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Insight News

November 11, 2019 - November 17, 2019

Vol. 46 No. 45• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

I grew up with some white kids in Arkansas.

Until we were 12 years old, I could call my friend by her first name.

But as soon as she turned 12, then I had to call her Miss Ann. I didn’t do that. I’m Al Flowers’ mother. So I did not do that.

Then when I moved away from Arkansas and I went back, I went to a store and one of the ladies tried every way she knew how to make me say, “Yes, ma’am.”

Al McFarlane: Couldn’t do it?

Mary Flowers Spratt: No, I would not. I refused to.

INTERGENERATIONAL

Freedom fight is family affair THE REVEREND MARY FLOWERS SPRATT AT THE MARCUS GARVEY HOUSE WITH HER SON AL FLOWERS AND HER GRANDDAUGHTER LETICIA TOWNSEND, A FORMER INSIGHT NEWS WRITER AND NOW A GRADUATE STUDENT AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY IN WASHINGTON, DC. AT LEFT, FAMILY FRIEND AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZER, JAMES BADUE-EL. Kelvin Kuria

STORY ON PAGE 4

Page 2 • November 11, 2019 - November 17, 2019 • Insight News

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Insight News • November 11, 2019 - November 17, 2019 • Page 3

Insight News WINNER: 2018 NNPA MERIT AWARDS: 3RD PLACE BES T COLUMN WRITING

November 11, 2019 - November 17, 2019

WINNER: 2019 GENERAL EXCELLENCE, 3RD PLACE, COLUMN WRITING, 2ND PLACE

Vol. 46 No. 45• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Black candidates earn key victories in metro elections

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor harry@insightnews.com

Harry Colbert, Jr.

Nina Turner, co-chair of the Bernie Sanders campaign, during a Nov. 3 rally at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.

Led by Nina Turner, Sanders makes push for Black vote

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor harry@insightnews.com In the race to see who will faceoff against President Donald Trump in 2020 (provided he is not impeached in the House and convicted in the

Senate) Democratic voters are narrowing down their choices.

The still crowded Democratic field lost another contender with Beto O’Rourke dropping out on the first day of this month. At the top, the three names that have remained steadfast are the ones that have been most familiar to voters

over the past 12 years or so – former vice president Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT). What could be the ultimate determining factor as to who prevails is who carries the Black vote.

Sanders is making his case; and he’s doing so with the

help of his national campaign co-chair, former Ohio state senator, Nina Turner.

Turner, who served in the Ohio House from 20082014, has been affiliated with Sanders since 2016 when she endorsed him for president after first endorsing former secretary

BLACK VOTE 4

Agencies look at Upper Harbor sustainability and connectivity

By Randall Bradley Architect The third meeting of the Upper Harbor Development Committee met and conducted a Learning Table Community Engagement conversation Oct. 23 at the NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center, 1256 Penn Ave. N. This meeting focused on sustainability and connectivity.

The general question was, what work completed on this project will be sustainable over time?

And what connections are both necessary and visionary, that are not now existing?

Four agencies/ organizations presented their information for review and discussion. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Minneapolis Public Works Department and the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) all offered materials and information for presentation to the attendees.

Officials with the MPRB presented the 48.5acre site plan indicating the location of a new park within the boundaries of the site. While this new park is not physically connected the riverfront park at 26th Avenue North, it will extend new parkland into the mixeduse nature of this development.

There is one preliminary design or final location for this park.

Harry Colbert, Jr.

The next meeting regarding the proposed development at Upper Harbor is scheduled for Nov. 20 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in at NorthPoint Health & Wellness.

LEED officials discussed certifications for projects that achieve energy and environmental “green building” goals. The LEED organization offers bronze, silver, gold, or platinum, certifications based on the levels of environmental and energy efficiencies in the design and materials installed for the project. Through lots of engineering, research, analysis, testing, and more postinstallation analysis, products are more available and suitable for both new construction and remodeling projects. LEED reviews projects and offers the appropriate certifications.

The Minneapolis Public Works Department presented information regarding the roads that enter the sites.

Dowling Avenue North, Washington Avenue North, and the Interstate 94 exit, all converge at nearly the same.

The test will be how will all of this traffic be managed?

