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Insight News

February 10, 2020 - February 16, 2020

Vol. 47 No. 6• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

FOR THE CULTURE

(Left to right) Tim Wilson, owner of Urban Lights, with DJs Chaz Millionaire and Sam Soulprano

Uche Iroegbu STORY ON PAGE 2

Page 2 • February 10, 2020 - February 16, 2020 • Insight News

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Celebrating the classics

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor harry@insightnews.com

AFRICAN HERITAGE DAY ON THE HILL Feb. 26th 2020 inside of the State Capitol Rotunda 2:00 - 4:00 PM 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

St. Paul MN 55155

Join us as we rally in the capitol Rotunda and visit with lawmakers to discuss furthering equity in our state.

To RSVP and for more information,WJTJU IUUQ CJU MZ B.5$( Attendance is free, register today!

If interpreter or ADA accommodations are needed, please send an email to shakira.bradshaw@state.mn.us

It’s not old school, it’s classic.

For a long time, those who pioneered and paved the way for today’s crop of hip-hop stars were called “old school,â€? a moniker that subtly implied the music, and therefore the artists and DJs who laid the foundation were somehow outdated ‌ obsolete. Yet in other genres there was a dierent moniker. A moniker of appreciation.

Classic.

To quote the “godâ€? emcee, Rakim, in his verse on the aptly titled “Classic,â€? song, “Ask the teenagers, OGs and ask the kids/What they deďŹ nition of Classic is/Timeless, cause age don’t count in the booth/And your ow stays submerged in the fountain of youth.â€?

That’s classic. That’s Disco T. That’s Sam Soulprano.

That’s Chaz Millionaire. That’s Tim Wilson.

Together, they represent an era when hip-hop grew from a novel artform to the leading genre in music. And if it weren’t for people such as the aforementioned and more, that growth doesn’t occur. Thanks should be given. Or better yet, thanks have been earned.

Each played their own roles in growing and celebrating the culture of hip-hop ‌ the music of the people. Disco T, Soulprano and Millionaire boosted the culture playing either house parties, clubs and/or on the radio at KMOJ. Wilson’s Urban Lights has been the St. Paul go-to for hip-hop tapes, CDs and the classic form, vinyl. “I started DJing around 1992 and I can say DJing connected me to the community,â€? said Soulprano. “DJing put me in rooms where before I didn’t have access.â€?

It’s that type of connection to community that the men hope will bring out the

Uche Iroegbu

Chaz Millionaire (left) and Sam Soulprano inside Urban Lights in St. Paul.

Disco T. masses to celebrate one of its own, Disco T. The pioneering DJ was diagnosed in November with stage 4 throat cancer.

The diagnosis came with the daunting prospect of the musician having just six months to live. Thankfully, Disco T sees more time left in the hourglass. “I was diagnosed on Nov. 2 and my mind was in shreds,� said Disco T, speaking during a Feb. 4 broadcast of “Conversations with Al McFarlane� on KFAI Radio. “But the community showed me so much love that I was able to pick myself up and a week later I was in a detox village in Mexico.�

Disco said he is relying on holistic and modern healing measures such as juicing and spending time in a hyperbolic oxygen chamber. “The past three

months I’ve been feeling well.

My energy level is high,â€? said Disco T. He’ll be relying on that elevated energy for a couple of upcoming tribute events. The ďŹ rst is a Feb. 22 radio tribute from noon – 4 p.m. on KMOJ (89.9 FM), with several DJs and personalities paying homage.

Then, on March 1 from noon – 5 p.m. a live tribute and party takes place at the Fine Line Music CafĂŠ, 318 N. 1st St., Minneapolis. That event is an 18-plus party with an admission of $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Proceeds with assist Disco T in his ďŹ ght to beat cancer. “This is all about love and honoring one of our heroes.

He’s really the godfather of hiphop here in the Twin Cities,â€? said Millionaire. “We want to give our guy the owers while he can enjoy them.â€?

If I could do one thing, I’d tell the world she counts.

Communities are as rich and diverse as their needs. That’s why completing the 2020 Census matters. It’s a safe and conďŹ dential step toward having an impact on how public funds ow through our communities.

That could mean more resources in your area for special needs. It’s within your control.

Learn more at:

2020CENSUS.GOV Paid for by U.S. Census Bureau.

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Insight News • February 10, 2020 - February 16, 2020 • Page 3 WINNER: 2020 T YPOGRAPHY & DESIGN, 1ST PLACE, PHOTOGRAPHY (PORTRAIT & PERSONALIT Y), 1ST PLACE, WEBSITE, 3RD PLACE

Insight News February 10, 2020 - February 16, 2020

Vol. 47 No. 6• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Legislators call for sprinklers in high-rise buildings State Rep. Mohamud Noor (DFL – Minneapolis), Sen. Kari Dziedzic (DFL – Minneapolis), Housing Finance and Policy Chair Alice Hausman (DFL – St. Paul), Hassanen Mohamed, who is the family member of fire victim Nadifa Mohamud, and former State Fire Marshall Tom Brace presented legislation to require automatic sprinkler systems in nearly all existing high-rise buildings in response to a fatal fire in the Cedar High Apartments last November.

