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April 11 11,, 2022 - April 17, 2022

Vol. 49 No. 15• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

CRAIG TABORN MODERN MUSIC KEYBOARD MAVEN AT THE DAKOTA

Internationally acclaimed pianist and composer Craig Taborn makes a rare appearance this Wednesday, April 13, at the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. For ticket information call 612.332.5299.

Jazz critic, Kevin Whitehead, says Taborn is one of the most inventive and resourceful pianists in improvised music today. “Taborn practices the art of instant composing, of making spontaneous pieces so clear and shapely, they can sound worked out in advance.

Sometimes they unfold like traditional pop songs with short motifs and variations.,” he said.

Born in Minneapolis, and raised in Golden Valley, where he attended Breck School, Taborn has been performing piano and electronic music in the jazz, improvisational, and creative music scene for over twenty-five years. He has experience composing for and performing in a wide variety of situations including jazz, new music, electronic, rock, noise and avant garde contexts.

Taborn has played and recorded with many luminaries in the fields of jazz, improvised, new music and electronic music including Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Lester Bowie, Dave Holland, Tim Berne, John Zorn, Evan Parker, Steve Coleman, David Torn, Chris Potter, William Parker, Vijay Iyer, Kris Davis, Nicole Mitchell, Susie Ibarra, Ikue Mori, Carl Craig, Dave Douglas, Meat Beat Manifesto, Dan Weiss, Chris Lightcap, Gerald Cleaver, and Rudresh Manhathappa.

Taborn is currently occupied creating and performing music for solo piano performance (Avenging Angel), piano trio (Craig Taborn Trio), an electronic project (Junk Magic), the Daylight Ghosts Quartet, a piano/drums/electronics duo with Dave King (Heroic Enthusiasts) and a new trio with Tomeka Reid and Ches Smith as well as piano duo collaborations with Vijay Iyer (The Transitory Poems), Kris Davis (Octopus) and Cory Smythe. He is also a member of the instrumental electronic art-pop group Golden Valley is Now and performs frequently on solo electronics.

His conceptual work 60 x Sixty is now available worldwide, for free at 60xSixty.com Taborn currently resides in Brooklyn.

(Content from craigtaborn.com) Photo by Rue Sakayama courtesy Chicago Reader

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Insight News • April 11, 2022 - April 17, 2022 • Page 3

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INSIGHT NEWS IS AUDITED BY THE ALLIANCE FOR AUDITED MEDIA TO PROVIDE OUR ADVER TISER PAR TNERS WITH THE HIGHES T LEVEL OF MEDIA ASSURANCE.

April 11 11,, 2022 - April 17, 2022

Vol. 49 No. 15• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Projects Include Expanding Native American Health Care and Job Training, Increasing Access to STEM Experiences for Students, Support for Students with Disabilities, and Economic Development for the African American Community

U.S. Senator Tina Smith Secures $3.6+ Million in Funding for Special Projects to the Twin Cities

Uche Iroegbu

No charges filed in no-knock warrant killing of Amir Locke

By Steve Karnowski, Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota prosecutors declined to file charges Wednesday against a Minneapolis police SWAT team officer who fatally shot Amir Locke while executing an early morning no-knock search warrant in a downtown apartment in February.

Locke, 22, who was Black, was staying on a couch in the apartment when authorities entered it on Feb. 2 without knocking as part of an investigation into a homicide in neighboring St. Paul.

His parents have said that from what they saw of the police body camera footage,

it appeared that their son was startled awake. His mother, Karen Wells, has called his death “an execution.” Their attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Locke, who was not named in the warrant, was shot seconds after authorities say he pointed a gun in the direction of officers. Locke’s family has questioned that. The body camera footage shows Locke holding a gun before he was shot.

Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman, whose offices reviewed the case, said they determined that Officer Mark Hanneman was justified in firing his weapon.

“There is insufficient

admissible evidence to file criminal charges in this case.

Specifically, the State would be unable to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt any of the elements of Minnesota’s useof-deadly-force statute that authorizes the use of force by Officer Hanneman,” Ellison and Freeman said in a joint statement.

Locke’s death came as three former Minneapolis police officers were on trial in federal court in St. Paul in George Floyd’s killing. It sparked protests and a reexamination of no-knock search warrants.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced an immediate moratorium on such warrants, and on Tuesday, he formalized a new policy that will take effect Friday requiring officers to

knock and wait before entering a residence. Some lawmakers also have been pushing for a statewide ban on no-knock warrants, except in rare circumstances.

“Amir Locke is a victim,” Ellison and Freeman said. “This tragedy may not have occurred absent the noknock warrant used in this case.

In their applications for search warrants of the Minneapolis apartment and other locations, authorities said a no-knock warrant was necessary to protect the public and officers as they looked for guns, drugs and clothing worn by people suspected in a violent killing. Authorities asked that officers be allowed

WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced the funding of several special projects in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul metro area. She has worked to bring $3,699,000 in total across five projects, which vary from Native American health care and job training, expanding access to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) experiences for young students, support for students with disabilities, and economic development for the African American Rondo community in Saint Paul.

“All of these projects are critical investments in communities across the Twin Cities metro area,” said Sen. Smith. “Investing in Native health care and job training, expanding STEM education and supporting students with disabilities, and spurring economic opportunity for the Black community are all important ways to support the diverse communities that call the Twin Cities home.”

Expanding Native American Health Care and Job Training $1,000,000 was awarded to the Native American Community Clinic to expand its

U.S. Senator Tina Smith clinic located in Minneapolis and expand culturally-based care. This funding will also allow the clinic to double its size and impact, from serving 5,000 unique patients to 10,000.

“On behalf of the staff and board of the Native American Community Clinic, we are very grateful to Tina Smith and MN Congressional Delegation for recognizing the urgency and importance of health equity in our community,” said Dr. Antony Stately, President of the Native American Community Clinic.

