Insight News :: 11.12.18

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Insight News November 12 - November 18, 2018

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

Midterms advance equity, diversity

ILHAN

OMAR

ELECTED TO CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 5 SEAT Uchechukwu Iroegbu OMA OM AR 3

Page 2 • November 12 - November 18, 2018 • Insight News

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Insight News November 12 - November 18, 2018

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

Democrats victorious in Minnesota Mid-term Elections

Ellison wins Attorney General seat; Omar elected to Congress District 5 Walz will succeed DFL Gov. Mark Dayton when he takes office in January. Walz said he will continue to push for diversity within state government and within the state’s schools.

Walz is a former educator.

The race for attorney general garnered headlines with talk of immigration and partisanship dominating the talk on the Republican side. Ellison said it is time to end the partisan talk and to welcome immigrants, who he said continue to make Minnesota great.

“This 2018 race allows us to make a definitive statement that we are all in this thing together,” said Ellison.

“We are going to stand together; we are not going to cast anybody away. Immigration is a good thing. The differences we share make us stronger, not weaker.”

Ellison said as attorney general he will be a servant for all of Minnesota.

“I know some folks

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor harry@insightnews.com History was made in Minnesota on Nov. 6 when a little before midnight the race for Minnesota Attorney General was called for Rep. Keith Ellison.

Less climatic due to an overwhelmingly favorable Democratic district, but no less of an accomplishment, Rep. Ilhan Omar made history becoming the first Somali-American to be elected to the U.S. House, where she will represent Minnesota’s 5th District.

The historic wins were part of a Democratic wave in the state.

Come January, every statewide office will be in the hands of Democratic officeholders with the state’s top job going to Tim Walz, who bested President Trump supported Jeff Johnson. Walz’ running mate, State Rep. Peggy Flanagan, will become the nation’s first NativeAmerican lieutenant governor.

Harry Colbert, Jr.

Ellison addressed supporters at DFL victory rally.

ELECTION 7

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board names finalists for superintendent The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) named the top three finalists in its national search for its next superintendent of the Minneapolis Park System.

“We believe our parks are for everyone. This means our next superintendent needs to be an advocate for the youth and families in our city who have so often been left on the margins. After a nationwide search, we are pleased to forward these candidates for consideration. In a field of competitive applicants from every corner of the nation, these three stood out to us as being able to advance this Board›s mandate of increasing our investment in youth, advancing the mission of the Park Board and building an even better park system for our guests and everyone who calls Minne-

Alfred Bangoura apolis their home,” said Park Board President Brad Bourn.

The finalists are, Alfred Bangoura, Seve Ghose and Nick Williams.

Bangoura is recreation superintendent for Mecklenburg

Seve Ghose

Nick WIlliams County Park and Recreation, Charlotte, N.C. Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation serves more than 1.1 million people. Bangoura currently oversees community and recreation services for the coun-

Louisville Parks and Recreation – a system of more than 120 parks covering more than 400 square miles. Some of Ghose’s responsibilities include 13 recreation centers, nine golf courses, two historic

ty’s 17 recreation facilities and three senior and active adult facilities. He previously worked for more than 13 years with the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board.

Ghose is the director of

Ntozake Shange dies at 70 Pioneering poet and playwright Ntozake Shange died on the morning of Oct. 27 at an assisted living facility in Bowie, Md. She was best known for her much celebrated Obie Award-winning play, “For Colored Girls Who

Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow is Enuf.”

Shange, who turned 70 on Oct. 18, had suffered multiple strokes over the past few years. She died in her sleep.

“I write for young girls of color, for girls who don’t even exist yet, so that there is something there for them when they arrive,” Shange once said.

“Zake was a woman of extravagance and flourish, and she left quickly without

Business

MnDot recognizes small business contracting, workforce participation

PAGE 4

suffering,” said her sister Ifa Bayeza, who was also a writer.

“It’s a huge loss for the world. I don’t think there’s a day on the planet when there’s not a young woman who discovers herself through the words of my sister.”

Her death is a “a major shift in the cosmos,” said Sarah Bellamy, associate artistic director for Penumbra Theatre Company in St. Paul. “Ntozake Shange invited us to marvel at

SHANGE 7

Insight 2 Health Movember: It’s more than an excuse to grow out your mustache

PAGE 6

MPRB 4

Power of the gavel: Five Black Caucus members set to chair committees in Congress

Obie Award-winning playwright

By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Contributor

homes and an adaptive and inclusive recreation center.

Ghose has been nationally recognized for his work in parks.

Williams, the director of Parks, Recreation and Youth Development in Oakland, overees the city’s 140 parks, 38 recreation facilities and serves roughly 95,000 enrolled participants annually.

Oakland is one of the most ethnically diverse major U.S. cities, ranking 4th in diversity with a diversity score of 91.4.

Prior to taking the top job in Oakland Williams was the assistant superintendent here in Minneapolis.

The MPRB superintendent provides day-to-day leadership for the 6,811 acre nationally recognized park system.

The superintendent man-

By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Contributor Along with what could be nine new members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), the CBC will also likely feature five new chairs wielding the gavel of five committees in the U.S. House.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) is slated to chair the powerful

Barnard College Archives / Wikimedia Commons

Ntozake Shange, Barnard College, Reid Lecture, Women Issues Luncheon, Women’s Center, November 1978

Lifestyle

Buffalo soldier, 97, recalls racial progress, setbacks

PAGE 8

House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) will be the chairman of Education and the Workforce Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) will chair the Government Oversight Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) will chair Homeland Security and Texas’ Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson will chair the committee on Science, Space and Technology.

A leadership election will be held

CBC 4

AI

Gregory Porter gets personal with new album; covers of Nat ‘King’ Cole

PAGE 11

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Business

MnDot recognizes small business contracting, workforce participation on construction-related activities The Minnesota Department of Transportation honored 10 transportation partners who train, hire and mentor workforce participants and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises at a recognition event held Nov. 7 in St. Paul.

Participants included community-based training organizations,

prime contractors, small business resource centers, unions, small businesses and workforce participants. The event acknowledged the efforts throughout the state to diversify MnDOT’s construction and maintenance projects, according to Kim Collins, director, MnDOT Office of Civil Rights.

“The State of Minnesota and MnDOT are committed to advancing equity through the use of negotiated contracts, training the workforce for construction careers, and expanding opportunities for small businesses in the planning phases of road and bridge projects,” said Collins.