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), is currently reviewing this section of interstate as it splits into Highway 252 and Interstate 694. Will the Dowling Avenue exit need to accommodate three lanes of exiting traffic, from both north and south, for purposes of staging traffic for large scale public events? Will the Dowling Avenue bridge need to be rebuilt to accommodate more traffic? What will it look like?

Will it look like the signature bridges at Lowry Avenue, or at Hennepin Avenue downtown as they cross the Mississippi River? Will it have lighting?

Will Washington Avenue need to be rebuilt or widened? Lots of questions seeking answers for this project. More information should be forthcoming as the project evolves.

MWMO officials discussed both surface water runoff and sub-grade water movement, that may impact

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PAGE 6

this site. Their office seeks to manage water before it flows into the river. Will there be day-lighted ponds or streams as a water flow management methodology? As this site evolves into its preliminary design, MWMO will begin reviewing their design and site management process to align with the new overall sit plan.

As with previous Learning Table meetings, there were general comments following the presentations such as how to justify the sale of this land to a private for-profit developer, or will there be a connection to the future LRT. Will there be sound walls or any other type of sound abatement? How large will the music venue be?

The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 20 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in rooms 5203 and 5205 at NorthPoint.

The races may have been somewhat under the radar, but the results were monumental.

This past Tuesday (Nov. 5) voters in the metro helped make history in the most unlikely of places – Falcon Heights, Minnetonka and St. Louis Park – and a first-time candidate in St. Paul was elected to the city’s school board. Falcon Heights elected Yakasah Weyhee to the city’s three-person council, where he will join Melanie Leehy making

two of the three members Black for the first time in the city’s history. In Minnetonka, Kissy Coakley was elected Ward 4 council member and once sworn in will be the only Black person serving on the council.

In St. Louis Park, Nadia Mohamed was elected to an atlarge seat on the city’s council making her the only person of color and first Muslim to serve.

In St. Paul, community activist Chauntyll Allen was elected to the city’s public school board.

Prior to July 6, 2016 Falcon Heights, a suburb in between Minneapolis and St. Paul, was devoid of color on its city council. That was before Philando Castile.

Castile was the Black motorist killed in a traffic stop for a supposed broken taillight

by St. Anthony officer Jeronimo Yanez. Falcon Heights – where the killing took place – a city of more than 5,000 residents, contracted out to neighboring St. Anthony for police patrol.

Following the killing of Castile, Falcon Heights’ council and its residents acknowledged its faults with lack of diversity and representation and elected Leehy to the council – her third time running – and now,

ELECTION 5

Family to launch three businesses on the same day James Holmes, Jr., who has spent more than 34 years in the car industry, is switching gears to open up a new venture, Black Lion Auto Finance, with his wife, attorney, Kimberly Slay Holmes.

At a Friday (Nov.15) launch party at The Reserve at Arbor Lakes, 11650 Arbor Lakes Pkwy. N., Maple Grove, from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. Holmes will introduce the public to Black Lion, and two other family members will launch their culinary businesses – Rude Boi LLC and GP’s Delicious BBQ. Black Lion, an auto sales and brokerage company, seeks to guide and educate the underserved by making car buying and financial literacy more accessible. As an auto industry insider for most of his life, Holmes said he thoroughly understands not only the car business but also the disparities that exist when minorities attempt to buy a car or arrange financing.

“I have faith that I can actuate some level of change,” Holmes said.

“After 34 years on the inside witnessing people of color on a constant and systematic basis paying higher prices, rates and fees, I’ve decided to take the initiative to do what I can as an entrepreneur to improve things a little at a time.”

Black Lion, a fully African-American owned and operated car dealership in Minnesota, reached out to Gene Perry of GP Barbecue and Michael Holmes of Rude Boi collaborate on a joint grand opening.

Perry, who owns and operates GP’s Delicious BBQ, said quality is his number one priority and is the factor that sets his food apart.

“Everything is fresh and from scratch,” Perry said. “There are no processed products. This is not fast food. Our BBQ is natural wood smoked low and slow.”

Rude Boi, which operates primarily in

Gene Perry

Kimberly and James Holmes

Michael Holmes of Rude Bio Red Wing, but caters to surrounding areas, specializes in a more international flavor.

“I would describe my cooking as my take on Caribbean BBQ soul,” owner Michael Holmes said. “It is a representation of me and what I’m about.”