“This investment will help us to continue to deliver on our mission to promote the health

SMITH 4

LOCKE 4 photo/Carolyn Kaster

Ceci Tadfor

Visions and Quests Columnist

By Brenda Lyle-Gray You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, and how you can come out of it.

Maya Angelou I could just visualize this scene. A stunning young Cameroonian teen walks proudly down her neighborhood street in Buea, Cameroon, a city located on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon, on her own. She uses no stick or crutch to help balance her weight on one leg, something she had done throughout her childhood.

Those who had watched the Tadfor offspring often achieve what would probably prove insurmountable odds for most, came out on their porches celebrating her phenomenal feat. She would no longer have to be carried on the back of her beloved grandmother or her siblings and devoted friends. She would no longer have to crawl or

feel the brunt of excruciating emotional and physical pain.

Her young mother and maternal grandmother, Mami Ncha, the matriarch of the close-knit Tadfor family whose ancestors were rooted in the village of Bagante, would never allow her to feel sorry for herself or to not lead a normal life which she has done so admirably. On this day, she would wear a new prothesis her aunt in Nigeria had located.

Ceci Tchakounte Tadfor, was born in Cameroon with a defective leg as a result of her pregnant mother’s use of ‘thalidomide’ to treat morning sickness. What happened to Tadfor, Ceci, as she has always been affectionately called, and thousands of other unborn babies’ disabilities was indeed preventable.

Research had uncovered evidence that the ‘thalidomide’ tragedy was definitely foreseeable, but German pharmaceutical companies in the 60s ignored the safety risks and covered up one of the most devastating global medical atrocities in modern history.

The drug had been marketed as a mild sleeping pill even safe for pregnant women.

Unbeknownst to most, the medication would cause grief worldwide when babies were inflicted with malformed limbs.

Today, this ageing

generation faces isolation as many of their caretaker parents have transitioned, rising health care bills due to numerous and necessary surgeries have mounted, and uncertainty for a healthy future looms in the darkness of an ugly truth that was seldom acknowledged nor compensated by those who profited from the injustice perpetrated against the innocent.

Tadfor was fortunate in that Grace afforded her a strong family base whose members are now located all around the world and have largely been quite successful.

Tadfor became one of the finest cooks of the new frontier of African cuisine, published “Ceci’s African Kitchen Cookbook”, and has long been recognized as a multi-talented hair technician, once owning a thriving beauty salon and an African restaurant in Santa Fe where she has lived for over 30 years. She arrived in the Land of Enchantment when her former husband landed a position in Los Alamos. Their daughter, Anne Marie, is an educator with the Chicago school district.

“It has been a roller coaster ride, she would write.

The bullying, the betrayals, the heartaches, and the painful losses.

I continue to recreate and start all over again and again, but with so much gratitude, thankful I am still

Education

Black students experiencing racism on campus lack mental health support

PAGE 5

Former President Barack Obama listens as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about the Affordable Care Act, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 5, 2022.

Obama’s back -- for a day -- in White House health bill push

By Zeke Miller, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Darlene Superville, Associated Press

24-7pressrelease.com

Cecilia Tchakounte Tadfor able to recognize the blessings, those that have been given to me, and those I graciously give to others.” She often compares her life to the powerful Japanese art technique, kintsugi. The process entails repairing broken ceramics with an emboldened gold, the fractures quite visible.

The broken pieces have become a new form of art created from shattered matter and resulting in a magnificence all its own.

Tadfor has created the Cecilia Tchakounte Tadfor Foundation where she hopes to inform, to be a witness to the injustice, and to raise funding for others in her native Buea for resources such as wheelchairs and walkers, and to offer ‘possibilities’ for a much happier and easier life for those with similar disabilities.

For more information: http://www.tadforfoundation. org

WASHINGTON (AP) — With hugs, laughs and good-natured ribbing, Barack Obama on Tuesday returned to the White House for the first time in more than five years to savor the 12th anniversary of his signature health care law and give a boost to President Joe Biden’s efforts to expand it.

The Affordable Care Act has survived repeated repeal attempts by Republicans.

Biden, who was Obama’s No. 2 when “Obamacare” became law in March 2010, wants to extend the law’s reach to even more than the current millions. He gave all the credit for the original law to the former president.

“It’s because of you,” Biden said after good-naturedly introducing himself as Obama’s vice president. Biden said the law “shows hope leads to change,” a play on Obama’s “hope and change” campaign slogan.

Obama was last at the White House on Jan. 20, 2017, when he left to escort Donald Trump, the successor bent on overturning the law, to

the Capitol to be inaugurated.

“It’s good to be back in the White House. It’s been awhile,” he said after Vice President Kamala Harris introduced him in the East Room.

Obama opened by referring to Biden as “vice president” before acknowledging that was a “set up” joke and embracing his former No. 2.

Obama said he and Biden accomplished “a lot” in their eight years but “nothing made me prouder than providing better health care and more protections to millions of people across this country.”

“The ACA was an example of why you run for office in the first place,” Obama said, calling it the “high point of my time here.”

Biden called the Affordable Care Act the most consequential legislation since Medicare and Medicaid were created in 1965, and insisted it must be expanded to more people.

“We can do this.

We should do this. We have to do this,” Biden said.

He said the law has been called a lot of things, “but Obamacare is the most fitting.”

Biden and Obama marked the 12th anniversary

OBAMA 4

I2H

Number of COVID patients in US hospitals reaches record low

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Page 4 • April 11, 2022 - April 17, 2022 • Insight News

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Business

Report proposes additional $146 million funding to combat homelessness

2020, the rate of unsheltered homeless has risen 145%.

The emergency services grant program would be appropriated an additional $35 million in fiscal year 2023 and a base appropriation of $25 million would be set in fiscal years 2024 and 2025 to fund emergency services for homeless people, such as emergency shelters.