“With help from our transportation partners, we also have exceeded agency goals for increased minorities and women joining the construction workforce.”

From 2016-2018, MnDOT increased diversity in its contractor workforce from 14.5 percent to 18.1 percent for

minorities, and from 5.5 percent to 6.1 percent for women.

Those honored were Tim Farrell, Isaiah, Joelynne Hanson, HanSon Custom Crushing, Inc., and Association of Women Contractors, Yolanda McIntosh, Lunda Construction, Norma Miller, Minneapolis Urban League,

Craig Hanson, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe/Tribal Council, Brian Farmer, Cement Masons, Plasterers and Shophands JATC Local 633, Jamie Theis, J.L. Theis, Inc., J.D. Pride, Pride Cleanup, LLC, Sirish Samba, Sambatek, Inc. and Mel Reeves, HIRE Minnesota.

Rep. Bennie Tompson

Rep. Bobby Scott

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson

Rep. Elijah Cummings

Rep. Maxine Waters

CBC From 3 in the coming weeks to confirm the five as chairs of the committees on which they are now the senior Democrat. None are expected to be challenged. The gavel being held by five African-American members of Congress will give them the power to investigate, hire at least 30 new staff members each and control the policy agenda in the House. Two members who will very likely receive media attention over the next two

months in the lead-up to the start of the new Congress in January 2019 are Waters and Cummings.

Waters has been a leading critic of the Trump Administration. She has been vocal not only against President Trump’s policies, but has led pushback on fiscal policies that impact millions of Americans.

Cummings will have the power to investigate Trump. With the power of the gavel as chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Cummings will be able to subpoena Trump Administration officials on a myriad of issues.

There is also likely to be at least nine new members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and writer for NNPA as well as a political analyst and communications strategist. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke.

MPRB From 3 ages an annual operating and capital budget of $120 million and oversees the work of approximately 570 full-time and 1,170 temporary Minneapolis Parks employees.

This superintendent search marks the first time in the MPRB’s 135-year history that community engagement played a role in determining the next superintendent.

From July through August, more than 22 listening sessions were held with community members, employees and other MPRB stakeholders to learn what qualities they sought in a superintendent. This month, a community selection committee used information gathered during listening sessions to establish relevant criteria and prioritize candidates. Then an internal team comprised of Bourn, Vice President AK Hassan and Commissioner Latrisha Vetaw narrowed the list to the top three finalists.

Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board commissioners will interview finalists during a public meeting, Tuesday (Nov. 13) from 4 p.m. – 6:35 p.m. at MPRB headquarters boardroom, 2117 W. River Rd. The meeting and interviews will be streamed live on the MPRB Facebook page.

The selection of a new Superintendent is expected to be announced sometime between late November to mid-December.

Former MPRB Superintendent Jayne Miller resigned from the Park Board in February 2018 to take a position leading a publicprivate parks conservancy in Pittsburgh. Superintendent Emeritus Mary Merrill was selected by the board to fulfill Miller’s contract and to assist in the search process for the next superintendent.

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Insight News • November 12 - November 18, 2018 • Page 5

Minneapolis-based Blexit threatens trademark infringement, legal action against Candace Owens Candace Owens, a conservative pundit, launched a “Blexit” campaign where she calls for Black people to leave the Democratic party.

Problem is, Blexit already exist and it has nothing to do with President Trump or the Republican Party. And the founders of the true Blexit say Owens, who’s been an avid Trump supporter, has collaborated with right-wing conservatives in their efforts to support Trump’s ideology masked as “free-thinking.” And they say her approach is antitheti-

Annabelle Marcovici/Twin Cities Daily Planet

(Left to right) Me’Lea Conelly, Jonathan Banks and Malcolm Wells in the hall of the Association for Black Economic Power office.

NRRC asks residents to ‘give to the max’ The Northside Residents Redevelopment Council (NRRC) and GiveMN.org Give to the Max Day campaign has begun.

NRRC is asking people to consider giving and telling friends to donate any day through Nov. 15 for maximum community impact.

NRRC’s top priority this year is the renovation of an abandoned 100-year-old house, which it plans to turn into a head-

quarters for NRRC with community gathering and learning spaces. The organizations hopes the headquarters will be an example of how an urban home can combine sustainable practices such as water recapture, solar energy and high efficiency with affordable and healthy living.

In addition, NRRC’s goal is to develop youth programming curriculum in the cultivation of flowers, edible

SPOTLIGHT Hawthorne Backpacks for Beacons Hawthorne Neighborhood Council along with Unison Comfort Technologies was able to collect 20 backpacks for Hmong International Academy Beacons Program.

This was the first year a collection was done for this site.

Leslie Rogers, office coordinator presented the students with the backpacks and stated, “It was a joy to see the smile on their faces.”

Northside holiday crawl

Museum, 120 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul. The event will have an interactive panel of mental health professionals, working with schools and parents to help them identify signs of emotional issues affecting grades and behaviors in students. Also, they will discuss tools and skills to better support the students and connect them with mental health services in their community.

This is a free event, but there are limited seats. For more information, or to reserve your spot, visit www.calltomindnow. org.

mushrooms, medicinal plants and honey/beeswax products.

NRRC will offer tours, educational workshops, certification classes, space rental for community events and more.

The organization says donation of any size will help bring NRRC’s vision to life.

Donations of $10 will receive a NRRC keychain flashlight, donations of $25 will receive a raffle entry for a free month

membership to the Minneapolis Bouldering Project, $50 donations will receive a sustainability kit with reusable straw and canteen and $100-plus donations will be creatively recognized at the NRRC House (name on a stepping stone, initials in a wind chime, painted into a rain barrel mural, etc.). People can give online at www.givemn.org/organization/Northside-ResidentsRedevelopment-Council.

Hawthorne Neighborhood Council’s Podcast

The first episode of November is an interview with Minneapolis City Councilmember Jeremiah Ellison, in which he discusses a broad range of topics including policing in Minneapolis. The most recent episode, recorded at the October Hawthorne Huddle, is a conversation about aging in North Minneapolis that focused on Dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Hawthorne Neighborhood Council has a new podcast.

“Our Community, Our Business” posts new episodes twice a month. Host Andrew Bornhoft interviews people, businesses, and institutions important to the Hawthorne and North Minneapolis communities. Past guests have included Insight News editor-in-chief Al McFarlane, talking about media and its relationship to North Minneapolis, Lissa Jones from KMOJ, who spoke about the history of the Black community in North Minneapolis and Cathy Spann who spoke about community outreach.