The three entrepreneurs, who are all relatives, want to offer another option to people in their respective fields and hope this launch party propels their businesses in the right direction.

AS

‘Capri Glee!’ comes to Patrick Henry

PAGE 7

Page 4 • November 11, 2019 - November 17, 2019 • Insight News

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Freedom fight is intergenerational

By Al McFarlane Editor Al McFarlane: I’ve often said that, too often, when people see an energized, activated, motivated individual, they act as though that person popped out of the sky, and there’s nothing but that person’s energy. But that’s not true. It’s important that we broaden the conversation to see our history and what we do to create social change in the context of generations.

In that light, I asked Al Flowers to invite his mom, his sister, his son and his niece to discuss the intergenerational implications of our movement towards freedom.

Al Flowers is a freedom fighter.

I call him the Field Marshall for the Movement in Minnesota.

His mom, the Rev. Mary Flowers Spratt, is a community leader as well.

Al Flowers: It’s a great honor to introduce my

mom. People don’t know how I was as a little child growing up.

I had to be one of the baddest kids in the world coming up. I was out there. I’m talking about seven, eight, nine years old. I gave my mom the blues. I didn’t know it then, but I did so many things and still she stuck with me. I got sent down to Arkansas a few times, but that didn’t ever last past Christmas. She always brought me back home and with my big sister, Sharon.

My mom worked and she raised us. There were seven of us. One, my little brother, died when he was 11 months old. She raised us in the Robert Taylor Projects in Chicago. She moved up and took us to different places. Every time we moved, we moved up. We thought we’d moved up in life, all the way to moving to Minnesota. So my mom is the one. Everything I do now, I have to give her credit. She’s been a builder of churches in Minnesota. She’s built several churches. She’s

Kelvin Kuria

(Left to right) James Badue-El, The Rev. Mary Flowers Spratt, Al Flowers, Leticia Townsend, and Al McFarlane during a recent “Front Room Sessions” at the Marcus Garvey House. been a great pastor. She’s been the activist of the family way before I started. and I’m just glad to be sitting here with this opportunity to do this interview.

Al McFarlane: Reverend Spratt, thank you so much for being here and thank you for being the leader and the mom that you are to

this great family. I just want to ask you to speak what’s on your mind as you think about being here with your family and with me in this community,

reflecting on what it means to be part of the movement. What thoughts are on your mind?

Mary Flowers Spratt: Thank you for inviting me. What it means to me is that I’m 83 years old and able look back and see what’s going on now. Our young people are taking the baton, moving in a way that I am just so excited to see.

I’m not worried because just to watch the Movement with our young people is encouraging and exciting.

I know Al appreciates his upbringing, but I appreciate him more than he thinks. I was separated from their father. I was 24 years old when I separated from my first husband, their father, and Al was the baby, the youngest when I moved to Chicago from St. Louis. When he was seven years old, he was already the man of the family

INTERVIEW 6

White supremacy has led us to this Commentary by Pamela Mercado Michelli “In order to understand white supremacy, we must dismiss the fallacious notion that white people can give anybody their freedom.” – Kwame Ture (formerly Stokley Carmichael) Have you ever been convicted of a felony?

This question is asked when applying for public assistance, student aid and in some states, even while registering to vote. A daunting question that limits and controls access to needed resources and services to communities of color who have historically been oppressed and intentionally placed in circumstances where they now are obligated to circle, “Yes.” The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the

Black Vote From 3

world, making up five percent of the entire world’s population.

African-Americans account for 40.2 percent of United States’ prison population. It does not require a doctorate degree in statistics to be able to acknowledge the significance of these disparities. If your likelihood of being incarcerated is 1 in 3 as an African-American male, you are essentially being positioned to fail. Positioned, unfortunately by systems born of ideologies that created and sustained white supremacy and systematic racism.

We cannot engage in collective conversations about effectively reducing crime rates and increasing inclusivity without addressing the trauma and injustices that communities of color have faced; pioneered by white supremacy. African-Americans have been systematically treated

of state, Hillary Clinton. As Sanders’ national co-chair, Turner’s job is to help in turning out every vote, which means also spreading their message that Sanders is the best candidate to

and portrayed as criminals for centuries. Less than 200 years

ago slavery was “abolished.”

