Insight News ::: 8.5.13

Fruitvale Station stirs emotions MORE ON PAGE 5

August 5 - August 11, 2013

Vol. 40 No. 32 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Union workers file federal civil rights charges against Cretex Video tapes

capture cops using racial, gender slurs

Fifteen members of Laborers Local 563 filed Federal civil rights charges with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) against Cretex for its treatment of Latino workers.

Members of Local 563 who work at Cretex’ Shakopee concrete plant have been on the picket lines since June 19 when they went on strike to protest company plans to slash retirement benefits. The group filing the class-wide civil rights charges with the EEOC includes both immigrants from Mexico and U.S.-born Latinos. All 15 employees say that they have been subjected to ongoing harassment, intimidation, and unequal treatment including being insulted by supervisors and coworkers who are reported to have said, “Mexicans have no brains” and “Mexicans are too stupid to use computers.”

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer

UNION TURN TO 12

Local 563 Workers at Cretex file Civil Rights charges against Cretex for the mistreatment of Latinos

Leer Communication

Civil rights leaders meet with President Obama on voting rights

By Freddie Allen NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The Voting Rights Act is down, but not out and civil rights leaders joined President Obama and Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. at the White House last Monday to discuss renewed efforts in the fight against voter discrimination.

In a statement released after the meeting, Al Sharpton, civil rights activist and president of the National Action Network said: “Today the United States President and Attorney General met with a broad coalition of civil rights and voting rights leaders to assure us that they will continue to work with us to protect every American’s right to vote.”

Sharpton continued: “We had a great alarm when the Supreme Court ruled against Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act but after meeting with the President and the Attorney General we were assured that the Voting Rights Act may be wounded but it is not dead. It is not even critically wounded; it can and will be revived.”

NNPA Photo by Freddie Allen

Al Sharpton and other voting rights advocates speak with press after meeting with President Obama Last month, the Supreme Court, struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, effectively neutering what many called the crown jewel of the Civil Rights Movement.

Section 4 required all or parts of 15 states with track records of voter discrimination to get

“preclearance” from the Justice Department or a federal court for any changes they wanted to make to voting laws. Within hours after the Supreme Court ruling in Shelby County v. Holder, a number of state lawmakers from previously covered states announced plans to move

forward with restrictive voting laws that disproportionately affect minorities, the elderly and young voters.

Texas is one of those states.

The Lone Star State has a history of voting discrimination, the latest entry due to redistricting plans that disproportionately

affected minority voters.

During a speech at the National Urban League’s annual convention Attorney General Eric Holder said that, “the State of Texas should be required to go through a preclearance process whenever it changes its voting laws and practices.”

Holder plans to use remaining sections of the law go after states that continue practices that intentionally discriminate against voters.

Barbara Arnwine, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said that uncovering and fighting voter discrimination in the current landscape is a daunting task, but she was encouraged to see how much the Department of Justice is strategizing and positioning itself to be a real force in combating racial discrimination.

Kasim Reed, mayor of Atlanta said that civil rights leaders and voting rights advocates will be doing more education than ever.

“While there are a number of adverse tactics being used to undermine the right to vote,” said Reed. “While there are a number

RIGHTS TURN TO 2

Two Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officers vacationing in Green Bay, Wis. have been suspended for a run-in with a group of AfricanAmericans.

The altercation in itself is not what got the officers in hot water but it was the accusation

by Green Bay police in a detailed report – and partially backed up by multiple dashboard cameras – that the officers apparently used slurs to describe the men they were confronting; including the most harmful word in the English language to describe

POLICE TURN TO 2

Court rules against Minnesota School of Science

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer A last minute rally of parents, students and staff was not enough to keep the Minnesota School of Science in its north Minneapolis home.

A Hennepin County judge ruled that the charter school educating nearly 300 students grades kindergarten through seven must vacate its home of two years; the Cityview building located at 3350 4th St. N. The ruling, effective Wednesday, Aug. 7, has the fate of the charter school in limbo as the school must either quickly find another location or come to an agreement with its current landlord, Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS).

MSP earlier attempted to evict the Minnesota School of Science for violating the lease agreement through nonpayment.

SCIENCE TURN TO 2

Jobs still a key issue 50 years after historic D.C. march

By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief PHILADELPHIA (NNPA) – One of the primary goals of the 1963 March on Washington was finding or creating jobs for Blacks. At a panel discussion during the annual convention of the National Urban League, jobs was mentioned more frequently

than any other topic as leaders discussed the famous march 50 years ago and an upcoming one planned for Saturday, Aug. 24.

Barbara Arnwine, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said employers are increasingly using measures that have nothing to do with job performance that disproportionately limits the

ability of African-Americans to gain employment.

“I need you to make sure that your state has a law that says very clearly that you cannot use the fact that somebody has been arrested as a reason not to employ them,” she told convention delegates. “A mere Lawrence Jenkins

JOBS TURN TO 4

Panelists on the National Urban League’s Redeem the Dream panel were (from left to right) Al Sharpton, Lennox Yearwood, Melanie Campbell, Marc Morial, DeVon Franklin, Barbara Arnwine and Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

Jobs

Business

Full Circle

Youth

Progressive Church creates connections at job fair

Declutter one (electronic) space at a time

In relentless pursuit of the things of God

WE WIN, WE WALK for Educational Excellence

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Progressive Church creates connections at job fair

By Ray Richardson Bringing a job fair to faithbased communities turned out to be a unique, yet successful combination.

And based on the results and feedback, there will likely be more such collaborations to help fight unemployment among African-Americans in the Twin Cities.

An estimated 300 people from diverse communities and ages attended the job and career fair on July 23 at Progressive Baptist Church in St. Paul – a debut event that attracted 24 employers, schools and agencies around the Twin Cities. Several participants landed jobs on the spot or were scheduled for immediate follow-up interviews.

“When we founded Progressive 21 years ago, we founded it with the desire to not just be a traditional Baptist church,” said the Rev. Earl Miller, senior pastor at Progressive. “Our goal was to make a difference in the lives of our people and address major issues. Unemployment and education are major issues in our community, and as a predominantly AfricanAmerican church, we need to be involved in dealing with those concerns.”

Miller said when the idea of a job and career fair at his church was presented to him,

Courtesy of Progressive Community Job and Career Fair, Photographer Ozzie Johnson.

he and his staff was very receptive and “jumped at it.”

The job and career fair was developed by Deborah Watts, a member of Progressive Church and cofounder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation (ETLF).

ETLF, along with members of Progressive, Ramsey County Commissioners Toni Carter and Jim McDonough, community leaders and faithbased organizations, partnered with several agencies to coordinate the job and career fair, including Ramsey County, Twin Cities RISE! and the St. Paul chapter of the NAACP.

Among the employers that participated in the fair were Wells Fargo, Health Partners, Ramsey County, City of St. Paul, Assurant, Minnesota Department of Corrections, HMS Host , Summit Academy OIC, UCare, St. Paul Public Schools and Job Connect.

“Kudos to Progressive Baptist Church for their proactive stance in combating joblessness in our community,” said Carter. “The job fair is a significant step toward building a new community network, activated by people of faith.

We need to help people find their way to, or back to work.”

The response from job seekers and employers has led to discussions of more similar job and career fairs in the future. Jeff Martin, president of the NAACP St. Paul branch, said he welcomes a move to rotate a fair to different churches in Minneapolis and St. Paul, perhaps on a quarterly basis.

“There’s been talk of doing another one in late fall,” said Martin. “There’s nothing wrong with getting more people into church. Sometimes people feel more uncomfortable talking to employers at other venues. In a church, there’s less pressure.

It seems like there should be a common link between the church and business community.”

Making things even more comfortable for job seekers at Progressive was the presence of what Martin called a “triage” to help with appearance or grooming needs. A “dress for success” suite was set up in the church to assist participants who needed to enhance their appearances with clothing items such as dress shirts, ties, blouses, dresses and other accessories.

Sherrie Pugh, a local business owner with a clothing line, discussed with job seekers examples of professional attire that can be worn for work or to an interview. Members of various organizations donated clothing items for participants to wear. Progressive member Lenora Braxton, a licensed cosmetologist and educator, provided hair and makeup services for those in need of such services.

“I felt it was extremely valuable for a church to get involved in helping remove the unemployment gap in our community,” said Shereese Turner, director of recruitment and internships for Twin Cities RISE, a career development agency in Minneapolis and St. Paul. “With Progressive hosting this fair, it definitely impacted their congregation and the community in a

positive way. I look forward to participating and supporting more of these events in the future.”

Statistics indicate that job and career fairs geared toward African-Americans, whether in the church or other venues, are a vital option to battle unemployment concerns.

Based on reports in the Quarterly Economic Pulse, Minnesota Compass and Economic Policy Institute released at the end of 2012, African-Americans represented 25.4 percent of the unemployment rate in Minnesota – compared to a combined 6.6 percent of all other nationalities in the state.

The percentage of unemployed AfricanAmericans in Minnesota at the end of 2012 was higher than Michigan (22.0 percent) and California (20.4 percent).

“It is proof that when we pull our resources together, we can make a difference,” Watts said. “Some job seekers walked out with second interviews, good leads and actual jobs. We are confident in knowing that the answers to most of our problems are not beyond our reach. My hope is that we continue to confront the challenges we face in employment, the achievement gap in education, health disparities, violence in our communities and other issues together.”

Cherryhomes: SWLRT route doesn’t meet standards, values Mayoral Candidate Jackie Cherryhomes is asking the Metropolitan Council to reexamine the route for the Southwest Light Rail transit (SWLRT).

“The current SWLRT alignment has numerous unresolved issues, including cost and neighborhood impacts, and is a plan that does not meet the standards and values we share in Minneapolis,” said Cherryhomes.

The candidate finds many other problems with the project.

According to Cherryhomes, the route runs through urban greenways with very limited transit oriented development opportunities; and it could potentially destroy

Police From 1 African-Americans.

MPD officers Brian Thole and Shawn Powell also spoke disparagingly of the department’s chief, Janeé Harteau, who is openly gay.

