feel it and move on, and hopefully become more whole in the making.”

“All of that led to this idea of recovery space. It emerged because I still actively seek out the local Black-owned busi-

nesses we have here in those moments of stress. It’s like I’d want to go to Sammy’s Avenue eatery. I’d want to go to Heritage Tea House in St. Paul. I’d want to go to these places, where I can tuck inside and feel known and seen.

“And there’s something better that happens in my body in those places. I wanted to add to that network of places where we can find healing.”

Render Free is located at 685 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis, and open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am until 5 pm. For more info on rental spaces, visit www.renderfree.com.

Angela Rose Myers welcomes reader responses to amyers@ spokesman-recorder.com.

Small businesses recognized by state leaders Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Capitol spotlights needs, opportunities

By MSR News Online

A new era of recognition of the trials and triumphs of Minnesota’s Black small business community began on the morning of Feb. 3 at the State Capitol. The first-ever “Black Entrepreneurs Day” at the Capitol was conceived, convened and presented by business owner, activist, and media personality Sheletta Brundidge.

and powerful elected leaders welcomed the Black entrepreneurs and pledged to give them more access to state resources.

“I want this more than anything. I want Black entrepreneurs, professionals, and Black families to view Minnesota as the very best place to live,” said Gov. Tim Walz. “They want to see a set of concrete steps to alleviate the problems,

can make money,” said Attorney General Keith Ellison.

“People want independence and to fulfill critical community needs. What you see when you are in these businesses is a fulfillment of a dream.”

Joining the governor, lieutenant governor, legislative leaders, lawmakers and other state dignitaries at the podium were several owners of small Black businesses.

said Keyes.

After the speeches wrapped up, the Black participants met with individual state senators and representatives to provide them with first-hand insight into their needs. After reaching out to every state lawmaker, Brundidge paired legislators with Black entrepreneurs for one-on-one meetings.

This unprecedented event brought owners of some 250 Black small businesses to the halls of state government to spotlight their unique needs.

“Strong Black businesses are the backbone of our community and are good for everybody,” said Brundidge, founder of the SHElettaMakesMeLaugh podcasting platform. “We led with love and love is contagious. It opens doors.”

Gathered in the rotunda, the state’s most prominent

to allow the folks to thrive, create the generational wealth we know we need to create.”

“Black Entrepreneurs Day” arrived as Minnesota has sworn in the most diverse legislature in state history. As that legislature debates the best investments for the $17.6 billion state surplus, there were calls to use funds and policies to strengthen small businesses operated by Black entrepreneurs.

“These businesses are not just there so entrepreneurs

Anissa Keyes, whose Arubah Emotional Health employs a staff of 30, took the microphone to demand greater consideration for Black entrepreneurs as decisions and policies are made that will impact them.

“I don’t believe Black business owners need handouts. We need someone to recognize and then adjust their strategic planning and include us so we can get what we need for all of us to be successful,”

“We talked to Democrats and Republicans. How do you create change if you don’t engage with people who might think differently than you do? It was a people thing, not a political thing,” Brundidge said. “They all took the time to listen. That is what good government looks like.”

Brundidge said she was heartened that many allies participated behind the scenes to help contribute to the success of the event, from escorting the Black entrepreneurs through the Capitol to backstopping them so they could attend.

“What people didn’t see was the White people who volun-

teered to work at the Blackowned stores operated by solo-prenuers so they didn’t have to close down and lose a day of sales,” she said. “They were calling me and DM-ing me asking, ‘How can I help?’

I didn’t put a call out; it happened organically. That’s Minnesota nice.”

agenda centered on strengthening economic opportunities for Black businesses.

Dr. Artika Tyner, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas, will be working with Brundidge and other Black business owners to streamline their concerns into a list of proposed policies that dedicated lobbyists can use to obtain access to capital.

“This is not a one-size-fitsall; every business needs something different,” noted Brundidge. “Some need financing and capital, some need infrastructure, some need to know how to lobby for themselves.

Going forward

Now that state lawmakers have heard from the Black small business community, Brundidge says she plans to keep the pressure on to work with lobbyists and policymakers to create an

“They saw us and they heard us. They know we didn’t come to play, to just listen to the governor, clap and go home. We got their attention, and now we got to go to work.” This story was provided in part by SHElettaMakesMeLaugh podcasting. For more info, visit SHElettaMakesMeLaugh.com.

They saw us and they heard us. They know we didn’t come to play.

This gives us space to grieve it or rage about it so that we can feel it and move on, and hopefully become more whole ...

Arielle Grant, founder of Render Free

Submitted photo

Marsha Carter taking photos of legislators and business owners in the rotunda

Photos courtesy of SHElettaMakesMeLaugh.com

Speaker of the House Rep. Melissa Hortman (center) meets with Black business owners including De’Vonna Pittman (center, l)

Photo by Angela Rose Meyers

Closings

Continued from page 1

Walgreens did not give an official explanation for the store’s closure.

Ita E, who declined to give his full last name, doubted the explanation. Although he said he did not know the real reason behind the closure, he speculated it could have to do with the profit margin.

“I guess they have to do what they have to do,” Ita said. “You would think the city and the store would put in more effort to keep the store here. Because I feel if it was in a different location, it would be little extra effort to keep the store [in the neighborhood].”

Ita said he will now have to go to the Aldi location in Crystal for groceries.

Khalid Mohamed has been shopping at the now-closed Aldi since he moved to Minneapolis six years ago. He described the closing of the store as “tough,” especially following the closure of the Holiday gas sta-

searCh

Continued from page 1

included in the process and that they want to see their voice being heard in the decision that is made when we hire the superintendent,” ElAmin said.

MPS hired EPU Consultants LLC, a firm based in Plymouth, to do community listening sessions with school district stakeholders. Over the past several months, the firm conducted an online survey that got 2,823 respondents and hosted eight

tion nearest to him. He estimated the length of his drive to the grocery store increasing from 10 to 30 minutes after the store’s closure.

“It’s the only reason we’re able to buy food for a couple meals at a time because it’s so close,” Mohamed said. “If it were further, we’d have to buy bulk all the time, which is a lot more expensive than what we’re doing right now.”

Mohamed also lamented losing access to Aldi’s lower prices, saying it got him through a part of the pandemic when he lost his job. Other shoppers mentioned that the prices at Aldi were generally more affordable than the remaining options.

Mohamed’s mother also gets medications from the Walgreens that’s closing later this month. He said his mother got her prescriptions through GoodRx, which had a deal to offer cheaper medications through Walgreens. Mohamed is unsure where his mother will get her medication now and worries it will be more expensive when they find a new provider.

Kashaya Manson, a St. Cloud resident, shops for her mom, Kim, when she visits her in North Minneapolis.

listening sessions where MPS students, staff, parents and community were able to voice their opinions on the superintendent search and the general direction of the school district.

According to the online survey, the top qualities the community said they wanted in a superintendent candidate was that they be student-centered and have good relationships with students. Among survey respondents, 83 percent said the best strategy to advance academic success was “ensuring all community schools provide access to STEM, music, art, language—and for high school, ethnic studies and

October 2020 levels.

