February 21, 2019 - MN Spokesman-Recorder

February 21-27, 2019 Vol. 85 No. 29 www.spokesman-recorder.com

See the local BHM calendar on pg. 8

Power in unity:

State’s Black lawmakers join forces

Rep. Rena Moran

Sen. Jeff Hayden

Sen. Bobby Joe Champion

Rep. Hodan Hassan

By Stephenetta Harmon Editor-In-Chief

Black lawmakers still face an uphill battle when it comes to representation and systemic disparities. Even with record numbers of legislators of color, the governing body remains overwhelm-

Though participating in one of the most diverse legislatures in state history, Minnesota’s

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

THE VOICE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY SINCE 1934

Rep. Ruth Richardson

Rep. Mohamud Noor ingly White and out-state in its composition. Black Minnesotans make up approximately six percent of the state’s population, while the six Black legislators in office make

up less than three percent of the legislature. However, they understand the power of bridgebuilding and are looking to amplify their efforts with their formation of the United Black Legislative Caucus. The four Black state representatives and two Black senators have teamed up to address criminal justice issues and economic and educational disparities between Black and White communities in Minnesota. They include three veteran lawmakers — Senators Jeff Hayden and Bobby Joe Champion (both Minneapolis) and Rep. Rena Moran (St. Paul) — and three newcomers to the State House this year — Reps. Hodan Hassan (Minneapolis), Mohamud Noor (Minneapolis), and Ruth Richardson (Mendota Heights). “The newly formed United Black Caucus creates an opportunity for legislators to intentionally engage other policymakers, community and business leaders around issues and resolutions that will improve the lives of Blacks and Minnesotans as a whole through strategic partnerships,” said Champion in a press statement. ■ See LawmakerS on page 5

Black History salute THE FIRST BLACK PERSON BORN IN MINNESOTA In honor of Black History Month, we’re sharing short clips highlighting the legacy and history of Blacks in Minnesota. This week, we salute George Bonga, Minnesota’s first African American resident to be born in Minnesota. In 1802, George Bonga’s birth marked the beginning of Minnesota’s freed Black experience. Born near Duluth, he was the first documented Black person to be born in the territory of Minnesota. By 1850, he was only one of 14 Blacks counted in Minnesota’s 1850 territorial census. Bonga’s father, Pierre, was a freed African slave and fur trader, and his mother, Ogibwayquay, was Ojibwe. Living close to the Canadian border, he and his siblings were educated in Quebec, where he became fluent in French in addition to English and Ojibwe. He went on to follow in his father’s footsteps and got a license to trade, earning notoriety as an entrepreneur and voyageur. He is most well-known, however, for his role in Minnesota’s first murder trial. In 1837, he was hired to track down a

George Bonga, ca. 1870

man accused of killing a man by the name of Alfred Aitkin. After less than a week of tracking, Bonga returned with CheGa Wa Skung, an Ojibwe man, tied to a sled, traveling 250 miles to bring him to Fort Snelling for trial. Skung was eventually acquitted, as Aitkin was halfOjibwe and not considered to be a White citizen. However, Bonga’s ability to brave Minnesota’s frigid January and his success tracking what another group had failed to do earned him great respect in the territory. ■ See SaLute on page 2

WHY BLACKFACE?

The origins of a racist American stereotype

THEN: 1899 lithograph of White minstrel performer Carroll Johnson depicted in Blackface, right. Photo courtesy of Library of Congress

NEWS ANALYSIS By Michael Millner Contributing Writer For almost three weeks, conflict has raged over the use of Blackface by two current Virginia politicians when they were younger. The revelations have threatened the men’s jobs and their standing in the community.

Although use of Blackface is now politically and culturally radioactive, there was a time when it wasn’t. I teach the history of Blackface in the United States. Like much of America, my undergraduate students suffer from a kind of historical amnesia about its role in American culture. They know little about its long history, and they haven’t considered its prevalence and significance in everyday American life.

Most of all, they’ve never asked themselves, on their faces. They exaggerated their red lips and “Why Blackface?” wore outlandish costumes, portraying character types like the raggedly slave, dubbed Jim Crow, Cultural persistence or the ostentatious but simple-minded dandy Zip The Blackface minstrel show was a form of bur- Coon. lesque theater in which White men painted their Minstrel shows consisted of jokes and clownfaces Black in order to mock people of African de- ing skits. The Blackface characters mispronounced scent. It held sway as one of the most popular forms words and acted like “bumpkins.” They sang songs, of entertainment in the 19th century. In the early sometimes sentimental and sometimes randy. In 20th century, Hollywood studios used the popu- the minstrel show, White men from behind the larity of Blackface to draw a mass audience to the Black mask forged some of America’s most racist new medium of film. stereotypes. After World War II, even as the Civil Rights And, it’s worth emphasizing, they made a good Movement emerged, Blackface remained a staple of living at it. Blackface turned prejudice into profcartoons, community theater, toys, household dec- it. Perhaps Blackface’s profitable prejudice answers orations, and corporate branding. American music the question about why America so often returned — from the Great American Songbook of the 1930s and to it in the 19th and early 20th centuries. ’40s to rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s and ’60s — finds its Blackface offered the perfect entertainment for a roots in the minstrel shows of the 19th century. slave nation and then, after the Civil War, a society With the recent Blackface scandals in Vir- built on racial segregation. ginia, we’ve also come to reckon with Blackface’s importance to what it meant to be a Cauldron of contradictions young White man in the South in the 1980s. But, a number of scholars over the last few decades have proposed that there’s a great deal more Prejudice and profit to Blackface than a racist caricature. For instance, Blackface has always been flat-out racist. Since historians have examined the ways immigrants its emergence in the 1830s in the taverns and on the put on the black mask as part of a process of becomtheater stages of New York and other northern cit- ing American. ies — it originated in the North, not the slave South Irish immigrants in the 1830s and 1840s, and — Blackface has involved the vicious ridiculing of then Jewish immigrants in the early 20th centupeople of African descent. ry, dominated Blackface performance. In part, it White men blacked up by smearing burnt cork ■ See BLackface on page 5

SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: ME&I FITNESS & PERFORMANCE By Jonika Stowes Contributing Writer Jeff Scott had been a personal trainer for 16 years before opening the doors to his own gym in North Minneapolis. Looking to leave a 25-year career in financial services, Scott opened ME&I Fitness & Performance last September. He hadn’t been dreaming of owning a gym — or any businesses. It was simply an opportunity that presented itself. When he saw construction for Thor Corporation’s Restoration Acceleration Center on Penn Avenue North, Scott thought, “Wow, that’s a great building going up, and right now it’s a building in the community. It’s not a building for the community.” So, he decided to give the community a way to use the building being constructed in their midst. The North High School graduate said a fitness center is something he never saw in his North Minneapolis community growing up. He said a gym in the

community helps the community to focus on being healthier. As a registered provider for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Pre-Diabetes Program, ME&I is helping the Black community tackle the diabetes epidemic and lead their way to healthier lifestyles, one push-up or jumping jack at a time. The fitness and performance center also offers health outreach to youth and senior citizens. Through its partnership with SilverSneakers, ME&I provides a fitness program for adults over 65, as well as training programs for student-athletes from as far away as Cottage Grove. Here, we talk with Jeff about his gym and future plans.

having to travel a mile or two away.” We get people who say they’ve been making up excuses not to go — but four blocks away, there’s no excuse. It’s becoming a nice location for people to get out of the house and into their community and meet others in the community. Many people don’t know the African American Museum is in the building, and they’ve gone upstairs before or after their workout to muse. The gym was the catalyst of them recognizing what’s here.

MSR: What would you consider your business’ hero service? JS: We purposely said fitness because most people aren’t trying to be bodybuilders, they just want to be more fit and have a healthier lifestyle. OfMSR: How does your business impact ten times, we see providers of information. It’s great to have the information on the community? Jeff Scott: Members come through dai- what to do, but If I don’t have the tools to ly and say, “Thank you for opening this take the action, all we’re really having is gym. This is much more convenient than a conversation.

ME&I Fitness & Performance What we’re providing are the space and the tools that will allow people who are serious about changing their lifestyle [to do so], whether for themselves or being the model for their children. I had a woman once tell me that

Submitted photo healthy eating is expensive, and I told her, “It’s still cheaper than insulin.” This membership is cheaper than insulin — so our hero service is our presence. ■ See SBS on page 5

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February 21-27, 2019

EXPERIENCE LOCAL BLACK HISTORY

Photo courtesy Penumbra

Scene from Black Nativity performance at Penumbra

By Tammy McIntyre Contributing Writer

W

ith Black History Month in full swing, our hearts and minds have been reflecting on the contributions of prominent and courageous African American women and men who dared to have a transformational impact on the world around them. Selma, the Washington Monument Mall, and Birmingham are just a few places that come to mind. But, if you don’t live in or near those historic sites, there are many ways to appreciate Black history right here in the Twin Cities. Minneapolis and St. Paul are chock full of art, food and adventures to experience the history of those who have gone before us, current trailblazers and those who still keep our hope alive. Consider the following collection a historical taste of Black history in the Twin Cities! Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Newspaper (MSR) I must start this tribute to local Black history by acknowledging the legacy of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR). For 84 years, the MSR has consistently told the real history of Black Americans. For this reason, I encourage you to visit a living legacy of printed Black history in our own backyard. MSR is located at 3744 4th Ave. South in Minneapolis.

