PHOTO: MAJOR TAYLOR BICYCLING CLUB OF MINNESOTA
INSIGHT NEWS July 5 - July 11, 2010 • MN Metro Vol. 36 No. 30 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com
“Greening the Ghetto” By Maya Beecham Contributing Writer From the Hunts Point Community of South Bronx to Plymouth Avenue in North Minneapolis, Majora Carter, environmental justice advocate and urban development activist, presented the urgent message of “Greening the Ghetto” to community stakeholders spanning urban areas of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area to their counterparts representing greater Minnesota, at a forum on environmental justice and the role of communities of color in sustainable practices and enterprises. She presented her vision to an engaged audience at UROC, the University of Minnesota Urban Research and Outreach Engagement Center, on Friday, June 21. She was joined by candidate for governor Matt Entenza and his running mate Robyne Robinson. Carter emphasized the potential Minnesota has in embarking on the green economy movement. She said, “of all the states in the Union, Minnesota has some of the greatest potential to be a major player in the clean energy economy-especially in its urban areas. Its great diversity of people and perspectives has fostered the kind of creative environment in which policy
and economic innovation flourish. When I see areas such as North Minneapolis I see so much possibility. Greening this community would create good-paying jobs and make a cleaner, healthier place to live for everyone.” Carter referenced the dire statistics of the United States of America being ranked as 5% of the world’s population, yet responsible for 25% of greenhouse gases. She said, “what a lot of folks don’t know is that we also produce 25% of the world’s incarcerated…… [Green jobs] provide real jobs with dignity…Environmental services that any municipality can actually put a price tag on, sometimes a big one. You know I don’t know if there are very few counties, cities, whatever, around this country that aren’t dealing with aging sewage treatment systems and storm water management systems. “Imagine if we put the type of people to work that are also costing our cities money; people who are going through that revolving door of our so called correction system. Think about training people to do this work, to do the environmental services that we need to get done, so that we can provide access into a legitimate economy as opposed to people finding work within the illegitimate one. Let’s make it easier for people to get out of
Matt Entenza, Majora Carter and Robyne Robinson that revolving door of justice and be real active contributors to people and to our own communities, and help stabilize families that are here as well.” Greenery, or lack there of, was a common denominator in a study from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Carter referenced. She said, “just the act of being close to, or working with, greenery
is something that has such powerful social benefits. One of the Caprini Green studies that really moved me helped me think about this green stuff as a real course for change in this world was that study. It was a study where they looked at two different parts of the housing project. One that looked at people who had no access to any kind of greenery and the
other part was people in the same projects who had access to see some greenery, such as street tree outside their window or in their courtyard. They discovered that the people who had access to greenery literally had, for the adults, lower stress and depression rates; kids’ test scores were higher in school; and there was less crime in those areas because people came
Suluki Fardan
outside more so that means there was more community pride. And this was one of my favorite ones….. they discovered that girls’ self esteem was higher. How did they figure that out? Because they looked at teenage pregnancy rates and discovered that girls who felt they had something to look forward to
CARTER TURN TO 9
Melvin Carter participates in political study program
Suluki Fardan
Healthy changes in store for Rondo Avenue Festival “Imagine a community where a riot of warm colors, feelings and sounds with sight would make one from the rural portions of the South feel at home, or a person from Harlem or State Street feel at ease. Then call it Rondo.” That’s how Roy Wilkens, who
grew up in the Rondo community, and later rose to prominence as head of the NAACP described his beloved neighborhood in 1927. And while the name of the community has changed, the
RONDO TURN TO 7
Honoring our legacies By Marian Wright Edelman All of us have a responsibility to honor the leaders who came before us and paved our way. We have a special obligation to preserve the homes and other physical places that serve as a tangible connection between history and the next generation. Thousands of people who never had the privilege of meeting
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in person visit Atlanta every year to walk along Auburn Avenue, step inside the Heritage Sanctuary at Ebenezer Baptist Church, and tour the house at 501 Auburn where Dr. King was born. When they do, for a little while they have the chance to feel as if they were walking in Dr. King’s footsteps. There are many
LEGACY TURN TO 2
Zulu District
Preparing youth for leadership
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Elliot Stewart-Franzen
Ward 1 City Councilmember Melvin Carter
T. Williams: Helping ensure positive school reforms
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WASHINGTON, June 29, 2010 – St. Paul Ward 1 City Councilmember Melvin Carter III has been selected by The American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) as a delegate to Algeria for a 7-day political exchange program beginning on July 9, 2010. He will join six other young political and policy leaders from across the United States to study Algeria’s political system, engage in dialogue on international issues, and forge professional relationships and friendships. The program is arranged by ACYPL and made possible by a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State. “ACYPL has the unique mission of proving select young leaders with an opportunity to travel internationally and engage firsthand in public diplomacy,” said ACYPL Chief Executive Officer Linda Rotunno. “Our delegates have access to key leaders in the nations they visit. They engage in dialogue on sensitive issues, gain a unique perspective on the country’s politics and its relations with the US, and, most importantly, forge professional relationships and friendships that can last a lifetime.” Carter will join other delegates, each between the age of 25 and 40, in Washington, DC for briefings by the United States Department of State and other Algerian regional experts
Motivation: Capitalize on strengths and good humor
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before flying to Algiers. The program will provide the delegates opportunities to travel within the country and to interact with key national and local leaders, business representatives, and civic and community groups. “I am honored to have been selected to participate in this ACYPL exchange to Algeria,” said Carter “This will be an excellent opportunity for me to learn about the current political and social dynamics there and help the Algerian people better understand the United States.” Recognized by the U.S. Congress as a pre-eminent catalyst for introducing rising political leaders and policy makers to international affairs and to each other, ACYPL is a bi-partisan, not-for-profit international exchange organization based in Washington, DC. Since its founding in 1966, ACYPL has, with generous support from the U.S. Department of State, corporations, foundations and individuals, conducted programs and exchanges with 100 countries, producing a global network of over 7,500 alumni. Former ACYPL participants include over 40 sitting members of the U.S. Congress, 6 sitting U.S. governors and ambassadors, cabinet ministers and parliamentarians around the globe. For more information on ACYPL, please visit http:// www.acypl.org.
Mr. T’s Sports Report
Some debate over the Timberwolves 2010 draft
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