Continued from page 1

a] random act of violence, just because the person decided that they were having a bad day,” said Butler after joining fellow drivers in a meeting of the Metropolitan Council, which runs Metro Transit, to demand they address their concerns about assaults.

Drivers, riders and agency brass are also concerned about riders using drugs while riding the agency’s vehicles. According to the agency’s latest quarterly safety and security update, calls for the agency’s police to address drug use on transit in October 2022 more than doubled from

Montford

Continued from page 1

Representatives from the drivers’ union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005, say at least 10 drivers have been hospitalized for fentanyl exposure. “It’s not a comfortable feeling to know that your members are receiving Narcan after they go to the hospital,” said Union President Ryan Timlin.

The agency has also been slow to respond to drivers in imminent need. “There was a time—I will say six, seven years ago—we could call Metro Transit’s [transit control center] and they would have police there in four, five minutes,” said a Metro Transit driver who is based out of the agency’s East Metro garage in St. Paul. “It’s 45 minutes to an hour before you get a cop now,

Kim lives down the street from the shuttered Aldi and shops there every day when Manson is not around.

“I can’t imagine where my family or anybody else will be able to go,” Manson said. “I know a lot of people that walk to the store and don’t have a way to get to any other store.”

The Aldi store is located one block from the rapid transit C-Line.

the way to the other side of [North] Minneapolis for Cub Foods or going all the way to Brooklyn Center. This is the only store that’s in this area,” said Manson.

Manson says she may occasionally have to drive all the way from St. Cloud to bring her mother to a store further out to shop for food but was unsure what she would do on the days when she could not make the drive.

“She’s gonna have to go to the corner store, I guess,” Manson said. “A lot of people aren’t gonna have food with [Aldi] closing.”

According to the USDA’s most recent classifications from 2019, the now-closed Aldi is within eight blocks of the nearest land tract that is classified as a food desert. Four different tracts in North Minneapolis and Near North are classified as food deserts. With the closing of Aldi, North Minneapolis neighborhoods that have few food shopping options will have even fewer.

“I hope they [Aldi] take it into consideration that a lot of families will be impacted by the store closing,” Manson said.

“People that don’t have transportation don’t really have a way to get all

college-credit courses.”

A total of 63.2 percent of respondents also said MPS should “ensure all curriculum and instructional practices

Senator Tina Smith condemned

teachers and staff, as well as reducing barriers for diverse staff to becoming teachers, at 58.6 percent and 54.1 percent respectively.

the closure of Aldi. “One fifth of Black households live in a food desert and North Minneapolis has already been dealing with a shortage of grocery stores,” said Sen. Smith. “Food insecurity has significant consequences, ranging from impeding the healthy development of children to an increased risk of chronic illnesses. The closing of this Aldi location is draining a basic need from a community that has already been in need.”

The Aldi Twitter account posted a tweet asking for suggestions for new locations. Many people on Twitter replied that the company should open a new store in Minneapolis or keep the current one open. The account did not reply to any tweets about North Minneapolis outside of saying they would keep North Minneapolis “in mind.” That tweet has since been deleted.

Remaining grocery options in North Minneapolis are the Cub Foods on Broadway and several smaller local stores.

Cole Miska welcomes reader responses to cmiska@spokesmanrecorder.com.

decades, then my question will be that now is the time for us to be able to define what we expect and be able to show that we as a board have outlined those priorities, and that we as a board have expectations and goals for the families that we serve,” El-Amin said at a board meeting called to focus in on the district’s priorities.

the contract without seeing progress, without seeing what was done for the past few months, the time she was here,” said newly elected District 3 Board Director Fathia Feerayarre. “If we give another year to the current [interim] superintendent, we’re probably missing a lot of great leaders, a lot of great people who can come to our district and make a difference.

It was such a big turnout, they decided to form the association over the course of the next year. Today we have 47 chapters throughout the United States and one in Okinawa, Japan. Our mission is simply to tell the story and preserve the legacy of the original Montford Pointers.

MSR: President Obama awarded the Montford Point Marines with a Congressional Gold Medal in 2012.

What did it take to make that happen?

JG: There’s always been some friendly competition between the Tuskegee Airmen, the Buffalo Soldiers

are anti-racist and sustain the cultures, languages and experiences of our students.” Other recommendations included focusing on hiring diverse

El-Amin said one of her priorities for the district was to confront systemic racism. “If it’s the systemic racism that we have seen show up for

or until you get to the end of your route. That’s not safe.”

Despite Metro Transit increasing the wages of their officers, they remain 60 fulltime police officers short. They plan to lobby for legislative changes to allow civilian

with police from other agencies, as well as social workers, this spring. Back at the hiring event, some applicants were worried about the issues they would have to address while behind the wheel. “It worries me a

El-Amin says Interim Superintendent Rochelle Cox has said she will renew her contract if needed and the board requests it. However, not all of the board members are willing to rehire Interim Superintendent Cox.

“I can’t just agree to extend

Others, including Alanwoko, don’t seem too worried. “There’s problems all over the world, all over the country, with every bus company [and] with every subway line,” said Alanwoko. “You just take everything with stride, be more vigilant of your surroundings, and pay attention to everything in detail.

“The companies are doing the best they can to help each and every employee,” Alanwoko said. “The public will be the public.”

“I’m not gonna take that,” Feerayarre said. “I can’t do that because I want to see change now.”

Cole Miska welcomes reader responses to cmiska@ spokesman-recorder.com.

came along, I said I’m taking it.”

Although the agency continues its hiring spree, they will not restore service to pre-pandemic levels immediately. It can take at least seven months for drivers to make it past training and a probationary period to become fullfledged drivers. They hope to add some service back come summertime.

workers to patrol and cite fare evaders. Rep. Brad Tabke, DFLShakopee, plans to introduce a bill to be heard on February 23 to flood the light rail system

little bit. I don’t want to be in a position where I have to handle that,” said Corteisha Washington, who is a customer care representative.

and Montford Pointers, even though the latter weren’t as well known. After the Tuskegee Airmen received their Congressional Gold Medal in 2007, the president of their association challenged me to do the same for the Montford Marines. With the help of State Senator Anthony Hill and about 50 trips to Congress, I was able to connect with the Congressional Black Caucus and find a sponsor, U.S. Representative, Corrine Brown.

Our little coalition started to grow and eventually saw our bill receive a super majority vote in both houses. On November 23, 2011, President Barack Obama signed the law awarding all Montford Point Marines the Congressional Gold Medal.

MSR: Was there an official ceremony to award the Montford

Point Marines their medals?

JG: On June 27, 2012, 400 living Montford Pointers gathered in Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol and were collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. The very next day, the commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Amos, hosted a parade where three-star generals placed the Congressional Gold Medal replica on all 400 Mont-

Some just wanted to drive the bus for fun and perhaps indulge in their childhood interests, such as Donald Adderley, who works as a director at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. “I like interacting with big things. When this opportunity

“As we continue this positive momentum, we’re going to be looking towards June to identify some frequency improvements,” said Chief Operating Officer Brian Funk at the hiring event. “And then hopefully, again in August. That’s still all being penciled out right now.”

H. Jiahong Pan welcomes reader responses to hpan@ spokesman-recorder.com.

of requests a day but have seen these numbers increase as we continue to get more media coverage.

ford Pointers that were in attendance.