The incident, which just recently came to light, took place outside of a Green Bay bar on June 29. According to the 40-page Green Bay Police Department report and various police surveillance videos, Thole and Powell refer to the group of African-Americans they confronted as “n******” and said the men were “doing their little monkey thing.” Powell admitted to striking one of the African-American men and admitted that he was the first to

Rights From 1 of adverse tactics being used to undermine the right to vote, if we do our job we will make sure that people maintain access to the ballot.”

Reed said that he plans to work with mayors across the nation to form partnerships with

Science From 1 Officials with the charter school maintained it lived up it its payment agreement and it was the state that did not make payment.

According to those with the Minnesota School of Science, the school was only required to pay 10 percent of the total lease and the state was to pick up the remaining 90 percent, but the state never made good on its end of the deal.

“We paid our 10 percent,” said Dr. Rosilyn Carroll, Minnesota School of Science board member. “The lease says

highly valued green-space by co-locating freight, light rail and bike trails into a narrow right-of-way.

Cherryhomes has been involved with the SWLRT project for the past five years,

working with neighborhoods affected by the SWLRT to advance alternative routes for the project.

Though her suggested routes were determined to be too costly, Cherryhomes believes that the costs for resolving the light rail’s current issues should make the city reexamine alternative routes.

“Since this project was conceived, the federal framework for the definition of success has shifted,” said Cherryhomes. “Systems are now not judged by their ontime accuracy, but instead on their number of passengers.

The project should be focused in an area of density.” The mayoral candidate believes

that the City Council should withhold municipal consent until all the issues of the neighborhoods are addressed.

Cherryhomes also opposes efforts by the city to take over utility services such as electricity and gas.

“Leadership is focusing time and money on the issues that matter most to residents of Minneapolis,” said Cherryhomes. “The debate over the Municipalization of utilities is an example of politics over logic. Buying the Xcel and CenterPoint infrastructure would cost us billions of dollars.”

Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy currently own the electricity and

natural gas utilities within Minneapolis, and are subject to the regulatory control of the Public Utilities Commission.

The companies’ contracts to serve the city are expected to expire in 2014. The City Council is considering whether to place a ballot initiative before voters asking them whether the City should run its own gas and electric utilities when the contracts expire.

In other Cherryhomes news, former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton has officially endorsed Jackie Cherryhomes for Mayor.

“I’ve been mayor and I know Jackie has the ability and the will to make the toughest decisions and unite

our city,” Sayles Belton told Cherryhomes supporters in a June 5 email sent out to by the campaign.

During her eight years in the city’s top spot, Sayles Belton worked closely with Cherryhomes, who served as Minneapolis City Council president during the same time.

“We fought a lot of battles together,” Cherryhomes said of Sayles Belton. “She’s a remarkable leader and I learned a great deal from her. I am honored to have her endorsement in this race.”

Sayles Belton was elected Council President in 1990 and served as the city’s first African-American mayor from 1994 to 2001.

throw a punch.

According to the Green Bay report, the two Minneapolis officers, who are members of the Minneapolis SWAT unit, repeatedly used the N word and said the Green Bay department was “too n***** friendly.” Thole and Powell were not arrested in the incident, but the Green Bay Police Department contacted the MPD and the two were placed on leave pending a MPD internal investigation.

This incident is not the first sign of trouble for the two.

Powell has already cost MPD $235,000 as a result of a settlement in the 2010 videotaped beating of motorist Derryl Jenkins, and a wrongful death suit is pending stemming from a suspect death in a 2009 stolen vehicle chase. Powell was not disciplined for either incident

and was commended for his actions in the vehicle chase.

Thole was arrested in 2006 for a DWI and was suspended from the department for 10 days. Conversely, he was twice honored as “SWAT Officer of the Month.”

Though Harteau is not speaking about the incident citing the officers’ appeals of their suspensions and data privacy laws, she did issue a statement voicing her displeasure over the officers’ conduct, but she stopped short of fully addressing the racial slurs the pair was heard to have made.

“What I saw and heard on the video posted on several news websites involving these two officers is appalling and goes against everything we stand for,” said Chief Harteau. “The type of behavior exhibited on the public

video significantly damages public trust. Every member of this department and community deserves better. I would also like to extend my apologies to the community and the Green Bay Police Department.”

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak also released a statement condemning Thole and Powell’s behavior.

“I was appalled and disgusted by the behavior of two Minneapolis police officers that I saw on the video from Green Bay,” said Rybak. “The actions, language and behavior I saw in no way reflect the values of a department paid to protect and serve our community. I will await the results of the internal investigation and I am confident that Chief Harteau will take all appropriate action.”

Some in the African-

American community beg to differ with the mayor and feel the officers’ actions in Green Bay are indicative of a department-wide culture of racism, harassment and intimidation.

Zachary King knows firsthand the sometimes heavy-handed tactics of some members of Minneapolis Police Department. King was the victim of a vicious beating by Minneapolis police that landed him in the hospital. The June 2012 beating King received came after he was confronted by an officer in downtown Minneapolis and asked about a “bulge” in his pants. According to King, he notified the officer he has a legal conceal and carry handgun permit and the officer yelled “Gun” and several officers slammed King on the concrete and punched and kicked King.

King was charged with obstruction of legal process, but those charges were eventually dropped and King is suing the department. The 2012 incident was documented in a previous Insight News article.

“Of course they (MSP) have it out for us (African-Americans),” said King. “I experienced it with what I went through, what I’ve seen other Black people go through – innocent people.”

According to King, the only way the culture in the department will change is through greater media attention.

“I think they need to be exposed. That’s the only way things will change,” said King, who said he now suffers migraine headaches, stutters and has anxiety attacks as a result of his beating.

civil rights organizations to assist in voter engagement and education.

Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, said that voters must “be particularly vigilant on proposals in state legislatures when they happen, not when they gain momentum, but when they happen.”

Arnwine said that her group will be looking at all the states and plans to conduct hearings

nationwide to assist Congress in obtaining the data that will be necessary to create a new voting map. “[President Obama] is committed to making sure that the right to vote is secure and strong and that he’s also calling on people to do everything they can to protect their right to vote,” said Arnwine. “Ultimately, it’s about what the citizens will do.”

Arnwine’s group is part of a larger coalition formed to assist

embattled voters around the nation (The Election Protection Website is www.866ourvote.org; telephone, 866/OURVOTE).

Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO of The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, said that young voters have increased their civic engagement, rallying around recent Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action and the Voting Rights Act. “Our young people are

connecting the dots,” said Campbell. “They connect the Stand Your Ground law to the voting rights law, so part of what’s going to happen during the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, you will see young people coming here for training and teach-ins, because they understand that the rights that need protecting all center around the Voting Rights Act.” The commemorative march in Washington will be on Saturday,

Aug. 24.

“The Supreme Court decision has had a catalyzing effect. The Trayvon Martin tragedy combined with the Supreme Court decision [in Shelby v. Holder] really has energized people,” said Morial.

“You’ve got Moral Mondays in North Carolina the Dream Defenders in Florida. The great thing about the Dream Defenders is seeing young people that are engaging and they’re not looking for permission.”

90 percent was to be paid by the state. The state is the one who hasn’t paid. We’ve paid more than $70,000 in just building maintenance (in addition to the 10 percent lease).”

Carroll said if the school is forced to close for good she fears for the success of the current charter school students.

“Minneapolis Public Schools is trying to stop us from having our children succeed – especially children who look like me,” said Carroll, who is African-American.

Eighty-five percent of the students at Minnesota School of Science are African-American. “The children deserve better than what Minneapolis Public Schools is offering.”

Arlene Rush, who has three

children enrolled at Minnesota School of Science said she too fears for her children’s education if they are unable to continue with the charter school.

“I want to keep the school in north Minneapolis and to continue to provide the excellent education my kids are receiving,” said Rush, who has a 2nd grader, 1st grader and kindergartener enrolled with Minnesota School of Science.

“My fear would be taking them into a new environment where they may not have the same advantages. Here teachers have an honest dedication to providing quality education to the children.”

Rush said prior to enrolling her children in Minnesota School of Science one of her sons had a speech impediment and public

school officials suggested he be placed in special education classes, but he has flourished at the charter school.

“They told me he needed to be in special education classes, but that’s clearly not the case,” said Rush. “He’s really engaged in reading and I’m amazed Minnesota School of Science was able to do that.”

Officials with Minneapolis Public Schools said they had little choice but to evict the charter school from its property.

“As MPS stated to the court, it is unfair to expect Minneapolis students and taxpayers to subsidize the operations of a charter school,” said the district in a statement released to Insight News. “No one could reasonably expect to

stay in a building for two years without paying the costs of the building’s operation. Throughout the proceeding, MPS gave MSS (Minnesota School of Science) every chance to stay in the Cityview building, provided they pay for the amount they owe and agree to a fair rent for the coming year.”

Following the ruling, Minnesota School of Science released a statement voicing displeasure with the court decision.

The statement read, “Like the families and students we serve, we are absolutely devastated. In just two years we have transformed the lives of hundreds of north Minneapolis students who, prior to MSS,

had little or no viable options for quality education. It is a sad day when the political agendas of adults trump the fundamental right of a child’s education. For now, we are considering what options might be left to us to continue educating our children and their families. We hold their needs as our top priority.”

District officials said they are committed to working with parents of students in the charter school to find alternative schools within the district. The district had hoped to have programming inside the Cityview location but citing the lengthy litigation, the district will wait until the 2014-15 school year to initiate programming inside the building.

Jackie Cherryhomes

insightnews.com

Insight News • August 5 - August 11, 2013 • Page 3

COMMENTARY We must do better: Look at the facts Child Watch

By Marian Wright Edelman Nearly 2,000 people attended Molly Conley’s funeral last month to mourn the young humanitarian who was the victim of a random drive-by shooting the day after her 15th birthday. She was shot in the neck while walking with friends to a sleepover in a residential neighborhood in Lake Stevens, Washington. Molly was a 4.0 student best known for her kindness which she used to encourage her parents to care for infants waiting for foster families and to start a group called “Mother’s Helper” that raised money to aid victims of domestic abuse.