Phyllis Wheatley Community Center When I think of the phrase “for us, by us,” I think of the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center (PWCC). Built in honor of Phillis Wheatley, the first published African American poet, the center was the first point of contact for many Black residents — long before community and human services organizations were available to meet the needs of Black people in the Twin Cities. At the height of segregation, the center was a place of learning and a place to meet and socialize. PWCC is located at 1301 N. 10th Ave. in North Minneapolis. For more info, visit phylliswheatley.org. Ted Cook’s 19th Hole Barbecue The delicious aroma of Ted Cook’s barbecue saturates the surrounding area, especially in summer months. Its unmistakable aroma along 38th Street beckons you to stop, look and taste! This Black-owned restaurant has been around since 1968, offering up ribs, hojos potatoes, cornbread and more! Good food brings the whole community together, regardless of race or ethnicity. Ted Cook’s is located at 2814 E. 38th St. in South Minneapolis. Sabathani Community Center Sabathani Community Center continues to be a beacon for community support in South Minneapolis. Visit Sabathani’s community room to view an extensive mix of tributes

Photo courtesy Facebook

and memorabilia of community heroes and leaders. Then, venture downstairs to its food shelf and clothing boutique and see how this organization has been meeting basic needs of South Minneapolis communities since 1966. What I find intriguing is how Sabathani provides qualifying community residents with a grocery store experience and shopping mall experience in one location, free of charge. Sabathani Community Center is located at 310 E. 38th St. in South Minneapolis. For more info, visit sabathani.org. Givens Collection of African American Literature If you love to read and have a thirst for rare African American literature, stop by the University of Minnesota’s Elmer L. Andersen Library in Minneapolis to explore the Givens Collection of African American Literature. Named after Black entrepreneur Archie Givens, Sr., the collection is home to over 250 years of African American and continental African culture, with over 10,000 books, magazines, and pamphlets by or about African Americans and tens of thousands of archival materials documenting Minnesota’s Black history — including Penumbra Theatre Company Archives. The Givens Collection is an invaluable community and scholarly resource. The Givens Collection is located in the Elmer L. Andersen Library, 222 21st Ave. South, Suite 213, in Minneapolis. For more info, visit lib.umn. edu/givens. Penumbra Theatre Years ago, my husband and I attended a one-man play based on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Penumbra Theatre. That was my first experience attending a theatrical performance by an African American theater company. From that stunning experience, I knew that I had to return to this place for more. Since 1976, Penumbra Theatre has served as a pillar for storytelling in the Twin Cities and offers something for theatergoers

Continued from page 1

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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Fort Snelling Few know that former slave Dred Scott lived for about a year in St. Paul in 1837, which was then a free territory of Wisconsin. There, he met and married his wife, Harriet Robinson. Living here served as the foundation for his historic lawsuit (Scott v. Sandford) to buy his freedom after living in a free state. Though he lost the case, it became a historic marker that divided the nation over slavery and served as a catalyst for the American Civil War. Scott was eventually freed in 1857. Historic Fort Snelling is located at the junction of Minnesota Highways 5 and 55. For more info, visit mnhs.org/fortsnelling/learn/africanamericans.

For more info on George Bonga, visit bit.ly/2BHRejX. After the fur trade declined, he then began Photo by Charles Alfred Zimmerman, courtework as a wilderness guide and opened a lodge on Leech Lake with his wife. He also worked as a sy MN Historical Society translator, helping to translate and negotiate treaties, and he became an outspoken advocate of Native Americans. In the late 1860s, he served as a

AFRICAN HERITAGE DAY ON THE HILL TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26th, 2019

of all ages, including kids. It is one of only three professional Black theaters in the nation — and the only one in Minnesota. Penumbra Theatre is located at 270 North Kent Street in Saint Paul. For more info, visit penumbratheatre.org.

witness to the signing of the treaty that created the White Earth Indian Reservation. He died near Leech Lake in the mid-1870s. A small township, Bungo Township, was named after his family in Cass County.

BHM Salute

Dred and Harriet Scott’s restored quarters at Fort Snelling

Phillis Wheatley, from an illustration by Scipio Moorhead on the front page of her book of poems Photo courtesy Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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February 21-27, 2019

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New technology could revolutionize food safety

By Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD

R

arely does a month go by that there is not some national recall or warning about tainted foods. Food contamination is a worldwide problem. Recently, there was a nationwide ban on romaine lettuce in the U.S. In 2008, for another example, 50,000 babies were hospitalized in China after eating infant formula contaminated with melamine, an organic chemical used in the manufacture of plastics. Melamine is toxic when present in high concentrations. In April of last year, more than 90 people died and many others were blinded in Indonesia after drinking alcohol contaminated with methanol. Methanol is a toxic and cheap alcohol that is frequently used to dilute and extend liquor that is sold in black markets around the globe. Here are some other facts bearing on the issue of food safety: • 48 million Americans get sick every year from the food they eat. • 128,000 Americans are hospitalized with illnesses that come from contaminated food. • Hundreds go blind from contaminants in bootleg alcohol. • 3,000 Americans die every year from contaminated foods. If you have ever gotten sick from

the food you have eaten or thought the food in the fridge smelled a bit off or wondered about the freshness or date printed on a food product you were about to consume, help may be on the way. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are using artificial intelligence to develop a wireless sticker system, called RFIQ (Radio Frequency IQ), that can check foods and drinks for a wide variety of illness-producing organisms and other tainted products. It would give consumers direct control over detecting contaminants in their food and drink. They have developed a special, small, and very precise and accurate sensor that can attach to your smartphone and check for contaminants in food and beverages. The system should be able to: • Detect E. coli and other germs in produce and foods • Detect lead and mercury in water • Detect contaminants in alcohol and milk MIT scientists are excited that they are developing a system that could revolutionize the field of food safety. Eventually, the device would be the size of a phone charger and plug directly into a smartphone. It would then interact with an app that directs the detection. This technology has the potential to be a groundbreaking advance. There are thousands of people who have become critically ill from foodborne illness. As a result, many have a terrible relationship with food and live in constant fear, dreading every day doing something as essential to life as eating food. The new system would enable people to test the food in grocery stores, farmer’s markets, restaurants and at home. For commercial foods and beverages, there could

be a standardized, unique identifier code on the label that is scanned. If any contaminants are detected, not only would the device’s owner be alerted, but so would the product manufacturer, and even safety organizations like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), for potential early and widespread warnings. Ideally, the device will first serve individual consumers. Eventually, the MIT team’s goal is to scaleup the technology for commercial applications and then adopt it nationally, and even globally, so it becomes part of an invisible, seamless, food and beverage production infrastructure. Foods and drinks would then be scanned automatically before they ever hit the shelves or are sold in markets or served in restaurants. Think about the profound effect this food safety technology can

have; we could soon have the ability to check any food or liquid, before we eat it, making sure that they contain no contaminants. The scientists are also developing additional technologies so the scanner can detect sugar, calories and other components. These additional capabilities would be extremely beneficial for people with diabetes, those watching their weight, or with food allergies. Researchers say that the devices could be in consumer’s hands in as little as three to five years. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also expressed an interest in the project. When it comes to food safety, the future looks bright. For more information, read MIT’s RFIQ project report at bit.ly/2X2hXAC.

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 also an active member of both the American and National Medical Associations, and president of the Minnesota Association of Black Physicians.

Teen dating violence: How to recognize it and reduce the risk

Emotional Wellness with Dr. Golden by

DeiDre Annice GolDen Ph.D., lP

In addition to Black History Month, February is also Teen Dating Violence Prevention Month. This year’s theme is “Your Love is Unique with Consent.” Teen Dating violence (TDV) is defined as violence

and abuse between two people within the context of a past or current romantic relationship. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it can take one of many forms: • Physical violence refers to the use of physical force such as hitting or kicking. • Sexual violence occurs when force is used to coerce someone into a nonconsensual sexual relationship such as a sex act, touching or sexting. • Psychological abuse is the use of verbal and nonverbal tactics to control with threats, insults, intimidation, and monitoring. • Stalking is characterized as giving unwanted attention and contact such that

the person and those close to them feel unsafe and fearful. • Cyberbullying is the use of social media, emails, texts and the internet to threaten, embarrass or stalk. Statistics indicate that one in three teens reports having experienced physical, sexual and emotional abuse and violence within a dating relationship, and this violence usually begins between the ages of 12-18. Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year. Abuse can occur regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, culture or economic status. Abuse is

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often about the abuser maintaining control of the person they are dating. Witnessing violence at home or in the community and associating with violent peers are risk factors for either victimization or perpetration of dating violence. Poor school performance, tobacco, drug and alcohol use, teen pregnancy, sexual promiscuity, and physical aggression are more prevalent among teens that have experienced TDV. Depression and low self-esteem are also associated with this abuse and approximately 50 percent of youth who have experienced dating violence or rape attempt suicide. There are many reasons why teens remain in abusive relationships. Being in love and hoping the partner will change are often given as reasons why people stay in these violent relationships. There may also be a fear of leaving, particularly if there have been threats to one’s safety or to their family. There is a lot of shame associated with being victimized, and, according to Loveisrespect.org, only 33 percent of youth in a violent relationship share their abuse with others. Sometimes there is fear that no one would believe them if they did report the abuse. Parents can play a significant role in reducing the risk of TDV by teaching children and adolescents about healthy relationships. Treating your kids and others with respect is one way for parents to be good role models for children. Only 25 percent of parents ever have conversations with their children about domestic violence. Having a

relationship that encourages open and honest dialogue is essential in creating an atmosphere where it is safe to have those difficult communications. If you feel that your child or adolescent is in an abusive relationship, speak up and share your concerns for their safety. Let them know that the abuse is not their fault and that you are there to support them. Here are several warning signs of abuse: • Checking your phone or email without permission • Extreme jealousy • Constantly putting you down • Explosive temper • Isolating you from friends and family • Making false accusations • Physically hurting you • Telling you what to do If you or a loved one are experiencing any of the following warning signs above, please call or contact one of the numbers below: • If you are at immediate risk of harm, call 911. • Minnesota Day One crisis

hotline: 1-866-223-1111 • National Dating Abuse Helpline: 1-866-331-9474, 1-866-331-8453 (TTY) • Text “loveis” to 22522 and you will receive a response from a Loveisrespect.org peer advocate • National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) • Rape, Abuse and Incest Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) For a list of domestic violence shelters, visit domesticshelters.org Please follow up with a community advocate, your primary care provider (at NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center, call 612-6776439) or your mental health provider for further information and support. Dr. Deirdre Golden, director of behavioral health at NorthPoint Health & Wellness, welcomes reader responses to 612543-2705.