It was an emotional and glorious day.

MSR: What progress have you made finding the remaining Marines and families?

JG: Approximately 3,000 medals have been awarded, which still leaves 17,000 Montford Point Marines and their families who deserve to be recognized. I typically process a handful

If your readers know of a Black Marine who served during 1942 through 1949, they are a Montford Pointer. By all means, reach out to us at our website, montfordpointmarines.org. There are less than 400 Montford Pointers still alive and thousands of families out there that deserve this honor. We are determined to make sure every family receives this medal and is recognized for their service and sacrifice.

To learn more about the Montford Point Marines, visit montfordpointmarines.org.

Julie Gordon welcomes reader responses to jgordan@spokesmanrecorder.com.

“Approximately 3,000 medals have been awarded, which still leaves 17,000 Montford Point Marines and their families who deserve to be recognized.”

“If we give another year to the current [interim] superintendent, we’re probably missing a lot of great leaders. I want to see change now.”

“It’s 45 minutes to an hour before you get a cop now, or until you get to the end of your route. That’s not safe.”

“I hope they [Aldi] take it into consideration that a lot of families will be impacted by the store closing.”

Arts & Culture

Hulu’s ‘1619 Project’ doc puts slavery at heart of American history

By Nadine Matthews

Contributing Writer

here is an old expression that states, “A hit dog will holler.” It means that an angry or defensive reaction to something is often a good indication that what was said was the truth and the “holleree” is exposing some consciousness of guilt.

The publishing of New York Times Magazine’s “The 1619 Project” caused quite a great deal of hollering, mainly from White historians, politicians and pundits such as Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, former President Donald Trump, former Fox News host Chris Wallace, and many more.

journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, “The 1619 Project” is a collection of essays that attempt to depart from conventional framings of American history by putting slavery and its associated derivations at the center of American history. It was first published in August of 2019 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans in Virginia.

The essays drew a through line between slavery and American democracy, capitalism, the U.S. medical system, the racial wealth gap, and American music among other things.

The project has spawned a podcast, a book, related materials in NYT Magazine, and a school curriculum (met with vociferous pushback from the likes of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis), and now

United States, including to her own hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, talking to ordinary Americans, her own family members, and subject matter experts about America’s Black history and how it has always been interwoven into the dynamics of American society today.

We learn that Hannah-Jones’ own father, as well as a favorite uncle, both passed away at early ages due to the shortcomings of the American healthcare system and the particular ways it shortchanges Black men.

In a poignant scene, both Hannah-Jones and a favorite cousin are moved to tears at the tragedy of it all. The U.S. healthcare system as it relates to Black women is also indicted. Rooted in a system of slavery that depended on the expendability of Black bodies, the healthcare system is shown as indifferent, if not outright hostile, to Black lives.

The discussions of the concept of race and of capitalism are brutal. The viewer is made to understand that though conventional recounting of American history would have us believe that plantations were operated at a leisurely pace, they were in fact treated the same as the modern-day assembly line with the enslaved expected to work like machines.

Dehumanizing daily records kept score of their productivity. Pregnant enslaved women were forced to do backbreaking labor under the worst conditions right up to the day that they went into labor.

The rape of enslaved women, with abandon and impunity, by plantation owners and their overseers served as a catalyst for laws put in place denoting that the race, and thus political and social status of the child, would follow that of the mother. This also had a direct impact on the creation of harmful myths about Black women’s sexuality that persist today.

The conservative National Association of Scholars sought to have the project’s Pulitzer Prize revoked. Certainly, the project wasn’t perfect, but many of its detractors arguably did so in bad faith, with an eye on stubbornly holding onto a version of history more convenient to them and to White supremacy.

Spearheaded by New York Times Magazine

a six-part docu series on Hulu produced in part by Oprah Winfrey. The first two episodes premiered on Jan. 26 with two episodes released each week thereafter.

Not a mere rehash of the material in the originally published project, the Hulu series puts the biracial Hannah-Jones’ experiences and relationship to the material at its center. She traverses the

And speaking of labor, the Hulu series shows in stark terms that Black men and women were bred in the same exact way as animals, forced to mate whether or not a relationship existed between the two, and often beaten daily until there was evidence of pregnancy.

There’s naked acknowledgement of the harrowing Handmaid’s Tale-like existence that enslaved women endured in a society where they had no rights or protection, and how the concept of race was manipulated to support it.

Attendees learn their love language at Sister Spokesman event

By Laura Poehlman

Contributing Writer

Saturday, Feb. 11, had a bright and happy feel for attendees who came to soak up the energy and sunshine at Sister Spokesman’s latest event at LifeSource.

Sister Spokesman founder, Tracey Williams-Dillard, kicked off the festivities with

a door prize giveaway. After everyone had time to say hello, and have lunch, Alex Merritt, aka “The Love Engineer,” opened up the Sister Spokesman conversation around the event theme, “Learning Your Love Language.”

The purpose of finding your love language is to discover,

which of the five different ways are best-suited for various personalities to give and receive love: words of affirmation; acts of service; receiving gifts; quality time; and physical touch.

There was a lively discussion about how to identify individual preferences and how to recognize which of them makes

you feel most loved and valued.

The soundtrack of the day was a playlist curated by Kylee Jackman, Sister Spokesman’s junior coordinator, which ensured everyone bopped as they shopped with the small business vendors selling their wares.

The remainder of the afternoon was full of lively games

Like the original published material, there is also an entry on American music. With the help of noted cultural critic Wesley Morris, musician and uber-producer Nile Rodgers, noted rapper Rapsody, and eclectic musician Brittany Howard, “The 1619 Project” illustrates that tactics used in the music industry put in place a system of cultural segregation that in turn perpetuated social segregation based on race.

The six episode series, like the source material, spins a truth both ugly and beautiful at the same time: that the inhumane system of slavery was—and still is—at the heart and soul of all that is America.

“The 1619 Project” is available for streaming on Hulu. Nadine Matthews welcomes reader responses to nmattews@spokesman-recorder.com.

and prizes that resulted in a few lucky winners getting tickets to upcoming shows by Katt Williams and Janet Jackson.

As happy attendees trickled out, one could be heard summarizing the event beautifully: “Who doesn’t have a good time at Sister Spokesman? You eat something, you buy something, and you learn something!”

Sister Spokesman’s next event

“Roadmap to Retirement” takes place on March 4, 2023, from 12-3 pm at LifeSource, 2225 W River Road N. in Northeast Minneapolis.

Visit @SisterSpokesman on Facebook for the latest updates. Find photos by Steve Floyd on spokesman-recorder.com.

Laura Poehlman welcomes reader responses to lpoehlman@ spokesman-recorder.com.

Photo: Attilio D’Agostino. Kahlil Robert Irving: Archaeology of the Present is made possible by generous support from the Edward R. Bazinet Foundation and RBC Wealth Management.

A screenshot from the “1619” documentary

Courtesy of Hulu

Nikole Hannah-Jones MGN

Guest speaker Alex Merritt

Tracey Williams-Dillard (l) with an attendee Photos by Steve Floyd

Academic curriculum is a racial battlefield

By Dr. Luke Tripp

The United States educational system is a major social institution in sorting and preparing people for different social locations in the social hierarchy. It is a formal institution whose central purpose is to promote White-dominant cultural beliefs about how and why society is the way it is.