“We owe it to the families of those we lost in the Cedar Apartments, and to the firefighters who have had to respond to far too many of these incidents, to take action,” said Noor. “Sprinklers are a simple, highly-effective tool that should be fully-employed in all highrises, new and old. Minnesotans deserve to feel secure in their homes – we can help ensure they do by being prepared and avoiding preventable tragedy.”

“I am proud to be a co-author of the 2020 Sprinkler Bill. It will protect the lives and safety of people living in public housing across the state,” Dziedzic said. “These critical life safety maintenance repairs and upgrades will prevent future fire tragedies so no one else dies.”

The upper floors of the 25-story Cedar High

Apartments, where the fire occurred on Nov. 25, did not have sprinkler systems installed. Five people lost their lives in the fire.

The legislation applies to all buildings 75 feet or higher and would require fully-operational sprinklers by Aug. 1, 2032.

In addition to a capital investment request, Noor and Dziedzic have been working with partners at the local and federal level to provide funding to install the sprinklers. On Dec. 18, U.S. Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced legislation – the Public Housing Fire Safety Act – creating a program to provide support to public housing authorities who wish to retrofit older high-rise apartment buildings with sprinkler systems. U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-5th) has requested the Department of Housing and Urban Development determine how many facilities are currently exempted from requirements, and how much it would cost to install them.

The 1979 Uniform Building Code requires all new government-owned buildings to comply with similar sprinkler standards. However, up to 40 buildings built before 1979 still do not have sprinkler systems.

(Left to right) Housing Chair Alice Hausman, Rep. Mohamud Noor, Sen. Kari Dziedzic, Rep. Tim Mahoney, Hassanen Mohamed, and retired St. Paul fire marshal, Steve Zaccard.

Walz, DFL legislators introduce compromise bill to improve access to affordable insulin

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter

St. Paul and St. Paul Public Schools launch Families First Housing Pilot St. Paul and the St. Paul Public Schools announced the launch of the Families First Housing Pilot.

The program, announced Feb. 4, will provide a $300 monthly rent supplement to families with children in St. Paul Public Schools, in addition to ongoing housing support services for up to three years.

“Safe, stable housing for every child in our community is vital,” said St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. “Our Families First Housing Pilot provides critical resources to realize this vision, so families and their children can thrive.”

“Keeping students in their homes and their

schools is vital for their future success,” said Dr. Joe Gothard, St. Paul Public Schools superintendent. “I am pleased the City of St. Paul heard the needs in our schools and was a willing and able partner to respond to those needs.”

Participating schools include Benjamin E. Mays IB World School, Jackson Elementary School, Maxfield Elementary School, Dayton’s Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary, John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary, St. Paul City School and St. Paul Music Academy.

Families are eligible if they have at least one Pre-K

to 3rd-grade student enrolled in a participating St. Paul Public School, have income at or below 30 percent area median income (AMI), which is a household income of $30,000 for a family of four, are not receiving another housing subsidy and pay 40 percent or more of their income for rent.

Applications will be accepted on a referral-only basis by designated staff members at each participating school.

The rent subsidy will be administered by the St. Paul Public Housing Agency, and supportive services will be provided by the Community

News

Stabilization Project, St. Paul City School in partnership with Model Cities, Neighborhood House, Wilder Foundation and YWCA St. Paul.

The program is funded with $3 million from the St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority’s Housing Trust Fund and will support up to 250 families for up to three years. Additional funding is provided by the Family Housing Fund, McKnight Foundation, Pohlad Foundation, and St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation.

To learn more, visit www.stpaul.gov/FamiliesFirst.

Homeless Population Jumps 12 percent

PAGE 5

After weeks of discussions between bipartisan members of the Insulin Work Group with no agreement, Gov. Tim Walz, and DFL legislators prefiled compromise legislation to improve access to affordable insulin in Minnesota.

This commonsense legislation includes provisions Republicans put forward during negotiations and is ready to begin implementing immediately.

“The cost of insulin has tripled in the last ten years – raking in the cash for pharmaceutical companies while Minnesotans with diabetes are left scrambling to afford the drug they need to survive,” Walz said. “We have a solution to this crisis. Taking the best from both Democrat and Republican proposals, this compromise bill would increase access to affordable insulin, hold Big Pharma accountable, and is ready to be implemented. There’s no reason not to support it.”

The legislation pre-filed, the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act, ensures Minnesotans facing an emergency – those most in danger of rationing their insulin due to the high cost of the drug – have access to an immediate refill at their pharmacy. It builds upon the bill introduced last session by including a provision initially proposed by Republicans that creates a long-term program to provide eligible Minnesotans access to free insulin.

“We know the best solutions come directly from the community itself,” Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said. “That is why this commonsense legislation was created in partnership with Minnesotans who have bravely shared their struggles to afford insulin.

Centered around patients, it creates a safety

Gov. Tim Walz net to ensure Minnesotans can get the insulin they need at a price they can afford.”

“It’s been 673 days since House Democrats introduced the Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act, and Republicans are still prioritizing pharmaceutical companies over Minnesotans who need insulin,” said Speaker Melissa Hortman.