Subscribe to “Our Community, Our Business” by searching for it in iTunes or listen to it on the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council website at www. hawthorneneighborhoodcouncil. org/podcast-our-community-ourbusiness.

cal to the real Blexit organization. The Minneapolis based non-profit formed in 2016 has served Owens with a cease and desist letter.

“Me’lea Conley came up with the term, Blexit, which is a play off of Brexit,” said Jonathan Banks, a cofounder of Blexit. “It was about Blacks needing to exit the financial system, which is part of the system of oppression. It’s about starting to build a system that can support us and be a healing institution for this country.

Since its formation, which came after, and as a result of, the police killing of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Blexit’s national reach has shown up through work like the Black Transfer Challenge (2016), participation the 50th Anniversary of Southern Cooperatives (2017) and chartering a credit union, Village Financial Cooperative – a proposed Black-led credit union on the Northside of Minneapolis. Blexit has a membership that spans the United States, with members in almost every state and some international.

Conley said the true Blexit is a national movement addressing racial disparity and

oppression through economic activism. It was galvanized to deploy economic campaigns resulting in community-owned financial institutions, equitable lending and an increase of investment in Black-owned banks and credit unions in 2016. She said the movement is crucial to the future of Black Americans who are expected to have a net worth of $0 by 2053.

“The attempt to coopt the name, Blexit, by political right-wing activists is a direct attack against the hard work being done to combat economic injustices in the state with the second worst racial disparities in the nation,” said Connelly in a statement. “#ReclaimBlexit is a direct response to the attempted co-opting of the true Blexit movement. It confronts the false narrative of Black political conversion and asserts Black economic power as the foundation of the Blexit creed. Blexit in its nature is not a political agenda that upholds division but a theory of change to collectively build new systems that benefit Black Americans.”

Village Financial is set to launch sometime next year at 227 Colfax Ave. N., Minneapolis

The West Broadway Area Coalition invites residents to join them from Nov. 18 to Dec. 31 for the Northside Holiday crawl. This is a six-week long advertising campaign highlighting special sales and holiday events across North Minneapolis. For more info, visit www.northmpls.org/ holidaycrawl.

Spotlight on student mental health There is a new conversation about mental health. Join Hawthorne Neighborhood Council on Nov. 17 at the Science

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Page 6 • November 12 - November 18, 2018 • Insight News

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Insight 2 Health Movember: It’s more than an excuse to grow out your mustache

By North Memorial Staff

Movember is upon us.

Tis the season to grow out your ‘staches and goatees to raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues.

It’s also a good time to be proactive about your health and remind the men in your life to do the same.

Research shows, men who go to the doctor less than women are more likely to have serious conditions when they do finally see a doctor. For this reason, it’s critical for men to develop relationships with their doctors and take control of their health, proactively.

Preventative health visits should be scheduled every two years until age 50 and then once a year. Men over age 34 should be checked for high cholesterol and heart disease every five years.

Men’s Health Tips Regular exercise, a healthy diet, maximizing sleep and minimizing stress are the keys to health at any age. Some health conditions that only affect men, such as prostate cancer and low testosterone, and many of the major health risks like heart disease, can be prevented and treated with early diagnosis. Here are some ways to stay healthy, specifically for men.

Keep your heart healthy Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men.

African-American men are 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease and 60 percent more likely to die from stroke according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To minimize your risk for heart disease, control your blood pressure and cholesterol, do not smoke, exer-

cise, eat more fruits and vegetables and less saturated and trans fats and keep your waist line less than 40 inches.

Protect your prostate Prostate cancer is second the most common cancer in men, and the rates of prostate cancer and related deaths in AfricanAmerican men are among the highest in the world. To protect your prostate, maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, eat lots of fruits and vegetables and see your doctor regularly for preventative care.

Keep your hormone levels steady Testosterone levels decline as men age which can result in a loss of stamina and strength as well as low libido and sleep changes. Minimize testosterone levels declining as you age with aerobic exercise and weight and resistance training to maintain muscle mass.

Get enough protein Protein helps build muscles, which is especially important as you age and start to lose muscle mass. Men should get about 56 grams of protein daily and distribute their protein intake throughout the day to feel full longer. To get your recommended daily dose of protein eat whole foods, fish, lean means, seafood, chicken and eggs and plant-based proteins like quinoa, hummus and beans.

Men’s health services at North North Memorial Health provides comprehensive health care for everyone with a full range from primary care to specialty care such as urology, cardiology, sports medicine and more. If you have a men’s health concern or would like to schedule a routine check-up, call (763) 581- CARE or visit www.northmemorial.com.

NMH

In “Movember” we focus on men’s health issues.

Help is available to navigate Medicare enrollment changes Commentary by Kari Benson, executive director of the Minnesota Board on Aging; Jessica Looman, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce; Jan Malcolm,commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health; Emily Piper, commissioner of Minnesota Department of Human Services While Medicare open enrollment is an important time for beneficiaries every fall, this year brings the most significant changes in the enrollment process since the Medicare Part D drug benefit was introduced in 2006.

Minnesota is especially impacted because Cost Plans, a type of Medicare plan very popular in our state, will no longer be available in much of the state for 2019 due to a change in federal law. This means about 375,000 Minnesotans will need to change their Medicare coverage.

As leaders of our state agencies, we have a unique perspective on the health of Minnesotans and what it takes to maintain healthy communities. Medicare and other health care coverage play an important part. We want to make sure Minnesotans on Medi-

care are aware of the timelines for the open enrollment process and of the help available to them along the way.

Most of the one million Minnesotans with Medicare are not affected by the Cost Plan change, and beneficiaries in 21 counties will be able to keep their Cost Plans in 2019 because of limited Medicare options where they live. But the majority of Cost Plan beneficiaries will have to choose new coverage for 2019 or risk returning to Original Medicare, which could be very costly. They were notified of this change

by Medicare and their Cost Plan insurers earlier this fall.

The 2019 Medicare open enrollment period has already begun. We encourage beneficiaries to review their Medicare options to make sure the plan they are considering for 2019 is both affordable and provides access to the doctors, clinics, hospitals and pharmacies they want and need.

The Minnesota Board on Aging’s Senior LinkAge Line can help. The free information and assistance service now and every year helps Minnesotans on Medicare weigh their plan options by providing them with free, comprehensive, unbiased Medicare counseling. This year, Senior LinkAge Line is extending its business hours and will be open from 8 a.m. to 6

p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. You can contact specialists at (800) 3332433 and via chat at www.