It is a central site of racial conflict over the breach between its professed egalitarian mission and its unequal structure, process and outcomes.

The United States standard academic curriculum is designed to foster patriotism, capitalism, and oppressive systems based on race, sex, class and sexuality. The standard curriculum is being challenged by these oppressed groups.

This article will focus on how the dominant White ruling elite attempts to undermine and impede antiracist changes in the academic curriculum. The major problem is the White right-wing political opposition to a conceptual framework for understanding and challenging racism. The solution is the implementation of a standard curriculum that is historically accurate, insightful, and open to critical examination.

White Republicans stifle antiracist education

Right-wing propaganda institutions like our local Center of the American Experiment and the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research launched an intensive political campaign against anti-racist education.

Fox News was a major out-

Concrete highways as tangible structural racism

By Ben Jealous

The racial divisions that have split our country for centuries don’t just live in people’s hearts and heads. Some of them exist in concrete and pavement running right through certain neighborhoods. They are structural racism in the most tangible sense.

In Milwaukee last month, local activists told me about their fight against that kind of division. Wisconsin’s transportation department wants to expand a crumbling 3.5-mile stretch of Interstate 94 running through the state’s largest city at a cost of $1.2 billion and about 49 acres of land in the neighborhoods adjoining the roadway.

an actual intersection between creating more equitable communities and protecting the planet.

Public works projects that encourage more traffic also increase air pollution that impacts our climate, increase noise pollution, and add to flooding and contaminated run-off that damage swimmable, fishable rivers. Those who live closest breathe the most exhaust and live with the constant drone of traffic, but the environmental impact unquestionably stretches far wider.

Stay vigilant.

let for their propaganda. Former President Donald Trump translated their propaganda into policy by issuing an executive order that banned racial sensitivity training in the federal government.

Republicans in state legislatures picked up the cause, drafting and introducing bills that placed limits on government agencies, public higher education institutions, and K-12 schools teaching “harmful sex- and race-based ideologies.”

was released over the Martin Luther King Day weekend. Historians largely condemned the report, and American Historical Association Executive Director James Grossman said, “It’s a work of contentious politics designed to stoke culture wars.

“To say that the racial divisions that have existed for the last half century are due to insistence by African Americans on ‘group rights’ rather than to the depth and breadth of racism, to say that on a page where you have a photograph of Dr. King, is offensive to Dr. King’s legacy,” Grossman said. State level opposition

At the state level, academic curriculums that include concepts of racism and sexism are viewed by many politicians as threats. Thus, anti-racist courses became targets of hostile legislation.

Right-wing opposition to anti-racist curriculum

White right-wing opposition is at all governmental levels. Former President Donald Trump created the Presidential Advisory 1776 Committee by executive order in September 2020 to counter a “radicalized view of American history.”

The 1776 Committee was formed to advise the president about the core principles of the American founding and how to protect those principles by promoting patriotic education.

The bogus commission did not include a single professional historian. More insulting was their fabricated report that

There has been a recent wave of educational “gag orders” restricting the teaching of race and gender because some politicians discredit them as divisive concepts. At the core of state legislation is the desire to prevent discourse about America’s racist past and present.

Many scholars in Florida are angry and scared because Governor DeSantis plans to defund diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at state public universities. A press release describing his proposed legislation-tocome said it will prohibit higher education institutions from using any funding, regardless of source, to support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Critical Race Theory (CRT), meaning teaching about racism.

These kinds of restrictions make faculty members afraid to teach subjects on race. A new report by the RAND Corporation found that a quarter of K-12 teachers changed their curriculum or practices because of limits on how to discuss race and gender. Black teachers disproportionately were the ones changing their teaching.

Like Overton in Miami, East Los Angeles, and West Montgomery, Ala., those neighborhoods, home to poor Black and Brown residents, were subdivided 60 years ago when I-94 was built. The highway continues to cut them off today.

It’s disingenuous to make plans today that don’t consider the history of these highways in places like Milwaukee. The cost to locate interstates, built as courts were ordering desegregation of public schools and housing, was borne by communities of color whose residents were barred from home loans that would have let them move to suburbs that got disproportionate benefit from faster commutes.

Planners used code words like blight, renewal and efficiency to confuse that reality. A highway project like this creates

The estimated cost of expanding I-94 is about $40 million more than fixing the existing six lanes. That’s the same amount that a 50 percent cut in the current state budget cost mass transit systems in Madison and Milwaukee.

Most Milwaukee mass transit riders are workers riding to a job or the disabled and seniors who no longer drive. While Black and Brown riders make up a disproportionate share of the total, most riders are White.

When we see these fabricated divisions, the question we should ask is who benefits

from creating them? We know from troubling experience that the self-interested find ways to separate us even when our interests are the same. Who benefits from a wider interstate? It’s clearly not its neighbors. Not the Milwaukee City Council who opposed the plan. Not drivers today or in years to come as updating the current highway without adding lanes will improve safety and reduce congestion. And not millennials that Wisconsin has spent millions to retain and attract who say they want to live in places that don’t demand driving.

A local issue like this one in Wisconsin matters even if you live three states away, because one like it may be coming to where you live soon. We’re on the cusp of many more in every state.

Historic federal funding in 2021 and 2022 to repair infrastructure and invest in a cleaner economy must be spent place by place. We need to follow the example of the folks I met in Milwaukee—stay vigilant. Never assume that decisions will be made in the best interest of everyone or the planet. Build the biggest coalitions we can, and hold officials accountable when we vote.

Ben Jealous is the incoming executive director of the Sierra Club, the oldest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the country. He is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” published in January.

Black leaders, therapists needed to uplift inmates

By Courtney Bernard Clark

There have been Black leaders who had programs in the Minnesota Department of Corrections that were later dismantled for no reason. Take Shane Price of the Power for the People program, which was all over the Minnesota Department of Corrections and then one day gone.

This program gave inmates help in and out of prison. The rooms where this program was held were packed. Everyone was proud to see a successful Black man and his wife [Dr. Verna Price] caring about Black inmates who needed housing jobs and clothing, helping with the success of staying out doing what Black men are supposed to do in order to live a crime-free life. We all were hurt to hear he was not let back in to teach.

There once was a Black master barber up at Moose Lake Prison. He was hard on the brothers in his class because he wanted better from them, and everyone liked that about him. So, one day, out of nowhere, he was escorted out of the prison. We were later

Black positive officers need to be hired— someone who understands their own people.

told that the Black barber got into it with an officer over an incident with a White inmate.

There’s more, a lot more.

While I was in Lino Lakes Prison, a Black female officer

Public attitudes

submissions@spokesman-recorder.com submissions@spokesman-recorder.com.

submissions@spokesman-recorder.com

In Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed a bill that restricts what teachers can teach in K-12 schools and at public universities, particularly when it comes to sexism and racism. The law has sparked confusion and distress among educators who fear they might face consequences for even broaching nuanced conversations about racism and sexism in the context of U.S. history.

