Nellie NELLIE, a new play by Kim Hines, tells the story of Nellie Stone Johnson, a remarkable Minnesotan who spent her lifetime working for workers’ and civil right, and was a fierce advocate of education and social justice. Performances through Sunday, February 17, 2013 History Theatre, 30 East Tenth Street | St. Paul, MN 55101 Tickets: History Theatre Box Office at 651.292.4323 or www.historytheatre.com/tickets/ Scott Pakudaitis
Nellie (played by Shá Cage) tries to explain her commitment to creating a union to her husband Clyde (played by Ron Collier) as Elder Nellie (played by Greta Oglesby) watches.
February 4 - February 10, 2013
Vol. 40 No. 6• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
Brett Buckner wants to shake up 5th Ward politics By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer “Close to 40 percent of men 16 to 25 in north Minneapolis are unemployed.” That quote was the answer given by Brett Buckner, when asked why there needed to be a shake-up in 5th ward politics. “How do we prepare the young people to build a career right here in north Minneapolis? When you have
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Brett Buckner
Not seeking Ward 5 reelection
Samuels to run for mayor By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer
Minnesota greets Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer
Minneapolis 5th Ward Councilman Don Samuels has announced his candidacy to become the city’s next mayor. The announcement comes on the heels of current Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak announcing he would not seek a fourth term. Samuels, who this past year had a failed bid to become a Hennepin County
Thousands of Somali-Americans packed into the Minneapolis Convention Center to greet the newly-elected president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. This past September, Mohamud became the first democratically elected leader of the war-torn nation in 43 years. In another positive sign of stability for the African nation, this past week the United States announced it would officially recognize the government – something that has not
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Harry Colbert, Jr.
Newly elected Somalia President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, addresses thousands of Somali-Americans during a recent visit to Minneapolis. happened in the past 21 years. “This is the beginning of a new foundation,” said Mohamud to the overflow audience during his Friday evening speech. His quote was one of the few words he spoke in English as most of the program was conducted in Somali. Mohamud spoke to the visibly excited crowd for nearly one hour. Joined by his entire cabinet, Mohamud asked the SomaliMinnesotans for their support and asked that they forget about the atrocities of the past and focus on the present. “You have to forget what happened yesterday and we have to forgive each
other,” said Mohamud, according to Abshir Adan, who assisted reporters in translating. Mohamud then said in English, “There is a price to pay in order to get a good Somalia.” Mohamud and his cabinet were in the United States to meet with U.S. officials, including President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The newly-elected Somali president said Obama offered to host Mohamud during Obama’s second inauguration but Mohamud said he declined, telling the U.S. president he had much work ahead of him in Somalia
Harry Colbert, Jr.
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Don Samuels
Positive, responsible, educated, passionate Eliminating the
Rolodex of inequality
By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer Dantè Rabb credits two things for his life’s successes – basketball and education. So the former college basketball star is combining the two with his newly formed Minnesota P.R.E.P. youth basketball program. P.R.E.P. is an acronym for positive, responsible, educated and passionate. “(Minnesota P.R.E.P.) was a vision in my head and it was my way of giving back,” said Rabb in explaining why he is starting the program. “I’ve succeeded and coming out of a pretty rough community, (my success) was because of the opportunities of education and the sport.” Rabb spent the first 12 years of his life in gang-infested South Central Los Angeles. Later, Rabb and his mother moved to a Houston, Tex. suburb when his mother was promoted within the company for which she worked. Rabb’s skills on the court earned him a scholarship to
Justspeak
By Irma McClaurin, PhD Culture and Education Editor
Dantè Rabb, MSU 1998 Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont., where he starred for two years before transferring to Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Tex. Rabb earned a degree in business administration with an
Education
Tuskegee University honors George Washington Carver
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emphasis in finance. “With Minnesota P.R.E.P., we’re not just about basketball, we’re preparing (kids) for life,” said Rabb, who is an assistant varsity basketball coach at Minnetonka High School.
Business
Starting a business? Know what you need to know
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Minnesota P.R.E.P.
Rabb said what is unique about his program is he will offer tutoring, study hall sessions and bring in speakers
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At a recent networking event for women in Raleigh, I listened as a panel of experienced women executives shared their experiences with the audience. One question posed was about how non-profit and corporate board members were recruited. One response stood out in my mind. The speaker indicated that she often recruited board members by tapping into her friends and colleagues. The answer affirmed a thesis of mine—there exists in our society what I call the “rolodex of inequality,” and what it produces is homogeneity or sameness. I do not throw terms like
Lifestyle
Yummy baking ideas
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inequality around easily. It is my area of study as an anthropologist. My research over the last two decades has critically examined the cultural and structural forces that consistently and systematically disadvantage particular groups and the individuals who comprise the group. Think about the historic inequality that people of African descent face globally as individuals and as members of a group—high unemployment, lower levels of education, lower levels of wealth, to name a few. Think about the historic inequality that women have faced as individuals and as members of a group—unequal pay for the same jobs, requiring legislation to exercise choice over their bodies, and medical beliefs that historically minimize women’s illnesses. And, these conditions for both groups occur in the United States and globally. My argument that such a
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Full Circle
At the crossroads of freedom and equality
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