Yet, alternative manifestations of white supremacy continued to present themselves through wrongful criminalization and villainization towards people of color including erasure of their stories as human beings; in essence, continuing to treat them as slaves, using the 13th Amendment as punishment for a crime.

How can we expect the same outcomes and behaviors from individuals who have been historically pried from basic human rights? Politicians have been ambivalent attempting to create real change. Mandatory sentencing guidelines have placed exorbitant power on prosecutors who are seen to be primarily concentrated among one demographic group; white. Excessive authority used to continue marginalizing and criminalizing African-

Americans is extremely damaging to our society.

Children continue to live in a vicious cycle stemmed by racism and the continuous negative portrayal of their community in the media.

Currently, in our nation there are thousands of African-Americans facing the consequences of these policies, including life without parole. Life without any possibility or opportunity for growth and positively contributing to their families and communities. Thousands of prisons monetize from this prohibition of hope. By refusing livable conditions, opportunity and recovery, those condemned are destined to continue serving the industry upheld by white supremacy. If we genuinely want to create change and see communities of color succeed, we need to continue eliminating barriers such as limited access

to education, housing and professional development.

This type of systematic change requires active involvement of individuals who have experienced these barriers firsthand, and who subsequently, identify as people of color. In order to adequately address crime in the United States we must begin to strive to ensure that communities of color have a significant place at the table … the table where policies and laws have been created and continue to be introduced without the dismantling of the continued existence of white supremacy and privilege.

Pamela Mercado Michelli, born and raised in the island of Puerto Rico, is a graduate student at Metropolitan State University pursuing her Master’s in Advocacy & Political Leadership.

represent the interests of Black voters. Right now, former vice president Joe Biden is polling best among likely Black voters – due largely to older voters.

Turner said that has to do less about policy, and more about

proximity.

“Let’s face it, a lot of older African-American voters are weighing the former vice president in proximity to the nation’s first Black president (Barack Obama),” said Turner

in an exclusive one-on-one interview with Insight News prior to Sanders’ Nov. 3 rally at Williams Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota.

“What I would challenge older Black voters to do is not look at the proximity to the first Black president and look at one’s vision in this particular moment to lift all people; and I would surmise that when you have someone talking about cancelling all student debt … something African-American, particularly African-American women who are weighed down by that debt … that is something older African-Americans should pay attention to and say, ‘Yes, Sen. Bernie Sanders is the right person for me, and also for my children and grandchildren.”

Turner said Sanders’ call for healthcare as a right for all Americans should also speak directly to the Black voter.

“When you look at health disparities of AfricanAmerican women, we still die at higher rates than white women in this country – even in the 21st century – during childbirth.

Our Black babies die at higher rates,” said Turner. “So, when you have somebody saying we need universal healthcare in this country, that is speaking to the needs of African-American people.”

Turner also addressed Sanders’ stance on reparations for descendants of slaves, saying the senator is in favor of a House bill championed by the late Rep. John Conyers and sponsored by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) that establishes the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for AfricanAmericans. The bill, introduced the first day of session this year, has yet to be brought to the full House for a vote and received its first subcommittee hearing June 19 – a date symbolic to AfricanAmericans, as it is said to be the date in 1865 when the last slaves in Galveston, Texas were notified of their freedom.

Sanders’ national campaign co-chair said the candidate’s stances on the issue of marijuana reform should also resonate with Black voters.

Turner said Sanders is calling for federal legalization of marijuana and the expungement of records for nonviolent marijuana convictions.

“We’re not just going to wait on the passage of HR40 (the bill on reparations), we’re working on so many other things. And it goes without saying, this country owes a great debt to slaves and their descendants. America would not be the America that it is today without the fruits of free labor of our ancestors who were brought to this country in shackles and chains,” said Turner.

In the interview Turner called Trump the “worst president in American history” calling him racist, xenophobic, homophobic and misogynistic – claims that the candidate also made during his more than hourlong speech inside Williams. She said that’s why it is important for voters – Blacks in particular – to pay close attention when choosing who will go up against Trump in 2020.

“Sen. Sanders was asked about a month ago in Atlanta, ‘What are you going to do about white supremacy’ and (Sanders) said, ‘We’re going to war against white supremacy … we’re going to war against white supremacy in America,” said Turner.

