December 3, 2020 - MN Spokesman-Recorder

PRST STD U.S.POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES MN PERMIT NO. 6391

THE VOICE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY SINCE 1934 December 3-9, 2020 Vol. 87 No. 18

FIND US ONLINE AT WWW.SPOKESMAN-RECORDER.COM

“AS IT WAS SPOKEN ... LET US RECORD.”

M Health Fairview closing emergency room during COVID peak denounced Money trumps mercy in cost-saving measure

E

mergency rooms in the Twin Cities and nationally remain crowded during the pandemic. said Mary Turner, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA).

In a press conference two “They have closed one hospital and are trying to weeks ago called by the MNA close another and are trying to protest the closing of St. to snowball us about it dur- Joseph’s Emergency Departing a pandemic. Nothing can ment (ED), Turner called on detract from that very fact. state elected officials to “stop [M Health Fairview] has no the closing and downsizing of conscience, none whatsoever,” hospitals during a pandemic.”

By Mel Reeves Community editor

“It is irresponsible for MHealth Fairview to take away health care and put it on two other systems that can’t handle it,” said Kelly Wiler, referring to (United Hospital) Allina and (Regions Hospital) Health Partners which along with St Joseph’s are located near downtown St.Paul. Wiler is a St. Joseph hospital nurse

who works on the Medical Surgical COVID unit, she has worked at St. Joseph’s for three years after spending six years at Bethesda Hospital, which was recently closed by MHealth Fairview.

“When they bought Health East in 2016, [M Health Fairview] promised us they would be there to take care of

New parents face tough challenges in a COVID world

45%?” asked Turner. “Aren’t they important? It’s like saying take your chances somewhere else.”

“It’s obvious they do not want to cater to that population in St. Paul. They do not want to do their share for the poor. They don’t want to do their share for the homeless.

They are only interested in getting hard cash from insurance-carrying paying customers. It’s all profit driven. It’s so wrong… It doesn’t matter how glossy their excuse.”

Campbell said the corporation wants people coming from outside the city to use St. Joseph to know that they have hospitals closer to where they live.

“It leads to bad outcomes when they use emergency rooms as primary care doctors, and it raises costs significantly.

We made commitments to improving our clinics in high-need neighborhoods in the Midway and the East Side of the St. Paul community and in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood. We want to intervene at the clinic level, which ■See Fairview on page 6

Ramsey County’s COVID-19 response includes ensuring racial equity

By Amudalat Ajasa Contributing writer

chaos of 2020 are eye-opening.

Take, for example that of Artisha Knight-Milon, a longtime resiQuarantining has presented dent of Minneapolis and a local new challenges to all of us. Stu- singer, songwriter, podcaster dents distance-learning and (Music Melanin Millennials), adults working from home are and member of the Grammy-

By Tiffany Johnson Contributing writer

“I never thought I would give birth without my mom being there.” among the most common of transitions experienced during the coronavirus pandemic.

However, it may be parents who face the greatest challenges, especially new parents.

The experiences of those bringing a child into the world for the first time during the

our community, and our community is St Paul,” explained Wiler.

According to Joe Campbell, a spokesperson for M Health Fairview, the planned December 28 closing of St. Joseph’s ED is part of the overall repurposing of that facility.

“For many, many years St. Joe’s has lost tens of millions of dollars a year, which is not sustainable. It has had major financial difficulties. The community in and around St. Joe’s is changing and needs a different kind of health service. Seventy five percent of the people who visit the emergency room are discharged without being admitted, which tells us that they would be better cared for in what we call an upstream care environment. It’s a more financially sustainable model,” explained Campbell.

Campbell also pointed out that according to M Health Fairview statistics, 55% of St. Joseph’s patients come from outside the city of St. Paul.

Wiler and others dispute Campbell’s numbers.

“Who makes up the other

award-winning group Sounds of Blackness.

This year, Knight-Milon and her husband Sherome Milon welcomed their first child, Amari, into the world. The process Artisha Knight-Milon, baby Amari and Sherome Milon and transition of welcoming a new baby was much different been a year ago before COVID "Pregnancy on its own is for them than it would have struck. kind of isolating,” said Knight■See Parents on page 6

Sara Hollie’s life experience prepared her for a unique role as a public health professional during the pandemic crisis. “My passion started at a young age because I saw the impact of disease and death and what that meant for the Black community,” she explained.

“Growing up, I watched my father, my aunt, my grandparents all be impacted by chronic disease, and some of them have passed away, so at the start of my

Sara Hollie die of chronic illnesses at a young age inspired Hollie to work on eliminating health disparities within the Black community. She was encouraged by one of her

“What COVID-19 has done in our community is exacerbating existing disparities.”

own life I wanted to be a doctor.”

Watching family members

college professors to do graduate work in public health, which ■See Ramsey on page 6

State bonding bill prioritizes investment in Communities of Color

By Charles Hallman Contributing writer Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has signed a nearly $1.9 billion bonding bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature in October.

Included in the bill are funds set aside exclusively for investment in Communities of Color.

The state constitution was amended in 1962 to allow the state to take on debt and issue bonds to help pay for construction, upkeep of public buildings and other infrastructure, and review and assemble a package of other projects they want to fund.

There have been bonding bills ever since.

“The bonding bill always felt like a secret handshake behind closed doors,” explained Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan in an MSR phone interview.

It typically leads to hours of debate among lawmakers because of competing interests and pet projects. All bonding bills must have at least a three-fifths majority vote in each chamber—81 votes in the House and 41 votes in the Senate—in order to pass The Minneapolis-based Cul-

to reimage what bonding could lion in state funds, Managing look like for all Minnesotans,” Director Gabrielle Grier told the she said. “It was important for us MSR. Investing in “predominately that right at the beginning of this Black communities” is important to the Walz-Flanagan administration, Flanagan said, stressing that it is still unsure what will happen coming out of the pandemic, esNorth Minneapolis are among process we asked to set aside $30 pecially to communities of color.

“My hope is that $30 million nine groups that will receive De- million specifically for projects partment of Employment and led by and for Communities of will turn into $60 million, and so on,” said the lieutenant governor.

Economic Development (DEED) Color.”

Juxtaposition Arts (JXTA) “Our job now is to ensure that our equity funding.

Flanagan conducted a four- was founded in 1995 as an urban communities are centered in polistop “Local Jobs and Projects youth creative education orga- cymaking and protecting the inTour” on October 29 to highlight nization on Minneapolis’ North vestments that have been in comthe equity funding. “We need Side. They will receive $1.1 mil- munities of color and Indigenous tural Wellness Center, Jutaposition Arts, and the proposed Baldwin Square theatre, café and art gallery development project in

“We are in a moment that we can measure what equity looks like.”

communities.”

The state funds will go toward JXTA’s current four-year $14 million capital and legacy campaign.

Grier said they hope to break ground on a new building next summer.

“We are in a moment that we can measure what equity looks like,” concluded Flanagan. “It took longer to pass [the bonding bill] than it should have. I think the bonding bill is one place where we can start to measure it.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.

2 December 3-9, 2020

Our Doors Are Open for the Lake Street Community.

We are proud to be back to build together with our neighbors.

Š 2020 Target Brands, Inc. The Bullseye Design and Target are registered trademarks of Target Brands, Inc. C-001374-06-009

December 3-9, 2020

3

A cool solution to hair loss from cancer chemotherapy

By Charles Crutchfield III, MD With respect to cancer treatment, chemotherapy has been extremely beneficial and effective. Unfortunately, it brings with it a common and undesirable side effect: hair loss. In fact, a small percentage of women will actually decline chemotherapy out of a desire not to lose their hair.

Fortunately, research and practice in Europe have brought new promise in minimizing the side effect of hair loss. Researchers have discovered that by reducing the temperature of the scalp during chemotherapeutic sessions, the cooling measure has a significant protective effect in preventing or greatly reducing the hair loss experienced by many patients undergoing the cancer treatments.

The concept is rational and straightforward: The cooling of the skin of the scalp causes the blood vessels to shrink, and it reduces the total blood flow in the skin of the scalp that surrounds the hair follicles. With less blood flowing to the area, there is much

less of the chemotherapeutic drug available to affect the hair follicles. Less drug exposure results in less hair loss.

Both studies used a scalp cooling system where a chilled liquid coolant is continuously circulated inside a cooling cap that covers the head. The cooling is started before the initiation of chemotherapy, and the scalp cooling is continued for 90 minutes after the chemotherapy is discontinued.

This machine-regulated, circulating system offers better temperature regulation over the older versions where caps filled with liquid coolant were kept frozen and changed out every 30 minutes or so.

The treatment itself is very well tolerated. No patient discontinued their participation in either study due to treatment discomfort. Most patients reported that the treatments were a bit chilly and mildly uncomfortable for just the first few minutes, after which the treatment became almost undetectable.

The results are both impressive and promising. It should be noted that there are several different chemotherapeutic agents used, so results are both dependent on the participant’s individual genetic response and the chemotherapeutic medicine used.

