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June 13 13,, 2022 - June 19, 2022

Vol. 49 No. 24• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

PRINCE AVENUE

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June 13 13,, 2022 - June 19, 2022

Vol. 49 No. 24• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Seven decades after first Black reporter covered the White House, the Black Press receives coveted credentials

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

Minneapolis celebrates favorite son with Prince Rogers Nelson Way commemorative street name

Seventy-two years after President Franklin D. Roosevelt invited Harry S. McAlpin Jr. of the National Negro Publishers Association to cover an Oval Office news conference, and 82-years after the founding of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the Black Press can freely cover the White House.

The NNPA has received a hard pass, allowing near-unfettered access to the White House.

Called the ultimate White House credential, the hard pass allows ondemand access to the famed Pennsylvania Avenue complex.

“The National Newspaper Publishers Association’s Senior National Correspondent, Stacy Brown, has once again enabled our national trade association representing the Black Press of America, to make another historic yet contemporary step forward with the official acquisition of the White House hard-pass,” said NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. “The hard pass gives the NNPA daily access to the

The hard pass gives the NNPA daily access to the White House.

White House,” Chavis remarked.

As a correspondent for the NNPA member newspaper, the Atlanta Daily World, McAlpin covered his first White House press conference in 1944.

However, the White House Correspondents Association vehemently objected to the African American journalist and routinely blocked him from covering the White House.

President Roosevelt intervened after a group of Black leaders expressed their frustration.

Still, the Association pushed back.

“The president could break the color line for

BROWN 4

Photos by Lou Michaels Insight News

Minneapolis honored the iconic Prince Rogers Nelson Way last week with the unveiling of a massive mural and the ceremonial renaming a part of First Avenue at Prince Rogers Nelson Way. The ceremonies took place Tuesday, June 7, on what would have have been Prince’s 64th birthday, in downtown Minneapolis at 1st Avenue & 7th Street outside O’Donovan’s Irish Pub, 700 N. 1st Ave. Minneapolis City Council last month approved adding the commemorative street name of Prince Rogers Nelson Way to 1st Avenue between 7th and 8th Streets, right outside the First Avenue nightclub that Prince made famous with his film, Purple Rain..

City leaders and organizing members of the Crown Our Prince Mural Project—which was completed last week steps away from Prince Rogers Nelson Way—reflected on what the street naming and the mural mean to our community.

Photos: Top left, Melvin Tennant, President & CEO, Meet Minneapolis, Ward 7 Minneapolis City Council Member Lisa Goodman, and Steve Cramer, President & CEO, Minneapolis Downtown Council and Mpls Downtown Improvement District Top right: Council President Andrea Jenkins, Ward 8

Juneteenth recognizes Black soldiers’ fight to save the Union, freedom In a recent interview on ‘Conversations with Al McFarlane’, Lee H. Jordan, historian, Juneteenth celebration organizer and director for Minnesota and the Midwest region, and a filmmaker that has long brought hero stories to life on the media screen announced that the 2022 state and regional celebrations will honor the thousands of ‘colored soldiers’ who helped win the Civil War for Abe Lincoln and the Union. They would later build this nation on stolen Native American lands despite having been slaves formerly living in bondage.

Jordan began attending Juneteenth celebrations in the early 80s, and a few years later became a vendor selling his ‘Minnesota Soul Shirts’. He then began working with the committees planning the celebrations, and in time became state and Midwest regional director. “Every state has a freedom story. This year, this is the story we will tell.

These are the heroes we will pay tribute to.”

They were recruited and trained at Camp Nelson,

KABC

Kentucky, 10,000 ex-slaves that eventually gained their freedom

at the camp or by fighting in the Union army. They were joined

JUNETEENTH 4

photo/FG Trade

Pride, Prejudice, and Power

By Ben Jealous President, People for the American Way June is Pride month in the United States. In big cities and small communities, LGBTQ+ people and their friends, families, and allies will celebrate freedom and progress toward full equality.

All fair-minded Americans can celebrate that progress. But there is a growing shadow over this year’s celebrations. The far-right political movement is aggressively trying to turn back the clock to a time when LGBTQ+ people were not treated equally under the law.

