Eric
Roberson returns to the Dakota MORE ON PAGE 5
December 23 - December 29, 2013
Vol. 40 No. 52 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
Posh
A family affair By Chris Chr hris is G Garner arne ar nerr All in the family is exactly how Tunisunia Reed keeps it at her salon in south Minneapolis. From ownership, to construction and décor, the efforts to create and run Posh Hair Studio, 2403 Nicollet Ave., have been nothing short of a family affair. With the help of her husband and business partner, Reed has set out to establish a salon that exudes class, sophistication and elegance. “What separates us from other salons is we are not a (typical) beauty shop,” said Reed. “We operate on professionalism, we know it’s an inviting environment but we know that when a client has an
appointment, wee sh apppo ap poin intm int tmen tmen entt, w show how uup p on on time.” timee.” ti Tara Howard, an English teacher at Augsburg Fairview Academy said it is that level of professionalism that has kept her coming back to Reed. “I think I continue coming to Tunisunia because she does listen well and she’s creative,” said Howard. “I’ve been with Tunisunia for seven years and that says a lot about not just her as a stylist but a lot about her business: Posh.” In their two years of opening they have been able to add a barbershop headed by Reed’s brother Smokey, called GQ Barbers. Posh has been a dream of Reed’s for years. The Scott Lewis School of Cosmetology
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Chris Garner
One of the career aspirations of Posh Hair Salon owner Tunisunia Reed is to work as a freelance hairstylist.
Hodges vows to close gaps By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer
Betsy Hodges
When Betsy Hodges emerged the victor of an absurdly crowded field in the contest to become Minneapolis’ next mayor, she said it sent a clear message that the city would no longer be divided. “I want to grow Minneapolis and I want to close the gaps between white people and people of color,” said Hodges, who takes office Jan. 2. “I want to close the gap between the haves and the have nots. The
people of Minneapolis very clearly said they wanted me to do that. The results of that election made it pretty clear that the message I carried resonated with the people of Minneapolis.” The incoming mayor made it a point to reach out to Insight News to begin her official dialogue with the city’s African-American community, requesting a oneon-one interview with an Insight reporter. She said she has also reached out to various other African-American civic, religious and business leaders
Richard Fleischman
Kya Brown,14, has been playing the piano since fourth grade.
to let it be known that her campaign platform was more than just lip service. Hodges said she has a vested interest in all of Minneapolis achieving, and discussed how to improve quality of life for the city’s Northside residents. “If north Minneapolis is not doing well, all of Minneapolis is not doing well,” said Hodges. “There are lots of possibilities (for improvements in north Minneapolis) as we grow our transportation system. We need to examine how do we physically reconnect north Minneapolis from the divides
Aiming for the top Kya Brown, 14, attends DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis and serves as a 9th grade student representative on her high school’s student council. She is on the cheer squad and the basketball team and plans to join the track team in the spring. Her favorite subjects are English and social studies. The highly-involved teenager was also first runner up in the Miss Black Minnesota USA Pageant.
See yourself completing goals
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Kya Brown: Abeni Hill Editorial Intern
Motivational moments
that were made when the highways were put in.” A couple of divides have little or nothing to do with geography. Minneapolis – and the region as a whole – has staggering gaps in education and employment. As mayor, Hodges said she is committed to eradicating those gaps during her term. “One of the first things that we will put in motion is my Cradle to K cabinet,” said Hodges, who said the program will coordinate directly with
The yearly pageant is one of the events held by the Miss Black Minnesota USA Program, a nonprofit organization that strives to empower young African and African-American women through scholarship and youth development programming. The Miss Black Minnesota USA Program implemented a youth engagement curriculum in the Robbinsdale Area Schools for girls between the ages of eight and 17. Brown’s platform in the pageant was youth leadership. “When we grow up, one of
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Business
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Natalie Rasmussen tells how Summatech worked at North High
Coalition identifies, promotes Somali health interests
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