Caldwell County, Missouri sheriff’s deputies went to the home of the Curtis family after receiving an emergency call on January 11, 2012. Their 12-yearold son Steven had mishandled a gun and accidentally shot himself in the head. Steven loved playing football and being outside. He also spent a great deal of time hunting and grew up learning about gun safety and had a hunter’s safety certification from the Conservation Department. In Breckenridge, Missouri—a town of just 450 people—hunting safety is an important part of the middle school’s agricultural curriculum. Steven’s father didn’t know how his son got the gun from a locked cabinet that was in their living room.

Eleven-year-old Tayloni Mazyck was walking near her apartment building in Brooklyn on May 31, 2013 with her mother and niece when she was caught in gang-related crossfire.

A bullet crashed into innocent Tayloni’s chin and lodged in her spine. According to Brooklyn prosecutor Jordan Rossman, she will be paralyzed for life. Instead of walking in her fifth-grade graduation ceremony, Tayloni was transferred to Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine for the summer. Her mother says some days Tayloni is in intense pain and easily frustrated because she can’t do simple things such as scratch her nose; other days she is convinced she will walk some day in the future. Tayloni suffers from post traumatic stress, says she is too scared to go home, and wakes up crying from flashbacks of that terrible night.

These are three of the child and youth stories shared in

the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF)’s new report Protect Children, Not Guns 2013— three of the 18,270 children and teens killed or injured by guns in America each year. Like Molly, Steven, and Tayloni, every one of these children deserved to live their whole lives. We can and must do better.

CDF’s new report documents the truth about guns and the facts about the preventable gun violence epidemic in our nation including the economic cost of gun violence; a state-by-state breakdown on gun deaths among children and teens; comparisons on gun violence rates between the United States and other high income countries; positive and negative state actions on gun violence prevention, and more. It also documents the progress made since the Newtown massacre and lists steps for continuing action

law enforcement agencies to properly enforce gun safety laws.

Parents, consider removing guns from your home and be vigilant about where your children play.

Boycott products and places that glamorize and normalize dangerous weapons and violence.

Have we been fighting the wrong wars to keep our children safe? Nearly five times more children and teens were killed by guns in 2010 than U.S. soldiers killed in action that year in Iraq and Afghanistan. America’s military and law enforcement agencies have four million guns.

Our citizens have 310 million.

And we have no idea how many of those guns were purchased without a background check. The gun lobby has been enriching gun manufacturers at the expense of our children’s safety for far too long. For years the National Rifle Association has blocked the

Nearly five times more children and teens were killed by guns in 2010 than U.S. soldiers killed in action that year in Iraq and Afghanistan

with urgency and persistence.

What can you do? Urge your members of Congress to protect children from gun violence by supporting this year common sense gun violence prevention measures including universal background checks

and limits on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. We also need policies that support consumer product safety standards for all guns, public funding for gun violence prevention research, and resources and authority for

Student loan ‘solution’ is not good enough

By Julianne Malveaux

MALVEAUX TURN TO 11

Marian Wright Edelman is President of the Children’s Defense Fund whose Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. For more information go to www. childrensdefense.org.

How far does your daughter have to go to get online?

Opinion

The United States Senate finally stepped up to ensure that student loan rates would not double. There have been weeks of back and forth, but now Senators says they will tie student loan rates to the federal funds rate, which means that in the short-run the lowest student loan rates will be 3.86 percent, up slightly from 3.4 percent. The bad news is that these loan rates may rise up to a rate of 8.25 percent, depending on prevailing interest rates.

All other loan rates, including those for graduate student, for Parent PLUS loans, and others, will rise as well.

It may seem a victory that student loan rates don’t rise much higher than they were in June. The connection of rates to the federal funds rate, however, connects the notion of supporting student to the oscillations of the economy.

We need talented students to enter the labor force, as encumbered as they might be, whether the economy is rising or tanking. The notion that

truth and actively fought against the passage and enforcement of gun safety laws. Please use the resources in Protect Children, Not Guns 2013 to find the latest research and actions you can take to protect children, not guns, in your home, in your community, and as a citizen to help create a better, safer America for all children. Together we can—and must—do better right now. So many child lives depend on it.

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Page 4 • August 5 - August 11, 2013 • Insight News

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BUSINESS Declutter one (electronic) space at a time Plan Your Career

By Julie Desmond julie@insightnews.com Disorganization happens.

Sometimes in just one area; sometimes on a much larger scale.

Lately, shows like Hoarders have really taken off.

Earlier generations remember Sanford & Sons.

There certainly are people in the world who live surrounded by stuff. Likewise, there are other people who watch those shows and pat each other on the back, saying, “Glad that’s not us!”

Then those glad people flip open a laptop or snap on a computer and… can you hear the stuff crashing out of its

INSIGHT NEWS www.insightnews.com

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

Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane

virtual closets? They look at the computer and realize it’s a mess! But instead of dealing with the problem, these virtual hoarders do what all hoarders do: they buy more storage and ignore or deny the real problem. Until the computer crashes and they get evicted from life as they know it and have to start over, having lost everything they ever regarded as valuable.

Clouds help; lost data can be recovered and restored.

Search engines help; it is certainly easier to find something in a list of 3000 emails than in a pile of 3000 letters. But getting organized before the crash is key to a really satisfying, productive electronic life.

So, where do I start, you ask? Start from scratch. The way a person builds a house or bakes an apple pie: step by step, from the beginning.

Fortunately, like a builder or baker, you can start from scratch without having to invent bricks or plant apple seeds. Bricks and apples are tools. Computer cleanup has tools, too. Many are already built into your computer programs; you just need to use

Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Vice President of Sales & Marketing Selene White Culture and Education Editor Irma McClaurin Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Ben Williams Production Intern Sunny Thongthi Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Contributing Writers Cordie Aziz Harry Colbert, Jr. Julie Desmond Fred Easter Timothy Houston Alaina L. Lewis Darren Moore Alysha Price Photography Suluki Fardan Michele Spaise 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, Minnesota, 55411.

handled it, then you probably still have a record of each conversation, but it doesn’t clog your inbox.

My friend takes pictures constantly. I asked her what she does with her photos, imagining all the creative

and sentimental possibilities when one snaps a photo every 28 seconds. “Nothing,” she said, adding, “I save them on the cloud.” Tags? Labels?

Folders?

“Nope.”

Facial recognition software would help this photographer.

Julie Desmond is IT Recruiting Manager with George Konik Associates, Inc. Please send your career planning and resume questions to jdesmond@georgekonik.com.

Workshop, seminars and conferences: blessing or curse?

FUNdraising Good Times

CFO Adrianne Hamilton-Butler Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane

them.

Start where you spend your time. If it’s email, find out about folders… and delete buttons. Your delete button is your friend. If you save all your sent messages, and delete everything else after you’ve

Spending a rainy weekend adding tags to every photo is another option. Considering why one needs to document every living moment is a question in itself. Ask it.

Music enthusiasts are hoarders after my own heart.

A music library is a thing I understand and appreciate.

However, do you need to have every song you have ever owned available at your fingertips? There is fabulous software out there to organize your music. Use it. Every time you add something to your library, think about how you’ll retrieve that song a year from now. Focus on keeping one or two categories up to date in your library, and finding things later will be simple and fast.

Start slow and stay committed. After thirty days of doing anything, it becomes a habit. Thirty days? You can handle that.

By Mel and Pearl Shaw Continuous training, education and exposure to new people and ideas can lead to continuous improvement, motivation, and engagement. Workshops, seminars and conferences add to the skill set and competency of nonprofit employees, executives, board members and volunteers. The question is: what happens after the workshop or conference?

Our experience has shown

Jobs From 1 arrest tells you nothing.”

Sounding more like an evangelical preacher than the lawyer that she is, Arnwine drew loud applause when she said, “You need a state law that says to employers that credit checks have nothing to do with your ability to work. If your credit is bad, it’s because you don’t have a job. Get real.”

Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, said the private sector needs to assume a larger role in reducing Black unemployment, which stood at 12.7 percent when Obama took office and rose to 13.7 percent in June, twice the White employment rate of 6.6 percent. According to the Department of Labor Statistics,

that the euphoria and “light bulbs” that go off during a workshop or conference sometimes don’t make it back to the office or the board room. It’s no one’s fault – it’s just human nature. Life gets in the way of good intentions, and sparks of creativity and innovation can dim without kindling.

One method for ensuring you and your team bring your “aha! moments” back to the office is to create a plan for implementation before attending.

Here’s how it works. First determine which workshop, conference or webinar will benefit your organization’s work. Then determine who should attend. Where possible select more than one person – they will become your learning

leaders. Prior to attending ask selected participants to write down the three things they are seeking to learn from the event.

During the event they should take notes, with an emphasis on recording information and ideas that relate to what they are seeking to learn.

After the event, participants should share their learnings and ideas with others in the organization. The presentation should be part of a formal debrief. A team should be created to implement the ideas and learnings, and dates should be set that drive actions towards new goals.

This process can apply to learnings at all levels. Perhaps it is something simple: ensuring all members of the organization have a signature block for

their emails that includes the nonprofit’s mission, website, social media and the individual’s direct phone number and email.

It could be a bit more complex: integrating the nonprofit’s ticket sales into the donor database, or increasing revenue from special events. Maybe board members have suggestions for how to improve their meetings and increase attendance.

The learning – or aha! moment – could require a culture shift. Board members and staff may return from a conference with suggestions for how to better engage the board members, volunteers and staff with fundraising. When a culture shift is required, the first step is to debrief with the executive director. Gain her support and buy-in. Share the

plan for how to implement the new idea along with projected outcomes.

This process creates opportunities for leadership, and allows those who did not attend the event to benefit from key learnings. When seeking to grow your nonprofit’s fundraising be sure to extend the impact of outside learning opportunities by planning in advance and following through afterwards. Let us know what works for you.

more than 2.5 million Blacks are unemployed.