“We remain committed to finishing this work as soon as possible. We have a proposal that provides emergency access, long-term affordability, and is ready to implement right now.

It’s time for Republicans to agree to move ahead with this plan to ensure that no more Minnesotans lose their lives because they can’t afford the insulin they need to survive.”

Democrats said while progress was made during the closed-door negotiations, there was one area where Republicans would not budge; holding pharmaceutical companies accountable. Three insulin manufacturers control more than 90 percent of the insulin market in the United States. In the past 12 months, those three companies have reported $84.1 billion in revenue and $18.5 billion in profits. This legislation would place a small tax on insulin manufacturers to create an insulin affordability program and make pharmaceutical companies part of the solution for the crisis they created.

I2H

Minorities face more obstacles to a lifesaving organ transplant

PAGE 6

Page 4 • February 10, 2020 - February 16, 2020 • Insight News

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President’s latest gaffe show musings of a less than capable man

Toto, we’re not in Missouri anymore

By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor harry@insightnews.com There’s a lot to cover here, so please allow me to conflate a few things.

OK, so I haven’t watched the NFL for three seasons now, but I don’t live under a rock either. Apparently, our president does. So too do his cult-like followers, it seems.

I have refused to watch the NFL ever since Colin Kaepernick was blackballed (that word has so much meaning in this context) for his silent protest of the killings by police of Black men (see Jamar Clark, Philando Castile, John Crawford III, Oscar Grant, Eric Garner, Alton Sterling, et al) women (see Sandra Bland, Atatiana Jefferson, Rekia Boyd) and children ( see Mike Brown … see 12-year-old Tamir Rice).

As long as “Kap” isn’t playing, I’m not watching. And yes, I’ve seen plays here and there … but I haven’t engaged. I can’t tell you much about today’s players, team rankings or anything of substance.

This past Sunday I honestly forgot it was “Super Bowl Sunday.” No, really. I was reminded about the Big Game when I went to Facebook and my feed was flooded with posts, not about the game, but the halftime show. Seems I missed out.

After the game my phone began blowing up with text messages from a chain

group I’m in and I assumed it was about the outcome. Well, in part it was.

The initial text was a screen capture of the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, tweeting his congratulations to the state of … wait for it … Kansas for its team’s win.

Huh? Kansas?

While there is a Kansas City, Kan., almost anyone with a pulse can tell you the team with the outdated, insulting and culturally insensitive mascot is located firmly within the state of Missouri. Now why does this matter?

While the Trump apologists are lining up to say who cares and get over it, it’s an easy and honest mistake, I say almost certainly it was an honest mistake for him, but it shouldn’t have been an easy one. It absolutely shouldn’t have been made by the president of the United States. It’s third grade geography we’re talking here.

While others laugh, I cringe.

This is downright scary.

“Well, not everyone is into sports,” the apologists are saying.

Trump is.

Remember, we’re talking about a man who owns golf courses around the world and as of this past November according to the Huffington Post has cost the American taxpayers $115 million on golf outings (mostly to his courses).

He was tweeting about watching the Super Bowl from Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. So, there’s

that. Who can forget about his foray into professional wrestling with buddy Vince McMahon?

Trump owned a professional football team.

To say Trump doesn’t know sports is disingenuous at best.

It’s a farce.

What makes this latest gaffe so scary is it continues the legacy of “Trumpisms” such as saying a hurricane was headed towards Alabama when it wasn’t (see Sharpiegate), saying Puerto Ricans were “taking from the USA,” thus suggesting he doesn’t know (or care) that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens; and of course don’t forget about the “border” wall going up in … wait for it … Colorado.

Just two days before Trump’s latest geographicallychallenged tweet, conservative George Conway (who is married to Trump surrogate Kellyanne Conway) posted a lengthy list of Trump’s geopolitical missteps.

This is one of my favorites.

“Man shot inside Paris police station. Just announced that terror threat is at highest level.

Germany is a total mess-big crime. GET SMART!” Get smart indeed.

Seriously, we can’t lose focus on the fact that we have either a woefully uneducated man or worse – one who is mentally incapable – serving as president of the United States and commanderin-chief. This is not funny.

This is scary. And additionally as scary is there seems to be no one capable of correcting him beforehand. Sure, Trump edited the tweet after being

In his latest gaffe, President Donald Trump confuses Missouri for Kansas. rightfully mocked by millions, but who is there to tell him he can’t just throw tweets out there like an agitated 13-year-old?

And for heaven’s sake, has the man disabled spellcheck? For that matter, is it on any device in the administration? Time and again official White House communications go out to the world with misspellings. Yes,

errors happen, which is why there are editors and editors to edit the editors. I know I’ve made a few errors (and I cringe at each one), but again, we’re talking about the White House here. We’re talking about the president of the United States.

You know, leader of the free world and all. This cannot be our new normal. Mediocracy is

one thing, but we’re bordering in total ineptitude.

To quote a popular car insurance commercial, “That’s not how it works; that’s not how any of this works.”

But I’ll get off my soapbox for now.

Congratulations Kansas.

