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Insight News
December 20, 2021 - December 26, 2021
Vol. 48 No. 51• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
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Linda Sloan
A Mother’s love initiative
Lisa Clemons
Jalilia Abdul-Brown
Righteous Warriors
Focusing on murdered & missing Black women and girls Stories by Brenda Lyle-Gray, Columnist
Linda Sloan: Formulating policies and legislation
Lisa Clemons: A village of moral support and empathy
Jalilia Abdul-Brown: Substance abuse rising
Governor Tim Walz signed into law a bill creating a task force to explore the root issues and causes for our collective failure to value the lives and stories of murdered and missing Black women and girls in Minnesota. Hailed as the first state-level action of its kind in the nation, the task force will secure accurate data, elevate public awareness and seek solutions to the problems unearthed in the staggering numbers of murdered and missing African American girls and women. Linda Sloan, Executive Director of the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage (CNAH), described the bill signing at North Minneapolis’ Capri Theater as a watershed event. “The task force is really going to do the research, present their findings, and make recommendations. They’re going to come to consensus with more accurate numbers of missing and murdered victims.. a number nationwide that could possibly fall between 64,000 and 75,000. They will identify what the major issues are and whether they’re systemic or politically motivated. The group will be digging deep, examining the nuts and bolts of the issues, and then start to formulate solutions to the problems,” she said. Findings and recommendations will be made to the legislature, Sloan said. “Changes are driven through policies and legislation and then supported by appropriate funding and sustainable resources. We’ve got to have the right people in the right places so we can get equitable funding for the programs our communities need. We will ask, ‘who are the players capable of bringing about changes?’ I’m excited that we are the first state to take this bold and imperative step which bill author, Representative Ruth Richardson said is long overdue. The lives of young girls and women of color and those of indigenous lineage matter,” she said. The Council for Minnesotans of African heritage was created 40 years ago. It’s mission isto ensure that people of African heritage are able to fully benefit and participate in everything the state has to offer. “Our charge is to advise the Governor and the legislature on issues that impact our people. “I was out there on the streets with Clemons and Brown during the ‘21 days of Peace’ campaign,” Sloan said. “Believe me when I say that I gained an even greater appreciation for the work they do. They are really serious, and I so admire them.” Sloan said the actual task force has been set. This time next year, the task force will deliver a report that will include evidence-based, data driven information and recommendations,” she said.
Save the Mother, you save the child. Save the Father, you save the family. Save the Family, you save the community. This is the motto for ‘A Mother’s Love’ (AML), a grassroots organization of African American mothers and fathers. The communities and constituents the staff serves includes those who have been incarcerated; those who have buried children or siblings; single parents; and parents of children of the LGBTQIA+ community. The organization works to strengthen families by helping to build strong foundations socially, academically, financially, and emotionally. But as founder and director of AML and her colleague, Jamila Abdul Brown described, the girls and women they try to save must respect themselves. “We give families a village of moral support and empathy. Our intent is to use our own life transformations to meet people where they are in life,” Clemons said. Al McFarlane called Clemons an inspiration, “the epitome of fierceness, courage, and integrity.” In a recent Conversations with Al McFarlane broadcast, he said, “I remind people that you were a sworn police officer. You walked what some would deem a contradiction: possessing the ability to know and uphold the value and the need for law enforcement in the justice equation, and at the same time, being acutely and publicly aware of flaws and imperfections of the criminal justice system that disadvantage poor and people of color.” Clemons is unapologetic about having served as a Minneapolis police sergeant. “It allowed me to have insight into law enforcement and shaped my viewpoints and actions of my advocacy today. I bring to the attention of the powers-that-be that there are too few Amber alerts for children of color. I inform them there has been a false assumption that young Black girls couldn’t disappear unless they wanted to disappear. And then two years later, we find out exactly what happened,” Clemons said in the interview. “I worked in sex crimes and juvenile detention. I mention these departments because in the Twin Cities and across the country these are the least desired units to work in. It’s also where one is assigned if they are being punished for an infraction.” She said, “Once a young person is classified as a runaway, no one was looking for them.” “I started “A Mother’s Love” initiative in 2014. It took me four years to be invited to a table to talk about mothers and daughters. It took four years for people to understand if 70% of households in Black communities have no fathers at the dinner CLEMONS 3