Anti-equality legal groups and anti-equality politicians are pushing legal and political attacks on our most vulnerable young people.

MAGA movement political operatives are trying to win elections by stirring up fear and hatred against LGBTQ+ people.

They are proposing and passing laws that are stunning in their cruelty.

Some make it a crime for librarians to let students read books with gay themes and characters—or for teachers to provide supportive information to LGBTQ+ students. Some

Ben Jealous make it a crime for doctors to provide appropriate health care to transgender youth. In Texas, parents who are simply trying to love and support their trans kids can now be charged with child abuse.

That is beyond unacceptable. It is sadistic.

Driving the passage of those laws is a false and inflammatory campaign to portray support for LGBTQ+ people as the equivalent of pedophilia. Rightwing elected activists and pundits smear gay people as threats to children, and equality advocates as “groomers.”

That kind of smear

PRIDE 4

I2H

Commentary

Steps Black patients can take to survive the U.S. Heathcare system

Solomon

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Business

Banking and credit access is essential to overcoming systemic barriers to financial inequality Guest Commentary

By Brett Buckner In 2022, I cannot stress enough how important banking and credit access is to modern life.

It’s how we take out loans to start businesses, create savings plans to build wealth for our families, and access debit and credit cards.

For African Americans, this banking and credit access is essential to overcoming the systemic barriers to financial inequality that we face. 2019 data from the Board of Governors Federal Reserve system shows that 32 percent of us are underbanked and 14 percent are totally unbanked, meaning only 54 percent of us are sufficiently banked. A recent analysis from the Brookings Institute discovered that African Americans on average pay more than twice as much in monthly bank fee costs compared to their white peers.

This is unacceptable.

Clearly, federal legislators need to focus on fixing these inequities in our nation’s banking system and work on expanding banking and credit access. Yet some are doing just the opposite.

Big retailers and their DC lobbyists are currently trying to shove through financial policies that will take our hardearned money straight from our pockets and into theirs.

Brown From 3 his press conferences, but he could not rewrite the WHCA’s membership policies,” George Condon, the author of a

Juneteenth From 3 by hundreds of Afro-British North Americans from Canada who enlisted in 19 colored troop regiments. By the end of the Civil War, almost 200,000 colored troops, approximately

Most notably, I’m talking about recent efforts to bring back and expand the routing mandates of the 2010 Durbin Amendment. This amendment, which passed at the last minute with very little research on its impacts to consumers, added routing mandates and an interchange fee cap to our debit market.

The goal of the legislation was to save money for retailers on processing debit card transactions, so they could pass those savings down to their customers by lowering prices.

It should be no surprise that this did not happen. In fact, a study from the Richmond Federal Reserve found that nearly all retailers kept their prices the same or raised them after the Durbin Amendment passed, even though they collected $90 billion in extra revenue.

We can clearly see that the Durbin Amendment did not give consumers the savings it promised. On top of this, the amendment actually took money away from everyday people. Forcing banks to lower rates for merchants to stay competitive, banks saw huge interchange revenue losses. To make up for the losses they raised fees, cut free checking, and hiked up account minimum balances, all things that financially marginalized communities depend on to keep their bank accounts open.

A 2014 study from George Mason University found in 1985, with the first Harry S. McAlpin Jr. Scholarship awarded to a college student.

Earlier this year, the Association honored Alice Dunnigan and Ethel Payne at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington.

However, while

honoring the trailblazers, the Association failed to acknowledge Chavis and the NNPA, which purchased a table for ten at the dinner only to be issued two tickets and seated in the very back of the crowded ballroom.

Perhaps, with the coveted White House hard-pass

acquisition, the Association and the rest of the press corps that covers the administration will show more deference to the NNPA and the Black Press of America, which celebrates its 195th anniversary in 2022.

“At this pivotal era in American history, having daily access for the NNPA to the news

and issues at the White House that impact the quality of life of Black America and other communities of color are so important and timely,” Chavis concluded.

10% of the Union Army, would be acknowledged by Abraham Lincoln. “These men, once they got the opportunity, stood up and took the call to action. They picked up their rifle, picked up the flag, and led the way towards freedom and to free others,” the President wrote. “Without the military help of Black freedman, the war against the South could

not have been won.”

