Insight ::: 9.14.20

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Insight News

September 14, 2020 - September 20, 2020

Vol. 47 No. 37• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

COMEDIAN RITA BRENT CELEBRATES KAMALA HARRIS IN NEW RAP MUSIC VIDEO MORE ON PAGE 2

Courtesy Rita Brent

Page 2 • September 14, 2020 - September 20, 2020 • Insight News

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Lifting up Kamala

By Brenda Lyle-Gray Columnist

Rita Brent - comedian, musician, songwriter, singer, a public radio disc jockey, and a military veteran serving in the 41st Army National Guard Band is an African American renaissance woman on a mission.

Amid one of the world’s most-deadly pandemics, brokenness and heartache boiling over in the streets, and two months away from one of the most important presidential elections in modern day history, the native Mississippian is said to have a “relentless fierceness” about her. Today, she has taken an authentic and courageous stand in her newly-released song, Kamala.

“While strolling through Facebook messages,’ Brent said, “I was immediately struck by far too many messages of resistant hatred, illogical thinking, and bigotry. Black men questioned her record; her intelligence; and especially her Blackness.

Afterall, Democratic Party VicePresident nominee Kamala is happily married to a white man; she has two wonderful white stepchildren; and her ethnicity is a mix of Indian and Jamaican. I was compelled to challenge Kamala’s critics not in rants, but in performing art.”

Shirlyn LaChapelle, Sharon Sund, and Sherry Pugh, Twin Cities politicians about to be interviewed by Insight editor, Al McFarlane (90.3fm KFAI’s Conversations with Al McFarlane – Live on Facebook), praised the song as an ‘anthem of joy’. . . uplifting and celebrating Black women . . . giving little Black girls a magnitude of pride and hope for their future.

“Kamala

should be encouraged,” they agreed. “She needs to hear our support . . . and we must spread the word by getting people to download the song and unite in doing what must be done to save democracy for our children.”

Although attending school in Jackson, Rita Brent’s hometown, Crystal Springs, Mississippi (25 miles South on Interstate 55 – population approx. 5,000) would always hold a special place in her heart.

Her beloved grandmother would always beckon her back home several times a year. “When I was 8-years-old, my gospel musician mother put a drum set in front of me and was surprised at how I simply took off. As I grew older, I found that the key to ascending in most facets of life has been doing the research, having mentors in the industry, and being prepared. Fear has never been an option. I put that nemesis in the passenger’s seat. I’m in the driver’s seat. I see terror over there, but I say to it . . . you ain’t taking the wheel,” she said.

Brent’s topics in her stand-up comedy routines are often pertaining to popular, yet controversial issues such as justice for Black people, for women . . . essentially for human rights. Her delivery might also include satirical prayers. “One day I was sitting in my truck, and I started praying about the Mississippi heat. I pray to a different Jesus every time. One time I prayed to the Lysol Jesus and to the Jesus of disinfectant.

I’ll add the reparations Jesus and ‘getting kids back to school safely’ Jesus to my repertoire soon. The content of my performances - whether through song or comedy - is not intended to be spiteful or mean, but it’s tough . . . it’s truth.”

“I battle with

View Kamala video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSiHeQafzfw anger going back to George Zimmerman who still walks free after murdering Trayvon Martin.

I struggle with forgiving our oppressors, while they’re not held accountable for their crimes. Yet, the kind of movements we saw after the murder of George Floyd have given me hope and have been unlike any I have experienced in my lifetime. I do hope Black communities will become more informed and begin to elect local candidates who represent our interests. This awakening was long overdue, but I hope it’s not short-lived and without substance. I want to see action behind the words – “Black Lives Matter”. I think we need to keep our foot on the accelerator where there’s concern.

We need to keep putting pressure on the right people,” she said.

“People in power can be so subtle sometimes,” Brent

continues. “When they took down the Confederate Flag that has been flying since the 1800s, no one knew about it for a while.

Then they said the flag was being retired. My hope is that we will continue to operate in love and be okay with not understanding everything. It’s about human rights . . . treating everybody like they would want to be treated. I want the divisiveness to stop, however we need to accomplish that. That’s where my social consciousness comes from . . . just wanting equality, wanting peace, and wanting everybody to be treated with respect. It’s not about if she’s with a woman, and if he’s with a man. The important aspect of any kind of relationship is knowing there is love. People fear what they don’t understand because they never ventured to rid of the historic myths. Let’s help people who want to learn

understand how we can heal our communities and our country!”

Brent is clear, “I am a person with a purpose, and that purpose may shift, or it may not.

I’m going to live in the present.

I’m always going to be fighting for equality and justice, and my biggest aspiration . . . that we get some damn reparations, period!

We deserve reparations because this idea that slavery is over so now Black people ought to be able to catch up is ludicrous.

From 400 years? How? So, it’s not a handout. It’s what we are owed. The descendants of slave owners have land. They have all this wealth that was built on our ancestors’ backs. When do we get our recompense?”

Rita Brent’s vision for her future and her many performing arts has not changed.

It’s just the route she will take to achieve her goals has due to the COVID19 pandemic. “When

I perform, I get to be a prayer warrior, their comedic relief, or their healer in these difficult and uncertain times in our world,” she said. Her dream is to one day own a comedy art café along with her partner who is a visual artist. Currently, they are preparing proposals and attempting to identify and apply for grants. “I am a person with a purpose. That purpose may shift, or it may not, but I’m determined to live in the present.

I am inspired to use my many blessed gifts for good . . . to be an instrument in helping to heal the wounds we can no longer allow to fester and destroy our country,” Brent said.

For more information: Rita Brent: Comedy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and You Tube “Born Funny” – Virtual Show Special – “Sipp on This Tea” “Can You Rock Me Like A Pothole”?

New Song

NOURISHING BLACK COMMUNITY “The Penumbra Center for Racial Healing will be a beacon for all of us as we move through these uncertain times.”