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February 21-27, 2019

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.

Is a city shrouded in violence ready for Final Four? By Ron Edwards Contributing Commentator

IN RESPONSE TO: In response to “YWCA forum calls for more ‘White humility,” by Solomon Gustavo, February 14, 2019 Dr. Robin DiAngelo’s diversity training speeches may be helpful for White people who want to better understand institutionalized racism and how their own White privilege perpetuates it, even unintentionally. Although Dr. DiAngelo claims she has essential knowledge for White people about racism, she acknowledges her book, White Fragility, which her presentations draw from extensively, “…does not attempt to provide the solution to racism,” (page 5). Not even attempts with her vast expertise. Solomon Gustavo, contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, concludes his article about Dr. DiAngelo’s speech by saying, “…judging from DiAngelo’s insights and the audience response, it’s going to take more than a carrot and stick to jumpstart these conversations into true action.”

White supremacy is as American as the 4th of July. In part, the answer to what it is going [to] take requires moving beyond DiAngelo’s focus on what racism is to its economic origins and continuing use in capitalism. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was and remains an internationally renowned and heroic civil rights leader. He also was a democratic socialist whose murder was not just a vile racist act. Dr. King was murdered because his understanding of the economic foundations of White supremacy involved him in organizing alliances of Black and White workers for racial equity and economic justice. King courageously and intentionally ignored the “red line” the American oligarchy draws for those seeking systemic change: the creation of multiracial movements for racial and gender equity and social and economic justice. White supremacy is as American as the 4th of July. We can find the origins of White supremacy in the words and deeds of our Founding Fathers and the lies we have been told about America’s history. Most Americans think White supremacy is not consistent with American values and ideals. This is the truth: The United States was founded on White supremacy to ensure that rich White men could dominate and rule our country for their own private gain. Thomas Jefferson and the other “Founding Fathers” of the United States (and fathers of children

by sexually abusing their women slaves) declared only White male property owners could vote and have the power to make decisions about how and for whom wealth would be created. From the beginning of our so-called democracy, they ruthlessly exploited other White men but told them if they supported White male supremacy, they also could become wealthy and powerful. By using White supremacy and the subjugation of women to maintain their dominance, the poison of these horrific and oppressive ways of maintaining power and wealth infected and permeated all our institutions became widespread cultural norms and characterized social interactions for large numbers of people. To this day, White supremacy uses race and gender hatred to prevent class consciousness and multiracial moments for economic justice and a powerful democracy that can replace our undemocratic oligarchy. These abominable actions continued because the American people were told genocide and stealing the land of our indigenous peoples was the White man’s “Manifest Destiny.” They continued because White people believed it was acceptable to God to support the brutal, horrific enslavement of Africans, followed by 100 years of Jim Crow terror, to create their unearned wealth and privilege. They continued because relentless attacks against women and working people who fought for equal rights and decent working conditions was justified as “natural” function of the marketplace to determine who was worthy of wealth and called it Social Darwinism. These horrific actions continued because they were perpetuated through stupefying fairy tales and myths about America’s commitments to democracy and freedom. We must create a very different America: an America for all of us, not just for those privileged by their class, race, or gender. We must refuse to accept an America for some [of] us in which only some of us have the necessities of a decent life and ways of reaching their full potential. We must end our false claims that America is the home of the brave with liberty and justice for all and finally make it the truth for all Americans. — Arthur Turovh Himmelman What makes Dr. Robin an expert on breaking down barriers of racism. She looks White to me and is a welcome participant in the White power structure and therefore part of the problem. — JeShuan Savoy

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Violence is escalating in the Twin Cities. Two-and-ahalf weeks ago, five people had been shot in both affluent and poor neighborhoods in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Two White professional women — a mother and daughter, one in her 60s, the other in her mid-40s — were shot and killed in their luxury apartment in downtown Minneapolis in the same neighborhood as Mayor Jacob Frey.

Through My Eyes The Minneapolis Story Continues from road rage. The school bus driver, a 78-year-old American military veteran, was shot in the head and arm by an individual wearing a security guard uniform. The driver threw himself across the only student on board, a five-yearold African American child, to shield her when the man attempted to enter the bus to continue shooting.

These issues need to be addressed, effectively and swiftly. The Chamber of Commerce and other important leadership demanded explanations from city officials regarding the circumstances of the deaths of the women just across the river from the Federal Reserve. A next-door neighbor was soon arrested for the women’s murders. Days before, two individuals were shot in their car in North Minneapolis, and another person was shot and wounded in the Uptown area of south Minneapolis. Earlier this month, a Minneapolis School District bus driver was shot and wounded on I-35W near Chicago Avenue — collateral damage

Two women came to the aid of the bus driver by blocking the bus door, preventing the shooting of the little girl. The gunman, a mall cop, shot and killed a 16-year-old African American in 2015. He currently patrols the Hawthorne Crossing in the African American community. But, there is more than just gun violence. The drug epidemic is also taking a toll on the community. Together, they cause people to feel unsafe on the streets, unsafe in their homes, and unsafe as they go about their business. My prayers go out to the deceased and to those being threatened. What do the recent gun and drug violence

in Minneapolis say to those considering coming to Minneapolis for the NCAA’s 2019 Final Four (aka March Madness) championship series? Is this what Justice Marshall meant by civilization crumbling when important issues are not addressed? What is the solution? What must be done to solve these acts of violence? I report. I analyze. I make suggestions. But, it is up to officials and neighborhood leaders to work out the solutions — and, these issues need to be addressed, effectively and swiftly. I do not believe this is the Minneapolis that was sold to the NCAA for its championship finals in this city. For some reason, Minneapolis police tell us that auto stops are down 79 percent and drug arrests are down 45 percent — showing they are good at keeping records. We hope that the host committee will not be embarrassed by a city that has become unsafe and dangerous. But, we must ask whether there is something lacking in the implementation of solutions leaving these dangerous problems to continue. Stay tuned. Ron Edwards is an author and hosts radio and TV shows.

Dr. Michael Davis punished “white Cloud” with its own racism By Myrle Cooper Guest Commentator Days before Christmas Dr. Michael A. Davis, St. Cloud State University’s (SCSU) most militant Black faculty member, passed away. Davis was raised in Harlem, NY where his militant mother participated in Harlem’s cultural and political movements, with leaders ranging from Marcus Garvey to Malcolm X and Al Sharpton. He went on to earn his doctoral degree at the Ivy League’s Columbia University. Retired and living in Minnesota’s pathologically racist community, Dr. Davis is remembered for his frequently cited teaching excellence, popularity among students and attacking racism. Based on purposely few Black SCSU faculty members on campus in a community that was known for owning illegal slaves, “Sundown town” policies, racist cops and the spastic pursuit of self-respect through racism, Davis openly supported the Black student’s rebellion (1991) resulting in the firing of SCSU’s then president.

and University of Minnesota’s Law School faculty. Their strategy of presenting independent study findings and investigative reports via scathing headlines was predictably effective. Since talk is cheap and opinions vary widely, simply quoting headlines from easily verifiable news sources provided evidence of “White Cloud’s” racism. Many community college and high school graduates were convinced to avoid SCSU and “White Cloud” or transfer to campuses in communities far more appreciative, better integrated and safe. Unexpected verification also came from SCSU’s student government tasked with creating denials, diversionary explanations, and excuses. After reviewing news reports, a conciliatory letter was drafted: “It is the understanding of the St. Cloud State Student Government that you recently received a letter from one former and two current SCSU faculty members discouraging attendance of minorities at our campus. As representatives of students and the University, we hope to address some of the issues brought up by the professors.

Davis will be remembered for his Black pride, character, defiance and walking his talk. Davis’ aggressive anti-racist modus operandi irritated SCSU’s Booker T. Washington “accommodationist” faculty of color and local NAACP Stockholm Syndrome victims. The wife of Dan Coborn, a local grocery store chain owner, was “planted” in Davis’ Teacher Development course to verify his militant influence on students. City Hall, local politicians, and SCSU’s president were crushed when she praised Davis. However, SCSU’s earliest Black administrators, College of Education Dean Bernie Oliver and Academic Affairs vice presidents Josephine Davis and Richard Green, applauded his defiance. Like predecessors Rudy Perpich and Mark Dayton, incoming Governor Tim Walz has also specifically criticized St. Cloud racism. Beginning in 2002, Davis and a colleague began effectively exposing, humiliating and ridiculing SCSU and “White Cloud” racism by contacting community college students of color and high school parent-teacher groups. Flyers and letters from Davis and his colleague cited reports of racism by independent investigators (including Aspen Institute, several departments of Civil Rights and Education, FBI, Edwin Nichols Associates, Ohio State University’s Kirwan Institute, Pennsylvania State University’s Susan Rankin,

First of all, we do not deny any of the facts presented to you in their correspondence.” Recently, despite an increase of area high school graduates, SCSU grudgingly admits to losing 5,266 students — about one-third of its total enrollment. Multiply 5,266 times the suggested $8,400 per student per year for living costs beyond books, fees, and tuition. That’s more than $44M in lost revenue. One sniveling anti-Somali organizer recently admitted costs for racism have put the city in “near-terminal decline.” If only 2,000 students reacted to warnings of racism, “White Cloud” has been justifiably punished. While others of color in “White Cloud” rely on anonymity, cowering, dreams of critical mass empowerment and/or unlikely White leniency via guilt or psychological improvement, Dr. Davis will be remembered for his Black pride, character, defiance and walking his talk. Myrle Cooper is a retired faculty member at St. Cloud State University. He welcomes reader responses at coopermb1976@gmail.com.

