Insight News ::: 12.9.13

‘12 Days of Christmas’ gets a hip-hop remix MORE ON PAGE 5

December 9 - December 15, 2013

Vol. 40 No. 50 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Nelson Mandela dies at 95 President Barack Obama Thursday declared that Nelson Mandela now belongs to the ages. Former president of South Africa and leader of the African National Congress that overthrew South Africa’s apartheid system at the ballot box, Mandela, 95, died earlier in the day in his Johannesburg home following a three month hospital stay due to a lung infection.

The President recounted Mandela’s stellar life and service to his country and to humanity.

Obama said, “At his trial in 1964, Nelson Mandela closed his statement from the dock saying, ‘I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.

I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal

which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.’

“And Nelson Mandela lived for that ideal, and he made it real.

He achieved more than could be expected of any man. Today, he has gone home. And we have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us -- he belongs to the ages,” President Obama said.

“Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, ‘Madiba’ transformed South Africa -- and moved all of us. His journey from a prisoner to a President embodied the promise that human beings --

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studiotobechi, 2000

Nelson Mandela was honored in 2000 by the Minneapolis Branch of the NAACP with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The former president of South African accepted the award before a crowd of almost 2000 members and friends of the NAACP.

Linda Faye Kidd April 11, 1957 - November 22, 2013

Victoria Reinhardt

John Choi

Ramsey County approves prevailing wage ordinance The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved an update of its longstanding prevailing wage ordinance Tuesday that ties the wage more directly to the state prevailing wage. Since 1977, Ramsey County has maintained a prevailing wage policy that is required to be included in all solicitations for bids on contracts for the purchase of labor and materials.

The ordinance approved last Tuesday was supported by organized labor and codifies in law the county’s longstanding prevailing wage policy.

“The county wants to make sure that the services and goods we buy with taxpayer money are of the highest quality,” said Board Chair Rafael E. Ortega.

“We also want to ensure that the people who work on county projects or who provide good and services to us are fairly

compensated.”

The ordinance requires that hourly wages paid to workers keep pace with the prevailing wage rates established by the state and that disputes be referred to the county attorney’s office.

For state-funded construction projects, the prevailing wage for general laborers in Ramsey, Hennepin, Dakota, Washington and Anoka counties is $29 per hour, as well as $16.12 in fringe benefits.

Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt, who chairs the board’s budget committee, said the ordinance is a win-win for county residents, many of whom work in construction trades. “This ordinance means

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A memorial service for Twin Cities television personality Linda Faye Kidd, was held Thursday, December 5, 2013 at First Covenant Church, 810 South 7th St., Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kidd created and hosted the popular cable television show “Lemmi-O Live” in the late 80’s and early 90’s, providing career launching exposure to artists and invaluable information to the community on critical issues and ideas of the day.

Linda Faye Kidd died November 22nd, 2013 at the age of 56 years, 7 months, and 11 days with her loving family by her side on the Hospice Care unit at North Memorial Medical Center.

Kidd fought a very brave battle facing cancer with dignity, beauty, and grace. She was born April 11th, 1957 in Jasper, Alabama to Glenn and Willie Mae Kidd Sr., and moved to Minneapolis, MN with her family in 1965.

Kidd worked as a PCA at Battle Creek Group Home. She also owned her own cleaning service for several years.

Kidd graduated from North High School in 1974 and continued on with her education in broadcasting at Brown Institute.

Kidd loved life. A class act in every way; she loved dressing up,

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Linda Faye Kidd

Black Feminist Anthropology

Building an intellectual legacy one book at a time Commentary

By Irma McClaurin, PhD Culture and Education Editor

Courtesy of Irma McClaurin

Dr. Irma McClaurin, Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, Dr. Bianca Williams, Corliss D. Heath (ABD), and Dr. Rachel Watkins.

Crafting a legacy is a very delicate adventure and can be quite deliberate or unintentional. In her book, A Journey that Matters: Your Personal Living Legacy,

Erline Belton reminds us of the importance of establishing a “living legacy.” According to her, “…our living legacy encompasses all of who we are; our personality, our passion, our pain, our joy, our sadness, our progress, our mistakes, our love, our hate our hopes, our dreams and much more” (http://www.lyceumgroupbooks. com/page1.php). The dictionary defines legacy as an inheritance, the passing down of a gift, the bequeathing of something passed through generations.

African

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Man Talk

Business

Insight 2 Health

Community

Reflecting on the old year, preparing for the new one!

What’s so hard about driving a race car?

Mental health: What’s normal, what’s not

Remembering our extraordinary journeys

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Page 2 • December 9 - December 15, 2013 • Insight News

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Reflecting on the old year, preparing for the new one!

Man Talk

By Timothy Houston Another year is coming to an end. This is a good time to reflect and to plan for the New Year. Although you may have left some things undone, it is not too late to begin the necessary work to get them done in the upcoming year. This requires quiet time and personal reflection. Real success in life can only be measured by the accomplishment of your personal goals. Until you truly understand why you are here, you can never put the energy needed to bring it to pass. Spend some time during this month to determine what you want to accomplish in the upcoming year.

First, begin with quiet reflection. Quiet time leads to the discovery of true purpose, and true purpose leads to true happiness. True purpose is the object toward which one strives or for which something exists. It is necessary that you spend time alone to discover the “why” you are here. This will move you from doing some things, to doing the

© Can Stock Photo Inc.

right things. There is no time to waste anymore. The years seem to go by faster, and the time to do the necessary things is fleeting. You can make this year a successful one by using the last few days in it to prepare for the next one. Spend some quiet time reflecting who you really are, and what do you really want to accomplish.

Next, focus on improving

your strength while understanding your weakness.

Some people unwisely focus on their areas of weakness thinking it will make them a better person. A fish would never spend time trying to figure out how to survive outside of water. It will not make him a better fish. An eagle would make a terrible fish because it’s strength is in flight. So it

is with you. You are who you are by the grace of God. Focus on your strength. Your strength is tied to the things you are able to do naturally (without much effort), and they will bring you the greatest amount of success and satisfaction. In the upcoming year, focus on your strength and soar with the eagles.

Finally, focus on improving

your spiritual relationship with God. This is where your inner strength resides. You will never achieve external greatness without internal character.

Internal character comes from God. He is the only one that can give you the object towards which you should be striving.

He will give you true moral and values that will lead to success. If your successes are

based on what others say about you, you will always be subject to the whims of the people that say them. These things will never bring you the peace that you desire because their view of you will be based on their view of themselves. True character is spiritual in nature, and spiritual strength can only come from God. When this happens, the approval of others become unnecessary.

This is your year for greatness! During your quiet time, remind yourself of this.

Use it as your affirmation. Your view of yourself and your goals in life should be connected to your divine purpose that can and will be revealed to you

by God. This is the only true measure of success. As you focus on your strength, you will become a better person.

You will do the things that you are good at. As you look for employment, take on work that is tied to your strength. This will enable you to earn more, do more, and live more. Spend quiet time this year, and soar with the eagles in the new one!

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.

Energy-saving tips for the holidays The holiday season is here! In addition to replacing traditional incandescent decorative lights with high-efficient ENERGY STAR® qualified LED (lightemitting diode) bulbs, there are many other ways to practice energy conservation during the holidays:

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• Buy energy-efficient gifts, such as ENERGY STAR TVs, refrigerators and computers that are environmentally friendly and will save energy for many years. Search the Internet for “eco-friendly gift,” “energyefficient gift,” or “solarpowered gift” ideas.

• Consider recyclable gift wrap options, such as newspaper and magazine pages. And be sure to recycle your gift wrap.

• Turn down your thermostat if you’re going to be away from home for an extended period of time; install a programmable thermostat

to control the heating and cooling of your home yearround.

• Entertain efficiently. When guests arrive, turn down your thermostat, because the combination of the stove, hot food, and warm bodies will help keep your house comfortable.

• Carpool to grandma and grandpa’s house for holiday celebrations.

• Close your fireplace damper when a fire is not in use and install airtight doors to prevent warm air from escaping.

For more energy-saving holiday

tips, visit the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Saver website. For more information on energy efficiency and energy conservation, visit the Division of Energy Resources website and check out two consumer energy guides: “Home Envelope” and “Appliances, Lighting, Electronics.”

that taxpayers get the highest value for their dollar and makes sure that the men and women who perform work for Ramsey

County can also afford to live, work and raise their families in our county.”