SeniorLinkAgeLine.com.

Also new this year is a Medicare Advantage Enrollment Period in 2019 during which someone with a

28 beneficiaries who lost their Cost Plan can choose a Medicare Advantage Plan and/or Part D prescription drug plan.

On Jan. 1 Medicare beneficiaries whose Cost Plan ends Dec. 31, and who did not enroll in a new plan will return to Original Medicare (Parts A & B only) and will have

As leaders of our state agencies... We want to make sure Minnesotans on Medicare are aware of the timelines for the open enrollment process...

- Kari Benson, Jessica Looman, Jan Malcolm, and Emily Piper Medicare Advantage plan can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan, drop their Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare and add or drop a standalone Part D prescription drug plan.

Key dates for Medicarerelated events in the next few months are now through Dec. 7 when Medicare Open Enrollment for 2019 takes place and any Medicare beneficiary can choose a new plan.

Until March 4 beneficiaries who lost their Cost Plan and switched to Original Medicare for 2019 can buy a Medigap policy without any health screening. From Dec. 8 – Feb.

large cost-sharing amounts.

The Medicare Advantage Enrollment Period, new for 2019, starts Jan. 1 – March 31. This allows someone with a Medicare Advantage plan to switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or drop their Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare and/ or add or drop a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan.

We want Minnesotans on Medicare to navigate these changes successfully for a healthy 2019 and beyond, knowing that excellent resources are available to help them.

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Insight News • November 12 - November 18, 2018 • Page 7

Trump’s campaign strategist hired for Nigerian presidential race GIN – Cash money makes things happen.

That’s an expression taken from the “Urban Dictionaryâ€? but it may also be the hope of Atiku Abubakar, candidate for president of Nigeria with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, which just hired President Donald Trump’s lobbying ďŹ rm at an astronomical price.

The Florida-based ďŹ rm is led by Brian Ballard of Ballard Partners – a veteran Florida lobbyist who raised money for Trump’s campaign and inauguration. His ďŹ rm will earn $90,000 monthly for its services “plus the reasonable costs associated with the representation, including but not limited to, necessary

registration fees and travel expenses.�

Abubakar was Nigeria’s vice president from 1999 to 2007 and a former ally of current president, Muhammadu Buhari. Elections are scheduled for 2019.

While politicians can raise huge sums to boost their chances at the ballot box, Nigeria has just overtaken India in extreme poverty, based on a projection by the World Poverty Clock and compiled by the Brookings Institute. An estimated 87 million Nigerians, or around half of the country›s population, are thought to be living on less than $1.90 a day. The average yearly salary in Nigeria is $3,596 with a maximum of $27,320 and a

minimum of $202.

The largest oil producer in Africa, Nigeria still fails to translate its resource wealth into rising living standards, according to CNN in a recent feature story.

According to a published copy of the contract, Ballard Partners will advocate for the client before the U.S. government including, but not limited to, enhancement of U.S.-Nigerian relations; strengthening and advancing democratic values and the rule of law in Nigeria with a special focus in the coming months on maintaining political and security conditions free of intimidation and interference in order to ensure the success and fairness of Nigeria’s

Atiku Abubakar

national election for president in 2019.

Ballard is closer to the U.S. president than perhaps any other lobbyist in town, writes the online news site Politico. “I’m proud of our association with the administration,�

Ballard told USA Today. “But we strive diligently to prove our worth based on merits, not on who did what during the campaign. That’s in the past.�

It’s not the ďŹ rst time that pricey U.S. lobbyists have been hired in Nigeria. In 2014 Nigeria’s ruling party, All Progressives Congress, hired Chicago-based AKPD Media, a ďŹ rm founded by David Axelrod that also worked for former president Barrack Obama, to help in the 2015 election.

Rights groups condemn rise of homophobia in Tanzania GIN – Dar es Salaam’s governor, Paul Makonda, has begun urging citizens to report homosexuals for round-ups, sending hundreds of LGBTQ activists into hiding to avoid arrest. “If you know any gays ‌ report them to me,â€? Makonda told reporters, according to CNN. In an interview posted on YouTube, Makonda said he had already received more than 5,700 messages from the public, including more than 100 names. A conviction for having “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of natureâ€? can lead to up to 30

years in jail in Tanzania.

The latest attacks are an ugly reprise to similar statements

by President John Magufuli, once seen as a decisive ďŹ gure determined to run a frugal government, stamp out corruption and deliver better services. But once in power, “he turned from cracking down on corrupt government oďŹƒcials to evoking colonial laws in order to police women’s bodies, reinforce discrimination against girls and now, in this latest move, to hunt down homosexuals,â€? wrote Patience Akumu, an African feminist and feature writer for the Kampala Observer in Uganda.

Gay people face persecution across much of Africa with human rights groups often reluctant to speak publicly in defense of gay rights. But in the shadow of the “MeToo� movement, homophobia is facing a push-back – at least from some.

Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, condemned Makonda’s round-up as “a witch-hunt (which) could be interpreted as a license to carry out violence ‌ against those perceived to be LGBT(Q)â€?. “The government has a duty to protect everyone in Tanzania and uphold their human rights

Shange

She invited us to practice the ritual of loving ourselves.�

Shange was also the author of the novels “Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo,� “Liliane,� and “Betsey Brown,� a novel about a Black girl who runs away from home.

Shange was also awarded a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship an in April 2016.

Her most celebrated and famous work was the 20part poem, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow is Enuf,�

depicting the lives of women of color. The poem was made into the stage play and a published book in 1977. In 2010, Tyler Perry made her work into a ďŹ lm entitled a “For Colored Girls.â€?

The recent book

by Donna Brazile, Yolanda

Caraway, Leah Daughtry, Minyon Moore, and Veronica Chambers, entitled “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics,� was a play on the famous work by Shange.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent jour-

nalist and writer for NNPA as well as a political analyst and communications strategist. She appears regularly on Roland Martin Unfiltered and can be contacted at LBurke007@ gmail.com and on twitter at @ LVBurke

nouncing he would seek statewide oďŹƒce. As the district’s representative he made history becoming the ďŹ rst Muslim elected to Congress. Omar, who will now serve the 5th, made history in 2016 when she was elected to the Minnesota House becoming the ďŹ rst SomaliAmerican nationwide to serve in a state House. When Omar takes her oath of oďŹƒce she will do so as a member of the House majority; as Democrats won enough seats to take control of the House. The same is true in the Minnesota House with the DFL ipping 17 state seats.