February 21-27, 2019

Continued from page 1

allowed them entry into the entertainment industry and American popular consciousness. In The Jazz Singer (1927), Al Jolson’s character, the son of a Jewish cantor, blacks up to become a star. New immigrants attempted to establish their social position in American society by distinguishing themselves from the lowest rung on the social latter through a Blackface burlesquing of African Americans. Ralph Ellison, author of the mid-century novel of African American experience Invisible Man, wrote brilliantly about Blackface. Ellison saw America as a cauldron of contradictions. It preached equality but practiced slavery and discrimination. It valued liberty and the recognition of all people’s humanity while treating many of its citizens like things and animals. For Ellison, Blackface was America’s way of living with such contradictions. In a 1958 essay, Ellison asserted that Blackface “constituted a ritual of exorcism.” In Blackface, the Black figure represented the negative aspects of American society — slavery, inequality,

aspects were exorcized and disavowed by turning them into a big joke in the Blackface show. This “exorcism” meant that White Americans could consider themselves and their nation as good and decent while still engaging in racist behavior. Ellison presented Blackface not as outside of America’s core values, but as he put it, “telling us something of the operations of American values.”

Like Ellison, many recent historians of Blackface suggest more is at stake than racial animus. Cultural historian Eric Lott goes a step further and argues that Blackface is infused with something like love. In his influential book Love and Theft, Lott sees the donning of the mask as a fetishistic fascination with Blackness. Blackface fascinates White men because it allows them sexual license and access to a purportedly virile, disobedient, yet

SBS

MSR: What has been the most rewarding part of owning your business? JS: Wonderful support. Thor Corporation has made Continued from page 1 us part of their tour when showing clients the building. The CEO of NorthPoint Health & Wellness CenMSR: What has been your biggest challenge in ter, Stella Whitney-West, invited us to attend the annual staff meeting introducing the gym to 400 staff owning a business? JS: Members are needed in order to pay the rent. members. Which in turn got us working with Dr. They first have to know that you’re here. We don’t Paul Erickson, the medical director at NorthPoint, have signage on the building — we’re working with where we’re creating programs for the staff and the the County and everyone to address that issue. Un- patients. like the big boxes, as a Black-owned business, you get stereotyped expecting it to be of lesser quality. MSR: What’s your vision and goals for your busiBut we have the same equipment you’d find at any ness? JS: To grow this to where I’m not paying for this other gym, maybe even better quality. We have six trainers, all independent contractors, out of my pocket, and to become a focal point for so as an outside trainer we welcome you bringing the neighborhood. In the future, a manager will be your clients. Many of the big boxes don’t allow out- brought in and the gym will be branched to other side trainers, which makes them bounce around to states. various clubs to train their clients. Here we created an environment where, as a trainer, you can have a home gym and make a steady income.

MSR: What advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur? JS: Know your business. Who are your business

Obituary

Celebrating the Life of Dr. Ida-Lorraine Jules Wilderson

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ages, Northam tries to project a masculine virility. Was that sense of virility quickly slipping away for the soon-to-be pediatrician and future politician? These are images, too, of a South that was likewise quickly disappearing in the 1980s. This South was as much a New South of suburbs, international corporations, and newly established immigrant communities as it was the old Dixie of 10-gallon-hat ranchers and of moonshiners who used souped-up stock cars to deliver their goods. Blackface in the 1980s was perhaps a way for White Southerners to get back some of the old Southern spunk, its sense of virility and masculinity. The KKK figure, standing shoulder-toshoulder with the Blackface figure on Northam’s yearbook page, is present to make sure that all know that everyone is really buddies here and this is a joke — ‘Masking jokers’ which of course it is and it isn’t. I suspect something like this “love “Change the Joke and Slip the Yoke” is and theft” dynamic was happening in the title of Ralph Ellison’s brilliant essay 1980s Virginia. In addition to the Black- on Blackface from 1958. But the joke of face image on Virginia Gov. Ralph Blackface is still very much with us. We Northam’s medical school yearbook haven’t slipped its yoke. “America,” Ellipage from 1983, we also find him in two son wrote, “is a land of masking jokers.” additional photos. In one he poses next to a muscle Michael Millner is associate professor of car, and in the other he is pictured in a English and American Studies at University rancher’s 10-gallon hat. In these two im- of Massachusetts—Lowell.

authentic form of masculinity that rebels against middle-class American life, Lott argues. But inhabiting Blackness, Lott explains, produces great anxiety in those who take up the black mask. The masked men distance themselves from Blackness — it’s all a joke in good fun — almost as quickly as they inhabit it, because blackness, while deeply desired, is also dangerous to their White privilege. Lott sees this dynamic as exploitation — the “theft” of his title — but it’s exploitation built on fascination and desire. His history focuses on workingclass men during the decades before the Civil War, but it’s not a big step from the “love and theft” of antebellum Blackface NOW: A Blackface sweater from Gucci’s Fall/Winter 2018 collection to Mick Jagger cake-walking across the Photo courtesy of Gucci stage like Zip Coon or suburban White kids spittin’ rhymes. immorality, exploitation. These negative Yearning for Blackface

“America is a land of masking jokers.”

BLackface

5

February 10, 1932 — January 25, 2019

r. Ida-Lorraine Jules Wilderson peacefully passed away on Friday, January 25, 2019 in her Minneapolis, Minnesota home. Born February 10, 1932 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Ida-Lorraine was 86 years old. She was predeceased by her parents, Emily and Henry E. Jules, Sr., and her five siblings: Adrienne Jules Young, Linda Jules Adams, Inez Jules Davis, Henry E. Jules, Jr., and Weldon James Jules. Ida-Lorraine is survived by her loving husband of 63 years Dr. Frank Benjamin Wilderson, Jr. She is also survived by her son Frank Benjamin Wilderson, III (62), daughter-in-law Anita Wilkins; daughters Fawn Elizabeth Wilderson (61) and Amy Althea Cousin (56); son-in-law Tyrone Cousin; son Wayne Henry Wilderson (53); six grandchildren, Reba Wilderson, Maarya Cousin, Shaa’ya Cousin, Ijaaz Cousin, Manaal Cousin, and Esau Cousin; and great-granddaughters Bontle Wilderson and Violet Ruby Johnson; as well as many other relatives and friends. Having graduated from Xavier University Preparatory School (now known as St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory School), Ida-Lorraine attended Xavier University in New Orleans, taught four years in the Orleans Parish Public Schools, and then went on to study at the University of Chicago. Following that, she obtained her master’s degree in child development from the University of Michigan and then attended the University of California, Berkeley. She then went on to receive her Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota. She and Frank and their three young children — Frank (“Frankie”), Fawn (“Wanda”), and Amy (then six months old) — moved to Minneapolis in 1962. Ida-Lorraine worked as a coordinator in the Minneapolis Public School System Department of Special Education, as well a principal of many of the system’s schools. Ida-Lorraine was also a child development specialist in the Greater Minneapolis Daycare Association. Upon retiring from the Minneapolis Public Schools, she practiced as a licensed clinical psychologist alongside her husband. She was a founding member of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter of the Links, Inc.; a proud member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA); president of both Minnesota and Minneapolis chapters of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Columbus. She was a life member of the Mpls/St. Paul Chapter of The Girl Friends, Inc. since 1999, serving as editor of their Chatter-

box/ Chatterletter and working on this committee as chair and co-chair until 2018. She was a member of the Twin Cities Chapter of Jack & Jill; a board member of the Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library; a board member of the Overseers for the St. John’s University School of Theology and Seminary; a member of the Twin Cities Motorhome Camping Club; and a member of the board of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. She and her husband Frank were co-chairs of the Archdiocese Annual Catholic Appeal. She was a member of the League of Women Voters; vice-president of the Urban League; a longtime member of the Basilica Choir; a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; an experienced notary public and loan signing agent; and a member of the Parish Council of The Basilica of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. She traveled extensively with her family throughout the USA, Europe, Russia and Asia, giving talks on child development and education. She is missed by family, friends, and many associates. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Saint Vincent De Paul Shoe Ministry at The Basilica of Saint Mary https:// mybasilica.mary. org/netcommunity/page.aspx?pid=204 or Xavier University of Louisiana, www2.xula.edu/alumni/ howtogive.html.

competitors? Understand current demographics that will impact your business, and future demographics. Recognize your strengths and weakness — where you’re weak, outsource. Be willing to partner with others and use their strengths. Lastly, consider how much time will be spent in the business doing the work, but also consider the time spent on the business. Spending time on the business is figuring out how it will continue to grow, how it will keep up with changing trends and business models.