Dorothy, Toto and the Tin Man must be jumping for joy.

Community discussions continue on Upper Harbor Randall Bradley Architect The sixth meeting of the Upper Harbor Development Committee took place Jan. 15.

The event was held at the Glover Sudduth Center of the Urban League Twin Cities, located at 2100 Plymouth Ave. N., Minneapolis. The meeting was facilitated by Pillsbury United Community Team.

The session was structured to pursue several topics. The first, still undetermined issue, of community ownership was presented. Private ownership, corporate ownership, non-profit ownership, cooperative ownership and

Artist rendering of the proposed Upper Harbor development along the Mississippi River in North Minneapolis.

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public ownership are some of the possibilities available. Will this final selection apply throughout the site? Will there be smaller sections with different ownership profiles?

No firm decision was reached by the group. Further discussions are likely to occur.

The group discussions also focused on open and broad economic inclusion, reinvestment and job creation; affordable

Contributing Writers Maya Beecham Nadvia Davis Fred Easter Abeni Hill Timothy Houston Michelle Mitchum Inell Rosario Latisha Townsend Artika Tyner Toki Wright

and mixed-income housing, retail shops, wealth creation and ownership models, mobility, public access and infrastructure, disrupting gentrification and displacement and environmental justice and sustainability. These topics have been visited and revisited since the first “learning table.” Reports from tables offered new ideas ranging from leasing the land to various tenants, creating an entrepreneurial academy, monitoring real-time costs of affordable housing, economic wealth building and income match of housing residents.

There is a lot of psychological rhetoric that is beginning to bump up against fixed methodologies. These are good ideas that may have a difficult implementation. The energy employed at these meetings is akin to

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Featured Soloist: Elaine Alvarez, Soprano

A CO-PRESENTATION OF:

March 1 | 3pm

ORDWAY.ORG/SPHINX

Post-show meet-and-greet hosted by

building an onion layer by layer.

Let’s not even talk about the tears that may accompany this process.

More conversations will likely ensue.

There was a large panel discussion and presentation which focused on previously discussed topics.

Nexus Community Partners discussed worker investment, consumer and housing cooperatives. Danielle Mkali spoke to a variety of cooperative types such as worker, agricultural, housing, purchasing services and investment clubs.

Gretchen Nichols of the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) presented information regarding community ownership, enterprise ecosystems and finance options. LISC can act as a bank, and can also bring forward resources in business, housing and real estate. LISC has experience working with developers of color and is open to working on new (currently unknown)

models. LISC has experience in commercial buildings, City of Lakes Land Trust projects, and Land Bank projects. It was also involved in the development of the 11th Street Bridge, in Washington D.C. The Community Land Trust Initiative spoke to activity in urban projects in terms of ownership profiles, leases, and acquisition of future projects.

Domonique Jones also spoke to the trust’s experience in securing commercial funding for application to their projects.

Keith Baker, CEO of the Consortium Minnesota Consulting Group, provided information regarding the Reconnect Rhonda Project. This is a 21 acre land bridge over Interstate 94, conceived to reconnect the Rondo neighborhood. Baker serves as board president of the National Association of Minority Contractors - Upper Midwest.

Visions of the First Avenue-run music venue, the initial motivation for this development project, were presented by Dayna Frank, owner of the iconic music First Avenue. She spoke to cooperative model versus a for-profit model.

Sometime after March, these learning table discussions, coupled with the information from the Community Advisory Committee Citizen Participation Committee will all be assembled into one document that will direct the development team as to what gets built, where and when. Final decisions have not been made and priorities have not been established. More work is still ahead.

The next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 19 from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Urban League Twin Cities.

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Insight News • February 10, 2020 - February 16, 2020 • Page 5

Black America’s Housing Crisis: More Renters Than Homeowners

Homeless population jumps 12 percent

By Charlene Crowell NNPA Newswire Contributor No matter who you are, or where you live, there’s a central concern that links consumers all over the country; the ever-rising cost of living.

For many consumers, the combined costs of housing, transportation, food and utilities leave room for little else from take-home pay. From Boston west to Seattle, and from Chicago to Miami and parts in between, the rising cost of living is particularly challenging in the area of housing.

Both homeowners and renters alike today cope as best they can just to have a roof over their families’ heads.

The nation’s median sales price of a new home last September in 2019 was $299,400, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Even for an existing home, the St. Louis Federal Reserve noted its median price in December was $274,500.

For renters, the cost of housing is also a serious

challenge. Last June, the national average rent reached $1,405, an all-time high. But if one lives in a high-cost market like Manhattan, Boston, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, a realistic rental price is easily north of $3,000 each month.

Now a new report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) finds that the American Dream of homeownership is strained even among households with incomes most would think adequate to own a home. From 2010 to 2018, 3.2 million households with earnings higher than $75,000 represented more than three-quarters of the growth in renters in its report, “America’s Rental Housing 2020.” “(F)rom the homeownership peak in 2004 to 2018, the number of married couples with children that owned homes fell by 2.7 million, while the number renting rose by 680,000,” states the report.