—Mayor Melvin Carter

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR NEXT LIFE CYCLE AS A CENTER FOR RACIAL HEALING Imagine a brave space where individuals can learn, rejuvenate, and stand up in support of racial equity. Together, we can make truly transformational change. Share your thoughts, dreams, and hopes for the center at penumbratheatre.org.

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Insight News • September 14, 2020 - September 20, 2020 • Page 3 WINNER: 2020 T YPOGRAPHY & DESIGN, 1ST PLACE, PHOTOGRAPHY (PORTRAIT & PERSONALIT Y), 1ST PLACE, WEBSITE, 3RD PLACE

Insight News September 14, 2020 - September 20, 2020

Vol. 47 No. 37• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Michelle Obama: We must vote like our life depends on it!

Compiled from AARP sources

By Brenda Lyle-Gray Columnist

photo/Vault Health

School and child care staff are currently limited to one test per person under this program. They will use the same process for anyone taking a Vault Health COVID-19 saliva test, which includes spitting into a funnel while connected with a Vault test supervisor over a Zoom video call.

As school resumes across state, more than 250,000 saliva tests provided to school and child care employees in effort to limit exposures and disease spread

Governor Walz Announces Free COVID-19 saliva tests for teachers, school staff Governor Tim Walz announced that teachers, school staff, and childcare providers across the state have received access to their free COVID-19 saliva test, totaling more than 250,000 tests. The saliva tests are part of the Safe Learning Plan for the 2020-21 School Year and consistent with the Walz administration’s commitment to providing access to COVID-19 testing for Minnesotans working in child care and prekindergarten to grade 12 schools.

“As a classroom teacher for more than 20 years and a parent of a child in public schools, I know that a safe classroom is the foundation for learning,” said Walz. “Those educating and caring for

Minnesota’s next generation deserve the peace of mind that these COVID-19 tests will provide.”

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has emailed thousands of unique codes that can be used to request a saliva test, which schools will distribute to all staff currently employed

by Minnesota’s school districts, charter schools, tribal schools, and nonpublic schools.

Additionally, the Department of Human Services (DHS) has provided codes to all staff currently working in licensed child care settings and certified centers.

“All families in our state, including our littlest

Minnesotans, want to know their teachers, school nutrition workers, and child care staff are supported. This means if they are exposed to COVID-19 as a frontline worker, we work to make sure they have access to testing,” said Flanagan. “Our goal is to create safe in-person learning for as many children as possible, and saliva tests are one piece of the puzzle to support that plan.”

The tests are provided through a partnership with Vault Health and Infinity Biologix (formerly RUCDR Infinite Biologics, a unit of Rutgers University Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey), the nation’s leading providers of saliva testing. Walz recently

announced that the state would be partnering further with the company, to make saliva testing available to all Minnesotans.

Teachers and staff are not required to take the tests before coming back to the classroom or to continue working in a child care setting.

State officials urge them to get tested when they need it, such as when they’re feeling symptomatic or when they believe they may have been exposed to someone who is COVID positive. The tests must be used by the end of 2020, though the state is exploring options to extend access for the remainder of the 2020-21 school

COVID-19 TEST 4

Hurricanes and wildfires are colliding with the COVID-19 pandemic – and compounding the risks

By Ali Mostafavi, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University With Hurricane Laura hitting Louisiana and Texas as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm and wildfires menacing the western U.S., millions of Americans are facing the complex risks of a natural disaster striking in the middle of a pandemic.

The steps people normally take to prepare for a severe storm or to evacuate can contradict the public health recommendations for protecting themselves and others from COVID-19.

That’s what millions of people were facing as Hurricane Laura intensified in the Gulf of Mexico. More than half a million people were under evacuation orders, including the cities Galveston, Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas.

My urban resilience lab at Texas A&M University has been examining interactions between urban infrastructure, systems and people in disasters.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched a study into the effect of the pandemic on urban systems during a natural disaster, applying similar methods we used during extensive research on Hurricane Harvey, which flooded Houston

Minnesota state, county, and city officials are encouraging registered voters to vote from home casting absentee ballots.

The coronavirus has not gone away, and a safe vaccine might not be available until this time next year. The pandemic still looms, and an uncertain winter with seasonal flu and COVID19 in the atmosphere simultaneously will test the constitution of citizens and frontline medical personnel and scientists. That event could take place three months from now and we must be prepared.

No one is required to offer an explanation as to why they choose not to walk through the voting polls’ front doors.

The ‘witness’ signature requirement for registered voters casting mail-in or absentee ballots has been waved.

Early in-person absentee voting will be available starting September 18th at your local election polling locations.

46 days before the election, ballots will be distributed to voters who have already registered.

For those voters who registered late, ballots will be sent out on a rolling basis.

Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, November 3rd. However, they can be received within seven days of the election. Ballots must be mailed or delivered to your county elections office by 3 p.m. on Election Day, November 3rd.

Registering to Vote Registered voters in Minnesota have the choice to: Register to vote online – Office of Secretary of State voter registration portal.

Michelle Obama Voters must register online or by mail by October Voters can apply for 13th. an absentee ballot any time except on Election Day. Download and print a voter registration form – in person delivery to county election’s office or mail-in. The form can also be mailed or delivered to the St. Paul Secretary of State’s office. Leave time for election officials to mail your ballot.

Registered voters with a valid form of identification confirming name and address can vote at their local polling place(s) on Election Day. A listing of acceptable forms of identification can be found on the Secretary of State’s website.

Voters who have health complications, live in a nursing home, or are hospitalized can designate an agent, e.g. family member, attorney - to pick up and return the absentee ballot in place of them. A separate form must be completed and returned to their local election office with their absentee ballot application.

Safeguards Against Voter Fraud There have been no cases to-date reported of anyone trying to vote illegally with a stolen ballot.

Any person who steals a ballot from a mailbox, and then tries to cast it at a local election’s office, would

VOTE 5

photo/PeopleImages

photo/AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Evacuations during Hurricane Laura could increase the risk of exposure to COVID-19. in August 2017.

