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January 17, 2022 - January 23, 2022

Vol. 49 No. 3• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

MLK:

GLOBAL JUSTICE Artwork by Loretta Day

STORY ON PAGE

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Page 2 • January 17, 2022 - January 23, 2022 • Insight News

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GET OUT

AND PLAY

Get out, bundle up and show winter what Minnesotans are made of. You could win big!

MNL202100081_Winter22_Print_10.625x21.indd 1

12/14/21 9:00 AM

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Insight News • January 17, 2022 - January 23, 2022 • Page 3

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January 17, 2022 - January 23, 2022

Vol. 49 No. 3• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Mel Reeves:

Justice, then peace

By Brandi D. Phillips Contributing Writer

AP Photo

President Lyndon B. Johnson, right, talks with Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders in his White House office in Washington, D.C., Jan. 18, 1964.

How the Vietnam War pushed MLK to embrace global justice, not only civil rights at home

By Anthony Siracusa Senior Director of Inclusive Culture and Initiatives, University of Colorado Boulder On July 2, 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. stood behind President Lyndon Baines Johnson as the Texan signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Although not the first civil rights bill passed by Congress, it was the most comprehensive.

King called the law’s passage “a great moment … something like the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln.” Johnson recognized

King’s contributions to the law by gifting him a pen used to sign the historic legislation.

A year later, as Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law, King again joined the president for the occasion.

But by the start of 1967, the two most famous men in America were no longer on speaking terms. In fact, they would not meet again before King fell to an assassin’s bullet on April 4, 1968.

King was foremost a minister who pastored to a local church throughout his career, even while he was doing national civil rights work.

And he became concerned that his political ally Johnson was making a grave moral

mistake in Vietnam. Johnson quickly escalated American troop presence in Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000 in 1965.

And by 1968, more than a half a million troops were stationed in the Southeast Asian nation.

As I write in my 2021 book “Nonviolence Before King,” the Baptist preacher had been on a “pilgrimage to nonviolence” for years. And by 1967, he was a radical apostle of Christian nonviolence.

King called on the United States to “be born again” and undergo a “radical revolution of values.” King believed that Jim Crow segregation and the war in Vietnam were rooted in the same unjust ethic of racebased domination, and he called

on the nation to change its ways.

Speaking against the Vietnam War King preached nonviolent direct action for years, and his team organized massive protest movements in the cities of Albany, New York, and Selma and Birmingham in Alabama. But by 1967, King’s religious vision for nonviolence went beyond nonviolent street protest to include abolishing what he called the “triple evils” crippling American society. King defined the triple evils as racism, poverty and militarism, and he believed these forces were contrary

The Twin Cities recently lost a freedom fighter. Hailed as brilliant, honest, and a sensitive man, Mel Reeves, an editor and activist, recently transitioned into his next life and next mission after dealing with complications from COVID-19 and pneumonia.

Reeves, 64, was an editor and writer at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder both in the early 80s and again for the past three years. He was a man so dedicated to his craft he continued to write from his hospital bed. His commitment to his community was not negotiable.

A man committed to what he believed in, an advocate, and an activist for underserved and marginalized communities, his work did not go in vain. The announcement of his death brought many online tributes to the man, who was not a myth.

Educator and coach, Larry A. McKenzie, said of his fellow Miami, FL friend, “Mel Reeves was a true community champion who is now truly

mn.cbslocal.com

Mel Reeves

resting in peace as he has earned his wings. I will be forever grateful of the time we did have together and our memories of growing up in Miami. Rest In Peace My Friend.”

Stephanetta Isis Harmon wrote on her Facebook page, “Mel Reeves was such a fighter. Grateful to have known him and all his antics. He was adamant about being acknowledged for his community work and activism.

Deservedly so. He was always present and accounted for.

Enjoy your flowers, Mel. We can only hope to carry a small part of the torch you lit for the community and social justice.”

Reeves covered the murders of Jamar Clark, Philando Castile, and George Floyd. More recently, before

REEVES 4

MLK JR. 4

Perspectives of an African

Black Lives Matter and the Removal of Racist Statues

By Caesar Alimsinya Atuire Part 3 in a series II. Do Statues Die? Metaphorically, we may ask: when does a statue die?

If we agree that statues die, then who is the coroner to determine and certify the death? The pulling down of statues is not a twenty-first-century discovery.

Controversies around artistic representations have taken place in different moments and for different reasons in history.

Thomas Noble, in his book on iconoclasm, offers a key to interpreting these controversies: Throughout history, heated debates about artistic representations, and the actual destruction of public and private works of art, have been byproducts of other kinds of social, political, or religious movements.