Twenty-year old Maurice Imhoff is a member of the 102nd U.S. Colored Troops Company C, a reenactment group in Jackson, Michigan. Surprisingly, most of the members are high school students. It will be this generation and those to follow that will facilitate keeping the noteworthy and courageous escapades of the colored troops alive. In 2021, this Michigan youth group raised over $3,000 for a highway sign in Detroit, exalting the original 102nd regiment.

Some reenactors travel to area high schools to talk about the colored troops.

After two years of a deadly virus pandemic, some participants joined in a flag placement ceremony to honor the buried members of the troops in New Jersey.

“Despite racism, Black men throughout the free states were eager to volunteer,” wrote journalist Javonte Anderson in a May 31st 2021 USA Today article entitled ‘Remembering the Colored Soldiers’. But federal law prevented them from fighting in the war. Even after they were allowed to fight, Lincoln established segregated Black regiments whose overseers were white officers to thwart the displeasure of whites.

Army Captain Luman H. Tenney who fought alongside the colored troops wrote in his diary found decades later, “Those Black men deserved the right to vote because of their service. We saw courage and determination in their coal black faces. Give them the ballot for they ensured victory that day.”

Jordan echoes the

sentiments of Dr. King when he declares ‘no one person of color is free until we all are free’. This idea of true freedom encompasses the theme of this year’s holiday celebrations, ALL Things Juneteenth! Educate, Celebrate, and Activate! In focusing on how BIPOC youth can hold on to this important key to our history, the planning committee members encourage young people to be proud of their legacy, not of victimization, but of generations who survived, and at a few points in time, thrived, e.g. the Black Wall Street, the Rondo community.

Upcoming events and locations are listed on the website, www.JuneteenthSpeaks.org Information and an on-line application for Miss Juneteenth scholarship has now been posted, a golf tournament has been scheduled in Brooklyn

Center, and numerous events in the Rondo, West Broadway, and other neighborhoods have been organized. Last year, 150 plus kites were flown symbolizing Black Americans ‘Flight for Freedom.’

Hopefully, this year 157 kites will be flown representing the years since emancipation was declared but not always acknowledged.

Attendees will be encouraged to explore their ancestral family history with information provided. “What we’re doing is giving our elders who have transitioned to being the ancestors who now sit next to the Creator, their just and much deserved tributes. Let us celebrate victories of the past on the 19th of June, but afterwards, let us concentrate on the potential creation and success of the good and productive outcomes in life for Black America,” Jordan said.

activists spread the “groomer” lie, the more likely it is that some bigots will try to justify discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ people as necessary to “protect” children and youth. And then there’s the Supreme Court. Historically, it was in June that the Supreme Court overturned state laws that made gay people criminals.

A dozen years later, in another June decision, the court ruled that states cannot refuse to marry same-sex couples.

June has given us many reasons to celebrate the march toward full equality. But that could all change. Thanks to hardright justices named by former President Donald Trump, the same majority that considers states’ rights more important than voting rights is preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade—

stripping Americans of a constitutional right that the court has recognized for half a century.

The far-right court majority’s eagerness to eliminate a longrecognized right to privacy and abortion is deeply troubling to those of us who support legal equality. Anti-LGBTQ+ legal and political groups that urged the Court to overturn Roe v Wade are hoping the same justices will reverse more recent rulings that recognized the equality of LGBTQ+ people and same-sex couples.

They don’t just want to overturn the court’s marriage equality ruling. They also want the court to let states criminalize homosexuality, making it possible again for gay people to be fired, or have their children taken away from them, because of their sexual orientation.

They want to make America discriminate again. It is time for all Americans who support equality and civil rights to reject anti-LGBTQ+ smears and the harm and the discrimination they cause. And it is time to remember that the earliest equality marches were not focused on pride, but on freedom and liberation— from police harassment, oppressive laws and culture, and institutional discrimination.

Let’s celebrate pride this month.

We could all use a good dance party right about now. But let’s also make sure that people understand how much progress is at risk. And let’s organize. We’re just six months away from local, state, and national elections. Those elections will either give more power to the raging antifreedom forces that want to take the country back—and move us all backwards—or they will help us move toward the goal of freedom and justice for all.

