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November 27, 2023 - December 3, 2023

Vol. 50 No. 48• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

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Insight News • November 27, 2023 - December 3, 2023 • Page 3

Insight News

INSIGHT NEWS IS AUDITED BY THE ALLIANCE FOR AUDITED MEDIA TO PROVIDE OUR ADVER TISER PAR TNERS WITH THE HIGHES T LEVEL OF MEDIA ASSURANCE.

November 27, 2023 - December 3, 2023

Vol. 50 No. 48• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Ahead of Holiday season, Governor Walz, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan announce $5 million for Minnesota food shelves On Monday, Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan announced $5 million in new funding for Minnesota’s food shelves ahead of the holiday season.

“No family should go hungry this holiday season,” said Governor Walz. “As we continue working to lower costs, we’re making sure our state’s food banks can keep helping families get what they need.

We’re grateful for the continued collaboration with partners like Second Harvest that are helping Minnesotans all year round.”

“Food shelves and banks step up to help Minnesotans put food on the table when resources are stretched thin,” said Lieutenant

LinkedIn

Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and Governor Tim Walz

Governor Flanagan. “I’m proud our administration can do our part in providing an additional $5 million to support the yearround work that connects Minnesotans with food resources, especially to meet the rising demand during the holiday season.”

Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA

The practical implication of this decision is a significant constriction of the safeguards embedded in the Voting Rights Act.

Federal appeals court deals major blow to Voting Rights

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

tpphotostudio

David McGee, CEO and founder of BuildWealth, MN

Build Wealth Master Class

David McGee’s roadmap to creating wealth legacies

By Al McFarlane Editor Part 3 in a series - Continued Excerpts from remarks by David McGee, CEO and founder of BuildWealth, MN at The Black Men’s Legacy Summit II, October 28th at Regional Acceleration

Center, 1256 Penn Avenue N., Minneapolis. Here he continues his discussion of the value of owning multiple occupancy buildings.

In addition to just the property value going up, you also earn money on cash flowing.

They won’t loan you money unless the property cash flows. It doesn’t matter

what your credit is like, the property is the asset. As long as the asset is earning money and netting money at the end of the day, that’s called cashflow. So this is a quick calculation on a $400,000 fourplex property.

If the gross income off of the rents is $550,730, there are the typical expenses that are associated with owning that

property. Net operating income, less paying the bank debt off, you still are earning $5,000 a year. So, in about about in five years, you have $25,000 worth of cash that’s coming in addition to the equity buildup.

This is a Minnesota opportunity created by the

LEGACY SUMMIT 4

Sounds of Blackness at film premier at Capri Theater

A federal appeals court issued a ruling on Monday that could have serious consequences for the Voting Rights Act. The ruling suggests that the enforcement measures of the Act, which have historically supported minority representation in American politics, may be reduced.

The 8th Circuit’s decision states that only the federal government has the right to sue under an important part of this civil rights law. It excludes private citizens and civil rights groups from this authority.

This decision focuses on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and is expected to be challenged and appealed to the Supreme Court. Experts said Section 2 is critical in preventing discriminatory voting practices based on race.

The 8th Circuit’s decision says that Section 2 does not have a “private right of action.”

This means that private groups

cannot effectively challenge actions that might violate the voting rights of minorities.

If this decision remains valid, it may lead to a significant reduction in the protections provided by the Voting Rights Act. Private parties, civil rights groups, voters, and political entities have used Section 2 over the years to challenge issues like redistricting and voter ID requirements.

The practical implication of this decision is a significant constriction of the safeguards embedded in the Voting Rights Act. Private entities have played a significant role in holding states accountable for discriminatory practices. Section 2 has been particularly effective for them in this regard. The US Supreme Court recently emphasized the significance of Section 2 in an important case about redistricting in Alabama. This required the state to change its congressional map in order to give Black voters more political power.