One thinks immediately of Protestant

iconoclasm in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; of the political iconoclasm of the French Revolution; of the ideological iconoclasm of both Fascist and Communist states and their successors; or of contemporary American disputes over flag burning and public subsidies for artistic work that some people deem blasphemous or obscene. The iconoclastic moment in these movements almost always provides the careful observer with a sharp view of the stresses and tears in the social fabric of a given time or place.5 Thomas Noble talks of “stresses and tears in the social fabric”. These can sometimes be long-pent-up frustrations within a society that erupt into social movements when groups of people within a society feel misrepresented or marginalized. Anger is directed towards monuments and statues which are perceived to represent

Laysha’s Lessons with Laysha Ward

The Great ReConnection:

Deepening Relationships in an Uncertain Hybrid World

By Laysha Ward Exec VP & Chief External Engagement Officer at Target Wikipedia

Toppled Saddam Hussein statue. a perpetuation of the narrative that the movements want to change. In 1776, when the American Revolution was in full swing, anger was directed at the equestrian statue of English King George III on Bowling Green in New York. With the help of George Washington’s troops, protestors pulled down the statue “from its plinth and broke it into pieces”. Much of

the lead was shipped to Connecticut and melted down to make 42,008 bullets. A British officer who had the decapitated head rescued from a tavern before it reached the furnace noted that the nose was severed, the laurels were awry, and a musket ball was lodged “part of the way through his head”. He

BLM PT. 3 5

We’ve been hearing about “The Great Resignation” for months, and a recent EY study provides some insight around why people are leaving their jobs in such large numbers. The top three reasons given by employee respondents when asked why they quit their jobs? Not feeling valued by their organizations, not feeling valued by their managers, and not feeling a sense of belonging at work.

These answers suggest to me that we need

“The Great ReConnection” a rekindling of relationships and a renewed focus on community. After living and working in unexpected and socially distanced ways for nearly two years, many of us are ready to deepen our connections with others.

Your “connection currency” – the social capital you accrue by developing authentic relationships – has likely been diminished following the events of 2020 and 2021. While the past two years have proven that it’s feasible for many (but not all) to work remotely, they have also underscored the importance of personal connections. It turns

WARD 5

4 acquitted in toppling of British slave trader statue Davnie will not seek re-election in 2022

LONDON (AP) — Four antiracism demonstrators recently were cleared of criminal damage in the toppling of a statue of a 17th-century slave trader during a Black Lives Matter protest in southwestern England.

Protesters used ropes to pull down the bronze statue of Edward Colston and dump it in Bristol’s harbor on June 7, 2020. The demonstration and toppling were part of a worldwide reckoning with racism and slavery sparked by the death of a Black American man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

(Ben Birchall/PA via AP, File) Ben Birchall/AP

Protesters throw a statue of Edward Colston into England’s Bristol harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest rally.

News

On voting rights and the GOP Civil War

PAGE 5

Loud cheers rang out from a packed public gallery at Bristol Crown Court as a jury acquitted Rhian Graham, 30, Milo Ponsford, 26, and Sage Willoughby, 22, and Jake Skuse, 33.

“This is a victory for Bristol, this is a victory for racial equality and it’s a victory for anybody who wants to be on the right side of history,” Willoughby said.

Graham, Ponsford and Willoughby were caught on closed-circuit television

4 ACQUITTED 6

A member who has focused on the youngest Minnesotans is stepping away from the Legislature.

Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL-Mpls) announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election to the House in 2022.

“I thank the residents and families of south Minneapolis for entrusting me with their voices over the past 21 years at the State Capitol,” he said in a statement. “Despite the unquestionable challenges

Rep. Jim Davnie

DAVNIE 6

I2H

Expedited funding for nursing homes and services

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Page 4 • January 17, 2022 - January 23, 2022 • Insight News

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Judiciary committee hears plea from public defenders, legal aid lawyers for more funding

By Jonathan Mohr Too much work and not enough pay were a common theme Tuesday as representatives of Minnesota’s public defense and civil legal aid attorneys spoke before the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee during an informational hearing.

Both groups discussed the challenges they face working to properly represent low-income clients in criminal and civil court cases while also explaining their need for additional state funding.

Legal aid attorneys, who represent clients in noncriminal legal matters, receive an annual starting salary that is thousands of dollars less than

MLK Jr. From 3 to God’s will for all people.

He came to believe, as he said in 1967, that racism,

colleagues in the private sector.

Public defenders also make less money and their workloads are typically much heavier than private criminal attorneys.

Dori Rapaport, executive director of Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota, said civil legal services lawyers would like an additional $4.3 million in fiscal year 2023 to help address the “salary crisis” they have been dealing with for some time.