Overall, among patients undergoing chemotherapy and using the scalp cooling system, 55 percent kept at least half or more of their hair, and approximately seven percent of the treated patients kept all their hair. In contrast, women undergoing chemotherapy who did not use the cooling system experienced a significant or total scalp hair loss a frustrating 95 percent of the time.

The scalp cooling systems used in the two studies were 1)

the Digni Cap and 2) the Paxman Scalp Cooling System.

Both systems have received FDA clearance. Experts comment that this type of treatment is best for the chemotherapy required for solid cancers, such as breast cancer, but not for liquid/ blood cancers.

Currently, the scalp cooling systems are not widely available but are becoming more so.

It is rarely covered by insurance, so the cost is paid out-of-pocket by the majority of patients using Patients and physicians both tient will want scalp cooling treatit, and the cost averages about $2,000 for a set of treatments. Pa- acknowledge that not every pa- ments. This choice is analogous to

the case where not every woman has breast reconstructive surgery or elects to wear a hairpiece. For some patients, hair retention helps to preserve self-esteem; for others, it offers a measure of control over an involuntary and very difficult situation.

Nevertheless, most believe that every person should have the option of using a scalp cooling system to preserve hair during chemotherapy treatments.

Fortunately, the scalp cooling systems are here now and becoming more readily available.

Reprinted from a May 2017 column. A previous version of this story stated the Digni Cap and the Paxman Scalp Cooling System had both been “FDA approved.” The story has been updated to clarify they have been “FDA cleared.”

Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD is a board certified dermatologist and Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He also has a private practice in Eagan, MN. He received his M.D. and Master’s Degree in Molecular Biology and Genomics from the Mayo Clinic. He has been selected as one of the top 10 dermatologists in the United States by Black Enterprise magazine. Dr. Crutchfield was recognized by Minnesota Medicine as one of the 100 Most Influential Healthcare Leaders in Minnesota.

He is the team dermatologist for the Minnesota Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves, Wild and Lynx. Dr. Crutchfield is an active member of both the American and National Medical Associations. tients and physicians alike are hopeful that insurance providers will provide better coverage as the procedure gains popularity and demonstrates continued effectiveness.

4

December 3-9, 2020

The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR) welcomes and values commentary and feedback from the community. The articles found here are edited for clarity and/or space, but the opinions are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of the MSR.

A growing divide

By Clarence Hightower

No time to rest

By Oscar C. Blayton Now that the 2020 election is over, people have been celebrating in the streets across America.

But as we survey the rubble that is left of an America battered by the last four years under a Trump administration, we see there is a lot of work to be done.

Children are still in cages along our southern borders. Police murders of innocent People of Color are still rampant. Conservative politicians refusing to wear masks during the COVID19pandemic and yelling “My body, my choice,” are prepared to imprison any woman whoexercises her reproductive rights over her own body.

America is in a dangerous place. Donald Trump has emboldened and encouraged the inner demons of White supremacists to act out their hatred toward anyone they consider to be an “other.” The vast majority of White, self-proclaimed Christian evangelists have abandoned anypretense of human decency and make it clear that brotherly love and Christian charity are not meant for People of Color.

White middle-class Americans, coded as “suburban moms,” have demonstrated by a majority of their votes that they are willing to accept the brand of raw racism that Trump represents. This, while engaging in “woke performances” to make an outward show of believing in human decency towards all.

Joe Biden’s election has not bent the arc of the moral universe

toward justice. It has merely flattened it back to its previous course of injustice. Biden has a history of making common cause with racial conservatives, many of whom were segregationists.

And we should not wait to see if his words of equality are turned into dust by his actions. Instead, we must stay on the move and continue to push, and push hard, for our own freedoms.

Yes, communities of color are exhausted. It is understandable why we are tired. We barely eked out a win after a bruising political battle with a hateful and determined segment of this country that pins its rising quality of life on our oppression.

Now we want to take a break from this constant struggle, sit back, and feel good about what we have accomplished so far. But this is no time to rest.

For us to rest now would be as disastrously careless as an athletic team celebrating its stellar performance during the first period of play and then not showing up for the remainder of the game.

We must be mindful of the history of our continued struggle. In the 1960s, the civil rights agenda was being pushed forward and the sense of accomplishment in the Black community was exhilarating. But although we celebrated the progress we made at the time, we knew that the goal of universal equality had not been achieved, and we fought on.

The struggle must continue because victory has not yet been won.

We have more People of Color in elected office than

ever before. But now that they are in office, we cannot sit back and wait for them to deliver. We must ask them, “What can we do to help you deliver for us?” We must partner with the people we put in office.

One of the persistent complaints voiced by Black elected officials is that when they sit intheir city council or school board meetings, seldom do they see the people who put them there.

This is a problem on the local, state and federal levels of government. It is difficult to make a convincing argument on behalf of people who do not bother to show up in support of their own demands.

And it is particularly difficult when other elected officials, who are not interested in our welfare, must be moved to support our interests.

Winning an election is never anything more than a beginning—a first step on a long journey towards achieving a goal. So, sure, stop and take a deep breath. Stretch your political muscles and loosen them up. Straighten your back and strengthen your resolve. And then take the next steps towards making this country and this world what we want it to be.

Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia.

“There’s no historic parallel for what’s happening here for women. We have nothing to compare it to—not the 2008 recession or the Great Depression,” said Nicole Mason, president and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

The coronavirus pandemic has reshaped the U.S. labor force in ways that will take years from which to recover. We continue to struggle with an economic recession, increasing COVID-19 infection rates, and related disruptions to daily life.

Long term unemployment, uncertain child care, and schooling arrangements renewed shutdowns across the county, and decreased consumer confidence have resulted in large numbers of workers leaving the workforce. Those leaving are disproportionately women.

According to a National Women’s Law Center analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics September jobs report, 865,000 women dropped out of the labor force between August and September, compared to 216,000 men exiting the workforce during the same period.

Recently released results from an annual survey by McKinsey & Co. and Lean In found that one in four women are considering reducing hours, shifting to part-time roles, switching to less demanding jobs, taking leaves of absence, or leaving the workforce entirely.

Industries such as healthcare, education, service, and hospitality which are largely femaledominated have been hardest hit by the pandemic.

By April nearly 72% of housekeepers surveyed had reported losing their client base. This

spring, when governments ordered shutdowns and restaurants lost dine-in customers nearly overnight, they were forced to furlough their servers—roughly 70% of whom were women.

Over the summer as states reopened some jobs returned, however, the present surge in COVID-19 cases and renewed restrictions on restaurants, bars, and travel have many officials expecting a new wave of unemployment claims.

For women still working, the rapid shift to onlineonly or hybrid schooling this spring brought new challenges.

Throughout the pandemic, absent the help of child care centers or schools, the responsibilities of caring for and educating children has fallen disproportionately on women. With coronavirus cases rising across the country, districts that had resumed inperson classes are now shifting back to distance learning, often with little notice to families.

According to the McKinsey & Co. and Lean In survey, this fall twice as many working mothers said they were concerned about their job performance because of their caretaking responsibilities. For single mothers, whose incomes are the sole support for their families, these challenges are even greater.

Beyond just the personal toll, analysts are concerned the recent labor force changes will have a profound impact on women’s progress. Gender pay equity will likely stall, if not decrease. The number of women achieving management and executive-level roles may also decrease. And on an individual level, the decision to exit the workforce this year will likely have a life-long impact on women’s professional and financial goals.

These changes will also have a significant impact on businesses. A study by Pepperdine University that spanned 19 years and 215 companies found a strong correlation between the representation of women in the workforce and business profitability.

And then there are the broader economic implications. Fewer people participating in the labor market generally correlates to a lower economic output, which in turn will likely depress and

delay longer-term economic recovery.

According to a recent United Nations study, the pandemic induced combined impacts of a slowing economy, job losses and lack of social protections are likely to push between 71 million and 135 million people into extreme poverty globally. In the United States, the poverty rate was 16.7% as of September, an increase of 1.4% since February of this year.

Increases in poverty rates are expected to further worsen gender poverty gaps, especially for people aged 25 to 34—prime reproductive years. New poverty forecasts are indicating that the number of women living in poverty is expected to rise as much as 9.1% by 2021 as a result of COVID-19 related factors.

As winter approaches and new public health measures are enacted in an effort to restrain further spread of the coronavirus, people continue to struggle.

Businesses face a new round of closures, some of which may become permanent without additional financial support. Federal government aid programs are set to expire by year’s end and legislators in Washington seem unable to work together to provide the stimulus funding economists say is necessary.

On a local level, county and state officials are exploring ways to lessen the blow, tapping into already strapped budgets to support small businesses, with the hope that they, in turn, will be able to support their workers.

It will take time for us to learn just how much this pandemic has changed our way of life, but early indicators are that it has had a profound impact on working people, especially women, which will leave us divided in so many ways.

Dr. Clarence Hightower is a visionary leader with more than 37 years of nonprofit experience in the Twin Cities. He is the current executive director of the Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County, one of the largest anti-poverty organizations in the area and the state’s largest Energy Assistance program. He welcomes reader responses to chightower@caphennepin. org.