LawmakerS Continued from page 1

The Black legislators have already hit the ground running, partnering on new bills and reintroducing some from the previous legislative session. From legislation to stop the removal of Black children from their homes to a bill that would make it easier for lowincome students to access driver’s education, they are crafting solutions to empower constituents and reduce racial disparities. Keeping Black families together Last week, Rep. Moran and Sen. Hayden reintroduced their joint Minnesota African American Family Preservation Act at the State Capitol. The bill (S.F. 730 and H.F. 342), first introduced last session, would stop the arbitrary removal of Black children from their homes by the child protection department. Black youth in Minnesota face alarming racial disparities across the entire child protection process — from reporting and screening to assessment and discharge. A high percentage are also getting caught up in the juvenile justice system. “For too long, we’ve failed to address the unequal treatment and poor child welfare outcomes for African American children and their families,” said Sen. Hayden. “African American children are over three times more likely than White kids to be reported to child protection, while at the same time [Black parents are] less likely to receive services that allow their children to stay in the home.” The act would oversee the creation of an African American Child Welfare Advisory Council and an African American child wellbeing department within the Department of Human Services to provide oversight and accountability. “All legislators, Democratic and Republican alike, should share the goal of keeping families together, and the Minnesota African American Family Preservation Act will help ensure this can happen everywhere in our state,” said Rep. Moran. “There are more effective strategies we can utilize to ensure the

ME&I Fitness and Performance is located at 1256 Penn Ave. N. in Minneapolis. The gym membership provides access to the gym and a few classes, like the Saturday Boot-camp or Lunch Time Power Half Hour. ME&I also has employer healthcare reimbursement programs. For more info, visit meandifp.com. Jonika Stowes welcomes reader responses to jstowes@ spokesman-recorder.com.

safety of children while looking toward their long-term best interests. I’m hopeful this bill will give us a pathway to explore these.” Educational solutions Rep. Richardson presented two new education bills this week focused on providing suicide prevention training for Minnesota teachers and increasing access to driver’s education. Minnesota’s youth suicide rate is higher than the national average, with suicide being the leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 10 and 17. Under Rep. Richardson’s Teacher Suicide Prevention Bill (H.F. 813), which was approved Tuesday, every teacher throughout the state will receive evidence-based online training on suicide prevention and how to engage students experiencing mental distress. Rep. Richardson also presented a driver’s education bill to have school districts pay a portion of driver’s education enrollment costs for low-income students between the ages of 15 and 19. The bill would create a working group to identify access barriers for low-income students and permanent funding sources to expand course availability. “There was a time when taking driver’s education was considered a rite of passage, and young drivers were often trained for free through the public school system. Today, a driver’s education course can cost around $400,” said Rep. Richardson. “Driver’s license fees are one of the hidden barriers that prevent low-income students from attaining their driver’s license, and the mobility and opportunities that come with it. This bill is about equal access to education, employment, housing and services for all.”

risk or danger to the community. Many nonviolent offenders cannot afford the 10 percent bail bonds and are forced to remain in jail, often losing their jobs and housing as a result. “This bill is important because people who commit minor offenses should be able to continue contributing to our society through work, education, and family responsibilities,” said Noor. “Cash bail serves essentially as a get-out-of-jail-free card that applies only to people who can afford it, while people who can’t afford it are often forced to pay unconscionable rates in bail bonds or remain in jail before they’ve been convicted of a crime.” In addition, Rep. Hassan has co-authored several bills, including bipartisan legislation (H.F. 605) to provide low-income individuals with career education and job skills training integrated with chemical and mental health services. The bill would provide a $1.2M grant to nonprofit AVIVO over a two-year period to integrate the training with its chemical and mental health services. “This bill is about removing barriers for Minnesotans to prosper,” said Rep. Hassan. “It gives all Minnesotans a chance to succeed and hold good-paying jobs, regardless of mental health or income status.” Rep. Hassan’s other co-authored bills include legislation to provide funding for Minneapolis public housing renovation (H.F. 407) and another to require landlords to provide written leases for their tenants (H.F. 495).

The fate of proposed legislation now depends on how successfully the United Black Legislative Caucus is able to garner support from community members and fellow legislators. Its members are confident that by acting in unison, their influEconomic reform Last week, Rep. Noor pre- ence will outweigh their limited sented legislation (H.F. 741) to numbers. “We are going to be a reduce the use of cash bail for force to be reckoned with,” said misdemeanor offenses, with Sen. Hayden. companion legislation authored by Sen. Champion in the Senate. Stephenetta Harmon welcomes The proposed bill would al- reader responses to sharmon@ low defendants with certain spokesman-recorder.com. misdemeanors to be released All photos courtesy of Minnesota without financial conditions — unless the courts determine House Photography they are a substantial flight

6

February 21-27, 2019

Film links Minneapolis’ Jim Crow past to present-day disparities MSR: So, where’d the title of the film come from? DPB: That’s a really good question. [Laughs] That’s always an interesting process. Even looking back on NorthStar-Minnesota’s Black Pioneers — that was a long process of arriving at this idea that the North Star has a unique meaning for African Americans as a guide out of slavery, but also this being the North Star state. In this case, one of the scholars, Penny Peterson, in my interview with her, she’s a really amazing scholar and also really clear and strident in her language, and so she don’t take no shorts! As we talked, she uttered the phrase, “This is Jim Crow of the North!” This was sort of a hidden but very powerful legal policy and, in a way, it’s worse [than southern Jim Crow]. So, I thought, that’s not too strong of a statement and it would make a powerful, engaging title.

By Paige Elliott Digital Editor

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or the past several years, Mapping Prejudice, a cross-section of geographers, historians, and property research specialists, has done the work of exhuming, documenting and informing the community about Hennepin County’s dark and buried history of color-coded housing bigotry. Beginning in Minneapolis, the team has been on a mission to unearth and map out racially restrictive property deeds, also known as racial covenants, that made it illegal for non-Whites to own and occupy property in the 20th century. Now a new TPT documentary, Jim Crow of the North, is set to further the discussion. Through the power of storytelling, Daniel Pierce Bergin, TPT senior producer, said he hopes the documentary not only sheds light on Minneapolis’ past housing discrimination but also connects the dots to the stark racial disparities that still exist today. Bergin, a Minneapolis native, has produced several notable films, including the regional Emmy-winning Lowertown: The Rise of an Urban Village and North Star: Minnesota’s Black Pioneers, to name just a few. He currently produces TPT’s Minnesota Experience, a weekly history series of which Jim Crow of the North is an offering. Bergin spoke with the MSR in advance of the film’s sold-out screening with Mapping Prejudice on Feb. 18., and the official TPT television premiere on Feb. 25. An excerpt of that conversation appears below.

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR): What sparked the idea for Jim Crow of the North? Daniel Pierce Bergin (DPB): Well, that’s a good question because, as you know, this research project [Mapping Prejudice] has been going on for a couple of years now. But, for me as a storyteller and filmmaker, I thought bringing the unique power of cinema to this history and this research could really amplify the knowledge. And I think the Mapping Prejudice team agreed. While they have been doing great work on the ground presenting and sharing, I think they were excited to have the power of public media literally broadcasting this story.

ment, lack of investment…and all the things that followed those restrictive covenants contributed greatly to the disparities we’re struggling with today. MSR: So, you’re hoping the storytelling aspect can allow the research to reach a broader audience? DPB: Exactly. It’s kind of told chronologically and then, in terms of a story, there are characters, and we make note of some of the folks behind the early restrictive covenants, and it’s important to know who they were. We are also going to acknowledge those in our community and others who were resisting from the beginning and then throughout the 20th Century, people who are resisting these policies and practices and trying to push back.

"You see [MSR founder] Cecil Newman in the late ’60s... speaking on the policies and what needs to happen." I also just firmly believe in the importance of history... A story like this starts to provide some answers and insights into the critical issues of the day, including, why does Minnesota have some of the worst racial disparities in the country in terms of health [and] wealth… It’s not the only reason, but we are really seeing how those restrictive covenants and the redlining that followed and the policies and disenfranchise-

So, I wanted to make sure to introduce some of these characters, like Lena Smith and some of the allies and political leaders, like Walter Mondale. And then we also meet Marvel Jackson who was an important, pioneering journalist who lived in Minneapolis. One of the inciting incidents, as the researchers see it, is when [Jackson’s] family moved into Prospect Park and a [White] mob descended on them, and

Daniel Pierce Bergin

the developers and real estate folks wanted a new tactic to prevent something like that from happening again. So that’s sort of the beginning of our story. MSR: What else can people expect from the documentary? DPB: It’s a one-hour history documentary that basically explores the arc of some of the racial targeting policies — from the beginning with restrictive covenants in the early 20th Century through the Fair Housing Act and the end of the policies. But also, with acknowledging the ongoing impact [of the policies] ...

I worked on Slavery by Another Name that TPT produced for PBS a few years ago. It has that feel to it in terms of the importance. It’s not as big of scope as that project, obviously. But it’s reminding me of it in terms of revealing a really important and little-known history that could get conversations going and inform how we think and plan and make policy around equity and space…

MSR: How closely did you work with the Mapping Prejudice team? DPB: This was a really close collaboration. Kirsten Delegard [Mapping Prejudice executive director] and I talked quite a bit, making sure that this would be an appropriate adaptation, so to speak. They were really great at helping us understand the complicated story and history — because it’s not an easy one to relay. We also talk to William Green, the preeminent historian on Black history in Minnesota and civil rights history; he’s also an author and history pro-

documentary that surprised you? DPB: I didn’t know much of this history, I have to say, so the whole thing was a revelation to me. A lot of these things aren’t taught in schools… So, it was an intense learning experience. And it was difficult because this is a tough history. But it was encouraging to learn about the resistance and how people fought against these policies. It was also cool to see in the archives the role the local media played, how even decades ago, the different folks in media were trying to do the right thing. You see [Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder founder] Cecil Newman in the late ’60s. There’s a brief little clip of him speaking on the policies and what needs to happen. Watching it, I realized that as much as I know about him, I’ve never heard or seen him speak in movie pictures. So that was kind of fun... MSR: What do you hope people take away from this film? DPB: Well, with our work at Twin Cities PBS, awareness is a really important goal... I don’t expect people to become experts on the complexities of this history. But I want people to be aware of the communities that were affected by restrictive covenants and ultimately redlined. This is part of what’s happened to them and part of that historic trauma and [the cause of] some of the generational struggles with wealth develop- ment... It is really impor- tant to know that this isn’t just about these restrictive covenants creating redlines; they were really about creating green lines. We talk a lot about redlining, but that policy by the federal government had a couple of tiers of colors and one was green. Green was where there could be investments and government support, loans...and that’s your Southwest Minneapolis and into the suburbs like Edina, Eden Prairie, as opposed to North and South-Central Minneapolis, which were redlined. And you see that in some of the communities today, the disparity of wealth. So, I also want people in the greenlined communities to understand that part of the privilege and wealth, security and stability come from these restrictive policies, as well. Jim Crow of the North premieres Monday, Feb. 25 at 9 pm on TPT 2, with subsequent air times

fessor at Augsburg. We also wanted to make sure to hear from folks from these communities. So, you’ll see some familiar faces, like Greg McMoore, a lifelong resident of South Minneapolis, who speaks to the idea that while these communities were redlined, they still created powerful, important communities.

on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 3 am on TPT; Thursday, Feb. 28 at 8 pm on TPT Life; and Friday, March 1 at 2 am on TPT Life. You can also watch the documentary on TPT.org after its premiere date.