Turner also pointed to Sanders’ staff and commitment to buy advertising with Black media as evidence of the Vermont senator’s devotion to the needs of the AfricanAmerican community. Sanders’ deputy campaign director, Renee Spellman, is Black, as is his national press secretary, Briahna Joy Gray. This past June Sanders spoke at the National Newspapers Publishers Association (Black Press) annual convention. He was the only presidential candidate to do so.

Sanders’ efforts to attract Black voters will most likely come into play Feb. 29 when the South Carolina primary takes place. The preceding primaries – Iowa and New Hampshire – have Black populations of 3.42 percent and 1.4 respectively.

Pamela Mercado Michelli

INSIGHT NEWS www.insightnews.com

Insight News is published weekly, every Monday by McFarlane Media Interests.

Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Managing Editor Harry Colbert, Jr. Culture and Education Editor Dr. Irma McClaurin Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Content & Production Coordinator Sunny Thongthi Yang Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Intern Kelvin Kuria

Contributing Writers Maya Beecham Nadvia Davis Fred Easter Abeni Hill Timothy Houston Michelle Mitchum Inell Rosario Latisha Townsend Artika Tyner Toki Wright Photography David Bradley V. Rivera Garcia Uchechukwu Iroegbu Rebecca Rabb Artist Donald Walker Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis,

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Insight News • November 11, 2019 - November 17, 2019 • Page 5

Election From 3 with the election of Weyhee the municipality’s governing body will have majority minority representation.

“I want to once again say thank you to all of my friends, family, and supporters for all your prayers and support.

You have truly spoiled me with love throughout this journey, especially in the last couple days,” wrote Weyhee in a Facebook post. “Congratulations to all of my fellow candidates across the state and country, and to everyone who exercised their right to vote this Tuesday.

You are the reason why our democracy works.”

Coakley will provide a voice of diversity in Minnetonka when she is sworn in as Ward 4 councilwoman.

“I want to thank Minnetonka 4th Ward residents for trusting me as the city council elect,” wrote Coakley to her supporters in a Facebook post. “I look forward to representing my community by listening, learning, building more relationships and inviting more people to the table. I look forward to working with all of you the next four years.”

Mohamed will join a growing list of SomaliAmericans to serve in Minnesota government. Elected as an atlarge candidate, Mohamed will become St. Louis Park’s first Muslim council person when she assumes office.

“St. Louis Park, it is both an honor and a privilege to serve you. You took the time and resources to welcome a 10year girl and her family into your community and now I am your council member,” wrote Mohamed on her campaign Facebook page. “This is only the beginning, there is more to come. I look forward to being your voice and I hope to make you proud.”

Seeking to make change from within, activist Allen successfully ran for a seat on the St. Paul Public School Board and was able to

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capture more than 19,000 votes, becoming one of four elected to serve the students and parents of the state’s second largest city.

Allen, who was a lead organizer in protests of the killings of Jamar Clark (by Minneapolis police) and Castile, said her victory is not hers alone.

“This is a community win,” said Allen to a room of supporters at Heritage Tea House in St. Paul. “I’m proud of this for my community, I’m proud of this for these kids and I’m so excited to get in this position and I’m going to start out swinging.”

CORRECTION on the last week’s issue In the Nov. 4 edition of Insight News we misspelled the name of the featured American Legion post. The proper spelling is Johnnie Baker Post 291. We apologize for the error.

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Page 6 • November 11, 2019 - November 17, 2019 • Insight News

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Understanding lung cancer’s causes and treatments Courtesy of University of Minnesota News November is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, lung cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosis and is the leading cause of cancer mortality in Minnesota. It also kills more than twice as many men as prostate cancer and more than twice as many women as breast cancer in the state.

Dr. Abbie Begnaud with the University of Minnesota answers questions on the symptoms, risk factors and treatment for lung cancer.

Q: What is lung cancer?

Begnaud: Lung cancer is an overgrowth of mutated cells.

These are normal types of cells

Interview From 4 and tried to make sure that we were provided for. I had to work three jobs in order to make one income because jobs were not that plentiful to women during that time.

We lived on the 16th floor in the Robert Taylor projects, and he would sweep 16 floors of stairs just to make some money to help us with the meals and that kind of thing.

So he doesn’t talk about that in his story, but that means so much to me that he had been taking care of me and his sisters since he was seven years old. He was able to do that.

He got in with some kids in the building, like some of our kids are doing today.