BlackSkin motion picture soundtrack elevates the voice of critically-acclaimed drama on police violence Support affordable housing in Minnesota

In an era where the term ‘Woke’ has been prevalent in mainstream media, the official soundtrack for the Motion Picture BlackSkin, set against the backdrop of Minneapolis’ tumultuous struggle with police violence, delivers a poignant and evocative listening experience.

Among the standout tracks is “Woke” by Grammy-winning Sounds Of Blackness. It brings a narrative that quickens the collective spirit! The vocal and instrumental ensemble group adds a wonderful multi-genre vibe of gospel, R&B and soul which makes it an addictive track for sure!

Comprising 15 stunning tracks, the soundtrack is a true testament to the film’s powerful message and the voices

Sounds of Blackness it represents. The film, which vividly portrays the tension

of a city turned into a powder keg following George Floyd’s

BLACKSKIN 4

This past legislative session, a new tool for affordable housing was passed.

The Minnesota State Housing Tax Credit program can help finance multifamily and single-family housing that is affordable throughout the state of Minnesota.

Beginning in October 2023, eligible Minnesota taxpayers (individual and corporate) will be able to contribute to the contribution fund and, in return, receive a state tax credit. Contributors can designate specific qualified projects or contribute to the general pool.

For more information about the program or to make

contributions, please visit MN Housing’s website. The deadline for applications and contributions to the program is December 8, 2023.

For more information about PPL projects that could benefit from this program right now, please visit: Opportunity Crossing at 3030 Nicollet – Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP) (mhponline.org) Nellie Francis Court at Highland Bridge – Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP) (mhponline.org) Questions?

Email or call Chris Dettling at chris. dettling+mnstc@ppl-inc.org or (612)455-5216

Review

Commentary

Isaiah Allen’s A Smile, illustrated by Mel Darmawan

Death in “Camelot”

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Page 4 • November 27, 2023 - December 3, 2023 • Insight News

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Brosius directs Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at CTC Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, is playing through January 7, 2024 at Children’s Theater Company (CTC) in Minneapolis. Featuring lyrics

by Timothy Mason and music

by Mel Marvin, the production is directed by CTC’s Artistic Director Peter C. Brosius with choreography by Linda Talcott Lee. The production is adapted from How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss.

This is the 11th time CTC has produced this show, which they originally commissioned and premiered in 1994. It also marks the sixth time CTC Company Member Reed Sigmund will portray The Grinch. This will also be the final production of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! for director Peter C. Brosius, who will be departing CTC after 27 years, on June 30, 2024 at the conclusion of the 2023-2024 Season.

“We are thrilled to bring back to the stage Dr Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!,” said Brosius. “This nationally acclaimed musical which was commissioned and then premiered at Children’s Theatre Company has delighted millions with its story of the possibility of change and the power of community. Dr Seuss showed us that we all have the possibility of opening our hearts, welcoming others and creating a

holiday that is all about the joys of coming together. We are so excited to share this hilarious and moving tale with you all.”

A miserly and miserable, ever-so-cantankerous Grinch has observed the despicable Christmas joy of the Whos with disdain, from a distance, for decades. Enough!

In this beloved holiday favorite, filled with music and Seussian rhymes, he plots the greatest heist imaginable—stealing the very thing they love the most!

Until, that is, the smallest of the Whos, tiny Cindy Lou, extends a hand. Through the combination of kindness and community, we witness not only a change in the course of Who-History, but the size and capacity of the old green guy’s heart.

“11 years ago, Peter Brosius and I set off on our first joyous joint journey to Whoville,” said Reed Sigmund.

“And it has now become a tradition and adventure that I eagerly await, and hope for, each holiday season. The entire experience is one of thrilling and complex transformation! I get to transform from a Christmasloving, middle-aged man into a green, hairy, hateful beast!

And that grinchy beast gets to transform into a loving soul possessing more humanity than many humans. I’m so proud to be a part of this story and so excited to share it with families

Legacy Summit

No, it’s for you. I don’t care how old you are, even if you’re 90, you should buy a property and then let somebody else run it and let it start earning that appreciation.