“Ever since President Obama has been in, there has been an increase in jobs in the private sector, but Black unemployment has not decreased. Why? Because we work [disproportionately] in the public sector,” he explained. “So while the private corporations who now don’t have to deal with us because the Supreme Court is knocking down affirmative action, they are not hiring us. The public sector is being cut down with agencies and programs – we’re being minimized in the public sector.”

But Sharpton said Blacks have the economic leverage to force companies to hire more African-Americans.

“We need to renegotiate Black America’s understanding – we called them covenants –

with the private sector,” he said.

“The court can say all it wants about affirmative action, we have the consumer power to say to companies that do business in our communities that, ‘You must have targets of doing jobs in our community.’ They can’t make us buy from those who won’t hire us.”

Jesse Jackson said that all levels of government should also be held accountable.

“In Chicago, there are 81,000 vacant lots,” he stated.

“They cut public housing and they foreclosed on private housing. They’ve cut public transportation, cut trauma care.

Cut public schools. There is no present plan to bring us out of that isolation. And I think the government has some obligation.”

Especially a government and nation as rich as the U.S., according to Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League.

“We’ve got a $15 trillion economy in the United States of America, the largest economy in the world,” he stated. “And it is unacceptable – Dr. King talked about it and Whitney Young talked about it – for there to be these vast oceans of poverty amid all the plenty.

So many are doing well and so many people are left behind.”

He said many U.S. tax and trade policies are misguided.

“American public policy is focused on job creation,” Morial said. A significant part of it is focused on job creation in the wrong places. For example, there’s a huge infrastructure rebuilding program that the people of the United States are paying for. The problem is it’s for the reconstruction of and rebuilding of Bagdad. It’s for the reconstruction of Kandahar…

Your and my tax dollars are being invested. That could be and should be redirected to Philadelphia, to Baltimore, to Boston. Secondly, United States trade and tax policies are encouraging job creation.

But they are encouraging job creation in China, in India and overseas.”

Closer to home, far away from Iraq and Afghanistan, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., president

and CEO of the Hip Hoop Caucus, said that unlike civil rights veterans, many youth are not eager to participate in marches.

“My generation just doesn’t want to march for marching’s sake,” he said. “We got to march for a reason. Trayvon is one reason. Voting rights is one reason. We much push for policy.”

Proving Yearwood’s point, a young member of the audience gently questioned the value of marching.

“I’m concerned about those who are tired of marching who have never marched,” Jackson said. He noted that all demonstrations were undertaken with specific goals in mind and marching is simply a means to an end.

Sharpton agreed.

“You say why march about voting?” he asked, rhetorically.

“Well, that’s how we got it the first time. We did not get voting rights at a cocktail sip, trying to have racial harmony sessions.

We got it by organizing and galvanizing and the only way we are going to make changes is by organizing and galvanizing.”

Morial said recent changes in federal student loan programs are threatening the existence of some historically Black colleges.

Recalling a recent conversation with Norman Francis, who has been president of Xavier University in New Orleans for 45 years, Morial recounted, “He said that the effect of the changes to the student loan program cost the member colleges of the United Negro College Fund $50 million.”

Morial said he heard similar stories from other HBCU presidents.

“I spoke the other night to the president of Lincoln University [in Pennsylvania]. This was a stunning piece of information.

He said, ‘I’m going to lose half of my freshman class. They cannot come back.

“There is something deeply flawed when young people who have gone to high school, graduated from high school, gotten admitted to colleges and universities, successfully

completed one year and cannot go back even if they have A’s and top-level scores. They can’t go back because of money.”

Morial said if the Federal Reserve can lend money to banks at zero interest rates, similar accommodations need to be made to save HBCUs. In response to a question from a convention delegate about whether there should be a national boycott of Florida, Sharpton said he would support a boycott if it were “directed, disciplined and focused.” He said it should be carefully planned, saying, “You got to hurt who has hurt us.”

Jesse Jackson was less nuanced.

“I would make the case that when Stevie Wonder and those artists say let’s boycott Florida, boycott it,” Jackson said to loud applause. “If we can boycott South Africa and bring it down, we can surely boycott Florida and bring it down.”

The death of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old African American shot to death by George Zimmerman, was mentioned throughout the panel discussion as some leaders discussed how best to strike down Stand Your Ground laws, like the one in effect in Florida that imperils the lives of young Black men in particular.

“We are now right back where we were 50 years ago, where states are superseding our federal civil rights,” Sharpton said. “Trayvon Martin had the civil right to go home.

State law gave Zimmerman the legal right to say, ‘I can move without any resistance and kill him.’ The federal government must supersede that.”

Jesse Jackson, quoting the first Black Supreme Court justice, added: “As Thurgood Marshall said, the law enslaved us, the law freed us, the law segregated us and now the law is leaving us unprotected.”

Copyright 2013 – Mel and Pearl Shaw Mel and Pearl Shaw are the authors of “Prerequisites for Fundraising Success.”

They position nonprofits for fundraising success. Visit them at www.saadandshaw.com.

(For more information on preserving your voting rights, go to the Election Protection Website, http:// www.866ourvote.org/ or reach them by telephone, 866-OURVOTE.)

Top: (L-R) Michael B. Jordan and Melonie Diaz Inset: (L-R) Ariana Neal and Michael B. Jordan Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

Fruitvale Station stirs emotions

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer

O

scar Grant is dead.

It’s kind of strange seeing a movie for the first time, yet you know the ultimate ending.

The ultimate end of “Fruitvale Station,” a cinematic account of the last day of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old Oakland resident who was celebrating the new year of 2009 with friends, is that Oscar Grant dies. There’s no other outcome that can be achieved.

“Fruitvale Station” is the story of the real-life shooting of Grant by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police.

Grant and friends had been passengers on a BART train when an altercation took place and the group was detained

by BART police. The shooting was captured by multiple cell phone cameras and quickly went viral on the web. Grant was unarmed and shot in the back by a BART officer who claimed he thought his handgun was a Taser.

That’s the end.

But the end doesn’t tell the whole story of Grant.

The whole story of Grant is brilliantly captured by 27-year-old writer/director Ryan Coogler, as he shows the humanity of Grant,

STATION TURN TO 7

Shahar Eberzon Face Forward

By Brenda Bell Brown

Can you feel the heat?

Jayme Halbritter

Shahar Eberzon

She works out by covering the music of the great purveyors of “conscious” music – Ben Harper, Nina Simone, Bob Marley.

She is not afraid to

introduce you to the fire of her own lyricism, singing songs that are accompanied by her fierce strumming on acoustic guitar. She could not stop destiny. She was meant to be a singer, a musician. In her own words, “You don’t choose to do music. The music chooses to channel itself through you.”

You just got tuned into Shahar Eberzon - singer

MORE

• Snoop Lion interview

Ilya Natarius, Theo Christofore, Aaron Hays and Marcos Juarez Gosselin

Face Forward Artist Gathering 2013

of songs to help the world change for the better.

Eberzon’s father is a poet, and a great literary and artistic influence in her life, however, it is her grandmother that comes readily to mind when Eberzon reflects on the message that is consistently found in her music – one of challenge to atrocities against humanity. Her grandmother survived the Holocaust;

• High Price

survived the “death walk” intended to kill off survivors of its concentration camps, a way to literally eliminate physical evidence of the camps and to prevent repatriation of war prisoners.

Her grandmother lived to instill in granddaughter a high regard for life.

As a result – as songwriter, as singer, as musician, Eberzon is inspired to sing

songs of conviction fueled by words that may make some uncomfortable. However, if you listen to her long enough, you find yourself getting over your unease and nodding in agreement. That’s what she does; she hits on the right notes to affect hearts and souls.

EBERZON TURN TO 6

• Snapshots

Page 6 • August 5 - August 11, 2013 • Aesthetically Speaking

insightnews.com/aesthetics

Snoop Lion interview

By Kam Williams

Calvin Cordozar Broadus was born on October 20, 1971 in Long Beach, California where he was nicknamed Snoopy by his parents because of a striking resemblance to the Peanuts cartoon character.

A promising rapper from an early age, he began performing in the 6th grade but was waylaid by brushes with the law in high school.

After a stint behind bars for drug possession, he took the stage name Snoop Doggy Dogg and launched his recording career with the help of hip-hop producer Dr. Dre. His 1993 debut album, Doggystyle, featuring his trademark, laidback vocal phrasings, was well-received and quickly went quadruple platinum.

Over the course of an enduring showbiz career, Snoop has released a dozen solo CDs and sold more than 30 million records. Last year, he tweaked his alias to Snoop Lion when he recorded a reggae album in Jamaica called Reincarnated.

A talented thespian, he’s also acted in a score of movies, most notably, “Training Day,” “Baby Boy,” “Old School,” “Starsky & Hutch” and, most recently, “Scary Movie 5.”

Here, he talks about his latest screen outing as Smooth Move in “Turbo,” an animated adventure about a snail who dreams of entering the Indianapolis 500.

Courtesy of Kam Williams

Snoop Lion and family at a Turbo screening

Kam Williams: Hi Snoop, thanks for the interview.

Snoop Lion: My pleasure, Kam.

Being able to watch a movie with my family and some of the kids from my Snoop Youth Football League has always been a goal of mine, so when [director] David Soren reached out to me about Turbo I was all for it. And my character is a smooth little snail…I thought it was a cool concept.

KW: What interested you in Turbo?

SL Well I’ve wanted to do a family movie for a while now.

KW: How would you describe Smoove Move?

SL He’s a slick little guy. He’s calm and cool just like me.

KW: Did you base your approach to the character on anybody?

SL I based him on myself because the character was written for me.

KW: How would you compare doing voice work for an animated film to appearing onscreen in a live action adventure?

SL The process for doing voice work goes by much quicker as opposed to shooting a feature. You can pretty much go in and knock it out in a day or two. It feels very natural for me to express myself using only my voice, so it wasn’t too difficult.

KW: What message do you think people will take away from Turbo?

SL I think they will be

Eberzon From 5

These flames are not fanned by her, alone.

inspired and in a good mood. It’s a fun, family movie.

KW: Why did you change your name to Snoop Lion?

SL My name was given to me.