Ellison’s victory over another of Trump’s touted candidates, Doug Wardlow, was somewhat of a nail-biter with some polls having Ellison down as many as eight points, but a strong ground game, particularly in the state’s metro areas, seems to be what propelled Ellison to a near four-point victory.

In Hennepin County, Angela Conley and Irene Fernando made history becoming the ďŹ rst people of color ever elected to the Hennepin County Board. Conley is African-American and Fernando is Filipino-American. Conley defeated incumbent Peter McLaughlin in the county’s 4th District and Fernando beat Blong Yang in the 1st District, a seat vacated by Linda Higgins. “With this race and with all of the races we’re seeing there’s a movement. There are people with a deep commitment for inclusion and equity,â€?

said Fernando. “Our community is big enough for all of us.�

Hennepin County voters also ousted Sheri Rick Stanek, narrowly selecting former Minneapolis Police OďŹƒcer Dave Hutch. Hutch will be in rareďŹ ed territory when he assumes the oďŹƒce as one of the nation’s only openly gay sheris. Stanek’s campaign hit a hurdle in the ďŹ nal week when a partygoer at his Oct. 27 Halloween-themed fundraiser posted a video to Facebook that featured the sheri and others – many who were making jokes about homosexuality and cultural appropriation.

One race that didn’t go in favor of progressive voters was the one for Hennepin County Attorney. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman was able to handily beat his opponent, Mark Haase, besting him by more than 43,000 votes. Many were paying close attention to this race in hopes of ousting Freeman for his decision to not prosecute Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze, the two Minneapolis Police OďŹƒcers who killed unarmed Jamar Clark on Nov. 15, 2015. Freeman decided against a grand jury hearing and made the decision not to prosecute himself.

State Rep. Rena Moran (DFL) was re-elected to serve residents of St. Paul in 65A, beating her challenger, Monique Giordana. Moran got 86.76 percent of the vote.

In Brooklyn Park, Hollies Winston fell short in

his bid to become the city’s ďŹ rst Black mayor, losing to incumbent Jerey Lunde.

However, Wynfred Russell, a Liberian-American, will be the ďŹ rst Black person to sit on the city’s city council when he is sworn in, as he defeated incumbent Bob Mata in Ward W. Kimberly Caprini was elected to the Minneapolis School Board, ďŹ lling one of two at-large seats. The board is one of the most diverse in the state with Caprini, African-American, joining Kim Ellison, KerryJo Felder and Siad Ali, all of African origin.

Statewide, voter turnout was impressive, with more than 63 percent of all eligible voters casting ballots.

That is the highest percentage of voter participation in Minnesota for a midterm election since 2002 and the largest raw total for a midterm election in Minnesota history according to the secretary of state. “Minnesota elections are a model for the nation,� said Simon in a statement. “Not only do Minnesotans value civic engagement, but you have demanded from your government a voting system that makes it as easy as possible for Minnesotans to exercise their voice and power at the polls.

Whether or not our participation rate this year means we will maintain our number one in the nation status, I will always consider you the best voters in our great country.�Seventy-seven percent of Hennepin County voters cast ballots compared

to just 59 percent in the 2014 midterm. Totals for Ramsey

County were not available at time of press.

From 3 the resiliency and power that women of color harness in order to survive a hostile world.

Election From 3 said if they won they were going to ďŹ re all the people in the attorney general’s oďŹƒce, but I’m here to tell you that the only criteria for working in the Minnesota Attorney General’s oďŹƒce is if you will serve the public interest,â€? said Ellison. “If you will ďŹ ght hard to ensure that Minnesotans can live a digniďŹ ed, full life then you’re the type of person we’re looking for.â€?

As expected, Sen. Amy Klobuchar – who some are saying could be a contender in 2020 for a presidential bid – cruised to victory over her Republican opponent, Jim Newberger, getting more than 60 percent of the vote; and Sen. Tina Smith beat Republican challenger Karin Housley by nearly 10 percentage points. Smith’s election will ďŹ ll the remainder of the term of Al Franken, who resigned the seat last year.

Other Democrats winning statewide oďŹƒces were Sec. Steve Simon, secretary of state and Julie Blaha, auditor.

For Ellison and Omar, making history is becoming par for the course. It also solidiďŹ es Minnesota’s 5th as one of the most progressive congressional districts in the nation.

Ellison served the district for 12 years before an-

ClassiÀeds

Phone: 612.588.1313

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without discrimination,� said Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty’s East Africa regional director in a statement. “They must not initiate programs or use government agencies to rob LGBTI people of their rights.�

Even the Tanzanian foreign ministry has distanced itself from the governor’s harsh rhetoric, saying Makonda’s campaign represents his own views and not the oďŹƒcial government position.

American citizen travelers have been warned of the planned crackdown and were urged to review social media proďŹ les for possibly illegal content.

Dar es Salaam Gov. Paul Makonda

Fax: 612.588.2031 /,/Âś6 $1*(/6 0(025< /266 6833257 *5283

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Page 8 • November 12 - November 18, 2018 • Insight News

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Lifestyle

Buffalo soldier, 98, recalls racial progress, setbacks

By Pam Kragen Reprinted courtesy of the San Diego Union-Tribune March 9, 2017 At age 97, “Papa Ray” Robinson has a unique perspective on Black history in America.

One of the few surviving “buffalo soldiers” from World War II, Robinson is a grandson of freed slaves who lived to see a Black man elected president of the United States.

Now he says he’s witnessing another twist in the fabric of American history, a politically charged backlash led by white supremacists. Robinson said he’s confident that this historical pendulum swing is temporary, but he doesn’t expect to survive it.

“These are very troubling times,” Robinson said Tuesday, in an interview at the Encinitas home of his daughter, Donna Marie Robinson. “I’m afraid I’ll pass from this Earth before anything changes. But I do believe things will get better. I have to believe that.”

Robinson will talk about his

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

Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane

life on Thursday evening at the American Legion Post 416 in Encinitas. The event will raise money to renovate and expand the 84-year-old veterans center. Ralph Bettencourt, who is heading up the “Save Our Legion” campaign, will host the Q&A discussion, which is the fifth in a series of “living history” presentations at the post.