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. A New York Times best-selling author, his next book “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free” will be published

by Harper Collins in December 2022.

www.insightnews.com

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

Brett Buckner

forthcoming work on the history of the Association, told NPR. “They blackballed [McAlpin] from ever joining the Correspondents’ Association or attending the group’s annual dinner.”

In 2014 the Association finally paid tribute to McAlpin, who died

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Insight News is published weekly, every Monday by McFarlane Media Interests.

that the Durbin Amendment increased our country’s unbanked population by one million Americans. Of course, this was primarily in minority and low-income communities where people already struggled to access banking. The National Black Chamber of Commerce even spoke out against the amendment after its passage, with their co-founder and president pointing out that the amendment, “threatens the financial future of millions of up-and-coming consumers and entrepreneurs”.

After all this, Congress must reject any attempts to extend the Durbin Amendment routing mandates to credit cards. Banks will again lose billions and pass these losses onto consumers, this time by trying to cut back on credit card benefits.

This means raising interest rates, hiking up fees, and implementing stricter credit standards, transferring as much as $50 billion annually away from consumers and directly to big retailers. Those with lower credit scores and financially marginalized communities will be the first people kicked out of the credit system.

Congress must reject any attempts to impose routing mandates on our credit market.

Routing mandates will make credit more expensive and less accessible, something our community cannot afford.

Intern Kelvin Kuria Contributing Writers Maya Beecham Nadvia Davis Fred Easter Abeni Hill Inell Rosario Latisha Townsend Artika Tyner Toki Wright Photography V. Rivera Garcia Uchechukwu Iroegbu Rebecca Rabb Lou Michaels Artist Donald Walker Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis. 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis,

Pride From 3 is dangerous. False and demonizing stereotypes have a long history that Black people know well. Lies about Black men were used by violent bigots to justify lynching as necessary to “protect” White women—and continue to drive police violence against Black people today. The more elected officials and far right-wing

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Insight News • June 13, 2022 - June 19, 2022 • Page 5

Commentary

Solomon Sharing Our Stories

By: W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor Solomon by Jayce Ellis The road to romance and love isn’t always easy. If the couple is two brothas who grew up in a homophobic church, it’s rough. And if one of them is the pastor’s son, well…

For Pride Month, it is my pleasure to bring to you a second-chance romance novel from Jayce Ellis’ High Rise series, Solomon.

At the ages of 17 and 16 respectively, preacher’s kid Solomon Mitchell and his boyfriend Isaac Daniels made the decision to escape the toxic environment of their church by running away from Atlanta.

Unfortunately, their plans go awry—Solomon gets away, but Isaac is detained by their parents.

pastor when he retires, and under his thumb. On a trip to DC where he is seeking information from different churches on how to grow their congregation, he receives the shock of his life when he sees Solomon again, helping as a volunteer youth choir director for Pastor Campbell’s inclusive, welcoming church.

During the past 20 years, Solomon has been paid by his father to stay away from Atlanta and Isaac, being deemed a “bad influence.” Though he has been offered a solid job at the LGBTQ youth center and a position with Pastor Campbell, he’s been resistant to taking the positions and accepting help, limiting himself to a small circle

of friends. Seeing Isaac again sends him into an emotional tailspin and the questions of why Isaac never came for him.

When Isaac decides to stay in D.C. despite the increasing pressure from Rev. Mitchell to return to Atlanta, he and Solomon address the choke hold Rev. Mitchell and his church have had on their lives, even now as brothas in their mid-30s. In this process, they also realize their love for each other never died.

What will it take for Solomon and Isaac to cut the strings of puppetmaster Rev. Mitchell, and have that second chance for a happily-ever-after?

Ellis takes on the issues of churches and their

LGBTQ members with integrity and strength, showing a church that loves, heals, and values their members vs. a church that hurts and controls them. Though it takes time to undo the damage, Isaac and Solomon, and their loving community in D.C., show it can be done. In continuity, Ellis also includes characters from the previous novels in her series, which is a plus.

Solomon is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Two Turtles Press.

Thank you, Jayce, for reminding us that those who are both Black and LGBTQ can and are serving God in authenticity, and at the end of the day, love wins. I look forward to the next installment of the High Rise series!