In Tennessee, a high school teacher was fired after teaching Ta-Nehisi Coates’s essay “The First White President.” More teachers are expected to be silenced because of the current social climate. A Black principal in Texas was recently suspended without explanation after a

former school board candidate complained that he was implementing critical race theory, promoting “extreme views on race” and “the conspiracy theory of systemic racism.”

Joseph Frilot, a middle school humanities teacher, learned from his curriculum manager that all the content he developed about Black Lives Matter and the Civil Rights Movement won’t be part of his lessons this year considering the Texas law that limits discourse on racism and sexism.

In Tennessee, the state’s guidance lays out major consequences for schools and educators found in violation: Schools could stand to lose millions in annual state funds, and teachers could have their licenses denied, suspended or revoked.

A July Reuters/Ipsos poll found that fewer than half of Americans (43 percent) said they knew about critical race theory and the surrounding debates, with three in 10 saying they hadn’t heard of it at all. Most Americans said they support teaching students about the impact of slavery (78 percent) and racism (73 percent) in the U.S. State laws banning critical race theory in public schools received less support (35 percent).

On all fronts there was a partisan divide, with Republicans more interested in banning talk about slavery, racism, and the teaching of critical racial issues. Students and teachers have gone to school boards to demand ethnic studies courses

was told she couldn’t wear her mask that had a fist on it. She continued and was fired. The two other Black officers changed their masks; one wore the African mask, and the other Black officer wore just a black mask.

The harassment, discrimination, retaliation and slander all are Minnesota Department of Corrections trades. Black leaders are needed to be able to speak and uplift people in prison. This helps give people hope.

Black positive officers need to be hired—someone who understands their own people. Mental health Black therapists need to be hired to help with the mental issues we all struggle with. Please help us.

Courtney Bernard Clark writes from the Faribault Correctional Facility

and worked to make anti-racism part of the curriculum.

Teachers want their students to understand how racism is systemic and that they can be part of a multiracial struggle to bring about change. Right-wing policy institutes, media outlets, and politicians are conniving to stifle antiracist educational projects, even though most of the public has a positive view of them.

The dominant White ruling elite continues to undermine and impede an antiracist academic curriculum because it challenges White dominant cultural beliefs about how and why the United States is racially stratified and unequal.

Dr. Luke Tripp is a professor at St. Cloud State University.

Right-wing policy institutes, media outlets and politicians are conniving to stifle antiracist educational projects.

Never assume that decisions will be made in the best interest of everyone or the planet.

Feb. 16 - 28

The MSR celebrates Black history 365 days a year and enjoys a living legacy as one of the state’s oldest Black businesses. Find a listing of free or low-cost community events below to help you savor the richness of Black history.

Ongoing

Night Life: Nocturnal Worlds in African Art

Runs until Sept. 10

Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 Third Ave. S., Mpls.

“Night Life” presents 20 artworks from across Africa that address the various ways nighttime was, and in some cases still is, perceived and experienced. Offering warmth and privacy, sumptuously patterned blankets and basketry panels promote peaceful slumbers. This exhibit is free and is being staged in Gallery 255.

For more info, go to bit.ly/NocturnalWorlds

“Locomotion”

Runs until March 5

Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 Third Ave. S., Mpls.

Uprooted from his family, Lonnie couldn’t feel more alone. But when his class learns to write poetry, his verses take him back to a time of togetherness. As he finds his voice as a poet, Lonnie learns how poetry can bring him closer to others and himself. Based on the book by award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson, this play is best enjoyed by anyone aged nine or older.

For more info, go to childrenstheatre.org/shows-and-tickets

“Blues for an Alabama Sky”

Runs until March 12

Guthrie Theater, Wurtele Thrust Stage, 818 S. 2nd St., Mpls.

Renowned playwright Pearl Cleage’s award-winning drama takes place in Depression-era Har lem, where a close-knit group of four friends have their lives upturned by a newcomer whose arrival shifts the trajectory of everyone’s futures and long-held dreams.

For info, go to www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets

“TESTIFY: Americana from Slavery to Today”

Runs until March 29, 2023

Minneapolis Central Library

Cargill Gallery, 300 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.

Presented by former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice and NFL Hall of Famer Alan Page, and his daughter, marketing and communications professional Georgi PageSmith, the groundbreaking exhibit “TESTIFY” returns to the Minneapolis Central Library. The exhibit features more than 100 artifacts and works of art designed to foster dialogue and inspire justice.

For more info, go to hclib.org/about/news/2023/January/testify-exhibit

Community Quilt Project

Runs until July 1

Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery (MAAHMG), 1256 Penn Ave. N. (4th Floor), Mpls.

The “Community Quilt Project” features 14 quilts that symbolize themes, including Black history, Black joy, love and family, racial justice, civil rights, Black liberation, healing and freedom. The exhibit also includes a quilt honoring Minneapolis’ favorite son, Prince Rogers Nelson, that was created during the painting of the Prince mural in May/June 2022.

The “Community Quilt Project” is open for viewing during MAAHMG’s regular hours (Tuesdays through Fridays from 1-5 pm, and Saturdays from 10 am-2 pm.) Admission is free and free parking is available in the ramp at the rear of the building. For more info, go to www.maahmg.org.

Black Liberation: Dismantling of Racism in Minnesota, 1800s to 1960s

Runs until Dec. 31

Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery (MAAHMG), 1256 Penn Ave. N. (4th Floor), Mpls.

This exhibit, curated by Tina Burnside, with research assistance by Simiyah Garrison and graphic design by Michaela Spielberger, is an exploration of the Black Liberation Movement in Minnesota.

Focusing on Black-led organizations and Black leaders including abolitionists, labor, civil rights and Black Power leaders, “Black Liberation” reflects the fight for Black self-determination in Minnesota during the 19th and 20th centuries.

The MAAHMG is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 1-5 pm, and Saturdays from 10 am-2 pm. Admission is free and free parking is available in the ramp at the rear of the building. For more info, go to www.maahmg.org.

February 16

2023 History Makers at Home Award Ceremony

11 am – 1:30 pm

The Capri Theater, 2027 West Broadway Ave., Mpls.

The Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights is honoring several community leaders as part of the History Makers at Home program—a profile series featuring inspirational leaders in a wide range of fields. The awards program will take place from 11 am to 12:30 pm, and refreshments and networking opportunities are from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm at the Capri Theater. This event is free and open to the public.

For more info, go to bit.ly/MplsBHM2023.

Reflections on the Black Liberation Movement in Minnesota with Dr. Yohuru Williams

5:30 – 7 pm

MAAHMG (Fourth Floor), 1256 Plymouth Ave. N., Mpls. Dr. Yohuru Williams, distinguished university chair, professor of history, and founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas, will present an engaging discussion that explores the Black Liberation Movement, its catalysts and leaders in Minnesota.

Dr. Williams will also discuss the connection between events in 1975 and the racial reckoning of 2020, and the goals, strategies and challenges for Black self-determination. Admission and parking are free.

For more info, go to bit.ly/BlackLiberationMAAHMG

■ See Black History Month Events on page 9

For more information, visit northpointhealth.org/covid

Black History MontH EvEnts

Continued from page 8

February 17

Northside Celebration 2023

Three Shows, February 17 - 19

Feb. 17, 7 pm, North High, 1500 James Ave. N., Mpls

Feb. 18, 4 pm, North High, 1500 James Ave. N., Mpls Feb. 19, 2 pm, Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul

Share in the joy, beauty, and energy of this collaborative concert experience that celebrates the North Minneapolis community through music. Springing from the 13-year partnership between the Capri in North Minneapolis and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, this celebration brings together traditional gospel and orchestral music with spoken word to create an unforgettable concert event featuring voices and stories of the North Side.