But I thank God that I never had to visit a prison with any of my children. I have six living children and I think that’s an accomplishment. He got into little scrapes and that kind of thing, but I think being in church as much as we were, he knew when to stop and the red flag went up. So I just want to let him know that he was the strength

Dr. Abbie Begnaud found in the lung that start to grow out of control and form one or more tumors or masses.

Q: Who is at risk of developing lung cancer?

Begnaud: Anyone can get lung cancer. Long-term exposure to environmental agents like of our family. He thinks I was the strength. But he was my strength and I appreciate him.

Al McFarlane: This is about continuity. This is about legacy.

This is about heritage, and this is about fulfilling the destiny of our people. None of us comes here alone. We are standing on the shoulders those who came before us and all of us are part of a river that has no end and no beginning.

So Reverend, you were born in New Orleans. But give me a sense of the world as it existed when you were, like, five, 10 years old. How did the whole world look to you? What was your understanding of what was happening around you and around the planet?

Mary Flowers Spratt: I was the oldest of 22 children. 16 of us survived. So I was the oldest of my mother and father’s children.

And I’ve been takingAl McFarlane: 22 kids from one set of parents?

Mary Flowers Spratt: one set of parents, and us survived. I was in the with 10 of them before

From 16 of house I got

cigarette smoke, smog or radon can put people at higher risk.

Examples of substances found at some workplaces that increase risk include asbestos, arsenic, diesel exhaust, and some forms of silica and chromium. For many of these substances, the risk of getting lung cancer is even higher for those who smoke cigarettes. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that you can’t smell, see or taste. It is common, especially here in Minnesota and can enter your home through the soil and remain trapped inside the home. The average radon level in Minnesota is more than three times higher than the average U.S. radon level.

The only way to know if this is happening is to test your home with kits available commercially or through the Minnesota Department of Health. People who have an immediate family member who has lung cancer

are also at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.

married. My parents were sharecroppers and we had to work in the cotton fields. From the time I was five years old I had to chop cotton, and then in the Fall, I had to pick cotton. I hated it, but it’s what I had to do.

My father was the strength of our family. He worked from sun up to sun down. My mother was the disciplinarian. She was very, very spiritual and we had to go to church. We worked all week but we had to go to church and we stayed in church all day on Sunday. We had mules and wagons back during that time, and we would all get in that wagon and go to church on Sunday, no matter what happened.

My dad was the workaholic person and my mother made sure that we went to school. We could only go when it rained. I was the first one to graduate from Moton High School in Marianna, Arkansas, but they set the example for us to follow.

Then I instilled that in my children. There’s no book on raising a parent, especially if you’re a single parent. But the same things that I did for

them, they instilled in their children. My grandchildren are doing the same thing.

My parents had three goals: work, education, and church. They instilled those values in us. I just would like to say that single parents can do it. You can set precedents for your children for generations to come.

Q: What are the symptoms of lung cancer?

Begnaud: Initially, there are none. Lung cancer can develop and grow in the lungs for some time before symptoms occur. By the time most people with lung cancer have any symptoms, the disease is usually advanced.

People with lung cancer might experience cough, chest discomfort, difficulty breathing or weight loss. Because there are no symptoms of early lung cancer, people who have been cigarette smokers for years might be eligible to get screened for lung cancer. Lung cancer screening is a low-dose CT (or “CAT”) scan to look at the lung tissue. The test takes just a few minutes and requires no fasting, no prep and no IV.

Al McFarlane: Parenting is possible. Even if you’re alone, you can still parent effectively.

Mary Flowers Spratt: Yes, you can still parent. I had two parents growing up, but there came a time where I had to be the mother and father to my children, and I think I did a pretty good job.

Al McFarlane: What about the question of being in the Jim Crow south? What was the interaction between Black people and white people when you were a child and as you grew up? Reflect on how we interacted among each other.

What was life like on our side of the tracks, in our community?

How did we get along or not get along?

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Q: What are the treatment options for lung cancer?

Begnaud: Broadly, treatment includes surgery to remove the cancer, radiation treatment and chemotherapy. The best chance for cure is with surgical removal, if possible. Recent advances in lung cancer treatment have revolutionized the field. Some lung cancers will have “targets” for treatment, mutations that contributed to the cancer and can be directly blocked to shrink or destroy the cancer. These newer targeted therapies are easier to take and more effective than traditional chemotherapy.