Our research shows that compound disasters have complex ramifications. At the intersection of a natural hazard and a pandemic is a decision process fraught with contradictions.

Storm prep and evacuations raise the risks During the three days before Hurricane Harvey hit, the number of grocery store and gas station visits in the Houston area increased by 50% to 100%.

People didn’t think twice about running to the store.

As Hurricane Laura headed for the Louisiana and

Texas coasts, residents were in very a different situation. The rise of COVID-19 illnesses and deaths across the South during the summer meant people were encouraged to self-quarantine and limit their social contact to prevent transmitting the coronavirus. They could still wear masks in stores, but keeping the recommended six feet apart gets harder when stores get crowded. It means spending more time waiting with others in lines and jostling in the aisles. Research shows that both the amount of virus and the amount of time a person is exposed to it have an impact on whether they get infected and

News

Hennepin County and Minneapolis push to ensure everyone is counted in the 2020 Census

PAGE 5

how severely.

An even more onerous complication – for both authorities and residents – is evacuation.

The decision to evacuate in the face of even a single hazard, whether a wildfire or a hurricane, is difficult.

Sheltering in place can mean life-threatening conditions, prolonged power outages and disrupted access to critical facilities. Evacuating means leaving behind one’s house and possibly animals to an uncertain fate.

That’s complicated

HURRICANES 4

COVID-19 inspires an uptick in Black family history research and genealogy Genealogy is history and history involves the exploration of family trees and, of course, people. The COVID-19 crisis has inspired an increase in African American genealogical research activity. During the pandemic, people are spending time tracking ancestors, building family trees online, and taking DNA tests to make sense out of family histories.

The reasons vary from the luxury of lockdown time to pursue and peruse documents online to the recent surge in social unrest. Whatever the reason or reasons, Black family genealogical research is often complicated by the history

of slavery in this country.

The 1870 Census is the first census that lists African Americans by name and location and within the larger census, whereas it was rare to find a black person included in earlier census records as anything less than an unnamed human property like cattle. There are slave records and other deeds that include names but it is still a challenge to locate ancestors.

African Americans in Minnesota have a few resources available to assist in family research. Family Search has a list of African American resources and records. The

GENEALOGY 5

I2H

Decline in childhood immunization because of COVID-19

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Page 4 • September 14, 2020 - September 20, 2020 • Insight News

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photo/fizkes

If possible, if working remotely, keep work on separate devices not utilized by the rest of the family.

photo/Twitter

Terrance “BrothaTech” Gaines

BrothaTech’s advice on creating a safe internet life for entire household Terrance Gaines is a husband, father and sought after IT professional, consultant, and personal technology specialist, and data security expert. Better known as “BrothaTech,” Gaines has been featured in PC Mag, Black Enterprise and Ebony magazines as both a guest and contributor.

Like the rest of us, BrothaTech is constantly vigilant over his household’s security and safety when it comes to the internet. His household has two remote workers as well as young remote-learners.

He has a few tips to share for remote workers who are also monitoring their children’s

party password manager app.

For older kids cell phones, enable 2-Factor Authentication.

If possible, if working remotely, keep work on separate devices not utilized by the rest of the family.

Need tips for sanitizing your devices during

distance

learning activities.

Don’t mix up kids’ accounts/passwords with adult accounts/passwords linked to banking/personal data.

Use stronger passwords. Use passphrases instead of passwords.

Use built-in password manager services or a 3rd-

the Covid-19 crisis? Here’s one: “Now is good time to get more acquainted with voice assistants like Siri, to complete simple tasks like sending texts, emails, answering calls, checking your calendar, etc.”

Are you a Mac user?

BrothaTech’s Annual Mac Cleanup Checklist can be used

any time of year and often to keep your Mac running efficiently.

Visit brothatech. com for more information from Terrance Gaines’ blog or to access his podcast and interviews.

What the CDC eviction ban means for tenants and landlords: six questions answered

By Katy Ramsey Mason, Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic, University of Memphis Editor’s note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order on Sept. 1 banning evictions of people who lost work as a result of the pandemic. To benefit, renters must sign a declaration that they don’t make more than US$99,000 a year or $198,000 for those filing a joint return and that they essentially have no options other than homelessness. But the order, which takes effect on Sept. 4, leaves some questions unanswered. We asked Katy Ramsey Mason, an assistant professor of law and director of the University of Memphis Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic, to answer some of them.

1. What does the order do?

The order prohibits property owners from evicting covered tenants from any residential property because of nonpayment of rent before Dec. 31, 2020. It does not apply to any evictions that might be brought on grounds other than nonpayment, such as nuisance

or alleged criminal activity.

It requires tenants to sign and submit a declaration to the landlord certifying under penalty that they qualify for protection under the moratorium. It does not relieve tenants from the obligation to pay rent – all of it comes due on Jan. 1, 2021 – and it allows landlords to continue to charge late fees and other penalties as permitted by law.

2. Who qualifies?

The CDC’s order applies to as many as 40 million renters across the country who could be at risk of eviction for nonpayment of rent.

It is more comprehensive than the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act eviction moratorium, which expired on July 24 and only applied to an estimated 12.3 million renters, or about 28% of rental properties nationwide.

The new order applies to tenants who live in any rental property in any place in the U.S. and its territories that does not already have an eviction moratorium with the same or greater protections than the CDC order.

There are still 20 states with some form of a moratorium in place, about half of which are

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more comprehensive than the CDC’s moratorium. All of those moratoriums are unaffected.

Other than the financial requirements, to qualify for relief under the CDC order a tenant must certify that he or she is not able to pay full rent due to substantial income loss and has attempted to obtain government assistance with rent, and must commit to making partial rent payments to the extent of his or her ability.

3. What authority does the CDC have to do this?

The CDC is invoking its powers under federal law to take action to prevent the spread of communicable disease if it finds that state or local prevention measures are insufficient. The order emphasizes the link between homelessness and the spread of COVID-19 and states that the high levels of homelessness that would result from widespread evictions would increase the risk of interstate transmission of the virus.