This is how you build true solid equity and wealth and legacies for your family.

Greater Minnesota Housing Fund has its NOAA (Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing program.

This is the program that provides what they call “mezzanine” financing where they will give you a 80% first loan and a

From 3 Greater Minnesota Housing Fund. This opportunity is about buying land and land appreciating. There will not be more land, never going to be more land. Don’t ever let nobody tell you that we should not own land. That land ownership is for somebody else. That homeownership is for somebody else.

CTC

Koch, El Kost, Brooks HugstadVaa Leer, Junia Morrow, Liam Beck O’Sullivan, and Kaitlyn Ann Rudolf.

The Adult Understudies include Ronnie Allen, Angela Steele, Jack Strub, and Abigail Walker.

The Student Understudies include Ariana Calzadillas, Cameron Foster, Cortez Foster, Adelyn Frost, and Luciana Mayer.

In addition to Timothy Mason, Mel Marvin, Peter C. Brosius, and Linda Talcott Lee, the Creative Team and Production Staff for Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! includes Victor Zupanc (Music Director/Conductor/Sound Designer), Sonja Thompson (Music Director), Tom Butsch (Scenic Designer), David Kay Mickelsen (Costume Designer), Nancy Schertler (Lighting Designer), Sean Healey (Sound Designer), Craig Gottschalk (Projection Designer), Leah Jensen (Assistant Director), Katie Taintor (Assistant Choreographer), Ellie Simonett (Assistant Lighting Designer), Nate Stanger* (Stage Manager), Kenji A. Shoemaker* (Assistant Stage Manager), and Janae Lorick (Stage Management Fellow/PA). *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.

once again! I hope to see you near the home of the Who’s soon!”

Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! runs November 7, 2023, through January 7, 2024, in the UnitedHealth Group Stage.

This show is best for all ages.

Tickets can be purchased at childrenstheatre.org/grinch or by calling the ticket office at 612.874.0400. Ticket prices start at $15.

The Adult Cast of

Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! features Reed Sigmund* as The Grinch, Dean Holt* as Old Max, Mitchell Douglas* as JP Who, Autumn Ness* as Mama Who, Adam Qualls* as Grandpa Who, Suzie Juul* as Grandma Who, and Janely Rodriguez* as Betty Lou Who. The Adult Who Ensemble includes Antonisia Collins, Jerry Drake*, and Keegan Robinson. The Student Cast of Dr. Seuss’s How the

Grinch Stole Christmas! features Audrey Mojica and Matthew Woody alternating as Young Max, Elsa Dungan-Hawks and Monica Xiong alternating as Cindy Lou Who, Dallas Downey as Danny Who, Mollie Allen as Annie Who, Evey Chadwick as Brother Boo/Mini Max, and Chloe Hu as Who Ensemble/ Mini Grinch.

The Student Who Ensemble includes Amir Byrd, Evan Decker, Chloe Lou Erickson, Maya Haugen, Mena

15% second loan. That’s 95% funding on apartment buildings.

If you already own properties, the chances are you will probably qualify quicker than most. And they don’t build it on your credit, it’s based on your character. So, they actually do this on character and the property because if the property cash flows and you got good character, they’re never going to lose. It’s based on your character. So, even if you got a history and you been in jail before, it has nothing to do with that. It’s your character. They

will evaluate your character today when you’re applying.

Usually they want you to own these high occupancy rental investments for 10 years. This is a longterm investment. Especially if the city provides you any financing, they may have a 20year investment requirement or better. This is not like get in tomorrow and get out.

This is a legacy building tool.

It’s going to take some years. But the point is, is once you get to a point where you’ve got so much equity, you

don’t have to go to the bank, you call your banker because you got so much equity. The goal is that that money is just building and so you can leverage that equity with your banker and do this again. Five years from now, instead of taking the money out, that $960,000, call your banker and see if he can give you $400,000 to buy your $20 million project without you taking the money out. And they can probably put a lien against the property.