Distance learning challenges parents and helpers they rely upon

By Gina Adams With schools and child care centers closed or re-closing across the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the largest public school system in the U.S., working parents are in a tough situation. These families must make difficult decisions regarding their need to earn a living, keep their family safe and healthy, and support their children’s learning—trade-offs that are particularly risky for parents with fewer resources, who face challenges on all sides.

Urban Institute's analysis of recent data from the Federal Household Pulse Survey shows only 45% of parents with schoolage children engaged in remote learning report that any adult in their household had moved to telework because of the pandemic, with 15 million parents reporting that no adult in the household had switched to telework.

The Pulse Survey also shows that those who did not move to telework are disproportionately low-income and Black or Latino parents.

Faced with these trade-offs between work and child care, an

alarming number of parents, particularly women, have stepped out of the labor force. But for those still working without the option to telecommute, remote learning poses the foreboding question: Who will help the children with their schooling, if not them?

To answer that question, we analyzed data from a University of Oregon survey of parents across the country with children younger than five. For respondents working full time who have a second school-aged child engaged in distance learning, the answer has been external caregivers—relatives, neighbors, and other adults—assisting in some capacity.

These working parents were five times as likely to report relying somewhat or completely on others to assist their kids with distance learning than parents who were unemployed or laid off and were half as likely to assist their child’s online learning by themselves.

Working parents are more likely to rely on non-parental help with kids' online learning The University of Oregon’s Rapid Assessment of Pandemic

Impact on Development - Early Childhood Survey is designed to gather essential information regarding the needs, healthpromoting behaviors, and wellbeing of families with children during the COVID-19 pandemic

on families facing the most significant challenges during the pandemic, policymakers and educators should invest in supporting parents and the full range of caregivers supporting distance learning.

“Those who did not move to telework are disproportionately low-income and Black or Latino parents.” in the United States.

For the parents in this survey who were working full time, grandparents (20.9%) were the most common non-parental caretaker assisting with children’s distance learning, and siblings (5.8%), neighbors (4.5 %), and nannies (7.6 %) were also named.

The survey also found 40% of working parents used more than one approach to support their children’s remote learning, which could be a combination of parents and other caregivers or multiple non-parental caregivers.

Three ways stakeholders and policymakers can support these caregivers To ease some of the burdens

Schools and parent-serving organizations should reach out to working parents and other caregivers. Through outreach to parents, afterschool providers, employers, and children’s caregivers, educators can identify how to best meet the needs of children involved in remote learning whose parents must go to work.

Schools should provide training, resources, and technology to those caring for children of working parents to support distance learning. In Maryland, Washington County Public Schools provided a day-long training session for child care and afterschool providers to demonstrate remote

learning best practices. This training can help a student’s caregiver answer questions and address problems that may arise during remote learning.

Federal and state governments should expand funding for child care subsidies and afterschool programs. The parents most likely to be called into work have lower incomes and have limited access to affordable, quality child care and afterschool options.

Policymakers can ensure these parents have equal access by expanding funding for child care subsidies and incentivizing collaboration between the education system, child care providers, and the child care subsidy system.

Georgia and Virginia have each taken steps in this direction, with the SOLVE (Supporting Onsite Learning for Virtual Education Program) model in Georgia helping pay for care and supervision of children in distance learning and the Virginia Department of Education and Social Services (PDF) providing clear and comprehensive guidance around working with child caregivers to support remote learning.

With more working parents gravitating towards smaller, home-based settings for distance learning, it’s important for each of these steps to be available for the full range of caregivers.

Parents with lower incomes, higher health risks, and children with greater school challenges will find it hardest to balance working, staying safe and healthy, and supporting their children.

Without intervention, the inequitable remote learning experience observed in the spring could continue and deepen the damage to children’s academic success, threaten a parent’s ability to work, and undermine our economic recovery.

But with increased outreach, training, and funding for the range of helpers that parents are relying on, these parents could go into work without worrying about jeopardizing their children’s education.

Gina Adams is a senior fellow at the Urban Institute.

Business

December 3-9, 2020

5

Family business making strides in challenging times Smoke in the Pit

Black Business SPOTLIGHT People were walking from The business landscape has down the block [of George changed quite a bit in the last Floyd’s memorial site] to puryear due to the coronavirus pan- chase our food. The blockage demic. Many local businesses was north, south, east and west.

Due to the [intersection] were also impacted by the ongoing civil unrest following the blockage, we did not have our police killing of George Floyd in usual customers. We noticed our regular customers and our sales May. The MSR spoke with owners started trickling down since. It Dwight (DA) and Ivy Alexander was hard for our delivery ser(IA), co-owners of Smoke In the vice to get into the area. The Pit in the heart of South Minne- pandemic and the unrest have apolis to see how the eatery has dampened our sales and caused fared during these uncertain us to decrease our hours. We are now closed on Mondays for a times.

Mental Day. MSR: How has business MSR: How did you get into been during the pandemic and business? civil unrest?

Ivy Alexander: The business address is 3733 Chicago, about 1000 feet where the unrest happened or the unrest started. During the pandemic, we remained open because we are a curbsidetakeout-pick-up restaurant.

It didn’t affect us to have to shut down, but it did affect us because we had to go to our delivery service. People were and still are really social distancing.

With the unrest happening, there was an influx of business and the sales were out the door.

care of and to feed— that’s how I started this business in our backyard with that particular grill. I had to make cooking full-time.

The mentality of the smoke motivated me to make up the lost income and to make something my own.

MSR: What advice do you have for others thinking about going into business?

IA: Being a Black business owner and working a job outside of your own business gives you more of a drive. You work harder ’cause you’re working for self and it gives you the power to make decisions. You work even harder because it leaves something for your generations to come.

We have property now and we give back to the community by employing people in the neighborhood. We, the Alexanders, are givers; we love to give back to the community. That’s one of the great things about having your own. It also gives the younger generations a view Dwight Alexander: Cooking that you can do it. Get out there is something I love to do, and and get your 40 acres and a mule. when I was working, I couldn’t I got mine at Smoke in the Pit. beat the clock on time. If I MSR: What is one thing you couldn’t make the clock on time then I would be out of a job and have learned that you wish you knew when youopened your that’s what happened.

After I got fired, I asked God business? if he ever gave me another job, I IA: I am a Black woman, CEO, would respect it ’cause I lost a big income when I was in the work- co-owner of Smoke in the Pit, force. I had to find something to and also a military veteran. I bedo that I loved, to make me want lieve we could have set my menu prices a little bit higher from the to get up and be motivated.

I knew I had a family to take beginning. We should have re-

Dwight Alexander and wife Ivy Alexander, owners of Smoke in the Pit

IA: The flavor of the food. Everything we do is from a recipe.

We don’t just pour from a bag.

People like to know we do our cooking with love and from a recipe. We cook, we prep, and we all learn the recipe.

Sometimes you go into restaurants and the meat may be good, but the sides are not or vice versa. Our meat complements our sides and our sides complement our meat. With family recipes, you get good food all around IA: What’s your most popu- each and every time. lar item? Why do you think that MSR: Is there anything else is?

DA: Everything, because I you’d like to add? made the menu. We believe the IA: We want to speak on the smoked wings because they’re smoked, not flame-broiled. Can’t blockage. When we first started get them for at least 100 miles. on that block as a Black business The wings have been a hit every- owner it was diverse. We had to where. Whoever has been served come in and prove we belong our smoked wings always want- there. When we got there, there was a lot going on but we made ed more. it through the storm.

We began to work with evWhat sets your business erybody and became a tight-knit apart from similar businesses? business group, helping each searched the prices and marketing deeper. We think our prices were too low in the beginning so we had to raise it up a little.

People complained because they were used to one price, but I had to make some changes. People didn’t like it but they need to understand it has to make sense to stay in business. We have been in business for seven-plus years and I think we are going to make it.

Photo by Nikki Love

other out. When the George Floyd killing happened, I didn’t hold Cup Foods accountable—I fought the cop. I do not have a problem with Cup Foods reopening. I feel people need to heal from what has happened.

This is the first time people have acknowledged the police have done an unjust to our Black men and women. It is prominent that Cup Foods on 38th and Chicago remains a memorial site.

Move the blockage! The blockage is causing the crime rate to rise in the area and it needs to stop.

Smoke in the Pit is located at 3733 Chicago Avenue in South Minneapolis. For the most current hours and info, call 612-315-3145.

—Interview and photos by Nikki Love, except where noted.

She welcomes readers' responses to nlove@spokesman-recorder. com.

6 December 3-9, 2020

Fairview Continued from page 1 leads to better health for our patients,” said the M Health Fairview spokesman.

“There are too many emergency care hospitals in downtown St. Paul. We don’t treat COVID patients in our emergency room,” insisted Campbell. “It should not impact our ability to treat COVID patients.

But Wiler says she has little faith in M Health Fairview’s word.

“They didn’t make up for the beds that they lost at Bethesda. There were over 100 COVID beds, and they didn’t replace them,” she said.

The emergency department is a point of contact for many seeking medical treatment, especially for those without health insurance.

While M Health Fairview insists that over 70% of those who used the St. Joseph emergency room could have used one of their primary care clinics, Wiler pointed out that is not how this working-class population functions.