Thirty-two percent of CLS staff in the last two years have quit, which Rapaport said is “not a sustainable number” for the organization going forward. That turnover is one of the reasons that, for every 100 Minnesotans who seek out civil legal services and qualify for help, 55% are economic exploitation and war were crippling America’s ability to create a “beloved community” defined by love and nonviolence.

And on April 4, 1967, he publicly rebuked the president’s war policy in Vietnam at Riverside Presbyterian Church

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Dori Rapaport, executive director of Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota, testifies before the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee during a emote hearing Jan. 11. turned away because there aren’t resources to help them.

“This $4.3 million will allow us to start our staff attorneys at, on average,

$65,000, and that’s absolutely where we need to be if we’re going to continue to keep staff,” Rapaport said.

The additional

in New York City in a speech titled “Beyond Vietnam.”

“I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam,” he told those gathered in the majestic cathedral. “I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home, and death and corruption in Vietnam.”

King was initially optimistic that Johnson’s Great Society program, which aimed to make historic investments in job growth, job training and economic development, would tackle domestic poverty. But by 1967 the Great Society appeared to be a casualty of the mounting costs of the war in Vietnam. “I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such,” King said in his speech.

King saw the grinding poverty facing Black people at home as inseparable from the war overseas. As he noted, “If our nation can spend 35 billion dollars a year to fight an unjust, evil war in Vietnam, and 20 billion dollars to put a man on the moon, it can spend billions of dollars to put God’s children on their own two feet right here on earth.”

King could no longer ignore that military force ran contrary to the

nonviolence he espoused.

As urban revolts in Watts and Newark in the late 1960s rocked the nation, he pleaded with people to remain nonviolent.

“But they ask – and rightly so – what about Vietnam?” King said in the same 1967 speech. “They ask if our own nation wasn’t using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today – my own government.”

King’s vision By 1967, King’s vision of justice was one of flourishing for all people, not only civil rights for African Americans. King was criticized for expanding his vision beyond civil rights for Black Americans.

Some worried that aligning with the peace movement would weaken the civil rights movement.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People even issued a statement clearly opposing what it saw as a merging of the civil rights and peace movements.

But in his 1967

money would allow CLS to increase the average starting salary for staff attorneys by nearly $10,000 in 2022.

Public defenders face many of the same problems.

“You have been reading about this in papers and online about ‘the great resignation,’ and we’re not immune from that,” Kevin Kajer, chief administrator of the Board of Public Defense, told members.

“The two big issues that folks cite when they are leaving are workloads and salary.”

Kajer said turnover has taken its toll on public defenders, and that about 40% of staff lawyers and 25% of support staff have been hired in the last three years.

William Ward, the state’s chief public

defender, said Minnesota would need an additional 149 attorneys and more than 100 support staff to meet the national standards for public defender weighted caseloads.

“That would be an additional $29 million just to get to the national standard in [number of] positions,” Ward said, adding that the standards aren’t even good enough.

Rep. Jamie BeckerFinn (DFL-Roseville), who chairs the committee, said she expects “seeking supplemental budget items this year given the [the state’s budget] surplus … and, obviously what we heard today, the need that is going on.”

Reposted from SessionDaily.

“Beyond Vietnam” speech, King called “for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class, and nation … an allembracing and unconditional love for all mankind.” Such unconditional love is “the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality,” and he noted that this unifying principle was present in Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism.

King was always first a religious leader. He never sought nor gained elected office, because he wanted to maintain a moral voice and be free to challenge policies he believed to be unjust.

But the cost for King’s speaking out was high: By the time of his assassination, King’s national approval rating was at an all-time low.

He was not a morally perfect man. Declassified files show how the FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover tried to target King over his extramarital affairs. Hoover used a wiretap to tape King having sex with other women and sent those to his wife, Coretta Scott King, with a letter indicating King should kill himself because of his moral transgressions.

For those seeking to honor King’s legacy today, his religious nonviolence is demanding. It asks that people go beyond acts of service and charity – as important as those are – to both speak and act against violence and racism as well as to organize to end those pernicious forces.

It is a radical concept of love that demands we embrace those we know and those we don’t, to acknowledge, as King said, “that all life is interrelated, that somehow we’re caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny.”

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the challenge may be to decipher the meaning of this idea in action for our own lives. The future of what King called the beloved community depends on it – a world at peace because justice is present.

Anthony Siracusa does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

Honoring King

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Reeves From 3 getting ill, he was still activating, and was covering the trial of former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter who was found guilty in the murder of Daunte Wright.