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Jayce Ellis Our villain in this story, Rev. David Mitchell, is determined to keep them apart, so with Isaac’s

father, they concoct a story that Solomon is dead.

Fast forward 20 years.

Isaac is now the youth pastor

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at his church, being groomed to succeed Rev. Mitchell as

Page 6 • June 13, 2022 - June 19, 2022 • Insight News

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Insight 2 Health

Steps Black patients can take to survive the U.S. Heathcare system

By Misty Starks “The day my son was born in 1997 was the best and worst moment of my life,” says Houston communications consultant Erika Stuart.

Fortunately, Stuart’s son came into the world safe and sound, but she will never forget how while in the hospital, her concerns were ignored by the attending nurse as she hemorrhaged after the delivery.

More than 20 years later, tennis great Serena Williams shared a similar story of dismissal by hospital staff where she said she “almost died,” suspecting blood clots in her lungs after the birth of her daughter, Olympia. Williams nearly became part of the statistic that Black women are three to four times more likely to die of pregnancy or delivery complications than white women in the United States.

Maternal mortality is only one facet of a larger issue around Black people receiving quality healthcare in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, centuries of racism has had a “profound and negative impact on communities of color,” leading to vast inequities across a range of social and economic factors and significant risk for poor health outcomes.

“Systemic racism, inherent biases, and healthcare disparities create a bleak situation for Black people,” says Lisa Mallory, executive director of the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE).

“Receiving equitable medical care for us can be an uphill battle, no matter who you are or where you come from.”

Consider the story of Dr. Susan Moore — a

Image: iStock/SeventyFour

Black medical doctor who made national headlines in 2020 after her Facebook video went viral, alleging racial bias while admitted to Indiana University Health North Hospital in Indianapolis. Dr. Moore, who was being treated for COVID-19, was also experiencing severe neck pain.

In her video, she described how her doctor ignored her concerns and made her “feel like a drug addict” after requesting pain medicine. Sadly, just three weeks after being admitted to the hospital, Dr. Moore passed away from COVID-19.

Dr. Moore’s experience is no surprise, given what we know. Research tells us that Black Americans are 34% less likely than white Americans

to be prescribed opioids for backaches, abdominal pain, and migraines. In 2016, a scientific journal published research stating that half of medical students and residents believe in myths that Black people having thicker skin or less sensitive nerve endings than white people — another factor contributing to racial disparities in pain assessment and treatment.

Mallory asserts, “Although we as Black people continue to face deep challenges receiving the quality care we deserve, we do have the power to take charge of our medical experiences and wellness.”

Taking control One of the first things patients can do to

limit their interactions in the medical system is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The leading causes of death worldwide are chronic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and stroke.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, about 80% of chronic diseases are the result of lifestyle choices. Through healthy habits, you can slow or even reverse diabetes, obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, and heart disease.

Second, consider getting another opinion for major medical issues and surgery. The healthcare journal BMJ Quality and Safety found that approximately 12 million adults are misdiagnosed in the

U.S. every year. This is reason enough alone to explore a second opinion. Moreover, when your gut is telling you something feels “off” with your doctor or the diagnosis you’ve been given — don’t hesitate to talk to another doctor about it. You owe it to yourself to understand your diagnosis and treatment plan and to feel comfortable with the care you are receiving. Don’t settle.

Challenge your doctor and even your insurance plan if it is necessary for you to get another medical opinion.

Also, if poor communication with your doctor is an issue, try to improve it. A recent study found that 75% of doctors believe they communicate satisfactorily with their patients.

However, only 21% of their patients share this sentiment.

The first thing you can do before any appointment is to take notes and make sure you and your doctor discuss what’s on your mind. Have your questions ready, and make sure you understand what you’re being told. According to Dr. Leana Wen, author of When Doctors Don’t Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests, another way to improve communication with your doctor is through storytelling.

Also, consider taking a friend, family member, or person that can join in advocating for you.

Sometimes we get caught up in emotions or a diagnosis, and everything else is foggy.