“Going to work because they

Parents Continued from page 1 Milon. “It was like me and her for months, and I felt like with quarantine it just kept us in the house even more.”

Pregnancy brings about limitations of its own, but pregnancy during quarantine proved to be a double-whammy when it came to participating in activities. “Not only are you pregnant, but now we’re going to close the rest of the world down,” KnightMilon remarked.

“On the medical appointment side, for it being my first time, it was pushing me over the edge a little bit.” Even seemingly simple things like medical visits became arduous to deal with.

For instance, Knight-Milon

ramsey Continued from page 1 she did, acquiring a master’s degree in public health administration from the University of Minnesota.

Since graduating she has spent over a decade in public health, previously working at the Minnesota Department of Health before taking on her role at Ramsey County. Now she works as a racial and health equality administrator on Ramsey County’s Health and Wellness Service Team.

After witnessing the impact of COVID-19 on Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) communities, Hollie and a fellow race and health equity administrator took the initiative to create Ramsey County’ s Racial Equity and Community Engagement Response Team (RECERT).

RECERT was convened in April 2020 to ensure racial equity and community engagement are addressed during the COVID-19 response.

It advises the County on the priorities, policies, systems and environmental changes with a charge to advance racial equity throughout the duration of the COVID-19 emergency.

“After looking at data from other states back in March, we saw the rates of COVID really impacting our racially diverse and ethnically diverse communities,” said Hollie.

Ramsey County’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 27,756 confirmed cases at the end of Thanksgiving weekend; of that total, 3,819 were Black.

“Our [Black] communities have continued to be impacted by health disparities,” Hollie stated. “What COVID-19 has done in our community is ex-

can’t miss work—that is a priority.

Making sure their kids are taken care of is their priority. Taking care of themselves is not their priority.

And that is their decision to make.

“When I have to live paycheck to paycheck I am going to work and make sure I can pay the rent,” explained the nurse. “God help me if I lose this job during this pandemic.

I won’t get another. So I am going to work.

“So what we are seeing when they are coming to the ER [is that] they are so sick and are scared they are going to get something else while they are there.”

Wiler said that St Joseph’s is already scaling back medical procedures and emergency services.

“There is a list of services that St. Joe’s is no longer providing. So they have to get back in the ambulance and drive around until they find another hospital…to have their stroke taken care of.”

According to Wiler, St. Paul hospitals Regions, United and St. Joseph’s formerly all worked together. “Even when there wasn’t COVID we diverted patients to

one another to help ease the load for one another,” she said.

Health Partners and Allina Health voiced concerns about the closing of St. Joseph’s ED. Alina Health wrote in an email statement to the MSR that, “against the backdrop of an ongoing mental health crisis that is further exacerbated by the pandemic, Allina Health continues to be extremely concerned about the planned closure of the St. Joseph’s emergency department--the key access point for the sickest in our community needing hospital care--by the end of the year.

“All hospitals and emergency departments, including United’s, are already under enormous strain to meet the care needs of the community. Any reduction in access will further exacerbate an already difficult situation to ensure care for our community’s increasing emergency care, COVID-19 and mental health needs. Given the short timeframe and current COVID crisis, there has not been enough time or focus to understand and plan for the implications of a disruption of

this magnitude to the community.”

Health Partners also responded to the closing.

“Continuing to have St. Joe’s as part of our COVID-19 solution, including emergency room care and inpatient care, will be critical over the next several months. Longer term, we will need to work together with M Health Fairview and other health systems to address the needs of the community, including mental health,” wrote Health Partners in an email to the MSR. When informed that the other hospitals systems viewed the closing of St.Joseph’s ED as potentially problematic MNA head Turner responded, “It tells the story.

If the other two health care systems are saying our ED’s are swamped.”

“We are still getting patients. Sick people are still coming through the door. Stabbings are coming through the door. Car accidents are still coming through the door.

And they are going to keep coming,” observed the nurse. “United and Regions cannot handle the full load of St. Paul without becoming strained in staff and supplies.”

According to Wiler, over a thousand people a year are coming through St Joseph’s ED. “Where are those people going to go” she asked. “Many are not going to find their way to St. John’s in Maplewood. And a lot of the former Bethesda patients will have to go to Woodbury. We take the uninsured… We always had uninsured folks.”

MNA union member Mable Sale calls the hospital and ED closing “a kind of redlining. Black and Brown people are going to be disproportionately affected by this.

Hospital ER’s are still going to be needed,” she said.” The clinics are still not providing emergent services. It’s like comparing apples to oranges.”

Wiler explained that, neither doctors nor nurses know exactly how the hospital will function without an Emergency Department. “We don’t know for sure which units will stay open. We have overflow COVID patients on other units and we don’t know where they are going to go.”

“We are pissed off,” said Wiler,

who takes the closing personally.

“We want to take care of people. We want to take care of this community.

That’s what we do. Nurses are not afraid to come to work. We respect the virus and we play by its rules.

We know that there are emergencies. But we show up every damn day.”

However, according to Campbell, “The metric we should be using is available staff. We have plenty of space. What we don’t have is the people to take care of them.”

“People are going to really feel it when St. Joe’s ED is not there. There will be a real eyeopener,” mused Turner.

“From Bethesda to St. Joe’s, these folks are just bailing on Frogtown,” said Frogtown Neighborhood Association ED Caty Royce.

had made plans to deliver at a certain hospital. “I remember a specific phone call… Now I’m in tears because they were telling me I had to deliver at a hospital in St. Paul and not Abbot where my mind was set.

“I knew the hospital, I knew what I was doing, I knew where I was going, and they called me [about the change] like a week before I delivered,” she explained recalling her frustration.

These kinds of abrupt changes were not few and far between and are a direct outcome of the ever-changing realities and stipulations of quarantine. “I planned a water birth. I couldn’t do that because they didn’t now the ins and outs of how [COVID-19] spreads,” said KnightMilon.

Similar challenges followed Knight-Milon all the way to her day of delivery. “[In] the delivery room, I had to take a COVID test because I had a fever.”

While her fever was unrelated to COVID-19, it still required extra procedures that made her delivery much more complicated. Another drastic change that she encountered was limitation on who could be with her during the delivery. “I never imagined—me being the baby of the family and being the last to have kids—I never thought I would give birth without my mom being there,” she lamented.

“There’s nothing like your mom, a woman who went through this, to be in there with you.”

But Knight-Milon said the upside of her unpredictable and

unplanned situation is that it gave her an opportunity to lean on her husband Sherome even more.

Sherome, a first-time father who is an educator for Minneapolis Public Schools and a grad student, talked about the bright side of parenting during this complex time. “Being a quarantine dad is great,” he said.

“Being able to wake up in the morning and see [Amari], I have not missed anything. Her first crawling, her little teeth coming in… I’ve been able to be a part of all of it,” he said proudly.

For expecting mothers, especially during quarantine, Knight-Milon offers a bit of advice: “Somebody connected me with a place called Everyday Miracles. They have all of the

parenting and labor classes and just a bunch of other [resources],” she said. “[You can] connect with other moms, know you’re not by yourself even if it feels like it. If you have a partner, include them in as much of the experience as you can.”

Shaniah Smith is the office and education coordinator at Every Miracles as well as a doula. Doulas provide a continuous source of comfort, encouragement and support, both emotional and physical, during labor.

Smith’s coping advice: “Be patient with yourself. Having a baby and being pregnant is already a challenge, and then adding the pandemic on top of it makes it even more difficult.”

She also urges mothers to

acerbating those disparities.”

RECERT was formed to bolster links between the Ramsey County community and the County’s operations, particularly its impact on the BIPOC community. Hollie has been coleading RECERT since March.

In coordination with RECERT, the County launched the Equity Action Circle (EAC) in May in an effort to help community members address racial disparities. Neither RECERT nor EAC are formal departments, but they report to the County manager. RECERT is tasked with providing weekly work plans that may require partnership with other departments across Ramsey County.

“One of my primary roles is to work with our trusted messengers and community agencies during this time to assure that we are getting resources out to the community with the primary goal of making sure we have accurate and up-todate information to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” explained Hollie.

“This work is really important because COVID-19 has exacerbated the disparities that already existed. Oftentimes there is misinformation we want to make sure our community is formed by people who look like them who they trust using culturally specific ways.

Our cultural community connectors play an important role in making that happen.”

Another step in prevention is repairing the tarnished relationship between the BIPOC community and the health care system. Historically there have been longstanding issues with access to health care and the disparate treatment of individuals based on race.

“We also have to reach the people in our community that

are struggling to trust systems because they may have been misinformed or hurt by health care systems or government systems in the past,” said Hollie.

Based on 2018 American Community Survey data, Ramsey County is made up

of 40.44% BIPOC community members. Despite making up less than half of the Ramsey County population, BIPOC and race-unknown individuals reportedly make up 52% of the cumulative positives.

“COVID-19 is real and it’s impacting us,” said Hollie. “If

I can say anything to our community, it’s please remain vigilant and prevent the spread of this disease.