On Dec 25, from his hospital bed he wrote about the 14-year-old girl who was killed while trying on a dress at a department store in Los Angeles. On Dec. 27, he wrote of Coach Larry McKenzie and North High School launching the inaugural George Floyd Basketball Tournament.

In a social media post, Reeves said doctors suggested he keep writing, to focus on the positive. He did just that. He

kept writing, he kept fighting, for himself and for others.

Reeves was relentless about his work.

In an interview with Insight News, Tracey WilliamsDillard, owner of the MN Spokesman-Recorder, who also lost her husband to Covid complications last year, said of Reeves, “I have known Mel since the mid 1980s. He used to live with my mother and me.

He was like a brother to me. Of course, I ultimately became his boss. He worked with us before he left back to Miami. When he came back to Minneapolis, he did not come back to the paper immediately, but he was back with us for three years until his passing.”

Regarding his legacy, Williams-Dillard added, “He was a person who would do

anything for you. If there was a cause that he could help you fight, he would be there for you.

He was very interested in the youth. He wanted to make sure that he could sponsor the youth at any given time, and support them in any way that he could.

He made sure that his legacy would not be forgotten. He knew he was getting older and could not fight for justice the way he used to. He told me that.

He wanted to pass the torch on to the youth.”

On New Year’s Day Reeves-- who was adopted and often spoke of feeling unappreciated-- posted via Facebook, “It’s really true that ‘it’s a long road when you face the world alone.’ So, thank you for not letting me face one of my darkest hours alone!”

He continued, “I tried

to love folks and it turns out I am here today because folks loved me back. I never ever want any credit for anything I ever do for anybody else, but I guess I too wanted to be appreciated. I wanted to get my flowers while I could appreciate them.”

United States Representative for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, Ilhan Omar, posted online in a tribute to Reeves, “Mel Reeves was a relentless advocate for justice, a true organizer rooted in the Northside, and a friend.

His advocacy helped spark a movement that has inspired the whole nation. Rest in Power, Mel”.

In another powerful tribute, Kellen Reeves, son of Mel, posted on social media, “I lost my father last night. Mel Reeves was so much to so many.

‘Brother Mel’ was known by the whole city. Matter of fact, he was known around the nation.

To me he was Pops. To my kids he was Grandpa Mel. We didn’t need anything from him other than his presence. His grandkids didn’t know or care what he did for so many, just that they loved playing with their grandpa. We loved him fully for him. For his heart, for his caring nature and for his love for us. We will miss him more than words can express. You always signed off your writing with ‘Justice, then peace’. You dedicated your life to justice. Now be at peace. Rest well, Pops. Give Cam a hug for me.”

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Insight News • January 17, 2022 - January 23, 2022 • Page 5

On voting rights and the GOP Civil War Hobb servation Point

By Chuck Hobbs Biden wants to end the filibuster President Joe Biden took to the lectern yesterday on the campus of Morehouse College and in unequivocal terms, challenged the Senate to end the filibuster rules, ones that require a super-majority of 60 votes, so that the Freedom to Vote and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Acts can get passed.

Said Mr. Biden, “I support changing the Senate rules, whichever way they need to be changed to prevent a minority of senators from blocking actions on voting rights...”

Biden’s old colleague and current Republican nemesis, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), hit below the belt by falsely playing upon the common GOP talking points that Biden is senile and paints all conservatives as racist. Said Mr. McConnell: “The president’s rant — rant — yesterday was incoherent, incorrect, and beneath his office...The president repeatedly invoked the January 6th riot while himself using irresponsible, delegitimizing rhetoric that undermines our democracy...

The sitting president of the

BLM PT. 3 From 3 had it shipped back to London “to convince them at home of the infamous disposition of the ungrateful people of this distressed country”.6 The destruction of statues of perceived disreputable persons was not only an American phenomenon. In the UK, in 1650, a year after the English King Charles I was condemned and beheaded, Parliament ordered that his statue at the Exchange in London “be demolished, by having the head taken off, and the scepter [taken] out of his hand”.7 A few decades later, in 1689, it was the turn of Catholic King James II’s statue in Newcastle to be removed, dragged along the streets, and tossed into the river. The removal of statues by the British not only took place within the confines of the British Isles.

Hermann von Wissmann, a German explorer, colonizer and governor of German East Africa, was famous among other things for his ruthless exploits on natives and their villages. In 1890, four years after his death, a statue was erected to his honour and placed in Dar-esSalaam, today Tanzania. After the defeat of Germany in the First World War, the British took control of the former German territory of East Africa. They removed Wissmann’s statue and transported it to London where it was put on display as a trophy at the War Museum. The story doesn’t end there. During the Weimar Republic, when Germany exalted her colonial heroes, the country succeeded in repatriating the statue. It was placed in front of the University of Hamburg. Later, when the narrative about colonialism and relations with Africa changed in the 1960s, the student movement sprayed and toppled the statue of Wissmann in 1968. The University of Hamburg decided that Wissmann’s statue had no right to be in this public space.