Added Ramsey County

Attorney John Choi, “I applaud the leadership of all seven county board members who unanimously enacted this

important ordinance that will ensure that public money is spent wisely in accordance with our community’s values

and to ensure the highest quality and best value in goods and services we purchase as a county.”

and countries -- can change for the better. His commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity should

aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or our own personal lives,” Obama said. “And the fact that he did it all with grace and good humor, and an ability to acknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much more remarkable.

As he once said, ‘I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.’”

“I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela›s life. My very first political action, the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against apartheid.

I studied his words and his writings. The day that he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they’re guided by their hopes and not by their fears. And like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson

Mandela set, and so long as I live I will do what I can to learn from him,” the President said.

“To Graça Machel and his family, Michelle and I extend our deepest sympathy and gratitude for sharing this extraordinary man with us. His life’s work meant long days away from those who loved him the most. And I only hope that the time spent with him these last few weeks brought peace and comfort to his family”, he said.

“To the people of South Africa, we draw strength from the example of renewal, and reconciliation, and resilience that you made real. A free South Africa at peace with itself -that’s an example to the world, and that’s Madiba’s legacy to the nation he loved.

“We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again.

So it falls to us as best we can to forward the example that he

set: to make decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the difference that one person can make; to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice.

“For now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived -- a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice. May God Bless his memory and keep him in peace,” President Obama said.

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years as a prisoner in South Africa for opposing apartheid, then emerged to become his country’s first Black president, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and an enduring symbol of integrity, principle and resilience.

South African president Jacob Zuma, said Thursday in a nationally televised address,” Our nation has lost its greatest

son. Our people have lost a father. Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss.”

Zuma said he would be accorded a full state funeral.

Mandela, who once said, “the struggle is my life,” was a beloved hero of both South Africa and the world itself. His face was instantly recognizable in virtually any country, his story famous enough that he was portrayed in movies at least four times - by Morgan Freeman (“Invictus”), Sidney Poitier (“Mandela and de Klerk”), Danny Glover (“Mandela”) and Dennis Haysbert (“Goodbye Bafana”).

Stamps were issued with his likeness, songs written about him, statues erected in his honor

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McClaurin From 1 Americans are a people who have struggled to establish legacies, to pass forward cultural gifts constrained by a past history of enslavement.

We often think of legacy as something that follows us after death. Each of us, I think, hopes that when we pass from this realm of existence into a new one that we leave something behind. But legacy building should begin while we’re still alive. Such was the vision embedded in the making of the edited volume, Black Feminist Anthropology: Theory, Politics, Praxis and Poetics—to create a living intellectual legacy.

The genesis of this book, first published in 2001, began quite modestly as a panel. For several years, my colleague, Dr. France Winddance Twine and I had observed at the annual meeting of the Association of American Anthropologists of 7,000 scholars that our viewpoint as Black women anthropologists was rarely visible.

We agreed to put together a panel on Black Feminist Anthropology for the 1996 Annual Meeting of the American Anthropology Association.

My additional motivation was having been denied the opportunity to teach the Graduate Introductory Seminar in the History and Theory of Anthropology at the University of Florida. I was told by my then department chair at the University of Florida, “You cannot teach theory until you’ve written theory.”

It was a blow, I had thought my first ethnography, Women of Belize: Gender and Change in Central America, was certainly theoretically informed, especially I was even more disturbed after learning that an even more junior white male faculty member was allowed to teach the course after the senior faculty member retired.

This incident lingered in my memory.

Fast forward to the AAA Conference of 1996. The large room for the panel on Black Feminist Anthropology turned out to be packed to the rafters.

Afterwards, members of the audience demanded that we do something with the materials.

I circulated the panel abstract and our biographies among various publishers in the exhibition hall. One particular acquisition editor took time to explain that developing an enduring edited volume was more than simply a collection of conference papers.

I am indebted to the advice she imparted. I remember drafting the Call for Papers—predicating it on the Black Panthers Ten Point Program. There were twelve points that characterized the book, of which six were non-negotiable.

The most important four were the following: 1. The tone had to be “autoethnographical,” a style of writing that was very new to the discipline at the time; 2) authors had to articulate an operational definition of “Black feminism;”3) they had to discuss how their own personal history influenced the kind of anthropology they had chosen; and 4) they must theorize about their anthropological approach— the chapters would be less a description of their ethnographic research and more an exercise in theorizing about the work.

Contributors will testify that I functioned like the Editor from Hell. Some chapters were rewritten more than three times. But by the end of that writing journey, something extraordinary had begun to take shape. In the words of the reviewer: “Thank you for the opportunity to review …[the] manuscript Black Feminist Anthropology. I strongly recommend publishing the book. It is a unique, engaging volume that makes a significant contribution to anthropology, African-American Studies, and Women’s Studies. …

Luckily there are no weak chapters.

Quite the contrary the papers are all very good, and they are organized well so that the book proceeds to make a strong series of arguments about the genesis and development of critical intellectual traditions in general, and Black feminist perspectives in particular. …What marks these essays is a consistent theoretical depth, an engaging style of writing, and an almost always uncanny clarity in their arguments. …Let me also add a personal note: I really enjoyed reading the book.

Kidd From 1 doing her own hair and make-up to perfection. Kidd loved her quiet time through movies, a good book, and researching her love of Native American culture and Alaska.

She also loved nature, fishing, art, crafts, cooking, traveling, and having the wind in her face while she rode her motorcycle.

She also loved hunting down a good bargain along with a good

Insight News • December 9 - December 15, 2013 • Page 3 It was a good deal of intellectual gain with very little pain (i.e., in terms of the style, clarity and flow of the argument. Black Feminist Anthropology: Theory, Politics, Praxis and Poetics was published

by Rutgers University Press in 2001.”

I had imagined the book from the start from an historical archaeological perspective. I imagined people reading the book twenty-give years in the future, and am indebted to my colleague Dr. Kamari Clarke who suggested I include a time line and to the professors who trained me at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to see the world from a four-field perspective: in anthropology, Ralph Faulkingham, Robert Paynter and the late Sylvia Forman and from Political Science, Carlene Edie.

From its conception to now, I envisioned that Black Feminist Anthropology would be a major contribution and intervention to the history of anthropology. As I wrote in the introduction: “This book , Black Feminist Anthropology, is formulated out of a set of ideologies, theories, ethnographic methodologies, and social commitments that we owe much to ideas both inside and outside anthropology. It is self-consciously fashioned as an act of knowledge production and sees itself as a form of cultural mediation between the world of Black scholars and the entire Western intellectual tradition, between Black anthropologists and the rest of the discipline, and between Black and white feminists. But more importantly, it is an intervention—a Black Feminist intervention.” (2) Did Black Feminist Anthropology fulfill its promise; were we successful? I think so. First, we had the powerful Foreword by my mentor, friend and Sister anthropologist, Dr. Johnnetta Cole who wrote: “Each of the essays in this impressive anthology is in some way a response to mainstream anthropology and “the way we’ve always done it.” While the goal of objectivity is not simply tossed to the side, the sister anthropologist are in tune with the view of the sociologist C. Wright Mills, who said that while he would strive for objectivity, he would never claim to be detached from the people and the problems he was studying.” (x) Dr. Kimberly Eison Simmons, was one of the most junior contributors and recently shared her thoughts about the experience being in the book: “This was a great experience for me (being included in the volume with my mentors). …

Being a contributor also meant stepping out as a Black feminist anthropologist (thinking about feminist anthropology & our own positionality & experience and then moving toward black feminist anthropology). This was a bold move.”

In the culture of academia, what matters most is external validation. With its publication, Black Feminist Anthropology set a new standard. In its review, Choice Magazine wrote the following: “[A] refreshing and inspiring collection of nine articles and a superb introduction…. Each author brings personal experiences of racism, sexism, and other challenges to bear on what are without exception successful examples of what C. Wright Mills called “the sociological imagination.’ Where biography, intellectual activity, and activism are presented as a seamless whole. This book succeeds in going beyond Mills’s vision in unparalleled ways. …All levels and collections.”

In December 2002, I received word that Black Feminist Anthropology had been selected as an Outstanding Academic Title

by Choice Magazine for 2003.

The selection was further proof of the book’s enduring impact. Here is Choice’s description of their selection criteria: “…This prestigious list reflects the best in scholarly titles reviewed

by Choice and brings with it the extraordinary recognition of the academic library community.” “…The list is quite selective: it contains approximately ten percent of some 7,000 works reviewed in Choice each year. Choice editors base their selections on the reviewer’s evaluation of the work, the editor’s knowledge of the field, and the reviewer’s record. (http:// chocolate brownie or salted nut roll.