Wen explains that doctors typically end up asking about symptoms, which leads to patients responding to yes-no questions in place of telling their stories. For example, instead of just saying your stomach hurts, tell the story of when it started, if it’s been painful before, what you were doing when you first felt it, how it felt and how often you feel the pain. Wen says that over 80% of diagnoses can be made just by listening, and if patients are allowed to tell their stories, it can help them feel heard.

“It’s critical that Black people advocate for themselves and to speak up and be assertive when necessary to get the medical care they need,” says Mallory.

“You don’t have to settle. Do what you can to find medical providers you can trust, who make you feel comfortable and will listen to you. This is why NAHSE promotes greater participation of minority groups in the health field. Representation matters.”

Writer and communications specialist Erika Poplar contributed to this story.

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Insight News • June 13, 2022 - June 19, 2022 • Page 7

Aesthetically It

Guthrie Theater presents

Kate Hamill’s World-Premiere adaptation of Emma, Directed by Meredith McDonough In a playful twist on the Jane Austen classic, Hamill offers a fast-paced screwball comedy with rom-com sensibilities.

Previews begin Saturday, June 18; Opening on Friday, June 24; Playing through Sunday, August 21 on the Wurtele Thrust Stage.

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) — The Guthrie Theater (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) today announced the cast and creative team for Kate Hamill’s world-premiere adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel Emma, directed by Meredith McDonough. Emma will play June 18 – August 21, 2022, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage.

Single tickets start at $15 for preview performances (June 18–23). All other performances range from $26 to $80. Tickets are on sale now through the Box Office at 612.377.2224, 1.877.447.8243 (toll-free) or online at guthrietheater. org. Accessibility services (ASL-interpreted, audiodescribed, open-captioned and relaxed performances) are available on select dates.

For up-to-date information about the theater’s health and safety policies, visit www. guthrietheater.org/health.

“After considering numerous Emma adaptations for our season, none fit the bill, so it seemed fitting to commission a new work for this moment,” said Artistic Director Joseph Haj. “There was no one as well suited for the task than prolific playwright Kate Hamill, who has begun adapting Austen’s beloved novels in order, including Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park. In this world premiere, Kate has crafted a fresh and energetic take on Emma, and under Meredith McDonough’s keen direction, this production promises loads of laughter and pure joy — a perfect

summer outing at the Guthrie.”

Emma tells the story of Emma Woodhouse, a woman who prides herself on being a matchmaker with an impeccable track record, much to the chagrin of her dear friend Mr. Knightley. However, her best-laid plans are turned upside down by unpredictable displays of affection, unexpected rivals, and Emma’s sudden realization that true love may have been under her nose all along. With screwball comedy and surprises aplenty, this fresh, fast-paced world premiere interprets the Jane Austen classic with delightfully unconventional flair.

The cast of Emma includes Sun Mee Chomet (Guthrie: Twelfth Night, As You Like It, King Lear) as Miss Bates, Ryan Colbert (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, As You Like It, Frankenstein – Playing With Fire) as Frank Churchill/Robert Martin, David Kelly (Guthrie: Harvey) as Mr. Woodhouse/ Mr. Weston, Carman Lacivita (Guthrie: debut) as Mr. Knightley, Anna Leverett (Guthrie: debut) as Mrs. Elton, Amelia Pedlow (Guthrie: Frankenstein – Playing With Fire) as Emma Woodhouse, Louis Sallan (Guthrie: debut) as Mr. Elton, Samantha Steinmetz (Guthrie: debut) as Harriet Smith, Christine Weber (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, Cyrano de Bergerac, Pride and Prejudice, The Winter’s Tale) as Jane Fairfax and Brenda Withers (Guthrie: debut) as Mrs. Weston.

The creative team for Emma includes Kate Hamill (Playwright), Meredith McDonough (Director), Lex Liang (Scenic and Costume Designer), Paul Toben (Lighting Designer), Palmer Hefferan (Sound Designer), Carla Steen (Resident Dramaturg), Jill Walmsley Zager (Voice and Dialect Coach), Emily Michaels King

Guthrie Theater

(Movement Director), Aaron Preusse (Fight Director), Intimacy by Tonia Sina, Jennifer Liestman (Resident Casting Director), Tree O’Halloran (Stage Manager), Nate Stanger (Assistant Stage Manager) and Jillian Robertson (Assistant Director).