The Homeless Youth Act would be funded with $10.3 million in fiscal year 2023 and $20 million over each year of the next biennium for a total of $52.3 million. The act, established in 2006 to award grants to providers who are committed to serving homeless youth and youth at risk of homelessness, covers people age 24 and under.

The bill would appropriate $40.5 million over the current and following bienniums for a safe harbor program for exploited youth.

Other provisions in the bill would:  extend the duration of transitional housing from 24 to 36 months;  reduce the countable income for social security income recipients in certain housing from 100% to 30%;  set the countable income for recipients of veteran affairs benefits at 30%;  expand the final report from the task force on shelter to Dec. 15, 2022;  require a study of prevalence of pregnancy and parenting among homeless youths; and  require a study on survivors of sexual exploitation and trafficking.

“This is the moment,” Gomez said. “This is the right time for us to step up and make a significant investment in these profound needs that we’re experiencing in our communities across the state.”

These bills have been incorporated in part or in whole into the report:  HF3090 (Gomez)  HF3200 (Hollins)  HF3294 (Reyer)  HF3568 (Her)  HF3590 (Poston)  HF3599 (Keeler)  HF3613 (Olson, L.)  HF3661 (Keeler)  HF4427 (Feist)

By Brian Hall, Session Daily Creating and improving more shelter space, increased efforts to combat homelessness among youth and funding those helping to address homelessness issues are among the focuses of the division report from the House Preventing Homelessness Division.

HF4255, sponsored

by Rep. Aisha Gomez (DFLMpls) and replaced by a deleteall amendment on Wednesday, includes an additional $145.95 million over current biennial funding and $92.7 million above the current budget for programs in the next biennium. The funds would go to programs and services, such as the Homeless Youth Act, safe harbor grants, emergency shelters, emergency service grants and for Hennepin and Ramsey County services.

The bill was approved on a 7-4 party-line vote and sent to the House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee. There is no direct Senate companion, though the Senate has heard companion bills to many of the bills included in the report. “(The report) that we put together today is really a transformative step for our

Locke From 3 to conduct the search without knocking, and outside the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., because the suspects being sought in the Jan. 10 killing of Otis Elder had a history of violence.

Locke was killed seconds after the SWAT team

Smith From 3 and wellness of mind, body and spirit in Native American families and increase our clinic footprint in the community and expand on critical healthcare services to our relatives in a community they had some of the worst health disparities in the State, and among the hardest hit by the COVID19 pandemic.” $350,000 was awarded to the American Indian Opportunities Industrialization Center (AIOIC) to develop

Rep. Aisha Gomez

photo/Paul Battaglia

A homeless encampment near the State Capitol in St. Paul, pictured in 2021. homelessness response system in Minnesota. It responds directly to the needs that we’ve heard over the last eight weeks, and the last two years, and I can only assume for years and decades before this committee ever existed, from service providers and advocates, from local government partners and, most critically, from unhoused people and formerly unhoused people themselves,” said Gomez, the division chair.

The report doesn’t include the fiscal impact of HF3568, one of the bills it

includes, which is a sticking point with Republicans. An updated fiscal note is expected before the proposal moves further.

“I think it’s probably inappropriate for us to move forward including this in a bill when we have no idea what the cost will be. We just know that there’s going to be a fiscal impact,” said Rep. Anne Neu Brindley (R-North Branch).

The bill would appropriate $75 million in fiscal year 2023 for the development, improvement or expansion of emergency shelter facilities.

An amendment unsuccessfully offered by Neu Brindley would require a partial match by grant recipients.

“This simply would require entities to, frankly, have skin in the game,” Neu Brindley said. “There are very few grants that we do from the state that don’t require some kind of a match.”

The Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness reported earlier this session that while homelessness dropped by 5% in Minnesota from 2014-

entered the apartment where his family said he was staying.

Body camera video shows an officer using a key to unlock the door and enter, followed by at least four officers in uniform and protective vests, timestamped at about 6:48 a.m.

As they enter, they repeatedly shout, “Police, search warrant!”

They also shout “Hands!” and “Get on the ground!”

The video shows

an officer kicking a sectional sofa, and Locke is seen wrapped in a comforter, holding a pistol. Three shots are heard and the video ends.

Ellison and Freeman said the case shows that noknock warrants are “highly risky” and can pose “significant dangers” to people who aren’t engaged in criminal activity.

“Local, state, and federal policy makers should

seriously weigh the benefits of no-knock warrants, which are dangerous for both law enforcement and the public alike. Other cities, like Saint Paul, and some states, have ended the use of no-knock warrants entirely,” they said.

While Locke was not named in the warrant, his 17-year-old cousin, Mekhi Camden Speed, was named and has been charged with

two counts of second-degree murder in Elder’s killing.

The search warrants were carried out as part of an investigation into Elder’s death. Elder, a 38-year-old father, was found shot and laying in the street in what police believe was an apparent robbery. Drugs and money were found in Elder’s SUV, according to court documents.

The police department

hired Hanneman in 2015. City records show there were three complaints made about him and that all were closed without him being disciplined, but they give no details. Data on the website of the citizen group Communities United Against Police Brutality shows a fourth complaint, in 2018, that remains open. No details were given.

Associated Press writer Amy Forliti contributed.

new job training programs in heavy equipment operation and elder care. These funds will specifically allow the AIOIC to help workers who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic get back to work.

“The American Indian OIC is incredibly grateful for the advocacy of Senator Tina Smith on behalf of our community and on behalf of our organization.

With this investment by the federal government, spearheaded by Senator Smith, the American Indian OIC will be able to further increase our efforts to onboard our community members into

meaningful careers through our training and employment placement programs, including our work specifically with indigenous youth and indigenous elders,” said Dr. Joe Hobot, President and CEO of American Indian OIC. “This investment could not have come at a more critical time as our community continues to rebound from the disproportionate negative impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted on our people.