Kidd had a great sense of humor and loved to play jokes on the unsuspecting. She was a straight shooter who spoke her mind but it was her big heart and acceptance of all, that attracted her many friends who will miss her dearly.

Linda Faye Kidd is survived by her daughter Nicole Theresé Kidd, sons Dominick Tremaine Kidd Kirksey, and Stephon Prentice (Veronica) Kidd Kirksey, grandson Ja’kayden Kidd,

its intellectual back on Zora Neale Hurston and on us, her intellectual progeny.

As I have been fortunate to travel and move around this country and the world, I have encountered a fair share of My Black Sister Anthropologists, my Sisters of Color Anthropologists, my LGBT Sister Anthropologists; I have inscribed on my heart these Sister narratives of how we continue to struggle against being labeled “dangerous, Intelligent beasts.”

We labor, as our mothers and relatives before us, without much support, in the fields of academic departments planting and tending the crops of anthropology, and women studies, and Black Studies where far too often—though not always—but far too often our treatment is barely one step above academic sharecropping, where we are forced to feel indebted and grateful if granted tenure as if we had not earned our place.

In the culture of academia, what matters most is external validation. With its publication, Black Feminist Anthropology set a new standard.

www.goodreads.com/award/ show/10117-choice-magazinechoice-outstanding-academictitle).”

They also pay attention to: “overall excellence in presentation and scholarship; importance relative to other literature in the field; distinction as a first treatment of a given subject in book or electronic form; originality or uniqueness of treatment; value to undergraduate students and importance in building undergraduate library collections.”

Without a doubt, Choice felt Black Feminist Anthropology fit the bill.

I am truly a born-again anthropologist, but in my heart I am first and foremost a poet, and so I close with a poem for my Black feminist sister anthropologists.

Poem for my Black Feminist Anthropology Sisters Today and Forever Yes, he certainly knows his higher mathematics, and he can read Latin better than any white man I know, but I cannot bring myself to Believe that he understands a thing he is doing. It is all an aping of our culture. All on the outside. You are crazy if you think that it has changed him inside in the least.

Turn him loose, and he will revert at once to the jungle. He is still a savage, and no amount of translating Virgil and Ovid is going to change him. In fact, all you have done is to turn a useful savage into a dangerous beast.

--Unknown author, quoted in Zora Neale Hurston, “What White Publishers Won’t Print, “ 1979 [1950] They see us as “dangerous beasts.”

They treat us as if we don’t belong –intruders, if you will.

Occasionally we are mentored, but when we rise (above our mentors), as brilliant people are wont to do, they try to push us back, to put us on lockdown.

Sometimes the threats that block us from achieving to our fullest potential may even come from people who look like us— “Skinfolk” as Sister Brackette Williams labeled them— Even other women may turn out NOT to be “kinfolk,” not to be supporters, but negators—“haters,” in today’s granddaughter Layla Faye Kidd, Father Glenn Kidd Sr., brothers Glenn (Laura) Kidd Jr., Tyrone (SueAnne) Kidd, Calvin (Regina) Kidd, Jonathan (Carolyn) Kidd, sister Teresa Kidd (all of Minneapolis), many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents Glenn and Luberta Kidd of Jasper, Alabama, Mother Willie Mae Kidd of Minneapolis, and niece Korrene Bradford of Concord, North Carolina.

parlance, who would rather see us ALL fail than have one of us— especially one of us of color— rise above the crowd.

Among feminist anthropology scholars, you still don’t cite us— as Sister Lynn Bolles and Sister Faye Harrison continue to remind us.

You still don’t use our books.

Our words and experiences as Black women and women of color are not part of the canon of “MUST READ” feminist literature.

Occasionally, and on certain occasions, one or two of us (never more) are given the key to the intellectual “Sister John,” but at what price?

Anthropology tells its own history of women in the discipline.

We valorize and elevate Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict, Elsie Clews Parson but that history, even when viewed through a feminist lens, continues to turn

They treat us like “dangerous beasts.”

And make us feel routinely As if we don’t belong; They block us from the professional mobility we have earned; they intervene and steal our best students; they ignore our contributions to the growth of the departments until someone else, who does not look like us recycles our very same idea—and then it is viewed as “brilliance.”

We are tired; we are sick and tired of being treated like “dangerous beasts.”

We are your former students, we are your colleagues and some of us even thought we were your friends.

It is into this field that Black Feminist Anthropology makes its grand entrance.

It is a collection of testimonials of personal and professional witnessing.

It is an archive of our Black women’s resistance and resiliency in the field of Anthropology.

It is our historical anthropological legacy.

It is our small but powerful contribution to the ongoing tradition of cultural critique in anthropology in general and feminist anthropology specifically.

It is our righteous way of saying “We are here to stay—deal with us”: but with justice, with equality, and above all else with Respect.

But deal you must.

But most importantly, it is a Survival Guide for Black Feminists everywhere.

It doesn’t matter the discipline, this book is for you.

May it be your intellectual guide.

May it be your spiritual support.

May it remind you of the tradition from which you have evolved.

May it provide you the ammunition and ambition to challenge those who dare stand in your way.

To Black Feminists, in anthropology, and everywhere else, this book of Black Feminist Anthropology: Theory, Politics, Praxis and Poetics is our gift to you.

It is the gift of nine Black Feminist Sisters brave enough to bare our souls and share with you the truths of our lives, our research, and our experiences with Anthropology and Feminism.

Cherish the gift.

May it give you strength.

But above all else remember: it is our Legacy to you.

Add to it, strengthen it, and PASS IT FORWARD. Read More: http://www.amazon.com/JourneyThat-Matters-Erline-Belton/ dp/0981746802 http://www.irmamcclaurin.com/ online-store.php www.irmamcclaurin.com /@ mcclaurintweets ©2013 McClaurin Solutions. Irma McClaurin is the Culture and Education Editor for Insight News and a faculty member in Center for Leadership Development at the Federal Executive Institute, Charlottesville, VA. She is also the CEO of McClaurin Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in Executive coaching, diversity and organizational management, strategic communications, development and more. The views expressed in this essay are entirely hers. She is currently working on a memoir and compiling her Insight News essays into a book. (i) This article is derived from a presentation entitled “The Making of a Legacy: the story behind “Black Feminist Anthropology: Theory, Politics, Praxis and Poetics” for the AFA invited session entitled “Engaging Black Feminist Anthropolog(ies): Questions of Methods, Theory, and Practice within and outside the Discipline” at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Anthropologists, Chicago Hilton, Chicago, Illinois. The panel was organized by Dr. Riché Barnes (Smith College), who could not attend. Panelists included myself, Corliss D. Heath (ABD student, U South Florida), Dr. Kimberly E. Simmons (U South Carolina, and unable to attend), Dr. Rachel J. Watkins (American U), and Bianca C. Williams (University of Colorado, Boulder). (ii) Cited in Irma McClaurin, “Introduction: Forging a Theory, Politics, Praxis, and a Poetics of Black Feminist Anthropology.”

IN Ed, Irma McClaurin. Black Feminist Anthropology: Theory, Politics, Praxis and Poetics. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2001; selected as an “Outstanding Academic Title” by Choice Magazine in 2003.

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Page 4 • December 9 - December 15, 2013 • Insight News

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BUSINESS What’s so hard about driving a race car?

Plan Your Career

By Julie Desmond julie@insightnews.com There you stand, in Speedway, Indiana, along the sidelines of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, feeling the whoosh of the cars blow your hair back as the Indy 500 whizzes by.

Suddenly, someone comes up and shows you a small chain of keys. “Want to try?” he

asks.

“Sure!” you say.

As he hands you the keys, you realize he’s serious. “Uh, no, thanks. I can’t do that.”

Why not? You have a driver’s license, right? You drive your own vehicle every day, right? So this car goes a little faster. What’s the big deal?

The big deal is, it’s different. For starters, it is a lot faster. And the other drivers are not your typical Olson Memorial Highway types. And you are not sure you would know how to stop the thing even if you did get it started. Would you even know

when you needed a pit stop for maintenance? Probably not.

So, nope, not going to happen.

If there was no one else on the speedway, then, maybe. If an experienced driver came along, telling you what to do, then, sure. If someone could promise that nothing really bad would happen – that you wouldn’t hurt yourself or anyone else. If you knew you would not be held responsible for any mistakes that resulted in a career ending crash, then definitely. It looks like fun, driving a race car. But you would have to know how.