“Ray Robinson is one of the finest human beings I have had the privilege to know,” Bettencourt said. “The grandson of freed slaves, he served his country at time when Blacks were considered less than whites in this country. He did so with honor and pride. Ray, by upbringing, is an optimist.”

For one month every winter, Robinson and his wife of 53 years, Lottie, visit their daughter in Encinitas to temporarily escape the frigid weather in their hometown of Plymouth, Minn. Although he walks a lot slower than he used to, Robinson’s wit and memories remain razor-sharp. As always, he starts each day before dawn watching MSNBC cable news and reading at least two daily newspapers.

He’s an avowed buff on politics, history, sports and jazz music and a great lover of conversation.

“Ray never met a stranger,” said Lottie, his wife. “He’s always been a people person. I’ll send him to the store for something and he’s gone for an hour because he always meets his new best friend wherever he goes.”

Robinson doesn’t shy away from talking about the election of Donald Trump or the rising tide of racism in this country. He said the seeds of hate

were germinated during the Civil War and the recent outbreak is just the latest bloom.

“Vestiges of that mentality still remain today,” he said.

“The grandsons, the greatgrandsons … of those plantation owners, they’re still alive.”

Robinson never met his own grandparents, but he knows their story. They were young slaves on an Alabama plantation when Abraham Lincoln — Robinson’s favorite president — signed the Emancipation Proclamation. They stayed on in Alabama after the war, but their son Benjamin, born in October 1891, hopped a freight train west when he turned 17.

“The South was a brutal place during the Reconstruction era. You couldn’t imagine the brutality. He had to get out,” Robinson said.

After working in a turpentine mill in Mississippi and on a sugarcane farm in Louisiana, “Benny” ended up an oil worker in Baytown, Texas. That’s where he met his future wife and they had 12 children. Ray was the fifth child, born on Jan. 5, 1920. Like his father before him, Ray had the gift of gab and an inextinguishable supply of optimism.

He was 9 years old when the Depression hit and his father’s wages were cut by a third to 50 cents an hour. Times were tough, but they improved under Franklin D. Roosevelt (Robinson’s second favorite president), whose Civilian Conservation Corps work program provided Robinson with his first paycheck at age 18. Two years later, he told his parents he want-

Robinson Family

(An undated image of young Army Infantryman Ray Robinson taken during World War II ed to enlist in the U.S. Army.

“My mom raised a whole bunch of sand,” he said. “She said ‘why fight for a country that’s not fighting for you?’

I told her I believed things were going to get better.”

In August 1940, he joined the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division, known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The nickname was coined in the late 1800s by Indian tribes who compared the curly hair of Black soldiers to the coats of bison. Robinson became a firearms trainer, teaching a growing flood of young Black recruits at bases in in North Carolina, Louisiana and Virginia. In 1942, Robinson’s division boarded the S.S. Columbia, a French luxury liner, bound for Italy. He remembers a constant roar of explosions as the ship pulled into port at Livorno.

Robinson earned three Bronze Stars in a long series of major battles in Italy, from Rome to the Po Valley to the North Apen-

San Diego Union-Tribune

“Papa Ray” Robinson is the grandson of freed slaves. nines. His best friend Henry was cut in two by German machine gun fire but he avoided major injuries, at least visible ones.

“When we were crossing the Arno, the firing was all around me,” he recalled. “It was the most horrible sound hearing those bullets hitting bodies. I might not have physical scars but there are mental scars forever.”

Robinson said serving overseas in a segregated unit was a positive and bonding experience, but returning home to the U.S. was a harsh wake-up call.

“I could fight for my country, but if I wanted a hamburger I had to go around to the back door to buy it,” he said. “I had bad racial memories but after meeting my wife, it toned the ugliness down.”

The couple met at a jazz club in Chicago in 1964, where he’d moved after a few years working as a dining car waiter on the railroads. He spent many years with the U.S. Postal Service in Chicago, then moved his wife and daughters, Donna Marie and

Rhonda, to Texas, where he built a home on family property near Houston. In 1995, the Robinsons relocated to Minnesota to be near Rhonda and her family.

Although Robinson officially retired in his early 60s, he missed the daily interaction with the public, so he kept working at various jobs well into his 90s. He served as a driver for famed Texas newspaperman Fred Hartman, stocked shelves at Costco and Sam’s Club. And most recently, he volunteered for five years at a VA hospital in Minneapolis. Because he could no longer drive, he took a bus and two trains to reach the hospital each day.

“He believed that the young men and women who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan deserved to be treated with respect and comforted,” Donna Marie said.

Robinson is proud of his service, but they’re bittersweet memories. He was given the nickname “Papa Ray” years ago because he’s one of the last surviving WWII veterans at his VFW post. These days he looks at war as a waste of lives and a destructive cycle that man can’t seem to escape. He feels the same way about racism.

“I’m an old man now in the twilight of his years,” he said. “What we’re looking at now I thought would’ve been behind us. I don’t know where we’re going from here but it’s disturbing to me.”

Ray Robinson was a guest on “Conversations with Al McFarlane, which aired on Nov. 6 on KFAI-FM. The broadcast is available online at www.kfai. org/conversationswithalmcfarlane.

Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford

DeShun ‘Springs’ Patterson joins the Globetrotters

Managing Editor Harry Colbert, Jr.

ATLANTA – The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters,

who are preparing to enter their 93rd season of entertain-

ing fans around the world, unveiled its 10-player rookie

Culture and Education Editor Dr. Irma McClaurin Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles

class for 2019, which includes a Minneapolis native DeShun “Springs” Patterson earned national recognition for his leaping ability after representing his college, Tabor (Kan.) College, in the 2018 College Slam Dunk Competition, where he went

Kennedy

High School.

Included in the class are new players, including “Sweet Lou II” Dunbar, the son of Globetrotters legend Sweet Lou Dunbar, and Lili Thompson, a member of Notre Dame’s women’s national championship team last

Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Content & Production Coordinator Sunny Thongthi Yang Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed

WITH GUEST MC

Receptionist Lue B. Lampley

Kurttis Blow

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

ARRIVE ONE HOUR EARLY FOR THE ORDWAY EXTRA

NOV 20: DJ DIGIE AND HOUSE OF DANCE TWIN CITIES NOV 21: DJ DIGIE

NOV 20–21 7:30PM 651.224.4222 TTY651.282.3100 MUSIC & MOVEMENT SERIES SPONSORED BY

PRESENTED BY

ORDWAY.ORG/ACCESS This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

DeShaun “Springs” Patterson head-to-head with some of the best dunkers in the country.