Kate Hamill is an actor and playwright who was named Playwright of the Year

by The Wall Street Journal in 2017. Her work includes Pride and Prejudice at Primary Stages and Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, in which she originated the role of Lizzy (Off-Broadway Alliance Award nomination); Sense and Sensibility at Bedlam, in which she originated the role of Marianne (Off-Broadway Alliance Award winner, Drama League Award nomination); Vanity Fair at Pearl Theatre Company, in which she originated the role of Becky Sharp (Off-Broadway Alliance Award nomination); Mansfield Park at Northlight Theatre, in which she originated the role of Mary Crawford; Little Women at Primary Stages and Jungle Theater; and Dracula at Classic Stage Company, in which she originated the role of Renfield. Her plays have been produced off-Broadway

PETER HIMMELMAN W/ DAN ISRAEL Poetic Alternative Folk Rock

THE BROS. LANDRETH Soulful Roots Rock

JUN 20

JUN 21

KURT ELLING— SUPERBLUE

PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE Revered CountryRock Veterans

feat. Charlie Hunter

Funky Grooves & Pristine Vocals

JUN 22

JUN 23

ST. PAUL & THE MINNEAPOLIS FUNK ALL-STARS Record Release for St. Paul Peterson

SAMARA JOY Velvety Jazz Vocal Phenom

JUN 24

JUN 25 • 6:30P

BRANDY CLARK

MAX WEINBERG’S JUKEBOX Legendary E Street Band Drummer

The Art of the Storyteller Tour

Pristine Country Songwriting

ADD A MEET & GREET

JUN 25 • 9P

JUN 26

JEFF PERRY’S SONIC DREAM Reimagined Pop Classics

TIERNEY SUTTON Sublime & ĈƼ ōĈā ÉŕûÝńž

JUN 28

JUN 29

10,000 MANIACS feat. Mary Ramsey

Alt-Rock Cornerstone

MARCIA BALL Bayou Blues Piano Queen

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and at American Repertory Theater, Guthrie Theater, Seattle Rep, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Folger Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Trinity Rep, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Dorset Theatre Festival, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Dallas Theater Center, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre and American Conservatory Theater, among others. Hamill has upcoming productions at Portland Center Stage, Cygnet Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville and more.

Plays currently in development include The Odyssey, The Scarlet Letter, Scrooge for Senate, The Piper (PlayPenn selection, 2019 Eugene O’Neill Award finalist) and In the Mines, a folk musical with music by The Bengsons. Hamill was one of the most-produced playwrights nationwide for three seasons running from 2017 to 2020. Learn more at www.kate-hamill.com.

Meredith McDonough is a freelance director and the former Associate Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she directed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Angels in America, Circle Mirror Transformation, Peter and the

Starcatcher, The Last Five Years and the premieres of Airness, Dot and brownsville song (b-side for tray). McDonough also served as the Director of New Works at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, California, where she directed the premieres of Triangle, Auctioning the Ainsleys and Silent Sky, among others. Regionally, she has directed The Lifespan of a Fact at Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; The Legend of Georgia McBride at Milwaukee Rep and Arizona Theatre Company; Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (premiere) at Marin Theatre Company; The Lily’s Revenge (with Taylor Mac) at Magic Theatre; NSFW at Round House Theatre; Fair Use at Steppenwolf; Eurydice at Williamstown Theatre Festival; and The Book Club Play at Dallas Theater Center.

McDonough is the former New Works Director for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and a current board member for the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

She received her B.S. from Northwestern University and her M.F.A. from the University of California, San Diego.

This production is generously sponsored by RBC Wealth Management. Special thanks to Lathrop GPM for their significant contribution toward the lighting for this production.

Related Events Relaxed Performance – Sunday, July 24 at 1 p.m.

A relaxed performance is intended to be sensitive to and accepting of any audience member who may benefit from a more relaxed environment.

They are intentionally modified to accommodate patrons with sensory and vestibular sensitivities, anxiety, dementia, autism spectrum disorders, learning differences

or challenges attending the theater. Single tickets to the relaxed performance of Emma are $29 for adults and $15 for children. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 612.377.2224. For more information, visit www. guthrietheater.org/relaxed.