For more info, go to content. thespco.org/events/northsidecelebration-2023

Zealous Hellions: Charlayne Hunter-Gault in Conversation with Brandi Powell

7 pm

Mixed Blood Theatre, Alan Page Auditorium (and livestreamed), 1501 S. 4th St., Mpls.

For the first Zealous Hellions of 2023, Mixed Blood welcomes pioneering journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault in conversation with Brandi Powell of KSTP 5 Eyewitness News. In light of the recent publication of HunterGault’s new book, “My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives,” this conversation will trace her journey from desegregating the University of Georgia to her work on PBS’s “NewsHour,” The New Yorker Magazine, The New York Times and beyond. Admission is free, but advanced registration is encouraged.

For more info, go to mixedblood.com/zealous-hellions.

February 18

African American Genealogy Workshop

11 am–12 pm

Hennepin History Museum, 2303 3rd Ave. S., Mpls. This workshop, led by Hennepin History Museum

archivist Michelle Pollard, will demonstrate how to navigate sites like ancestry.com and familysearch.org, as well as the National Archives to help find your African American ancestors and build an extensive family tree. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

For more info, go to bit.ly/AAGenealogyWorkshop

The Essence of Gospel with Kimberly Brown

Two Shows – 3 pm and 7 pm

Heat of the City Music Factory, 2665 4th Ave., Anoka

Celebrate the Gospel music experience with acclaimed vocalist Kimberly Brown. This is an allages show and a wonderful way to celebrate Black History Month. For more info, go to www.kimberlybrownmusic.com.

February 19

24th Annual Black History Month Concert

7-9 pm St. Joan of Arc Catholic Community, 4537 3rd S., Mpls.

Featuring a joyful gathering of musicians, storytellers, filmmakers and neighborhood advocates, this annual event digs deep into the history of South Minneapolis and the St. Joan of Arc community. Presented in collaboration with the St. Joan of Arc anti-racism ministry. For more info, go to www.eventbrite.com

Black History MontH EvEnts

Continued from page 9

February 21

“Sugar in Our Wounds” by Donja R. Love

Runs until March 19

Penumbra Theatre Company, 270 North Kent St., St. Paul

Set on a Southern plantation in 1862, this piercing drama explores queer Black love against a backdrop of imminent freedom. Two young, enslaved men torn from their families find solace in one another, propelling them into a harrowing fight for love and survival.

For more info, go to penumbratheatre.org or call 651-224-3180

February 23

Rock Your Crown Past Present and Creative

12-1 pm City of Mpls. Public Service Building, Confer. Room 100, 505 4th Ave. S., Mpls.

This is the last of four City of Minneapolis Black History Month Events held consecutively on Thursdays in February 2023.

For more info, go to bit.ly/BHMResistance

February 24

African Heritage Day on the Hill w/the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage

9:30 am-11 pm Minnesota State Capitol Building Rotunda, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, St. Paul

Join the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage for the first in person African Heritage Day on the Hill, post-COVID-19 pandemic.

This event will feature remarks from lawmakers on their current 2023 legislative plans and provide information for attendees on how to connect with lawmakers on policy issues that are important to them.

For more info, go to eventbrite.com

Continued from page 14

and a journey to get to this place where we’re preparing to unlock this and make it available to people,” continued Washington of the project through which she learned more about her father, his family, and what his life was from youth to college, to the NFL and his post-sports life in Minnesota. She added that Black History Month seems like a good time to launch her latest project.

their organizations or their institutions.

“I’m really grateful and excited at the overwhelming response to everything I’ve done over the past 10 years to bring my father’s story forward,” she continued.

“This is just a really exciting time for us.”

“It’s Black History Month,” added Washington. “I do hope as Minnesota—and there’s still a lot of eyes on our state and Twin Cities, in particular—I hope that as a community, we can find ways to honor, celebrate, and do our due diligence to learn as much as they possibly can about those Black Minnesotans who really made our state better.”

‘Black Fives’ Games honor history

viEw

Continued from page 14

Find more Black History Month events on spokesman-recorder. com. Let us know about more events by sending an email to submissions@spokesman-recorder.com. faith and paved the way for

and over, whether you are a sports fan or not. In addition, here a few more documentaries—in no particular order—worth watching, not only in February but any time of year:

HBO’s “Women of Troy” is the story of USC’s 1980s women’s college basketball team and how their style of play transformed the sport.

(2020)

BTN—Big Ten Network’s “Passion & Perseverance: 1999 Purdue Women’s Basketball” tells the unlikely story of the 1999 Boilermakers women’s basketball team led by Head Coach Carolyn Peck, the first Black coach to win a Division I women’s basketball championship.

(2019)

PBS’s “This is a Game, Ladies,” chronicles the 20002001 season of Rutgers University’s Scarlet Knights women’s basketball team, led by legendary Coach C. Vivian Stringer. (2004)

ESPNW’s Nine for IX series short, “Coach,” documents the personal tragedies and triumphs Coach C. Vivian Stringer has experienced in becoming one of college basketball’s most prolific and celebrated women’s coaches. (2013)

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@ spokesman-recorder.com.

Asked about pushback by some elected officials around the country against Black history, like her film, being taught in schools, noted Washington, “I am not concerned about people who might not see my family’s contribution to history as valid, because I know there are enough people who were positively impacted by the desegregation of college football and positively impacted by the inclusion of African Americans in both college athletics as well as Olympic sports.

“Whether or not people recognize it or not, the contributions to American history that African Americans

Throughout February, The Black Fives Foundation and the Big East Conference have established “specially designated matchups”—in both men’s (11) and women’s (11) basketball games— as Black Fives Games recognize the pre-NBA era of all-Black basketball from 1904 through 1950. Each team will wear a shooting shirt that celebrates a historically important local Black basketball squad. Coaches

have made, I think that’s what made my father’s story so unique—like my dad going to Michigan State University, and later the Minnesota Vikings. Or that my dad and other talented Black athletes would make a significant difference to the success of

and staff will wear special lapel pins for the occasion. All contests are being nationally televised on CBSSN, Fox, FS1 and other media.

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@ spokesman-recorder.com.

(l-r) Michigan State Coach Duffy Daugherty and Gene Washington

Hockey

Continued from page 2

in 1998-99. The forward was chosen by the St. Louis Blues in the ninth round (No. 219) of the 1993 NHL Draft and scored 383 points (162 goals, 221 assists) in 1,060 games for the Oilers, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres and San Jose Sharks from 1996-2011.

Born in Detroit, Grier scored 120 points (59 goals, 61 assists) in 114 games at Boston Uni-

versity. He tied Jacques Joubert for the team lead in goals with 29 in 1994-95, the season it won the NCAA Division I championship, and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award given to the top men’s player in NCAA Division I ice hockey. Grier joined the Rangers on May 19.

following his playing career at Boston, where the forward scored 62 points (29 goals, 33 assists) in 65 games.