“Continue to protect yourself during these times. Wear a mask, wash your hands, social distance, stay at home if you can, don’t have social gather-

Mel Reeves welcomes reader responses to mreeves@spokesmanrecorder.com.

lean into methods of virtual connection. “Everyday Miracles provides car seats, breast pumps, doulas, and then we have classes. The doula work obviously has changed a lot with hospital limitations and birthing limitations,” said Smith.

In March, Everyday Miracles began providing their classes in a virtual platform. “Now that people are getting comfortable with doing classes virtually, [they’re] starting to go really well,” said Smith.

For more information on Everyday Miracles, go to www.everydaymiracles.org.

Tiffany Johnson welcomes reader responses to tjohnson@spokesmanrecorder.com. ings. I just want to see our communities thrive and survive this pandemic.”

Amudalat Ajasa welcomes reader responses to aajasa@spokesman-recorder.com.

December 3-9, 2020

7

Former inmate Michael Powell sings Beethoven in new opera

By Nadine Matthews Contributing writer Though classical music has often been used as a cultural cudgel of White supremacy, history illustrates that some of Black America’s foremost thinkers have enjoyed it, valued it and found uplift in it much like they found inspiration in African American spirituals.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reportedly loved the operas of Lucia Donizetti. W.E.B. DuBois commented of German composer Richard Wagner (so infamous for his anti-Semitism there was a longtime ban on his music being played in Israel) that “no human being can afford not to know” Wagner’s works.

Opera is the vehicle Ethan Heard, co-director of the forward-thinking Heartbeat Opera, uses in his company’s quest to raise awareness of racial injustice. In 2014, its third season, Heartbeat Opera started turning toward addressing those issues. “I personally started getting involved, and saw opera is really mired in some very racist, sexist traditions,” said Heard.

In 2018, its consciousness raised by the Black Lives Matter Movement, Heartbeat Opera decided to use their work to respond. “We saw we were just doing work by White writers, and felt it was time to research work by Black composers,” said Heard.

Mounting a production of Beethoven’s opera “Fidelio,” they included singers from a number of prison choral groups. The opera chronicles

Davis.

Six performances of “Breathing Free” will be presented on Heartbeat Opera’s YouTube channel, December 4 thru 12. Each performance will be followed by live panel discussion covering a number of issues such as opera’s historic indifference to colonization of people of color, the intersectionality of queerness and Blackness, reparations, and allyship. There is a private link for ticket holders and comp tickets for those experiencing financial difficulty.

One of the panels, called “Voices of Incarceration,” will feature Michael Powell, one of the men who performs in perhaps the most celebrated scene in the opera, the “Prisoner’s Chorus” (O Welche Lust).

A percussionist for many years before he was incarcerated, Powell became a vocalist Michael Powell as Lafayette in a production of “Hamilton” in Marion Correctional FaciliPhoto by Kyle Long ty’s KUJI Men’s Chorus. Prior to participating in “Breathing

Free,” he played Lafayette in their production of “Hamilton.”

Powell recalled being taken aback when they were first asked to perform the “Prisoner’s Chorus.” “Where I’m from, we don't do opera. That is not in our wheelhouse at all!”

Though the themes of the chorus were familiar to Powell, the language was not. The “Prisoners Chorus” was to be sung in the native German by the inmates. “I didn’t have the confidence in my voice and I didn’t think I could learn German,” he confided. Powell was also not going to be satisfied with merely learning the words in German. “I wanted to know what the words meant so I could convey the feeling behind it.”

Eventually, Powell, who was recently released from prison primarily because of a rampant COVID-19 outbreak there, found his way: “Imag-

a wife’s boundless quest to free her wrongfully incarcerated husband.

This year, Heartbeat Opera built on that collaboration with “Breathing Free,” affirmatively celebrating Black voices in the classical music space. “‘Breathing Free’ is a 45-minute visual album that features excerpts from Beethoven’s politically symbolic opera ‘Fidelio,’ Negro sprituals, and other works

by Black composers and lyricists,” said Heard. The composers include Harry Michael Powell (third from right) and KUJI Men’s Chorus rehearsal video still T. Burleigh, Florence Price, Photo by Ethan Heard Langston Hughes, and Fulani

ine being secluded for so long and then stepping out into the light. You have trepidation about going out there because you don’t want it to be taken from you. I could identify with that,” he said.

The Ohio-born-and-raised Powell also had the epiphany that he had been in a prison for much longer than he realized. “It helped me see that I had been living like that long before I ever got incarcerated.

Even things like being too happy or too boisterous,” said Powell. “I didn’t want to be too happy because I thought someone might come along and try to take that away from me.”

As for what he’d like viewers to take away from watching the production, Powell said he wants them to know, “One, there is power in love and when someone truly loves someone there are no obstacles they can’t overcome.”

Powell points to Kendrick Lamar and Jay Z as some of his favorite musicians. “Those artists,” said Powell, “make the type of music that speak about the experiences of their lives, but also how they transcended them, and give a call to action to listeners to move forward and be better.”

For more info, visit heartbeatopera.org.

Nadine Matthews welcomes readers' response to nmatthews@ spokesman-recorder.com.

‘If You See Me’ offers remarkable glimpse into the Minneapolis sound BOOK REVIEW

By Dwight Hobbes Contributing writer Veteran pop-funkster Pepé Willie teams up with accomplished author Tony Keine to entertain music lovers, especially Prince fans, with the page-turning “If You See Me” (Minnesota Historical Society).

Willie, a vocalist-songwriter whose pedigree harks to the seminal do-wop days of the ’50s, has an interesting tale to tell of his history in the industry, and Keine conveys it effortlessly in a sharp, fluid style.

Immediately refreshing is that, unlike, for instance, “The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince” by the late superstar’s ex-wife

Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society

Mayte Garcia, this is by no means a blatant digging up of his bones for transparent purpose of selfpromotion.

Willie doesn’t make himself out to be inseparable pals with His Royal Purpleness but a longtime friend and professional associate in a relationship that, like any other, had its ins, outs, ups and downs. Considering Prince’s public persona and the media’s attendant gossiping, its gratifying that Willie neither deifies nor demonizes him, but presents the picture of a very human, often admirable, and sometimes unlikeable person.

The book title comes from the song Willie penned that Prince basically appropriated and turned into “Do Yourself A Favor,” the sardonic, dance jam from 1999 about embittered love.

Willie bears no grudge and, in fact, simply explains how this and other tunes were, shall we say, embellished on and lets it go at that.

The book is a true find in tracing Willie’s career from his integral involvement in the ’70s Minneapolis Sound bands 94 East and Cookhouse 5, to his teenage years of bopping around Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, latching onto his uncle Clarence Collins’ (whoprovides the foreword) historic singing group Little Anthony & The Imperials.

He started out about as humbly as it gets, as a go-fer. His foot in the proverbial door, Willie nudged it open and eventually stepped through in his own right.

By the time he takes a bow in the chapter “Hall of Fame,” he clearly has earned it. “[Both] The Time and Flyte Time’s” an excerpt relates, were inducted into the Minnesota Black Music Hall of Fame.

The next year, the awards show was relocated to Roy Wilkins Auditorium in downtown St. Paul. The move was

Pepé Willie (left) with the late Prince (seated) Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society made in order to accommodate what might have been the second most memorable event of 1987 (that is, after the Minnesota Twins’ World Series victory): a reunion performance by The Time.

“Sometime the following summer, I received notice of what would be one of the biggest moments of my career. On October 1, 1988, I was to be inducted into the Minnesota Black Music Hall of Fame. At that point it occurred to me that someone had indeed noticed my contributions to the Minneapolis Sound.”

Take with a grain of salt the publisher's claim that he is the “Godfather of the Minneapolis Sound. Though there’s no denying Willie played an important part after arriving in late 1975, that particular music scene was underway, having seen its formative years in the ’60s with the likes of such acts as Maurice McKinnies; The Champions, The Cast-

aways, Wee Willie Walker and others.

There are also gaps in the narrative, including Willie’s foray into drugs and later getting out of it, but not a word on what happened in-between, whether he had a habit that held him back or was simply a dabbler. Several chapters go a bit out of the way to continually name-drop and reminisce about hobnobbing.

Ultimately, there’s nothing in the pages to make you sorry you bought the book. It’s a welcome chronicle by a noteworthy man who was on-hand for some of the most remarkable music the business has ever seen.

For more book info, visit www. mnhs.org/mnhspress/books/if-yousee-me.

Dwight Hobbes welcomes readers' responses to dhobbes@spokesmanrecorder.com.

8

December 3-9, 2020

December 3-9, 2020

COVID spread causing 'surreal' staffing problems in nursing homes

By Peter Cox – MPR News Long-term care in Minnesota is in dire need of staffing support, industry and public health leaders say. With new COVID-19 cases in the thousands and the spread continuing widely, large numbers of staff are out sick or quarantining because of exposure.

The shortages are coming at a difficult time in the pandemic.

In the last month, nearly 85 percent of skilled nursing facilities have had at least one case of COVID-19, which has meant most facilities are currently dealing with the virus, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

The situation is forcing officials to take unusual measures to fill gaps. They plan to email thousands of state employees asking them if they would temporarily work in long-term care.