“These changes have meant that families with children now make up a larger share of renter households (29 percent) than owner households (26 percent).”

To phrase it another

way, America’s middle class is at risk. Consumer demographics that traditionally described homeowners, has shifted to that of renters. And in that process, the opportunity to build family wealth through homeownership has become more difficult for many -- and financially out of reach for others.

“Rising rents are making it increasingly difficult for households to save for a down payment and become homeowners,” said Whitney Airgood-Obrycki, a JCHS Research Associate and lead author of the new report. “Young, college-educated households with high incomes are really driving current rental demand.”

Included among the report’s key findings, rents in 2019 continued their seven-year climb, marking 21 consecutive quarters of increases above 3 percent, despite the growth in high-income white renters, renter households overall have become more racially and ethnically diverse since 2004, with minority households accounting for 76 percent of renter household growth through 2018 and income inequality

When four of every 10 homeless people are Black, 225,735 consumers are impacted. Further, and again according to HUD, 56,381 Blacks (27%) are living on the nation’s streets, instead of in homeless shelters. among renter households has been growing. The average real income of the top fifth of renters rose more than 40 percent over the past 20 years, while that of the bottom fifth of renters fell by 6 percent.

“Despite the strong economy, the number and share of renters burdened by housing costs rose last year after a couple

AP issues apology for cutting the only Black activist from a group shot (Global Information Network) – A group shot of young environmental activists at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, appeared in final form without one of the activists.

Vanessa Nakate of Uganda was missing from the photo of Greta Thunberg, Luisa Neubauer, Loukina Tille and Isabelle Axelsson. All the young women in the photo were white. Nakate confronted AP about the incident on Twitter.

“Why did you remove me from the photo? I was part of the group,” wrote Nakate. “My message was left out, and my photo was left out as well. We don’t deserve this. Africa is the least emitter of carbons, but we are the most affected by the climate crisis.

You erasing our voices won’t change anything. You erasing our stories won’t change anything.”

Vanessa Nakate In a statement released, AP Executive Editor Sally Buzbee apologized for the incident.

“We regret publishing a photo this morning that cropped out Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate, the only person of color in the photo.

As a news organization, we care deeply about accurately representing the world that we

cover,” Buzbee said. “We train our journalists to be sensitive to issues of inclusion and omission.

We have spoken internally with our journalists and we will learn from this error in judgment.”

Unfortunately it wasn’t the only media error. Other agencies, including Reuters, misidentified Nakate as Zambian activist Natasha Mwansa.

Reuters’ currently available

version of the photograph identifies the other four activists in the picture but not Nakate.

Nakate is the founder of the Youth for Future Africa and the Africa-based Rise Up Movement. In December 2019, she was one of a handful of youth activists to speak at the COP25 gathering in Spain. In early January 2020, she joined around 20 other youth climate activists from around the world to publish a letter to participants at the World Economic Forum, calling on companies, banks and governments to immediately stop subsidizing fossil fuels.

She was one of five international delegates invited by Arctic Basecamp to camp with them in Davos during the World Economic Forum; the delegates later joined a climate march on the last day of the Forum.

of years of modest improvement,” said Chris Herbert, managing director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies. “And while the poorest households are most likely to face this challenge, renters earning decent incomes have driven this recent deterioration in affordability.”

This trend of

fewer homeowners has also impacted another disturbing development: the nation’s growing homeless population.

Citing that homelessness is again on the rise, the JCHS report noted that after

Correction

incorrectly identified the photographer.

Photo credit should have gone to Bruce Williams. We sincerely regret the error.

On the cover of the Feb. 3 edition and inside on page 3 for the story, “The Greenwood Initiative,” we

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Page 6 • February 10, 2020 - February 16, 2020 • Insight News

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Minorities face more obstacles to a lifesaving organ transplant

By Camilla Nonterah Assistant Professor of Health Psychology, University of Richmond Patients who experience organ failure need a transplant to improve their odds of survival and to achieve a better quality of life.

However, getting an organ transplant is often accompanied by several challenges, many of which can be attributed to factors like the state of an individual’s living circumstances, their economic status and where they were born. As a result, many racial and ethnic minorities, such as African-Americans, Latinx individuals and Native Americans, must unjustly wait longer for a much-needed new organ – or never receive one at all because of these barriers to care.

Research shows that these disparities are avoidable, especially with changes at the

institutional level.

Which groups are less likely to get a transplant?

Transplant trends from the United Network of Organ Sharing indicate that approximately 113,600 people are in need of a lifesaving solid organ as of June 2019. The majority have been diagnosed with kidney disease and liver disease.

The most recent data shows that, in 2016, the rate of kidney failure was highest among minority groups. For example, compared to whites, kidney failure was 9.5 times higher among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. Latinx individuals were over 50 percent more likely to be diagnosed with kidney failure than those who did not identify as Latinx.

Although minorities are more likely to be diagnosed with kidney failure, they are less likely to be transplanted. The majority of transplants in the U.S. go to whites.

These trends are also evident in groups suffering from

pixfly/shutterstock.com

People of color face more obstacles on the path to an organ transplant. liver disease. Asians and Latinx individuals are more likely to be diagnosed with liver failure, but less likely to receive a transplant.