Now, change gears for a moment. You are at the

company Holiday Party.

Someone hands you a really big drink. You say, thanks. But then you think about it, and you say, uh, better not.

Why not? You drink beers with your buddies, right? You have a glass of wine at dinner once in a while, don’t you?

Didn’t we see you doing shots the night before your brother’s wedding? So here’s a drink at a company function. What’s the difference?

Here is your thinking: The difference is, these drinks are probably free; they might find their way to the table faster than if my buddies were buying. And these are

not my buddies. These are my co-workers and my boss.

People who can end my career without really losing much themselves; especially if I do or say something stupid.

If I had someone more experienced keeping an eye on me, then maybe. If that person would intervene, hold off on the drinks, take me to the dance floor, get me a fake drink (club soda with a lime, virgin Margarita), look out for me and help me stop before I get out of control, then sure.

If you could promise me nothing really bad would happen – that I wouldn’t hurt myself or anyone else. And if

I wouldn’t be held responsible for any mistakes that resulted in a career ending crash, then definitely. Pour ‘em up. But if not, then I think I’ll enjoy this one from the sidelines, and leave the serious drinking to the professionals.

Julie Desmond is IT Recruiting Manager with George Konik Associates, Inc. Opportunities this week for Business Analysts, IT Managers, and Software Engineers. Please send your career planning questions and resume to jdesmond@georgekonik.com.

How do you count your money?

FUNdraising Good Times

By Mel and Pearl Shaw A cornerstone of successful nonprofit fundraising is trust.

While there are many reasons to give, there are also reasons why people, foundations and corporations do not give.

One reason is a lack of trust: donors and funders don’t trust the nonprofit to use the funds for the stated purpose.

Here are some suggestions to help ensure your institution or organization retains a high level of trust from current and prospective donors.

Whether you are raising funds for an annual campaign or for a capital, endowment or other campaign the process of building trust begins with how you define what you are raising money for. Gain consensus amongst leadership (board and executive) regarding how much money you seek to raise and how the funds will be used. Be specific. Measure your progress against the agreed upon goal.

Work with the development committee of the board to develop gift acceptance policies. These can help avoid future confusion. For example, how long are your pledge periods, and when do you write off uncollected pledges? How do you account for gifts of real estate?

Be specific when talking about fundraising progress.

A donor may have given a

Don’t claim a fundraising success you cannot substantiate – it can come back to haunt you.

verbal commitment for a large gift, but you can’t include it in your fundraising total until it has been received or until you have a signed pledge agreement in place. The gift may not materialize.

Develop standardized

fundraising reports that clearly communicate how much has been raised and for what purposes. Differentiate between pledges and actual funds received. When in the midst of a major fundraising campaign you are sure to

receive multi-year pledges.

These are vital, but they are also typically difficult to spend until the funds are received. Develop reports that show when pledge payments are expected to be received.

These should match the terms of each pledge agreement.

When conducting a comprehensive campaign, list your fundraising priorities, and how much has been raised towards each. You may be able to reach or exceed your overall fundraising goal but may not have the funds you need to implement all stated priorities. This can occur when donors are inspired by a campaign and choose to make a restricted gift to a noncampaign priority. You should celebrate such gifts – but be careful how you include them in campaign accounting.

Remember – different

people have different foci when it comes to counting money. Bring in the CFO, the CEO and your fundraising team and agree on how you will record and report on your fundraising. Be sure to reconcile fundraising reports with those produced by the finance office. Do this on a monthly basis.

If it sounds like we are focusing on small details, you are right. Don’t claim a fundraising success you cannot substantiate – it can come back to haunt you.

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.

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‘12 Days of Christmas’ gets a hip-hop remix

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer Let’s admit it, any song published almost 234 years ago could use an update.

So it’s no surprise that the fresh take on the old Christmas classic, “12 Days of Christmas” by the 3DC Kids is getting a lot of buzz in the Twin Cities. Performed

by Dameon “Dame Jones” Jones, 14 – lead rapper from the 2012 hit, “Hot Cheetos & Takis,” Devon “D.J.” Johnson, 13, D’antanie “D.T.” Johnson, 11, and Chris “Chrisss” Baraja, 11, the hip-hop, kid-friendly remix of the Christmas classic is quickly becoming an instant hit this holiday season.

“It’s a song that tells you to be thankful and not to be greedy,” said Jones, an 8th grader at Nellie Stone Johnson in Minneapolis. “I’m thankful for my mom, dad, sister, family and musical talent.”

The catchy number uses the same formula as the original “12 Day,” asking for various gifts on the 12 days of Christmas, but the wish list consist of items such as a PS4 game console, a bicycle, new shoes, chores being done, to become president and better health for family members.

The lyrics were written by J Isaac, who also produced the track that’s receiving airplay on KMOJ and has nearly 10,000 YouTube views.

“The kids at my school go wild when they hear it, yelling ‘ho, ho, ho (which is

a part of the catchy song’s hook),” said Baraja, who is a 6th grader at East Middle School in Plymouth.

“We’re about to get the whole U.S. listening to this,” said Devon Johnson, who cited 2 Chainz and Minneapolis born rapper, B Dot Croc as his favorite hip-hop artists. “She (B Dot Croc) used to be one of our after school teachers,” he said.

While the “12 Days of Christmas” is Jones’ second time around with a hit record – “Hot Cheetos & Takis” was a YouTube sensation with more than 7.7 million views – this is the first time recording for the Johnson brothers and Baraja.

“I’ve been rapping for a while,” said D’antanie Johnson.

“We have a program at our school (Nellie Stone Johnson) called Beats and Rhymes where we learn how to think of stuff to rap about and how to write songs.”

“I’ve been rapping since I was 6-years-old,” said Baraja.

“I have a style where I laugh when I rap and somehow it mixes in.”

The song was recorded over two three-hour sessions a few months back.

“The first day we weren’t focused, but the second time we knocked it out,” said Devon Johnson, who wants

The MaXXposure Group

to be a lawyer and a rapper.

“But I’m not going to be like a lot of rappers talking trash.

I want to be more positive.”

The group is working on a follow-up single and is set to perform at various gigs around town. They will be hosting a toy drive and performing Dec. 14 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Brooklyn Center, 6300 Earle Brown Dr., and will be distributing the toys to St. Joseph’s Hospital on Dec. 24.

For more information on the 3DC Kids, visit their official website, www.3DCKids.com.

MORE

• Traci Allen connects with Can-do Girls Club, Wayman Praise Dancers following Cinderella performance

(Back row, l-r:) Devon “D.J.’ Johnson, Dameon “Dame Jones’ Jones, (Front row l-r:) D’antanie “D.T.” Johnson, and Chris “Chrisss” Baraja teach the community to express gratitude in their remix of “12 Days of Christmas”.

• West Broadway Holiday Pop Up Boutique

• Snapshots

Page 6 • December 9 - December 15, 2013 • Aesthetically Speaking

insightnews.com/aesthetics

Traci Allen connects with Can-do Girls Club, Wayman Praise Dancers following Cinderella performance CTC’s newest Company Actor Traci Allen is currently enchanting Twin Cities’ audiences with her portrayal of Cinderella in Children’s Theatre Company’s holiday production Cinderella. Her performance has garnered praise from audiences and critics alike. Allen’s magnetic performance brings dramatic weight and substance to the CTC production.

Allen’s performance was most appreciated by girls and young women from North Minneapolis who belong to local groups dedicated to their empowerment: the Can Do Girls Club and the Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church Praise Dancers. Both groups attended the performance on Sunday, November 17 followed by an exclusive post-show discussion with Allen.

For the Can Do Girls, seeing Traci portray Cinderella was inspiring. According to director Shanae Hill, “Being able to sit and talk with Cinderella who was played by an African American woman was amazing!

It was nice to have another adult woman talk to the girls and let them know that with hard work-they can do anything despite skin color or anything else.”

The co-hosted event was

a part of Children’s Theatre Company new ACT One initiative to create a more accessible, diverse, and inclusive culture within the theatre’s audience and company. ‘ACT’ stands for ‘Access, Connect, and Transform.’ CTC is expanding access with its new ACT Pass, created to break down barriers around attending live theatre.

With a goal nothing short of transformation, CTC partners with local service organizations like Wayman AME Church and the Can-Do Girls Club to connect with the community, deepen engagement, and explore together the relevance and transformative power of live theatre in young people’s lives.