I didn’t just decide to change it one day. But I ran with it to reflect a more peaceful and positive attitude for my new Reincarnated project.

The Snoop Dogg name is so connected to hip-hop, and I didn’t want to change that.

Hip-hop raised me, and I would never turn my back on it.

KW: What inspired you to become a Rastafarian and to release that reggae album, Reincarnated?

SL I’m a spiritual man and I’ve always felt connected to Rastafari. I’m not a Rastafarian but I’ve got

so much respect for the lifestyle and religion, and I’m so thankful I was able to meet some of the most influential Rastafarians during my Jamaica trip.

They taught me so much and really helped me evolve into who I am today.

I felt in this stage of my life it was time to make a record that reflected my lifestyle… positive, peaceful and family oriented. I’ve always had a connection to Reggae and it was the right music to fully display my new lifestyle in a way that was natural for me.

JAH RASTAFARI! KW: How did you come to collaborate with Miley Cyrus on the song Ashtrays and Heartbreaks?

SL We met at the studio and she told me that she loved

my work. I love what she does, too. Miley’s cool and I support her 100%.

KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?

SL At the Turbo screening!

KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?

SL Barbecue flavor twist Fritos. Definitely, BBQ flavor twist Fritos!

[Chuckles slyly] KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?

SL No I’m cool. I think they done asked ‘em all. [LOL] KW: Thanks again for the time, Snoop, and good luck with Turbo.

SL Thanks, Kam.

As the artist and community development representative for local arts organization, Face Forward, Eberzon is in the company of like-minded artists focused on realizing humanity through art.

Founded by Amanda Leaveck, a multi-talented

Face Forward education team: Alissa Paris Gilbert (left), Lauren Miller (top) and Rachel Summers (right). artist and socially innovative organizer (who is primarily known for her dance), the mission of Face Forward is to support the community by

supporting local artists.

Face Forward educators focus the self-development and discovery on using art for social change.

Every gathering is highly interactive, with time to spare at the very end for sharing and artist’s latest artistic endeavor or announcing an upcoming show.

Face Forward artists are street artists, they are firespinners, they are spoken word artists, they paint, they draw, they act, they sing, they dance, they are business entrepreneurs, they wait tables by day, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, community activists, world travelers, peacemakers and much more.

For more information on Face Forward and its artist community, visit www. faceforwardmn.com.

insightnews.com/aesthetics

Aesthetically Speaking • August 5 - August 11, 2013 • Page 7

High Price

By Kam Williams “As a youth, Carl Hart didn’t realize the value of school; he studied just enough to stay on the basketball team. At the same time, he was immersed in street life. Today, he is a cuttingedge neuroscientist—Columbia University’s first tenured African-American professor in the sciences—whose landmark, controversial research is redefining our understanding of addiction.

In this provocative and eyeopening memoir, he recalls his journey of self-discovery and weaves his past and present.

Hart goes beyond the hype of the antidrug movement as he examines the relationship among drugs, pleasure, choice and motivation, both in the brain and in society. His findings shed new light on common ideas about race, poverty and drugs, and explain why current policies are failing.

-- Excerpted from book jacket Judging by Dr. Carl Hart’s background, it’s a little surprising he ever made it out of the ‘hood, let alone became one of the nation’s leading neuroscientists.

After all, he grew up in a rough area of Miami, Florida where, as a teenager, he roamed the streets as a gun-toting, drug dealer.

Only after entering the military did he come to appreciate the value of an education, and eventually earn his BS, MS and PhD degrees.

Today, he teaches at Columbia University where his work in pharmacology has uncovered some rather startling statistics, such as “85% of drug users aren’t addicted,” “the War on Drugs has “had no effect on daily use of marijuana, heroin or any type of cocaine,” and “around half of all

Eileen Barroso

Carl Hart people with drug addictions are employed full-time and many never commit crimes...”

The upshot of over 20 years of research in the field of neuropsychopharmacology has led to the controversial conclusion that drug policy rather than drugs is the main problem. And he discusses the data underpinning his reasoning in High Price, an incendiary opus. The eyeopening book is as much a revealing memoir as a thoughtprovoking clarion call for an overhaul of the drug laws, given the disproportionate toll they take on minorities and the poor.

Although the author stops short of advocating illegal drug use, he does point out that the “Just say no!” campaign has never been effective.

Furthermore, his concern is that educators lose the respect of students when they rely on such a simplistic approach to the problem.

Besides the groundbreaking discussion of narcotics, Dr. Hart devotes considerable ink to personal anecdotes, like the

one about discovering while teaching at Columbia that he had fathered a son at the age of 15; another related the humiliation he suffered when profiled and detained as a possible perpetrator by police despite the laminated photo ID hanging around his neck proving he belonged on campus.

A seminal contribution to the conversation about the intersection of the legal system and drug addiction from a bodacious brother with both street credibility and academic credentials.

High Price A Neuroscientist’s Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know about Drugs and Society

by Dr. Carl Hart Harper/Harper Collins Publishers Hardcover, $26.99 352 pages, Illustrated ISBN: 978-0-06-201588-4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND EMMETT/FURLA FILMS PRESENT A MARC PLATT PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH OASIS VENTURES ENTERTAINMENT LTD/ENVISION ENTERTAINMENT/HERRICK ENTERTAI NMENT/ ´ BOOM! STUDIOS A BALTASAR KORMAKUR FILM DENZEL WASHINMUSICGTONMARK WAHLBERG“2 GUNS”CO- PAULA PATTONBILL PAXTON JAMES MARSDEN FRED WARD AND EDWARD JAMES OLMOS BY CLINTON SHORTER PRODUCERS BRANDON GRIMES JEFF RICE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS BRANDT ANDERSEN JEFFREY STOTT MOTAZ M. NABULSI JOSHUA SKURLA MARK DAMON PRODUCED

BY MARC PLATT RANDALL EMMETT NORTON HERRICK ADAM SIEGEL GEORGE FURLA ROSS RICHIE ANDREW COSBY ´ BASED GRAPHIC SCREENPLAY DIRECTED ON THE BOOM! STUDIOS NOVELS BY STEVEN GRANT

BY BLAKE MASTERS BY BALTASAR KORMAKUR A UNIVERSAL RELEASE © 2013 GEORGIA FILM FUND FIFTEEN, LLC AND UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

SEPT 23

NBC

Go to NBC.com to watch the trailer.

Station From 5 a flawed, but lovable young man trying to make a better life for his family and young daughter.

I had seen the actual footage of Grant’s shooting almost immediately after it happened. I was outraged, but for me, life moved on. I mean that was tragic and sickening, but that was in the Bay Area of California. I didn’t know Oscar Grant. I was removed from the incident. But after seeing “Fruitvale Station” – the title is the name of the actual transit stop where Grant’s life was taken – I could no longer be removed.

I could no longer say I didn’t know Grant. I see Oscar Grant on a daily basis. In my younger, more testosterone filled days, in many ways I was Grant.

What Coogler does, with the assistance of Michael B. Jordan (“The Wire,” “Red

Tails”) who portrays Grant, is not focus on the shooting and death of Oscar Grant, but rather on the life of Oscar Grant. “Fruitvale” is about the life of a young man of just 22 years who had a family, a committed relationship with the mother of his child, a beautiful young daughter and hopes and aspirations for the future – a future he would not live to see.

Coogler does not try to make Grant a saint. Grant’s shortcomings are exposed in the film, but that even further points out the humanity of this tragic tale.

During the screening of this 1:25 minute film, I briefly felt myself having an attack of anxiety. I was having a hard time breathing and realized I was so tensed with anger – seeing Grant live, knowing he’s going to die – that I was physically tensed in a tight knot. Though “Fruitvale” may not be a factual account of Grant’s last day on earth, it felt as though you were watching

the actual countdown to his demise. During one brilliant sequence, Coogler cuts the audio from the film and in a packed theater; there was an eerie silence in the air – minus the scattered sniffles of audience members crying.

To say that “Fruitvale” ends with the death of Grant is not entirely true. Believe it or not, the ending is far more grim as the writer/director merges actual footage of events – though, not the actual shooting – into the film.

“Fruitvale” is a tale of what could be any AfricanAmerican young male in any city in this land. It’s the story of Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin and some can say (and have said) it’s the story of Terrence Franklin, killed this past May by Minneapolis officers under sketchy circumstances. The movie is not a documentary, but it’s 100 percent real.

Oscar Grant died. His story lives on.

Page 8 • August 5 - August 11, 2013 • Aesthetically Speaking

Snapshots

insightnews.com/aesthetics 2

Ladies Night Edition It seemed Friday July 26 was all about the ladies. Whether it was the happy hour at Insert Coin(s), the Takeover at Rouge at the Lounge or the Cool & Co. Pop Up Party at the Belmore/New Skyway Lounge, the ladies were out in force and looking oh so stunning. Here are a few of the lovely faces that were out and about.

1

3

1) Criana Holmes vogues for the Aesthetically Speaking camera 2) Kassidy Moore and Carla Soto making an Aesthetically Speaking cameo.

3) Three times dope: Jessica Lester, Natasha Williams and Quiana Davis pause for a quick flick.

4

4) Kelly Waterman and Ariana Ortega displaying smiles and the colors of summer.

5) Tiffany Davies and Angie Dwanyen flash their Colgate smiles for the camera.

6) Teaya Wilson showing off her skin-tight white while celebrating her birthday weekend.

5

6

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Insight News • August 5 - August 11, 2013 • Page 9

FULL CIRCLE In relentless pursuit of the things of God Man Talk

By Timothy Houston This week, the Minnesota Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) celebrates 90 years of ministry and service to our community.

Congratulations go out to Bishop Fred W. Washington and State Supervisor Patricia Hayes. The theme for this year’s celebration is “In Relentless pursuit of the things of God.” This theme is both timely and relevant. Life has a definite beginning and an end, and in between it is the pursuit of God and His purpose for our lives.

Having spent my entire life as a COGIC member, and almost 30 years in ministry, I am personally aware of the importance of

relentless pursuit. As I continue this pursuit, let me remind you of how important the black church has been to our community and this country.

First, the black church has had a major role in shaping our society.