“We're trying to really turn over every stone so to speak, to think about ways to support the staffing needs across the health care continuum, but particularly in long term care, with the number of health care workers in these settings that continue to be exposed,” said Jan Malcolm, Minnesota’s health commissioner.

From the beginning of the pandemic to mid-October, the Minnesota National Guard provided emergency staffing to three long-term care facilities.

In the last month, the Guard has been called out six more times and are still helping in four of

Advertorial UNITING CHANGEMAKERS TO CREATE A COMMUNITY WHERE ALL PEOPLE THRIVE We live in a world where divisions, disparity and poverty affect everyone. COVID-19 and global civil unrest have forced a reckoning with long-standing systemic racism and oppression that has manifested in deep and predictable disparities in our community.

The need for change is now.

Courtesy of MGN those places. They are getting ready to go to two more facilities. Of those eight total calls for the National Guard most recently, seven are for care homes beyond the Twin Cities metro area. ”Staffing has been unbelievably challenging in a lot of settings, some of mine, within our organization, but certainly throughout our industry,” said Christine Bakke, regional director of operations for St. Francis Health Services — based in Morris, Minn.

— which runs 16 facilities across the state.

Bakke said that if “one or two staff members” are affected by COVID-19, “you can cover it.

When you start seeing 20 to 30 percent of your workforce at the same time, that becomes almost unbearable.”

Some of St. Francis’ campuses have relied on nurses from the state emergency operations office, but they’ve not had to call in the National Guard.

“We have had scenarios across our industry where we have had to say, ‘This is not the care we want to give, we are going to give the best we can, but this is not

who we are. And we are going to make sure you are fed, that you get to the bathroom, that you get your medications. And that might be the best we do today and not harm you,’” Bakke said.

“And it's sad, it is really sad that we might have to make that choice,” Bakke added.

At PioneerCare in Fergus Falls, Minn., around 20 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 since July, with the majority reporting infections in the last two to three weeks, according to CEO Nathan Johnson.

His facilities — a nursing home, assisted living and memory care units, along with independent living — haven’t needed emergency staffing, but he’s offered help to other nearby facilities who have.

He said the pandemic has put an amazing strain on the industry.

“It's almost kind of hard to put it into words, because it just feels so surreal. I've been a licensed nursing home administrator for 20 years, and I've never seen anything remotely close to this,” Johnson said.

Greater Twin Cities United Way seeks to dismantle disparities in the nine-county region with a mission of uniting changemakers, advocating for social good and developing solutions with the community to address challenges no one can solve alone. Through this work, United Way envisions a community where all people thrive regardless of income, race or place.

How United Way Works to Dismantle Inequities and Disparities Though many may not realize it, United Way is so much more than a grantmaker. It focuses on providing better access to stable housing, healthy food, a strong education and the workforce – made possible by donations from many generous people, companies and foundations – through five distinct roles.

A Bridge: Through its 211 Resource Helpline, United Way bridges people in need to critical resources. Available 24/7, 365 days per year in multiple languages, 211 provides referrals to statewide resources including housing, child care, food and more. For every dollar invested in 211, United Way provides $2.38 worth of supportive community service.

Nonprofit Amplifier: United Way strengthens and supports the local nonprofit sector by connecting leaders, training teams, and providing grants and technical assistance to more than 100 nonprofits on the frontlines of serving the community.

Advocate: United Way works with government decision-makers to pass and implement policies and state funding that support immediate needs and changes in systems, like education, housing and criminal justice.

Innovator: United Way’s collaborative approach to addressing community challenges is a core part of how it innovates to find the best solutions. Working alongside partners, United Way develops new and relevant solutions based on community needs, including Career Academies— a career pathways program for high school students.

Business Partner: United Way aligns the corporate social responsibility goals of local companies with local needs.

Supporting the Community During the Pandemic In the early days of COVID-19, United Way connected with its 95 nonprofit partners to identify emergency needs, leading to the launch of the Greater Twin Cities COVID-19 Response & Recovery Fund. As a result of this quick response, United Way provided four rounds of grants totaling $2.4 million to cover emergency and long-term stability needs, including housing, food, early childhood education, essential supplies, financial assistance, medical equipment, student learning support and more.

During this time, United Way also expanded its 211 Resource Helpline to address a 300 percent increase in need for human services.

The data gathered through 211 helped United Way unlock $100 million in emergency rental and housing assistance through the CARES Act, and in partnership with the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, 211 became a centralized place for people to apply for rental assistance.

In addition to housing assistance, United Way’s advocacy work helped unlock $30 million in grants for quality child care and education and $65 million in federal funds earmarked for child care. United Way also partnered with legislators to support policies that allowed the state of Minnesota to accept food benefits online to help keep the community safe and nourished.

Rebuilding Small BIPOC Businesses To support businesses owned by Black, Indigenous and People of Color that were damaged or destroyed by the civil unrest sparked by the murder of George Floyd, United Way partnered with The Minneapolis Foundation and the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation to launch the Twin Cities Rebuild for the Future Fund. Thanks to the generosity of the community, United Way awarded nearly $3.3 million to nonprofits and community organizations to help small businesses rebuild.

Join the Changemaker Movement To learn more United Way and how you can become a changemaker, please visit www. gtcuw.org.

Advertorial

9

10 December 3-9, 2020

BULLETIN

Small business relief available Starting November 23, small businesses can apply for new grant funding to mitigate the economic impacts of COVID-19.

Businesses that have not received Hennepin County Small Business Relief funds can apply for grants up to $15,000.

Businesses that have received Hennepin County Small Business Relief funds can apply for additional grant funds up to $10,000. The deadline for applicants is Tuesday, Dec. 1 at noon.

Eligible expenses include ● Rent/mortgage ● Utilities/non-payroll operating expenses ● Supplier payments ● Personal protective equipment/ costs to comply with public health guidance Eligible businesses ● Restaurants/food service establishments ● Bars/drinking places ● Fitness centers/gyms ● Event/entertainment venues ● View additional criteria

*Special note for Minneapolis bar and restaurant owners: this grant application requires that you have a copy of your restaurant and/or liquor license. If you do not have a copy of your license readily available, you can: ● Look up a liquor license report on your own through the State of Minnesota Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement site. OR ● Contact your Business License Inspector or email businesslicenses@ minneapolismn.gov. Please make your request no later than noon on Monday, November 30 to ensure adequate time for a response.

Your license certificate from the City of Minneapolis may show a status of “delinquent” due to the suspension of liquor license renewal fees. Provided that you submitted your renewal paperwork and are in good standing with the state, this will not disqualify you.

For more info and to apply, go to bit.ly/ smallbizhelpDec1

Community Drive-Thru Food Give-Away Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church 501 Lawson Avenue West St. Paul, MN 55117 Church Office: 651-487-4092 Friday, December 18, 2020 10 AM to 1:00 PM Everyone is welcome!

Courtesy of Pixabay

Please drive up to the Multi-Purpose Center garage area on the north end of the church. Please stay in your vehicles and remember to wear your masks.

Call the church office if you would like to pick-up more than one basket.

Nonprofit spreads holiday cheer O’nika’s Angels, a nonprofit that launched after the killing of George Floyd, is doing good in the neighborhood.

In August, the nonprofit was awarded $15,000 from the Hennepin County Cares Grant. With COVID-19 and the effect it has had on Black, Brown and Indigenous people, the organization decided to use some of those funds to give away 164 Thanksgiving dinners to people in the Hennepin County area—bringing communities together for the good of us all.

(l-r) Thomas Waltower, CEO of SistersN-Technology, and Jeremiah Harris, supervisor of Gear Up

O’nika Nicole Craven, O’nika’s Angels founder

—Information and graphic provided by O’nika’s Angels.

Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church

Worship Mount Olivet Missionary Baptist Church

Bethesda Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Billy G. Russell, Sr. Pastor

Rev. Arthur Agnew, Pastor

Rev. James C. Thomas, Pastor

451 West Central

St. Paul, MN 55103 651-227-4444

Church School 9:30 am Morning Worship 8:00 & 10:45 am Prayer Service:

Wednesday 7 pm "Welcome to

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church"

At the Old Landmark 1118 So. 8th Street Mpls., MN 55404 612-332-5904 www.bethesdamnonline.com bethesdamn@prodigy.net Sunday Service Times: Early Morning Service 9 am Sunday School 10 am Sunday Worship 11:30 am Wednesday Prayer Meeting, 6 pm Adult Bible Class 7 pm Children's Bible Class 7 pm

2600 E. 38th Street Minneapolis, MN 55408 www.greatfriend.org Phone: 612.827.7928 Fax: 612.827.3587 info@greatfriend.org Sundays 8:00am Sunday School 9:30am Worship Service The Friendly Church Where Everybody Is Somebody

Pilgrim Baptist Church Rev. Doctor Charles Gill 732 W. Central Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 Sunday Worship Service: 9:45 AM Sunday School: 8:45 AM

December 3-9, 2020

11

Legals STATE OF MINNESOTA COUNTY OF HENNEPIN

DISTRICT COURT FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT

Court File Number 27-CV-20-13986 Case Type: Consumer Credit Contract Wings Financial Credit Union, successor of City-County Federal Credit Union by merger, Plaintiff, v.