MSR: Did you learn anything in the process of making the

All images courtesy of TPT

Paige Elliott welcomes readers responses to pelliott@spokesmanrecorder.com.

February 21-27, 2019

7

NEVER CAUGHT:

A young woman escapes enslavement of America’s First Family

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

BOOK SPOTLIGHT By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer

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rica Armstrong Dunbar’s book Never Caught (37 Ink/Atria) sheds light on the first president of the U.S. and takes a fascinating look at Ona Judge, the escaped slave George Washington was determined to recapture any way he could, including disregarding the law. In fact, before Judge fled, Washington and his wife Martha were already sidestepping legal issues to hold onto their human property. The Washington household had moved from their Mount Vernon, Va. to Pennsylvania where they were subject to the Gradual Abolition Act that mandated that they free their slaves after six months. Instead, the Washingtons would simply ship the slaves South before the deadline, then bring them back to start the clock all over again. Subterfuge marked the president’s character. Washington could have used the federal courts to recover the runaway under the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act. The

case, though, would then become part of the public record. He had signed the law into effect and wanted to avoid a public relations issue that would surely arise if it were widely known he was hunting Judge. So, he acted below the radar, exploiting his political influence to appropriate the services of Secretary of the Treasury Oliver Wolcott, Jr. and New Hampshire customs agent Joseph Whipple. The Washington’s, indignantly astonished, felt betrayed that Judge would bite their hands by running off. How could she show so little appreciation for being a house servant toiling in the fields? Her supposed ingratitude was for hellish work conditions. Seldom surviving past the age of 40, slaves were washing machines, their backs bent for hours over hot tubs. They wore their hands raw in hot, lye soap, and like pack mules, carted around heavy loads of clothing, which when they were too heavy to hold, the women did as African tradition dictated, carrying them in baskets on their heads — not uncommonly resulting in concussions and knee injury. They slept in cellars or attics that grew freezing cold in winter and suffocating in summer. On top of which, they waited hand and foot on the mistress, making her bed, brushing her hair and tending to her when she was

But at 16, Judge made her break in 1796 while the Washingtons were North, where she was close enough to free Black communities to be aided. As the Washingtons prepared to return to Virginia for a short trip between sessions of Congress, she stated in an 1845 interview with abolitionist newspaper The Granite Freeman, “I was packing to go; I didn’t know where, for I knew that

ill. This included Martha Washington, who was subject to depression. The slaves, however, were no more expected to be bothered by such ills, though they constantly risked rape by men who considered it a casual occur-

At one point, refusing to simply cut his loss, George Washington resorted to sending his nephew Burwell Bassett, Jr. to locate and kidnap Judge. But the Washington household never did get her back. Living out her days in New Hampshire, she married and set up a family with Jack Staines, a free sailor. They had three children, Eliza, Wil, and Nancy.

Never Caught sheds light on the first president of the U.S. and takes a fascinating look at Ona Judge, the escaped slave George Washington was determined to recapture. if I went back to Virginia, I should never get my liberty. I had friends among the colored people of Philadelphia, had my things carried there beforehand, and left Washington’s house while they were eating dinner.” George Washington was incensed, later writing to Whipple, “I regret that the attempt you made to restore the Girl... who, without the least provocation absconded from her Mistress. [However] well-disposed, I might be to a gradual abolition, or even to an entire emancipation... it would neither be politic or just to reward unfaithfulness with a premature preference [of freedom]; and thereby discontent beforehand the minds of all her fellow-servants who by their steady attachments are far more deserving than herself of favor.”

rence as satisfying any other appetite. Eventually, Judge found herself looking over her shoulder, dreading the approach of Thomas Law who was about to marry George Washington’s granddaughter. He made no bones about his proclivity for women of color (from India and Africa). Martha intended to give the new bride a present: Ona Judge. Her husband undoubtedly would be helping himself.

It didn’t all end happily ever after, however. After only seven years, Staines died in 1803, leaving her unable to support herself and the youngsters on her own. She was forced to either be homeless or board with the family of one John Jacks, Jr. Eliza and Nancy became indentured servants and Will set out to sea as an apprentice. After 50 years as a fugitive, Ona Judge died impoverished and alone. She also never spent another day in bondage. Dwight Hobbes welcomes readers responses to dhobbes@spokesman-recorder. com. Book cover courtesy of 37 Ink/Atria

Planning and prepping are essential to healthy living By Brandi Phillips Contributing Writer We have officially finished week one for Sister Spokesman’s eight-week “Get Fit” Challenge brought to you by Wellife 360. One of the most major lessons we’ve learned thus far is the importance of planning and prepping. Today’s busy lifestyles do not cater to the health-conscious consumer. Everything is made quick and cheap. Starting or rebuilding a life you desire can take a lot of energy and time. But as the old school saying goes, “If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.” Our “Get Fit” online group discussed some of the following tips to practice before starting your journey: • Take your initial weights and measurements • Clean out your home of junk foods • Stock up on spring water • Research healthy recipes that work for your journey • Start with a 10-minute walk or workout to get your body used to moving (longer if needed) • Start a journal of what you are currently eating and how often you eat • Shop for healthy food choices

Plan to shop smart How do we know what to shop for when we start our journey? Here’s a tip: shop the perimeter of the store. Along the perimeter, you will find your fresh produce, fresh meats, and hardly any processed or junk foods. You should be careful of labels as well. Be aware of products that say, “sugar-free,” but carry aspartame, which research has shown can cause cancers. Watch out for things that say, “light” because that may only mean the color has become lighter. Remember, even the pre-packed veggies and meats have preservatives in them to prolong freshness. One “Get Fit” challenger, Natasha Phelps, told the MSR, “I’ve already started eating way, way better and incorporating meals similar to/from your guide. It’s helped me be more mindful and encouraged me to prepare healthy snacks/meals on Sunday before the week [gets] started.” Hey now, Ms. Phelps! Week one of the challenge is complete and I’m excited to see what the rest of the challenge holds. Will you join us? All are welcome, so what are you waiting for? Let’s go! For more info about the “Get Fit” Challenge or Wellife 360, contact Brandi D. Phillips at bphillips@spokesman-recorder.com.

Get Fit Challenge recipe

Kale, pineapple and mint smoothie

Brandi Phillips prepping healthy food samples at a Sister Spokesman event Photo by Steve Floyd

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4 ice cubes 2 cups of kale 1 cup of coconut water 1 cup of pineapple chunks 1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves

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February 21-27, 2019

BULLETIN

FEBRUARY 22-28 Each week this month, MSR editors share their top picks for events celebrating Black History Month.

February 22 From Behind the Sun by Stanley Kipper and Laura Drake Whitney Fine Arts Center Theater, 1424 Yale Place, Mpls. Free with food donation. Premiere co-production by Minneapolis College and Metropolitan State University Theater Departments based on the true experiences of co-playwright Stanley Kipper during the spring of 1956, when his parents moved the family from Nicollet Park to the redlined district of South Minneapolis. Runs through March 2. Info: minneapolis.edu/from-behind-the-sun February 23 Children’s Reading Circle: St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter 10-1045 am @ Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery, 1256 Penn Ave., N. 4th floor, Mpls. Mayor Carter will read children’s story favorites as the guest speaker of this free family gathering. Info: bit.ly/CarterReadingCircle Kinky Curly Theological Collective: Spirituality for Black Women 12-3 pm @ Merriam Park Library, 1831 Marshall Ave., St. Paul. Free Join the kick off the Unveiling the Black Woman Inside writing series, which aims to provide a space for women of African ascent to define themselves through the practice of spiritual, movement, and writing in the company of other women. Bring a notebook and wear comfortable clothes. Info: bit.ly/KinkyCurlyKickOff Hebrews to Negroes Movie Screening & Q&A 12:30- 5 pm @ Sabathani Community Center Auditorium, 310 East 38th St., Mpls. $25 Join leadership of the Church of Kingdom Treasure Int’l for the Minnesota screening of The Negro Network’s From Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. Info: bit.ly/HebrewstoNegroes