The statue was removed and transferred to the Hamburg Observatory where, “in order to

Ward From 3 out those simple hellos in the hallway, conversations between meetings, and group interactions (coffees, happy hours, offsites, etc.) were a more important part of work than many of us realized. The unmooring of these workplace norms has left a lot of folks feeling a bit untethered –

United States compared American states to totalitarian states...So the world saw our commander-in-chief propagandize against his own country to a degree that would have made Pravda blush.”

Wow! There’s much to unpack here, so let us consider: 1. Yes, President Biden, at times, does give the appearance of being tired, grumpy, or out of touch (see Afghanistan)—but yesterday was NOT one of those times!

His speechwriters hit the right points—and he stood and delivered his righteous demand that the filibuster ends now— and that voting rights get protected for ALL Americans.

2. Clearly, not all Republicans are racists, Mr. McConnell, but if 52 million Republicans are supporting measures that detrimentally impact Black voters, as has been the case in red states the past 12 months, then those Republicans support racist policies! As I have written time and again, frankly, I don’t give a damn if this Republican or that Republican despises me or other Black folks in private, but I do give a damn when their policies impact my and other Black folks› ability to enjoy the rights supposedly guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and other federal statutes.

3. The unmitigated gall of McConnell to suggest that President Biden’s comments are un-American is rich with irony. I mean, a little over 12-months ago, it was heavily armed Republicans storming the Capitol Complex after breaking

have lost their nerves is that with the mid-term elections in sight, they’ve chosen to take the “maybe if we avoid upsetting the former President, perhaps he will quiet down in Mar-a-Lago and allow the GOP to win the House and Senate thus year?”

Fat chance; it is clear that the crowd loving Trump, much like his presidential predecessor Barack Obama, is going to continue being a very present figure in partisan political power struggles in the years to come.

Since last summer, Trump has weighed in on hundreds of GOP primary races on the state and local levels, with his support hinging upon whether the Republican candidate will parrot his “Stop the Steal” falsities about the 2020 election.

Juxtaposed to those Republican incumbents and candidates who are willing to take the lying loyalty oath are a number of moderates

and conservatives like former President George W. Bush, his former vice-president, Dick Cheney, and Rep. Liz Cheney, each of whom congratulated Mr. Biden on his victory in 2020— and continue to support the legitimacy of his administration (even if disagreeing on substantive policy).

Sen. McConnell, too, once was in league with the rational Republicans who saw Trump’s mendacities for what they were, but has since shunned common sense for his own desire to return to the head of the Senate chamber by appeasing Trump’s loyal fans who can be pivotal next Fall should they stay home if their supreme leader, Trump, says so (like thousands did in the Georgia 2021 Senate runoff that led to Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Osoff being elected).

The latest battle in the GOP civil war has centered upon the rhetorical wrestling between Sen. Mike Rounds, (R-S.D.), and Mr. Trump. Sen. Rounds is one of a few within his caucus with spine still intact, and when asked about Trump’s stolen election claims, stated this past weekend: “While there were some irregularities, there were none of the irregularities which would have risen to the point where they would have changed the vote outcome in a single state. The election was fair, as fair as we have seen. We simply did not win the election, as Republicans, for the presidency. And if we simply look back and tell our people don’t vote because there’s cheating going on, then

we’re going to put ourselves in a huge disadvantage.”

Mr. Trump, per usual, clapped back on Sunday with school boy insults, claiming that Sen. Rounds “just went woke,” before calling him a “jerk,” “weak,” “ineffective” and questioning whether Rounds was “crazy or just stupid.”

Today, in his first interview with NPR (which he cut short after nine minutes), Trump was more measured in his rebuttal to Sen. Rounds, stating “No, I think (claiming the election was stolen) it’s an advantage, because otherwise they’re going to do it again in ‘22 and ‘24, and Rounds is wrong on that. Totally wrong.”

While such barbs, oddly, provide some measure of comic relief, the truth is no laughing matter! And the truth is that American governments have always thrived upon two major parties providing contrasting styles and opinions in Washington or state capitals, and when one is as dysfunctional as the GOP is at this time, or frozen like deer in oncoming headlights, as the Democratic Party often is because Republicans are scared to negotiate (lest they face the ire of their former president), we, the people, all suffer!

Thank you and please subscribe to the Hobbservation Point—have a great Wednesday evening!