Wopila Tanka (A great “thank you” in Lakota) to Senator Tina Smith for your leadership and ongoing partnership with the American Indian community, and specifically the American Indian OIC!” Expanding Access to STEM Education and Supporting Students with Disabilities $400,000 awarded to Ignite Afterschool to develop a statewide Minnesota STEM Ecosystems Network. The funds will support the publicprivate partnership between Ignite Afterschool and their partner organization South East

Service Cooperative. Their combined effort will increase access, opportunity and identify gaps to STEM experiences by youth in Minnesota.

“Our shared prosperity depends on inspiring and preparing the next generation of STEM professionals,” said Kari Denissen Cunnien, Executive Director of Ignite Afterschool. “We are grateful to Senator Smith for supporting efforts that deepen the quality of out of school STEM learning and the partnerships that build ecosystems and ladders of support for young people in communities across Minnesota, especially for those most underrepresented in STEM fields.” $449,000 awarded to Best Buddies International, Inc. for the ‘Best Buddies in Minnesota Inclusion Project’ which will reduce social barriers by fostering meaningful friendships between students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their general education peers.

“Minnesota is fortunate to have Senator Smith because she recognizes that connection, belonging, and social inclusion are imperative for creating strong and healthy communities,” said Katey DeMarais, State Director for Best Buddies in Minnesota. “Thanks to the Senator’s advocacy, Best Buddies will be able to use these funds to expand our oneto-one friendship programs to more schools and communities throughout the state, sending a powerful message that people with intellectual disabilities are valued members of our society and deserve to be included.”

Investing in Economic Development for African Americans in the Rondo Community $1,500,000 awarded to ReConnect Rondo for their ‘Rondo Net-Zero Community.’ The Net Zero Energy building will serve as offices for the ReConnect Rondo organization as well as an environmental justice and sustainability education center

and community gathering space.

“Climate change is an important issue to be addressed,” said Keith Baker, Executive Director of ReConnect Rondo.

“Receiving these monies mean at the community level we can advance the project to educate and engage residents around carbon reduction, model real time 21st century innovations and establish a prototype for studying scalability and benefits to residents – particularly as we consider potential for creating a community land bridge to reigniting an African American cultural enterprise district.”

Senator Smith has been an active advocate in pushing for these projects to be funded as part of the federal spending bill, which President Biden signed into law on March 15. Allocating funds to specific state projects like this has not been provided by Congress for the last decade, making this multi-million dollar investment in the Twin Cities critical for advancing important projects across the metro area.

He quipped that Secret Service agents now have to wear aviator sunglasses, the White House mess has been replaced by a Baskin-Robbins and “there’s a cat running around.”

“I guarantee you Bo and Sunny would have been very unhappy about it,” Obama added, referencing the his family’s dogs.

As for “Obamacare,” the law’s staying power has been enhanced by three Supreme Court victories and the late Sen. John McCain’s emphatic thumbs-down vote that took the wind out of then-President Trump’s efforts to repeal and replace it.

The law was such a bugaboo in 2010 that Democrats rarely invoked it as they went into a midterm election that turned out to be, in Obama’s own words, a “shellacking.”

Now, Democrats are hoping the political equation will work to their advantage, and that a focus on shoring up the law can help them avoid a debacle at the polls this November.

Harris, in her remarks, called on Congress to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and to make permanent subsidies for the Affordable Care Act that were included in Biden’s pandemic relief bill. Harris also called out 12 states that have not expanded eligibility for Medicaid.

Obama referred to the health care law as a “starter home” that Americans can build upon, gradually reducing the 9% share of the population that remains uninsured. The rate was nearly 15% in 2013, before the coverage provisions of the law took effect. Between the health law’s Medicaid expansion and its health insurance markets, more than 30 million people are now estimated to be getting coverage.

Biden opened up the health insurance markets to anyone seeking coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his coronavirus relief bill provided a significant, though temporary, increase in financial assistance.

The result was a record 14.5 million people signing up for subsidized private coverage.

People tripped up by the “family glitch” are dependents of workers who have an offer of employer coverage that the government interprets as being affordable. As a rule, people with affordable employer coverage are not eligible for taxpayer-subsidized ACA plans.

But the issue with the current interpretation is that affordability is determined by the cost for employeeonly coverage, and not more expensive family policies.

Workers able to afford their own share may not be able to cover premiums for the entire family. So the family is cut out of ACA coverage.

A Biden administration regulation addressing the issue recently cleared White House review.

The intent of the original policy was to prevent people with employer coverage from going into the health law’s subsidized markets, but advocates say it has proven too restrictive.

There are more fundamental issues for the two presidents to consider as well, both policy-wise and politically.

Unless Democrats in Congress finally coalesce around a version of Biden’s social legislation, his enhanced financial assistance for millions purchasing ACA plans will expire at the end of this year.

A return to higher premiums would likely trigger an increase in the number of uninsured people, a problem for them and a political embarrassment for Democrats committed to expanding coverage.

The Biden legislation, which passed the House but sputtered in the Senate, also includes a mechanism for providing coverage to as many as 4 million uninsured lowincome adults in states that have refused the health law’s Medicaid expansion. It would deliver on Biden’s campaign promise to build on existing government programs to move the U.S. closer to coverage for all.

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Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Culture and Education Editor Dr. Irma McClaurin, PhD. Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Columnist Brenda Lyle-Gray Book Review Editor W.D. Foster-Graham Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Content & Production Manager Sunny Thongthi Yang Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley

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Obama From 3 of the law, which back in 2010 the then-vice president had memorably whispered to Obama was a “big (expletive) deal” -- words captured on an open microphone.

At Tuesday’s event, Biden signed an executive order to close a “family glitch” in implementation of the 2010 law that his administration believes will help 200,000 more people gain affordable coverage.