This program is for existing buildings. The

naturally occurring piece means they want you to try to keep apartment buildings affordable.

That’s the game plan. They don’t want somebody with a lot of money to just come in and do a bunch of renovations and then put all of the rents at market rate. Then most people won’t be able to afford them.

They let you amortize those loans over 30 years. Banks don’t do that. That means the payment is much less, lower, so therefore the cashflow is going to be greater.

Grammy Winning Group Sounds Of Blackness, Cha Chocolate, Mike Decole, Minnesota Official Boyz, Black Lion Society, Tracey Blake, Solo D, Krishawna, Robbie Rob, each bringing their unique voice and style to the fore. It is produced by Aaron Bing and Marc Cayce with music supervision by De’Monica Flye.

The soundtrack is expected to not only resonate with fans of the film but also find a place in the hearts of all who stand for a world free from discrimination and brutality.

The film is a compelling story told in the universal language of music.

Amon “Simply Wonderful,” is another marvel of simplicity that features evocative music paired with powerful lyrics, creating a piece that captivates the listener with its compelling vocals. “Let Me Shine” shifts gears with an upbeat vibe and peppy music, where the guitar riffs and vocal harmonies merge to produce an infectious energy.

“Good Morning” offers a contrasting mood with its subtle yet enthralling composition, anchored by Mike De’Cole’s ethereal vocals that resonate long after the song ends. “I Can’t Take it” stands out with its robust lyricism and the mesmerizing delivery by Shaka Zoo, whose performance is underscored by heart-rending beats.

“Smile Now” takes a distinctive musical direction, infusing a sense of hope and the promise of a new dawn. The single “Healing,” hailed as our favorite track, is a masterpiece of conscious vocal arrangement that seduces the listener with its sheer beauty.

Finally, “Turn U” rounds out the selection with its soft, appealing, and smooth melody by Krishawna and Aaron Bing, providing a potent transition that mirrors the film’s shifting tones.

The soundtrack not only complements the film but also does justice to its crucial message, thus portraying the urgency and significance of the themes it explores. As the city’s narrative unfolds on screen, each track becomes a character in itself, voicing the silenced and amplifying the message of resilience and the quest for justice.

The soundtrack is expected to not only resonate with fans of the film but also find a place in the hearts of all who stand for a world free from discrimination and brutality.

The film is a compelling story told in the universal language of music.

The album is now available for streaming on Spotify.

BlackSkin

WE ARE

HIRING PART TIME

DISTRIBUTION ROUTE DRIVER

From 3 murder and due to recurrent police violence against Black men, finds its perfect match in the soundtrack. Each song is carefully crafted to reflect the film’s emotional landscape and enhance its narrative.

The soundtrack showcases a diverse range of talent featuring notable artists such as Jellybean Johnson,

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Insight News • November 27, 2023 - December 3, 2023 • Page 5

Death in “Camelot” Hobb servation Point

By Chuck Hobbs 60 years ago today, the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

Like most Americans their age, my parents used to recount exactly where they were when they heard the news; my father, then a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army, learned about it following a full day of drills at Fort Benning, Georgia. My mother, then a junior at Florida A&M University, still reminds that she had just got home from class and was watching her soaps that Friday afternoon when Walter Cronkite, somewhat ironically, broke into As the World Turns with news from Dallas.

While I was born a little under a decade after this tragic event in American history, the Kennedy assassination has fascinated me most of my life, especially after I first saw footage and still photos captured

by Abraham Zapruder which clearly showed the fatal shot to the president’s head forcing his entire torso backwards and into a final slump next to his terrified wife, First Lady Jackie Kennedy (Onassis).