Allen, having changed out of her ball gown joined the girls in the house of CTC’s UHG Stage immediately following Sunday’s performance and spoke candidly about her experience as a student at Howard University, and talked about how she, like every girl dreamed of one day being Cinderella. The children were captivated.

Monique Stumon from Wayman AME claims, “The girls had some up-close and personal time with someone that looks like them.” Most of the girls, ages ranging from three up to teens are aspiring

Photos: Dan Norman

Actress Traci Allen interacts with audience members from the Can-do Girls Club and Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church Praise Dancers. singers, dancers, or performers so they were aghast claiming, “I can’t believe she had a leading role like Cinderella!”

- Following the event of the girls said, “Now I am going to work harder so I can be on that same stage one day.” Stumon concluded “It made them feel like they could do something that seemed impossible but it really isn’t because Traci is just like them.” Cinderella will run at Children’s Theatre Company through January 5, 2014. A limited number of tickets are sold for $10 each Sunday for the following week’s performances.

For more information on Cinderella or CTC’s ACT Pass program created to bridge economic realities of low income youth and families, visit childrenstheatre.org.

Allen’s performance was most appreciated by girls and young women from North Minneapolis who belong to local groups dedicated to their empowerment: the Can Do Girls Club and the Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church Praise Dancers.

Music icon Prince gets tribute in new comic book biography Bluewater Productions will be releasing a new comic book about the life of the music icon Prince.

“Fame Prince” comic book was released last week and is available in print and digital.

Prince Rogers Nelson, started a musical revolution with the hits “1999,” “Little Red Corvette,” “When Doves Cry,” “Purple Rain,” “Kiss,” and more, challenging even the “King of Pop,” Michael

Jackson, for chart supremacy during the 1980s. The book chronicles his meteoric rise to dominance in the pop/funk music scene.

Michael L. Frizell wrote the 32-page comic book with art

by Ernesto Lovera. The comic book features two collectible covers by artist Iordan Terziiski and Ernesto Lovera.

“Writing “Fame: Prince” was like reliving my teenage years. For me, the

music scene wasn’t defined

by Michael Jackson – despite his success with “Thriller,” said Frizell. “The (19)80s, and music in general for me, were defined by Prince. He takes chances in his music, doesn’t sell out as an artist in order to make money and still ends up on top. To this day, his music speaks to me. I hope I was able to bring some of his power to the comic page through my script.”

Bluewater has focused other musicians in the past such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, Drake, 50 Cent, Beyoncé, Adele, Cher and more.

Upcoming biography comic book subjects include Sharon Osbourne and Johnny Depp.

Bluewater Productions Inc. is an independent production studio of comic books, young adult books and graphic novels. Its catalog of titles includes the bestsellers “10th Muse” and “The Legend of Isis.” ”Bluewater publishes comic books in partnership with entertainment icon William Shatner, and legendary filmmaker Ray Harryhausen (“Wrath of the Titans,” “Sinbad: Rogue of Mars,” “Jason and the Argonauts”).

Bluewater Productions

insightnews.com/aesthetics

By Shaina Brassard, West Broadway Coalition The West Broadway Business and Area Coalition (WBC) is announcing the West Broadway Holiday Pop Up Boutique, to take place December 13th and 14th at 201 West Broadway in North Minneapolis.

The produce and craft market will be host to over 20 area vendors selling a variety of locally produced goods, from fresh apples and honey to fine art, baked goods, clothing and jewelry. Northside favorites such as Juxtaposition Arts Textile Lab, Ancestors Voices Press and Right on Thyme Catering will be joined by other crafters, artists, bakers, and even the popular urban farm, McKinley Community CSA, which will offer 2014 vegetable share registrations, t-shirts and volunteer opportunities.

The concept for the shop is a Pop Up Boutique with affordable, unique gifts for purchase. The boutique will occupy a vacant space at 201 West Broadway (know as the Masters Building) for a weekend during the holidays and give Northside residents, those that work there and visitors a way to keep their holiday shopping in their community.

The purpose of the Holiday Pop Up Boutique is twofold: create an economic opportunity

for local vendors and shoppers while also drawing attention to one of West Broadway’s available vacant properties. With its tall windows, wooden interior and high ceilings, the beautiful, spacious green building at 201 West Broadway will be a perfect setting for the boutique’s talented vendors. It is also located at the busy corner of West Broadway and North 2nd Street, close to Interstate 94 as well as the bridge to Northeast Minneapolis. The building was recently occupied

by Don Samuel’s mayoral campaign headquarters but is now available for lease.

The WBC builds capacity of businesses and entrepreneurs, highlights the positive and cultural assets of North Minneapolis, and engages the community in the ongoing revitalization of the West Broadway area. As the producers of FLOW Northside Arts Crawl and the West Broadway Farmers Market, the WBC has ample experience organizing Northside artists, crafters, growers, bakers and entrepreneurs in general.

The Holiday Pop Up Boutique is sure to be another successful enterprise. Parking for the boutique is available in the rear lot and on N 2nd Street.

The boutique is accessible by the Number 14 bus. For an updated list of vendors, visit http : / / we s t bro a dw ay. org / holidayboutique/.

Aesthetically Speaking • December 9 - December 15, 2013 • Page 7

West Broadway Holiday Pop Up Boutique 201 West Broadway, Minneapolis, MN 55411 Friday, December 13th, 4:00 – 8:00pm Saturday, December 14th, 10:00am – 6:00pm

Photos by Shaina Brassard

Earrings by Neisha Reynolds, Juxtaposition Arts, Sky Blush Crush Bath and Body Products, and Cookie Cart are a few of the participating vendors in the West Broadway Holiday Pop UP Boutique. This boutique will make affordable, unique gifts available for purchase.

The Weinstein Company

Idris Elba in “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”

Elba is impressive in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

By Kam Williams Nelson “Mandiba” Mandela (Idris Elba) secretly started writing his autobiography “Long Walk to Freedom” while still serving what he had every reason to believe might very well be a life sentence on Robben Island. The lawyer-turnedspokesman for the outlawed African National Congress had been convicted of treason for trying to dismantle South Africa’s racist regime.

But he was indeed freed following 27 years in prison of imprisonment when the bloody civil war was on the brink of bringing an end to Apartheid. At that point, Mandela assured the apprehensive white minority that despite the fact that, “Fear has made you an unjust and brutal people, when we come to power, there will be no revenge.”

Soon thereafter, he was democratically elected the nation’s first black president, assuming the reigns of power in 1994. And that transition to majority rule did prove to

be smooth, with the help of pardons for crimes against humanity being granted by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to guilty parties from both sides of the conflict.

Directed by Justin Chadwick, “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” is an epic biopic chronicling the rise, incarceration and ultimate redemption of the revered political icon. Versatile British actor Idris Elba exhibits the requisite combination of outrage, dignity, empathy and steely resolve needed to portray the picture’s complex title character convincingly.

Still, since Mandela spends the bulk of the movie behind bars, much of the action revolves around his wife Winnie’s (Naomie Harris) efforts to raise their children while serving as a leader of the movement in her husband’s absence. Sadly, the decades-long separation eventually took a toll on their marriage, between the denial of conjugal visits and Winnie’s resorting to ruthless methods to silence suspected snitches.

You can’t stuff a big screen into a stocking.

Or can you?

This film easily eclipses a biopic covering the same subject-matter called “Winnie Mandela.” Released just a couple of months ago, that relatively-pathetic disappointment co-starring Terence Howard and Jennifer Hudson as Nelson and Winnie, respectively, was marred by the protagonists’ atrocious accents as well as by a godawful script.

By contrast, this inspirational adaptation of Mandiba’s autobiography more than does justice to the legacy of the triumphant freedom fighter who made so many selfless sacrifices on behalf of his people.

Excellent PG-13 for sexuality, intense violence, disturbing images and brief profanity In English, Afrikaans and Xhosa with subtitles Running time: 146 minutes Distributor: The Weinstein Company

Give the gift of anything they want.

Scratch games from the Minnesota State Lottery.

Must be 18 or older.

PL_MSL_TechHalls_525x105_BW.indd 1

11/15/13 10:07 AM

Page 8 • December 9 - December 15, 2013 • Aesthetically Speaking

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Choose well New choices in health care are here. Introducing UCare ChoicesSM, affordable new health plans from a leader in Minnesota health care, with coverage for young adults, families, empty nesters and everyone in between.