SUMMONS Saed A. Abdi, Defendant.

THIS SUMMONS IS DIRECTED TO SAED A. ABDI. 1. YOU ARE BEING SUED. The Plaintiff has started a lawsuit against you.

The Plaintiff’s Complaint against you is attached to this Summons or is filed with the Court. Do not throw these papers away. They are official papers that affect your rights. You must respond to this lawsuit even though it may not yet be filed with the Court and there may be no court file number on this summons.

2. YOU MUST REPLY WITHIN 21 DAYS TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS. You must give or mail to the person who signed this summons a written response called an Answer within 21 days of the date on which you received this Summons. You must send a copy of your Answer to the person who signed this summons located at: Lee W. Mosher, Attorney for Plaintiff 1120 East 80th Street, Suite 111 Bloomington, Minnesota 55420.

3. YOU MUST RESPOND TO EACH CLAIM. The Answer is your written response to the Plaintiff’s Complaint. In your Answer you must state whether you agree or disagree with each paragraph of the Complaint. If you believe the Plaintiff should not be given everything asked for in the Complaint, you must say so in your Answer.

4. YOU WILL LOSE YOUR CASE IF YOU DO NOT SEND A WRITTEN RESPONSE TO THE COMPLAINT TO THE PERSON WHO SIGNED THIS SUMMONS. If you do not Answer within 21 days, you will lose this case. You will not get to tell your side of the story, and the Court may decide against you and award the Plaintiff everything asked for in the complaint. If you do not want to contest the claims stated in the complaint, you do not need to respond. A default judgment can then be entered against you for the relief requested in the complaint.

5. LEGAL ASSISTANCE. You may wish to get legal help from a lawyer.

If you do not have a lawyer, the Court Administrator may have information about places where you can get legal assistance. Even if you cannot get legal help, you must still provide a written Answer to protect your rights or you may lose the case.

6. ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION. The parties may agree to or be ordered to participate in an alternative dispute resolution process under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice. You must still send your written response to the Complaint even if you expect to use alternative means of resolving this dispute.

THIS IS A COMMUNICATION FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR. Dated: October 29, 2020.

/s/ Lee W Mosher Lee W. Mosher Attorney License Number 007570X 1120 East 80th Street, Suite 111 Bloomington, MN 55420 Telephone 952-777-4253 Attorney for Plaintiff

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder November 19 & 26 and December 3, 2020

State of Minnesota Ramsey County

District Court Second Judicial District Court File Number: 62HRCV20914 Case Type: Harassment

Notice of Issuance of Harassment Restraining Order

by Publication Mahdi Aden Siarag Vs Khadar Muhumed To Respondent: YOU ARE NOTIFIED that a Harassment Restraining Order has been issued on 10/29/20.

x An order has been issued directing you to appear to a hearing on

December 3, 2020 at 10:15AM before Referee Clysdale for a Harassment Restraining Order Hearing and explain why the relief sought in the Petition for the Harassment Restraining Order should not be granted.

You must contact the Ramsey County Court Administrator’s Office at 651-2665130 for hearing location details.

You may obtain a copy of the Petition and any order issued from the court from the Ramsey County Court Administrator's Office.

If you do not appear at the scheduled hearing, the Petitioner's request may be granted as a default matter. Failure to appear will not be a defense to prosecution for violation of the Court's Order.

UK COaCh

From Classified Department/MN Spokesman-Recorder

Continued from page 12

PHONE: 612-827-4021 FOR BILLING INQUIRIES & TEARSHEETS PLEASE CONTACT ACCOUNTING DEPT SUMMONS FLAT RATE $200

White media) for 24 years—Richardson retired from the Pioneer Press in 2014—isn’t lost on him.

For the record, there are presently Continued from page 12 zero Black sportswriters at the WBB team when they were hav- Pioneer Press, and only two at the ing all these issues [of several Star Tribune.

“My main focus was to be good Black players who transferred]. I remember writing a lot of front enough in my work so that there would be others to come,” Richpage stories about that.”

4. Covering the National ardson said. “I never hung my League playoffs in San Francisco hat on the fact that I was one of for a week. “To be out there cover- the few Black writers out there ing some big news items, that was covering the major [local] teams. special for me.”

“My main focus was…to 5. The Gopher MBB team coached by Clem Haskins that do the best work I could do reached the 1990 regional finals so people couldn’t say I was “because I was in New Orleans for hired because I was Black. I wanted to be just as good as a whole week.”

6. The Minnesota Twins be- the other guys across the room ing selected for contraction in and across the river.”

2002. “We spent three days [in Charles Hallman welcomes Chicago] chasing that story. And reader responses to challman@ it never happened.”

The rarity of being a full-time spokesman-recorder.com.

Black sportswriter at one of the Twin Cities PWM (primarily

SOe

PreP

Team Sizzle, a 5’9” guard who also teams with Holmgren at Continued from page 12 Minnehaha Academy, put on a clinic dedicated to outside From Classified outstanding prep career as a shooting, and people have Department/MN taken notice. forward for the Governors.

Spokesman-Recorder Smith’s father, Joe Smith, Sandifer, who started the Grass Roots AAU program was the point guard during a PHONE: to help youth 612-827-4021 succeed in life two-year period (1993-1995) through basketball, left St. that put St. Paul Humboldt on FOR BILLING Agnes among the best student the boys’ basketball map.

INQUIRIES Holmgren’s father, David athletes in the school’s history TEARSHEETS as a&basketball and football Holmgren, put in work as a PLEASE player at Minneapolis Central player in 1986.CONTACT ACCOUNTING DEPT and Prior Lake high schools From there the connections before graduating in 1983, kept popping up. then continuing his collegiate As I watched the exhibiRAMSEY COUNTY tion game, Donovan Smith of career at the University of 3WEEK RUN FLAT RATE $300.00 PREPAID

She was Wildcats associate HC for a total of six seasons (2010-12, and 2016-20), an associate HC at Tennessee (201516), and an assistant coach since 2002 (Western Kentucky, 200204; Kansas, 2004-08; Tennessee, 2012-15).

“I am a seasoned vet in the SEC,” declared Elzy to a reporter’s question about her readiness to take over the UK program on such short notice. “I have 12 years of coaching experience and five years playing in arguably the best conference in the country. I am a two-time NCAA Champion, a SEC Champion as a player and as a coach. I have recruited at the highest level at several institutions.

“I do realize that I am taking over a top team in the country,” said Elzy, “and I am just going to use it as positivity. Not every head coach gets to walk in to a team that has been successful.

“I am a defensive-minded coach. I want to be tough defensively and disrupt. We are going to continue to play up-tempo and recruit players that are versatile. Our team is extremely versatile now, so there are endless possibilities of what you can do offensively.”

Elzy also paid tribute to her former college coach, the late Minnesota.

After including Holmgren’s connection, I assumed that everything needed for this column was in place. Then, former Minneapolis North standout Tamara Moore (Miss Basketball 1998) provided, on her Facebook page, a connection to a person who played girls’ basketball at a time when the sport was not highly recognized.

“For those who don’t know, Dillon Hunter from Ypsi Prep is the son of North High Lady Polar legend Brandi HunterLewis,” she typed. “He is a

Pat Summitt. “Coach Pat Summitt has always taught me there are people before you to lay the foundation, and now you have the opportunity, and it is my responsibility to pay the blessings forward. So whatever I can do to help other coaches to lift up young players that want to get in the profession, I am willing, I am able, and I look forward to blessing someone else like I have been blessed.

“Coach [Summit], rest in peace,” concluded Elzy. “I hope that I am making you proud today. If I can be half the woman and half coach that you were, I would be doing something with myself.”

Pitts off the bench Former Gopher Destiny Pitts came off the bench last weekend and scored 23 total points to help lead Texas A&M to two wins opening their season. She apparently has adjusted to sixth woman for the first time in her career.

Pitts told the MSR during a Zoom post-game conference after last Saturday’s win at DePaul, “Coming off the bench, I get to watch the game and see what the flow is like defensively and offensively, and try to exploit that.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@ spokesman-recorder.com. baller.”

Hunter-Lewis, who was Brandi Decker as a prep player, starred at Minneapolis North, graduating in 1993 before teaming with former Minneapolis Henry great Tracy Henderson to lead the University of Georgia to Final Four appearances in 1995 and 1996.

Lots of connections. I’m sure there were more.

Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader responses to mcdeezy05@gmail.com.

Larry Fitzgerald’s column will return next week.

OR A hearing has not been scheduled. You may request a hearing on this matter by filing a Request for Hearing HAR301 with the Court within twenty (20) days of the date this Notice is published. You may get a copy of the HRO from the court administrator's office at the following address: JFJC, 25 W. 7th Street, St. Paul MN 55102.

Failure to appear at a scheduled hearing or to get a copy of the Harassment Restraining Order will not be a defense to prosecution for violation of the Court's order.