Chuck Hobbs is a freelance journalist who won the 2010 Florida Bar Media Award and has been twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.

Ibid.

8 Memorial to Hermann von Wissmann. Deutsches Historisches Museum, https:// www.dhm .de/blog/2017/04/20/ memorial-to-hermann-vonwissmann/ (12.08.2020).

9 Peter Beaumont, Saddam’s statue: the bitter regrets of Iraq’s sledgehammer man, in: The Guardian, 9

March 2013, https://www. theguardian.com/world/2013/ mar/09/saddam -hussein-statuekadom-al-jabourirsledgehammer (09.03.2013).

Caesar Alimsinya Atuire is a Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy and Classics Department at the University of Ghana, Legon. He is also a 2020 Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, University of Oxford.

Dr. Atuire’s work draws from African and European

philosophical traditions to reflect on normative issues in bioethics, health, and intercultural relations. He is coeditor of the volume Bioethics in Africa: Theories and Praxis. He has also lectured and published on epistemic decolonization in academia. Originally published as 21: INQUIRIES INTO ART, HISTORY, AND THE VISUAL #2-2020, pp. 449–467 https:// doi.org/10.11588/ xxi.2020.2.76234

Biden speaking before Charles Merrill Hall at Morehouse College doors and windows while urinating and defecating in the halls of Congress; threatening to hang then Republican V.P. Mike Pence while brandishing “Trump 2020” and Confederate Battle Flags in a fit of violence unseen at the Capitol since the British lit up Washington D.C. during the War of 1812!

I find it appalling that McConnell could use such histrionics in disagreement with President Biden’s request to end the filibuster, all the while he, like most Republicans, stood largely mute and falsetto voiced when his former President and party leader, Donald Trump, made a mockery of the 2020 election and what had previously been peaceful transfers of power.

Lest we forget!

The GOP Civil War is warming up Speaking of internecine political fighting, the reason that Sen. McConnell and many other Republicans

create a visualization of Germany’s relationship to its colonial past, the curatorial team at the Deutsches Historisches Museum decided that the exhibition should similarly feature the monument lying on the ground”.8 To date, the statue of Wissmann remains in this position.

In the twenty-first century, the most emblematic fall was perhaps that of the statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad on 9 April 2003. The attack on the statue was initiated

by Khadim al Jabourri, an Iraqi motorbike repairer wielding a sledgehammer. He was joined

by American Marines who used an armoured vehicle to topple the statue before witnessing crowds rushed in, unleashing their anger and frustration on the fallen statue. Ironically, Al Jabourri, in a 2013 interview published in The Guardian newspaper, regretted the toppling of the statue: “Then we had only one dictator, now we have hundreds”, he said, echoing a popular sentiment in a country mired in political problems and corruption, where killings still occur on an almost daily basis.

“Nothing has changed for the better.”9 The toppling of a statue is not a guarantee that the desired change will indeed occur.

Some initial conclusions can be drawn from the foregoing. First, statues represent an interpretation of history. The stories they tell are often partial, if not decidedly ideological. Second, statues can become obsolete when the narrative they portray or the persons they represent can no longer be upheld as worthy occupants of public space.

Third, the process of removal of statues can be institutional, but quite often it is not. Fourth, removal of a statue from public space does not always entail destruction; the statue can be placed in a context and in a way that corresponds to the current narrative (Wissmann). Fifth, the removal of statues when driven by a surge of public emotion can become regretful (Al Jabourri).

Finally, the toppling of a statue is not a guarantee the change hoped for will be achieved.

A more difficult

question to address, however, is why the removal of some statues is more controversial than others? The famous Via dei Fori Imperiale in Rome, leading to the Colosseum, which was built by fascist Mussolini, is lined with statues of four Roman emperors: Caesar, Augustus, Nerva and Trajan. None of these figures will survive ethical scrutiny if we consider their military exploits and the internal power-grabbing manoeuvres they used to rise to the highest ranks of the Roman Empire, not to mention their endorsement of discriminatory attitudes towards classes of citizen and noncitizens. Yet, we do not witness an outcry from descendants of Roman slaves and citizens of former Roman colonies calling for the removal of the statues of the emperors. The acceptance of their presence in public space cannot merely be attributed to the aesthetic value of the statues, which are in factcopies. The original statues are conserved in the Capitoline Museums. A possible reason for this could be that there is consensus that the imperial dreams and ideals of a superior and invincible Roman Empire are no longer a threat. In the words of Simon John, the debate about controversial statues concerns “wider conflicts between competing visions of history”.10 With all this in mind, we shall now look at the current movement for the removal of statues of racists and promoters of slavery, especially in the light of the Black Lives Matter movement that has garnered more energy in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.