Every significant movement in our community has its roots in the black church. From the early freedom movement to the most recent civil rights and equality movement, all work through the African American churches. From abolitionists Fredrick Douglas, who taught plantation slaves to read during his Sunday school class, to Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who championed the civil rights movement through the pulpit, the black church, was instrumental in its success. If you look back through American history, you will see that every significant human rights initiative had its beginnings in the black church. This is our legacy.

Next, the black church has had a major role in shaping our families. The community is a

collection of families, and the long term effects of slavery, racism, and discrimination has negatively impacted their spiritual

and the family as a whole will suffer. When this happens, drugs and alcohol become the cooping mechanisms of choice. Everyday,

The black church has had a major role in shaping our society

and emotional health. Without the church as a healthy outlet to this negative spiritual and emotional energy, people will express themselves in unhealthy ways

the church stands as a beacon of light and hope. Here in Minnesota, for 90 years, the Minnesota Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Church of God in Christ has

seen to the spiritual, emotionally, physical, and financial needs of the people because in church, there is help. This is our heritage.

Finally, the black church has had a major role in shaping us as individuals. Our view of community is shaped by our sense of self. When a man’s heart is not right, the community as a whole is at risk. The church is the only entity truly qualified by God to deal with the heart or spirit of a person. It is at church that we learned that love conquerors hate, and that we must do unto others as we would them to do to us.

There we learned that personal victories always proceed public victories, and being honest with self supersedes being honest with others. Everyday, someone goes to church to present themselves to God so that He can transform their life for the better because in church there is hope. This is our faith.

The African American Church has positively impacted our community, families, and

lives. It is my honor as member of the Minnesota Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Church of God in Christ to invite you to celebrate with us. Services will be held at North Central University, 910 Elliot Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404. It is my hope that you receive beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, and that you might be called the trees of righteousness (Isaiah 61:3). Please join us in relentless pursuit of the things of God because in church, there is power. “Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers” (3 John 1:2). This is our prayer.

Timothy Houston is an author, minister, and motivational speaker who is committed to guiding positive life changes in families and communities. For questions, comments or more information, go to www.tlhouston.com.

The plight of the Black man The Moore Therapy Movement

By Dr. Darren D. Moore Ph.D., LMFT Last Saturday night, I went to see the new movie “Fruitvale Station.”

I cannot begin to tell you how powerful the story is.

Michael B. Jordan (depicting Oscar Grant III) really captured what I call or consider the plight of the Black man. The main character was an AfricanAmerican male who was killed by a policeman at the Fruitvale Bay Area Rapid Transit Station.

Grant had some struggles in life and he definitely was not perfect.

Grant had some previous run-ins with the law, but he was trying to get his life together. He was

trying to stay on the right side of the law in efforts to stay out of jail and protect his family.

What happened to Oscar Grant, being victimized and brutally murdered at the Fruitvale station, was unreasonable and simply uncalled for.

What I saw in the film was a Black man that was trying – trying to get his life together and trying to take care of his family.

He had multiple demands on him in that he was expected to take care of his girlfriend and daughter, and also was responsible for providing some financial support to his sister.

As an offender, I am sure he struggled to obtain and maintain gainful employment, which makes it difficult for one to support their family. What does a man do who cannot take care of or protect his family?

He becomes emasculated, less than, a failure, and broken down.

One of the things I learned over the years is that

all behavior makes sense in context. What this means is that I can understand how Black men often find themselves in the very predicaments that they are in. In many ways the path that they (we) travel is rigged with potholes, bumps, glass bottles and deer running across the road. In many situations we have been set up to fail. We are have been chased, robbed, killed, fired, accused, victimized, and broken down into many pieces.

These pieces have unfortunately not only hurt the Black man, the Black male’s ego and the Black man’s spirit, not to mention the Black male psyche, but it has also negatively impacted the Black family system.

While many people have negative things to say about Black men – how Black men are dogs, no good, deadbeat, or that they simply have no goals in life, there are many Black men that are trying to improve their lives. When I saw the film, I kept thinking about Trayvon Martin

and the unnecessary killing that took place in Sanford, Fla. What bothers me the most is that regardless of what people may say, race is still an issue here in America. I myself would like to think that in a post-Obama world, anything and everything is possible for Black men. To a certain extent it is true, in that Black men can be anything they want to be. However, at the same time, Black men are and have always been an endangered species. We are constantly being taken away from our families and being lost to murder and/or the prison system. If we happen to escape death and end in prison, then we struggle to obtain and maintain gainful employment when we are released … the plight of the Black man.

Please make no mistakes about what I am saying. I am not in any way, shape, form, or fashion saying that Black men are perfect or that Black men are always innocent, because we are not. I am just saying that

some Black men are out here in the world and trying to improve their lives. I am also saying that it is extremely difficult for Black men in America. I was just talking to one of my family members about this very thing.

I am a Black man with a Ph.D., but who cares? At the end of the day, when I walk around, people see me as a Black man. Not only

MOORE TURN TO 11

Page 10 • August 5 - August 11, 2013 • Insight News

Community Calendar • Classifieds Send Community Calendar information to us by email: info@ insightnews.com, by fax: 612.588.2031, by phone:( 612)588-1313 or by mail: 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis, MN 55411. Free or low cost events preferred.

EVENTS FREE SUMMER MEALS thru Aug. 23 Free Summer Meals for youth age 18 and under at MASJID AN-NUR, 1729 LYNDALE AVE. N. (across from Cub Foods). Schedule is as follow: BREAKFAST: 8am - 10:30am, June 17 – Aug. 23 (No Service 7/4, 5, 8/7,8,9); LUNCH: 11:30am – 2pm (Fridays-1pm), June 17 – July 3 and Aug. 12 – Aug. 24; DINNER: 8:30pm – 10:00pm, July 9 thru Aug. 6.

Fall for Camden Music School Aug. 5 Registration for fall classes at Camden Music School begins August 5. Fall term runs Monday, September 9 – January 18 (convenient, new 2-term schedule).

Sign up for vocal and instrumental lessons, Musikgarten early childhood music classes (newborn to age 8), music theory, ensembles like hand drums, rock ‘n roll and choir, and more. Scholarships and family discounts are available. Scholarship applications are due by 5 pm, Wednesday, August 28. More information, scholarship forms: www. camdenmusicschool. com or (612) 618-0219.

Creative Arts Camp Aug 5 First Covenant Church of Saint Paul and The Saint Paul Covenant will present Creative Arts

Camp taking place at First Covenant Church of Saint Paul, 1280 Arcade Street, St. Paul, MN 55106 on Aug. 5-8, 2013 from 2 to 5pm and will conclude with a Celebration, Arts Gallery and Showcase on Thursday, Aug. 8 beginning at 5:30pm at the Phalen Park Picnic Pavilion and Amphitheater. Creative Arts Camp is for students entering 1st through 8th grades, designed to provide these young people a safe and fun place to explore creative expression through visual and performing arts. Workshops will feature: mosaics, murals, music + drumming, hip-hop, zumba, salsa dancing and more!

Cost is $5 per day, but scholarships are also available. Camp will run Monday, August 5 through Thursday, August 8 from 2 to 5pm daily at First Covenant Church of Saint Paul (1280 Arcade Street) with a closing Celebration and Arts gallery on Thursday, August 8 at 5:30pm at the Phalen Park Picnic Pavilion and Amphitheater (1600 Phalen Drive).

To register online, visit http://first-covenant.org and click on the Creative Arts Camp logo or call the church office for a registration form at 651774-0344.

Minnesota Food Charter Input Meeting Aug. 6 The Minnesota Department of Health is seeking community stakeholder participation in a state wide process to develop a Minnesota Food Charter. The meeting will take place on August 6, 2013, from 9 AM until 12 PM at The Neighborhood

insightnews.com

Phone: 612.588.1313

Fax: 612.588.2031

Email: info@insightnews.com email at angela.pope@ state.mn.us.

Please RSVP by Friday, August 2, 2013.

Inter-Generational Roundtable Discussion Aug. 7 Pioneering Early College: Making postsecondary education accessible for more Minnesota students is the topic of discussion at the Inter-Generational Roundtable Discussion on Wednesday, Aug. 7 at the Gingerhop Restaurant, 201 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis - Doors 5:30 p.m. | Program 6-7 p.m. This event is Free for Citizens League Members and $10 for nonmembers. Appetizers provided. Register Now Space limited to the first 25 people to register.

Free trees available to North Minneapolis residents affected by May 2011 tornado Starting immediately, residents of north Minneapolis whose properties were affected by the May 2011 tornado may have up to two free trees planted on their property by Tree Trust, a local nonprofit organization specializing in youth employment training and environmental stewardship in the Twin Cities.

To obtain a free tree, homeowners must attend a workshop hosted by Tree Trust. At the workshop, participants will receive guidance on placement and which tree species would be best for their property, as well as learn how to care for their new tree to help ensure survival and assist in their growth. Trees will be ordered at the workshops, so attendance is required in order to receive a tree. The workshops will be held on August 21, 27, and 29 from 6-7 pm. Please visit www. treetrust.org/nomitrees for locations and details.

Tree Trust will assist in the effort to reforest north Minneapolis, and is confident that the new tree plantings will have a positive effect – both environmental and social – on the neighborhood.

Residents may visit www.treetrust.org for more information about this free tree program.

House at the Wellstone Center, Saint Paul, MN. Registration is at 8:30 AM. The Minnesota Food Charter is an

important state-level public health effort that is designed to enhance the local community health work of the Statewide

Health Improvement Program (SHIP), by establishing a multifaceted blueprint that expands access to healthy

food where people live, work, learn, and play.

Your participation in this meeting will help MDH ensure the voices

of those communities with the greatest health disparities are heard during the Food Charter development process. To

RSVP, contact Angela Pope, with the Office of Statewide Health Improvement Initiatives, at (651) 201-5438 or by

Live on the Drive!