6/29/2020 Court Administrator Ramsey Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder November 26 & December 3 & 10, 2020

Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State Certificate of Assumed Name Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 333 ASSUMED NAME: Victory Building Services PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS: 5310 W 16th St. #322 Minneapolis MN 55416 United States NAMEHOLDER(S): Name: Address: Berghoff Commercial 5310 W 16th St. #322 Cleaning LLCStates Minneapolis MN 55416 United States If you submit an attachment, it will be incorporated into this document. If the attachment conflicts with the information specifically set forth in this document, this document supersedes the data referenced in the attachment.

By typing my name, I, the undersigned, certify that I am signing this document as the person whose signature is required, or as agent of the person(s) whose signature would be required who has authorized me to sign this document on his/her behalf, or in both capacities. I further certify that I have completed all required fields, and that the information in this document is true and correct and in compliance with the applicable chapter of Minnesota Statutes. I understand that by signing this document I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Section 609.48 as if I had signed this document under oath.

From Classified Department/MN Spokesman-Recorder PHONE: 612-827-4021 FOR BILLING INQUIRIES & TEARSHEETS PLEASE CONTACT For only DEPT , you can receive a ACCOUNTING

Become a subscriber today!

$35

one-year subscription (out -of- state subscription $40)

ASSUMED NAMEfirst choice for community news. Simply fill out this subscription form and Minnesota’s

FLAT RATE $150.00 mail with payment to: 2 WEEK RUN Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, P.O. Box 8558, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55408.

Name:

Please proof, respond with email confirmation to display@ Company/Organization: spokesman-recorder.com Address: City/State/Zip:

SIGNED BY: Erik Berghoff

Phone:

MAILING ADDRESS: 5310 W 16th St. #322 Minneapolis MN 55416

Payment Options:

EMAIL FOR OFFICIAL NOTICES: eberghoff@victorybuildingservices.com

Email Address: Check

Money Order

Credit Card (circle & complete info below): Visa Master Card Discover American Express

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder November 26 & December 3, 2020

Card Number:________________________________________ Expiration Date:__________

Pay Pal

12

December 3-9, 2020

New Black female UK Former player/coach finds U of Iowa head coach one of diversity job a natural fit seven in SEC

By Charles Hallman Contributing writer

K

yra Elzy’s Kentucky women’s basketball team is off to a good start (2-0) in her first season as interim head coach. She is one of seven Black HCs this season in the SEC, all Black females.

“November 12 will be one of those days that I will never forget,” Elzy told reporters November 13, including the MSR, as she was introduced in her new position a day after former coach Matthew Mitchell stepped down after 13 years because of health concerns.

“I always dreamed of taking over for Coach Mitchell,” admitted Elzy. “I never quite imagined it like this.”

Asked about being a part of the growing number of Black female college basketball coaches hired since March, she told us, “I got into coaching originally because I wanted to inspire, impact and influence young women, and God has given me the platform to do so. There have been so many Black coaches to lead the way in order for me to be given this opportunity.

“This is a tough profession to be in,” continued the UK coach.

“It is a lot of hours, but it’s very rewarding.”

■ See UK CoaCh on page 11

tion was created—executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion for UI athletics, and Binns, a football staff member for six

A

t least a year or so before America’s halfyear of racial reckoning sparked by George Floyd’s murder in May, the University of Iowa started to look more seriously into its own racial culture on its campus.

Iowa is no different from most PWIs (predominately White institutions) when it comes to Black students. Black athletes are typically singled out from regular Black students, but both are oftentimes seen and treated dif-

coaching three sports at his old high school, then worked his way up the college coaching ladder. “That was my mindset,” he stated.

Binns returned to Iowa and later earned a master’s in sport and recreation management. He

“I’m not on board dragging my wife and my kids to different campuses. It was something I didn’t want to be a part of. Being in an administrative role was a little more stable for me,” Binns said.

Working on diversity, equity

Broderick Binns years who played for Iowa (200811), was named to the post. It is a natural fit for the St. Paul native and Cretin-Derham Hall graduate. He came to Iowa several years ago already accustomed to being at a PWI. “Cretin-Derham Hall was exactly like Iowa, predominately

“Cretin-Derham Hall was exactly like Iowa, predominately White.”

UK Interim HC Kyra Elzy with her family in front of a statue of her former coach, Pat Summitt Courtesy of Twitter

ferently from their White counterparts.

“We found a few things” after conducting a 2018 campus climate survey, said Broderick Binns in a recent MSR interview.

The UI survey found “several challenges related to diversity, equity and inclusion,” including that many students of color had “difficulty speaking up in class and concern that they will be negatively judged by their peers or the instructor.”

Students (17%) who reported discrimination said it was based on racial or ethnic identity, and “a lower percentage of students report feeling like they belong at the University of Iowa compared to White students.”

A new administration posi-

Locally, a full-time Black sportswriter is a rarity

White,” he pointed out. “I was probably one of 5-10 minorities in my class. When I got to Iowa, I was already comfortable in this setting.”

After his college playing days, the two-time All-Big Ten player had hoped to play in the NFL, then go into coaching. “I graduated in 2012” with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and two minors in African American studies and human relations, continued Binns. “I had the opportunity to spend some time with the Arizona Cardinals as a free agent. I was there for a cup of coffee, and I ended up getting cut.

“I figured if I couldn’t play the sport, I definitely wanted to coach,” he said. He started

“My main focus was to be good enough in my work so that there would be others to come.”

also was a Hawkeye graduate assistant football coach in 2014 and 2015. Then he was promoted to director of football player development in 2016.

Now a married father of two, Binns soon realized that college coaching wasn’t what he had envisioned. “I quickly realized in my third year [as a GA] that being a college coach is not what I wanted to be,” he admitted. “The money’s great, but the amount of hours, the amount of time it takes you away from your family…

and inclusion issues at Iowa “can no longer be a one-off meeting, workshop or training. 2020 has been a tough year for everyone.

Change doesn’t happen overnight.

“Are we there right now? No. There is always work to be done.

I think I’m on the right path and in the right direction and got the right support behind me to make sure we’re going the right way.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.

Plenty of connections in the game of basketball

Ray Richardson did it for nearly a quarter century Before he relocated a couple of weeks ago to Los Angeles, Ray Richardson left his indelible mark on the Twin Cities. But even before he relocated here 1. Gopher WBB: “That was The St. Paul Pioneer Press from Phoenix almost three decades ago, he had already made hired Richardson from the Ari- one of my primary beats for zona Republic in 1990. “The Pio- three years.” history.

2. Kevin Garnett and the Timberwolves: “He coming out of high school was big.”

3. Dennis Green, the Vikings’ first Black HC: “I did his first two years. To be around a Black HC, an NFL HC, was pretty impressive.”

4. The Wolves’ first playoff appearance in 1997: “That was a big deal.”

5. The 1992 Final Four at the Metrodome: “Michigan, the Fab Five; Duke, Indiana and Cincinnati were here.”

His top five personalities he Ray Richardson Submitted photo enjoyed covering: “KG, Dennis Green, [former Gopher WBB Richardson is number 28 neer Press was looking for a jack- coach] Brenda Oldfield [now on the late Boston sportswriter of-all-trades. One reason why I Frese], Lindsay Whalen and Ron Gardenhire,” reported RichardLarry Whiteside’s “The Black took the job—I like that.”

During his 24-year tenure son.

List” on which he listed every And his top five, plus one, unBlack sportswriter he’d met in there, Richardson was that papress boxes, beginning in 1971. per’s only Black sportswriter. forgettable assignments: 1. “When the Gopher WBB Whiteside died in 2007 and was He covered every local pro posthumously inducted into team, many Gopher teams, and team beat Duke in the [2004] reboth the Baseball Hall of Fame other sporting teams in town. gional finals to qualify for the Fiand the National Association of “At times I felt stressed out, but nal Four was big. They were not I loved doing it. It was fun,” he favored to beat Duke and pretty Black Journalists Hall of Fame. much handled them.”

“There are a lot more [Black recalled.

2. “The Dennis Green story We asked Richardson to list in sportswriters] today than when you and I first started,” Richard- no particular order his top five when he was fired.”

3. “Covering the Gopher beats. son told the MSR. ■ See SOE on page 11

Binns in his Hawkeye player days Courtesy of Iowa Athletics

PreP Scene Dr. Mitchell PalMer McDonalD

It all came together for me when I saw former metro area

boys’ basketball stars Larry Suggs, Brian Sandifer and Quincy Caldwell on the bench as coaches for the Minnesota team, Team Sizzle, during a nationally televised 78-71 victory over Michigan-based Ypsi Prep last month.

Though the game featured the number-one nationally ranked players in the Classes of 2021 (7’1” Chet Holmgren, Team Sizzle) and 2022 (6’8” Emoni Bates, Ypsi Prep), it had many connections to the past as well as the present.

Holmgren lived up to the

hype with a 31-point 12-rebound performance as did Bates, who countered with 36 and 10; but for me the story was about connections. Here are some connections that many are unfamiliar with.

Suggs, whose son, 6’4” freshman Jalen Suggs, has already led number-one Gonzaga to victories over Kansas and Auburn, starred at Woodbury High School, earning all-metro honors as a shooting guard before graduating in 1993.

Caldwell, a 1996 graduate of St. Paul Johnson, had an

■ See Prep on page 11