2019 BHM Community Calendar

Hattitude Paint Party 2-4 pm @ Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery, 1256 Penn Ave., N. 4th floor, Mpls. $30 Artist Tipton Hammond, whose paintings are on display at the museum’s “GRACE” exhibit, will lead participants in painting their own artwork to take home. Registration is required as seating is limited. Info: bit.ly/HattitudePaintParty ANGRY BLACK WOMAN & Well-intentioned White Girl 5:30-8:30 pm @ North Community High School, 1500 James Ave., N., Minneapolis Amoke Kubat and Jennifer Johnson express daily “unsaids” between Black and White women in a play that delves deep into those hidden dehumanizing narratives through storytelling and audience participation. Info: bit.ly/AngryBlack The Free Black Table Open Mic 7-9 pm @ Illusion Theater, 528 Hennepin Ave., 8th floor, Minneapolis Brought to you by Black Table Arts, this open mic event promises an intentional evening of performance dedicated to the celebration of Black artists. Sign up begins at 6:30 pm and fills quickly; it is suggested that performers arrive as early as possible. Info: bit.ly/BlackTableOpenMic February 24 A Celebration and Collaboration of Sistahood in Black History 2-5 pm @ New Creation Church, 1922 North 25th Ave., Minneapolis. $5-10 Billed as a mother-daughter empowerment and unity event, this celebration promises good food, inspirational conversations, a motivational speaker, bonding activities for mothers and daughters, as well as live entertainment and a fashion show. Info: bit.ly/CelebrateSisterhood The Miseducation of the Black Man Discussion Series 3-4:30 pm @ 1011 W Broadway Ave., Mpls. Free As an extension of the ”Men with Daddy Issues” series, this community conversation will center on the true history of the Black man leading up to present-day traumas. The discussion is open to men, women, children and community organizations, with the goal of discover-

ing collaborative solutions to strengthen the Black community. Info: bit.ly/MiseducationBlkman VocalEssence WITNESS: Yet They Persist 4-6 pm @ Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls. $10-40 Part of the VocalEssence educational outreach program, WITNESS, this concert features traditional and contemporary pieces as well as some exciting special guests, such as Atlanta’s Spelman College Glee Club. The event is in celebration of African and African American trailblazers like Minneapolis City Council Vice-President Andrea Jenkins, former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, and history-making Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Info: bit.ly/YetTheyPersist February 26 African Heritage Day on The Hill 2-4 pm @ Minnesota Capitol, ROTUNDA, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., St. Paul. Free Come out and hear from elected officials of African heritage to advance the vision in Minnesota together. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison will keynote this year’s event. Info: bit.ly/AfricanHeritageDay February 27 43rd Annual Michael T. Fagin Pan African Conference 1 pm @ Centennial Student Union, Mankato. $50-75. Free for MSU students, faculty and staff Inspired by the imagery and themes of Black Panther’s Wakanda, this year’s conference invites attendees to reimagine new possibilities for economic justice, liberatory education, and political solidarity. The conference runs from Feb. 27-March 1. Info: bit.ly/PanAfrican2019 February 28 African American Read-In: Books, Poetry and Songs 3:30-7:30 pm @ Webber Park, 4440 Humboldt Ave., N., Minneapolis. Free In celebration of the power of local African American literature, this

event features Tish Jones, founder and executive director of TruArtSpeaks, Danielle Daniel, Dr. Artika Tyner, Wisdom Young, a presentation from Youth Readers Theater, plus an open mic session. Info: bit.ly/WebberReadIn Assata Speaks: The Black History Month Edition 5- 8 pm @ Brave New Workshop, 824 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. $10 Speakers Rosalind Sullivan, Jena Holiday and D’Narius Lewis headline the Black History Edition of Assata Speaks promising messages to remember. Info: bit.ly/AssataSpeaks Author Talk: Shannon Gibney 6-7:30 pm @ Brooklyn Park Library, 8500 W. Broadway Ave., Brooklyn Park. Free Professor Shannon Gibney reads from her second novel Dream Country, a story about family tapestry, sacrifice and dreams. Info: bit.ly/ShannonGibney Discussion on racial inequality with Dr. Samuel Myers 6-7:30 pm @ Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery, 1256 Penn Ave. N, 4th floor, Minneapolis. Free University of Minnesota Professor Dr. Myers will lead a discussion on his book Race Neutrality: Rationalizing Remedies to Racial Inequality. His work focuses on the impact of social policies on the poor. Info: bit.ly/DrSamuelMyers

February 14-20, 2019

Legals

9

Employment

State of Minnesota Certificate of Assumed Name Minnesota Statutes Chapter 333 ASSUMED NAME: Say What?! by Char PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS: 3654 Logan Ave N Minneapolis MN 55412 USA NAMEHOLDER: Charmain R Johnson

3654 Logan Ave N Minneapolis MN 55412 USA 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. SIGNED BY: Charmain Johnson EMAIL FOR OFFICIAL NOTICES: leehjordan@gmail.com DATED: 2/05/2019 11:59 PM

INVITATION TO BID Sealed bids will be received by the Public Housing Agency of the City of Saint Paul at 200 East Arch Street, St. Paul, MN 55130 for PHA HI-RISE TRASH COMPACTOR REPLACEMENTS, Contract No. 19-123, until 2:00 P.M., Local Time, on March 13, 2019 at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud. Complete sets of bid documents are available by contacting Northstar Imaging, at 651-686-0477 or www.northstarplanroom.com, public plan room under PHA HIRISE TRASH COMPACTOR REPLACEMENTS, Contract No. 19-123. Digital downloads are no charge; contact Northstar for hard copy pricing. Bids must be accompanied by a 5% bid guarantee, MN Responsible Contractors Compliance Affidavit, a non-collusive affidavit, and EEO Form. The successful bidder will be required to furnish both a satisfactory performance bond and a separate payment bond.

Minnesota Spokesman Recorder February 14 & 21, 2019

CASE TYPE: PERSONAL INJURY DISTRICT COURT SECOND JUDICIAL DISTRICT

STATE OF MINNESOTA COUNTY OF RAMSEY HAMZA ABUBAKAR-ELMEHRA, Plaintiff, v. CRISTIAN HERNANDEZ AND KATHRYN SAUVE,

A/1 Contract No. 19-123

SUMMONS

PRE-BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019, AT 10:00 AM AT THE MOUNT AIRY HI-RISE COMMUNITY ROOM @ 200 ARCH STREET E, SAINT PAUL, MN 55130.

the bidding.

Defendants THIS SUMMONS IS DIRECTED TO the above-named Defendants: 1. YOU ARE BEING SUED. The Plaintiff has started a lawsuit against you. The Plaintiff’s Complaint against you is attached to this summons. 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 20 DAYS TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS. You must give or mail to the person who signed this summons a written response called an Answer within 20 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: Brantingham & Curtis, PA 2200 E Franklin Avenue, Suite 202 Minneapolis, MN 55404 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 20 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.

AN EQUAL

KA YANG

OPPORTUNITY AGENCY

PROJECT LEADER (651) 292-6089

Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, February 21, 2019

A/1 Parking Lots Resurfacing

Paul at 200 E. Arch Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 55130 for PHA PARKING LOTS

View

RESURFACING, Contract No. 19-124, until 2:00 PM, Local Time, on MARCH 14,

Continued from page 10

Sealed bids will be received by the Public Housing Agency (PHA) of the City of Saint

2019 at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud. The PHA Parking Lot Resurfacing is a project involving the mill and overlay of 7 existing St. Paul Public Housing parking lots at 5 PHA sites. A complete set of bid documents are available by contacting Northstar Imaging at 651-686-0477 or www.northstarplanroom.com , under public plan room, PHA PARKING LOTS RESURFACING. Digital downloads are no charge, contact Northstar for hard copy pricing. Bids must be accompanied by a 5% bid guarantee, a MN Responsible Contractors Compliance Affidavit, and EEO Form.

727 Front Ave. Community room (Front Hi-Rise) St Paul, MN. The PHA reserves the right to reject any or all bids or to waive any informalities in the bidding. AN EQUAL

JIM LEARY

OPPORTUNITY AGENCY

PROJECT LEADER (651) 292-6073

Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, February 21, 2019

SOe Continued from page 10

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INVITATION TO BID

PRE-BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD on FEBRUARY 27, 2019 AT 1:30 PM at

Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, February 7,14 & 21 2019

Augusoft is seeking to fill the position of Software Developer, Product Maintenance in its Golden Valley, MN office. The individual in this position’s primary responsibility is for resolving the queue of bugs as prioritized by severity and impact for Augusoft’s web-based products by writing dynamic web-based applications. Requires a BS degree in IT, computer science or related or foreign equivalent as well as 12 months experience in Coldfusion, T-SQL, and HTML/CSS development experience.

Contract No. 19-124

The successful bidder will be required to furnish performance and payment bonds.

Dated: December 13, 2018 By:Megan M. Curtis BRANTINGHAM & CURTIS, P.A. Jeremy Brantingham, #0299558 Megan M. Curtis, #0393601 2200 E Franklin Avenue, Suite 202 Minneapolis, MN 55404 (612) 339-9700 ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFF

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The PHA reserves the right to reject any or all bids or to waive any informalities in

Palmer mostly works volleyball and water polo. “I stopped doing basketball a couple of years ago because my knees were bothering me,” he said. “Volleyball is less stressful on the body. It is mentally demanding but not physically demanding. We have volleyball officials who are well into their 70s and are still very good.” Both Robinson and Palmer stressed the importance of patience and paying one’s dues, as well as there being no substitute for experience. “We don’t have a timeline in officials” moving up from youth level to high school, and possibly on to college and pros, Robinson said. “You certainly have to have the experience to get there.” “You have to take the job seriously and look at it as a professional job,” Palmer added. “You need to hone your skills.” Anyone interested in officiating locally can go to the MSHSL.org website, click on “Officials/Judges,” then “Becoming an official,” and fill out a short form on line. “Sign up, pass the background check, and pay your fee to the state [association],” Palmer advised.