5 Thomas F. X. Noble, Images, Iconoclasm, and the Carolingians, Philadelphia 2012, 4.

6 Andrew Lawler, Pulling down statues? It’s a tradition that dates back to U.S. independence, in: National Geographic, 1 July 2020, h t t p s : / / w w w . nationalgeographic.com/ history/2020/07 /pulling-downstatues-tradition-dates-backunited-states-independence/ (18.

08.2020).

7

and anxious about reconnecting.

And it’s not surprising. Social belonging is a fundamental human need, “hardwired” into human DNA. When employees feel like they belong, they deliver better job performance, fewer sick days and are more likely to stay. Connections at work help individuals feel like part of a team, and they can make work easier. Brene Brown captures the essence of belonging best. She says, “Fitting in is the greatest

barrier to belonging, because fitting in says, ‘Be like them to be accepted.’ While belonging says, ‘This is who I am. I hope we can make a connection.’”

Making authentic connections is what The Great ReConnection is all about. In an increasingly digital workplace, without the benefit of more proximate in-person conversations, our connections need more

WARD 6

Page 6 • January 17, 2022 - January 23, 2022 • Insight News

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Insight 2 Health

Wikipedia Depositphotos

Gov. Tim Walz

Expedited funding for nursing homes and services Governor Tim Walz last week announced new measures to address severe staffing shortages affecting the health and safety of older Minnesotans and people with disabilities as the COVID-19 Omicron variant spreads across the state. The actions provide funding for staffing in nursing homes and group homes and for in-home services for people with disabilities.

These providers are grappling with severe workforce emergencies amid rapidly rising COVID-19 caseloads.

The Minnesota Department of Human

Ward From 5

Services will exercise emergency authority under state law to expedite Medicaid funding to nursing homes and direct support services for people with disabilities facing significant staffing crises in the pandemic. This step, which requires federal approval, will make up to $83 million in state and federal funds available to cover emergency costs that will help providers maintain their workforce.

Nursing homes will also receive a temporary 5% increase on average in state payment rates. This increase gives nursing facilities

access to about $52 million in immediate funding while DHS works to set permanent Medicaid rates for 2022 that reflect costs of the pandemic.

Impacted direct support services for people with disabilities will receive a 5% rate increase from March through May, if Minnesota’s action receives federal approval, and is intended for staff hiring and retention incentives.

“Our long-term care providers and disability service providers continue to fight on the frontlines of the pandemic and take care of Minnesotans

in need,” said Governor Walz.

“Our actions today will provide urgent resources to critically understaffed nursing facilities and services for people with disabilities across the state.”

“We are working hard to ensure that care providers are supported and that every Minnesotan can receive the services and care they need,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan.

“Getting these resources into the hands of providers will help their employees and the people they care for weather the latest wave of the pandemic.”

“We are doing

our utmost to make these additional resources available as soon as possible to providers,” said Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead.

“We are also looking at additional ways that we may enhance our support to other sectors through the pandemic and beyond, because we know that these investments will not ensure the long-term health of these Caring Professions sectors. These two sectors will play the most direct role in hospital decompression through the Omicron surge.”

The Walz-Flanagan

Administration’s multi-faceted action plan for long-term care includes training and deploying 1,000 new certified nursing assistants to long-term care facilities; distributing $50 million in federal American Rescue Plan funding to longterm care facilities to hire and retain employees; and deploying more than 350 National Guard members to provide staffing support at long-term care facilities.

A state emergency staffing pool for residential service providers experiencing staffing shortages due to COVID-19 ended at the end of December.

intentional care and feeding.

Making authentic connections is what The Great ReConnection is all about. In an increasingly digital workplace, without the benefit of more proximate in-person

conversations, our connections need more intentional care and feeding. And in an increasingly polarized society, where civility and respect often feel like bygone values, authentic human connections are the pathway

to

LinkedIn, for example, I’ve made new connections with people I may never meet in person but who have helped fill my cup during the past two years. And as part of the “Mocha Moguls” – a group of 10 Black senior executive women leaders from all over the country – I stay connected through Zoom and an active text conversation to a group that has become a trusted and safe space. The group was born of the pandemic, fueled by the murder of George Floyd and too many others, and cemented by authentic conversation. We haven’t been together in person as a group since the beginning of the pandemic – and yet our digital connections have strengthened us personally and professionally in meaningful ways.

We have an opportunity to make 2022 the year of authentic human connections. Because we need genuine human relationships now more than ever. We need The Great ReConnection.

We have an opportunity to make 2022 the year of authentic human connections. Because we need genuine human relationships now more than ever. We need The Great ReConnection.