4. What does it mean for landlords?

The CDC’s order is certain to be unwelcome news for many landlords, who have already been struggling through the pandemic.

Many tenants have

COVID-19 Test From 3 year.

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

Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Culture and Education Editor Dr. Irma McClaurin Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Content & Production Coordinator Sunny Thongthi Yang Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley 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 Artist Donald Walker Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., MN 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,

“Every single educator and school staff member across our state has worked tirelessly to prepare for the upcoming school year and we need to make sure we have their back,” said Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Mary

Hurricanes From 3 further when an emergency shelter is the best choice, but staying in one can mean a higher risk of being exposed to someone infected with the coronavirus.

Which areas are most vulnerable?

Authorities assess many variables when deciding between mandatory and voluntary evacuations. In the face of a pandemic, they now also have to think about disease transmission – and not just in individual emergency shelters but also on a larger scale. When a large population moves from an area with a high rate of disease spread to a less affected area, it can put the local population at higher risk.

Using data on social vulnerability, pandemic risk and hazard probability, my lab created an interactive map that pinpoints sources

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been unable to pay rent, and nonpayment evictions have been limited by state moratoriums and the coronavirus relief bill.

According to the 2015 American Housing Survey, slightly less than half of rental properties are owned by “mom and pop” landlords, while the rest are owned by business entities.

If landlords are not able to pay their mortgages and other costs, it could result in a loss of affordable housing units across the country.

Under the CDC’s order, landlords can continue to collect rent and charge late fees and other penalties, but they cannot evict tenants who don’t pay. The order also does not allocate any additional funding to assist tenants or landlords with unpaid rent, but encourages local governments to use coronavirus relief funds that have already been distributed towards rental assistance programs.

photo/Angela Weiss_AFP via Getty Images

The CDC order may offer some tenants breathing room.

If an organization or company violates the order, the monetary fines increase to a maximum of $200,000 if there is no death and $500,000 if there is a death. The order authorizes the Department of Justice to “initiate court proceedings” to seek those penalties.

in the middle of winter. Some members of Congress have been pushing for additional funding to assist tenants – and landlords – with unpaid rent, but negotiations over another relief bill remain stalled.

This article originally appeared on The Conversation.

Katy Ramsey joined the faculty at the University of Memphis in 2018 as an Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the MedicalLegal Partnership Clinic, a collaboration between the Law School, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, and Memphis Area Legal Services that provides legal and social work services to low-income patients and families of Le Bonheur in civil legal problems that affect their health and wellbeing.

5. How will it be enforced?

Unlike the CARES Act moratorium, which had no enforcement mechanism, the CDC eviction moratorium imposes significant criminal penalties on violators. An individual who violates the order can be fined up to $100,000 and/ or one year in jail. If a death results from the violation, the fine increases to up to $250,000.

6. What happens when the order expires?

When the order expires on Dec. 31, landlords will again be able to initiate eviction proceedings in accordance with state law – unless the moratorium is extended. If tenants have been unable to pay their full rent up to that point, they will be responsible for all of the arrears that have accrued – putting them at risk of losing their homes

Cathryn Ricker.

“Child care has remained open throughout this public health crisis ensuring that children have the nurturing and safe care they need while families need to be working,” said Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “They are heroes during these unprecedented times putting in the extra time to implement the public health guidance. We must ensure that each provider has access to a test

whenever it is needed.”

School and child care staff are currently limited to one test per person under this program. They will use the same process for anyone taking a Vault Health COVID-19 saliva test, which includes spitting into a funnel while connected with a Vault test supervisor over a Zoom video call. Education professionals and child care staff will still be able to seek testing at their regular medical provider, local testing location, or when

the state offers community collection events. Home schools are not covered by this program.

Vaulth Health is the go-to testing company for major Fortune 500 companies, sports leagues, and universities, including the PGA and Purdue University. State officials expect to open a saliva lab in Oakdale, Minnesota by early October, which would be capable of processing up to 30,000 samples a day.

of vulnerability. The goal is to enable disaster response managers and decision makers to recognize the compound risks posed by the confluence of the pandemic and any natural hazard.

The compound hazard risk index takes into consideration the social, physical and pandemic risks at the local level, enabling each county or community to make informed decisions. It also raises warnings about vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and low-income communities, which may suffer a disproportionate risk of infection.

We found several counties with significantly high levels of compound risks.

For example, Harris County, Texas, home to Houston, has a large number of COVID-19 cases and is also vulnerable to the impacts of hurricanes.

When a hurricane heads for the region, the index can help raise red flags, particularly for local health officials and hospitals, about the risks of exacerbating the pandemic there and in

counties where people may go in an evacuation.

Conversely, a county with low hurricane and flooding risks might normally be seen as a suitable location for evacuation, but if it has a high rate of COVID-19, that raises the risk for evacuees who would need to spend time in shelters, hotels, restaurants and stores.

Getting health care can also become harder during a natural disaster. Hospitals may see an influx of injuries, and wildfires and flooding can block access to critical health care facilities, damage the buildings, cut power to homes and care facilities and shut down pandemic testing locations.

Other researchers have also explored the potential for an evacuation spreading COVID-19. In a recent study of evacuation patterns and COVID-19 cases in Florida, researchers at the Union of Concerned Scientists estimated that if a Category 3 hurricane hit Southeast Florida, the difference in that region between evacuees taking shelter in communities

with low coronavirus transmission rates versus those with high rates could be as high as 50,000 new COVID-19 cases.

As our research shows, preparing for and responding to the compound disaster of a natural hazard in the midst of a pandemic is an undertaking more complicated than the sum of its parts.

This story was updated Aug. 27 with Hurricane Laura making landfall and appeared origionally on The Conversation.

Ph.D. students Jennifer Dargin and Qingchun Li and undergraduate students Gabrielle Jawer, Sara Garcia, Xin Xiao, and Bora Oztekin contributed to the research on compound natural hazard and pandemic. Technical writer Jan Gerston contributed to this article.