Before signing the order, Biden jokingly warned Obama. “Let me remind you, it’s a hot mic.”

Obama warmed up the crowd with a few deadpan jokes about how things around the White House had changed under Biden, leaning into the current occupant’s affinity for sunglasses and ice cream and his taste in pets.

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Insight News • April 11, 2022 - April 17, 2022 • Page 5

Education Education finance panel begins walk-through of omnibus E-12 education bill

By Pratik Joshi, Session Daily Increasing learning opportunities for all to help eliminate opportunity gaps and racial disparities in education is a central focus of the omnibus education finance and policy bill.

Among its provisions would be the creation of a voluntary prekindergarten program for eligible 4-yearolds from low-income families and kids who are vulnerable.

The bill would also make significant investments in special education and English-language learner programs, and provide additional support personnel to help students deal with mental health issues, especially in the post-COVID-19 environment.

The House Education Finance Committee received a walkthrough of the deleteall amendment to HF4300 on Monday. Rep. Jim Davnie (DFLMpls), the committee chair and bill sponsor, said public testimony would be taken Tuesday with a bill vote Wednesday.

The budget target for E-12 education is $1.15 billion in new spending in fiscal year 2023 and $2.12 billion in the following two fiscal years, yielding an increased support for education opportunities of $3.28 billion over the next four years, Davnie said at a Monday news conference.

“We have heard from parents, teachers, students, school administrators, locally elected school board members. They have told us that now is the time to invest in Minnesota schools, because every child deserves the world class education that we have the resources to provide,” Davnie said.

It’s about building relationships with students, providing schools the resources they need and relevant curriculum for learners. Using meaningful strategies to engage students and keeping them in classroom would go a long way to promote academic success, he said.

The proposal would provide $475 million to fund 1,100 new student support personnel in schools to take care of students’ social, emotional, and physical health; invest $1.4 billion in closing the special education deficit and $272 million in removing English language learner deficit across Minnesota schools by 2026, Davnie said.

The bill would modify the goal of the literacy aid program to require evidencebased reading instruction through a multi-tiered system of support by 2027. It would require a focus on reading skills of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, oral language, and vocabulary and reading comprehension skills.

It would also provide early childhood educators the necessary training in the science of reading.

Goals for increasing the percentage of teachers of color and American Indian teachers in the state would be established and a course in ethnic studies would be required for high school graduation. Many home-educator groups have said the latter is an infringement of parents’ right to educate their children.

Other notable provisions in the bill would:  prohibit dismissal of a student in kindergarten through grade 3 unless nonexclusionary discipline measures have been exhausted and there is an ongoing serious safety threat to the child or others;  require a district or charter school that receives student support personnel aid to hire student support staff to conduct mental health screenings on students in kindergarten through grade 12;  require the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board to identify teacher shortage areas; to include in the 2023 teacher supply and demand report the number of teacher openings by school district for teachers with licenses in specified fields;  require the Department of Education to develop a foundational blueprint for a statewide computer science program for elementary and secondary schools, in consultation with the Computer Science Education Task Force;

 increase the base funding for Minnesota Math Corps for fiscal year 2024 and beyond;  modify existing afterschool community learning program grant language, remove eligibility for child care centers and authorize the Department of Education to award grants to community or nonprofit organizations, American Indian organizations, tribal nations, political subdivisions, libraries, or school-based programs that offer a broad array of academic enrichment activities during nonschool hours;  increase the adult basic education maximum contact hour rate from $22 to $28;  require sign language interpreters employed by a school district to have one of two statutorily required credentials, including a Certified Deaf Interpreter certification;  provide students in grades 4-12 access to menstrual products at no charge;  require school administrators renewing a license to have at least two hours of mental illness training, including at least one hour of suicide prevention training and one additional hour on specified topics;  require the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board to adopt rules requiring any teacher renewing a teaching license to demonstrate

photo/Paul Battaglia

Chae Lee, a senior at Minnetonka High School, describes her school experiences during a March 4 press conference where the DFL announced its $1.15 billion, E-12 education finance and policy proposal. professional development in the cultural heritage and contemporary contributions of American Indians, with emphasis on Minnesota tribal nations;  prohibit a postsecondary institution participating in Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act from requiring a faith statement for a PSEO student during the application process or basing an admissions decision on a PSEO student’s race, creed, ethnicity, disability, gender, or sexual orientation or religious beliefs or affiliations;  create an eightmember legislative work group to identify the appropriate student

eligibility metric for calculating compensatory revenue;  require charter schools to be free to a resident of Minnesota, and to prefer Minnesota residents over out-ofstate residents in enrollment; and  allow the board of a school district and a nonpublic school to mutually agree to a written plan for transportation of nonpublic students.

The bill’s companion, SF4113, sponsored by Sen. Roger Chamberlain (R-Lino Lakes), awaits action by the Senate Education Finance and Policy Committee.

Black students experiencing racism on campus lack mental health support

By Melba Newsome, Kaiser Health News Three years ago, Lauren Bryant was walking across Appalachian State University’s campus with several other Black students when they were verbally assaulted with a racist tirade.

“This guy in a pickup truck stopped at the light, rolled down his window, and just started calling us a bunch of N-words,” she recalled.

It wasn’t the only time Bryant has had an experience like this at the overwhelmingly white campus in Boone, a town in one of North Carolina’s most conservative regions. Whether it’s the ubiquity of Confederate flags, Ku Klux Klan members handing out literature, or a parade of pickup trucks flying flags in support of President Donald Trump, she believes they’re all intended to signal that students of color are unwelcome there.

College campuses are a microcosm of racial strife happening across the nation.

From 2018 to 2021, the Southern Poverty Law Center identified 1,341 incidents of white supremacist pamphleteering on college campuses. The AntiDefamation League recorded around 630 incidents of white supremacist propaganda being distributed on campuses in 2019.