Health and Safety Update All audience members, regardless of age, must wear a mask that securely covers the nose and mouth (no bandanas, neck gaiters or face shields) when entering and inside the Wurtele Thrust Stage.

A complete list of Guthrie requirements is available at w w w. g u t h r i e t h e a t e r. o r g / health.

Land Acknowledgment The Guthrie Theater acknowledges that it resides on the traditional land of the Dakota People and honors with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations, including the Ojibwe and other Indigenous nations.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) is an American center for theater performance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, dedicated to producing a mix of classic and contemporary plays and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Under Haj’s leadership, the Guthrie is guided by four core values: Artistic Excellence; Community; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; and Fiscal Responsibility.

Since its founding in 1963, the theater has continued to set a national standard for excellence in the field and serve the people of Minnesota as a vital cultural resource. The Guthrie houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms, restaurants and dramatic public spaces. guthrietheater.org

Page 8 • June 13, 2022 - June 19, 2022 • Insight News

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father's day rally & brunch - Live Music & Entertainment - kids mini carnival & DIY fun treats to Eat - local business fashion show fresh good food - exhibitions and competitions Th he e U Ul lt t ii m ma at te e N No or rt th hs s ii d de e C Co om mm mu un n ii t ty y G Ga at th he er r ii n ng g "" "" T

Poor police work in Minnesota lets rapists go free Guest Commentary

By Christine McDonald There is a sexual assault taking place right now.

Every 68 seconds, someone in America is sexually assaulted. More than 97% of perpetrators get off scot-free.

A major reason is mismanagement of physical evidence. It’s time for police work in Minnesota to enter the modern era -- and employ the latest technology for collecting and processing evidence. Otherwise, rapists will continue to go free.

The evidence in a sexual-assault investigation is typically the product of a sixhour physical exam conducted by a medical professional, who searches the victim’s body for any material -- like DNA -- that could help identify the perpetrator. The information and material gathered is known as a “sexual assault kit.”

As a survivor of sex trafficking and current advocate for victims, I know firsthand how invasive and retraumatizing these exams can be. But we believe that the information collected will help deliver justice.

That faith is often misplaced. In far too many cases, the evidence in sexual assault kits is never used.

The state of Minnesota, for instance, reported a backlog of nearly 2,500 untested kits in 2019. Every unprocessed kit represents a crime left unsolved -- and a perpetrator likely to attack again.

When sexual assault kits are tested and used as evidence, another layer of dysfunction can appear. Court cases often require proof of the «chain of custody» for a piece of evidence. Prosecutors need to be able to prove the whereabouts of a rape kit, for example, as it travels from the emergency room, to the police, to the crime lab, to the prosecutor, and then to the courts. That evidence may be on the move for years.

The chain of custody is one of the first elements a good defense attorney will

scrutinize. If he or she can prove a break in the chain of custody, the evidence is not admissible at trial. And if a defendant challenges the chain of custody, even a minor mistake can lead to an acquittal.

Long backlogs and mismanagement of evidence don’t just impact convictions.

They also serve as powerful disincentives for women who wish to report sexual assault.

Today, any given sexual assault has just a 31% chance of ever being reported to the police. Why go through an invasive, demeaning, physical exam if the evidence is going to end up in a storage closet -- or if mismanagement by police is going to let the rapist off on a technicality?

There’s no excuse for losing track of evidence in 2022. We can look at our phones to determine how many houses away our Amazon packages are. Our financial and health records are online, available on demand.

But some police departments still rely on faulty software or even paper files to track evidence. And multiple states, including Massachusetts and Texas, do not require police to keep track of clothing, blood, and urine in a rape kit.

Simple upgrades -from implementing barcodes and RFID tags, combined with good software -- will bring evidence-collection and management up to an appropriate technological standard nationwide.

It will require significant investment by federal and state governments. But newer tools can maximize the impact of those public dollars.

We have the technology to get more perpetrators of sexual assault off the street. We need Minnesota law enforcement agencies to deploy those tools so victims aren’t telling their stories in vain.

Christine McDonald is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and advocate for victims of human trafficking and sexual assault. (www. christinespeaksministry.com).

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