Dr. Ali Mostafavi is an Associate Professor in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on the nexus of humans, disasters, and the built environment.

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Insight News • September 14, 2020 - September 20, 2020 • Page 5

Mail-in voting does not cause fraud, but judges are buying the GOP’s argument that it does

By Penny Venetis, Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the International Human Rights Clinic, Rutgers University Newark The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee filed lawsuits recently against New Jersey and Nevada to prevent expansive vote-by-mail efforts in those states.

These high-profile lawsuits make the same argument that Republicans have made in many lesser-known lawsuits that were filed around the country during the primary season. In all of these lawsuits, Republicans argue that voting by mail perpetuates fraud – an argument President Donald Trump makes daily, on various media platforms.

Yet, study after study has shown that there is no basis for these claims. Indeed, the opposite is true – voting by mail is rarely subject to fraud. Twitter has even slapped warnings on President Trump’s tweets that link vote-by-mail to voter fraud, because they perpetuate false information.

Courts, for the most part, have sided with Republicans, and in some cases even adopted the unsubstantiated fraud assertions. The effect of these rulings has been that Americans had to vote in person during the global pandemic, risking their lives. By filing these lawsuits, Republicans are

forcing voters to choose between being safe and exercising their fundamental right to vote in November.

Suits span the country Here is a representative sample of these lawsuits: • In April, when public health officials were not entirely sure how COVID-19 spread, and stay-at-home orders were in place throughout the country, the Republican-led Wisconsin legislature sued to stop Democratic Governor Tony Evers’ executive order extending voting-by-mail deadlines for the primary election. Wisconsin’s Supreme Court sided with the Republicans.

• That victory was not enough. In a parallel suit, Wisconsin Republicans secured an opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court, which held that all mail-in ballots had to be postmarked by primary election day. Dissenting, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated: “The Court’s order, I fear, will result in massive disenfranchisement.”

• In Texas, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton argued in multiple lawsuits that voting by mail should be available only to actual COVID-19 victims, and not to voters who feared being infected at polling sites. After initially losing in court, Paxton publicly threatened, in writing, to arrest and prosecute any election official who distributed information about voting

by mail. This left election officials in a quandary because Paxton’s threat conflicted with a state court order that expanded Texas’s vote-by-mail measures to all voters.

A federal trial court called Paxton’s threats “voter intimidation.”

Undaunted, Paxton successfully appealed both the federal and state court decisions that ruled against him.

Both the Texas Supreme Court and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Paxton though, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear appeals of those cases, allowing those judgments to stand.

In ruling for the Republicans, the Texas Supreme Court stated: “For the population overall, contracting COVID-19 in general is highly improbable” and that “a lack of immunity alone could not be a likely cause of injury to health from voting in person.”

But, by July 9, primary day, Texas was in the grips of a massive COVID-19 crisis. For each of the 10 days preceding the primary election, there were record numbers of COVID-19related hospitalizations in the state. Houston hospitals were in danger of running out of hospital beds. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott urged everyone to stay home unless it was an emergency, and issued executive orders reclosing the state. While the pandemic raged around them, Texas voters had to vote in person.

• In Missouri, lawsuits

by advocacy groups, including the NAACP, sought to expand vote by mail efforts. A state court sided with Republican officials who vigorously opposed the suit and held that “fear of illness” does not qualify as a reason to receive a mail-in ballot.

• In Iowa, after a successful vote-by-mail primary on June 2, the Republican legislature tried to prevent the Iowa Secretary of State from running future elections using mail-in ballots. This was not a lawsuit, but mirrors many of the legal actions mounted by the GOP across the country. In response, a bipartisan group of local election officials sent a letter to the legislature, stating: “The 2020 primary was very successful, based on a variety of metrics largely due to the steps taken by the Secretary. Counties experienced record or nearrecord turnout. Election Day went very smoothly. Results were rapidly available. Why would the state want to cripple the process that led to such success?”

Falsehoods become law Several of the courts discussed above have nonetheless embraced the idea that mail-in voting leads to fraud.

For example, in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which sanctioned the Texas Republicans’ opposition to voting by mail, Judge James C. Ho wrote a gratuitous supplemental concurring

photo/Ethan Miller_Getty Images

Protesters against passage of a bill to expand mail-in voting during a Nevada Republican Party demonstration, August 4, 2020, in Las Vegas. opinion, focusing solely on mail-in ballot fraud. Similarly, the Missouri trial court that refused to expand the pool of voters who could vote by mail discussed voter fraud at length, to justify its decision.

Without providing any explanation or evidence to the contrary, these decisions essentially erase scientific findings, cementing into law unsubstantiated and discredited claims linking voting by mail to fraud. This gives these faulty legal decisions tremendous power to impact how Americans vote this November, regardless of the strength of the COVID-19 virus.

Judges who preside over newly filed Republican National Committee and Trump campaign lawsuits will undoubtedly look to those opinions because of the similarity in claims. While

those decisions do not have to be followed to the letter in New Jersey and Nevada, they still represent a body of law that judges will need to consider.

Even flawed judicial opinions have the power to shape the future.

The article appeared originally on The Conversation.

Penny M. Venetis is the Dickinson R. Debevoise Scholar at Rutgers Law School, where she is a Clinical Professor of Law and the Director of the International Human Rights Clinic. She has taught at Rutgers since 1993. Professor Venetis is an expert in both civil rights law and international human rights law, and pioneered efforts to integrate international law into U.S. law. Her scholarship focuses on the intersection of human rights law and constitutional law.

Hennepin County and Minneapolis push to ensure everyone is counted in the 2020 Census At a press conference Monday morning, community members and local leaders from Minneapolis, Hennepin County and the State of Minnesota discussed their concerns about making sure everyone is counted by the September 30 Census deadline.

The U.S. Census bureau reports that 85.8% of households in Minnesota have completed the census. 73.7% have completed it on their own -- online, over the phone or by mail. But only 12.1% of households have completed it because a census taker come to their door. This rate is very low compared to other states where it is as high as 33%.