Black students at predominantly white institutions report everything from instances of thinly veiled racism, homophobia, and sexism to outright racial hostility and intimidation.

Experiencing such incidents has consequences that go well beyond feeling uncomfortable. A growing body of research has documented the detrimental health effects of both interpersonal and structural racism. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that centuries of racism have had a profound and negative impact on the mental and physical health of people of color. The American Public Health Association calls racism a barrier to health equity and a social determinant of health akin to housing, education, and employment.

Racist incidents can take a toll on students’ overall health and well-being, undermine their self-confidence, and affect academic performance, said Dr. Annelle Primm, senior medical director for the Steve Fund, a nonprofit focused on supporting the mental health of young people of color.

“These kinds of feelings go hand in hand with students at predominantly white institutions, where they may feel isolated or like they don’t belong,” she said. “The experiences are associated with issues such as depression, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating or sleeping.”

A UCLA study published in the journal Pediatrics in 2021 shows that the problems aren’t necessarily transitory.

Young adults who experience discrimination are at higher risk for both short- and long-term behavioral and mental health problems that are exacerbated with each new incident.

For a variety of reasons, students of color are not getting the kind and amount of help they need. A recent University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill study of first-year college students found that Black students had the highest increase in rates of depression.

However, a study in the Journal

photo/Logan Cyrus for KHN

When Daisha Williams was a student at Appalachian State University, in Boone, North Carolina, she says she experienced racism on campus. A growing body of research has documented the detrimental health effects of both interpersonal and structural racism. of Adolescent Health found that treatment use is lower among students of color relative to white students, even when controlling for other variables. This is consistent with a 2020 report from the Steve Fund that said students of color are less likely than their white peers to seek mental health treatment even though white and Black students experience mental health issues at the same rate.

College campuses are having trouble recruiting enough therapists to meet the mental health needs of students overall.

And few predominantly white colleges employ counselors and mental health professionals who are representative of the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the students.

This can be problematic for patients of color in any setting who doubt white counselors can provide culturally competent care, which acknowledges a patient’s heritage, beliefs, and values.

When Daisha Williams spoke to a white counselor outside of campus about being alienated from her mother’s side of the family for being biracial, her pain was trivialized: “She was, like, ‘Sorry that happened. That sucks. They really missed out.’ And that was it.”

The history of racism in the fields of psychology and psychiatry makes many Black people leery of seeking help. Last year, the American Psychiatric Association apologized for the organization’s “appalling past actions” and pledged to institute “anti-racist practices.” Months later, the American Psychological Association issued its own apology.

But even a Black counselor may not be enough to overcome reluctance. In a joint survey conducted by the Steve Fund and the United Negro College Fund, 45% of students at historically Black colleges and universities said they would not speak to a mental health professional if they were in crisis.

Primm said a student’s background and belief system may be a factor. “They may have been raised to ‘put it in God’s hands’ or may be told that they could overcome these feelings if they prayed hard enough,” Primm said. “Certainly, prayer and religious activity are important and helpful for mental health, but sometimes you may need some additional support.”

Black students account for nearly 4% of the more than 18,000 undergraduates at Appalachian State, and Black residents make up fewer than 3% of Boone’s population.

Bryant, the programming chair for the university’s Black Student Association, believes that having a university with so few Black people— in a town where Black residents are even scarcer — emboldens

those who commit racist acts.

Bryant was well aware of the demographics of the school and the region before she arrived. But during a campus tour, university representatives assured prospective students that they valued diversity and would ensure that Black and other students of color felt as if they belonged.

“We were under the impression that they would make sure we are supported, but the reality of how things really are changed that dynamic,” she said. “We did not expect the amount of fight we’d have to contribute towards things that might affect our education.”

And sometimes the racism the students face is more subtle than hurled epithets but still deeply unsettling. In 2017, Williams said, she eagerly anticipated discussing TaNehisi Coates’ essay “The Case for Reparations” in one of her Appalachian State classes, but the conversation soon became upsetting. A white student asserted that any residual economic or social inequality resulted from Black people’s lack of initiative, not the nation’s failure to atone for historical wrongs.

“He kept saying extremely offensive things like ‘They should just work harder’ or ‘They should try to better their lives and educate themselves,’” Williams recalled.

“At one point, he made some comment about lynching. Once he said that, I just got up and left.”

Williams was especially disturbed by what she saw as the professor’s encouragement.

“Rather than saying, ‘You’re making the students of color feel unsafe and unwelcome,’ she kept saying, ‘Elaborate on that.’”

Although institutions cannot control or eliminate these occurrences, they bear responsibility for how they respond. When asked about what happened to Williams and Bryant, Appalachian State Associate Vice Chancellor Megan Hayes called the incidents “abhorrent” and said the university “is committed to fostering an inclusive, safe and supportive environment for all students, faculty, and staff.”

Still, such incidents continue to happen nationwide.

A white Georgia Southern University student gave a class presentation on white replacement theory, which has been linked to white supremacist ideology.

When Black students complained, the university defended the presentation as free speech.

At Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, pro-Nazi postings were directed at Black students and a banana was taped to the dorm room door of two Black male students. At Northern Illinois University, the N-word was spraypainted on the Center for Black Studies building. A student at

the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry posted a video showing two men firing guns at a tree as one yells, “This is what we do to n——.”

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, Appalachian State student organizations spoke out and led protests against what they deemed as the oppression and trauma that Black and other students of color routinely encountered. Marches through campus, into downtown Boone, and to the Watauga County courthouse drew condemnation and threats of arrests.

But the backlash and vitriol often directed at students who engage in social justice activism can take its own mental health toll. The work is often all-consuming. “It gets challenging,” Bryant said. “We shouldn’t have to advocate against things that should never have happened in the first place.”