“I got to play as a hockey player, then I got to play as a coach, then I got to be an administrator,” Wright said. “From the time you’re a little kid, all you wanted to do was play. ‘Let me play the game,’ and I did.”

the Anaheim Ducks in 1994.

The Chatham, Ontario, native was revered by his players. One, Tunney Murchie, and his family, donated $220,000 to have the university’s volleyball and basketball practice facility renovated and renamed The

ed isn’t that meaningful to me as my players that I have out there. I’ve got lawyers, businesspeople. All the players I had that have gone forth and to just hear about their accomplishments… that’s most meaningful to me.”

game against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Dec. 7, 1947. The forward scored 49 points (24 goals, 25 assists) in three seasons and helped Boston earn its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1950. It reached the championship game that season but lost 13-4 to Colorado College. Robinson assisted on its first goal of the game.

Robinson was a three-sport athlete at Boston, competing on the gymnastics and diving team. He died in 1987 at age 62. Robin Robinson-Kirkpatrick, his daughter, said photos of her father’s hockey exploits hung on the walls in the family’s home.

Edward L. Wright Practice Facility in 2010.

Wright was inducted into the University at Buffalo Athletics Hall of Fame on Feb. 18.

Ed Wright (1966-69)

Wright became the first Black NCAA coach when he accepted the position at the University of Buffalo in 1970

Wright coached at Buffalo for 12 seasons in two stints from 1970-81 and 1986-87, finishing 138-155 with seven ties. He became a scout for

“It gives me a very, very good feeling that I contributed and contributed at a high level,” he said. “Being induct-

Robinson, a native of Wellesley, Massachusetts, is regarded at the first Black American to play American college hockey. He enrolled at Boston in 1946 after returning from Army service in World War II. Robinson played his first

“Back then, going through Jim Crow segregation, the Black Power movement, the civil rights movement and everything, we respected what he did,” Robinson-Kirkpatrick said. “But as I got older, I was, like, ‘Wow, we’re getting more into history, and acknowledging that this is history that he went through.’”

Photo Credits: Boston University Athletics, Robin Robinson-Kirkpatrick, Paul Hokanson, University at Buffalo

Fostering conversations for healing and recovery Location and Hours:

Fostering conversations for healing and recovery Location and Hours:

Fostering conversations for healing and recovery Location and Hours:

23 Thursdays 11 am – 2 pm Center for Changing Lives 2400 Park Avenue, Minneapolis Conference Room 182

• Health screenings

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• Senior citizen medication reviews

• Incentives

• Hand forearm massage

• Free lunch!

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• Senior citizen medication reviews

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Lloyd Robinson (1947-50)

Lloyd Robinson

Ed Wright

the SPEDCO, as mortgagee, then assigned to The United States of America, acting through the Small Business Administration, assignee, and filed in the office of the County Recorder in Hennepin County Minnesota, as follows:

Dated Date Filed Document No. March 18, 2019 March 27, 2019 T05602441

It is the intention of the above-named Petitioner to move the court for an order authorizing the Hennepin Court Administrator to accept and deposit in an interest bearing account payments from the Petitioner to the court pursuant to Minn. Stat. §117.042.

Employment & Legals

Software Engineer- Test/Verification/Validation for Medtronic, Inc. located at its facility in Mounds View, MN.

Duties: Responsible for the design and implementation of software and web-based applications. Primary requirement: Bachelor’s Degree or foreign equivalent in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Applications, Software Engineering, Electronics Engineering or closely related IT or engineering field and 5 years’ post-Bachelor’s experience. Alternate requirement: Masters’ Degree or foreign equivalent in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Applications Software Engineering, Electronics Engineering or closely related IT or engineering field and 3 years’ post-Bachelor’s experience. Experience as specified above must include all of the following: Functional testing to include breaking down software requirement specifications for test plans; Software development with Test Automation and Frameworks; Product software applications to include VB (Visual Basic) Script, SQL and Java; SDLC with models to include Waterfall and Agile (SCRUM) and STLC; Requirements gathering documentation, testing and maintenance of web or mobile application solutions; Front end and backend web testing on Windows, Android, Linux or IOS operating systems: Integrate Test Automation into CI/CD process using DevOps Tool(s); API and Integration Test Development for third party/proprietary applications or tools. Multiple positions available. *Multiple positions available. Apply at https://jobs. medtronic.com, Req.230001A0. Medtronic is an equal opportunity employer committed to cultural diversity in the workplace. All individuals are encouraged to apply.

Electrical Engineer: Medtronic, Inc., Mounds View, MN

Req. Master’s in Electrical Engineering & 2 yrs exp. in electrical engr. Req. min. 2 yrs exp. w/ each: Research, development, design, & testing of electrical components, equipment, & systems for medical devices; Design & implementation of digital & analog electronic circuits utilizing electrical circuit development tools, power electronics, digital signal processing, control systems, & microelectronics; test w/ high-voltage medical devices; OrCAD, Cadence Allegro, or Altium Designer; Design & development of verification & validation test systems & test protocols; HDL simulation & design using Verilog or VHDL; Debugging & writing embedded firmware in C/C++; 21 CFR 820 and IEC 60601; & Product failure analysis. To apply, visit https://jobs.medtronic.com/, select Req. #230001J1. No agencies or phone calls please. Medtronic is an equal opportunity employer committed to cultural diversity in the workplace. All individuals are encouraged to apply.

For

Paul. Bid Form, http://www.dot.state.mn.us/row/propsales.html

Info LandSales.MN.DOT@state.mn.us

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Continued from page 14

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he retired from playing in the NBA in 1991, Woodson said he looked forward to life without hoops.

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“Cotton Fitzsimmons bamboozled me,” he said of the late coach, smiling as he remembered the life-changing incident. “He bamboozled me to come out to Phoenix and be his assistant in the pre-draft camp they had out in Arizona. He said we can play golf every day, and so I’m on the first plane.

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Woodson returned to Bloomington in 2021, and his Hoosiers improved their win total by nine from the season before, led the Big Ten in defense, in field goal percentage, and in field goal defense; and they were second in blocked shots. The team also reached the conference semifinals for the first time since 2003.

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“I get out there and we go to our first practice,” said Woodson, “and he’s putting in some stuff, and then after about 30 minutes, he says ‘Hey Woody, I’m going to play golf.’ I played 11 years and didn’t know a damn thing about coaching, and he left and went to play golf.

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“That’s how I started,” said Woodson with a smile. “I’ve been chasing it every single day.”

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From Classified Department/MN Spokesman-Recorder

Top 10 Black women’s basketball coaches

“I thought last season we made a major step,” recalled Woodson, who added that he loves the college game despite being away from it for almost two decades as an NBA player, assistant coach and head coach.

“I signed up for this,” he continued, “so I’m lucky to push these guys to the max and see what happens. I get a lot of opportunities to teach and prepare. It’s what we like to do as coaches. I spent 34 years of my life in the NBA, and coming down to college, I’m trying to figure it out.”