Long before Oliver Stone’s classic film JFK hit the big screens, or before Robert Dallek’s classic, An Unfinished Life, hit bookshelves and coffee tables across the country, millions of ordinary Americans were already highly skeptical that Lee Harvey Oswald was the actual assassin of the 35th POTUS, as the Warren Commission would later conclude. That skepticism was one of the first fissures in a lingering break that remains to this

day, one in which government, in general, and government officials, specifically, could not (and cannot) be fully trusted.

Indeed, within a decade of Kennedy’s murder, further fissures would break via the news media, whether it was the revelation of the U.S. government’s syphilis experiments on unsuspecting Black men near Tuskegee from the 1940’s to the early 1970’s, to Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal circa 1972, to later

issues such as Ronald Reagan’s Iran-Contra scandal, Bill Clinton’s dalliances with Monica Lewinsky, George W. Bush’s mendacity about “Weapons of Mass Destruction” as a pretense to war in Iraq, all the way to Donald Trump’s lingering lies that the 2020 election was stolen, the innocence that once led most Americans to take the words of their elected leaders as the Gospel vanished with Kennedy’s last breath on November 22, 1963. Further diluting this

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naive innocence was Kennedy’s alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald’s own televised death two days later at the hands of Jack Ruby—a man with Mafia ties who somehow got close enough to the man suspected of killing the president to shoot him at point blank range—and a Warren Commission that clearly concluded that Americans were either too stupid or too infantile to be told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about the coup that led to JFK’s

demise 60 years ago in Dallas.

As an eternal optimist, I do believe that some day, hopefully in my lifetime, the full and complete FBI and CIA files on Oswald, Ruby, and countless other shadowy figures will be released so that the world will fully know why Kennedy was killed 60 years ago. Until then, lest we forget the evil that lurked (and lurks) in the minds and hearts of some people in America that’s so pronounced, that not even heavily guarded

government leaders are safe from their deadly machinations…

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By Chuck Hobbs · Hundreds of paid subscribers “Real Politics in Real Time” 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.

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Insight News • November 27, 2023 - December 3, 2023 • Page 7

Isaiah Allen’s A Smile, illustrated by Mel Darmawan Sharing Our Stories

By: W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor A SMILE

By Isaiah Allen Think of the legacy we can pass on to our children, grandchildren, etc. if each of our homes has a personal library of books written by Black authors and poets. We have so many stories that have been told through the generations, and many that are yet to be told, and each is a jewel. In those libraries, it is important to have a strong representation of children’s books, as I learned during the

Black Children’s Book Fair over the summer. That being said, I would like to share with you Isaiah Allen’s A Smile, illustrated by Mel Darmawan.

Allen’s book tells us about a young Black boy who learns the power of a smile to bring about change in his life.

He shows the positive effects a smile brings about, in starting the day, before you eat, doing homework, competition, and public speaking, to name a few. Most important, giving a smile can make someone else’s day, be it a loved one, a friend, or a stranger. The wonderful illustrations by Mel Darmawan bring visual joy to the spoken words.

My mother recently passed away, and Allen’s book reminds me of something she said upon her 90th birthday--

that she was greeting it “with a smile,” and she found ways to stay positive. When I turned 70 last year, I took note and greeted 70 “with a smile.” In a world that seems to be bent upon giving you daily injections of negativity, a smile is that much more important. It is transformative. It is empowering. It is gratitude for what we have. It is joy. It is love freely given.

A Smile is available through Amazon and the Minnesota Black Authors Expo website, www. mnblackauthorsexpo.com.

Thank you, Isaiah, for joining the ranks of Black men who are gracing the literary world through children’s books.

Let your light shine and your work stand as part of our legacy as you greet the world “with a smile!”

Isaiah Allen

Page 8 • November 27, 2023 - December 3, 2023 • Insight News

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Shake things up Give the gift of scratch games this season.

Must be 18+ to play.

MNL202300057_Holiday_Print_10.625x21.indd 1

11/9/23 12:36 PM