The 5’9” Minneapolis native made it all the way to the semifinals of the competition where he was bested out by his new fellow teammate and rookie, Max “Hops” Pearce. Patterson joins the Globetrotters after a career at Tabor College where he averaged 12.2 points per game his senior campaign, earned all-conference honors and led the Bluejays to the Elite Eight of the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Patterson played his high school ball at Bloomington

season who previously led Stanford to the women’s Final Four as well. Patterson, Dunbar and Thompson are joined by eight other players who are joining the Globetrotters.

Since the team’s inception in 1926, the Globetrotters have played before millions of fans in 123 countries around the world. Inductees of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Globetrotters have entertained hundreds of millions of fans – among them popes, kings, queens, and presidents – over nine decades.

insightnews.com

Insight News • November 12 - November 18, 2018 • Page 9

Spyro Gyra

The One Love Movement with DJ Verb X Pimento Jamaican Kitchen 2524 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis 9 p.m.

21-plus

Monday, Nov. 12– Sunday, Nov. 25

Aesthetically It! is a list of picks from the editors of Aesthetically Speaking. Aesthetically It! features venues, events, outings and more that are worthy of “It” status. If you have a venue, event or outing that you feel is “It” worthy, email us at aestheticallyit@ insightnews.com

Monday, Nov. 12 KARAOKE

Wednesday, Nov. 14 REGGAE Reggae Dancehall Wednesdays The Red Sea 320 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis 10 p.m. – 2 a.m.

18-plus No cover DJ Sound of Fujun will be in the mix playing the best in reggae, dancehall, soca, hip-hop and more.

Thursday, Nov. 15 JAZZ

Autotune Karaoke Mortimer’s 2001 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis 9 p.m. – 2 a.m.

21-plus No cover Tryout to sing some of your favorite songs auto-tuned at Mortimer’s.

Tuesday, Nov. 13 REGGAE

DJ Verb X plays all your favorite Reggae, ‘90s hiphop and R&B and more every second and fourth Tuesday of the month.

Spyro Gyra Dakota Jazz Club 1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. $30-$50 With more than 10 million albums sold to their credit, contemporary jazz icons Spyro Gyra comes to the Dakota for two shows.

Friday, Nov. 16

Evan Christopher’s Clarinet Road CELEBRATING THE NOLA TRICENTENNIAL

AWARDS 2018 African Community Appreciation and Awards Gala DoubleTree Minneapolis North Hotel 2200 Freeway Blvd., Minneapolis 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

The African Community Appreciation and Awards Gala will feature cuisine, live entertainment, cultural performances, community awards, a keynote message, fashion show, spoken word and more.

Saturday, Nov. 17 HIP-HOP/DANCE NIGHT A-Quil At NE Palace NE Palace 2500 4th St. N.E., Minneapolis 9:30 p.m. – 2 a.m.

21-plus $5 DJ A-Quil will have his second round at NE Palace playing current hip-hop with throwback joints from the ‘90s, early ‘00s, reggae, reggaeton, house and R&B.

Sunday, Nov. 18 HIP-HOP B.O.N.E. Thugs N Harmony Skyway Theatre 711 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis 8 p.m.

18-plus $25 general admission, $47 reserved seating

Legendary Cleveland-based hip-hop group, B.O.N.E., plays the Skyway.

Monday, Nov. 19 ART Somalis + Minnesota Minnesota History Center 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul Museum hours Somalis + Minnesota is a new exhibit in collaboration with the Somali Museum of Minnesota retracing the history of the Somali population. Exhibit runs through June.

Tuesday, Nov. 20 ART Egypt’s Sunken Cities Minneapolis Institute of Arts 2400 3rd Ave. S., Minneapolis 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. $20 adult, $16 child More than 1200 years ago, two ancient cities were lost to natural disasters and the rising tides of the Mediterranean Sea. Two decades ago, underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio and his team discovered those cities, revealing monumental statues, religious images carved in stone, exquisite jewelry, and delicate ceramics – and a greater understanding of life during the age of the pharaohs.

Exhibit runs through April.

Wednesday, Nov. 21

5 p.m. – 10 p.m.

THEATER

The Minneapolis holiday tradition Holidazzle returns to Loring Park for five weekends of community festivities. This year’s Holidazzle mixes weekly activities with a collection of new programs on the schedule that will add to the holiday cheer.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas Children’s Theatre Company 2400 3rd Ave. S., Minneapolis 7 p.m. $15-$71 A miserly and miserable, ever-so-cantankerous Grinch has witnessed the despicable Christmas joy of the Whos with disdain, from a distance, for decades.

Enough. In this favorite holiday story, filled with music and Seussian rhymes, the Grinch conceives a dastardly plot to destroy what they love. It’s the smallest of the Whos tiny Cindy Lou, who extends a hand. Runs through Jan. 6.

Thursday, Nov. 22 OPEN MIC

Saturday, Nov. 24 HIP-HOP Astralblak Record Release Varsity Theater 1308 4th St SE, Minneapolis 8 p.m. $10 Astralblak (formerly ZULUZUULUU) releases its new project at the Night Church dance party at the Varsity.

Sunday, Nov. 25 R&B/HIP-HOP

Soul Sounds Open Mic Golden Thyme Coffee Shop 921 Selby Ave., St. Paul 6 p.m.

Tish Jones hosts this weekly open mic on Selby Ave in St. Paul.

Friday, Nov. 23

6LACK “From East Atlanta With Love” Tour First Avenue 701 1st Ave, Minneapolis 7 p.m.

18-plus $30 advance, $35 day of show Summer Walker and Deante Hitchcock open for the Atlanta rising star, 6LACK, who will be in town promoting his new album, “From East Atlanta With Love.”

FAMILY/WINTER ACTIVITIES Holidazzle 2018 Loring Park 1382 Willow St. Minneapolis

BIRDS OF CHICAGO

SECUL AR GOSPEL AMERIC ANA DUO

Morris Day

Morris Day to perform at halftime of Timberwolves game on Nov. 16

NOV 27–28 • 8PM v ieux- car r e.com INFO 651.291.2715 / TICKETS 612.332.5299

DEC 6 • 7PM 612.332.5299 • dakotacooks.com

Minneapolis musical legend Morris Day will perform at halftime of the Friday, (Nov. 16) game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The game, which tips at 7 p.m., will be the first time the Wolves will wear the Prince-inspired City Edition uniforms. The game is the first in a series of halftime acts that will take place in conjunction with the City Edition uniform nights at Target Center during the season. The team unveiled

the uniforms during an early November event at Paisley Park. The new look is a result of a collaborative effort between the Timberwolves, Nike and the Prince estate.