Ebony McGee, an associate professor of diversity and STEM education at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, cautions students to jealously guard their emotional well-being. “The best way students can protect their

mental health is realize that they can’t change the system,” McGee said. “The best way you can support racial activism is to get your degree, because then you’ll have greater power and a greater voice within your community.”

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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The vaccine is free. If you get a You will need to get the vaccine The Minnesota Department of Health and health care providers will never contact you and ask for your credit card, bank account, or Social Security number in order to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

call or email where the person from a medical professional. is offering the vaccine at a low Vaccine cannot be shipped price, this is a scam. The vaccine directly to you. is free to everyone no matter if you have insurance or what your immigration status is.

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Minnesota Department of Health | health.mn.gov | 651-201-5000 | 625 Robert Street North PO Box 64975, St. Paul, MN 55164-0975 Contact health.communications@state.mn.us to request an alternate format. | 02/12/2021

Page 6 • April 11, 2022 - April 17, 2022 • Insight News

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Insight 2 Health

Number of COVID patients in US hospitals reaches record low

By Ben Finley and Kimberlee Kruesi, Associated Press NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — COVID-19 hospitalization numbers have plunged to their lowest levels since the early days of the pandemic, offering a much needed break to health care workers and patients alike following the omicron surge.

The number of patients hospitalized with the coronavirus has fallen more than 90% in more than two months, and some hospitals are going days without a single COVID-19 patient in the ICU for the first time since early 2020.

The freed-up beds are expected to help U.S. hospitals retain exhausted staff, treat non-COVID-19 patients more quickly and cut down on inflated costs. More family members can visit loved ones. And doctors hope to see a correction to the slide in pediatric visits, yearly checkups and cancer screenings.

“We should all be smiling that the number of people sitting in the hospital right now with COVID, and people in intensive care units with COVID, are at this low point,” said University of South Florida epidemiologist Jason Salemi.

But, he said, the nation “paid a steep price to get to this stage. ... A lot of people got sick and a lot of people died.”

Hospitalizations are now at their lowest point since summer 2020, when comprehensive national data first became available. The average number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the last week nationwide dropped to 11,860, the lowest since 2020 and a steep decline from the peak of more than 145,000 set in mid-January. The previous low was 12,041 last June, before

the delta variant took hold.

The optimistic trend is also clear in ICU patient numbers, which have dipped to fewer than 2,000, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“We’re beginning to be able to take a breath,” said Dr. Jeffrey Weinstein, the patient safety officer for the Kettering Health hospital system in western Ohio.

30% of Kettering Health’s nearly 1,600 hospital beds back in January, Weinstein said. Kettering’s eight hospitals now average two to three COVID-19 admissions a day — and sometimes zero.

And while Salemi agreed this is a good time for an exhausted health care system to take a breath, he warned that the public health community needs to keep an eye on the BA.2 subvariant of omicron.

It’s driving increases in hospitalizations in Britain, and is now estimated to make up more than half of U.S. infections.

“We’re probably under-detecting true infections now more than at any other time during the pandemic,” Salemi said.

For now at least, many hospitals are noting the low numbers.

In California on Thursday, UC Davis Health tweeted that its intensive care unit had no COVID-19 patients for two consecutive days for the first time in two years.

“The first COVID-19 patient to arrive in our ICU did so in February 2020, and the unit treated at least one positive individual every day since, for at least 761 consecutive days,” the hospital system said.

Toby Marsh, the chief nursing and patient care services officer, said in a statement that they hope the numbers “are

indicative of a sustained change.”

In Philadelphia, patients are spending less time in the Temple University Health System because there are no longer backlogs for MRIs, CT scans and lab tests, said Dr. Tony Reed, the chief medical officer.

Temple Health’s three hospitals had six adult COVID-19 patients on Thursday, likely its lowest patient count since March 2020, Reed said.

During the omicron surge, patients waited as long as 22 hours for a routine MRI, which is normally done within 12 hours. Longer waits affected those who came in with trouble walking — and in a lot of pain — for example, because of a herniated disc pinching their sciatic nerve.

“Nobody wants to stay in the hospital a day longer than they have to,” Reed said.

The emptying of beds is also helping patients in rural areas, said Jay Anderson, the chief operating officer for Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. During the surges, the hospital faced challenges accepting people from community hospitals who needed elevated care for brain tumors, advanced cancer and stroke. That burden is now being lifted.

Visitors also will return in higher numbers, starting Tuesday. Ohio State will no longer restrict patients to two designated guests, who could only stop by separately.

“Patients heal better when they have access to their family and loved ones,” Anderson said.

Doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists are also getting a much needed break in some areas.

In Colorado, Dr. Michelle Barron said the consistently low COVID-19

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The freed-up beds are expected to help U.S. hospitals retain exhausted staff, treat non-COVID-19 patients more quickly and cut down on inflated costs. More family members can visit loved ones. And doctors hope to see a correction to the slide in pediatric visits, yearly checkups and cancer screenings. hospitalizations prompted smiles among staff, even as she doublechecks the numbers to make sure they’re actually correct.

“I had one of these moments like, oh this is amazing,” said Barron, medical director of infection prevention and control at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. “It feels unreal.”

UCHealth loosened some restrictions, including dropping testing requirements for anyone who entered a facility.

And while that produced some anxiety among staffers, Barron says the numbers haven’t spiked.

“I think some people have started to take vacations and not feel guilty,” she said.

“I had spring break with my kids and it was a level of happiness where I went, oh my god, this is actually normal.”

The omicron surge had stretched staff at work — but also at home, said Dr. Mike Hooper,

chief medical officer for Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in southeastern Virginia.

“It was stressful to be at the store ... to visit your family,” Hooper said. “We’re all hoping that some ‘return to normalcy’ will help people deal with the inherent stresses of being part of the health care team.”