This is a very personal journey, and to move forward, we need to meet each other

where we are. Some of us are eager and ready to see each other face to face and others still feel most comfortable with virtual options – and others, like me, feel firmly planted and rooted in a hybrid world, leveraging both. Listening and valuing these different perspectives is an important part of nurturing our community of connections.

Start your journey to reconnection today. Make a list of the people you miss and want to reconnect with in 2022, as well as those you want to get to know and why. As you make your plan, ask yourself, “What’s my goal? What do I want to teach, give and accomplish? What do I want to learn and receive?”

And then take the first step. Set up a conversation, in person or virtual, or pick up the phone for a chat. And know that it’s okay to feel anxious or uncertain.

Remember, the last couple of years have been rough on everyone, in one way or another.

We can help each other find our way back by reconnecting.

By committing ourselves to The Great ReConnection, we just might find ourselves blessed with the right people in our lives, who challenge our assumptions, celebrate our wins, comfort us in defeat, and keep us moving forward, in the direction of our purpose.

court when they were released.

The four had gotten got high profile help with their case. Elusive street artist Banksy designed a limited edition T-shirt, pledging the funds raised to their cause.

“The truth is that the defendants should never have been prosecuted,” Raj Chada, who represented Skuse, said in a statement following the verdict.

“It is shameful that Bristol City Council did not take down the statue of slaver Edward Colston that had caused such offence to people in Bristol, and equally shameful that they then supported the prosecution of these defendants,” Chada added.

Colston was a 17thcentury trader who made a fortune transporting enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas on Bristolbased ships. His money funded schools and charities in Bristol, 120 miles (195 kilometers) southwest of London.

Bristol authorities fished the Colston statue out of the harbor and it was later put on display in a museum in the city, along with placards from the Black Lives Matter demonstration.

Follow all AP stories about racial in justice at https:// apnews.com/hub/Racialinjustice

a committee related to K-12 education each year in St. Paul.

Other committees Davnie has served on or chaired include: commerce, consumers, ethics, labor, local government, property taxes and taxes.

“It has been such an honor to work with neighbors from all walks of life so we can deliver on our community’s values, together, which have been centered on lifting each other up; ensuring all our students across the state can receive the quality public

education they deserve; getting working families the resources in place so they can thrive; protecting our environment and precious Boundary Waters for Minnesota’s future generations, and so much more,” said Davnie, who represents all or part of the Seward, Longfellow, Corcoran Bancroft, and Standish neighborhoods in South Minneapolis. “I am grateful to my colleagues past and present for their insights, expertise, shared advocacy, and collegiality.”

kindness and decency.

But many people are feeling a bit rusty when it comes to social skills. And that’s okay, because we can improve. Knowing relationships are essential to our wellbeing, we must give them the attention they deserve. With our commitment to “Care, Grow & Win Together,” Target has made team connections a major priority. Even though Headquarters team members are largely working from home, many of us make frequent (masked) visits to our stores and check in on a regular basis to show our appreciation for our stores and supply chain teams, who are unwavering in their outstanding service to our guests.

I rely on both new and old school methods to sustain authentic connections. For example, I check in frequently – via text, phone call, instant message or a handwritten note – to let people know I’m thinking of them. I find these small actions benefit me as much as the recipient. And if you’re feeling anxious about reconnecting, a thoughtful text or handwritten note can be a fairly easy way to step back into social connectivity.

And from a digital currency perspective, we have a lot of options for keeping connections alive. Through

4 Acquitted From 3 passing the ropes around the statue that were used to pull it down, while Skuse was accused of orchestrating a plan to roll it into the harbor.

All four had admitted their involvement but denied their actions were criminal, claiming the statue itself had been a hate crime against the people of Bristol.

They laughed with relief as the verdicts were read out and hugged the many supporters that were waiting outside of

Davnie From 3 our community has faced since then – locally and nationally – we continue to emerge stronger and more resilient because our neighbors recognize that when work together, we can all thrive moving forward.”

In his 11th term, Davnie currently chairs the House Education Finance Committee. He has served on

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Insight News • January 17, 2022 - January 23, 2022 • Page 7

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“The time is always right to do what’s right.”

Give back on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and every day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s own words remind us of the importance of leadership, hope and service.

And at AARP, we believe your experience, skills and passion have the power to inspire others to make a difference.

We encourage everyone to continue his legacy by lending a helping hand in their community. And we can help.

Join us in making a difference on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and every day.

Go to createthegood.org to find ways you can volunteer in your community Please serve your community and others safely by following all CDC COVID-19 guidelines and federal, state and local regulations.

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