Please

During the conference media days in Minneapolis last fall, Woodson told reporters, including the MSR, just how he got into coaching in the first place. When

Throughout February, the Black Coaches Association (BCA) has been honoring current and former Black coaches. The group recently listed its top 10 Black women’s head basketball coaches, led by South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, and followed in order by Kara Lawson (Duke); Alex Simmons (Gardner Webb); Niele Ivey (Notre Dame); Kenny Brooks (VA Tech); Larry Vickers (Norfolk State); Yolett McPheeMcCuin (Ole Miss); Adia Barnes (Arizona); Billi Chambers (Iona); and Tanya Warren (Northern Iowa).

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@ spokesman-recorder.com.

handles billing digitally. This means you will get e-tears and e-mailed invoices unless you specifically request a copy.

Big Ten offers opportunities for qualified Black coaches

By Charles Hallman Sports Columnist

ike Woodson (Indiana) is one of three

Big Ten men’s basketball head coaches who are coaching at the same school they once played at as student athletes, joining Ben Johnson (Minnesota) and Juwan Howard (Michigan). These three, along with Penn State’s Micha Shrewsberry, are the conference’s only Black head basketball coaches.

Documentaries offer compelling portraits of Black athletes, coaches

“There are a lot of great minority coaches that can coach if given the opportunity.”

Historically, IU has hired two Black men’s basketball coaches—Mike Davis (20002006) and Woodson, who was hired in the 2021-22 season.

“I’ve heard this same argument and voiced my opinion for years in the NBA,” responded

■ See Woodson on page 13

veteran Black media executive once told me several years ago that seeing Black content outside of February—Black History Month— will become the new normal. Her vision and prediction certainly have come true, particularly in the past few years.

“I

for

Because of a deadly virus and worldwide shutdown in 2020, I discovered the joy of streaming. I had known about it for some time and had watched content from some streaming sites from time to time. But whether free or subscription, Black content on virtually any subject can be found and watched whenever you want—especially sports.

Earlier this month, two new documentaries on sports luminaries premiered within days of each other:

“Stand” is a 107-minute doc-

umentary on Showtime, which debuted Feb. 5, that examines the life of pro basketball star Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, formerly Chris Jackson. He was born into abject poverty in Mississippi, struggled with Tourette’s (a neurological disorder marked by uncontrolled body movements and tics), grew up wanting to be an NBA star, and

became one.

But when Jackson converted to Islam and chose not to stand for the national anthem, Abdul-Rauf became a pariah to the league, fans, and the media.

“He has never been afraid to speak up,” said Morehouse Professor Ron Thomas of Abdul-Rauf, as he introduced him

Longtime Johnson HC Vern Simmons honored at Alumni Day game

“I didn’t score one point, grab one rebound, block one shot or get one steal. The players deserve all of the credit.”

gave Johnson the lead for good. The victory made Simmons’ recognition even more special.

at the 2017 NABJ Sam Lacy Pioneer Awards in New Orleans, which I attended. It was only my second time meeting the man—the first was during his brief suspension from the NBA when he was invited to speak at a local mosque—and both times I had a chance to talk to Abdul-Rauf.

“I thank God for all I’ve been through,” Abdul-Rauf told me in one of our interviews. “Growing up, I didn’t see myself with a lot of potential besides sports. I knew I was gifted athletically, but I knew I had to work extremely hard in order to excel.”

On camera, Showtime documents Abdul-Rauf’s life from birth to the present-day as the film tells the remarkable story of one man who kept the ■ See View on page 10

ecently retired boys’ basketball coach Vern Simmons, who led St. Paul Johnson High School’s boys’ basketball team for 20 years, was honored at halftime of the Governor’s 61-60 non-conference victory over Minnehaha Academy on February 4. The victory capped off a special Alumni Day at the high school, located on the East Side of St. Paul. The annual alumni game featured former Johnson players—all of whom played for Simmons—who competed for bragging rights.

Team Black was led by alums Donnell Gibson (2004), Sammy Ricks (2006), Freddy Coleman (2006), Demetrius Smith (2006), and Sal Simmons (2007). Team White included Lamar Anderson (2009), Dion YoungSuggs (2009), Demitri Conwell (2010), Anthony Lee (2011), Mitchell McDonald (2014)—no relation to this

columnist—and Jesse Foster (2020). Team White captured the victory with a baseline buzzer-beating jumper by McDonald.

After Minnehaha Academy scored wins with its C-squad and junior varsity, the varsity teams squared off. With Minnehaha leading 27-26 at halftime, Simmons joined his players at midcourt to accept an award. Not one to seek individual accolades, the retired St. Paul police officer honored his players.

“I didn’t score one point, grab one rebound, block one shot or get one steal,” he said. “They did,” he continued. “They deserve all of the credit.”

After halftime, a back-and-forth second half ended with freshman center Kenny Turner’s reverse layup with 12 seconds remaining, which

Under Simmons, who coached from 2000-2020, the Governors had one of the best runs in state history. He led them to 15 St. Paul City Conference championships, nine state tournament appearances, and five Twin City championships. His best year came in 2010, when he led Johnson (with players Maxie Rosenbloom, Demetri Conwell, Estan Tyler, Roosevelt Scott, Marcus Marshall, Anthony Lee, Chris Smith-Bond, Donte Warlick, Prince Williams, Jordan Pluff, Xavier Henry, and Xavier Black) to a 32-0 record and a Class 3A state tournament championship, using an 11-man rotation.

“We wanted to recognize him in this setting because the people here couldn’t attend his [Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association] Hall of Fame induction,” Johnson Head Coach Colin Moore said of the October event. “We wanted to recognize one of our own and show Vern our appreciation for all he has done for

Trailblazer Gene Washington’s daughter documents his place in Black sports history

or almost a decade, Maya Washington has worked tirelessly to tell her father’s story, as well as others of his generation. Her 2018 documentary film, “Through the Banks of the Red Cedar,” and the companion book of the same title, tell the story of Minnesota Vikings football legend Gene Washington, who played on the first integrated White college team at Michigan State under Coach Duffy Daugherty in 1963.

On Feb. 1, Washington’s film premiered nationally on PBS, and it will be shown again on TPT at 2 pm on Feb. 22. The local filmmaker and art teacher told the MSR that she

and her father, who also went on to become a top executive in the business world, are now developing an interactive cur-

riculum that will not only teach youth about this groundbreaking story of racial integration in sports, but also inspire

them to be change-agents and bridge-makers in their own communities.

the school, the student athletes, and community.”

facilitating diversity, equity and inclusion conversations at love

their workplace,” admitted

Indiana Basketball Coach Mike Woodson

Photo by Charles Hallman

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (l) and Morehouse Journalism Prof. Ron Thomas

Bill Russell display at Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

Photos by Charles Hallman

thank God

all I’ve been through. Growing up, I didn’t see myself with a lot of potential besides sports.”

Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader responses to mcdeezy05@ gmail.com.

Hall of Fame boys’ high school basketball coach Vern Simmons was honored on Alumni Day at Johnson Senior High School. He coached the Governors from 2000-2020, leading them to the Class 3A state championship in 2010.

Photos by Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald

St. Paul Johnson freshman center Kenny Turner (53) scores two of his game-leading 21 points against Minnehaha Academy.

Washington. “It’s been

a real labor of

Father and daughter, Gene and Maya Washington Photos courtesy of Maya Washington Gene and Maya Washington

■ See SOE on page 10