“There are opportunities all over the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. I think we have to open up our minds and look for these opportunities.” “There is a need to recruit officials of color [and] women,” Robinson emphasized. Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@ spokesman-recorder.com.

best friend’s parents, both Mac alums, he said, “I always knew it was a special place. Macalester has a great academic reputation. “I also see Macalester as a place for growth in athletics. The resources here are great. What we need now are some athletes who want to take advantage of these resources and be committed.” Especially athletes of color: “African American students actually have thrived [here],” Brooks noted. “If you want a top-tier academic education and top-tier athletics, you can land a spot at Macalester.” He fully believes Macalester can become a serious force in all sports in the MIAC. The Scots

Six Continued from page 10 registered four tackles against Maryland • tallied four tackles against Iowa • recorded a career high 13 tackles including one for a loss against Ohio State • notched three tackles against Nebraska • played all four year as a defense back for the Gophers. Rodney Smith All-Big Ten Honorable Mention • received team’s Bronko Nagurski Award (Team MVP) 2017 • 2016 named All-Big Ten Third Team by league coaches and media • named Offensive MVP of the Holiday Bowl after scoring one touchdown and re-

AD has thrown down a gauntlet to his coaches as well as rest of the MIAC, declaring, “There are no more easy wins.” MIAC notes Augsburg (21-4, 16-2 MIAC) is second seed, awaits one of the quarterfinals winners, and will host them Thursday at 7 pm in the six-team MIAC Women’s Basketball Playoffs, which began earlier this week. Top seed St. Thomas (24-1, 18-0) will host the other quarterfinals winner Thursday at 5 pm. Thursday’s semifinals winners will meet Saturday, tentatively scheduled for 3 pm at a yet-to-be-determined site. Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@ spokesman-recorder.com. cording 132 all-purpose yards • averaged 4.8 yards per carry • rushed for 100 yards in six games, which is tied for ninth in a single season • rushed for 100 yards in four straight games (Maryland, Rutgers, Illinois, Purdue) to become the first Gopher since David Cobb in 2013 to accomplish that feat • received team’s Bronko Nagurski Award (Team MVP) and Bruce Smith Award (Outstanding Offensive Player) and was named the Bob McNamara Offensive Back of the Year • will be back next year with the Gophers. Kenneth Foxworth welcomes reader responses to kennethfoxworth568@msn.com. Photos courtesy of U of M

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10

February 21-27, 2019

Can Macalester excel in sports FORMER PREP STARS CONTRIBUTING TO GOPHERS as well as academics?

T

his week’s photo focus is on former metro-area prep basketball stars Amir Coffey (Hopkins), Kenisha Bell (Bloomington Kennedy), and Gabe Kalscheur (DeLaSalle). Coffey, Kalscheur and Bell are making major contributions to the University of Minnesota’s PreP Scene women’s and basketball program’s reDr. Mitchell spectively. PalMer McDonalD Coffey, a 6’8” junior guard, is averaging 15.3 points per game for the Gophers with a season high of 32 against Nebraska. He recently reached the 1000-point plateau.

Amir Coffey against Wisconsin

Gabe Kalscheur drives against Wisconsin’s Brad Davison (Maple Grove). Bell, a 5’9” senior shooting guard who recently reached the 2000-point career mark, is averaging 18.9 points per game with a season-high of 28 against Rhode Island. Kalscheur is averaging 15. 3 points per contest. The 6’4” freshman’s season-high is a 25-point effort against Santa Clara. Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader responses to mcdeezy05@ gmail.com. All photos by Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald

Kenisha Bell against Penn State

Sports odds and ends

M

That’s the new AD’s vision

acalester College has a world-renowned academic reputation. Donald “Donnie” Brooks, the recently hired athletic director, says among his goals is that the St. Paul school soon becomes equally known for its athletics. Since arriving early last month, Brooks has been out and about, weather permitting, as a drum major (figuratively speaking) banging the drum slowly for Scots athletics. We first met after a Scots women’s basketball game shortly after he got here. He quizzed me about local churches and where to find Black people. “I still have a lot of places to see,” he later stressed during a scheduled interview in his Leonard Center office a day after the polar vortex left town. “Ultimately, the job is to provide direction and motivation to the coaches who run our programs. I think Macalester is a great athletic school that [student-athletes of color] should be looking at.”

ANOTHER

VIEW charles hallMan

Donald “Donnie” Brooks

Springfield while working as a graduate assistant football coach. Also, during this time in graduate school, Brooks had a front-office internship with the NFL’s Houston Texans. On his time in the NFL, he recalled, “I felt I would have had

“What we need now are some athletes who want to take advantage of these resources and be committed.” Brooks comes to Macalester after nearly three years at Millsap (Miss.) College. The Houston, Texas native earned his business management degree from Springfield (Mass.) College in 2002 and also played football there. He later earned a master’s in sports management from

more of an impact as an entrylevel teacher than I had [with the Texans].” Nonetheless, “It was still a great experience.” Later, as a high school teacher and coach, “I realized as a coach I could impact a group or a unit or a team. But as an athletic director, I could impact the lives of all the students,” Brooks contin-

Photo by Charles Hallman ued. As a result, he pursued an athletic administration career: He was assistant AD, assistant football coach, and assistant lacrosse coach at Williams (Mass.) College. The school first hired Brooks through a two-year NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship grant in 2006, then later promoted him to faculty status. Brooks later was assistant AD for Peak Performance at Dartmouth for five years, working with over 1,000 athletes; then he spent two and a half years at Millsap, located in Jackson, Miss. “I love programming and development work. I love to give young people the skills not just in sport, but also in life,” Brooks stressed. Now at Macalester, which he learned about through one of his ■ See View on page 9

WANTED — More sport officials Blacks and women especially needed at all levels

By Charles Hallman Contributing Writer

Jason Palmer serving as a line judge during the Illinois Girl’s State Championship game in 2015 Submitted photo

“It’s the best part-time job I ever had,” Jason Palmer declared. He started officiating in 2008 after nearly 20 years coaching basketball and softball in the Chicago area. “I never had done it before. I did some research to see which sport needed the most officials and paid the best money,” Palmer said. “I noticed that volleyball tends to pay more than the other sports.” Club volleyball season is now underway, and according to Palmer, “There’s money to be made. We make $30 a match in club volleyball. “Volleyball officials on most weekends who do the club scene can make $600 a weekend. You can do that from January all the way into July.” As a result, an individual can “increase your income dramatically to go along with your career job,” said Palmer, who is also associate editor

of Referee Magazine. “That’s the main selling point that we need to get across” in recruiting more officials, he noted. “There is a shortage [of officials] in all sports, but definitely [in] the nontraditional sports in our community.

“There are opportunities all over the MinneapolisSt. Paul area.” “We have to get out of this mentality in our community that if you want to referee, you can only do football, basketball and baseball. There’s a whole bunch of sports. We have to change that mentality,” Palmer said. Jim Robinson offered yet another explanation

A salute to the U of M’s ‘elite six’ By Kenneth Foxworth Contributing Writer

Senior day is long over. So is a 14-year Gopher football team’s losing streak against the University of Wisconsin and being the underdog at Quick Lane Bowl game in Detroit, Michigan. Being football players at the University of Minnesota is also now over for all but one of the “elite six” players most responsible for these achievements. Why are they called the elite six? Because they have done something different than any other past alumnae in 14 years: Jacob Huff

not just winning an axe against Wisconsin, but also changing the attitude and mindset of a foundation. The elite six were not recruited by current head coach P.J. Fleck; they were recruited by former head coach Jerry Kill and interim coach Tracy Claeys. From Coach Kill leaving his position because of health problems and having Defensive Coordinator Claeys take his place, to problems facing 10 African American student-athletes, the University Minnesota football program was in disarray. Most of the “elite six’s” teammates went to other colJulian Huff

leges and universities to play football, but these African American players stayed. They believed in the University of Minnesota, and they believed in their teammates. The elite six took these young student-athletes to be a great brick-by-brick challenge, showing them on and off the field what it means to practice integrity, honesty and commitment. Here is the senior class of 2018 U of M football Golden Gophers’ African American student-athletes, a.k.a. the “elite six”:

Jerry Gibson

Jacob Huff, senior season Started all 12 games • recorded 85 tackles (54 solo), broken up seven passes, forced two fumbles and made two interceptions • recognized as AllBig Ten Honorable Mention by the coaches and media • Academic All-Big Ten • led team with 10 tackles against Wisconsin, also broke up one pass and forced one fumble. Julian Huff, senior season Academic All-Big Ten played all four seasons as linebacker • led the Gopher tackles in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit. Gary Moore

for the shortage of officials: “I think the main reason is [the individual] being able to accept criticism that fans would give them.” A longtime local Black official and now the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) state coordinator of officials, Robinson told me this before a women’s basketball game last month. He added that he is often bothered that more Black officials work AAU summer games [rather than high school], mainly because “it’s an instant paycheck for them. That means I can put on a shirt and referee on the weekend and make maybe $200.” Getting similarly paid “if you’re working at the high school [level], that’s not going to happen, because we look for [persons who] are more seasoned” as officials.

Gary Moore, senior season Mexico State • started against Fresno State • made one tackle against Miami • notched one tackle against Maryland • recorded three tackles including one for a loss against Iowa • notched one tackle against Ohio State • made one tackle against Nebraska • recovered fumble that sealed a win against Indiana on top of recording a season-high five tackles and one tackle for loss • competed at Illinois • registered two tackles against Purdue • tallied a career-high six tackles including one for a loss against Northwestern. Jerry Gibson, senior season New Mexico State • saw Rodney Smith

■ See SOe on page 9

action against Miami and Iowa • recorded first career sack against Ohio State • competed against Nebraska, Indiana and Illinois • registered one tackle against Purdue • notched one tackle against Northwestern • recorded one tackle against Wisconsin. Antonio Shenault, senior season Made four tackles and broke up one pass against New Mexico State • tallied seven tackles including 0.5 for loss and forced one fumble against Fresno State • returned an interception 42 yards and notched seven tackles including one for a loss against Miami • ■ See Six on page 9 Antonio Shenault