Day, an award-winning artist, is best known for being the lead vocalist of The Time and his current band, Morris Day and The Time.

Day also appeared alongside Prince in the film “Purple Rain” which grossed more than $80 million when it debuted in 1984.

Page 10 • November 12 - November 18, 2018 • Insight News

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Insight News • November 12 - November 18, 2018 • Page 11

Porter to perform with Minnesota Orchestra

Gregory Porter gets personal with new album; covers of Nat ‘King’ Cole “Nat’s music is very important to me. After I lost my father I used to view Nat as a father,” said Porter. “Although (‘Nat ‘King’ Cole & Me’) is mostly covers, it’s really a part of me. It’s the sound and environment of my childhood. The underlying message is really me searching for my father.”

Titles on the new album such as “I Wonder Who My Daddy Is” demonstrate how personal the project is to Porter. Before “Nat ‘King’ Cole & Me” was an album it was a 2004 theatrical musical produced and starring Porter.

The vocalist said the play, and now the album, are a part of his therapy in coping with the absence of his father.

“My father passed away when I was 20. I was 30 when I wrote the musical and I’m still exercising that feeling,” said Porter,

By Harry Colbert,Jr Managing Editor harry@insightnews.com There is an abundance of research showing the correlation between music and healing, but oftentimes the research is devoted to the listener, without regard for the healing the artist may need.

While Gregory Porter’s “Nat ‘King’ Cole & Me” is an auditory gem for the listener, the primary audience is Porter himself.

The 15-track album – all but one, covers of Cole classics – is a therapeutic release for Porter, who said the album is an expression of his wanting for love from his biological father, who has passed away.

Porter, a two-time Grammy winning jazz vocalist, said in the absence of his father he adopted Cole as his dad.

a cast member of “It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues,” the 1999 Tony Award-winning musical. “In many ways this album is my father’s apology to me.”

Porter will be in Minneapolis singing songs from “Nat ‘King’ Cole & Me” and others from his repertoire when he performs Dec. 1 at the Minnesota Orchestra with members of the orchestra. The 8 p.m. show will be under the direction of conductor and arranger Vince Mendoza and will feature Chip Crawford on piano.

Tickets are $41$110 and are on sale online at www.minnesotaorchestra.org or by calling (612) 371-5600. The Minnesota Orchestra is located at 1111 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.

Classy and trashy sisters square off in fish-out-of-water comedy, ‘Nobody’s Fool’

By Kam Williams Danica (Tika Sumpter) and Tanya (Tiffany Haddish) may have been raised by the same mother (Whoopi Goldberg), but they’re still as different as night and day.

The former is a successful businesswoman who was recently promoted to vice president of a leading, Madison Avenue advertising firm. By contrast, the latter has spent the last five years behind bars while her sis was climbing the corporate ladder.

Against her better judgment, Danica decides to take Tanya under her wing when she’s paroled. So, she not

only lets her unrefined sister move into her upscale crib but helps her land a gig as a barista at a trendy coffee shop.

Trouble is, the prisonhardened Tanya is so rough around the edges that she has no idea how to behave in polite society. Consequently, she can often be found cursing, flirting, menacing and hurling racial slurs behind the counter indiscriminately.

Tanya should thank her lucky stars that her gentlemanly boss, Frank (Omari Hardwick), has a crush on her sister. Otherwise, her job might be in jeopardy. Too bad Danica’s already in a relationship with a shady character (Mehcad Brooks) she’s

never met and has only interacted with over the Internet, or she might give “Mr. Right” a chance.

Thus unfolds “Nobody’s Fool,” a fish-out-of-water comedy written and directed

by Tyler Perry. Perry’s films invariably feature a sassy, trash-talking sister, whether played by him in drag as Madea or, as in this case, by the irrepressible Haddish.

Haddish has been hotter than a pistol since stealing every scene in “Girls Trip” a year ago. Since then, she’s hosted “Saturday Night Live” and co-starred in “Uncle Drew,” “The Oath” and “Night School.”

The problem with “Nobody’s Fool” is that it feels

like Haddish briefly parachuted in to do her crude shtick and split without worrying about developing any chemistry with the rest of the cast. Yes, she is the comedian of the moment and, if all you’re looking for is her coarse act, there’s plenty of that lowbrow fare to enjoy. But when Haddish is not lighting up the screen with her over-the-top antics, what’s left is just a predictable, poorly-plotted, Tyler Perry morality play.

Fair (1 star) Rated R for sexuality, drug use, ethnic slurs and pervasive profanity Running time: 110 minutes

IMDb

Whoopi Goldberg, Tika Sumpter, and Tiffany Haddish in Nobody’s Fool (2018)

612.377.2224 guthrietheater.org

An ingenious backstage farce

Noises Off Now – Dec 16

by MICHAEL FRAYN directed by MEREDITH McDONOUGH

Simple is better.

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A Christmas Carol Nov 13 – Dec 29

by CHARLES DICKENS adapted by CRISPIN WHITTELL directed by LAUREN KEATING

Page 12 • November 12 - November 18, 2018 • Insight News

insightnews.com

do i really need a prostate exam

a t o g .

We t a h t r o f doc Get your men’s health questions answered.

Join us on Nov. 15th at Finnegan’s Clubroom for a forum on men’s health. Panelists will include North Memorial Health doctors and men’s health specialists. RSVP today to hold your spot at northmemorial.com/events.

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• AssociatedBank.com/Home • Call 800-270-7721

† The Associated Bank PATH Program offers grant assistance of $4,000 to qualified borrowers for down payment and closing costs on first mortgage purchase and construction transactions. First-time homebuyers will need to complete a Homeownership Educational Program.

Other offers may be available, consult your lender for details. Exclusions apply. Associated Bank reserves the right to discontinue the program at any time without notice. * The Leading Lender designation is based on information gathered from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data compiled annually by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council. The results of the data were obtained through RATA Comply, June 2018.

Loan products are offered by Associated Bank, N.A., and are subject to credit approval and involve interest and other costs. Please ask about details on fees and terms and conditions for these products. Property insurance and flood insurance, if applicable, will be required on collateral. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. (10/18) 12546