“I am very worried about the low non-response follow up rate by the Census Bureau,” said Commissioner Irene Fernando who is Chair of the Hennepin County Complete Count Committee and represents District 2. “Even

Vote From 3 still need to provide personal information about the voter from whom the ballot was stolen.

Ballots can be tracked just like you would follow a package.

Request another absentee ballot if the original one does not reach you in a timely fashion.

If the original one eventually shows up, it will not be counted.

Important Dates and Times to Remember Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd.

Most polling locations are scheduled to be opened from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Towns with fewer than 500 registered voters don’t have to open until 10 a.m., but most still open at 7 a.m.

Voters can still cast a ballot if they are in line by 8 p.m.

September 18 –

Geneaology From 3 Minnesota Historical Society has a dedicated section for Twin Cities Black family research.

The Minneapolis Family History Center, run by the Mormon church, is currently closed however some resources

missing just 10% of households in Hennepin County would deeply impact our community.

We would be missing more than 50,000 households and over 120,000 people.”

Historically, there are several communities at risk for being undercounted in the Census. That risk is compounded this year by unprecedented factors including a global pandemic and an announcement that the extended count period would be shortened by a full month.

“When the coronavirus hit earlier this year, in-person visits to households had to be delayed for months,” State Demographer Susan Brower explained. “Initially the Census Bureau had asked Congress for an extension, which would have allowed them to keep counting through October. But in early August, the Department of Commerce abandoned the request to push

Absentee voting locations must be open to early voters during their normal business hours. Those hours could vary per polling locations and date.

If you plan to vote in person, check with the county election’s office to make sure it is open.

Casting absentee ballots at your local county election’s office will be available. Separate in-person absentee voting options are also offered in some cities and counties leading up to Election Day. If not registered at the time, proof of identity and residence will be required.

Necessary Identification Required to Vote If you registered 21 days before Election Day and have not changed your residence or legal name, an ID is not required.

If you need to register or update your registration on Election Day, a document proving your identity and residence such as a driver’s license will be required.

are available on Family Search.

And there is the Minnesota Genealogical Society’s research library.

There are other resources that are led by Black genealogists and historians.

Here are a few: Who is Nicka Smith?

This is the online home for Nicka Smith, a photographer who is also a genealogy professional. Her

photo/www.census.gov

Only 12.1% of Minnesota households have completed the 2020 Census because a census worker has come to their door.

This rate is very low compared to other states where it is as high as 33%. back its reporting deadlines.

The 2020 Census field operations will now only run

Other forms of identification such as a passport or a university ID with copies of bills or a lease agreement would be acceptable.

Safety Precautions: Polling sites: Coronavirus Polling locations are required to follow (CDC) Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations.

On Election Day, voters will be asked to practice social distancing.

Therefore, the lines may be longer than normal when voting in person.

Voters will be offered masks and hand sanitizer.

Per a July executive order, poll workers will wear face masks and disinfect surfaces, equipment, and voting pens. Per a July executive order, masks are required to be worn in all indoor public places including polling locations.

Change

of Venues The 2020 election will have fewer volunteer workers due to fears of COVID19.

Polling sites may be combined.

blog posts, social media posts and show ProGen Live are all resources anyone would love.

Visit her Black ProGen Live Youtube channel for over 100 videos that educate and inform.

Beyond Kin Beyond Kin is a database and site filled with information regarding the documentation of enslaved populations, which are difficult to trace for many reasons.

through September, forcing the Census Bureau to rush through the remaining counting and requiring them to cut back on vital quality check activities.”

“We know Minneapolis is facing a budget shortfall because of COVID-19 so it is imperative we get an accurate Census count,” said Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins. “We are in great need of federal support so that we can help businesses that have closed and workers who been laid off. We also need help rebuilding our city, which has experienced so much civil unrest in the past few months.”

XP Lee from the Minnesota Council on Foundations/Minnesota Census Mobilization Project talked about indicators that the Census Bureau’s field operations in Hennepin County appear to be already ending, after just a few weeks. “It is on us to make sure

we achieve a fully inclusive count. It is on us to continue to mobilize over the next month.

We have just 30 days left to PUSH folks in our historically undercounted communities to self-respond to the census before the September 30 deadline. We cannot count on the Census Bureau. It is on us.”

Lee said there are community members who report they have not had a single visit from a census taker even though these individuals haven’t completed their census.

Further, Census workers have said they are frustrated with bad data they are receiving for apartment buildings, which makes it impossible to know if households have or have not completed the census.

Every year, Minnesota receives $15.5 billion from the federal government. An undercount would reduce the funding our state receives. And, it could result in the loss of a

congressional seat.

Fernando urged everyone to make the final 30 days count so that everyone is counted.

There are a number of indicators that U.S. Census Bureau’s field operation in Hennepin County may be ending after just a few weeks. It was supposed to occur through September 30.

Hennepin County is the largest county in Minnesota and home to a third of the state’s BIPOC communities.

An undercount in Minnesota state could result in the loss of a congressional seat. Billions of federal dollars that would benefit our community are also on the line.

Check with your city or county elections office first.

The State will allow hospitals and nursing homes to designate staff members to distribute ballots and pickup duties for residents. This is the first time an exception of the sort has been authorized. Interested facilities must first contact their county or city elections office.

PRESIDENT U.S. Senate: Incumbent Tina Smith (D) vs. former U.S. Rep. Jason Lewis (R) U.S. House: All 8 seats State House: All 134 seat State Senate: All 67 seats

they’re going to be alive long after I am, and they’re going to be suffering the consequences.

Gloria Steinam in a conversation with Meghan Markle

since the Great Depression, and older Americans have been affected disproportionately.

If elected, how will you help Americans over the age of 50 recover economically from the effects of the coronavirus Americans pay the highest prescription drug prices in the world. If elected, how will you cut prescription drug prices for all Americans COVID-19 has caused death and suffering for too many older Americans who require long-term care.