What’s causing these disparities?

A patient has to undergo several steps before they can receive a transplant.

These steps include

a physician deciding that a transplant is medically suitable, the patient demonstrating interest in a transplant, a referral to a transplant center, completion of a pre-transplant evaluation and identification of a suitable living donor.

At each point of the transplant preparation process, there are opportunities for barriers to occur as a result of

patient, provider, community and institutional factors.

Together, these potentially create disparities in access.

Income level may play a role. Patients with organ failure who experience poverty, for instance, may face challenges covering the cost of their insurance copayments, especially when they do not have comprehensive insurance or private insurance.

Literacy issues, such as gaps in formal education or English as a second language, may also impact a patient’s ability to understand the medical terminology involved in their treatment. This would affect their ability to communicate effectively with their providers.

Limited knowledge of the benefits of transplantation can also affect patients’ ability to access transplants. Patients who are unaware that transplantation is the preferred treatment may not complete the steps to transplant and instead remain on dialysis.

Providers can also play a role in limiting access. For example, doctors may not provide

patients with the referral they need or wait longer to provide it.

Given negative historical experiences, such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, some patients, especially those who have been historically disadvantaged or are currently marginalized, mistrust medical providers. As a result, they are less likely to seek medical assistance or trust that their providers are giving them accurate information.

Also, patients who report experiences of discrimination by their medical providers are less likely to seek transplantation. They may be discouraged from seeking further medical care because they expect poor treatment by providers.

Low rates of organ donation also influence transplant rates. Although about 95 percent of Americans are in favor of organ donation, only 58 percent of them are registered as organ donors. These low donation rates are pronounced among racial/ ethnic minorities. This could be

TRANSPLANT 7

E-cig flavors could cause damage

By Weihong Lin Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Rakaia Kenney Research assistant, University of Maryland, Baltimore County TheConversation.com Millions of Americans are vaping, and some are getting sick.

Since June 2019, 2,711 have been hospitalized and 60 have died due to EVALI (e-cigarette-associated lung injury), the devastating lung disease linked to e-cigarettes.

Five million users are middle and high school students. Some are as young as 11, although it’s illegal to sell vaping products to anyone under 21.

Especially for kids, much of the lure is flavor.

E-cigarettes offer attractive smells and tastes. Fruit, mint, candy and dessert flavors are the favorites, and studies suggest they ignite the desire to vape. That’s why

the Trump administration just banned the sale of those sweet flavors from cartridge-based e-cigs, the delivery method most popular with teens.

One of us (Weihong) is a chemosensory neurobiologist, and the other (Rakaia) is a research assistant in my lab. Put simply, we study how the sensory systems and brain react to chemical stimulation. With e-cigarettes, we are focusing on how the enticing flavors ensnare our children.

But our studies have shown that the effect of flavor goes beyond the pleasure they may bring – the flavorings themselves may actually harm tissue.

Flavors enhance e-cig appeal The tobacco industry has long been using flavorings make their products more palatable; it added menthol to cigarettes nearly a century ago.

Today, the allure of flavors in e-cigarettes bring potential health consequences, and kids are particularly vulnerable. E-cigarettes can put adolescents at risk for respiratory, cardiopulmonary diseases, brain disorders and cancers.

About 20,000

John Papa Gros

Mary Altaffer/AP Photo, CC BY-SA

A vape shop in New York City shows a line of flavorings on Jan. 2. flavored e-liquids are on the market – countless combinations of hundreds of flavoring molecules extracted from natural ingredients or artificially made.

The vast majority are volatile odor chemicals, perceived not by taste, but by smell.

Your olfactory system, with far more sensitivity than your taste buds, can distinguish more than 10,000 smells. During vaping, a flavoring enters our nose, and like any agreeable scent, immediately evokes the fond memories and pleasant

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emotions associated with the aroma. Vanillin, a popular e-cigarette flavoring, smells like dessert; ethyl maltol, a flavoring used in many foods, has a candylike odor. The user, comforted and calmed, savors the moment – then goes back for more.

But e-cigarette vapor also contains nicotine, heavy metals and formaldehyde, as pungent as they are harmful.

Mixing in delectable flavorings disguises their unpleasantness, much like the cherry

additive that camouflages the otherwise medicinal taste of children’s cough syrup.

Yet perceptions of irritation and pain in the nose, mouth, and throat serve as warning signals, the body’s cautionary bells and whistles evolved over millions of years. A bitter taste might originate from a toxic plant; irritation in the nose or respiratory tract indicates the inhaled substance is potentially harmful.

But now that flavorings in e-cigarette mask the warning signals, many consumers have been lulled into believing vaping is benign. They rate mint flavors as safer, though they are not.

And instead of irritation from the e-cigarette prompting a cough – an action that removes harmful stimuli from the airway – the flavorings instead dampen the user’s sensory alarms and protective reactions. The risk of chemically induced injury, along with nicotine abuse, is increased.

How may

flavors themselves be toxic Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has acknowledged some flavorings as “safe for consumption,” its

label dodges a critical distinction.