Find out more at UCareChoices.org, and look for us on the MNsure health insurance marketplace. Choose well. Choose UCare Choices.

insightnews.com

Insight News • December 9 - December 15, 2013 • Page 9

MENTAL HEALTH

What’s normal, what’s not

By Mayo Clinic staff B W What’s the difference between mental health and mental m iillness? Sometimes the answer iis clear, but often the distinction bbetween mental health and mental illness isn’t so obvious. m For example, if you’re afraid F oof giving a speech in public, ddoes it mean you have a mental hhealth condition or a run-oftthe-mill case of nerves? Or, when does shyness become a w ccase of social phobia?

Here’s help understanding how H mental health conditions are m iidentified.

Why is it so tough to tell W what’s normal? w often difficult to IIt’s ddistinguish normal mental hhealth from mental illness bbecause there’s no easy test to sshow if something’s wrong.

Also, primary mental health A cconditions can be mimicked bby physical disorders. Mental hhealth conditions are judged nnot to be due to a physical ddisorder and are diagnosed aand treated based on signs and ssymptoms, as well as on how much the condition affects your m ddaily life. Signs and symptoms ccan affect your: • Behavior. Obsessive handwashing or drinking too much alcohol might be signs of a mental health condition.

• Feelings. Sometimes a mental health condition is characterized by a deep or ongoing sadness, euphoria or anger.

• Thinking. Delusions — fixed beliefs that are not changeable in light of conflicting evidence — or thoughts of suicide might be symptoms of a mental health condition.

What is the Diagnostic and W Statistical Manual of Mental S

Disorders (DSM)?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a guide published by the American Psychiatric Association that explains the signs and symptoms of several hundred mental health conditions.

Mental health providers use the DSM to diagnose everything from anorexia to voyeurism and, if necessary, determine appropriate treatment. Health insurance companies also use the DSM to determine coverage and benefits and to reimburse mental health providers.

How do mental health providers diagnose mental health conditions?

To determine if you have a mental health condition, a mental health provider will work with you and your loved ones to assess: • Your symptoms. Your mental health provider will ask about your symptoms, when they began and how they’ve affected your life.

How you perceive your thoughts and behaviors and how much your signs and symptoms affect your daily activities can help determine what’s normal for you. For instance, you might realize that you aren’t coping well or that you don’t want to do the things you used to enjoy. You might feel sad, hopeless or discouraged. If your sadness has a specific cause, such as divorce, your feelings could be a normal, temporary reaction. However, if you have symptoms that are severe or don’t go away, you could have depression.

You might also need to have a physical exam to rule out any underlying health conditions.

• Others’ perceptions. Your

© PhotoXpress ess

perceptions alone might not give you an accurate picture of your behavior, thoughts or ability to function. Other people in your life can help you understand whether your behavior is normal or healthy. For example, if you have bipolar disorder, you might think your mood swings are just part of the normal ups and downs of life. Your thoughts and actions, however, might appear abnormal to others

or cause problems at work, in relationships or in other areas of your life.

When is an evaluation or treatment needed?

Each mental health condition has its own set of signs and symptoms. In general, however, professional help may be warranted if you or a loved one experiences: • Marked change in personality, eating or sleeping patterns

• Inability to cope with problems or daily activities • Strange or grandiose ideas • Excessive anxiety • Prolonged depression or apathy • Thinking or talking about suicide • Substance abuse • Extreme mood swings or excessive anger, hostility or violent behavior Many people who have mental health conditions consider their signs and symptoms a normal

part of life or avoid treatment nt out of shame or fear. If you’re re concerned about your mental al health or a loved one’s mental al health, don’t hesitate to seek k advice.

Consult your family doctor, r, make an appointment with a counselor or psychologist, or encourage your loved one to seek help. With appropriate te support, you can identify fy mental health conditions and nd explore treatment options, such h as medications or counseling.

Overcoming the stigma of mental illness

By Mayo Clinic staff Stigma is when someone jjudges you based on a personal ttrait. Unfortunately, this is a common experience for ppeople who have a mental hhealth condition. Stigma may bbe obvious and direct, such as someone making a negative rremark about your mental iillness or your treatment.

Or it may be subtle, such O aas someone assuming you ccould be unstable, violent or ddangerous because you have a mental health condition. You m may even judge yourself. Some m oof the harmful effects of stigma ccan include: • Lack of understanding by family, friends, colleagues or others you know • Discrimination at work or school

• Difficulty finding housing • Bullying, physical violence or harassment • Health insurance that doesn’t adequately cover your mental illness • The belief that you will never be able to succeed at certain challenges or that you can’t improve your situation Steps to cope with stigma Here are some ways you can deal with stigma: • Get treatment. You may be reluctant to admit you have a condition that needs treatment. Don’t let the fear of being “labeled” with a mental illness prevent you from seeking help.

Treatment can provide relief by identifying what’s wrong in concrete terms and reducing symptoms that

interfere with your work and personal life.

• Don’t let stigma create self-doubt and shame.

Stigma doesn’t just come from others. You may have the mistaken belief that your condition is a sign of personal weakness, or that you should be able to control it without help.

Seeking psychological counseling, educating yourself about your condition and connecting with others with mental illness can help you gain self-esteem and overcome destructive self-judgment.

• Don’t isolate yourself. If you have a mental illness, you may be reluctant to tell anyone about it. Have the courage to confide in your spouse, family members, friends, clergy

or other members of your community. Reach out to people you trust for the compassion, support and understanding you need.

• Don’t equate yourself with your illness. You are not an illness. So instead of saying “I’m bipolar,” say “I have bipolar disorder.”

Instead of calling yourself “a schizophrenic,” call yourself “a person with schizophrenia.”

Don’t say you “are depressed.”

Say you “have clinical depression.”

• Join a support group.

Some local and national groups, such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offer local programs and Internet resources that help reduce stigma by educating people with mental illness,

their family members and the general public. A number of state and federal agencies and programs also offer support for people who have mental health conditions.

Examples include agencies such as Vocational Rehabilitation and Veterans Affairs (VA).

• Get help at school. If you or your child has a mental illness that affects learning, find out what plans and programs might help.

Discrimination against students because of a mental health condition is against the law, and educators at primary, secondary and college levels are required to accommodate students as best they can. Talk to teachers, professors or administrators about the best approach and available

resources. If a teacherr doesn’t know about a student’s disability, it can n lead to discrimination,, barriers to learning and poorr grades.

• Speak out against stigma..

Express your opinions att events, in letters to thee editor or on the Internet..

It can help instill couragee in others facing similarr challenges and educate thee public about mental illness.

Others’ judgments almostt always stem from a lack off understanding rather than n information based on thee facts. Learning to accept yourr condition and recognize whatt you need to do to treat it,, seeking support, and helping g educate others can make a big g difference.

Page 10 • December 9 - December 15, 2013 • Insight News

insightnews.com

HEALTH Giving back never looked so good

By Chris Garner Giving back never looked as good as it did when It Works! consultants donated their time and talent to support the Jeremiah Program.

Guests had the opportunity to experience a full makeover that included a manicure, facial, make-up application and even an It Works! stomach wrap. Guests also were able to shop BLS Styles, an online boutique and purchase some of company’s products.

“We want our patrons to leave feeling like they were spoiled and they got to help someone else,” said 35-year-old It Works! distributor Sparkle

INSIGHT NEWS www.insightnews.com

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

Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane CFO Adrianne Hamilton-Butler Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane 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 Editorial Intern Abeni Hill Production Intern Sunny Thongthi Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Contributing Writers Harry Colbert, Jr. Julie Desmond Fred Easter Timothy Houston Alaina L. Lewis Darren Moore Alysha Price Photography Michele Spaise Corey Collins 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.

Wimberly. “We want them to come out, enjoy themselves, be pampered and leave knowing that their dollars went toward supporting something bigger than themselves.”

These distributors were inspired to give back after attending a work event in Seattle. They chose the Jeremiah Program because its mission aligned with their own. The Jeremiah Program is a Twin Cities based initiative focused on helping single mothers successfully provide for themselves and their children. Its model is built on providing quality early childhood education, safe and affordable housing, life skills and empowerment education.

Area It Works! distributors’ goal was to not only help the women of the Jeremiah Program by donating money, but by offering skills and training so that the young women being serviced by the program could possibly become their own independent IT Works! distributors.

“My main focus is health and wellness,” said Nicole

October Pittman

(l-r) It Works! distributors, Beverly Coleman, Nicole Pacini, Sparkle Wimberly, Shanya Carter and Mario Wimberly and freelance manicurist Jocelyn Bowden (third person in).