In addition, immunotherapy – a new class of treatment with drugs approved since 2015 – allows the body’s immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells. We have promising treatments for lung cancer today more than we ever have.

Mary Flowers Spratt: Well, when I grew up, we had to attend an all African-American school. I didn’t know anything else but going to school with African-American children. To me, we were united back then in our church and families. I remember if my parents decided to go to uptown, our neighbor sat across from us on the other side of the road, and watched us all day. If we did anything wrong, we knew that we were going to be in trouble when our parents got home. So that’s the scenario that we were raised in.

Everybody was a part of helping us grow up.

Al McFarlane: So as the civil rights movement was unfolding and people were deciding as a community, as a culture, to move towards expressing our political rights, what part of that did you see?

Mary Flowers Spratt: When I graduated in 1955, the first thing that was news in Marianna was the killing of Emmett Till.

That was the saddest thing for us. I remember my mother was working for a white family and she got sick so I had to go and fill in for her. The white family had the radio on the Emmett Till hearing. And when I walked into the room they turned it up as loud as they could so I could hear it.

So we were part of that.

And in 1957 it was the Little Rock Nine. We were part of protest marches in our town to make sure that they got justice and they could go to school. That was the beginning of desegregation in our town, and of interacting with the other school in Lee County.

Now, after I graduated, they changed things to where we could go to school with the white kids. But I just want to share a little bit with you. When I grew up with some white kids in Arkansas. Until we were 12 years old, I could call my friend by her first name.

But as soon as she turned 12, then I had to call her Miss Ann. I didn’t do that. I’m Al Flowers’ mother so I did not do that.

Then when I moved away from Arkansas and I went back, I went to a store and one of the ladies tried every way she knew how to make me say, “Yes, ma’ am. ” Al McFarlane: Couldn’t do it?

Mary Flowers Spratt: No, I would not. I refused to. So I think that’s part of the Movement for the Smith family and the Flowers family is because I refused.

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Al McFarlane: So the Flowers family tradition is about selfreliance, resilience, resistance, and fighting for freedom, right?

Al Flowers: We don’t go crying.

If you listened to her talking just now, she didn’t cry about it, but she had to go to that cotton field.

My mom sent me down south when I was doing stuff that was just ridiculous. I look at my son and my nephews and grandkids now. When I look at them and the stuff they do, that’s why it’s hard to give up, because they ain’t doing half of what I did.

We didn’t know that we were poor. We had some of our best times. If you ask any of my sisters we’ll be talking about Robert Taylor projects.

We’ll talk about 1003 West 78th Street. We’ll talk about 1443 Tripp, 1521 Abrams, which my mom might not have thought was the best place…

Mary Flowers wasn’t.

Spratt:

It

Q: What are you doing to advance lung cancer research?

Begnaud: My work focuses on improving access to lung cancer screening, which is a relatively new preventive care service.

We estimate that only 5 percent of people who are eligible for lung cancer screening have been screened. In addition, lung cancer is a disease that disproportionately affects some groups in Minnesota such as African-Americans and NativeAmericans. I am studying how we can improve the disproportionate impact of lung cancer on these groups of people.

Dr. Abbie Begnaud is an assistant professor in the University of Minnesota Medical School on the Twin Cities campus and a Masonic Cancer Center member. She studies lung cancer early diagnosis and disparities in lung cancer outcomes.

Al Flowers: ... and 41st and Washington. She’ll say it wasn’t the best place but we say that was the best time of our life. So as we look back at all that racism, she didn’t ever let us feel that. Therefore, we never became a racist people. Now I’m madder that when we were young because of what they did to us using institutions supported by our tax dollars, telling us that George Washington cut down the cherry tree, and that he never told a lie.

The books we had to read were lies. We had to grow up with the thought this was the real world.

But my mom made us have common sense and she gave us a sense of our humanity and dignity.

She instilled in us the power to keep fighting even when it gets hard. Sometimes I fought the wrong way. I was just fighting.

Al McFarlane: Al, when you ran for mayor, there were people that said, “How can he be so bold and audacious to run for mayor of Minneapolis?”

And what would come up was what are your educational credentials? What right do you have? What qualifies you? And the response that I heard you give, I thought, was absolutely brilliant.