Safe for consumption does not mean safe for inhalation. While scientists still haven’t confirmed the inhalation toxicity for all flavorings, the latest research reveals some disturbing evidence.

Many of the most common flavorings when present at high levels can cause inflammation, cell death, free radical formation and DNA damage. One class of compounds, known as furfurals, trigger tumor growth in mice.

Flavor molecules, reacting with the propylene glycol in the e-liquid, can produce metabolites, or intermediate substances that are part of metabolic reactions, that are irritating to the respiratory system. Long-term exposure to irritants can lead to chronic cough, inflammation, hyperreactive airway (wheezing, shortness of breath), edema (swelling in the arms, hands, legs or feet) and acute lung damage.

Some flavorings, inhaled chronically or at high levels, are already known to cause serious and sometimes deadly

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insightnews.com

Insight News • February 10, 2020 - February 16, 2020 • Page 7

Owners of Heritage Tea House thank supporters as location closes

Poet Sean Hill

Literary Witnesses launches new season

Poet Sean Hill opens Plymouth’s Literary Witnesses’ 2020 season on Feb. 10.

Hill will be joined by friends from the Northwoods Writers Conference, which he directs, Erin Lynn Marsh, Preeti Kaur Rajpal, Naomi Cohn, and Julian Randall.

The free event takes place at 7 p.m. in Guild Hall at Plymouth Congregational Church, 1900 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis On March 1 author Louise Erdrich, will premiere

Housing Crisis From 5 falling for six straight years, the number of people experiencing homelessness nationwide grew from 2016–2018, to 552,830. In just one year, 2018 to 2019, the percentage of America’s Black homeless grew from 40 percent to more than half – 52 percent.

That independent finding supports the conclusion of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s report to Congress known as its Annual Homeless Assessment Report.

While some would presume that homelessness is an issue for high-cost states like California and New York, the 2019 HUD report found

Transplant From 6 attributed to factors such as not knowing other registered donors in one’s community and mistrust of providers.

How providers

can medical close the gap?

I am a counseling psychologist whose research examines health inequities and treatment. Given the enormity of these factors, I conducted a study with my colleague, Heather Gardiner, director of the Health Disparities Research Lab at Temple University.

We sought to identify barriers to the pretransplant evaluation for African-American kidney patients. Patients who complete this evaluation successfully become active on the waitlist.

We looked at barriers at several levels: individual barriers, such as limited income; health

her new novel, “The Night Watchman” (HarperCollins) at 4 p.m. in the Sanctuary of Plymouth Congregational.

The event is also free, with a reception and book signing following the reading. Copies of her book will be available.

Hill is the author of “Dangerous Goods,” a Minnesota Book Award–winner, and “Blood

Ties & Brown Liquor,” named one of the Ten Books All Georgians Should Read. He also is widely published in magazines and journals. Hill has been a professor of Creative Writing; since 2012, he has directed the Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference at Bemidji State University.

significant growth in homeless residents in states like Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia and Washington as well.

According to HUD, states with the highest rates of homelessness per 10,000 people were New York (46), Hawaii (45), California (38), Oregon (38), and Washington (29), each significantly higher than the national average of 17 persons per 10,000. The District of Columbia had a homelessness rate of 94 people per 10,000.

And like the JCHS report, HUD also found disturbing data on the disproportionate number of Black people who are now homeless.

For example, although the numbers of homeless veterans and homeless families with children declined over the past year, Blacks were 40 percent of all

people experiencing homelessness in 2019 and 52 percent of people experiencing homelessness as members of families with children.

These racial disparities are even more alarming when overall, Blacks comprise 13 percent of the nation’s population.

When four of every 10 homeless people are Black, 225,735 consumers are impacted.

Further, and again according to HUD, 56,381 Blacks (27 percent) are living on the nation’s streets, instead of in homeless shelters.

The bottom line on these research reports is that Black America’s finances are fragile.

With nagging disparities in income, family wealth, unemployment and more – the millions of people working multiple jobs, and/or living paycheck to paycheck, are often just one paycheck away from financial disaster.

Add predatory lending on high-cost loans like payday or overdraft fees, or the weight of medical debt or student loans, when financial calamity arrives, it strikes these consumers harder and longer than others who have financial cushions.

And lest we forget, housing discrimination in home sales, rentals, insurance and more continue to disproportionately affect Black America despite the Fair Housing Act, and other federal laws intended to remove discrimination from the marketplace.

The real question in 2020 is, ‘What will communities and the nation do about it?’

For Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, an assistant professor of African-American studies at Princeton University and author of the new book, “Race for

Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership,” federal enforcement of its own laws addressing discrimination and acknowledging the inherent tugof-war wrought from the tension of public service against the real estate industry’s goal of profit, there’s little wonder why so many public-private partnerships fail to serve both interests.

In a recent Chicago Tribune interview, Taylor explained her view.

“You don’t need a total transformation of society to create equitable housing for people,” said Taylor. “We have come to believe that equitable housing is just some weird thing that can’t happen here, and the reality is that we have the resources to create the kinds of housing outcomes that we say we desire.