Pacini, 42. “So I want people to understand the importance of health and wellness. That’s really what It Works! is all about, taking care of your self

inside and out.”

Pacini’s attention to health and wellness caught the eye of 30-year-old Desralynn Cole, who was inspired by her story

and decided try out some of the company’s products.

“The Greens are just excellent, because there are no carbs in them,” said Cole who

has Type I Diabetes. “Being able to get all my vitamins and all of the nutrients and still maintain carb intake is phenomenal.”

Cole also uses the product Fat Fighters, which helps with food maintenance and control.

“Every girl wants a cheat day, but the goal in mind is to stay focused on some weight goals and some fitness goals and so Fat Fighters helps you keep the goal,” said Cole.

For each service provided, $5 was donated to the Jeremiah program.

Fellow partner and consultant, Beverly Coleman, was honored to know that her work would potentially help change the life of another individual.

“To have a program like this that gives people support, encouragement and direction is a wonderful thing,” said the 42-year-old Coleman. “You’ve got to always be willing to give back and do more, especially for young women. That will teach them to go and do it for somebody else.”

MNsure hits milestones as sign ups more than double in November MNsure Executive Director April Todd-Malmlov recently announced that MNsure reached new milestones in November as the number of people signing up more than doubled to 24,000.

Todd-Malmlov said that more than 32,000 applications have been completed which represent more than 70,000 Minnesotans.

“We are pleased that Minnesotans are accessing MNsure to secure quality, comprehensive and affordable health insurance,” said ToddMalmlov. “We anticipated that the number of consumers tapping into MNsure would increase as we neared the end of the year and

that in fact is happening.”

MNsure also extended the deadline for enrollment to December 23, 2013, for coverage effective on January 1, 2014, to give Minnesotans additional time to enroll in coverage offered through MNsure. Rates on MNsure are the lowest in the country and plans offer Minnesotans quality health coverage that fits consumers’ needs and budgets.

All MNsure plans cover prescription drugs, emergency room care, and mental health and substance abuse treatment.

They also include new consumer protections guaranteed by law

April Todd-Malmlov including: no discrimination based on pre-existing conditions or gender, no annual dollar limit on coverage, no lifetime limit on

Mandela From 2 everywhere from Johannesburg to London and more than 50 universities around the world awarded him degrees. Even a species of spiders was named in his honor.

In one of his last public appearances, televised in May 2012, Mandela sat in an armchair with a blanket pulled over his lap at his rural home in Qunu and received a symbolic flame to mark the centenary of the African National Congress.

Ironically, the leader hailed as a symbol of peace at one point was on a U.S. terror watch list because of his affiliation with the ANC, which was designated a terrorist organization by South Africa’s apartheid government.

He was finally taken off the list in 2008.

The man who died an anti-apartheid hero, world statesman and symbol of the strength of the human spirit was born Rolihlahla Mandela in a village near Umtata in the Transkei on July 18, 1918.

Rolihlahla literally means “pulling the branch of a tree” but more colloquially, “troublemaker.”

His father was primary councilor to the Acting Paramount Chief of Thembuland and after his father’s death, the 9-year-old Mandela became the chief’s ward. He received the English name Nelson from a primary school teacher at his mission school.

He attended the University College of Fort Hare, a prestigious residential college for blacks in South Africa, where he was expelled over a student boycott, and then ran away from home to Johannesburg to avoid an arranged marriage.

He eventually completed his bachelor’s degree via correspondence courses, studied law and joined the African National Congress in 1942.

After 20 years of leading a non-violent campaign against the South African government, his philosophy switched to

studiotobechi, 2000

Clyde Bellecourt, founder American Indian Movement (AIM), and Nelson Mandela armed struggle. In 1964 he was sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting to overthrow the government by violence.

For 18 of his 27 years in prison, he was inmate #46664 on Robben Island, a notorious maximum security facility off Cape Town, where he became a worldwide symbol of resistance to racial oppression.

In 1982, he was moved

to Pollsmoor Prison, on the nearby mainland, where he spent much of his time in solitary confinement. In 1985, President P. W. Botha offered to release him if he would renounce armed struggle but he refused, saying “only free men can negotiate. Prisoners cannot enter into contracts.”

Finally released from this third prison, Victor Verster – an

A network of care, all around you.

If you live in Hennepin County, chances are good there’s an HCMC clinic nearby. These multi-specialty clinics accept most health plans, allow you to manage your care with 24-hour online access to MyChart and are ready to provide expert health care for you and your family.

Find out more, and a clinic near you at hcmc.org/clinics.

Downtown Primary and Specialty Care Clinics Brooklyn Center Clinic • Brooklyn Park Clinic • East Lake Clinic Richfield Clinic • Whittier Clinic • St. Anthony Village Clinic

coverage, a cap on out-of-pocket costs, allowing kids to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26, and requiring that at least 80 cents of every dollar people pay for health insurance is spent on health care.

Beginning January 1, 2014, all U.S. citizens and legal residents will be required to have health insurance coverage. For those Minnesotans who are uninsured, underinsured, or looking for new coverage choices, MNsure is a one-stop health insurance marketplace where individuals, families and small businesses will be able to get quality health coverage at the lowest rates in the

country. MNsure will empower more than 1 million Minnesotans to compare, choose, and get help finding health care coverage.

It will facilitate enrollment in public and private health insurance, determine eligibility for premium tax credits and allow Minnesotans to shop and compare between health care coverage options.

Open enrollment through MNsure began October 1, 2013 and runs through March 31, 2014. For more information about MNsure, how it will benefit Minnesota consumers and businesses, and how to provide input, visit www.mnsure.org.

event broadcast internationally - on February 11, 1990 , he was elected president of the ANC in 1991.

In 1993 he and President Frederik Willem De Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and in 1994, at the age of 75, he was inaugurated as the first black president of South Africa.

Mandela served as president until 1999, when he retired and became an advocate for a number of human rights organizations and also a spokesman for the fight against

AIDS. In 2001 he was treated for prostate cancer.

His philosophy of learning to love instead of hate made him one of the moral leaders of his era.

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion” he wrote in his autobiography.

“People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for loves comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

insightnews.com

Insight News • December 9 - December 15, 2013 • Page 11

COMMUNITY Remembering our extraordinary journeys From 1987 to 2002, The St. Paul Companies (now St. Paul Travelers) sponsored a unique leadership program, Leadership Initiatives in Neighborhoods (LIN).

Over the course of 16 years, more than 180 local activists and artists received a combined $4.5 million in funding to pursue opportunities to augment their skills in a variety of meaningful ways. Now, a decade after the last grant was provided, the program has come to life once more in the form of the book “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Journeys: How St. Paul Companies Leadership Initiatives in Neighborhoods Program Changed Lives and Communities,” by writer, educator and life-long arts advocate Carolyn Holbrook.

The book features profiles of twenty LIN recipients who founded Twin Cities nonprofits agencies.

On Thursday Dec. 12, two of those individuals, acclaimed founder and executive director of the Cultural Wellness Center, Elder Atum Azzahir, and

Elder Atum Azzahir received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leadership award for her innovative approach to health in the Powderhorn community. founder and executive director of Resources for African Lives (REAL), Tsehai Wodajo, will join members of communities they have fostered in their works, Pan African elders, parents, children and friends in

a discussion.

The discussion will focus on how the LIN grant boosted Azzahir’s development and helped Wodajo unlock the voices of her ancestors and make a difference for women

and girls in Ethiopia who are dealing with domestic violence.

Azzahir is a teacher of African thought and spirituality.

Wodajo is a specialist in culturally competent social

Tsehai Wodajo was one of the co-founders of the Women’s Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE), a St. Paul-based organization founded by a group of multicultural, multinational, first generation immigrant women to be a vehicle for social, economic and leadership empowerment of Asian, African, and Latina women and girls. services.

The event will be held in the Midtown Global Market,

920 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, in the MGM Conference room from 4:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

PhotoXpress

1 Saint Satoko Pocket Park by Enviro Design Apprentices

Juxtaposition Arts to launch GENERATIVE: a capacity building campaign for JXTALab Youth Social Venture Since 1995, Juxtaposition Arts has supported local youth to develop the confidence, skills and connections they need to enter the workforce as innovative problem solvers, ready to achieve their goals and contribute to revitalizing their communities.

On Dec. 12, the community is invited to see its north Minneapolis campus, 2007 Emerson Ave. N., meet current youth apprentices, visit its design labs and studios and find out more about Juxtaposition’s unique mentor apprenticeships.