The devil whispers, “You won’t withstand the storm.” The warrior replied, “I AM the storm.” Anonymous Warriors’ like Jalilia Abdul-Brown, founder of Change Starts With Community and Lisa Clemons, founder of A Mother’s Love, have long been in the fight to save those who are incapable of embracing hope and saving themselves. Now, both are demanding more adequate and sustainable resources to combat the battles. Abdul-Brown, a champion for creating equity in health care, is the Co-Founder & Executive Director of Shiloh Cares Food Shelf and a pastor and mental health specialist. The Minneapolis native recently was honored by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal Health Care Hero Awards for her work in promoting health e q u i t y . But what they do is not work. It is a calling. They move at the direction of divine instruction. Clemons lost a niece to violence. Brown’s sister was shot in the City of Minneapolis, but by God’s grace survived and thrived. Both shared wisdom and insight in a recent Conversations with Al McFarlane broadcast. Al McFarlane asked, “How have we allowed our youth and others to become so vulnerable? How do people get trapped, traded and trafficked in textbook situations? There’s a process. A young woman is naïve, unaware. She’s spotted, cultivated, hooked, and sold -- not only in sex trafficking but in drug abuse. She is lured into a variety of rebellious, nonproductive, and self-destructive behaviors. She experiences a certain degradation which elevates the negative side of her own personality. She thinks she’s okay.” “Let me begin by confirming that there is a serious substance abuse problem in our communities,” said Abdul-Brown. “I›m seeing a lot of young people, ages 12 and up, on fentanyl. It’s gotten so bad that it was necessary for Shiloh Temple (on West Broadway) to start a health-based food shelf. So many youths are battling substance abuse both on Broadway in North Minneapolis and on 38th Street in South Minneapolis. I noticed that a lot of them were overdosing. The reality is when we were getting to them, they were about to die. We decided to be preventive and not reactive, as we weren’t going to continue to watch people die. We became a Narcan site for North Minneapolis. Anyone can come into Shiloh Temple and get a Narcan kit to save their lives.” Abdul- Brown says her work never stops. She has to save as many girls as she can. “We’ve got to wrap our arms around the entire family dynamic to really attack the problem,” she said. “There are ramped up resources for Black men and boys, but what about their sisters, their wives or the mothers of their children… ABDUL-BROWN 3
Doorstep Foundation provides consistency in boys’ lives By Brandi D. Phillips Contributing writer Mentorship programs focusing on the growth and positive development of AfricanAmerican males are still somewhat uncommon. With a busy and stressful world around us, having a successful mentoring program for our youth is not only a blessing to the community, but also something to be recognized and talked about. Mentoring is good for both adults and the youth they serve. Den Brothers, a program of The Doorstep Foundation, led by Executive Director Andre “Debonaire” McNeal and his wife Dr. Zakia Robbins-McNeal, Chief Operations Officer, is one answer to mentoring for African American young men in three Minnesota counties- Hennepin, Ramsey, and Dakota. McNeal, a 51-year-old father, husband, and native of Chicago, IL, has developed a strategy to reach the youth where they are, accepting them as they are and then providing them with new
opportunities. The ‘brothers’ are able to get help academically and to meet men and women who look like them and come from similar backgrounds and experiences. Currently entering its sixth year, Den Brothers at large has partnered with Friendship Academy of the Arts (located in South Minneapolis) by hosting an extended day learning program from 4:30p.m. to 5:30p.m. McNeal’s longest running group hosts 25 boys the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month in North Minneapolis. McNeal proudly said, “We mentor boys on a consistent basis and we work with them on a number of skills- social, emotional, behavioral, and etiquette. We are helping our boys achieve their goals by being there [throughout] their life... consistently.” According to www. mentoring.org, “Mentoring, at its core, guarantees young people that there is someone who cares about them, assures them they are not alone in dealing with day-to-day challenges, and makes them feel like they matter. Research confirms that
quality mentoring relationships have powerful, positive effects on young people in a variety of personal, academic, and professional situations... yet, one-in-three young people will grow up without this critical asset.’ Mentoring can be fun for both adults and youth. Some of the 2021 field trips and events that Den Brothers experienced include: Visit to the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery Fishing at Powerhorn Lake Community service cleanup at Camp Parsons with Phyillis Wheatley Community Center A sailing trip on Lake Bde Maka Ska with Minneapolis Sailing Center Site visit at Truce Center with Miki Frost A construction site visit from Tri-Construction owned by Lester Royal and Calvin Littlejohn CPR training and certification courtesy of Chief Tyner and the Minneapolis Fire Department
Engaging youth is about sharing yourself and showing them how to positively and maturely navigate life’s ups and downs. McNeal told Insight News, “We want the community to know [The Doorstep Foundations] motto: ‘We have the ability to solve all problems that fall on our doorstep.’ That is what we are teaching our boys- to try to be self-sufficient. [We also] teach the boys the importance of having a network, building a network, and staying connected in a positive way.” Relationship building is at the core of the Doorstep Foundation and Den Brothers. Some of these network building activities include future college tours with North Hennepin Community College Tour through the leadership of Nerita Griffin Hughes; and last month (November 18-21), some of the young scholars took an Historical Black College and University tour to Morehouse, Clark, Tuskegee, and the Museum of Alabama via help from Elizer Darris. McNeal and his team at The Doorstep Foundation think it is important for everyone
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The Doorstep Foundation: Dr. Zakia Robbins-McNeal and Andre “Debonaire” McNeal to get involved on some level to help save our children and change the [trajectory] of our communities. “It is not our children’s fault. It is our fault. We must do better. We can do better,” he said. Although mentoring agencies catering specifically to African American Youth are uncommon, but needed, there is an opportunity in three Minnesota counties for adults, and child children, to get involved with mentoring catered
to them and specifically for them. For ore information, on the Den Brothers, follow them on Facebook. Don’t forget: every kid needs a mentor and that mentor could be you. Brandi D. Phillips is a freelance writer, health enthusiast, mother of 2, life partner and lover of adventure. If you have any questions or concerns about this article, please reach out to her at wellifethreesixty@gmail.com.