If elected, how will you make sure seniors can access safe and affordable long-term care at home, as well as in facilities like nursing homes and assisted living?

Note: Stay informed. Voting regulations and other vital information could change before November 3rd.

Encourage young voters to hit the polls in the upcoming election.

I can understand that they think they don’t have an impact. And, yet, it’s more important for them to vote than anyone else because

AARP is urging older Americans to ask the candidates five key questions Just over half of all older Social Security beneficiaries rely on the program for at least 50 percent of their income. If elected, how will you ensure that current and future Social Security benefits are not cut as part of deficit reduction Half of the people with traditional Medicare spend at least a sixth of their income on health care. If elected, how will you protect Medicare from benefit cuts, as well as lower health care costs and ensure seniors continue receiving the affordable health care they have earned Unemployment during the coronavirus crisis reached the highest levels

Sign up for their webinars and follow them on social media to catch some of their fascinating information.

for visitors. The Facebook group is filled with people willing to help others with their genealogy questions.

Our Black Ancestry OBA is one of the longest running portals for people interested in discovering their roots and learning more about the complicated aspects of tracing family. The site is a membership site but there are wonderful resources available

The Slavery and Remembrance Project This project is for those interested in learning about the preservation of slave burial sites, finding buried ancestors, museums and history.

The various partners involved each offer great information for

How to complete the Census Online: my2020census.gov Toll-free: 1-844-3302020 Text questions to 662020

Also

of Interes Stay updated on the 2020 election at AARP.org/election2020 For the latest coronavirus news and advice go to AARP.org/coronavirus.

Resource: AARP Newsletter

researchers and genealogy buffs.

Facebook is a repository of Black genealogical groups as well. The social network hosts groups that are local, regional and national in focus. People are building online communities to help others navigate the difficult task of finding ancestors. It is just a matter of finding the community that you are most comfortable with sharing your family’s business.

Page 6 • September 14, 2020 - September 20, 2020 • Insight News

Insight 2 Health

insightnews.com

photo/mapodile

It’s also important that your child stays on track with their vaccinations for school. No matter what school looks like for your child this fall, schools still need documentation that students are up-to-date on their vaccinations.

Decline in childhood immunization because of COVID-19

By Carly Edson, MPH Minnesota Department of Health Children in Minnesota are not getting their needed vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. For a while, people were told to avoid going to clinics if they were not sick and many clinics were not seeing patients in person. When

clinics were closed, families had to adjust to online visits. These changes caused many families to avoid scheduling appointments, including appointments for their child’s vaccinations.

However, even with COVID-19, it is important to continue actions that will protect our children. Doctor visits are critical for checking on your child’s growth, development, and getting recommended

vaccinations.

Delaying or missing vaccinations could put your child, your family, and your community at risk for serious diseases (like whooping cough, chickenpox, or measles).

It’s also important that your child stays on track with their vaccinations for school. No matter what school looks like for your child this fall, schools still need documentation that students are up-to-date on their

vaccinations.

Since many clinics have safely re-opened, we encourage all families to get their children vaccinated now.

Call your clinic to make an appointment. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Things are a little different now; we’re all getting used to something new. Your clinic can tell you what they are doing to keep patients safe.

When you go to your child’s

appointment, be prepared to wear a mask. Many clinics are not letting extra people into the clinic, so they might ask if siblings can stay home.

Your child’s doctor can help your child get the vaccinations they need. You can also request your child’s vaccination record from the Minnesota Department of Health by going to Find My Immunization Record (https://

www.health.state.mn.us/people/ immunize/miic/records.html) or calling 651-201-3980.

Parents are doing everything they can to keep their children healthy right now. We do not have a vaccine for COVID-19 yet, but keeping your child up to date on other recommended vaccines is one way you can help protect them and your community.

insightnews.com

Insight News • September 14, 2020 - September 20, 2020 • Page 7

. . . and nothing but the truth (pt. 1)

By Brenda Lyle-Gray Columnist We can’t treat voting as an errand to run if we have some time. We have to treat it as the most important action we can take on behalf of democracy.

Like John, we have to give it all we have. Barack Obama in eulogizing the late Congressman John Robert Lewis I begin by offering a sincere apology to my dear friend and publisher, Al McFarlane, for the delay in submitting my column on Kamala and Joe. The words describing “the way I see it” regarding our country and the world’s shocking, painful, and frightening state-of-affairs along with the upcoming election just wouldn’t come together. When I thought I had at least a loose handle on my understanding and acceptance of ‘what is happening is really happening’, I would lose my grip again.

Thankfully, I kept on writing.

The Caribbean and the Gulf Coast are being hammered by tropical storms Marco and Laura in a onetwo (warm ocean water) punch, 48 hours apart amid a pandemic; fires are blazing in California partly ignited by at least 12,000 lightning strikes; and even in Colorado and other southwestern locations, heavy smoke looms making morning exercise unhealthy.

Food lines continue to stretch down crowded freeways, and household utility bills have escalated because children are home and the computer stays on. Moving truck companies have waiting lists because many successful real estate corporations and landlords have no concerns or compassion for desperate and hurting people who have lost their livelihoods and unemployment.

A condescending postmaster tells congressional representatives he WILL NOT re-install mailboxes and sorting machines that would enhance convenient drop off locations for mail-in ballots.

That’s really scary. Then there is the presence of another dangerous ‘visible enemy’

with a label of Kremlin; a new virus is attacking our children; and within a few months, an uncertain and potentially perilous winter having COVID19 and the seasonal flu will land in our atmosphere simultaneously with no safe vaccine anticipated for months.

Ugly? I’d say!! Join the club.

Refuse to be overwhelmed, hopeless, and without a mustardseed faith.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.

Putting the unmatched urgency of the upcoming election into perspective, I found myself fighting to get pass the thousands of Black and Latino men and women incarcerated . . . many innocent . . . on Kamala Harris’ former California Attorney General’s watch, and murdering white police officers walking free without being held accountable. I understood the “Top Cop” role when it came to parents and their truant offspring. I was in the classroom trenches for many years and often went looking for some of my students when family telephones were out of order.