“The way to get that has everything to do with connecting the energy on the ground to a different vision for our society – one that has housing justice, equity and housing security at the heart of it,’ Taylor continued.

“The resources and the money are there, but there’s a lack of political will from the unfortunate millionaire class that dominates our politics… I think, given the persistence of the housing crisis in this country, we have to begin to think in different ways about producing housing that is equitable and actually affordable in the real-life, lived experiences of the people who need it.”

Charlene Crowell is the Center for Responsible Lending’s communications deputy director.

She can be reached at charlene. crowell@responsiblelending.org.

barriers, such as having multiple health conditions in addition to kidney disease; educational barriers, such as limited knowledge about the kidney transplant process; and systemic barriers, such as long wait times for medical appointments. We also asked people what motivated them to pursue a transplant.

Our research leads us to believe that changing systemic problems will help address problems at the other levels.

For example, medical providers could consider condensing the medical appointments and testing period for the pre-transplant evaluation.

Patients who are motivated to get off dialysis will be more motivated to complete the pretransplant evaluation if they are able to complete the majority of their medical testing at one place over a short period, rather than having to attend several medical appointments over a long period of time.

providers give liver patients a MELD score that indicates the severity of their disease.

The introduction of the current liver allocation system in 2002 reduced the number of people from minority groups who died waiting for an organ.

Under the previous system, African Americans were more likely to die waiting for a liver transplant, because they generally had higher MELD

scores, indicating that their disease was becoming worse. However, the current system prioritizes patients with high MELD scores, which has improved liver transplant rates for this group.

The 2014 policy change in kidney allocation allowed patients to count time spent on dialysis toward their total time spent on the waitlist, thereby reducing racial and ethnic disparities.

The success of these systemic changes illustrates the effectiveness of policy change.

In my view, policies such as comprehensive Medicare coverage – with transportation assistance for all patients with kidney disease, for example – could potentially reduce many of the disparities along the steps to a successful transplant.

Countries such as Austria and Norway have seen

significant improvements in their organ donation rates by using an opt-out system, which is based on the assumption that everyone consents unless an individual notes otherwise.

Although this topic may be somewhat controversial in the U.S., I feel that the potential benefits of an opt-out policy are worth exploring.

Policy changes also matter In order to decide who gets an organ, medical

E-cig

those suffering from chemical exposure.

From 6

What about long-term vaping?

Ongoing chemical exposure, especially at high doses, can cause olfactory dysfunction, including a reduced sense of smell. This encourages chronic e-cigarette users to choose stronger-flavored e-liquids to receive a sufficient buzz. In turn, more potent e-liquids generate more irritation and damage to the nose, lungs and lower airway.

The health effects of e-cigarette exposure go beyond the sensory and respiratory systems.

Mint and candy flavors are more than chemical accessories that enhance a harmless experience. They shape our behavior, perhaps for a lifetime.

Our government is making progress towards keeping teens away from e-cigarettes.

Now, long-term research is needed to fully comprehend the adverse health effects and toxicity of flavorings and other chemical substances in the e-cigarette vapor to prevent the potentially catastrophic effects of vaping.

respiratory illnesses. Diacetyl, a buttery flavor used in processed foods – notably some popcorn products – causes “popcorn lung,” an irreversible disease that affects factory workers exposed daily to the compound.

Many e-liquids contain diacetyl; an analysis found the substance in 39 out of 51 tested e-cigarette samples. In about half the samples, the estimated daily consumption was above safety limits.

Patients with EVALI exhibit a significant number of these symptoms, and all were attributed to vaping. In one survey, users reported cough (40 percent), dry or irritated mouth or throat (31 percent), dizziness or lightheadedness (27.1 percent) headache or migraine (21.9 percent) or shortness of breath (18.1 percent).

Similar health problems have been reported by patients with chemically induced sick building syndrome. This implies that e-cigarette users share common health problems with

The owners of Heritage Tea House want to thank it businesses supporters as it closes its doors after two years of operation.

“It has been an amazing two years serving you soul food, soul music, soul sessions and soulful energy at the Tea House,” wrote owners Raeisha Williams and Rosemary Nevils’ Williams.

“Unfortunately, our time has come to an end, and in January we served our last meal before closing the doors to our University location in St. Paul.

“As we close this location, we encourage you to visit us at our US Bank Stadium location. We are located on the main concourse in section 134, serving our famous soul wings and other Tea House favorites during Vikings games and venue events.

“We are excited about what the future holds for our business and brand and sincerely hope that you will support us in our future endeavors. The Tea House will live on through our food and beverage collections launching in the spring.

“We want to say a special thank you to all the artists who performed at the Tea House, our amazing customers, staff, friends and family, and our community partners NDC, WomenVenture, and MEDA who took this incredible journey with us.”

Heritage Tea House owners Raeisha Williams (standing) and Rosemary Nevils’ Williams

Upper Harbor

Learn more about the current phase of the project and opportunities to give your feedback. upperharbormpls.com

Page 8 • February 10, 2020 - February 16, 2020 • Insight News

insightnews.com

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CHILDREN WITH A GOOD EDUCATION ARE MORE LIKELY TO ACHIEVE THE AMERICAN

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