Aug. 8 Singer/songwriter Lucy Michelle and her band will rock the Live on the Drive season to a close on Thursday, August 8 from 6 to 8pm. The free concert is held outdoors on the scenic Victory Memorial Drive at 34th Avenue North in Minneapolis, one of the most beautiful concert settings in the city. For more information, call (612) 588-1155 or visit www.liveonthedrive. org.

Northside Film Classics Aug. 9 Northside Film Classics concludes our celebration of Gangster Classics Friday August 9 with a screening of “On the Waterfront.”

Have you ever felt like you could have been a contender, instead of bum?

Come savor Marlon Brando’s performance as he wrestles with the realities of his fate in

the American classic, On the Waterfront.

Admission is free.

Film to begin at 7:00 at Homewood Studios (2400 Plymouth Ave. N.) with discussion to follow.

Book read Aug. 9 Aw a r d - w i n n i n g author ReShonda Tate Billingsley, whose bestselling fiction “tackles some of life’s toughest situations” (The Florida TimesUnion), unravels the secrets in a mother’s past that turn her daughter’s life upside down—by revealing the family she never knew existed. ReShonda Tate Billingsley reads from her new novel A Family Affair 7pm Friday August 9 at SubText: A Bookstore, 165 Western Avenue N., Saint Paul 55102. For more information please call (651) 493-3871.

Gallery Exhibit of Student Work Aug. 10 The Loft and Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) combo class students will have a gallery showing of their book art and writing in the second floor Literary Commons of Open Book, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis from August 3–10, 2103. The exhibit will culminate in a student reading and reception on Saturday, August 10 from 1–3 p.m. Students in any Loft/MCBA combo class, as well as friends, family, and community members are invited to attend.

The exhibit will be curated by Joann Price from MCBA, and snacks and beverages will be provided at the closing event.

Research Consultant

Minneapolis Urban League School Office Coordinator

Job summary: Under the supervision of the School Principal coordinate all school administrative activities, assisting with operational, academic, college access, career development and family engagement activities.

My future

has no limit.

Here at Hennepin County, we work to weave diversity and inclusion into vital services that meet the wide-ranging needs of area residents.

Hennepin County is an excellent choice for your professional future. Build your career in a stable environment where you feel valued, develop new skills, advance to higher levels and have a direct impact on your community.

Find the position that’s best for you and apply online:

www.hennepin.jobs Strong careers. Strong communities.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Demonstrate a strong knowledge of administrative support procedures and practices; knowledge of basic office machines and equipment. Strong technology skills, as well as verbal and written skills. Must be a team player with excellent customer service skills. Attention to detail, flexible and willing to cooperate with other team members. Ability to follow oral and written instructions, ability to communicate effectively and tactfully with school personnel, students, parents and guardians, and the general public.

Minimum Qualifications: Graduation from high school, some community college attendance preferred. Administrative Professional certification desired with proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly EXCEL and POWERPOINT. HOW TO APPLY: Email cover letter and resume to vdavis@mul.org; fax to 612-521-1444 or mail to 2100 Plymouth Ave. No., Mpls, Mn 55411, Attn: HR - Preferred method is email. This position is open until filled.

Research Assistant University of St. Thomas Location: Twin Cities Metro Activity Area: Education Related Category: Administration Support Services Closing Date: Aug 17, 2013 Job Type: Full Time Job Summary The University of St. Thomas, Chemistry department, seeks a Research Assistant.

This position is a one year, one day, benefit eligible, term assignment.

The primary function of the person in this position is to help manage a large organic chemistry research lab. This requires answering questions of 10-15 inexperienced students on safe laboratory practices, how to set up reactions, perform column chromatography, extractions, recrystallizations and other purification techniques.

This position trains research students on the NMR as well as assisting professors teaching organic lab on the instrument. The position requires the ability to teach an organic lab section. Another duty is to fill the NMR with liquid nitrogen on a weekly basis. An important duty is to order all of the research lab chemicals and track them. All chemical wastes generated in the research lab must be tracked. The person in this position will also perform organic synthesis of a variety of complex organic molecules.

Find full job posting and how to apply here: http://www.minnesotanonprofits.org/jobs?mode=search&categories=&areas=&job_types_ list=&keyword=&name=&location_id=&commit=Search

Day Treatment Supervisor Options Family & Behavior Services

The MN House of Representatives Republican Caucus has a full-time Research Consultant position available.

The complete job posting can be found at: www. house.mn/jobs or call 651-297-8200 for a faxed or mailed copy. Cover letter and resume must be received by Thursday, August 15, 2013.

EEO/AA EMPLOYER

West Falls Estates Rent based on 30% Of adjusted income Call Patricia Brown At 218-283-4967 TDD 800-627-3529

Minneapolis Urban League Business Teacher

Job Summary: The high school business teacher instructs students in business at a secondary school level that in turn leads some students to pursue a business or technology as a career or improves the student’s business knowledge and career skills. They teach business curriculum such as resume writing, business careers, account checking, computer keyboarding and computer courses, and financial literacy skills. Working with computers, the business technology teacher instructs and teaches students about spreadsheets, word processing, graphics and databases.

They prepare the students business assignments and exams, grade the papers and evaluate the student’s progress. While teaching the instructor maintains classroom order, sets acceptable behavior from their students and enforces school rules.

Experience and Qualification Requirements: A solid foundation in the use and application of computers, software and proper integration into the curriculum, information technology and business. Minnesota Teaching License with certification to teach Business Education.

Must have a bachelor’s degree with a major in business education or equivalent. Experience working w/student placement in internships, and school-to-work certification.

Classroom management skills a must. Ability to work cooperatively with parents and staff. Ability to work well with high school students in an alternative school setting.

HOW TO APPLY: Email cover letter and resume to vdavis@mul.org; fax to 612-521-1444 or mail to 2100 Plymouth Ave. No., Mpls, Mn 55411, Attn: HR - Preferred method is email. This position is open until filled.

Organization Summary: Options Family & Behavior Services, Inc. is dedicated to providing a person centered therapeutic rehabilitation journey to all individuals and their families with mental illness, chemical dependency and/or brain injuries We believe that all people have the ability to make changes and Guide their lives to mental and physical health. (http://www.cdas-options.com) Location: Twin Cities MetroActivity Area: Arts, Culture and Humanities Category: Administration and Management Closing Date: Aug 31, 2013 Job Type: Full Time Salary: $55,000 - $65,000 Hours: 8-4:30 Primary Duties: Job Description OPTIONS family & Behavior services is seeking an experienced and confident Mental Health Professional(LP,LICSW,LMFT or LPCC) to manage one of our expanding adolescent day treatment programs that serves clients with mental health and substance abuse issues. Must have management experience and be comfortable as a supervisor. This position requires assertive communication, problem solving and experience with crisis management. The prime candidate will enjoy the freedom of managing a program that is well established and growing. Knowledge of substance abuse and mental health is required and a love of training new practitioners is a must. Adolescent knowledge and experience is needed to be able to consult and supervise practitioner level staff with treatment planning, skills and therapy. basic marketing and social skills for contact with referents and families fully licensed and able to carry a small caseload. knowledge of DHS requirements manage budget for program scheduling Desired Skills & Experience assertive communication skills crisis management skills experience with supervising and management of practitioner level staff knowledge of mental health and substance abuse diagnosis understands and implements “best practices” Company Description Experience: Masters Degree LP, LICSW, LMFT OR LPCC Please send resume to lwaleski@cdas-options.com

Assumed Name 1. State the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted: Chosen Vessels Midwifery Services 2. State the address of the principal place of business: 1805 Girard Av. N. Ste #1, Minneapolis, MN 55411 3. List the name and complete street address of all persons conducting business under the above Assumed Name OR if an entity, provide the legal corporate, LLC, or Limited Partnership name and registered office address.

Attach additional sheet(s) if necessary: Kemet Circle, LLC, 1805 Girard Av. N. Ste #1, Minneapolis, MN 55411 4. I certify that I am authorized to sign this certificate and I further certify that I understand that by signing this certificate, I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Minnesota Statues section 609.48 as if I had signed this certificate under oath.

Signed by: LaVonne Moore, CEO Date Filed: 06/13/2013 Insight News 07/29/2013, 08/05/2013

insightnews.com

Insight News • August 5 - August 11, 2013 • Page 11

HEALTH Department of Human Services, Neighborhood House partnership encourages SNAP participation in Hmong and Latino communities low-income Minnesotans: the Summer Backpack Program, which provides backpacks filled with healthy food and nutritional information to children age 18 and younger; a project to expand mobile food shelf capacity; a grocery store initiative to give SNAP participants coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables; and this outreach initiative. The remaining 75 percent of the federal bonus went to counties for their work with SNAP recipients.

“These initiatives are not only good for the 500,000 Minnesotans who participate in SNAP but for our economy as well,” said Jesson. “For every dollar in SNAP benefits spent, $1.73 in economic activity is generated.”

Minnesota will have more opportunities to diminish food insecurity.

“The Hunger-Free Minnesota Community Close-

Up grant to Neighborhood House is an excellent example of how organizations can use meal gap data to design customized strategies,” said Ellie Lucas, chief campaign officer for Hunger-Free Minnesota. “They identified populations and areas with high food insecurity and low utilization of SNAP benefits.

They will hire a multi-lingual case worker to enroll new families in these targeted neighborhoods and over the course of one year add hundreds of thousands of new meals to the system.”

The $20,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services is funded through the state’s portion of a federal bonus for increasing SNAP access for eligible residents. The state’s portion – 25 percent of the $1.2 million bonus – will go toward four initiatives to put healthy food on the table for

that the government is taking in more than it gives out. It’s complicated – there are other costs that must be considered in the lending process. It’s complicated, but shouldn’t our students get as close to the same deal that banks and others get?

Allowing student loan interest rates to fluctuate, to the detriment of students in an environment when rates are certain to go up is to slap our students in the face. President Obama says he wants more students to graduate from community college or fouryear institutions; we need more graduate and professional students in the science,

technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs.

It seems hypocritical to articulate these needs and then to undercut the means to meet them. There are more than one 1 trillion dollars outstanding in student loan obligations. The average student graduates with $27,000 in debt. Since nearly half of all students graduate with no debt at all, this means that the average debt for those who borrow is closer to $40,000.