I fought their discouragement and tried to convince them they could overcome their academic deficiencies, the dangers in their neighborhoods, and multiple hardships at home.

“It’s not about either of them – Kamala or Joe, Mom,” my oldest child announced in an early morning chat. “Their history . . . what they’ve said . . . what they’ve done right or wrong, maybe unintentionally hurting others in the process . . . their losses . . . or their sacrifices. It’s not about any of that. It’about what Michelle Obama candidly declared during the viral Democratic National Convention. “We must VOTE like our life depends on it.” It won’t happen with apathic and complacent attitudes and actions. We have no time to decide whether we are going to exercise the right our ancestors many fought and died for. We cannot afford to be “TORN”.

We must move on, uniting like we have never done before.

Eight months ago, we were hearing the words ‘hoax’ and ‘conspiracy’ . . . that the virus was going away as fatalities continued to increase to now nearly 180,000 just in the U.S. Our VOTE is for all those who didn’t have to die. Our VOTE is for ‘all’ our innocent and deserving children who want to thrive in a high-quality academic environment, be challenged by great expectations, and believing in promising futures once the pandemic has softened its blows. There should be no underserved communities filled with children “at-risk” whose parents cannot find training to qualify them for decent paying jobs and trades. Our VOTE is about fighting voter suppression and squelching a hatred so historically and deeply imbedded in the souls of torch barriers that even ‘they’ do not understand their own fear coated, blatantly mean, and cruel nature. It’s about Colin Kaepernick taking a knee to the grass on a football field in front of millions around the world with a silent message - NO MORE. The killing and incarceration of innocent black and Latino men and women had to stop. The widening academic, technological, and wealth gaps had to close. Both had been that way far too long.

There’s too much at stake – a democracy WE THE PEOPLE cannot allow to be destroyed by the ‘forces of wickedness’, as the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis warned. “We have the capacity for courage and an unbreakable resilience. We must embrace this time of unprecedented opportunity for a spiritual and moral awakening which will require truth, honesty, and a passion for what is right, fair, and just.” Kamala Harris and Joe Biden love this country enough to take on challenges like no others in modern times.

We must support them “with all we have to give and pray for healing and victory. . . . . And Nothing but the Truth (pt. 2) – How an attack on democracy was allowed to fester and what we all can do.

Oprah & Ava: ‘Own Spotlight: Culture Connection & August 28th

By Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., NNPA Newswire Culture and Entertainment Editor Continuing conversations surrounding issues impacting Black lives, “OWN Spotlight: Culture Connection & August 28th, Ava DuVernay & Rev. Sharpton,” which originally aired Friday, August 28 at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET/PT on OWN, will stream for free on the Watch OWN app and the OWN Facebook and Youtube pages.

The special features Oprah Winfrey as she speaks separately with both acclaimed director Ava DuVernay and the Rev. Al Sharpton regarding the historical context of August 28th and the significance of the upcoming election, along with a special presentation of DuVernay’s short film “August 28: A Day in the Life of a People.”

During the special, Winfrey speaks with DuVernay about the work she is doing in support of social justice, how she uses history to inform her activism, and how imperative it is for everyone to vote in the upcoming election. Winfrey later discusses with Sharpton the connection of the ‘Get Off Our Necks’ Commitment March which took place on the same day as the historic March on Washington 57 years ago. Sharpton shares ways that everyone can show their support in this moment, reiterating his intention for the march is not about numbers but long-term impact.

The interviews bookend DuVernay’s scripted short-film entitled “August 28: A Day in the Life of a People,” starring Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Regina King, David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, André Holland,

photo/Oprah Winfrey_OWN Network

The special features Oprah Winfrey as she speaks separately with both acclaimed director Ava DuVernay and Rev. Al Sharpton regarding the historical context of August 28th and the significance of the upcoming election, along with a special presentation of DuVernay’s short film “August 28: A Day in the Life of a People.”

Michael Turman.

Ealy

and

Glynn

DuVernay uses a robust combination of both documentary and narrative techniques to transport viewers through six stunning historical moments that all actually occurred on the same day – August 28th – in various years.

Written, produced and directed

by DuVernay, “August 28” traverses a century of black progress, protest, passion and perseverance of African American people.

The project gives historical perspective within the creative framework of one date that has had a profound effect on America including: the passing of The Slavery Abolition Act on August 28, 1833, the lynching of Emmett Till on August 28, 1955, the first radio airplay from Motown Records on August 28, 1961 with The Marvelettes “Please Mr Postman,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech during the massive March on Washington on August 28, 1963, Hurricane Katrina making its tragic landfall on August 28, 2005 and then-Senator Barack Obama’s acceptance of the Democratic nomination for the presidency on August 28, 2008.

The film was lensed by cinematographer Malik

Sayeed and edited by Oscar nominee Spencer Averick. Tentime Grammy nominee Meshell Ndegeocello composed the score. Paul Garnes produced, with co-producers Tilane Jones and Tammy Garnes.

This special is part of OWN’s overall OWN YOUR VOTE initiative, a bipartisan registration and get-out-thevote campaign partnering with national and local grassroots and voting rights organizations to provide tools and resources that will empower Black women to vote this November. Black women powerfully influence election outcomes, and OWN YOUR VOTE supports this group of voters to show up to the polls and help friends, family, and their community to do the same. Winfrey recently shared that OWN will grant November 3rd as a company holiday to ensure all employees have the time to vote and volunteer. “I challenge other companies to do the same because this might be the most important election of our lives,” Winfrey said in her social post.

“OWN Spotlight: Culture Connection & August 28th, Ava DuVernay & Rev. Sharpton” is produced by OWN. The executive producers are Oprah Winfrey and Tara Montgomery.

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Page 8 • September 14, 2020 - September 20, 2020 • Insight News

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