Al Flowers: Yeah. It was about Kurt Daudt. Like me, Daudt is a high school graduate. He won election to Minnesota Legislature and became Minority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives and prior to that, Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. If you don’t question his right to run and serve, don’t question my right to run and serve.

My mom taught me to tell the truth. Spike Moss gave me the same advice.The first time I ran for mayor in 2009, I was running about the empowerment zones, things like that. But Tom Hauser the news reporter from Channel 5, interviewed me and said, “Well, Al, you ain’t got that much money.” I think had about $3 and something in my account. He was saying, “What else you got?” I said, “Well, I got that $3. But the main thing I have is truth and telling the truth to the people and that’s worth more than any money. It might not get me far politically, but if I keep telling our community the truth, just saying it over and over again, we will get it despite their efforts to divide us.” So we have to just fight with the truth and that’s how we win it’ We’re going to win.

Al McFarlane: Leticia Townsend, as you hear your uncle and your grandma talk, what thoughts come to mind?

Leticia Townsend: I reflect on the generations in my family and it makes me want to be better all the time. People talk about young people feeling hopeless and feeling there are so many limits to what we can do.

But I come from something. I think about my older relatives and I feel inspired. I would insulting all that you’ve done and all that you’ve instilled in us to not do something important.

So the freedom fighter legacy is big for me. I think about them being my age and probably going through a lot of the things I’m going through, even though it looks a little different now.

I’m sure we’ve all dealt with the same internal struggles. So that keeps me going every day, to realize I have a family who has expectations of each generation.

I think that’s important in every family.

insightnews.com

Insight News • November 11, 2019 - November 17, 2019 • Page 7

‘Capri Glee!’ comes to

Make your holiday twice as nice 612.377.2224 / guthrietheater.org

Patrick Henry WHAT A MIGHTY GOD Feel your spirit soar with gospel and spirituals J.D. Steele directs the Capri Glee.

The “Capri Glee!” Adult Community Choir, under the direction of J.D. Steele, performs along with guest choirs, The Mill City Singers and MacPhail Community Youth Choir, tentatively set at Patrick Henry High School.

The “Capri Glee!” choir is a multicultural collaboration that brings people together to sing, share ideas and community perspectives. The concert will include gospel tunes, classics from the ‘60s and ‘70s, and some current songs. The choir will be accompanied by a live band led by Fred Steele.

Audience members will also be invited to bring their voices to the music with sing-alongs throughout the concert.

The event takes place 7 p.m. Nov. 19. The concert is tentatively scheduled to be held at Patrick Henry High School, 4320 Newton Ave. N., in Minneapolis. Please check the Capri’s website, www.thecapritheater.org, for location confirmation and more information. The concert is free and open to the public.

A tenderhearted favorite

Steel Magnolias Now – Dec 15

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by ROBERT HARLING directed by LISA ROTHE

Dr. André Thomas, conductor

A Christmas Carol Nov 12 – Dec c 29 by CHARLES DICKENS adapted by CRISPIN WHITTELL directed by LAUREN KEATING

SUN, NOV 17, 4-6 PM St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Mahtomedi All Ages Welcome | Tickets: $10-$40 vocalessence.org | 612-371-5656

A Better Banking Experience.

612-455-1100 Five Twin Cities locations to serve you or visit us online at nabankco.com

Page 8 • November 11, 2019 - November 17, 2019 • Insight News

insightnews.com

WAYS TO EXPLORE AFRICAN AMERICAN

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SEE MORE PRINCE NCE

In the photography y exhi exhibit Prince: s Before the Rain, you can see iconic images of the artist taken by Allen Beaulieu in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Prince’s story continues in the First Avenue exhibit, where you can see his Purple Rain suit. Both exhibits now on view, Minnesota History Center, St. Paul.

First Avenue presenting sponsor Baird.

Prince sponsor Xcel Energy.

We’re here for you.

COME TO FAMILY DAY Explore th the hi history t of St. Anthony Falls with a day of family-friendly activities during My Mighty Journey: A Waterfall’s Story Family Day, Nov 9, Mill City Museum, Minneapolis.

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Hear Dr. Christopher Lehman talk very’s about his new book, Slavery’s Reach, which traces the money between Southern plantations and Minnesota’s businesses. Slavery’s Reach Author Event, Nov 17, North Regional Library, Minneapolis.

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