Many students with a talent for organizing, human resource allocation, or classroom teaching are diverted from their goals because their first

priority is to pay student loan debt. We are starving our civil society institution, and those who would serve them, by placing money over affinity and creativity. This has been happening for decades, but the current student loan dustup reminds us that we have not provided the safe space for our young people that we should.

The Senate bill passed 80-18 with some Democrats rejecting it because of its flaws. Others, like the progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), elected as a financial whiz and people’s advocate, chose to go with the one-year “okey-doke” rather than dig her heels in for the long run fight.

In some ways, Warren is right. The finger in the dike approach saves students this year, and so it is better than nothing. When, though, is better than nothing simply not good enough. Stay tuned.

The vote on reauthorization of the Higher Education Act will happen next year. Are students waiting and watching? What about parents? Is there a political lobby to turn this mess around?

Americans regardless of race.

It is a reminder that while there have been some improvements in race relations, we have a long way to go before we can say that things are equal in our society. The movie made me feel a variety of emotions, but most of all the feeling that I had was sadness –sadness for Oscar Grant and his family, sadness for Trayvon Martin and his family, sadness for all Black men and Black families, but hopefully one day we shall overcome. I remember walking out of the theater thinking, “Black men are truly an endangered species.” I do not know what else to say – the plight of the Black man. Need I say Moore?

Thanks for reading, I hope to hear from you soon, but until then, “Stick around, there’s Moore to come.”

Marriage and Family Therapy from Virginia Tech. Dr. Moore can be reached at ddmoore@

vt.edu or (612) 296-3758.

Please note this column is for educational purposes only. It

is not to diagnose or treat any mental health issues.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), in partnership with Neighborhood House is raising awareness about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and reaching highneed, but low-participating Minnesotans in the Hmong and Latino communities.

With a $20,000 grant from DHS, Neighborhood House has hired a Spanish-speaking family worker, capable of enrolling an additional 100 families into SNAP and other federal food support programs this year.

“Many Hmong and Spanish-speaking people with low incomes do not take advantage of SNAP, and we want to change that,” said Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson. “This grant will allow our partners to help more Minnesotans put healthy food on their tables.”

The Neighborhood House family worker will connect directly with Spanishspeaking, low-income families in the St. Paul area who may qualify for various federal food support program benefits, and will be responsible for: • Assessing, navigating and translating benefit applications • Following up with families to ensure they understand the benefit process • Attending community events, including National Night Out, various festival and area fairs, to reach the public.

“We are grateful to the Department of Human Services for funding Neighborhood House with a grant to employ a Spanish-speaking worker, enabling us to better serve our Latino communities,” said President of Neighborhood House Armando Camacho.

“Our mission is to help people, families and organizations develop the skills, knowledge

and confidence to thrive in diverse communities.”

Recently, Neighborhood House received a grant from

Hunger-Free Minnesota to hire a full-time family worker focusing on reaching the Hmong community to help people enroll in food subsidy

Malveaux

the health of our nation should have different rules. When I graduated from college in 1974, interest rates hovered between 9 and 10 percent. The student loan interest rate was 2 percent. Why? My cohort was no more or less brilliant than any other. We were part of our nation’s plan for its future, which should be the case for today’s young people.

Many hoped that the deal on student loan interest rates would take into account the federal funds rate (the rate to which the Federal Reserve Bank offers to banks) is well below 1 percent. From that perspective, even the existing rate of 3.4 percent suggests

It is also a shame that Black women have to fear on a daily basis, that their beloved Black man may not make it home alive if they are pulled over by the police. I myself have been pulled over, for reasons I still do not know. I have been asked where I am coming from, where I am going, and what I am doing out driving at 10 p.m. at night.

In one particular situation, I remember thinking in my head, “I did not know it was a crime to drive at night,” but I simply replied, “I was working late in my office.” Then I was interrogated and asked where I work. When I told the police officer, he acted as if he did not believe me, so I told him that I am willing to show my license and my faculty ID. I had to be very careful and had to make sure that the officer was aware that my license and ID was in my wallet, which was located in my right back pocket. I asked for permission to reach in my back pocket out of fear that I would be accused of having some type of weapon and innocently shot dead on the spot. These are the things that I and many other Black men have to deal with on a daily basis. It can be hard to be a Black male in America as we carry extra-burdens in life that others may not have.

At the end of the day, I think the movie “Fruitvale Station” is a must see, for all

From 3 student loan rates will be tied to the federal funds rate offers students no security.

One might argue that many have no economic security.

The mortgage holder with a variable mortgage is subject to interest rate fluctuations as they manage a balloon payment.

Those with underground mortgages are victims of interest rate variables as they try to dig themselves above ground.

Surely, though, students who are financing their education in order to invest in

Moore From 9 do they see a Black man, but they see a tall and dark skinned Black man. They prejudge me before I can even open my mouth. They automatically assume that they know me, and that I am nothing but an ignorant Black man. It does not matter that I have a Ph.D., because I am still a Black man in America.

We as Black men have to deal with a variety of things – driving while Black, walking while Black, eating while Black, sitting while Black, and sometimes in my case, even teaching while Black. If I listen to rap music, then I am a thug, if I drive a BMW (which I do) I am a drug dealer or I am doing something illegal. It makes me think of how I was always told by my grandmother to smile often when interacting with people of different races. She told me this to protect me, saying that people will automatically see me as a threat; as a tall, and perhaps angry, Black male. In order to set people at ease and not evoke fear in others, I am supposed to smile so that people see me as gentle, calm, and not aggressive.

It is a shame that this lesson had to be taught in the first place, but it is something that I have come to understand more and more as I get older.

programs they may qualify for, such as SNAP. With the help of DHS funds, both the Hmong and Latino communities of

For every dollar in SNAP benefits spent, $1.73 in economic activity is generated.

YOUR

More information about SNAP is available on the department’s website.

Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer.

She is President Emerita of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C.

VOICE IS STILL BEING HEARD.

WE’VE

BEEN EXPECTING YOU.

Darren D. Moore, Ph.D., LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, an assistant professor in Marriage and Family Therapy at a University in Georgia and the founder of The Moore Therapy Movement.

He is a north Minneapolis native, obtained his Bachelors’ degree in African American Studies from the University of Minnesota, his Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Valdosta State University, and his Ph.D. in

At UCare, we know Boomers. So as you make your move to Medicare, consider the health plan that hits all the right notes.

UCare for SeniorsSM lets you choose from plans that cover prescription drugs, travel, eyewear, dental, fitness programs like SilverSneakers® and more.

There are no co-pays for primary care visits with most plans. And you’ll get to talk to a real person 24/7 when you call customer service. It’s just what you’d expect from health care that starts with you.

Learn more about the benefits of UCare for Seniors in our new eGuide to Medicare at ucareplans.org/eguide. Or call (toll free) 1-877-523-1518 (TTY) 1-800-688-2534, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

UCare Minnesota and UCare Health, Inc. are health plans with Medicare contracts. ©2013, UCare H2459 H4270_101512 CMS Accepted (10202012)

Page 12 • August 5 - August 11, 2013 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Photos: WE WIN Institute

Devon Harris & Linda Benford

WE WIN, WE WALK for Educational Excellence

By Titilayo Bediako “We win, we walk for Educational Excellence,” was the chant repeated by 100 WE WIN Institute students, parents and community members during a recent walk around an area lake.

On Saturday, July 27 at Lake Calhoun, an enthusiastic group came together to walk for a quality education for all children. This is the fourth

year that WE WIN Institute has brought community members together with one simple message – all children deserve a quality education.

Children from WE WIN Institute created colorful signs, and hit the Minneapolis streets to educate the community about the importance of a quality education for all students.

WE WIN touts “education excellence” through its year round programming with children ages 5 - 18 years

old. The organization teaches all children who attend its program about the enormous accomplishments of people of African descent.

WE WIN Institute serves children of African descent including Ethiopian, Somalia, and African-American, Latino, Native-American and European Americans. It understands that all these children can learn about African accomplishments while strengthening their reading, writing, and mathematical skills.

Ensaf Yasuf & Mati Negewo

Teresa Baker

Union From 1 The workers also claim they were harassed for speaking to one another in Spanish during breaks.

The 15 also claim immigrant workers at the facility are assigned more difficult and dangerous work, and disciplined more frequently and more harshly than their peers. The workers said they faced intimidation through threats of firing and, in some cases, threats to the person and property.

“It is sad to think that in 2013, employees would be mistreated because of their race, ethnicity or national origin,” said Tim Mackey, business manager for Local 563. “This type of treatment cannot be tolerated, and we intend to demand contract language that protects all of our members from discrimination, harassment, and intimidation.”

According to the Union, negotiations broke down on June 18, when Cretex refused to budge from its demand to eliminate pension contributions and slash workers’ retirement package by roughly 80 percent. Under the company’s proposal, employees would see hourly compensation (wage plus retirement contribution) drop by anywhere from $2.91 and $4.07 in 2013 depending on an employee’s age and the amount he or she puts into the company’s 401(k) plan.

Julio Ocampo Sanchez, a 3-year employee at the plant said he and his fellow Latino co-workers reached their breaking point when the company evidently promoted the most abusive person in the plant.

“We just try to do our jobs and stay out trouble because we’re working toward our pension. Then they threaten to take it away, and suddenly the worst offender is wearing the red hat they give out to

leads. It feels like a deliberate slap in the face,” said Ocampo Sanchez.

Local 563 has reached out to a Federal mediator to facilitate a meeting with the company over the proposed anti-discrimination language.

“We are asking Cretex to come back to the bargaining table to discuss a solution to the issues facing our Latino members,” said Mackey.

“While we remain far apart on the pension issue, there is no reason we can’t find common ground on efforts to prevent future discrimination and pave the way for an eventual settlement.”

Local 563 is organizing a rally at the Shakopee plant, 7070 Cretex Ave. S., to take place Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 10 a.m.

“We aren’t going to quit this fight,” said Mackey. “We are in this until our workers are satisfied with their benefits and the treatment they receive in the workplace.”