But just because hospitalizations are down does not mean hospitals are empty, said Dr. Frank Johnson, chief medical officer for St. Luke’s Health System in Idaho.

Some measures — like wearing masks in certain settings — will remain in place.

“I don’t know when we may go back to old practices regarding mask wearing in our clinical areas,” Johnson said.

“We’ve seen some benefits of that in terms of reduction in the number of other viral infections.”

In the meantime, the public health community

is keeping an eye on the BA.2 subvariant of omicron.

Salemi, the University of South Florida epidemiologist, said the increase in at-home testing means that more results are not being included in official coronavirus case counts. Therefore, wastewater surveillance will be the early warning signal to watch, he said.

“BA.2 is here,” he said. “We don’t have to look that far in the rear-view mirror to know things can change very rapidly. We saw what happened with delta. We saw what happened with omicron....

We don’t want to wait until we see a lot of people hospitalized before we take action.”

Kruesi reported from Nashville, Tennessee.

AP Medical writer Carla K. Johnson in Washington state contributed to this report.

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Insight News • April 11, 2022 - April 17, 2022 • Page 7

Aesthetically It John Legend honored at Grammys’ Black Music Collective event

By Jonathan Landrum Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — As John Legend was honored for his musical achievements Saturday — the night before the Grammy Awards — the singer used the Recording Academy stage to pay homage to a Black music culture that has shaped him and the wider world of music.

Legend explained how Black music has set trends for listeners across the globe, speaking at the academy’s Black Music Collective event in Las Vegas, where he was given the Global Impact Award for his personal and professional achievements in the music industry.

“I’m proud to celebrate and honor and cultivate our music,” Legend said at the event held the night before the Grammy Awards.

“Black music is and has been the rhythm, the root, the inspiration, the innovation behind so much of the world’s popular music. It doesn’t exist without us,” he said.

The multi-Grammy winner applauded the efforts of the Black Music Collective, a group created in 2020 of prominent music industry leaders — including honorary chairs from Legend and producers Jimmy Jam and Quincy Jones — who are looking to find ways to drive Black representation and inclusion. The academy has been focused on amplifying Black voices after years of backlash regarding racial inequality.

Like Legend, the event was filled with empowering

Kevin L.A. Jenkins

photo/Chris Pizzello_AP

John Legend accepts the Global Impact Award at the Recording Academy Honors Presented By The Black Music Collective on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at Resorts World Las Vegas. messages that touched on the importance of recognizing Black music creators. It also featured a slew of popular performances including Chloe Bailey, Muni Long, Jimmie Allen, Cordae and Summer Walker.

Legend said Black music has the potential to fuel justice and inspire communities.

“Our art and music can help movements find their footing and voice,” he said. “Our art and music can help activists, the people closest to injustice and lead the way forward to equality and opportunity.”

Saweetie, who presented MC Lyte with an award, spoke about how Black women’s accomplishments have been downplayed but their impact on the culture has been undeniable. She has women have been in the forefront of hip-hop as rappers, producers and others behind the scenes.

“There’s no conversation about the past, present and future of hiphop without women,” she said. “The playing ground

has not been level, but I’m proud of the progress we made. Despite the continued injustice and inequality in our industry and society at large, there’s no better time to be a Black creator than now.”

The event highlighted the productive efforts by LVRN, a Black-founded record label that has built a strong roster including 6lack, D.R.A.M., Boogie and Summer Walker.

MC Lyte was honored for being the “beacon of hope” for Black women, while D-Nice was recognized for his success through Club Quarantine. He says Legend helped ignite the flood of new followers in the early stages.

“Club Quarantine is not really about D-Nice, the deejay,” he said. “It’s about a community. People come together and they share conversations in the chats.

I’m just in the background trying to create a space to feel comfortable to get together. I say this like I said before ‘Black music saved the world.’”

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Victory Over Kidney Disease Sharing Our Stories

By: W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor

By Kevin L.A. Jenkins In the arena of health, we as African Americans are at a higher risk for certain diseases and conditions such as high blood pressure, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, and certain types of cancer, to name a few.

The road to health isn’t merely a physical process; it is also a mental, emotional, and spiritual process. Kevin L.A. Jenkins’ book Victory Over Kidney Disease is an inspiring story of his faith journey while living with this disease.

In 1997, Jenkins was diagnosed with kidney disease.

Upon this confirmation, he turned to God first for guidance, as he has always done and continues to do. He took classes to be better informed of the nature of kidney disease and kidney failure. Facing the

adversity of failing kidneys and the challenge of finding a donor match, his abiding faith in God strengthened him and ultimately prevailed, and he used his experiences to promote awareness of kidney disease and provide hope to others affected by it. In 2001, he claimed the victory with a successful kidney transplant.

Jenkins developed eight principles as a guide during the four years leading up to his transplant: spirituality, medication, nutrition, exercise, positive people and friends, decision making, plan of action, and outcome. In his words, “Using these principles helped me to keep my mind, body, and soul positive and to focus

on my health and wellness needs throughout my journey of learning to live with kidney disease.”

He takes us step by step through the processes as he builds his support and health care team, makes the necessary changes in his nutrition and fitness, and of course shares the scriptures that fed him spiritually. I appreciated his stress upon the importance of 1) thinking positive, 2) speaking positive, and 3) staying positive; what we give is what we receive.

Everywhere he went, and with everyone he interacted, his light shone. He looked upon each day as a gift. After reading his story, I wholeheartedly agree, for I was rooting for him every step of the way.

Victory Over Kidney Disease is available through Strive Publishing and the Minnesota Black Authors Expo website.

All of us have a testimony as to who God is and how God has moved in our lives, and Kevin Jenkins’ story is powerful. Thank you, Kevin, for your informed and inspired testimony and the lives that have been/will be touched by it.

Page 8 • April 11, 2022 - April 17, 2022 • Insight News

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