The event runs from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. The event will celebrate

the launch of GENERATIVE: a Capacity Building Campaign for JXTALab Youth Social Venture and will include apprentice-led tours of the campus, studios and labs. There will be art and video projections in the galleries, dinner and a presentation.

“Despite being a well-known presence in the community, the rate of innovation at JXTA over the past four years has been so rapid, that we are not the Juxtaposition Arts you thought you knew,” said DeAnna Cummings, executive director of Juxtaposition. “Youth here experience professional training and hands-on experience

in design, production, and marketing. We partner with young women and men to help them understand how to use their creativity, confidence, networks, and problem solving skills to design their own futures and contribute to the revitalization of their own communities.”

Juxtaposition Arts is about to get a big boost in its work thanks to a three-year, half milliondollar grant from the Surdna Foundation. The funding will help strengthen the capacity to further its work with youth and the north Minneapolis community, increase the number of young

people served and employed and transform JXTALab youth social venture into functioning microbusinesses.

Juxtaposition Arts is an arts education program, teenstaffed art and design enterprise and locally rooted cultural development center. Juxtaposition Arts creates opportunities that unleash the creative genius of young people on the Northside of Minneapolis. For more information about Juxtaposition Arts visit its website at www. juxtaposition.org.

Holiday & Kwanzaa Book Sale at Sumner Library Has your gift list grown this season?

Wondering what to give everyone on your shopping list? Perhaps you are celebrating Kwanzaa and need to select zawadi (gifts) for everyone?

Considering giving the gift of words and the gift of stories. Give books! Books make great gifts for young and old and are costeffective too! They’re like taking a trip without going anywhere.

They give and give again, and they’re share-able. What more could you want to give?

The Friends of the Sumner Library will be holding a special Holiday & Kwanzaa Book Sale on December 10th and 12th, 4-7 p.m. and the 14th, 1-5 p.m. at Sumner Library, 611 Van White Memorial Blvd., Minneapolis,

MN 55411. A selection of fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books is available for purchase. Also, a small assortment of VHS tapes on African American history will be offered for purchase. Many of these videos are not likely to be available in the future. We have something that will fit everyone on your list and you can support the library at the same time. Most books and media priced at $1 or $2.

All funds raised benefit Sumner Library programs. The Friends of the Sumner Library is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization that supports literacy programs for all age levels. For more information contact the Friends at sumner@supporthclib. org.

Minnesota African American Heritage Calendar For the eighth year, the Minnesota African American Heritage Calendar Award Committee, a part of PROCEED Foundation and Progressive Baptist Church has produced the Minnesota African American Heritage Calendar to showcase the accomplishments of African-Americans with roots in Minnesota. The group is recognizing twelve individuals for sharing their creative talents

and gifts and who continue to enrich and shape our culture and the overall societal culture. The individuals represent various components of the arts.

This year’s theme is “The Art Of Creativity.” Those being recognized are for their service in modeling the Afrocentric experience by representing the beauty and depth of heritage through the arts. Artists being recognized in the upcoming

Volunteer Coordinator

year’s calendar are artist, Tacoumba Aiken, storyteller, Brenda Bell Brown, theatrical director, Lou Bellamy, musician and dancer, Kenna -Camara Cottman, philanthropist, Gary Cunningham, educator, David Ellis, singer and actress, Doris Hines, actor, T. Mychal Rambo, media icon, Robyne Robinson, Sounds Of Blackness, Carl Walker, of Walker-West Academy and writer Thomas Van

Vacancies

Part-time Position – 2nd District GAL Volunteer Coordinator. Visit website to apply: www.mncourts. gov , deadline 12/20/13.

Cokato Apts, Cokato, MN (a seniors complex 62 or over or handicapped) has vacancies on 2nd Floor for one BR apts. Waiting list open. Contact Don at 320-286-2758. E-Mail cokapts@embarqmail.com

Part-Time Administrative Assistant (20 hours per week)

RENTAL UNITS AVAILABLE

The Minneapolis Foundation is seeking a part-time (20 hours/week) administrative assistant to support the director of the Northside Funders Group, a nineteen member funders’ collaborative designed to align investments to catalyze comprehensive and sustainable change in North Minneapolis. For a full copy of the job posting, please visit http:// www.minneapolisfoundation.org/AboutUs/Careers.aspx.

Submit a cover letter, resume, salary history and references

by December 2, 2013 to: HR@mplsfoundation.org The Minneapolis Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

SCHOOL BUS DRIVER

Saint Paul Public Schools seeks a School Bus Driver to join its team! Candidates must have a High school diploma or G.E.D. and two years of experience as a School Bus Driver, which includes experience working with special needs students. Must have a valid Class A or B commercial driver’s license (CDL) with a current unlimited school bus driver’s endorsement and a current passenger endorsement.

For more details and to apply, visit hr.spps.org/Search_Jobs_and_Apply.htm. Saint Paul Public Schools is an equal opportunity employer and supports an inclusive workplace environment.

Leer.

The 2014 calendar unveiling ceremony will be held on Friday, Jan. 31, 2014 at 7 p.m. at the Progressive Life Center, 1505 Burns Ave., St. Paul. The purchase of the $12 calendar offers admission to the event.

PROCEED hopes to have the calendars placed in Minnesota school classrooms and libraries to generate dialogue among teachers and their students about

DECEMBER

31 YOUTH CAFE

The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Housing Authority has rental units available in Cass County, MN. Please call 218-335-8280. Must meet certain qualifications.

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

FAMILY KWANZAA FEAST Saturday, December 31,2013

Dinner and Celebration 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Please join us in a community, cultural celebration of the seven principals of Nguzo Saba. There will be live entertainment and food. Come help us affirm our youth in their Food Justice Movement and healthy living.

OAK PARK COMMUNITY CENTER 1701 Oak Park Ave N Minneapolis, MN 55411 For information Contact: 612 377-7000 ADMISSION: FREE THE ONLY COST IS YOUR WILLINGNESS TO BE ENGAGED.

Afro Eco

Minnesota African-American history.

The calendars go on sell on Dec. 8. To get a calendar, contact Kim White at (651) 263-5679 or by email at wh6k@aol.com,

Brenda Dean at plotpixel@ hotmail.com, Joann Clark at (651) 238-7900 or Clark_parkridge@ msn.com or call PROCEED Foundation/ Progressive Baptist Church at (651) 774-5503.

Page 12 • December 9 - December 15, 2013 • Insight News

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Come have lunch at the Dakota 11:30 - 2 Monday through Friday From Chef Derik Moran, find daily specials, salads, sandwiches and more, and never forget dessert by Pastry Chef Katie Elsing.

Prices starting at $8 View our complete menu at

dakotacooks.com 5

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This Holiday Season, Shop for a Reason.

Find great deals and unique gifts while shopping on the Green Line and support local small businesses at the same time!

Earth’s Beauty Supply Historic Rondo 608 University Ave W, St. Paul

Forget Black Friday the day after Thanksgiving — this time around it was all about Jack Friday. The event at Darby’s was presented by Thee Urbane Life and The Cool & Co. was themed after the famous whiskey, Jack Daniel’s and brought out hundreds of Twin Cities urban professionals. Here are a few sights from the night.

Transformation Salon Historic Frogtown 931 University Ave W, St. Paul

1) The Cool’s David Smith getting his pose on.

Christmas with

THE STEELES: A FAMILY AFFAIR DEC 25 Sunday’s Best Historic Frogtown 601 University Ave W, St. Paul

Milbern Clothing The Midway 1685 University Ave W, St. Paul

Avoid the crowds! Shop local

The Steeles are a Soul & Gospel powerhouse.

These five siblings have been heard on Broadway and have graced stages from Carnegie Hall to The Guthrie to First Ave. Join us for an evening of soul-drenched Gospel greatness!

The Steeles are Jevetta Steele, J.D. Steele, Jearlyn Steele, Fred Steele, Billy Steele.

and save on the Green Line this holiday season.

onthegreenline.com

1010 NICOLLET MALL CALL TODAY FOR TICKETS

612.332.5299

OR VISIT US ONLINE AT

DAKOTACOOKS.COM

2) The beautiful Carla Soto showing off her style and smile.

3) Niles Phillips showing he’s always fly when stepping out.

4) DJs J Shep (left) and Willie Shu mean mug for the camera.

5) Melissa Abney and Lauren Mounts dressed in black (and white) for Jack Friday.

6) John Adams and Nicole Pacini showing their love for Jack Friday.